Watchdog: New tax protest system for wealthy barely used
A new statewide property tax protest program for the wealthy appears to be a nonstarter.
The Watchdog: Readers share solutions to stop telemarketers' unwanted phone calls
From a special phone to a call bouncer, you shared more ideas about how to stop illegal robocalls and telemarketers.
The Watchdog: Asking Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis about consumer issues
Here's what the Texas gubernatorial candidates had to say — or not say — about your top five problems.
Watchdog: Travelers, say bon voyage to privacy
The federal government collects your travel records into a file that captures your personal and intimate information.
Watchdog: Here’s how to put a spam filter on your phone
Finally a solution to annoying robocalls: a phone spam filter that federal regulators like. But it’s not for everyone.
Watchdog: Certified letters get no answer from Dallas City Hall after red-light camera ticket
A Dallas man tries for months to get an answer to a simple question about his red-light camera ticket.
Watchdog: Be careful when calling up free credit report site
When typing a website address into a browser, don’t mistype a single letter. That could lead to ID theft.
Watchdog: Texas school boards team up against change
In the Texas public school system, there’s no place for mavericks, mutineers and malcontents.
Watchdog: It’s illegal to add fees to credit and debit cards
Consumers are frustrated as some merchants charge illegal fees on card payments. State regulators send warning letters.
Watchdog: Time to unmask an open-government superhero
An obscure state bureaucrat you never heard of has done more for Texas open government than people realize.
Watchdog: Texas DPS, here are the facts on fingerprinting
The Texas Department of Public Safety director has the best of intentions, but he goes about it wrong.
Watchdog: Hate red-light cameras and smart meters? Now hear this
The Watchdog looks at red-light cameras and smart meters and also shares news of a new TV partnership.
The Watchdog: 2,500 pages of DART paratransit complaints distressing
Read a sampling of the paratransit complaints Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials didn’t want you to see.
The Watchdog: Questioning DART claims about paratransit success
Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials say paratransit complaints are declining. Tell that to thousands of complainers.
Watchdog: The secret to getting exemplary customer service
Want the best customer service on the telephone? Tell the company rep you’re taping the call.
Watchdog: Letters from readers show broad array of problems
From unfair contracts and penalties to electricity scams and mortgage problems, readers seek help from The Watchdog.
Watchdog: Just a question can raise car insurance premium
When it comes to learning if something is covered in an auto insurance policy, asking questions causes problems later.
Watchdog: Somebody is stealing my name
Puzzling new car inspection system, bird poop gets him a freebie, Verizon’s new charge and other Watchdog tales.
Watchdog: Billing errors make NTTA hard to love
The Watchdog is mistakenly billed 22 times by the North Texas Tollway Authority on behalf of TxDOT.
Watchdog: Only a few disgruntled customers make last stand
A couple spends years trying to get a refund from a travel club. Then they go to court and something unexpected happens.
The Watchdog: Looking at the man who killed my friend
Penny Terk fought her assailant with everything she had. But this fight she lost. Now he is sitting there.
Watchdog: Is DART stalling on records request?
Today I unseal a four-count pretend indictment for obstruction of release of public records against Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Yep, I’m throwing a dart at DART.
Watchdog: Lawmakers say they didn’t give DPS OK to fingerprint
One legislator calls the agency’s decision a “finger in the eye of the people of Texas.”
The Watchdog: Change comes to Little Elm ISD, quickly
Several top officials resigned or were demoted after three new board members were elected, as rumors of a hit list persist.
The Watchdog: Texas DPS no longer trying its hand at fingerprint processing
Fingerprint checks of driver’s license applicants are temporarily halted. Also, a wanted contractor surrenders to police.
Watchdog: Texas insurance regulators let stand 75 percent increase in long-term care premiums
As long-term care premiums skyrocket, families ask if the Texas Department of Insurance protects them.
Watchdog: Drive a highway, pay a fee in Toll Road Capital, USA
More toll lanes are being added; NTTA’s new agreement with Oklahoma and a lower billing threshold lead to more calls.
City drops the ball with neighbors in North Dallas
Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates stepped into a neighborhood fight that caught a home’s buyer off guard.
The Watchdog: Whistleblower blasts DPS for taking fingerprints
A former employee says he resigned as a fingerprint technician because he believes a program capturing fingerprints isn’t legal; DPS officials beg to differ.
Watchdog: Life insurance policy goes sour, then turns sweet
A man who spent 20 years investing in a policy almost loses it. Then a miracle happens.
The Watchdog: Free-standing postal boxes are easy prey for ID thieves
The Watchdog learns about stolen mail from blue postal collection boxes in the U.S. Postal Service's Dallas District.
The Watchdog: Dallas' bus cam ticket program not ready for prime time
Dallas County Schools officials complain that hearing officers are dismissing too many school bus stop camera tickets.
Watchdog: Who’s dumber, the salesman or his customers?
A salesman using a fake name violates the National Do Not Call Registry and hawks rare coins. Unfortunately for him, he calls The Watchdog.
Watchdog: Feds say the mob seized a Dallas County business
In Las Colinas, the son of the ex-Philadelphia godfather takes over a mortgage company. Then $12 million goes missing.
Watchdog: Is mobile app PrivacyStar a snooping tool?
A privacy app for cellphones comes from data collectors. But PrivacyStar’s founder promises he’s one of the good guys.
Watchdog: Driver’s license centers snatch your fingerprints
For the first time, fingerprints are required from everybody at Texas driver’s license offices.
Watchdog: Businesses that make mistakes have to pay a price
A fine, a bankruptcy and paid legal damages. Sometimes what businesses do wrong actually catches up with them.
Watchdog: Texas law makes it hard for some bedrock citizens to get voter IDs
Some Texas seniors are learning that getting a photo ID to vote and for identification purposes is no easy thing.
Watchdog: Don’t delay if you want to protest your property appraisal
With days to go before the property tax protest deadline, companies want to fight for you. But you can do it yourself.
The Watchdog: My anniversary gift to you? A simple tip that can prevent trouble
With this one important tip from The Watchdog, you earn your place as a citizen in Watchdog Nation.
Watchdog: Problems with school bus camera tickets must be addressed
A driver gets a citation a year after her infraction from a collection agency. Then her ticket is mysteriously dismissed.
Man who wants a job keeps meeting scammers
A man applies for part-time jobs, but all the bosses are scammers who want to recruit him into their crime sprees.
Watchdog: How to file an online property tax protest
Very few Texas taxpayers take advantage of these new tools — here’s how you can.
Watchdog: My guide to lowering your 2014 property taxes
Most Texans don’t know how easy it is to file an online property tax protest from home. Here’s how.
The Watchdog: Friend’s death from MRSA changed how I saw the world
Chris Neely, the funniest newspaperman I knew, died in a way that I’ve never gotten over. It's hard to track such infections, and Texas doesn't require that they be reported.
New roof went up, then deal caved in
When a roofing company salesman promises a great deal with no money paid out of pocket, warning bells should go off.
Watchdog: How much do you know about protecting seniors?
Take a quiz about the rights and protections afforded under law and common sense for Texas seniors?
Watchdog: Mayor Rawlings, council member Callahan up on their email etiquette
Another update: Samuel L. Caster, who founded Mannatech, the Coppell-based multi-level marketing company that sells nutritional products and dietary pills around the world, has left his company.
The Watchdog: Should Dallas council members answer every email from constituents?
A Far North Dallas resident complains that getting no answer from his representative "makes me feel like I don't have a voice in City Hall."
The Watchdog: Dallas dentist faces state investigation
A man says his teeth were pulled, his temporary dentures caused pain and then he was told not to come back.
About Dave Lieber
The Dallas Morning News has hired Dave Lieber as its new investigative columnist focusing on wrongdoing and right-doing in businesses and governments. Known largely for his twice weekly 'Watchdog' column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for the past 20 years, Dave brings his brand of investigative energy and what he has dubbed "Watchdog Nation common sense" to a twice-a-week column, appearing Fridays and Sundays.
Aside from creating his WatchdogNation.com consumer rights movement, Dave also created his all-volunteer charity, Summer Santa, which provides assistance for impoverished children in North Texas.
"Dave has one of the most trusted voices in North Texas and our newsroom is honored to have him here," said Bob Mong, editor of The Dallas Morning News. "For 20 years, people in Tarrant County knew they had an advocate, someone in their corner to help them solve problems with business or government. We're lucky to have him, and we think readers across the region will feel likewise."
Lieber won the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award in 2002 from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, for work that "best exemplifies the high ideals of the beloved philosopher-humorist who used his platform for the benefit of his fellow human beings." Lieber is also a sought-after speaker, appearing in front of more than 100 audiences each year.
"Although I was at the Star-Telegram, I have always admired the newsroom, reputation and writers of the Morning News," said Lieber. "Bob [Mong] shared with me the paper's dedication to consumer support and advocacy, which is why I'm thrilled 'The Watchdog' has a new home up the road on I-30."
Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube and circle him on Google+.
Hometown: Watchdog Nation, USA
Education: University of Pennsylvania (Phila.)
About Marina Trahan Martinez
As Watchdog Desk Administrator, Trahan Martinez has served on the front line for readers calling for help and as an ambassador for The News. She began as a reporter in 2000 covering law enforcement, city politics and schools at the Arlington Morning News. Since 2001, she has covered 9/11 aviation issues; the second Bush administration’s Holy Land Foundation asset freeze; and the complexities of shale gas collection for The New York Times. She has assisted The News’ investigative team on its Parkland/UT Southwestern coverage and its Unequal Justice series. She occasionally writes a motherhood column for The Dallas Morning News free publication, Briefing.
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and circle me on Google+.
Hometown: Corpus Christi
Education: B.A. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Arlington
