O.J. Simpson released, juvenile sex scandal, DISD Confederate names — plus more weekend headlines

October 01,  2017 By Nicholas Friedman Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌞 Weather: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 86 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? [It's here](. O.J. Simpson signs documents at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada on Saturday before his release early Sunday. (Nevada Department of Corrections via AP) Crime New this morning: O.J. Simpson released from prison Former football legend O.J. Simpson [became a free man early Sunday morning]( after serving nine years for a botched hotel room heist in Las Vegas that brought the conviction and prison time he avoided in the killings of his ex-wife and her friend after his 1995 acquittal in the "trial of the century" in Los Angeles. Simpson, 70, was released at 12:08 a.m. Pacific time from Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada, according to a state prisons spokeswoman. It was unclear where Simpson was immediately headed in his first hours of freedom. Simpson has said he wanted to move back to Florida, where he lived before his armed robbery conviction in Las Vegas in a September 2007 confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers. Juvenile offenders sit in chairs during a group session, as seen during a tour of the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center inside the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, Dallas County's largest juvenile detention center. (Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer) Crime Dallas County juvenile sex scandal: How did we get here? [Boys locked up for sex crimes at Dallas County's juvenile detention center lost count of how many times they were left unsupervised]( and engaged in sex acts with each other over six months, a state watchdog found this week. Conditions deteriorated due to indifference toward the kids' safety coupled with a severe staffing shortage — two problems that fed off each other, said Debbie Unruh, chief ombudsman at the Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The ombudsman's office drafted a report that was obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Previously: Guards [watched football, played on phones]( while youths in Dallas County lockup had sex. Death arrest: Police have [arrested the mothers of a 4-year-old boy who was mauled to death by the family's dogs]( when he was left in his backyard over the summer. Warning sign: An inadvertent [siren sounding at an Arlington water treatment plant prompted more than 20 calls to 911]( dispatchers late Friday from people wanting to know what was going on, according to police. SPECIAL OFFER For a limited time, newsletter readers can enjoy unlimited digital access to DallasNews.com for only $2.99 a week. [Sign up today]( and stay informed about the latest news that's important to you.  School board trustee Joyce Forman listens during the public forum about changing confederate names of schools within Dallas ISD during a board meeting at Emmett J. Conrad High School on Thursday.(Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer) DALLAS ISD Even with a unanimous vote on changing Confederate names, school board finds disharmony Dallas ISD's board of trustees [tried to make a grand gesture]( Thursday night. Trustees unanimously passed a resolution that fast-tracks changing the names of four schools honoring Confederate generals. The board will consider new names for Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and William L. Cabell elementary schools by February. It could have been a uniting moment for a city still struggling with deep-seated racial disparities, for a district with a long history of racial inequality, and for a board racked with political discord after a failed tax measure in August. But it wasn't, not in the atmosphere swirling around Dallas ISD's current board. On the sidelines: An appeals court [sides with Texas cheerleaders]( who sued to display Bible verses at football games. On the field: Area players, including entire teams, [knelt during national anthem]( before Friday's high school football games.. Down south: Houston-area football players were [kicked off the team]( for protesting during the anthem. In this June file photo, the Dallas skyline is mirrored in the Sammons Park reflecting pool at the Winspear Opera House. (Ryan Michalesko/Staff Photographer) BuSINESS Next step in D-FW's bid for Amazon HQ2: CEOs may get tapped for testimonials Developers, property owners and architects [have been hustling the last three weeks]( to get impressive site proposals done and submitted by Friday for Amazon's prized HQ2. Now some of Dallas' big company CEOs may be put to work on behalf of the region. Dozens of sites from downtown Dallas to Fort Worth, Frisco, Carrollton and Westlake are competing to be selected for Amazon's second headquarters, and their backers turned in plans to the Dallas Regional Chamber by the locally-imposed deadline. Amazon wants the proposals by Oct. 19 and is encouraging regions to submit unified bids. Economy: Will the fight for Amazon's HQ2 [pit Dallas and its suburbs against each other](? Overturned: Three appeals court judges have [overturned a $663 million fraud verdict]( against Dallas-based Trinity Industries, the maker of guardrails found along many U.S. roads and highways. More more more: After years of slow growth, Eatzi's is expanding in Dallas-Fort Worth. It has already opened a new shop Fort Worth in 2017; [a(nother) new Eatzi's in Dallas is next.]( Advertisement (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) Photo of the weekend SMU Mustangs celebrate after safety Delano Robinson recovered a fumble on a punt during the fourth quarter against University of Connecticut on Saturday at SMU's Ford Stadium in Dallas. [Here are five takeaways on SMU’s sloppy 49-28 win over UConn](. Around The Site Quick links - Unexplained death: A Texas mother told police [she didn't have enough minutes and couldn't find her phone to call 911]( before daughter's death. - Uplifting: How Fort Worth musician Josh Weathers [uses music to further his mission:]( saving orphaned kids in India. - Watch: State Fair of Texas game is [no match for Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach](. - Flashback: Topless [Big Tex caused controversy]( for State Fair opening in 1970. - Hold your baby, not your liquor: German officials [seize baby from intoxicated Texas man]( at Oktoberfest. - Time off: Mike Devin, president and general manager of WFAA-TV, is [stepping down at the end of the year after 12 years]( at Dallas' ABC affiliate. - Commentary: Oh, the places you'll go! Unless, that is, [you are 10 Dr. Seuss books donated by Melania Trump]( and your planned destination is the shelves of the Cambridgeport School library. - Obituary: [Monty Hall, "Let's Make a Deal" host and philanthropist, dies at 96]( Trenton Johnson enters a hearing room to voice his opposition to the bathroom bill at a Senate State Affairs Committee public hearing on the fourth day of a special legislative session on July 21 at the Texas state capitol.  (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) #ICYMI Fearfully and wonderfully made: The journey of a transgender man Trenton Johnson is a 34-year-old transgender man of color living in Dallas. Over the past nine months, he's agreed to share what it's been like to work, love and live as lawmakers debated the so-called "bathroom bill," legislation that would have restricted restroom access for trans men, women and children across Texas. [In this three-part series](, we follow Trenton as he becomes politically active for the first time, wins a new place of honor within his community and ultimately finds his purpose. Deep Fried Froot Loops are the product of concessionaire Gracie & Milton Whitley. (Jae S. Lee/Staff Photographer) Finally... Your definitive list of best and worst State Fair of Texas' new foods, ranked The State Fair of Texas opened this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than for GuideLive to definitively rank the best and worst of this year’s new foods? So what came out on top? Five words: Fernie's Fried Texas Sheet Cake. This gooey, chocolatey dessert is the best new food of the 10 Big Tex Choice Awards at the State Fair of Texas this year, if you ask our esteemed panel. For all of the hits and misses from this year, [head on over to GuideLive.]( Advertisement 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! 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