Tornado levels Joplin

Mark Lindquist, 51, broke every rib in his body during the Joplin tornado. After losing his shoulder, spending seven weeks in a coma and contracting a rare fungal infection, Lindquist has been on the road to recovery.

Following the tornado that decimated Joplin in May, mixed martial artist and former Missouri Tiger Ben Askren pushed to have residents of the town receive 300 free tickets to an Mixed Martial Arts event on Oct. 8.

An incorrect flier is being passed out that says the Joplin Family Worship Center's Disaster Resource Center is closing. This flier might be the cause of a theft at the center.

A 2009 John Deere Gator TX was stolen from Joplin High School. The Gator was a gift from the Joplin Band Tornado Relief Fund.

He will talk with Joplin officials Wednesday about replacing the thousands of trees that were destroyed by the tornado that struck the city on May 22.

After the Joplin tornado destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center, doctors worked out of a tent all summer. A permanent hospital will open in 2014.

The construction costs for the schools would likely top $100 million. Insurance would cover basic rebuilding but not any additional improvements.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will visit a high school in Joplin known as the "mall school," on Thursday.

Joplin high school students have a new place to learn after converting an old store into a high school. Officials toured the building Thursday.

While officials believe residents didn't respond quickly enough to sirens and warning systems, Richard Wagenmaker, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Detroit, said it was unclear if the slow public response cost lives.

The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was set to be released Tuesday, will detail the efforts to warn people about the tornado that hit Joplin in May. The report is a way of seeing what aspects of the warning were done well and what still needs improvement.

Susan Bragole invited her extended family back to her temporary home in Joplin to begin the healing process after the May tornado disaster.

The car was sold at an auction in August to benefit the Joplin school district. On Thursday, the couple who bought the car made a $130,000 donation to the district.

As of Sept. 1, more than $1 billion in insurance payments has been made to people affected by the May tornado. The storm damaged or destroyed 8,000 homes and businesses.

Joplin officials are working to gain state permission to use a portion of the Missouri taxes paid by local businesses to redevelop areas destroyed from the May tornado. The proposal has passed the Missouri House. 

Missouri baseball will play the University of Iowa on Oct. 8-9 to raise money for the Joplin Little League program.

A concert that was planned to take place in Joplin to raise money for tornado relief was canceled after controversy surrounding how funds to cover the cost of the concert would have been raised.

A feeling of normalcy is returning to Joplin, and high school football is a driving force behind it.

The country singer withdrew from a performance at a 9/11 concert after concerns came out about the event's fundraising.