Heavy Travel Day
Today is another heavy travel day at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. And travelers who didn't have to go through tough security screening on the way out of town, likely will have to go through a body scanner or enhanced pat down if they're flying home from a big city airport.
Urban Rail
Oregon Ironworks, which is currently manufacturing new urban rail vehicles for Portland and Tucson, will bring their latest vehicle to Austin Monday. You can see what they look like from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. on the north side of the Palmer Events Center.
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the display is a great chance for Austinites to get a look at the future of the city's urban rail network.
As KUT has previously reported, the city wants a rail line to run 16.5 miles from the Mueller Neighborhood through Austin’s business district, the Capitol Complex and the University of Texas, ending at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Officials estimate it will take around a billion dollars to build the line and $25 million per year to operate.
State Underpays Wrongfully Convicted
The Austin American-Statesman is reporting this morning that the Texas comptroller's office has underpaid men who were jailed for crimes they did not commit.
Eligible for $80,000 in state compensation for every year he was wrongfully imprisoned, [Ronald] Taylor expected to restart his life with more than $1.1 million he was owed. Instead, the state offered $20,000. According to the state comptroller's office, which pays wrongful conviction claims, a strict reading of state law required Taylor to be paid for only three months of his prison time because of circumstances related to a prior conviction. The comptroller also slashed payments to other wrongfully convicted Texans, including 20-year prisoner Billy James Smith, who lost more than $133,000 in compensation, and 18-year inmate Gregory Wallis who lost almost $290,000.
Now the men are asking the Texas Supreme Court to intervene.
