- #Bill kurtis cold case files update#
- #Bill kurtis cold case files trial#
- #Bill kurtis cold case files series#
#Bill kurtis cold case files series#
In 1986, Kurtis hosted a four-part science series on PBS called The Miracle Planet as well as a four-part series in 1987 on the CIA. He also anchored three CBS Reports: The Plane That Fell from the Sky, The Golden Leaf, and The Gift of Life. The two were also on the CBS Early Morning News, which aired an hour earlier on most CBS stations. In 1982, Kurtis joined Diane Sawyer on The CBS Morning News, the network broadcast from New York City.
A story Kurtis wrote for The New York Times Magazine was instrumental in obtaining special status for the children to enter the United States, where they live today. Kurtis returned to Vietnam in 1980 to cover the Vietnamese side of the story and, while there, discovered some 15,000 Vietnamese children conceived and left behind by Americans when the U.S. After a dramatic screening of the documentary in Washington, D.C., the Veterans Administration issued guidelines to diagnose and compensate those veterans affected by Agent Orange. veterans who were sprayed by the defoliant in Vietnam. In 1978, his investigative focus unit broke the Agent Orange story, U.S. In 1973, Kurtis returned to Chicago to co-anchor with Walter Jacobson at WBBM-TV.
#Bill kurtis cold case files trial#
He also covered the murder trials of Angela Davis and Juan Corona and the Pentagon Papers trial of Daniel Ellsberg. One of his first assignments was covering the Charles Manson murder trial for 10 months. His law degree came into play when he covered the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial in 1969, which led to a job with CBS News in Los Angeles as correspondent. His reporting, along with Ron Yates of the Chicago Tribune, helped persuade President Gerald Ford to pardon her in 1977. In 1969, Kurtis produced a documentary about Iva Toguri, " Tokyo Rose," the first interview after her conviction for treason in 1949. The protests against the Vietnam War dominated the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which Kurtis covered. He covered the neighborhood fires that followed the assassination of Dr. The year 1966 in Chicago was the beginning of a tumultuous four years, and as a reporter and anchor Kurtis was in the middle of historic events. Within three months, after seeing his work covering the tornado, WBBM-TV in Chicago hired Kurtis and set the stage for a 30-year career with CBS. The experience changed Kurtis's career path from law to broadcast news. Being the only television station in town and one of the few radio stations not damaged by the tornado, WIBW became a communications hub for emergency operations. Kurtis and the WIBW broadcast team remained on the air for 24 straight hours to cover the initial tornado and its aftermath. Within 15 seconds another sighting came in: "It's wiped out an apartment complex." Kurtis's warning "For God's sake, take cover" became synonymous with the 1966 Topeka tornado that left 16 dead and injured hundreds more. At 7:00 p.m., while on the air, a tornado was sighted by WIBW cameraman Ed Rutherford southwest of the city.
#Bill kurtis cold case files update#
Severe weather was approaching Topeka, so Kurtis stayed to update some weather reports. On the evening of June 8, 1966, Kurtis left a bar review class at Washburn to fill in for a friend at WIBW-TV to anchor the 6 o'clock news. After passing the Kansas bar examination and accepting a job with a Wichita law firm, Kurtis discussed his options with Harry Colmery and Bob McClure of Colmery and Russell and decided not to pursue a career in law. While in law school he worked part time at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. He graduated from Independence High School in 1958, the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism in 1962 and he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1966. His sister is former Kansas state Senate Majority Whip Jean Schodorf, of Wichita, Kansas.Īt age 16, Kurtis began working as an announcer for KIND, a radio station in Independence. Upon his retirement, the family settled in Independence, Kansas. His father's military career included extensive travel for his family. Marine Corps brigadier general and decorated veteran of World War II. Kuretich (Croatian: Kuretić), of Croatian origin (1914–2001), a U.S. Kurtis was born in Pensacola, Florida, to Wilma Mary Horton (1911–2002) and William A.