Bond issue an 'uphill battle' for Caruthersville

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A year and a day after the tornado ripped up their town, voters in Caruthersville will decide whether to approve a $4.5 million bond issue to help finance construction of a new high school. The building was insured by Great American Insurance Co., but the company hasn't agreed that the school is a total loss. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated repairs at $2.3 million, the insurance company has offered $1.8 million, but the district wants the estimated $7.5 million cost for constructing the new building.

The bond issue could prove to be a tough sell to a town still rebuilding from the April 2 tornado. About 500 homes were damaged by the tornado, and entire blocks of homes have been removed by the cleanup process.

"It is an uphill battle with this issue," said Dr. Nick Thiele, superintendent of the Caruthersville School District. "It is an important issue. I am asking a community already under stress -- emotionally, physically and financially -- to cough up more money."

Read more in Sunday's Southeast Missourian.