The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Chicago - One of the world's richest entertainers, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, has been picked to serve as a juror in a Chicago murder trial. Winfrey and 11 other jurors have now begun hearing the case of 27-year-old Dion Coleman, who is accused of shooting another man two years ago in a dispute over $50. Winfrey earned $210 million U.S. last year and is the 244th richest person in the United States, with a net worth of $1.1 billion, Forbes magazine has estimated. Like all the jurors, she is eligible for a daily stipend of $17.20 U.S. for performing her duty as a citizen to act as a juror if called upon. Jerusalem - Israel is insisting its decision to go ahead with the construction of 1,000 new homes in West Bank settlements does not break the terms of the U.S.-brokered "road map to peace." The internationally backed peace plan that Israel accepted in May 2003 calls for a freeze on all settlement activity on all occupied territories. Baghdad, Iraq - An eight-person delegation from the Iraqi National Conference headed to Najaf Tuesday, hoping to meet Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and end a 12-day-old standoff in the holy city. The delegation said it would offer amnesty to al-Sadr and his supporters if they surrender their arms, leave the sacred shrines where they have been barricaded, and join political discussions about Iraq's future. But Al-Sadr has urged his supporters to fight to the death rather than be captured.8/18/2004
