The recent news out of Oklahoma—not to mention the string of ominously dark, rumbly afternoons we’ve had this week—are reminders that we’re approaching the second anniversary of the freak tornado that devastated so much of Springfield.
In this week’s Reminder, Mike Dobbs writes about his experience fixing tornado damage to his own home. He describes how drawn-out and challenging the process has been—he’s still waiting for the insurance money to cover the repairs, and notes that, “thankfully,” he and his wife were able to raid their retirement savings to pay their contractor—and wonders about the prospects for a greater recovery in the poorer neighborhoods, including his own, that were so hard hit.
“Having a casino in the South End may be a solution of sorts for that neighborhood, but what about redevelopment in the other parts of the city?” Dobbs writes. “The theory is the MGM casino would spur new development to handle an influx of employees to the city. I hope that would be the case, but I’m having some doubts.”
