Chapter 20The teletypes in the WSIU newsroom banged away with mechanical urgency. The odor of hot oil permeated the atmosphere of the small newsroom as the overheated machines typed out warning after warning.
I ripped off the yellow paper foaming up from the UPI machine just as the bell stopped. I ran into the studio, signaled the board man, and went on the air:
“A tornado warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Union County, Illinois until 4:00 PM. A tornado was spotted one mile west of Anna, moving south. Meanwhile, Jackson County is under a severe thunderstorm watch.”
I watched the second hand of the oversized clock tick off the seconds until
11:59:50, and I mechanically announced:
“More severe weather information upcoming on WRV Chicago after
news, next at
