POLICING
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...
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.
The Opaque Lens: Body Camera Footage of Police Incidents Doesn’t Have to Be Hard to Get
Body-worn cameras are meant to provide transparency and accountability in incidents where law enforcement officers use excessive and/or deadly force. A model body camera policy from the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation’s website notes, “Body-worn cameras are...
Did Lazy Policework Put Cyrus Gray and Devonte Amerson in Jail?
Editor’s note: The account of Justin’s murder and the investigation that followed have been reconstructed in witness testimony recorded in the transcripts of The State of Texas vs. Cyrus Lua Gray III. Although Justin Gage and Cyrus Gray’s friends were identified by...
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...
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.
Owner of Distillery in Dripping Springs Identified as Key Figure in Trump’s 2021 Coup Attempt
Dripping Springs is known for its breweries and distilleries. But only one has a mailbox fashioned like a giant shotgun shell and a tasting room festooned with artillery – and whose owner was subpoenaed by the U.S. Congress for his chief role in a plot to overthrow...
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).
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.
Violence In Blue: Local Cops Continue to Kill and Lie About It
Loved ones of Malachi Williams gather at the San Marcos Public Library to remember his life in a vigil organized by his family and Mano Amiga in late April. Photographed by Christopher Paul Cardoza. On April 11, a San Marcos Police officer shot and killed 22-year-old...