Federal Appeals Court Sides with The Examiner Over Illegality of Caldwell County’s Closed-Door Legal Proceedings
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Nov. 15 affirmed a federal district court decision requiring that...
How the Police Violate Our Constitutional Rights
Lamar Hankins, retired city attorney, in his San Marcos home. Photo by Ursula Rogers. Imagine that you are out...
Justice Repeatedly Delayed Is Justice Repeatedly Denied
Devonte Amerson, waiting. Photo by Ursula Rogers. In March of 2018, San Marcos police officers traveled to Houston,...
Federal Appeals Court Sides with The Examiner Over Illegality of Caldwell County’s Closed-Door Legal Proceedings
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Nov. 15 affirmed a federal district court decision requiring that bail hearings in Caldwell County be open to the press and public. The Examiner filed the lawsuit in August 2023 alongside co-plaintiffs The Texas...
How the Police Violate Our Constitutional Rights
Lamar Hankins, retired city attorney, in his San Marcos home. Photo by Ursula Rogers. Imagine that you are out watering your out-of-town neighbor’s flowers and a policeman shows up. He asks what you are doing and who you are. You respond with your name (Pastor...
Justice Repeatedly Delayed Is Justice Repeatedly Denied
Devonte Amerson, waiting. Photo by Ursula Rogers. In March of 2018, San Marcos police officers traveled to Houston, Texas, to arrest Cyrus Gray and Devonte Amerson. According to them, the two young men had taken part in the 2016 robbery that ended with the shooting...
The Examiner Sits Down with Rising Star of the Stage, Jamias Hughes
Jamias Hughes, an actor from the Class of 2024 at Lockhart High School, earned a spot at the prestigious National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City last summer. This honor – equivalent to the Tony Awards for U.S. teenagers, also called the Jimmy...
In Praise of Commissioner Lon Shell
The author, left, in a Hays County press conference in 2022 to debut the jail dashboard – newly furnishing the public and policymakers detailed data on local incarceration – alongside Eric Martinez of Mano Amiga as well as Commissioner Lon Shell. Commissioner Debbie...
‘Oaksterdam’ doc highlights Maxwell cannabis activist’s successes
A younger Brett Stahl using county transit at the HempCity protest in front of the San Marcos jail in 1992. When I met Richard Lee, I felt like a wide-eyed child even though only 4 years separated us. He’d just opened Legal Marijuana: The Hemp Store in Houston with...
In Our Indie Bookstore Era
Books, as physical objects, have been pronounced dead time and again, yet each time they’ve risen anew. There was a point when the invention of the Kindle and the closure of formerly ubiquitous chain bookstores like Borders really did seem like the final nail in the coffin…
Watching the Watchers: The Hope of a Conviction Integrity Unit in Hays County
What percentage of criminal cases result in wrongful convictions? According to the Georgia Innocence Project, studies show that the percentage lies somewhere between 4 and 6% of cases.
Caldwell County News Round-up
This month we will learn if Caldwell County – perhaps the most likely prospect of anywhere in Texas this cycle – might flip its Commissioners Court: from a 4-1 Republican stronghold to a 3-2 majority for the Democrats.
Beyond the Police Narrative: Finding the Truth for Malachi as SMPD Protects (Itself) and Serves (up Lies)
You’ve probably heard his story by now. The day after it happened, it was all over local Facebook groups, then the media – first with the police narrative, then the voices of his family and advocates (as it usually goes).
Verdict Reached in Far-Right Highway Terrorism against Biden Bus
The incident that put San Marcos Police Department officers in the spotlight in 2020 – and in the defendant’s chair in 2021 – made headlines again during a civil suit against participants in an attack on a Biden/Harris campaign bus.
Hays County Needs a Better Road Bond
The Hays Coalition for a Better Bond formed in September to inform and educate voters about a sudden decision the county commissioners made on Aug. 13 to put a road bond on the November ballot for $440 million.
Fired from Tax Office, “Very Rude” Caldwell Co Republican Now Hopes to Lead It
This November, Caldwell County voters will select their next Tax Assessor-Collector with the incumbent Darla Law retiring. The position importantly oversees the registration, titling, and transferring of all motor vehicles, including handicap placards.
The Freedom Act in Lockhart: “We ain’t going back!!”
When my sister Margaret Carter first shared with me her involvement with the Mano Amiga coalition’s petition drive to elevate “The Freedom Act” – to decriminalize small quantities of marijuana for personal use – to the November ballot, I was enthralled and mildly surprised that the penalties are basically the same as they were 50 years ago.
Compelling, Unseen New Films Slated for Local Showings at Upcoming Festivals
A multitude of new films never before seen by audiences in Caldwell and Hays counties will soon grace the screens of historic, downtown county-seat buildings: at Lost River Film Fest the weekend of Oct. 17-20 in the elegant Price Center in San Marcos and Endora Film Fest on Sunday, Nov. 3 in the century-old Gaslight Baker Theater in Lockhart.
One of These Updegroves is Not Like the Other: Ballot Confusion Plagues Judge’s Race
Hays County Democratic Party Chair John Hatch has filed a complaint with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct against Robert Elwood Updegrove, candidate for Hays County Court-at-Law #3.
A History of Ku Klux Klan #124 in San Marcos
During its “second wave” in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan amassed wide support from residents of Caldwell and Hays counties. Ku Klux Klan #124 presided over Hays County, mingling with the people by hosting barbecues,
Caldwell Commissioner Candidates Blast Racist Anti-Immigrant Resolution Backed by Incumbents
A resolution passed by Caldwell County commissioners at the end of 2022 – proclaiming that immigration places local residents “under an imminent threat of disaster to their health, life, and property” – illuminates a clear distinction between the political views of incumbents B.J. Westmoreland and Ed Theriot and those of the two challengers who hope to unseat them in November.
Will a San Marcos Family Be Able to Remove an Historic Home Feature with Ties to the KKK?
A San Marcos family is awaiting a court decision on whether they will be allowed to remove a “Z” from the exterior of their historic home after discovering its affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.
Immigration, Health Care Behind Bars Among Questions for Hays Co. Sheriff Candidates
The Examiner sent a questionnaire to the two candidates who will be on the Nov. 5 ballot for Hays County Sheriff. Anthony Hipolito, the Republican candidate, did not respond.