© 2025 WVIK
Listen at 90.3 FM and 98.3 FM in the Quad Cities, 95.9 FM in Dubuque, or on the WVIK app!
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Statewide: The 100th anniversary of the Tri-State Tornado

The 1925 tornado destroyed homes in Murphysboro.
Jackson Co. Historical Society
The 1925 tornado destroyed homes in Murphysboro.

On March 18, 1925, a storm moved through southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana. It came without the warnings we are used to now and it proved devastating.

What has become known as the Tri-State Tornado left nearly 700 people dead, including many children. Estimated to be an EF-5, it is the deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

As we approach the anniversary, we talk with Angela Mason, author of Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado. She interviewed several survivors and learned their stories of grief and resilience.

Also:

* Lisa Kurian Philip reports PhD students are feeling nervous about their future.

* Illinois Education Association President Al Llorens discusses the impact of U.S. Department of Education cuts on local schools.

* Peter Medlin examines a problem that grew worse for school during the pandemic: chronic absenteeism.

Matthew Austin, curator of biodiversity data at the Missouri Botanical Garden, looks through Dogwood tree samples in the herbarium.. Austin’s research shows Dogwood trees are blooming earlier in the season than in previous years due to climate change.
St. Louis Public Radio
Matthew Austin, curator of biodiversity data at the Missouri Botanical Garden, looks through Dogwood tree samples in the herbarium.. Austin’s research shows Dogwood trees are blooming earlier in the season than in previous years due to climate change.

* Harvest Public Media's Kate Grumke reports on herbaria, special plant libraries, and why they are important.

* A divorce attorney discusses the trends in marriage splits, including gray or senior divorces.

* Rachel Cramer has a story on rural grocery stores and the role they play in communities.