In Greensburg

Cort Anderson photographs Greensburg from Southern Plains Co-op elevator.
Cort Anderson and I got up early today to head to Greensburg so he could photograph progress in the community after a year. He took the shots from the top of the Southern Plains Co-op.
I stayed below to take photos of him taking photos. I felt [...]

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WSU grad Deb Wyrick is grain accountant for the Southern Plains Co-op in Greensburg.

On the way back from breakfast in Mullinville, Cort Anderson and I stopped at the Southern Plains Co-op in Greensburg. Cort, technology director for the state press association and a photographer, has been trying to get permission to document progress in Greensburg [...]

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Chris and Sheryl Christenson work on the new deck on their home.
While waiting on a student interviewing a Greensburg resident this evening, I stopped to talk to Chris and Sheryl Christenson, who were rebuilding a deck on their home. The Christensons consider themselves lucky. Their home at 710 W. Grant didn’t get blown away in [...]

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Home for the weekend, but we’re heading back to Haviland and Greensburg shortly this afternoon. Greensburg — and what we saw, heard and learned last week — has been in my thoughts most of the weekend. I’m sure it affected the students, too. I’m anxious to hear their thoughts when they return for another week [...]

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Bill Johnson on the front porch of the house he’s remodeling in Haviland.
Bill Johnson admits he’s pretty much of an anomaly. He’s a loner, but he loves being around people, especially when he can lend a hand. He’s been doing plenty of that in recent months.
We interviewed Bill on Mulberry Street in Haviland, where he [...]

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Three students spent time this afternoon looking for the former site of Starla’s Stitch ‘n’ Frame on Main Street in Greensburg.
The store is temporarily open in Mullinville. Owner Starla McClain told them she plans to relocate back to Greensburg.
At the site of the old store, the students found spools of thread and pieces of [...]

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Matt Deighton, Greensburg native and volunteer coordinator for the South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Center, gave our group a tour this afternoon. We rode in an old school bus on loan to the volunteer center by the Church of the Nazarene in Dodge City.
The tour included a quick stop at Matt’s house, one of the [...]

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My students and I leave Tuesday morning for Greensburg and the start of a two-week class.
We’ll be staying in the Friends Church in Haviland, 10 miles east of Greensburg. The church has hosted hundreds — maybe thousands — of volunteers since the tornado struck the area May 4 a year ago.
Our goal is [...]

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