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THIS WEEK: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo — a young, progressive, Hispanic immigrant — had never held political office and hadn’t attended a commissioner’s court hearing before being elected in November. Few expected Hidalgo to unseat Ed Emmett, a popular, moderate Republican who was widely regarded as a highly effective steward and one of the powerhouses of Houston politics. She entered office with dozens of critics who were wary of her inexperience and dubious of her knowledge of the limitations of the job. Her supporters counter that she’s been prejudged by those who can’t see past her age, gender and ethnicity. But with all the consternation on one side, and excitement on the other, few have asked a basic question: Who is Lina Hidalgo and what does she plan to do over the next four years?
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- An Observer investigation finds that unregulated dams across Texas are increasingly failing — putting people and property in jeopardy.
- In Texas, lawmakers removed almost half of all dams from state oversight in 2011, saying the dams are too small to regulate. Our review of 7,250 dams in Texas found that more than 25 percent that are regulated are in “poor” or “fair” condition. Perhaps most important, state data also show the rate of dam failure is increasing dramatically. Of the approximately 300 dam failures in Texas since 1910, half have occurred in the last nine years.
- “There’s more that’s going to fail,” said Wes Birdwell, a civil engineer in Austin. “Maybe somebody’s grandpa bought a bulldozer … and scraped up a bunch of dirt. We don’t know a lot about a lot of these dams.”
- Is a dam failing in your neighborhood? Check the condition of dams in your neighborhood with our interactive map.
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From the archives
Lining Up a Conviction
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- At first glance, the photo lineup that helped send Juan Balderas to death row doesn’t look too unusual. It shows six young Latino men staring blankly ahead. Balderas, in the bottom middle position, looks calm, almost as if he’s daydreaming. But according to judges and experts, this lineup is deeply prejudicial. Balderas was sentenced to death for a 2005 Houston murder based on the testimony of a single eyewitness, and he’s maintained his innocence ever since.
- The witness identification procedure in Balderas’ case gained the attention of the state’s highest criminal court, with a majority of judges ruling in November that it was suggestive, and one judge arguing it was so prejudicial that Balderas deserved a new trial. Balderas’ case is one example of how small errors in police treatment of eyewitnesses can lead to serious problems with a conviction.
- From Casey Tolan's 2017 feature: “Research over the past few years has made clear that even small, unintentionally leading statements by officers can make witnesses feel pressured to choose someone. Coaching, such as when the officer urged Wendy to cover parts of the faces, can do the same. Among other research, a 2013 study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology found that repeatedly showing a witness the same photo can lead to their memory being essentially overwritten, with the photo replacing the original recollection of the face.”
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What’s Happening at the Observer
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- We'll be at the San Antonio Book Festival all day today. Stop by to check out Texas Observer merch, our latest mags, and ways to support our work. See you there!
- The Texas Observer has been around a long time — 65 years this year, in fact. We think it's about time we start talking to our readers more, which is why we hope you’ll consider participating in our first digital reader survey. The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. Your answers will remain completely anonymous (though, if you so choose, we’d love to follow up with you). Each participant who doesn’t mind sharing their email address will be entered to win swag from the Texas Observer Store.
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