My Column on Students Tampering with the Fire Alarms, 1986, The West Georgian


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Being Gay and Homeless in the Metroplex by Terri Rimmer - originally published by Associated Content

Between 700,000 and 800,000 people are homeless on any given night. People like Roger and David who when they moved to Dallas thought it would be a haven. Most families become homeless because they are having a housing crisis.  About half of the families experiencing homelessness over the course of a year live in family units and about 38 percent of those homeless within that year are children like the gay youth who represent who represent 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth.  Homeless people report that their major needs are help finding a job, housing, and financial help for the rent such as the couple who lived in their car for about a month getting food from a local pantry and making sandwiches in the car and collecting non-perishables. Twenty percent of the homeless report that they get help finding housing.  In 2002 three days before Christmas Roger and Dave were on a two to three-week waiting list to get into the Samaritan House, a residential facility for thos...
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The Role of Courtroom Sketch Artists by Terri Rimmer - originally published by Associated Content, 2007

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Courtroom sketch artists unfold the history of some of the most famous trials with the stroke of lead across a page. Heavy black satchels full of over 200 markers make up their professional lives. In the wake of more cameras in the courtroom some people believe that these unusual artists will disappear in the name of progress. Outlines become faces as testimonies emerge. Witnesses or defendants are often cartoons in themselves, so how do you draw a cartoon of a caricature? In between drawing, artists listen to details coming from the lips of those on the witness stand. Five years ago these artists made a couple of hundred bucks a day or more. Courtroom sketch artists fill the empty space where cameras are sometimes not allowed and they even have their own fraternity. Their work often promotes laughter among their own little group, more so than tears. Speed is also a factor if you want to be a courtroom sketch artist and their work can sell for as much as $10,000 a piece. Gary M...
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News Story About Trainer Curly Parenti by Terri Rimmer - originally published by Associated Content, 2008

Cathy "Curly" Parenti, 48, was remembered by family and friends in a funeral service recently at Celebration Community Church in Fort Worth, TX. (Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram). She was a personal trainer born in Chicago, IL Sept. 26, 1960, having once worked as a hairdresser and physical therapy aide and later finding her passion in exercise and fitness, according to her obituary which read "Cathy had sparkling eyes, a knowing, warm smile, and a deep love of people. Cathy touched everyone's heart and will be missed forever by her family and friends." In 2003 I had the pleasure of doing a story on Parenti, a Fort Worth resident, for The Ally Newspaper. I was impressed by her dedication to fitness, enthusiasm for her work, and willingness to help others. As I've said about so many others I've known who have committed sucidie, Parenti was one of the last people you would expect to end their life. According to star-telegram.com, she was preceded in...
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