Email Author Leslie Minora

2012 Stories by Leslie Minora

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  COVER STORY

  The Women of Dallas Are Armed and Dangerous, Thanks to Mama Jeanie

  published August 30, 2012

  Her rhinestone-studded sunglasses shading her from the harsh July sun, Jeanie Almond purposefully paces the range, hands clasped behind her... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  At UTD, a Study of PTSD in Soldiers, Focused on One of the School's Own

  published Jul 26, 2012

  Mike Rials is graduating from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he was not only a psychology student but also a participant in a PTSD study testing the effectiveness of a new treatment combinat... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  DNA Implicates Two Different Suspects Decades After Three Strikingly Similar Murders

  published Jul 25, 2012

  Michael Morton skyrocketed into national headlines last year when he was exonerated of his wife's murder after 25 years in prison. A bloody bandana found near the crime scene was a key to Morton's rel... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Star-Telegram Says Better Policy is Why Tarrant Has Fewer Exonerations than Dallas County. But What's The Real Reasonr

  published Jul 23, 2012

  Updated to include an additional interview. A Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial published this weekend concludes that Tarrant County has not exonerated nearly as many innocent prisoners as Dallas Co... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Pennsylvania: A Glimpse of Texas' Future if Voter ID Law is Implemented

  published Jul 23, 2012

  While Texas awaits a panel of judges' decision as to whether a voter I.D. requirement would disenfranchise minorities, Pennsylvania provides a peek into the issues that arise after such a law is put i... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Texas Wants 'In' on National Immigration Database, But Why It's Necessary Is A Mystery

  published Jul 19, 2012

  Yesterday, Texas Secretary of State Esperanza "Hope" Andrade requested access to a federal database of immigration records as a way to ensure that voters are here legally. It's a little like putting b... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  System of Plea Bargains Over Trials Has Some Dicey Consequences

  published Jul 18, 2012

  In the course of reporting the recent Observer feature on wrongful convictions based on wrongdoing by prosecutors and police, an interesting tangential point surfaced multiple times. It was the remind... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Stoner Movie That Wasn't: Five Indicted in Mortgage-Fraud/Pot-Selling Scheme

  published Jul 13, 2012

  Two brothers, the (now ex) wife of one brother, and a British dude hatch a plan. Playing on their collective entrepreneurial spirit, they'll start a company. They'll market it as a foreclosure rescue ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Little Neighborhood at the Foot of the Calatrava Is a Step Closer to Survival, For Now

  published Jul 13, 2012

  While the big white bridge across the Trinity River promises an economic boost for West Dallas, it's been a test of the will of La Bajada. The neighborhood, mostly composed of Latino families, has qui... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Deion Sanders' Prime Prep High School Football Appears More Like Fantasy Football

  published Jul 12, 2012

  In the months following Prime Prep Academy's February town hall information sessions, Deion Sanders and his business partner, D.L. Wallace, have been publicly silent about almost every aspect of their... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Future Stars of the Dallas Stars Went to the Gun Range the Other Day. Shirtless.

  published Jul 11, 2012

  A few dozen of the world's best young hockey players filed into Elm Fork Shooting Sports earlier this week, to try their hand-eye coordination at sporting clay shooting, a sport unfamiliar to many fro... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Perry Says NO-bamacare for Texas

  published Jul 09, 2012

  This morning, in a move about as surprising as the sun rising, Governor Rick Perry came out with guns blazing against the Affordable Health Care Act, recently approved (mostly) by the U.S. Supreme Cou... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  What Ice Cream and Fracking Have in Common And Why Your Dessert Has Become So Pricey

  published Jul 06, 2012

  The food industry has for decades leaned on an inexpensive and natural thickening agent: guar gum. It builds viscosity in ice cream, dressing, baked goods, and other foods you've likely eaten it in th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Study: Texas Teens Sure Love to Sext

  published Jul 05, 2012

  A team of Texas researchers recently published the findings of a scientific undertaking studying a condition plaguing 28 percent of Texas teens. Sexting. So now, when that half-cocked smile rolls ... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  When Innocent Prisoners Finally Go Free, Their Prosecutors Do, Too

  published July 5, 2012

  The outcome was already determined, the stories already written, but the cameras and the recorders were out anyway, waiting for the judge to... More >>

• Amira Matsuda: The Ambassador

  published Jun 29, 2012

  In this week's Dallas Observer we profile 30 of the metro area's most interesting characters, with new portraits of each from local photographer Mark Graham. See the entire Dallas Observer People Issu... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Kessler Man Unearths Bison in His Yard, WFAA Unearths Mammoth Tooth in His Living Room

  published Jun 29, 2012

  If you love very old things, sweet excitable people, and a damn good coincidence, this might be your favorite human interest story in a long time. From his chi... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Court Drops Gypsy Tea Room Skinhead's Lesser of Two '05 Convictions

  published Jun 27, 2012

  The 2004 summer night when David Cunniff took his two teen daughters to an Old 97's show at the Gypsy Tea Room rattled Deep Ellum to the core. How it all went down depends who you ask, but the end res... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Texas Charter Schools, Parents Sue State Over Facilities Funding

  published Jun 26, 2012

  Dana Allen, a Lakewood parent, is thrilled with the education her 5-year-old receives at Lindsley Park charter school, but is displeased that the school has no gym, no cafeteria, no library and no com... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Fashion, Food, Dancing Mark World Refugee Day in Vickery Meadows

  published Jun 25, 2012

  African men singing to the beat of a drum and about ten women dressed in long bold-colored dresses danced in an undulating circle in Fair Oaks Park on Saturday afternoon. With bright scarves wrapped a... More >>

• Lea Velez: The Pace-Setter

  published Jun 23, 2012

  In this week's Dallas Observer we profile 30 of the metro area's most interesting characters, with new portraits of each from local photographer Mark Graham. See the entire Dallas Observer People Issu... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Southwest Didn't Always Hate Skimpy Clothing. Just Look at Those '70s Hemlines

  published Jun 22, 2012

  Southwest Airlines posted a cheeky little game on their Facebook page: Check out these seemingly identical photos of our stewardesses from the 'first hostess class' in 1971 and find the 10 differences... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dallas is All Like, 'Voting, Why Botherr'

  published Jun 22, 2012

  Turns out, the people of Dallas don't care much for voting -- Dallas County ranked fourth in the state (out of 254 counties) for the fewest ballots cast among voting-age people. Even Harris County had... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Benny Barrett is Homeless(ish)

  published Jun 20, 2012

  For the past three and a half years, Benny Barrett taught Latin at a Catholic high school in Waco. Now he's living on the streets and in homeless shelters in downtown Dallas. Except, that is, when he ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Looking to Rent a Car For The Weekend Post-Hail Stormr Uhh, Good Luck.

  published Jun 15, 2012

  If you need wheels to leave town for the weekend or if your windshield looks like a spider web after this week's hailstorm, don't wait until the last minute to get a car. You will be turned down by se... More >>