Hasan Court Hearing Today
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled this morning for the accused Fort Hood shooter. A military judge will hear two motions brought forward by Major Nidal Hasan's defense. The defense is asking whether Hasan is entitled to certain expert assistance at the government's expense. Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the shootings at Fort Hood in November 2009. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Former Morton Prosecutor to Testify
Former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson will have to provide testimony in an investigation into whether alleged misconduct by his office led to the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has denied Anderson's request to void a subpoena requiring him to answer question's from Morton's lawyers.
Morton spent nearly 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Christine Morton, in 1986. He was recently exonerated, after DNA evidence pointed to another suspect. Brandi Grissom, with KUT's political reporting partner the Texas Tribune, has been following the case:
Morton's attorneys — John Raley of the Houston law firm Raley & Bowick and lawyers at the New York-based Innocence Project — allege that the Williamson County district attorney's office intentionally withheld a transcript in which Christine Morton’s mother told a sheriff's investigator that the couple’s 3-year-old son saw a "monster" who was not his father brutally attack his mother.
Anderson's lawyer has called Morton's efforts to get him to testify an "undue burden"and a "fishing expedition."
Open House on the Future of East Riverside
The City of Austin has been working on a plan to change up the East Riverside corridor. The city is launching a transportation study to figure out how to create more space for walking, biking, and for people taking the bus or a train that could run through the corridor in the future. The city will also share proposed rules to guide future development along Riverside at an open house tonight.
Here are the details from a city news release:
An "East Riverside Corridor: Let’s Bring the Vision to Life" open house and community gathering will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 in the Travis High School Cafeteria, 1211 East Oltorf St. Bus Routes include: No. 331 Oltorf and No. 7 Duval.
You can hear more about the East Riverside Corridor Master Plan in this week's edition of Changing Austin.