Courthouse

The courthouse was quiet at 9:00 this morning, but there was some activity on the eighth floor, where the final pretrial hearing was being held for Garcia, who is being accused of trafficking cocaine.  Judge Judith Fabricant was presiding.

The courtroom was empty except for the lawyers, defendant, jury, judge, and

The jury talked among themselves while the defendant stood with his hands clasped in front of him, head down.  His lawyer stood next to him.  The prosecution approached the bench, giving evidence why the case should proceed to trial. 

At the end of the conference, Fabricant decided to schedule a trial for June 15.  The lawyers were told to gather their witnesses.  Then the entire courtroom was asked to stand for Fabricant’s exit, since the court was in recess.  After the judge left, everyone followed suit quickly. 

 

Story 1 Molly O'Connor

"My favorite season is Oscar season!" gushed Molly O'Connor, sitting on her purple covered bed in front of a wall with numerous clipped photos of celebrities.  The entire entertainment industry is a large part of the decor in O'Connor's room.  Before you enter, you come face to face with a picture of Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, two television stars from the CW Network's "Gossip Girl," on which O'Connor skillfully covered Meester's face with a picture of her own face.  There is a pile of past issues of "Entertainment Weekly" on her floor and a poster with famous movie quotes on her wall.  Even she was decorated in movies, with "High School Musical" socks, which she revealed when she took off her boots.

 

She keeps up to date on celebrity news, visiting Perez Hilton's blog at least once a day.  Her friends playfully nicknamed her IMDB after the Internet Movie Database because of her knowledge of movies and television.  It therefore comes as no surprise that one of O'Connor's dream broadcast jobs is working for the television channel E! hosting one of their news shows.

 

O'Connor is also a huge follower of baseball.  She is a fan of the New York Yankees and said of the sport, "I just love it."  Her love for sports spurred an interest in a possible career as a sports reporter on ESPN.  

O'Connor recently became engrossed in politics.  She plans to pursue a Political Communications minor while at Emerson College.  This could possibly lead to a job on a campaign, which she says would be "exciting."  She enjoys being in Washington, D.C., and would enjoy living there.  When Proposition Eight passed in California, making gay marriage illegal once again, O'Connor attended a rally in Boston against the new law.

 

If O'Connor decides to pursue a print journalism job, she would like to work for either "Vanity Fair," "Rolling Stone," or "Entertainment Weekly."  O'Connor said that her preference would be a job which would "allow for acting as a hobby."

 

While growing up in Auburn, Mass., O'Connor was involved in theater.  Her senior year of high school, she was one of the stepsisters in her school's production of "Cinderella."  Her high school was small and she felt as though everyone was forced together.  For that reason, she was ready to leave her town and live in a city.  Since coming to Emerson, she said that it has been "easier to find a niche."

O'Connor's friends, Katie Teigen and Austen Roe, say that she is very opinionated, which makes for good discussions.  Roe said that O'Connor could talk to anyone because of her knowledge of current events.  Roe also mentions that "Molly has very many hilarious anecdotes that come from her experiences with her cousins, with whom she is very close."  Her sense of humor can be seen in her Sarah Palin debate flow chart, which teases the former Vice Presidential nominee's debate strategies.

O'Connor has many varied interests which make it hard for her to say what she will be doing years from now.  She said that it "just depends on where life takes me." 

Scene

"Oh my God!" the woman squealed, leaning in toward her friend.  The excitement emanated from the two women as they sat across from each other at a table next to a wall in Dunkin' Donuts.  They were planning a "really cool intro" for an upcoming performing arts festival.  The two discussed how they could "collaborate and make [their performance] a big thing."  They gestured frequently with their hands, emphasizing their words.

Although this was a business meeting, the two talked and laughed with each other playfully.  At one point, while talking of a mutual friend, one teased, "She has a lot of cats."  As the one woman talked, the other rifled through her bag, searching for some hidden necessity of the moment.  Their dress reflected the casual tone of the meeting.  Both wore sweatshirts and snow boots.  One woman, dressed primarily in earth tones, sat back in her chair in a very relaxed position during the conversation.  The other frequently propped her head on her hands or rested her hands on her knees and generally slouched forward.  

Even though the two did not follow a strictly business agenda, they had goals in mind.  They had pushed aside their coffees, and many papers covered the table.  They talked about funding for their project and what space they could use.  "We need a place where stuff can't get stolen," the woman in turquoise stated, leaving her foot in its protective position in front of her bag.  She then picked up the papers from the table and tapped the pile on the table to neaten them.  

"I need to be home by 4:30," the woman in turquoise said, her large earrings dangling.  "I will email you about what we don't finish."  Her nonchalant tone as she said this summed up the no-stress atmosphere they had created for themselves.