The OJ Simpson anniversary vigil and public memory
Ken Brodnax reflects on the five year mark since the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman murders and the enduring media spectacle. The piece notes how book deals, TV appearances, and celebrity status followed the case, and questions public faith in justice and society’s fixation with the trial.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
O.J
Nicole Brown Simpson
Ronald Goldman
Simpson
Johnnie Cochran
Mark Fuhrman
Kate Kaelin
America
Faye Resnick
Nicole
Playboy
Marfa Border Crossing Rise Tied to INS Programs
Border Patrol reports increased illegal crossings in the Marfa sector as INS efforts like Operation Rio Grande and Hold the Line push migrants toward remote Texas routes. Last year 14,177 undocumented workers were apprehended statewide, with three deaths in Marfa highlighting the sector’s harsh terrain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
INS
Marfa
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Operation Rio Grande
Laredo
Brownsville
Texas
Hollenbeck
Border Patrol
Storm destroys 21 homes in Sheffield near Fort Stockton
The Red Cross opened a service center after a weekend hail storm that damaged 139 homes in Sheffield, a 400 resident town along I-10 about 70 miles southeast of Fort Stockton. Emergency officials described widespread roof and wall damage, broken windows, and damaged vehicles as the storm hit around 8 p.m. and left residents without power for six hours.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sheffield
Red Cross
Fort Stockton
Jackie Baker
Baker
Janet Cross
American Red Cross
Texas
Justice of the Peace
Don Pitts
Payden Ward
Chris Carson
Scott Pitts
Artesia
N.M
Sheffield Baptist Church
Pitts
Trial Begins in Ozona Girl Death Case
Jennifer Lee Gravell was nearly 10 when she vanished in August 1997. A Crockett County grand jury indicted Melvin White, 48, for death and sexual assault and set a $1 million bond. The trial moved to Fort Stockton due to pre trial publicity as jurors heard witnesses recount the evening of August 4 1997 and defense challenged a tape recorded interview with White. The judge admitted the tape despite claims of intoxication and invalid Miranda rights. Gravell’s mother testified as White showed visible emotion, while the accused remained mostly silent.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fort Stockton
Jennifer Lee Gravell
Crockett County
Melvin White
112Th District Court
Gravell
White
Texas
Jerry Byrne
San Angelo
Kirk Hawkins
Brock Jones
Byrne
Beth Gravell
Capitol vigil marked year since James Byrd Jr. murder
In Austin a Capitol vigil called for a special session to pass a tougher hate crimes bill named after James Byrd Jr. In Jasper friends planted a memorial oak as Clara Byrd Taylor urged love to overcome bigotry. Three white men faced charges. one is sentenced to death, others await trial.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Austin
James Byrd Jr
Capitol
Byrd
Jasper
Clara Byrd Taylor
Clinton
State House
Senate
Capitol Rotunda
George W. Bush
Kyev Tatum
Bush
Tatum
Texas
Scott McClellan
Lee Alcorn
Dallas
NAACP
Also Mentioned on This Page
Ken Brodnax
Link Freedom
Marta
Karl Eschbach
University of Houston
Center For Immigration Research
Eschbach
Nick DE LA Torre
Odessa
Ozona Girl