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Martha Leeper and Jean Lehn recall the destruction of Sharon United Methodist Church in the tornado on April 19, 1996, and how people came together afterward.  Editor's note: This story is part of a larger project looking back at the 25th anniversary of the "two nights of fury," when back-to-back tornadoes struck the Decatur area. Click here for more coverage, including photos and video footage from April 1996. Martha Leeper lived across the street from the Sharon United Methodist Church. As a mother of two small boys, she was spending Friday afternoon playing outside with her fam...

The April 19, 1996 tornado was one of dozens of tornadoes that cut across Illinois on a single day. David Proeber It’s been 25 years, but time has done little to diminish the memories of the back–to-back tornadoes that struck Macon County in 1996. “Once you go through something like this, you never forget,” said Kelly Miller, whose home was leveled by the tornado that hit Macon County on April 19, 1996. The community was already recovering from a tornado that hit the south end of Decatur the night before. Miller’s family sought shelter inside t...

“Stories in Stone” Historical Walking Tour this Saturday, Sunday Chillicothe News City Stage, Inc., the community theatre group, is once again planning a walking tour at Edgewood Cemetery which will tell the story of Chillicothe through the lives of some of those buried there. Costumed reenactors will honor the lives of 14 people born before 1900. Lisa Rule, artistic consultant for the group, says that the tour is slightly different from the one 10 years ago, “This tour will have a few different histories than the one we did in 2010-2011: we’ve added Mrs. Martha Leeper and Mrs. Luell...