The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 40

I I I I I The Pantagraph Saturday, May 28, 2011 www.pantagraph.com Weather Channel image brings home tornado By David Bauder ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK The Weather Channel's Mike Bettes arrived in storm-ravaged Joplin, right after a tornado had ripped through its soul. He looked around, spoke to the camera and began to cry. His emotional outbreak during coverage of Joplin became one of the defining television images of the tragedy. Yet the extent to which Bettes' reaction was subsequently aired on The Weather Channel and elsewhere creates questions about whether genuine emotion is diluted by repetition. In the day or two afterward, the clip ran repeatedly on the "Today" show, on "Nightly News" and cable news networks.

The Weather Channel ran it as well and it soon became confusing what was happening live and what wasn't. The clip also spread widely online. At some point dramatic reports that are widely repeated can become like video wallpaper, seen so many times that the power is siphoned away. It's an issue that has long interested David Westin, for- mer ABC News president. Shortly after the Sept.

11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he or- dered that ABC News no longer show video images of CENTRAL ILLINOIS Myrtle Daniels ODELL Myrtle Daniels, 89, rural Odell, died Wednesday (May 25, 2011) at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloom ington. Funeral: Private Myrtle family Daniels service Tuesday, with the Rev. Matthew Routien officiating. Duffy- BaierSnedecor Funeral Home, Odell, is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials: may be made to ASTA Care Center of Pontiac. Burial: Odell Union Cemetery. Survivors: a daughter, P. Eileen (Oscar) Weathersby, Odell; sister, Fannye DeJesus, Chicago; three grandchildren; 10 great -grandchildren; one great -greatgrandchild; one niece; and two nephews. Condolences may be made to the family at duffyfuneralhome.com.

Jo Ella Gazelle HEYWORTH Jo Ella Gazelle, 70, Heyworth, died May 21, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. Cremation rites have been accorded. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon June 18 at CalvertBelangee- Bruce Funeral Home, Heyworth, with a memorial service at noon. Memorial gifts may be made to her grandson, Mason Riggs, for his continued treatment for autism.

An account has been set up through CharterOne Bank, and can be mailed to 7428 Metz Drive, Shelby Township, MI 48316, in his name. Jo Ella was born June 19, 1940, in Mount Vernon, daughter of John and Ethel Hannah Estes Wood. She married Carlton Gazelle on March 30, 1972, in Heyworth. He survives. Also surviving are one son, Jerry (Molly) Riggs, Shelby Township, two daughters, Kelly (Booner) Zimmerman and Jamie (Doug) Cline, both of Heyworth; one stepson, Greg (Dru) Gazelle, Yulee, one brother, Tom (Marla) Smith, Gilbert, grandchildren, Chad (Laura) Cline, Sarah (Craig) Riddle, Austin Cline, Joey Zimmerman and Ashley Zimmerman, all of Hey- Associated WEATHER CHANNEL Meteorologist Mike Bettes, center, interviews a victim of Hurricane Katrina.

Bettes arrived in Joplin, right after the recent tornado and began doing live reports. the airplanes striking the World Trade Center or the towers collapsing. He was concerned about the psychological impact of repeating the horror, particularly on younger children. Westin, who said he had not seen the Bettes video, said that in such cases producers need to ask themselves the purpose of showing the material. "There is a point at which it is shown often enough that you're not informing people, you're showing it to elicit an emotional reaction," Westin said.

"It's a very difficult line to draw and different people will draw the line in different places. For me, the important point is: Can we agree that there is a line?" Bettes, a meteorologist who has been with The Weather Channel for more than seven years, is in the midst of a tornado tracking project and equipped with a special NBC News van used in war zones (The Weather Channel is owned by NBC Universal). The van makes capable live video transmissions from a moving vehicle, Obituaries Obituaries Funerals today Applegate, Eric 11 a.m. at Atlanta Cemetery. Beer, Colleen Marie, 11 a.m.

at Apostolic Christian Cemetery, Roanoke. Boatman, Blanche Ruth, noon at Niblick Cemetery, rural Atlanta. Brewer, Ronald 11 a.m. at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton. Dunham, Marguerite Lesher, 10 a.m.

at Atlanta Cemetery Freed, Franklin E. "Frankie," 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, Lexington. Gastineau, Larry Richard, 9 a.m. at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington.

Funerals pending Ringenberg, Joyce 82, Chenoa, died at 5:34 a.m. Friday (May 27, 2011) at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal. Duffy- -Pils Memorial Home, Chenoa. worth; Mason, Madeline and Makenna Riggs, all of Shelby Township, Bobbi Jean (Cody) Smith, Bloomington; JamieAnn (Roger) Blankenship and Sharon Leef, all of Yulee, and 12 great -grandchildren. Jo worked at Country Insurance for 26 years, retiring in 1998 as a manager in human resources.

She was a past member of the Moose Lodge, holding such positions as senior regent and star recorder. After retirement, Jo and Carl spent nine months of the year in Bullhead City, and three months in Heyworth. In retirement, Jo also became known nationwide for selling her homemade hand towels, dish clothes and "scrubbies." Jo was a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great -grandmother, and devoted friend who will be deeply missed. Jerald Page Sr. HEYWORTH Jerald D.

"Jer- Jerald Page Sr. ry" Page Sr. of Nicholson, died April 11, 2011, in Mississippi. He was born March 31, 1939, in Heyworth, son of Dean and Verna Page. His he was a young child.

He was raised by his father and stepmother, Della. damage. Bettes hopped out and began a live report. "All Ican say is it looks very much like what we saw last month, excuse me, in Tuscaloosa," Bettes said. He began to cry, and walked away from the camera.

He took some deep breaths and struggled to regain his composure. "It's tough," 1 he said. "No question about that." It wasn't a specific image that affected him at that moment, Bettes said in an interview later. Rather, it was the thought of Tuscaloosa, the hardest hit locale in an April 27 tornado outbreak that killed 236 people in Alabama alone. "There were a high number of fatalities in that tornado and it just struck me, you know, this is the same thing," he said.

"What I'm witnessing is people who have died, and it's happening right Pictures of the devastation were compelling, but Bettes' reaction went a long way toward making the point resonate with viewers. Emotion from reporters usually sends a powerful signal. Pictures from Hurricane Katrina were shocking enough, but the visible anger of journalists helped make the government's reaction a story. John F. Kennedy's assassination is remembered i in part by the image of Walter Cronkite glancing at a clock to check the time of death, then briefly removing his glasses to wipe away a tear.

No one has questioned Bettes' emotion. His boss, Weather Channel programming chief Bob Walker, said the company is proud of him, particularly because the meteorologist's first instinct was to help, by searching through nearby wreckage to see if anyone was trapped. It's not entirely clear how many times the clip was aired on television. The Nielsen Co. determined that Bettes' name was used some 242 times in less than 48 hours surrounding the tornado.

There were 194 mentions on The Weather Channel, 26 on MSNBC, 10 on CNN and nine on NBC. His name also came up on HILN and CNBC, Nielsen said. Clearly, viewers have found The Weather Channel's tornado coverage gripping. Nielsen said the network averaged 848,000 viewers on Sunday night after the Joplin tornado hit, or 245 percent over The Weather Channel's prime- time average of 246,000 for the three weeks prior. "It was a real moment," Bettes said.

"That's what I was feeling at the time, and I hope it makes it easier for the people who are watching to connect with the story." and no timesatellite set -up upon stopping. He was chasing the storm cell that so far killed 132 people in Joplin on May 22, a cell that passed right over them before the tornado formed. When Bettes and his crew arrived in Joplin, they saw light damage at first. But they knew something might be up when a frantic man darted into the street in front of them, slipped and fell, then ran off again just as quickly. They soon reached a surreal moonscape of more horrific Rita D'Orio Johnson.

Mary graduated from Warrenville Grade School and Wheaton High School. Mary attended secretarial school in Champaign. Mary was a member of the National League of Postmasters of the United States, a past member of St. Mary's of Loretto Altar and Rosary Society and a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. She began working outside the home at the Saunemin Post Office in 1972 as a clerk, and became the postmaster in 1985 until her retirement in 1989.

She moved 1 to Clearwater, in 1990, where she lived until 2006. At that time, she moved into the home of Ron and Cheryl Gruber, where she resided until her death. Mary's biggest and most rewarding job was that of raising eight children. Mary made it all seem easy and seamless with her many skills of cleaning, sewing, nursing, teaching, gardening, landscaping, lawn mowing, designing, guiding, comptrolling, sheriffing, bottle washing, cheerleading, cooking, taxiing and, most importantly, loving. As her husband taught her, and they handed down to us, "Don't worry, be happy!" Condolences may be sent to the family at kibler smith.com.

Cora T. Lowe BLOOMINGTON Cora T. Lowe, 71, Bloomington, died at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday (May 24, 2011) at Heartland Health Care, Normal. Funeral: Private family memorial service at a later date.

Memorials: to the family in care of her daughter, Tina Love, 1215 Omega Bloomington, IL 61701. Cremation services were provided by Calvert Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington. Survivors: her husband, Bobby G. Lowe, Bloomington; four children, John Daily, Albuquerque, N.M.; and Paul McCormick, Robert (Dorothy) Horton and Tina (William Walters) Love, all of Bloomington; 10 grandchildren; and eight great -grandchildren. Condolences may be emailed at www.calvert memorial.com.

Lohan settles suit over highway chase He is survived by his children, Jerald Jr. (Rita), Williamsville; Dennis James (Robin), Arizona; Dale Edward (Dawn), El Paso; Donald (Lara), Bloomington; and Bonnie (Brian) Kwilas, Mississippi; 13 grandchildren; 14 great -grandchildren; three sisters, Judy Page, Rantoul; Sharon Blackwell, Mississippi; and Debbie Milligan, Melvin; and a brother, Dennis Page, Bloomington. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and one sister. He served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1964.

He was a retired truck driver. BLOOMINGTONNORMAL Mary Bassett NORMAL Mary Elizabeth Bassett, 86, Nor- mal, died at 6:42 p. Thursday (May 26, 2011) at her residence. A memo rial Mass will be at noon Mary Bassett Monday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, with Monsignor Doug Hennessy officiating. A celebration of Mary's life will follow at Alexander's Steakhouse, 1503 E.

College Normal. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Pontiac Elks Scholarship Fund, Advocate Hospice or Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Kibler Smith Memorial Home, Bloomington, is in charge of arrangements. Mary was born March 10, 1925, daughter of John and Florence Esposito D'Orio in Warrenville. She married Denman J.

"Denny" Bassett on July 3, 1947. He died Oct. 15, 1988. Surviving are her eight children, Denman (Magdalena) Bassett II, Sequim, Timothy Bassett, Tremont; Cynthia (James) Hall, South Burlington, Thomas (Carol) Bassett, Aurora; Cheryl (Ron) Gruber, Normal; Debra (Denny) Rich, Saunemin; Deidra (Don) Scheurich and Carole (David) Pollard, both of Bloomington; 20 grandchildren; and five great -grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Denny Bassett; her parents; and sister, ASSOCIATED PRESS BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

Lindsay Lohan has settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who was chased by the actress in a pre-dawn pursuit that has haunted the actress in civil and criminal courts for nearly three years. The starlet on Wednesday settled the lawsuit filed by Tracie Rice, who claimed she was traumatized and lost a well- -paying job because of the incident, court records show. Rice was a passenger in a car driven by the mother of Lohan's former assistant, who the actress pursued down the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in July 2007. The chase ended with Lohan's arrest in the parking lot of the Santa Monica Police Department; Rice has said she thought the actress was trying to carjack her. No details of the settlement, which was first reported Friday by celebrity website TMZ, were re- leased.

Lohan was arrested twice for driving under the influence in 2007, and remains on probation for offenses. She has struggled to comply with the terms of her release, with three separate judges sending her to jail since July 2010. The "Mean Girls" star was sentenced to four months in jail last month for violating her probation by taking a necklace without permission, and on Thursday surrendered to authorities and 1 began serving her term on house arrest. She is expected to spend roughly 35 days in home confinement. Rice's case against Lohan has been repeatedly delayed in the past year because of Lohan's stints in jail and rehab.

Rice's attorney, Paul L. Hoffman, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. Lohan is also being sued by three men who were in the sport utility vehicle the actress used to pursue Rice. Court refuses to reconsider Spector's conviction appeal ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES An appeals court on Friday refused to reconsider music producer Phil Spector's appeal of his murder conviction, saying there was overwhelming evidence of his guilt. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal panel acknowledged it did not consider an issue that defense lawyers now say was critical to his conviction.

But they blamed the lawyers for failing to adequately brief the point and said they had no obligation to consider it. Spector, a legendary rock music producer, was convicted two years ago of fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion in 2003. He is serving 19 years to life in prison on a second -degree murder conviction. His first trial ended in a hung jury; the second ended in a conviction. Attorneys had argued in the appeal that during the trial, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler prejudiced the case by allowing prosecutors to use pictures of him in closing arguments as if he was a witness.

They said Fidler also improperly allowed jurors to watch a videotape of him explaining a witness's testimony about forensic evidence at a hearing outside the jury's presence. Film on bin Laden, Black Ops set ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal's movie about the Black Ops hunt for Osama bin Laden is set for release next year. Columbia Pictures, which acquired the domestic distribution rights to the film earlier this week, says the untitled movie will come out at the end of 2012. Bigelow and Boal each won a pair of Oscars for producing, directing and writing last year's best picture, "The Hurt The two began developing the film about the Black Ops' mission to capture bin Laden in 2008. Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Amy Pascal says Bigelow and Boal "have an outstanding perspective on the team that was hunting the most wanted man in the world.".