Steven R Churm

A veteran Orange County journalist has acquired Metropolitan Journal, a twice-monthly business newspaper serving central Orange County, from founder Drew Lawler for an undisclosed sum. Steven R. Churm, a former Times Orange County reporter, said the acquisition was made with backing from his father, Peter Churm, who is chairman of Furon Co., a large Laguna Niguel industrial products manufacturer.

A veteran Orange County journalist has acquired Metropolitan Journal, a twice-monthly business newspaper serving central Orange County, from founder Drew Lawler for an undisclosed sum. Steven R. Churm, a former Times Orange County reporter, said the acquisition was made with backing from his father, Peter Churm, who is chairman of Furon Co., a large Laguna Niguel industrial products manufacturer.

More Distribution: Orange County Metropolitan, the business lifestyle magazine published in Newport Beach, will print 50,000 copies of each issue beginning May 1. That's up from 42,000 at the beginning of this year. "We've been running out of copies with four or five days left in the cycle," said publisher and owner Steven R. Churm. The free magazine is distributed every two weeks at 225 news racks and in various office lobbies.

In a story in last Monday's Times, reporters Steven R. Churm and Ralph Frammolino disclosed a surprising and disturbing picture of industrial air pollution in Orange County. Data compiled by them showed that 169 companies in the county released more than 7 million pounds of chemical fumes into the county's atmosphere in 1987, the second highest amount of toxic emissions in the state.

David Murdock, the prominent businessman and multimillionaire who was instrumental in the Joffrey Ballet's adopting Los Angeles as a second home in 1983, has submitted a letter of resignation from the board of the troubled company, according to a fellow board member. Murdock was unavailable for comment, but Anthony Bliss, who served as co-chairman with Murdock, said he was told by a Joffrey staff member that Murdock's resignation letter was at the ballet's office at the Music Center.

The June 8 article by Elaine Woo and Steven R. Churm on the growing teacher shortage missed the most important reason for the shortage. The most important people in the education of students receive the lowest pay, little prestige and no respect. More than 50% of new teachers quit within five years, and they are in the 25- to 35-year-old age bracket. They become totally discouraged by the way they are treated by administrators who have forgotten or never knew why they are in education.

It was one of Patricia Kastle's last wishes. When she died, she wanted her cremated remains to be sprinkled on the snowy white ski slopes where she spent the happiest moments of her life, her attorney said. But that peaceful, final request, as written in her will, belies the brutal death she met this week, when her former husband shot her in the head at close range before killing himself. What's more, there may be a dispute over the will.

A storm that blew out of Baja California unloaded up to half an inch of rain in some spots in Orange County Wednesday, causing a mud slide that closed much of Ortega Highway, minor street flooding and a rash of freeway fender-benders. The good news is that fair, warm weather with daytime temperatures in the 70s is expected today and throughout the weekend, forecasters say.

The bright strand of green and white helium-filled campaign balloons had already sunk to the floor by the time Democrat Cecil N. Green finally declared his victory in the 33rd Senate District race, concluding a close and bitter battle for the conservative vote. Complaining that his opponent, Republican Donald R. Knabe of Cerritos, had waged the most negative campaign he had ever been involved in, Green claimed his seat at 4:04 a.m.

Forget the white zinfandel, the gray pinstripes and the posh Orange County hotel suites. Election night for state Sen. Cecil N. Green was more like Budweiser in a can, green garb of any sort and the Norwalk Knights of Columbus hall. It was a scene from another time and place, a backslapping, blue-collar Democratic crowd of 200 supporters in love with their folksy candidate. It was too early to tell who would be victorious, but they cheered and clapped regardless.

President and Mrs. Reagan will appear together on television next Sunday with a joint message on drugs. It is not clear what they will say, but a White House announcement that sounded like something out of a World War II savings-bond rally said that they would carry the message "into every home, every school, every college campus, every locker room, every corporate board room, every office, every studio."