Leading Off (11/15/10)

1. If I told you Southern Methodist University was the third best private university in the country you would probably raise an eyebrow. The university, however, does have the third highest-paid president of any private university in the country, according to a study that includes not only salaries, but other forms of compensation in its calculations.

2. An episode of teenage high romance ended so sadly and spectacularly Sunday morning, after a 14-year-old boy, along with his 14-year-old girlfriend and their 16-year-old friend, eased his parents’ SUV out of the driveway in neutral. They started the car in the street and pointed its bumper toward Oklahoma. They were running away, beginning a new life, and they celebrated (and, perhaps, bolstered) their boldness with beer, drinking while they ran. Then, the boy drove the car off the highway near Denton, killing his girl.

3. Dallas Police Officer Nick Novello told a Dallas Morning News reporter that he has no interest in climbing the ranks of local law enforcement. That’s probably a good quality for a local cop who is also the spokesperson for LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), hosting a seminar over the weekend in an unnamed Fort Worth location, advocating for the full legalization of marijuana. “We can survive addiction, but not conviction,” Novello said, arguing that even petty marijuana convictions can ruin lives. In related news, MADD is pushing for federal legislation that requires technology in all of our cars that senses alcohol and locks down the car if the driver registers as having consumed alcohol.