City To Declare Monday 'Bill Kurtis Day'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- City officials are declaring Monday "Bill Kurtis Day" in Chicago.
The CBS 2 anchor and his longtime partner, Donna LaPietra will be honored at a Monday evening gala declaring Nov. 7, 2011, to be Bill Kurtis Day and Donna LaPietra Day in Chicago.
Michelle Boone, commissioner of the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, will read a proclamation honoring the couple at the gala.
Bill Kurtis originally joined CBS 2 in 1966 as a reporter, and in 1973 joined Walter Jacobson for an acclaimed and iconic newscast that came to be known as The 10 O'clock News.
Kurtis co-anchored CBS 2's 10 p.m. news with Jacobson and later Linda MacLennan until 1995. He also co-anchored the 6 p.m. news with CBS 2's Harry Porterfield, Don Craig, Mary Ann Childers and several other local legends until 1996, before returning last year to anchor the newscast again alongside Jacobson.
Kurtis has also produced several highly-regarded documentaries for CBS 2, including the first interview with the Chicago woman who had been convicted of treason as Tokyo Rose during World War II, and the story of the effects on the defoliant Agent Orange on Vietnam veterans.
In addition now to anchoring the CBS 2 News at 6 p.m., Kurtis remains a documentary host, author and producer. LaPietra is vice president and executive producer for Kurtis Productions.
The proclamation notes the couple's "immeasurable contributions to the arts and our city."
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
