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Brother Wants Lee Harvey Oswald’s Old Casket – ‘Rotten, Wooden Box’

Dallas Municipal Archives/Portal to Texas History

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Lee Harvey Oswald's brother sued a funeral home; have you watched "North Dallas Forty?;" Dallas has its own Biennial; and more:

A fight over Lee Harvey Oswald’s old casket heads to trial next week. His body was exhumed in 1981 and reburied in another casket. Oswald’s brother, Robert, wants the original pine box back. In 2011, he sued Baumgardner Funeral Home in Fort Worth. WFAA-TV reported: “That original casket remained at the funeral home in Fort Worth. In 2010, the funeral home auctioned the casket for $86,000. Robert Oswald sued to stop the sale, saying he paid $300 for it in 1963 and still owns it.” The station couldn’t reach Oswald for comment, but the funeral home says the casket is falling apart. “It looks like a rotten, wooden box,” an attorney told WFAA.

  • Who’s ready for some football? The Super Bowl is Sunday – A.V. Club suggests you prepare by seeing a football-themed movie: “North Dallas Forty,” which it says is “the NFL’s all-time least favorite film.” The movie, adapted from the semi-autobiographical novel by former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Peter Gent, “exposes pro football as a profession that chews up star players and then spits them out when they’re no longer useful on Sundays.” “North Dallas Forty” is available on DVD and to stream through Amazon Instant Video or Google Play.

  • Speaking of football … New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has put his Westlake mansion on the market. It’s in the gated Vaquero Club. The Dallas Morning News reports the 7,785-square-foot house comes with a fog machine and lit dance floor. But it has just four bedrooms. Then again, it has four full bathrooms. Lots of fancy features, of course. It’s yours … for $3.45 million. Take an extensive photo tour of the house.

  • Venice has one. So does the Whitney in New York. But did you know that Dallas has its own Biennial? It starts Saturday and runs until May. It’s attracting artists from around the world. They’re displaying their work at various venues around North Texas, from well-known galleries like Goss Michael Gallery and the Power Station, to office buildings in the Stemmons Corridor, to a billboard in Fort Worth. Artist Michael Mazurek is the co-founder of the Dallas Biennial. He talked with KERA’s Anne Bothwell about how it was born. Learn more on Art&Seek.

  • The Chrysalis Invitational Exhibition opens tonight at Texas Discovery Gardens in Fair Park. The event features fiber arts and nature-related work. The exhibition declares: “In nature, the chrysalis is not the beginning or the ending stage of evolving, but the process in between. These artists have embraced the use of fiber in nature and how it transforms their art, reflecting the versatility of mixed media.” The opening exhibition runs from 6-8 p.m. – there’s free admission if you’re attending the reception. Otherwise, Texas Discovery Gardens admission applies. The event runs through April 30.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.