Morning Roundup: Where's the beach? edition

Good morning, Houston. You might not remember it, but many local beaches used to be much wider than they are now — and soon, they'll be that wide again, thanks to a multimillion-dollar restoration project that's going to be announced today. The project will widen three miles of eroded beaches west of the Seawall in Galveston, Sylvan Beach in La Porte and other beaches in Surfside; the goal is to combat the erosion that's causing between 10 and 30 feet of beach to disappear each year in some places.

>> A second chance at justice?: Nineteen Texas prison inmates were offered the opportunity to have a Harris County-appointed lawyer review their cases Monday, making those the first of 180 cases that will be double checked because of potentially shoddy analysis at the HPD crime lab. A panel of three lawyers will review the cases; all inmates have to do is agree to be part of the probe. "They were a little suspicious at first, but most of them were quickly on board once they realized what we were trying to do," panelist Bob Wicoff, who contacted the 19 inmates, told the AP. (Only one of the 19, a man serving a 60-year sentence for murder, declined the review, but Wicoff said he plans to review the case anyway because he wasn't sure the inmate was competent to make the decision.) The review was ordered by Harris County criminal district judges based on the findings of an independent investigation of the crime lab, which has been under fire for inaccurate evidence work since 2002. Wicoff said he doesn't know how long it'll take to look at all 180 cases: "It's like moving a mountain," he said. "You have to start one rock at a time. I hope people will be patient."

>> A Purple Heart, 62 years overdue: Eduardo Peniche was just 17 when he volunteered to serve in the Army Air Corps during World War II — and he almost didn't make it to adulthood. During the Battle of the Bulge in September 1943, Peniche was shot twice and injured by shrapnel, but he still managed to destroy three enemy tanks and crawl 150 feet to an Army command post, where he reported the injuries from the attack. He was awarded the Purple Heart in 1945, but that award overlooked the fact that Peniche had been injured twice that day in two separate instances — so, on Monday, he finally received his second Purple Heart, almost 62 years after the battle. The delay was the result of a clerical error, retired Army Col. John Antal told KTRK: "It took time to figure that out," he said. "And when it was finally brought to the attention of the right authorities, it was approved." Peniche, who was born in Mexico, became a U.S. citizen in 1953 and went on to become a military consultant during the Vietnam war and a college professor who speaks seven languages. "Taking two hits for Uncle Sam was worth it," he said.

>> Today's weather: Looks like the beginning of a few nice fall days: Today, we should see some clouds and an afternoon high of 69, with a northwest wind that could get gusty at times. A few clouds will hang around through the night as the low hits 50.

Speaking of gusty winds, how about these headlines?