CobCast Jacob Vaughn

In April, a property formerly owned by the family of outlaw Clyde Barrow was demolished. The plan to tear it down began in 2020 and when it was done, the Barrow filling station in West Dallas was reduced to rubble and the remains were taken to the landfill. On this episode of the CobCast, I talk about the history and demolition of the Clyde Barrow filling station. This episode was adapted from reporting I did for the Dallas Observer.


This episode also features music by artists other than myself. Thank you to Monroeville Music Center and Kevin MacLeod for uploading their stuff to Free Music Archive.

Monroeville Music Center (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monroeville_Music_Center), CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Monkoto Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Slow Heat Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

For more on this story, visit DallasObserver.com.

For the last few years, former Dallas Police officer Amber Guyger has hoped to appeal her conviction and sentencing for killing an unarmed man in his apartment in 2018. But now that the state’s highest criminal court upheld her murder conviction and 10-year prison sentence Wednesday, Guyger may be running out of options.

Meanwhile, the family of the man she shot and killed says they haven't had the proper chance to mourn their loved one, 26-year-old Botham Jean, throughout the years-long saga surrounding the fatal shooting. Guyger fatally shot Jean, who is Black, after she entered his home on Sept. 6, 2018. He was eating ice cream when Guyger came in. Guyger says she thought it was her place and he was an intruder, so she shot him. Guyger lived on the floor above Jean. She was arrested, fired from the department and indicted for murder. She was convicted and sentenced in 2019 and made an appeal last year.

After the appeal was filed last year, Alissa Charles-Findley, Jean’s sister, told me her family’s mourning has been prolonged.

'It Feels Like We Were Sentenced Too': For Botham Jean Family, the Trauma Never Ends
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/it-feels-like-we-were-sentenced-too-the-jean-familys-trauma-has-been-prolonged-13710612

Family and friends trickled into The Loon Bar & Grill after a recent vigil for Kealon Gilmore, the 26-year-old man killed when gunfire erupted at the Epic Easter Bike Out and Field Party on April 2. People at The Loon wore yellow and purple shirts with his name and photo on it.

Gilmore would be at the restaurant just about every day, the manager said, and he always loved the burgers. So, when the owner and manager heard of Gilmore's death, they named the Kealon Burger after him. A table lit with candles was reserved for Gilmore's mother, Shalonda Gilmore. The family was invited out to dine at his old hangout spot.

“Tragic,” Shalonda Gilmore told the Observer. “He was a wonderful kid. Good spirt.”

Kealon, along with several others, was shot when a fight broke out at the party in southeast Oak Cliff attended by more than 2,000 people. The event took place without a city permit, though off-duty Dallas police officers were providing security.

The Dallas Police Department is trying to identify the shooter while it looks into why its officers were working the non-permitted event. The city is considering increased regulations for special events and the people in charge of throwing them. That includes the promoters and the owners of the land where events are taking place. 

Shalonda said she isn’t sure yet how tragedies like this can be prevented. All she can think about is finding justice for her son. “He will have justice. I can say that,” she said. “He will have justice and his name will live on. I hate that this has to be the way for it to live on, but his name will live on. I’m not going to stop. We won’t stop.”

This is an audio adaption of stories I've written for the Dallas Observer. It was written and produce by me. Music by me.

After Fatal Shooting Over Weekend, Dallas Wants Promoters to Go Through Background Checks
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/after-fatal-shooting-this-weekend-dallas-wants-promoters-to-go-through-background-checks-13757809

Mother of Man Slain at Epic Easter Bike Out and Field Party Shooting Says He Will Get Justice
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/im-still-in-disbelief-mother-of-slain-dallas-man-says-he-will-get-justice-13788789

Cannabis reform has moved at a snail's pace in Texas. But activists are trying to speed things up by fighting for reform at the city and county levels. On this episode, I speak with Tristan Seikel, organizer and co-founder of the group Decriminalize Denton, to get an inside look at their efforts to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis in Denton, Texas.

This episode is an audio adaptation of reporting I've done for the Dallas Observer. It is recorded and produced by me.

Will Denton Decriminalize Misdemeanor Amounts of Pot?
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/denton-city-council-considers-decriminalizing-misdemeanor-amounts-of-weed-13189118

Denton City Council Considers Decriminalizing Misdemeanor Amounts of Weed
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/denton-city-council-considers-decriminalizing-misdemeanor-amounts-of-weed-13189118

Try, Try Again: Decriminalizing Cannabis Could End Up on Ballot in Denton City Election
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/cannabis-decriminalization-could-end-up-on-november-city-of-denton-election-ballot-13397855

Mark Cuban’s new online pharmacy is slashing drug prices for 100 different generic medications. Its main goal is affordability for consumers, and some think Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Co. is just the kind of disruption “Big Pharma” needs in the U.S.

Cost Plus Drug ditches the middleman, the pharmacy benefit management companies. Those help negotiate benefits for employers, health insurers and government health programs. These could include rebates and discounts.

These companies have been criticized for a lack of transparency. Most times, you can’t tell how much they’re making on rebates and how much they’re actually saving customers.

Cuban’s company shines a light on how these companies contribute to inflated drug prices. Cost Plus Drug buys the medications at wholesale and sells it at the manufacturing prices with a flat 15% markup and a pharmacist fee.

On this episode, I talk to Paul Segeert, managing partner at the healthcare consulting company PCS Advisers, to help put this into perspective. How big of a deal is Mark Cuban’s new company in disprupting big pharma? Segeert’s going to help answer that question.

I’ll also be speaking with Zack Zeller, the co-founder and president of ScriptCo, another company looking to drive drug prices down for the consumer.

This episode is an audio adaptation of reporting I've done for the Dallas Observer. It is recorded and produced by me.

Red Dead Redemption players are pissed. The game’s publisher, Rockstar Games, continues to pump out new content for its Grand Theft Auto franchise, and gamers are complaining that Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode hasn’t seen the same level of development. They're feeling neglected.

The seeming disparity between the two franchises and the lack of information about any future plans for the game has led to players demanding answers from Rockstar with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline.

For more on these stories, visit DallasObserver.com.

Red Dead Redemption Gamers Are Trying To '#SaveRedDeadOnline'
https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/why-gamers-are-crying-savereddeadonline-13204054

This episode is an audio adaptation of reporting I've done for the Dallas Observer. It is recorded and produced by me.