Ellis County

'Sadomasochistic' Couple Killed an Arlington Man, Then Stuffed His Body in a Refrigerator

It was Independence Day 2011 when the boy and his father went to the abandoned shell of a house in rural Ellis County. They hoped they might find the treasure that was rumored to be buried there, but came up empty handed. What they found instead was a refrigerator, which pretty clearly had not been ... More >>

Former Associate of Jailed Ellis County Observer Publisher Sues Google For Defamation

Joey Dauben's reign as the muckraking king of Ellis County came to an ignominious end last month when he was sentenced to three 10-year sentences for raping a boy, then 14, on a church camping trip in 2007. It was an ironic end for the 32-year-old, who crusaded against child abuse (and many other t ... More >>

Former Ellis County Observer Publisher Joey Dauben Gets Three Ten-Year Sentences For Sexual Assault and Indecency With a Child

Two years ago, Joey Dauben was full-time small-town muckraker, publishing the Ellis County Observer and a string of other small papers, blending investigative stories with vicious gossip and baseless speculation at a rate of speed that thrilled and enraged his target audience. He focused intensely o ... More >>

Tom Corea's Wife Attacked His Mistress, Rammed Her Car Through a Garage

Because the Tom Corea saga just wasn't train-wrecky enough, we bring you another dispatch from Ellis County, where, if you'll recall, Corea was recently indicted for attacking his wife and interfering with a 911 call. This incident occurred on October 28, 2011 and involves Corea's wife, 41-year-old ... More >>

Tom Corea, Renowned Penis-Graffiti Artist, is Now Charged with Assaulting His Wife

For those of you who haven't been keeping score at home, a quick recap. Tom Corea is a disbarred, Klonopin-addicted trial lawyer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of his client's money, with which he bought luxury cars, a half-million-dollar RV, a quarter horse operation and other ... More >>

Waxahachie Man Gets Life Sentence For Driving Drunk. Again.

In 1997, Blas Hernandez was convicted of drunk driving in Ellis County. It was his third DWI, making it a felony and, since he had two previous convictions for assaulting a public servant, they threw the book at him: Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison. Fast-forward to 2012. Hernandez, who wa ... More >>

How Texas Came Within an Atom's Breadth of Discovering the God Particle

Predicting What the News Will Say about the Trinity Doesn't Require a Crystal Ball

OK, look: if I predict the future, and the future turns out to be exactly what I predicted, I have a right to point that out, right? It's not bragging. C'mon. It's more like pointing out that I wasn't being a total nutcase. So last week in my column in the newspaper, I told readers exactly what The ... More >>

Johnathan Ramsey, Missing 11-Year-Old, Presumed Dead; Dad, Step-Mom Arrested as Police Search for Body (Updated)

Update, April 1: If you've read this morning's paper, you know this story is even more disturbing than initially thought. Update after the original: Original item, Saturday, March 31: It was only yesterday that Edward Ramsey called Dallas police, concerned about the whereabouts of his 11-year-old ... More >>

Joey Dauben Crusaded Against Child Porn. Now He's Accused of Assaulting a 15-Year-Old Boy.

Photo by Patrick MichelsJoey Dauben, who now sits in jail in Navarro County​Perhaps you've heard by now: Joey Dauben, publisher of the Ellis County Observer and several other small-town papers and websites throughout North Texas, has been indicted and arrested on charges of sexually assaulting ... More >>

Mother-Daughter Team Thinks Newspapers Have Money, Sues Local Daily for $21 Million

Waxahachie Daily Light! You're on notice. Because when you get crossways with local firebrand Linda Lewis, protesters will march, media will descend, and comically high settlement demands will be made. Kentucky Fried Chicken got a taste back in 2006. Lewis claimed she found baby cockroaches sprinkl ... More >>

Small-Town Muckraker Joey Dauben Will Run the World Some Day. Just Ask Him.

In the little towns outside of Dallas, publisher and aspiring politician Joey Dauben is on a crusade to expose abuses of power, civic mischief and -- most of all -- himself.

Side Roads and Silver Screens

Side Roads and Silver Screens

The Superconducting Super Collider Is For Sale. And Who Doesn't Need 14 Miles of Tunnels?

​Steve Brown tips us to the story, but not the site: Newmark Knight Frank's sprawling online ad for the Superconducting Super Collider down in Ellis County, just outside Waxahachie, where the feds sunk $800 million into a project that's been kaput since '93. Can't be going for more than $6.5 mil: ... More >>

A Tourists Guide to a Dozen Dirty Deeds by Dallas Cowboys

Homesick Restaurants: How Dallas Became a Dining Nowhereville.

Texas Motorplex Celebrates Its Unlikely Silver Anniversary With A Little Help From Championship Driver John Force.

After 12-Year Search for Missing Son, Mother Doesn't Buy Ellis County Sheriff's Suicide Story

Jacob Whitt's driver's license photoIn 1997, Jacob Whitt was a 21-year-old anxious to get out of his tiny Central Florida hometown and start a life somewhere new. Truckers passing through told him Dallas was the place to move if he wanted to make some money, so that August he headed west, moving in ... More >>

Who the Hell is Clay Jenkins, And Why Am I Being Told to Vote for Him for County Judge?

Who is Clay Jenkins? We'd Like to Know Too, But He Ain't Talkin'.

Claire JordanIt took 11 days and a lot of effort from us just to get a statement from Clay Jenkins, who wants to replace Jim Foster as county judge.​Fifty-two votes. That's all that kept Clay Jenkins from securing the Democratic nomination for county judge on March 2. Instead, he'll take on fo ... More >>

DA Watkins Loves Bill White, Not Jim Foster

Photos by Kurt WatkinsBill White, Craig Watkins and Craig Jenkins (background) walk from Watkins's campaign office to a precinct chair dinner at Saint Martin's Place Friday night.​That's what we gather by looking at the pics sent to us by Kurt Watkins, cousin and PR man to Dallas County Distri ... More >>

Green Cement Plants Could Mean Cleaner Air and Lower Costs

Economic pressure from local cities helps clean up smoky kilns

Clearing the Air

Former County Judge Margaret Keliher keeps trying to blow away the smoke over pollution plans

What in the Hell is Going on in Wilmer, and How Do We Get In On It?

Choke On It

North Texas gets schooled on the nasty politics of dirty air

Piggy Goes to Town

Feral pigs move closer to life in the city

Phone Tag

When we harass sources, we always leave our names

If Mike Dupree's Going Down, He Wants To Take Everyone -- Including Us -- With Him. Yeah, That's Not Gonna Happen.

Mayor, Mayor, on the Wall | Spell C-O-N-F-L-I-C-T| Got a Beef | Phat Girlz | Judge Roy Bean

The Hangin' Judge | Quincy Comes Clean | Pull Up Your Pants

Bully on the Bench

When big-city lawyers appear in the courtroom of Judge Gene Knize, they better be prepared to duck and cover

Sam Coats' Concrete Problem

The Meaning of a Charged Word

Accidental Victors

Wait...we voted for who?

Raising Midlothian

Clyde Barrow Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Pot-bellied Cowboy

Finally catching up with the late, great Nate

Go to Ellum

Grab your paintball guns and bottles of liquor--it's time to party, Deep Ellum style

A Day at the Races

Plus: D-Day at the DMN; Dirty Deed

By the Book

A DART police officer helps crack a murder case, only to lose his job

Drug Crazed

Millions in federal tax dollars are being spent by narcotics task forces in Texas to nab low-level users and dealers. Is this any way to wage a drug war?

Superiority Complex

How Glenn Heights turned a debate over starter homes into a nasty small-town war

Letters

Where Did Our PLUR Go?; Just Shoot Him; Laughs for White Guys; Gone to Seed; New Ground

Marshal law

Peace officers go to war in the city marshal's office

One of their own

Historical preservationists can't believe who's responsible for letting eight historic houses crumble to the brink of demolition

Something In The Air

Downwind of TXI's Midlothian cement plant, people and animals keep getting sick. Instead of investigating whether the plant is to blame, state regulators appear ready to let TXI burn even more hazardous waste. Part two of A Dallas Observer Special Report

Country comfort

Crazy Horse offers urbane delights in Waxahachie

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