NAMES IN THE NEWS : Freed Casolo Hits Lecture Trail

Jennifer Casolo wants to make the most of her imprisonment in a Salvadoran jail by going on the lecture circuit. Casolo, 28, speaking Tuesday night at a church service in her hometown of Thomaston, Conn., says she plans to hit 10 to 12 cities after the holidays to talk about the plight of the Salvadoran people.

Casolo, who was freed after being imprisoned 17 days on charges of abetting communist rebels, said she hopes her time in the limelight will end so that she can go about her work and carry her message to the people. “I don’t want to be Jennifer Casolo,” she said. “I want to be someone who witnessed the pain and suffering in El Salvador. I don’t want to be special.” One person she plans to speak to is Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who was instrumental in securing her release. She wants him to reverse his position and call for an end to U.S. military aid to El Salvador.