By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
A Texas man sentenced to 40 years in prison is expected to be released next week after Dallas prosecutors learned that police failed to disclose evidence implicating another suspect.
Thirty-four-year-old Richard Miles was convicted of murder and attempted murder in 1995. Prosecutors say he will be freed Monday on bond while they pursue the claim that he is innocent.
Cheryl Wattley, Miles' defense attorney, said in The Dallas Morning News on Thursday that she is optimistic her client will not face another trial.
Officials say Miles' former attorney never learned that police received an anonymous tip from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend committed the crime that left one person dead and a second permanently disabled.
Fall rains lessen Texas drought
A week of fall rains brought major relief to parts of South Texas hardest hit by extreme drought and are improving the state's overall condition.
According to the federal drought monitor map released Thursday, about 6.8 percent of Texas, all in the southern and central parts of the state, is classified under the most extreme two categories of drought. That's down from 12.3 percent last week but higher than the 3.6 percent a year ago.
Still, the drought continues in about 34 percent of the state. Three months ago it impacted 68 percent of Texas.
Weather officials say the drought has caused more than $3.6 billion in crop and livestock losses in Texas since late 2008.
Gas prices up 1 cent in Texas
Retail gasoline prices in Texas have gone up by about a penny a gallon since last week.
AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average price per gallon at the pump was $2.29. Prices remained the same nationally at $2.47 a gallon.
Houston had the cheapest gasoline in Texas at $2.22 a gallon; El Paso had the most expensive gasoline at $2.35.
The association says stable market oil prices have caused retail gasoline prices to be comparatively calm over the past 2 1/2 months.
Dallas police seek naked backyard dancer
Dallas police are looking for a man who keeps sneaking into backyards, dancing around naked and then running away.
Police believe the same man has been exposing himself in the same neighborhood since 2005. The most recent incident came Sept. 30.
Once he climbs a fence or goes through a gate, he either dances naked or jumps in a swimming pool naked. One time, he did a naked dance atop a backyard air conditioning unit, police say.
Police say they're looking for a pudgy man about 6 feet tall with pasty white skin. He always covers his face when dancing, police say.
Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther says police want to catch him before it escalates into something worse.
Brookings researchers warn of more flight delays
A think-tank report released today says lengthy airline delays are twice as common now as in 1990 and will get worse as the economy recovers.
Researchers at the Brookings Institution say much of the problem is due to heavy concentrations of short trips between big cities. But they also cited an "ill-equipped" air traffic control system and other factors.
They suggest increasing high-speed rail service to offer travelers alternatives to short flights. They also recommend letting busy airports charge fees on rush-hour flights to make airlines spread trips more evenly through the day.
According to Brookings, 10.1 percent of all flights now arrive at least two hours late, up from 4.3 percent in 1990. The average delay is nearly an hour, 41 minutes longer than in 1990.