The Story

Residents of Moore, Oklahoma are still sorting through the pieces of their lives after a tornado tore through town killing 24 people.  Abby Wendle and Sarah Geis  bring us an audio portrait of two of the hardest-hit spots:  The Plaza Towers Elementary School, and the Warren Theater.

LaMonte Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his elderly next door neighbor. He spent the next 17 years fighting for his freedom, was exonerated last summer, and is still trying to negotiate life in a world he was removed from for years.

Early on in the program we learned that a story doesn’t have to be particularly dramatic in order to be memorable.  It started when Angie Anderson wrote to us to say: “I drive from Apex to Durham (North Carolina) every day to work...  Every morning, without fail, a little man stands beside the road in front of a ramshackle building and waves.  It’s a small, low wave and he waves at every car that passes.”

Jim Howard works as a school resource officer. Among other responsibilities, it's his job to stand at the front door while kids pour in and out of Fike High School in Wilson, N.C. Jim never expected to be in this job long. But in his first year, a student died tragically, and Jim found himself with an unexpectedly important role to play. Seventeen years later, Jim is still there.