Week in review

Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton announced Monday that

she would retire at the end of the year. Gratton has been at the helm of

the college for the past six years and is the only woman to ever hold the

post.

The Corona del Mar High School athletic community is mourning the

passing of Doug Orr, 50, the popular school sports announcer who

graduated from the campus in 1970.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .

Balboa Island man sent to prison

A 54-year-old Balboa Island man will be locked away in state prison

for 15 years to life for inappropriately touching three young girls, a

judge ruled Friday.

Thomas Michael Murphy was sentenced Friday morning after a jury, in

November, found him guilty of four felony counts of lewd acts with a

child younger than 14 years of age and one misdemeanor count of

possessing child pornography.

Each of the felony counts includes an enhancement that states Murphy

committed the crimes with the intent of gratifying his sexual desires.

Newport Beach police arrested the former self-employed scuba

instructor on May 2, 2000, after seizing about 10,000 photographs and 200

movies from his computer at his Ruby Avenue home. Two girls ages 9 and 11

came forward with the allegations.

In other news, a Lido Isle home was destroyed in an early morning fire

Thursday. The two-story house was gutted a day after it went into escrow.

Investigators are not sure what caused the fire, but said it started in

the garage. All six people who lived in the house and their dog escaped

unharmed.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .

Women look for new robes

A handful of Newport-Mesa attorneys are reeling from the results of

three judgeship races last week, landing two women in separate runoffs

for a seat on the bench and sending the message that Orange County voters

would not stand by while a besieged judge retained his seat.

Vickie Bridgman and Glenda Sanders were both the top vote getters in

their races for Orange County Superior Court offices 22 and 27

respectfully.

Bridgman, who lives in Newport Heights and works in the district

attorney’s office, garnered 46.2% of the votes. Sanders, a Corona del Mar

resident with her own practice, gained 47.9%.

Both will run again in November against the second highest vote getter

in their respective office.

Gay Sandoval and Karen Robinson also celebrated a victory last week,

although their possible future on the bench is still unsure.

Sandoval -- a former Daily Pilot columnist -- and Robinson -- a Costa

Mesa city councilwoman -- waged independent write-in campaigns to unseat

judge Ronald C. Kline, who faces felony charges of child molestation and

child pornography.

The Costa Mesa women joined nine other write in candidates to defeat

Kline by a two to on margin. The group of write-in candidates gained 67%

of the vote while Kline garnered only 33%.

The Orange County Registrar is scheduled to release individual tallies

March 26.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .

A tribute to Chuck

One activist has come up with a fitting idea to memorialize famed

animator and longtime Newport resident Chuck Jones. Laura Dietz has

announced that she will ask the city’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation

Commission to look for ways to remember the recently deceased Jones in

city parks -- perhaps with images of some of his beloved characters such

as Bugs Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn.

Businesses could soon receive fliers from the city explaining ways to

comply with new water-quality rules. The handbills, still in draft form,

explain ways to keep pollutants out of storm drains.

Big Canyon Reservoir was shut down after some residents reported

seeing tiny midge fly larvae in their drinking water and toilets.

Officials are treating the water with chlorine and serving Newport Beach

homes and businesses with water directly from the Metropolitan Water

District.

Wells providing water to Newport Beach and Costa Mesa that had been

shut down recently have been put back online. The wells in Fountain

Valley and Costa Mesa had been shut down as a precaution after public

health officials announced the potentially cancer causing chemical

1,4-Dioxane had been detected in their water. The state’s health agency

has since ruled that the chemical is present in such small quantities

that it does not pose a significant health risk.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

A bleak future for El Toro

Orange County voters stopped supervisors’ plans for an airport at El

Toro dead on Tuesday, by passing Measure W on a solid margin.

Of the voters who headed to the polls -- a scant 32% of those

registered -- about 58% approved the deal and 42% rejected it.

The Great Park initiative, as it became known, rezones the closed El

Toro Marine Corps Air Station from aviation to open space.

Before the results could even sink in, Navy officials said they were

moving toward a plan to sell off parcels of the 4,700-acre base on the

open market.

That move would probably quash any plans for a Great Park, a proposal

brought forward by Irvine Mayor Larry Agran and other South County

leaders.

Airport supporters also lost an ally on the Board of Supervisors in

Cynthia Coad, who was turned out of office by Fullerton Councilman Chris

Norby.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .