Headlines

› No City Council meeting today (Thursday, Oct. 13); they could use some downtime after last week's one-two punch, deciding to hold the May 2012 municipal election as scheduled, at two meetings in as many days. See "It's May in a Landslide!" and "Point Austin."

› Meanwhile, Austin Independent School District trustees voted Oct. 10 to move their elections from May to November of even numbered years. The board had already made it clear that it would follow the lead of Austin Community College, whose board voted Oct. 3 to make the shift, and now Del Valle and Eanes school districts are considering the switch, too.

› Former Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugh­erty announced Wednesday he will make another run for his old Precinct 3 seat, currently held by Democrat Karen Huber. Daugherty will vie for the GOP nomination against former Eanes ISD school board President Jim Strickland.

› A coalition of independent Texas school districts, including Pflugerville and Hutto, is suing the state over its broken school finance system. On Oct. 11, the Texas Taxpayer & Student Fair­ness Coalition filed suit in district court against Education Commissioner Robert Scott, Comp­troller Susan Combs, and the State Board of Education, alleging that the current system violates the equal taxation clauses of the Texas Constitution.

› Just a week after his release from prison, where he spent nearly 25 years, the Court of Criminal Appeals has agreed to vacate the conviction of Michael Morton, sentenced to life behind bars for the 1986 murder in Williamson County of his wife, Christine. Morton had maintained his innocence, and when DNA found near the crime scene did not match Morton's, WilCo District Attorney John Bradley agreed Morton should be released. The CCA ruling clears the way for the case to be dismissed by the county and for Morton to seek state compensation for his wrongful conviction.

› After a long-running battle over a heritage tree that stands in the way of a planned high-rise development at West Fifth and Bowie, the Plan­ning Commission voted 5-4 Tuesday to preserve the 70-year-old pecan, forcing Endeavor Real Estate Group back to the drawing board.

› If you're an Austin Energy customer who pays online but have not received your latest bill, don't panic. The local utility is upgrading its website (www.coautilities.com) and is waiving late fees until its new customer care service is available.

› After poor performances in the GOP presidential debates, multiple new polls show Gov. Rick Perry not only trailing current GOP front-runner Mitt Romney by double digits in key primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, but also lagging behind tea party favorite Herman Cain and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.