Joplin recovery

The rate of issuing building permits has remained steady, even after winter arrived.

Nearly seven months after the May 22 tornado, Joplin is dealing with what happens when a city loses thousands of buildings. Lawyers and victims' advocates are reporting surging caseloads of women looking for options. Sometimes, the only option is returning to an abusive situation.

Justin R. Compton of Springfield pleaded guilty Tuesday to bank fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Compton wrote more than $160,000 in bad checks. 

Insurance department director John Huff called the tornado "the largest insurance event in history."

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder wants to suspend the wage requirements being used to rebuild some government-financed homes after the deadly Joplin tornado.

An error listing a northeastern Oklahoma man among those killed during the May 22 tornado was corrected by the Jasper County coroner ahead of a memorial observance to be held later this month.

Up to 20,000 photos scattered by the May 22 tornado have yet to be returned to their owners, but some have been claimed via a Facebook page called the Lost Photos of Joplin.

The state hasn't yet received a bill from FEMA and could have to cover part of the cost of rebuilding Joplin schools.

Though the library was not hit by the storm, it lost between 1,200 and 1,500 items that had been checked out. The materials were valued at about $30,000.

Contractors will try to salvage as much as they can from Joplin schools before demolishing them. Principals and teachers at the schools have a list of items that they would like to be saved.

C.J. Huff will appear in the 2011 Heroes Among Us Awards section of the magazine's Nov. 7 issue. 

Mark Lindquist put his life at risk to protect three residents at the group home he worked at the night of the Joplin tornado, May 22. The residents died and Lindquist was in a coma for seven weeks. His employer's insurance denied him workers' compensation at first, but now his medical expenses will be paid in full.

The May 22 tornado in Joplin has caused the recurrence of a lead contamination problem that has plagued the city for years. City and county officials have asked the federal government for assistance in the cleanup effort.

More than $300,000 worth of musical instruments were donated to Joplin students as part of the Manilow Music Project.

The student volunteers were part of a seven-day effort to build new homes for families hit hard by the May 22 tornado.

Mark Lindquist, who was in a coma for almost two months after trying to save several men during the May 22 Joplin tornado, originally found his workers' compensation claim denied. However, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America announced Monday that it would pay after all.

Ten thousand volunteers have signed up to help build seven homes in seven days. The families will see their new homes on Oct. 26.

The $9,000 will be passed along to the Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Work on the homes began Wednesday, and the homes will be revealed on Oct. 26. All the materials for the new houses were donated.

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.