Eastern correspondents

          Good evening, 919 Gang. Tonight we have on-the-scene reports from some of our members in areas hit by the giant storm.

          FRANK KLIMKO writes:

          All is well in Northern Virginia. We got about five inches of rain overnight and some high winds, 50 mph or so, but no damage in our neighborhood, which is 27 miles east of Washington D.C. The power company estimated that about 1 million in the area would lose power, but that seemed like an overestimate this morning, only about 500,000 had lost it. Our lights never flickered, a testimony to the wisdom of burying all power lines where feasible. Which is good, because we are in the "house of the future" all electric with not even a gas fireplace. I was considering a radiant propane heater as a backup heat source, but thankfully it didn't come to that.

          Yesterday at Costco (Price Club) they had just about run out of gas-powered portable generators. They had four left and were discounting them to $599, from about $1,000. I helped a guy load one of the last ones into his Subaru before the store closed early. In fact, almost all the stores, banks, office were shut down by about 4 p.m.

          Leading up to Sandy, there was a run on the grocery stores. You couldn't find any bottled water, batteries or toilet paper. Plenty of beer and French wine, however. Funny, I thought the beer would be the first thing to go. Clean up will take days. Everything is still closed today as the power thing gets sorted out. Hope other East Coast 919ers are OK.

          RICK SMITH writes:

          I was in Southeast Connecticut for my brother-in-law's funeral last week. My wife is still there, trying to settle her brother's affairs. My oldest daughter, husband, two grandsons and two Great Danes lost power early Monday afternoon in Griswold, Conn. They have a generator, so the refrigerator and TV work. I spoke to Susie, my wife, at 5:30 San Diego time this morning. She was telling me that it was not raining and that she actually could see a little blue sky in Uncasville, Conn., and "wasn't that something about the captain going down with his ship off South Carolina?" The ship apparently had been constructed for the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty." While back there we all had gone to "The Docks", a restaurant in Stonington that opened in 1929. There was fear that "The Docks" might have floated away during the night. We also had lunch at Mystic Pizza during our stay but no report yet on the place where Julia Roberts made her movie debut.

          JOE BROWN writes:

          I think we’re blessed here in Midcoast Maine. The so-called Superstorm yesterday brought us a little rain and high wind but no damage to speak of. We did lose power last night for about two hours, and this morning our cable TV, broadband internet and telephone, all furnished in a package from Time-Warner, were inoperative for about two hours. Damage in New Jersey and New York, where Hurricane Sandy made landfall, was horrendous, however. The only plus to a storm like Sandy was prompting phone calls to us in Maine from worried family and friends in California, and we received many for which we are grateful.

          JAY LEVIN writes:

          For those of you in sunny San Diego who might be wondering, the New York metropolitan area is closed for business.

          Power is out almost entirely in our town, Teaneck, N.J., and in most other towns in northern New Jersey. I don't even know what's going on in southern New Jersey, where Sandy came ashore. And New York City? I think the subways may still be idled on Wednesday, and most people have bonus days off from work. The disruption from this storm is unprecedented.

          But I feel fortunate that everyone I know who was impacted by Sandy is physically OK. The trees in front of and behind my house are still standing. And with schools closed -- I'm sure for the rest of the week, and perhaps beyond -- my daughter has plenty of time to work on her college application essays.

          JIMMY THORNTON writes:

          CNN had some gripping reports from the East Coast that hit home for me. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, far inland from where the hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast. The situation in New York and region reminds me of one hurricane that hit near Corpus Christi (if memory serves correctly). It was a big one. In San Antonio we got what reporters in the newspaper described as “the tail end of the hurricane.” I was a kid at the time and recall hanging onto a tree to keep from being blown over. Of course, we landlubbers loved the thrill of it. But I also remember a terrifying night. My Mother and Father and my big sister Patsy and I were returning from church services late in the evening as the tail of the hurricane swept the city. What I remember most was our old Ford stalling on Pleasanton Road, which had suddenly become a river. We were about a mile or so from our house. My father feared the car would be swept away so he ordered everyone out. At the time, the water was up  to my waist and sometimes crested up under my arms. My father and mother both led the way in the darkness. Patsy and I tried to keep up with them. I’m sure if we had cried for help they would have come to help us. But we were stubborn kids and each tried to do better than the other. At the cross streets, the waters hit us like new rivers merging into our river. Fortunately, our house was a few feet above the water level. We got home OK. But I recall how terrified I was as the water nearly swept we away. I hear in the reports that families back east were evacuating children from their flooded homes or from what was left of homes leveled by Sandy. Well, kids, I got a taste of it, and I say a special prayer for you and your families.

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          REBER: I will add one note to our discussion of John Robert Burrus, the one-time Union reporter convicted in 1992 of murdering his wife. Last night two members reported that the Social Security Death Index shows a John R. Burrus who was born Oct. 9, 1922 and died Feb. 2, 2004. That birth date seems about right for the Burrus we are talking about. The Social Security list shows his last residence as San Luis Obispo. Checking further, I find a John R. Burrus, same birth and death dates, is buried in Greensburg Cemetery, Greensburg, Knox, Mo. So, what does that prove? Nothing, but I found it interesting.

          Also last night, David Farmer reported on another newsman convicted of killing his wife. Check this out (great find, Karen):

          KAREN PEARLMAN writes:

          Disc jockey/newspaper aficionado Jeff Prescott sent this to me today!

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          NOEL OSMENT writes:

          Joe Nocera, NY Times columnist, wrote today a column about Mark Thompson the newly appointed chief executive of the Times. Thompson had been director general of the BBC, and many find it amazing that he seemingly knew nothing of the major sexual abuse perpetrated on young people for perhaps 30 years by BBC personality Jimmy Savitz. The column calls into question Thompson's role in the cover-up of the scandal or his blindness to it. Would the U-T (or many other papers) publish such a column, in a sense condemning a top executive, in its pages?

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          DON BAUDER writes:

          Most U-T circulation numbers decline, according to ABC:

http://tinyurl.com/94xgujv

          REBER: I wish I knew a source which told how newspaper web sites are doing. That, coupled with the ABC numbers, would tell how these newspaper companies are doing. Better yet, I would like to see numbers for the ad revenue for both the printed and online papers. No, I doubt I will be seeing that.

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          ROGER CONLEE writes:

          It's not too early to start talking about the third season of "Downton Abbey," which begins airing on PBS on Jan. 6. For those who need to play catch-up, the PBS Masterpiece Web Site says reruns of Season 2 of the acclaimed series will air on PBS in December.

          While in the UK this month, I caught three episodes of Season 3, but I'm sworn not to reveal where the overall story line is headed. We all know that Shirley MacLaine joins the cast this coming season.

          One bit of raise-the-curtain dialogue from Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) to Carson the butler: "We've seen some troubles, you and I. Nothing could be worse than this." To prepare yourself, a refresher course on the Irish war of independence would help. Journalism groupies such as fellow 919ers will be glad to know that newspapering returns to the story.

          Again, I'll be teaching a "Downton Abbey" related course for the Osher adult education program, running for about five weeks in conjunction with the show (no grades or homework!). It focuses on the Hampshire estate -- Highclere Castle -- where the series is filmed, which is the ancestral home of the Carnarvon family. The Fifth Earl Carnarvon discovered the tomb of King Tut along with archeologist Howard Carter and died shortly after, the victim, some say, of a "mummy's curse."

          We'll also look at the Edwardian period in Great Britain, the rise of the women's suffrage movement, and the schism between the landed gentry and a rising working and middle class, a theme still evident in British politics.

          History does repeat itself. Can you name a British royal who has had to wait for years for his mother to die in order to rise to the throne?

          Prince Charles comes to mind, of course, but, Bertie, the son of Queen Victoria who became King Edward VII (better known as "Edward the caresser") upon her death has him beat by a mile.

          Also covered, as it was in the series, will be the global influenza pandemic. And I don't believe Americans realize the degree to which the carnage of World War I impacted every village and estate in Great Britain.

          We won't be showing how to fold napkins, but I do have some good material on daily life "downstairs" in these great homes. Also on air while I was in the UK was the documentary "Servants," providing more string for me.

          I'll be offering the course again at SDSU and, new this year, for Cal State San Marcos at a Carlsbad location, and in Rancho Mirage for Cal State San Bernardino. Enrollment will open later this fall. Details to come.

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          REBER: It's our pleasure tonight to send Happy Birthday (Oct. 31) greetings to Charlie Starr and Kelly Thornton.

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          GENE CIECHANOWSKI forwards:

          Drive at your own risk.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFkw5JFOmHk

          GENE CIECHANOWSKI forwards:

          Video of young panda at San Diego Zoo.

          Keepers put cinnamon in the box for 3-year-old Yun Zi. He loves the stuff, his favorite smell.

http://tinyurl.com/9ogpgg3

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065

U.S.A.

Storm report

          Good evening, 919 Gang. Here's our first report as the storm hits the eastern U.S. I hope we hear from more members in that area, if only to tell us they are okay.

          JOE BROWN writes:

          The projection now is that this storm will be the worst in American history, even worse than the infamous 1938 New England hurricane. Damage will be in the billions but hopefully no loss of life. Fortunately, we in Midcoast Maine (Rockport) are north of the main brunt of the storm, and while we’ll have 50 mph winds, heavy rain and some power outages (tonight) we’ll be okay. Rockport Harbor is a beehive today of boats being hauled high and dry. Our rainfall is estimated to be 5 inches or more. A local waitress friend of ours has been on a cruise ship off the Atlantic Coast for a week and the ship can’t yet return to port because of storm conditions. If she delivers a baby nine months from today we’ll know how she passed the extra days at sea. Our four maple trees, turned yellow with gorgeous color several days ago, are being shorn of their leaves by the wind and may be bare by tomorrow. I pity the folk in New York and New Jersey, taking a direct hit where Manhattan may have 11 feet of water in the streets. Stay tuned.

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          REBER: Gina Lubrano (thank you) brought up the subject of John Robert Burrus, a former Union reporter convicted in 1992 of killing his wife. We have posted links to some news reports before, but John Sweeney provides different and more detailed accounts. Note that the name is Burrus, not Burris.

          JOHN SWEENEY writes:

          I found a few links to the LA Times' coverage of the Burrus trial in 1992.

          This is a more in-depth piece (pre-trial) on the history of his relationship with his wife:

http://tinyurl.com/8f9gg76

          Preliminary hearing:

http://tinyurl.com/9f7ocoz

          Partial trial coverage:

http://tinyurl.com/9c59uok

http://tinyurl.com/9saqa9h

          Conviction (and Nancy Ray quotes):

http://tinyurl.com/9zbbpu5

          DICK DANIELS writes:

          I worked as a reporter in the U-T Oceanside bureau in 1967-68 when John Burrus and the late Pete Eiden were the Union reporters and I, along with the late Hunter Gooch, comprised the Evening Tribune staff. Nancy Ray was in the reportorial mix on the Union side somehow, but I don’t remember if it was before or after one of those two.

          As I remember, John had worked in an Oceanside mayoral campaign, I believe for the late Erwin Sklar, and wasn’t doing anything except playing bridge after that election. The story goes that Sklar contacted Herb Klein to ask him to hire Burrus and give him something constructive to do which Klein did. He had occasional temper flares, but he was pleasant enough in the office and I spent several “happy hours” with him and Grace at their beachfront apartment.

          He often laid claim to being the “worst journalism graduate from the University of Missouri.” But he was the one who suggested I apply to Mizzou when I was looking at graduate schools. I did so, was accepted and eventually took off to Columbia, Mo. The following summer, 1969, I got a call one day from John who was traveling with Grace on an extended road trip and wanted to drop by where I was living above “the Hink” (Hinkson Creek). They did, and he spent the afternoon talking about his days at MU and catching me up on the latest dirt at the U-T. Don’t remember if he was still in the Oceanside bureau or if he had been transferred to the religion beat. But I do remember Grace as a patient and somewhat forbearing soul when John would utter something inappropriate.

          CAROL SOTTILI writes:

          I did not know John R.  Burrus, but do like investigations.

          The Social Security Death Index lists a John R. Burrus who died in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 2004.

          A 919ER writes:

          "Our" John Burrus is probably dead.

          This John R. Burrus (the LA Times trial coverage used the name John Robert Burrus) died February 02, 2004. [This from the Social Security Death Index].

          His Social Security number was issued in Wyoming. The LA Times said: "The Burruses met in 1957 in Casper, Wyo., where John worked at a bank and Grace had opened an account."

          This John Burrus was 70 in 1992, as was "our" John Burrus (per the LA Times).

          Finally, and coincidentally, this person died in San Luis Obispo, site of the California Men's Colony, which provides secure housing for minimum and medium security inmates.

          If anyone in the group knows the birthday of "our" John Burrus, that might nail it down. This John Burrus was born October 9, 1922.

          REBER: A big caution to people using the Social Security Death Index. It does not tell you where the person died. It does list the last location Social Security has for that person. Typically, this is where the person lived when he/she applied for Social Security. They might have moved a dozen times since then and Social Security, which generally (always?) sends the check to a bank, has no way of knowing where the person actually died (and doesn't care). Just one example: Mary had a relative who applied for Social Security in Las Vegas. Subsequently, she moved to Idaho where she lived for 15 years until her death. Guess which town the death index lists.

          And it is very common for a person to die in a hospital in a city other than the town they lived in.

          MICHAEL KINSMAN writes:

          You can file this under the title "Huh!" but it one of a zillion insignificant things I discovered at the UT.

          For many years through my departure in 2007, there was a wooden hanger on the coat rack in the UT Business department.  On it was scrawled simply "Burrus."   A few of us knew the story, but I'm sure many others through the years had no idea they were using the murder's own hanger.

          DAVID FARMER writes:

          I have my own story of a newsroom colleague who was convicted of murder. Stan Duke was a weekend sports reporter at KNXT television in Los Angeles when I arrived there in 1968. He was one of the first black journalists to make it onto the air in LA. I remember him as a friendly and cheerful man.

          In 1971, Duke found his estranged wife and a man in bed. Duke left, returned with a rifle, and fired through the door of the closet where the man was trying to hide. Duke was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to five years to life.

          He was paroled in 1974 and tried to resume his sports reporting career. He found that no broadcaster would hire him, and he was forced to work in construction and similar jobs. Duke remarried and became a house-husband, raising two boys while his wife worked outside the home.

          I attended a KNXT reunion in the 1990s, and Duke was there. He seemed stricken with shame, though everyone tried to be welcoming to him. I think he left early.

          Stan Duke suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Santa Barbara in 2007. He was 70.

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          LISA PETRILLO writes:

          Interesting about Papa Doug and selling off the Escondido NCT block to a charter school (the Classical Academy) run by a guy who got his degree from an offshore Christian college. With a sale for $7M and the outfit claiming it will spend $20M renovating for its 600 students, that works out to $45,000 per kid, for the publicly subsidized education.

          We taxpayers are on the hook for this deal. By being a school, the new Papa Doug Academy takes a four-acre complex in the heart of downtown -- across the street from Escondido's beautiful city hall and theater arts complex -- off the tax rolls. And while charter schools get to pick and choose which of the state education laws they want to follow, taxpayers pay the bill for educating students and teachers all the same. Ah, don't you love the politics of privatizing resources for the chosen few, and socializing risk and the bill for the rest of us.

          Wish some of that $45,000 per student riches would shower on my 9th grade daughter, who can't get one of the 48 seats (!) in a more advanced science class because of budget cuts. There are 200 kids on the waiting list for chemistry at Mt. Carmel High, and she couldn't get into AP Chem because the school has a rule against freshmen in AP classes (because of budget cuts). Just thought I'd take this opportunity to tell those of you without a dog in the schools fight how bad it is out there, in case you're interested in Prop. 30.

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          MARK MONDAY writes:

          I couldn't agree more about John Cannon being "one of the nicest people I know." In my days at the Trib he was kind, personable and fair. With my reputation at the head shed, that was a remarkable combination for a management type. It speaks volumes to his innate sense of fairness and personal integrity. He was a pleasure to work for.

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          KENT FREELAND writes:

          When did every day and back yard become one word when used as nouns?

          I thought they were one word only when used as adjectives. Everyone writes them as one word now, for both nouns and adjectives.

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          BOB ELLEDGE writes:

          Jack: Congratulations. The Rebergram scooped KUSI Monday night, which ran the deer-crossing segment you published last week. I wonder which Re(ber)porter sent it to you?

          REBER: That Re(ber)porter was you, Bob, and I suspect a lot of members enjoyed that video.

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065

U.S.A.

questions linger

          Good evening, 919 Gang. I hope all our East Coast members (and everyone else) stays safe in the face of the storm. All the reports I read are scary.

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          REBER: We've been talking about the case of John Robert Burris, the former Union reporter who was convicted in 1992 of killing his wife.

          NOEL OSMENT writes:

          This case has always interested me. Here you had this rather jovial guy with a white beard who, the last I remember, was writing religious news. One day a pastor came in with his small son and the child wanted to know if John were God. He also was a Santa at at least one Christmas party. Then he left the paper to concentrate on some enterprise -- I think a bar in Ocean Beach -- but others -- I'm sure Nancy Rae -- would know more about that. I don't think much more was heard about him until the death of his wife. And of course that, too, involves an unsolved mystery as far as I know. Again, Nancy might know more about it. But if he did, indeed dump wife and car off the grade, he had to have driven there with the body. And how did he, then, get someplace? It is a pretty long walk down into Borrego Springs. If he had his car parked not far away, how did he get it there? So did he have an accomplice? I vaguely remember hearing of someone -- maybe someone who worked for him, or was an associate -- who was said to have gone to Alaska or someplace. OR DID HE???

          PAULINE REPARD writes:

          I just did a quick check online with the California state prisoner locater, put in name John Burrus and Burris as I’ve seen it spelled here, and it came up with nothing. So he’s no longer in state prison for whatever reason.

          REBER: He was sentenced to 16 years in 1992, so he would be out by now and about 90 years old.

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          KEN STONE writes:

          KPBS did a nice job interviewing Manchester and Lynch:

http://tinyurl.com/8ouxkde

          A couple funny videos here, including one in which Lynch denies influencing news coverage or killing content.

          Yeah, right.

          Ask Sean Haffey what it's like being a wedding photographer for Papa Doug. Two-thirds of a page Sunday devoted to Papa Son's wedding. Or the book reviewer whose piece was spiked:

http://tinyurl.com/9a2rbuk

          Craig Rose is interviewed in one of the videos, He hasn't aged a day .

          I have to assume KPBS Senior News Editor Mark Sauer is a prime mover behind this tough--as-nails coverage. Nice work by a U-T refugee.

          KENT FREELAND writes:

          Question: How can you  get a full-page spread, with color pictures, in the Sunday newspaper of your wedding?

          Answer: Just make sure your father owns the newspaper.

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          MICHAEL GRANT writes:

          I’m not saying high school football scores are a legitimate map for population and cultural development. But I cut my journalism teeth covering Texas high school football in the ‘60s, when the really big cities had more than one high school, but otherwise it was Abilene vs. San Angelo, Midland vs. Odessa, Lubbock vs. Amarillo, etc. I still check the scores, and here’s one from this weekend: Houston Westside 49, Houston Math Science & Technology 7. All the towns mentioned above now have at least four high schools, spread over four divisions, and the suburbs (Alief, Aldine, Fort Bend, places I never heard of) of the big cities all have multiple high schools. Back in the day, I would pride myself in knowing all the school mascots (Rotan Yellowhammers, Crane Cranes, Winters Blizzards, etc.). Nowadays, I have to go all the way down to Class AA to find scores that are between towns (Coleman 14, Ballinger 3, for example). One conclusion I can positively make: in Texas alone, suppliers of athletic equipment are getting fabulously wealthy.

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          REBER: Happy Birthda (Oct. 29) to John Cannon, one of the nicest persons I've known, as well as a first-rate newsman.

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065

U.S.A.