At the end of his latest blog piece, Church of Scientology watchdog reporter Tony Ortega writes the following:

CODA: The Bunker just wants to add, on a personal note, that back in the day, this was the kind of story you would find on the front page of the LOS ANGELES FREAKING TIMES, and not on the blog of some dude in New York City.

We know things are tough at the formerly great newspaper out there, but it was once the leading journal of all things Scientology. Doesn’t it bother anyone there that so many Los Angeles Scientology stories are broken here rather than in the city’s supposed paper of record?

Ortega’s latest is an absolute heartbreaker, all about a 90-year-old LA piano teacher and Scientologist (Mario Feninger) who has reportedly been forced to spurn some desperately needed financial assistance because the former pupil (Allen Barton) writing the checks has left the ranks of Scientology, and thus is a “suppressive.” There’s also some good background revisiting in the item of info about the Beverly Hills Playhouse, which Barton took over after Milton Katselas passed away in 2008. Barton first went public with the Feninger saga on Facebook.

[Photo of Feninger courtesy mariofeninger.com]