Leading Off (8/15/11)

Exonerated Man Served 26 Years. Wants Retribution For Wrongful Incarceration: In 1983, when James Perry Sewell was being rushed the hospital after sustaining wounds that would eventually kill him, he repeated a name to paramedics six times: “Billy Wayne Allen, Billy Wayne Allen.” That death-bed accusation would change Billy Frederick Allen’s life, as the man who shared first and last names with the suspected murderer spent 26 years behind bars for the crime. Allen has since been released, but his fight for compensation from the state (sub. req.) for the years of wrongful incarceration is being challenged because the State Comptroller believes Allen is, in fact, guilty.

State Gets Texas Cities Off the Hook for Super Bowl Expenses: I suppose this is a story that won’t play very well in the rest of the state, but a number of North Texas cities are being reimbursed millions of dollars for Super Bowl-related expenses from the “Major Events Trust Fund.” That state-run fund is composed of revenues created by major events. The cities have requested more than $31 million, and in many cases, explanations of the expenses are sparse or non-existent.

HOV Lanes Don’t Promote Carpooling, But They Could Make DART Money: As a way of reducing the number of cars on the road, HOV lanes have proved largely ineffective, according to this article in the Star-Telegram which reports that 90 percent of people still drive to work alone. But they could become big money makers for DART, which manages the lanes, as Dallas and a number of other cities begins to transition HOV lanes into hybrid toll lanes.