Reporter @ The Dallas Morning News
Articles by Scott Farwell
For years, friends say, slain sisters lived with their father's threats of violence and abuse
Sarah Said's final phone call rang into the Irving police dispatcher about 7:30 p.m. on New Year's Day: "I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying ..." About an hour later, a man walked up to an orange cab parked at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving. He discovered carnage - the bullet-shredded bodies of 17-year-old Sarah and 18-year-old Amina Said, honor students and athletes at Lewisville High School.
Social distancing strictures fall away as crowds gather to party and protest
Melissa Shapiro, 26, sat in the sun under a sign suggesting social distancing at the Redhead Lakeside Grill on Saturday, as dozens stood shoulder-to-shoulder in waist-deep water before her. "We're not in L.A. or New York," she observed.
Social distancing strictures fall away as crowds gather to party and protest
Melissa Shapiro, 26, sat in the sun under a sign suggesting social distancing at the Redhead Lakeside Grill on Saturday, as dozens stood shoulder-to-shoulder in waist-deep water before her. "We're not in L.A. or New York," she observed.
Social distancing strictures fall away as crowds gather to party and protest
Please Note The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, where all stories are free to read. Melissa Shapiro, 26, sat in the sun under a sign suggesting social distancing at the Redhead Lakeside Grill on Saturday, as dozens stood shoulder-to-shoulder in waist-deep water before her. “We’re not in L.A. or New York,” she observed.
'My life hasn't ever been normal': The story of 'Girl in the Closet' Lauren Kavanaugh, in brief
Before her arrest Wednesday on a charge of sexual assault of a child, 25-year-old Lauren Ashley Kavanaugh was known as the "Girl in the Closet" after she endured years of abuse and torture inflicted by her family. In 2013, The Dallas Morning News wrote an eight-part profile of Kavanaugh that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Following is a summary of that series: Lauren's successes are striking when one considers her early life was punctuated by so many abject failures.
Studies linking football to brain disease deflated a bit by Dallas-based expert
Concussions have become a routine part of football at every level, and new research suggests repeated head trauma may lead to a debilitating brain disease. But a Dallas-based expert says that researchers have yet to prove that link definitively — a stance he shares with the NFL and the owner of America's Team.
At VFW post, black and white veterans agree: NFL protests were 'a slap in my face'
"As a veteran of the United States, I think it is disrespectful to me personally, but at the same time, we fought to give people the freedom to protest in that manner," he said. "It's a slap in my face, but I strongly support the cause, pointing out the injustice toward black people.
Caskets surged to surface at Orange cemetery
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil. Most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
HOUSTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods - Valley Morning Star : Latest News
But at the Hollywood Cemetery in Orange, Texas, which backs up the flood-swollen Sabine River, and 20 miles north in Starks, Louisiana, more than 20 caskets surged to the surface after Harvey's torrential rains, and some floated away. "We've already collected 15 caskets at this point, and we don't have them all," said Charles Hunter, the Calcasieu Parish chief coroner investigator.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
HOUSTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
HOUSTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
HOUSTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
HOUSTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
Concerns raised for cemeteries after Hurricane Harvey floods
Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma. The Dallas Morning News reports most burial sites are undisturbed by flooding. The weight of a cement casing and several feet of soil typically keep graves planted in the ground.
In hurricane season, worries rise that graves will be unearthed
Officials at the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office and Harris County Health Department said the city’s cemeteries emerged from the flooding largely intact. Dr. David Persse, the physician in charge of Houston’s Emergency Medical Services and Public Health Authority, said even if buried corpses had washed into the city’s bayous, they would pose very little health risk.
Journal from Galveston: A marine biologist's understanding with the sea
People who live along the coast have an understanding with the sea. Yes, there will be fireball sunsets and foamy tides and squishy sand between the toes, there will be arresting beauty and carefree moments of reflection, but there is a menace outside the door. Mona Hochman, a marine biologist, understands the ocean better than most. She owns a pale green cottage with an inviting front porch on Avenue O in Galveston, a baseball throw from the beach. Hurricanes, she said, are a part of life.
Journal from Galveston: Telling stories after the storm
One of the things I love about reporting is that it helps keep my head right. It’s easy in this middle-class life, surrounded by nice things and comfort, to forget most people in the world don’t live this way. Post-earthquake Haiti reminded me of that, the uncomfortable and abject truth of humanity, that the first-world good fortune we enjoy isn’t earned.
My Aryan Princess
In this epic, seven-part feature, Scott Farwell tells the story of Carol Blevins, a heroin addict and “Aryan Princess featherwood” (property of a gang member) who became the FBI’s most important confidential informant in a massive, six-year investigation into the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas — an organized crime syndicate responsible for over 100 murders and a huge drug trade.
My Aryan Princess: Chapter 1
Fateful introductions Drugs fuel a woman’s descent into the world of a violent Brotherhood April 25, 2017 Crystal meth glowed orange, an ember in an ink-black night. Skitz drew in smoke, held it, and then passed the pipe to Carol in the passenger seat, who fired up her own hit. Back and forth, inhale exhale, higher and higher, they settled in for a long night’s drive.
The general and the featherwood
Odessa is a straight shot west of Dallas, five hours across a wide-open prairie toward the bobbing oil derricks of the Permian Basin, a frontier of wildcatters, roughnecks and a small but violent cell of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. The scenery stirred her, as cities gave way to suburbs, rural homesteads to remote outposts, until the droning road broke free, unspooling in sepia colors of the Southwest. But Zen was not the only draw.
Former stripper suing Jones for sexual assault
Photo: Brandon Wade / Associated Press Jerry Jones is being accused of sexual assault after a June 2009 incident at a Dallas-area hotel. Jana Weckerly, a former exotic dancer, is seeking more than $1 million in punitive damages. Jerry Jones is being accused of sexual assault after a June 2009 incident at a Dallas-area hotel. Jana Weckerly, a former exotic dancer, is seeking more than $1 million in punitive damages. Photo: Brandon Wade / Associated Press On Feb.
Bus tour explores Dallas' Jewish heritage
An eggshell white tour bus eased to the curb Sunday morning on Elm Street in downtown Dallas. Its brakes groaned and emergency lights began to blink. “Here we are,” said Debra Polsky, executive director of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society.
Students’ protest of Hockaday’s graduation dress creates a stir
The Hockaday School was founded in 1913 with a lofty purpose — to teach girls confidence and resilience, to fight for what they deserve, and to respect “the ideals of human worth and dignity.” At graduation last month, a group of students said the school betrayed the values it teaches and instead reinforced time-worn views of what it means to be a woman.
Children's hospital opens clinic for transgender children
The first clue came while Mela Singleton was giving her 2-year-old daughter Evie a bath."You're such a pretty little girl," she cooed.Evie responded, "I a boy."Singleton didn't think too much of it at the time, but over the next several years, her daughter's protests got louder and more pointed.
Man angry over custody case shoots up DPD headquarters, then is killed after chase, standoff
Shaken Dallas police officers surveyed the shattered glass and pockmarked lobby of the department’s headquarters Saturday afternoon, hours after an armed man declared war on a system he believed cost him custody of his son. Outside, Deputy Chief Gil Garza stood next to the shell of a squad car that looked as if it could have been on the streets of Beirut — seven bullet holes in the windshield, ripped seat backs, partially severed seat belts, blown-out back and side windows.
Children's hospital opens clinic for transgender children
Frantic, the Singletons ended up at the door of Dr. Ximena Lopez, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Soon after, Evan became the first patient in what would become a new clinic for transgender children and teenagers. Then after Evie had an epic meltdown at about the age of 7, Singleton and her husband, Bryan, said they finally got it. Evie was born with a boy’s brain and girl parts. So, they changed their child’s name to Evan, cut his hair and bought a new wardrobe.
Childrenâs Medical Center Dallas opens clinic for transgender children and teenagers
Children’s Medical Center Dallas opens clinic for transgender children and teenagers,the only pediatric center of its type in the Southwest By Scott Farwell | Staff Writer Published June 4, 2015 The first clue came while Mela Singleton was giving her 2-year-old daughter Evie a bath. “You’re such a pretty little girl,” she cooed. Evie responded, “I a boy.” Singleton didn’t think too much of it at the time, but over the next several years, her daughter’s protests got louder and more pointed.
Poetry used as key to fading memories
ALLEN, Texas (AP) - A duck used to follow Molly Meyer’s mother home from school. Maybe it seems like a trivial thing, that duck, in a life spanning 83 years, with four children, a grumpy but adoring husband and a real estate career that allowed her to travel the world. But toward the end, after Alzheimer’s disease erased most of what mattered in her life, that’s what she had left - a flicker of a childhood memory.
The healing power of poetry
A duck used to follow Molly Meyer’s mother home from school. Maybe it seems like a trivial thing, that duck, in a life spanning 83 years, with four children, a grumpy but adoring husband and a real estate career that allowed her to travel the world. But toward the end, after Alzheimer’s disease erased most of what mattered in her life, that’s what she had left — a flicker of a childhood memory.
Some fear Ellis County firefighter sex assault case could taint profession
WAXAHACHIE — Firefighters are always the good guys. When trucks roll up to an apartment complex with billowing smoke and flames licking at the eaves, everyone knows chaos is about to be brought under control. Firefighters are there to rescue, confront the danger and comfort victims.
Plano Police: Avoid Central Expressway near Plano Road
Plano police advise motorists to avoid a section of Central Expressway near Plano Road until at least 3 p.m. Sunday. A downed power line forced police to close the major north-south artery about noon, just as many families were traveling home from Easter church services. Motorists report traffic is backed up nearly a mile in both directions. It is unclear what knocked the power line down. Utility crews are working to restore service and reopen the freeway.
The Girl in the Closet: Day 1
Lauren is alone in the dark. She’s naked, sitting cross-legged in her own filth, eyes focused on a sliver of light. It’s all she has, that light. It glows from underneath a locked closet door, and Lauren’s discovered if she stares at it long enough, her mind will open a portal to another place. Doctors say that’s how she survived all the years of starvation and solitude and sexual torture. They call it disassociation — the psyche’s ability to float away from the pain.
‘Pain, shame, sorrow, fear’: HP grad apologizes for racist chant
OKLAHOMA CITY — Levi Pettit walked into Fairview Baptist Church on Wednesday with his head down, holding hands with people whom he referred to weeks ago by a racial slur. The spectacle — a carefully choreographed public apology with support from members of the city’s black community — struck some as a heartfelt transformation. To others, it seemed like fraudulent theater.
Memorials proposed for lynching victims in Dallas
A racially polarizing proposal to build memorials at the site of lynchings across the South, perhaps several in North Texas, may face uneven political support in Dallas. “We have to memorialize our history, good and bad,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings. “In concept, this seems like a wise and important reminder that man can be very cruel to man.
AT&T Stadium tapped to host 2016 WrestleMania, WWE will announce
AT&T Stadium has hosted a Super Bowl, an NBA All-Star Game and the NCAA’s Final Four basketball tournament. It’s played innkeeper to country music superstars George Strait and Reba McEntire and has been transformed for motocross, monster trucks and professional rodeos. But next year, the stadium known as Jerry’s World will open its doors to a new category of entertainment — professional wrestling.
Dallas Cowboys fans can’t help it: They’re thinking Super Bowl
The loyalty of long-suffering Dallas Cowboys fans has been rewarded. On Sunday, in a game virtually devoid of playoff implications, coach Jason Garrett started his stars and kept them on the field until deep into the fourth quarter, when a lopsided 44-17 victory was secured, and a team long-criticized as soft showed a toughness reminiscent of champions.
Dallasnews.com attacked by hackers early Thanksgiving morning
The Dallas Morning News was one of several large media and entertainment websites to briefly be attacked on Thanksgiving morning by hackers identifying themselves as the Syrian Electronic Army. Some users of dallasnews.com who attempted to post comments on news stories between approximately 6:30 and 9 a.m. were greeted by a message that read: “You’ve been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA)” and then redirected to an image of the group’s logo, a Syrian flag and a message in Arabic.
John Wiley Price indictment echoes Laura Miller’s magazine story from 1991
Twenty-three years ago, an ambitious young reporter named Laura Miller went hunting for the biggest game in Dallas — County Commissioner John Wiley Price, a man revered as a civil rights crusader in some quarters of town, and reviled as a racial antagonist in others. Miller’s cover story, published in March 1991 in D magazine, ran nine pages and featured a full-page photo of Price wearing a muscle shirt and boxing gloves, biceps bulging, eyes glaring at the camera.
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