Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/314829
SUEOGROCKI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A temporary fence surrounds a tree that was ravaged by the May 20, 2013, tornado and has been named the "Hope Tree" by fourth-grade teacher Kimberly Martinez, in front of the new Plaza Towers Elementary school in Moore, Okla., on May 13. BySeanMurphy The Associated Press MOORE,OKLA. Ten-year-old Kai Heuangpraseuth will re- turn to a new Plaza Towers Elementary in the fall, built on the same spot where seven of the boy's school- mates died last year after a top-scale tornado reduced it to a pile of rubble. Christopher Legg will not be there, but his mother says perhaps her son's death will hurt a little less if last May's tragedy in Moore helps lead to safer schools. One year after the deadly tornado carved a 17-mile path through the heart of this Oklahoma City suburb and killed 24 people, deep scars remain — especially for families who lost loved ones and children trauma- tized after riding out the fearsome storm inside two elementary schools. Neither Plaza Towers nor nearby Briarwood Elemen- tary had an underground shelter or tornado safe room, so when the tornado bore down, with winds speed ex- ceeding 200 mph, the stu- dents huddled into hallways or crammed into bathrooms or closets. Most of the child victims died after a mas- sive wall collapsed and suf- focated them. Kai,whowaspluckedfrom the school's rubbleby a police officer in a moment captured by an Associated Press pho- tographer, is excited about the new school, but still trou- bled by bad weather and cer- tain loud sounds. "He's still got his trig- gers," said Kai's mother, Ja- calyn Russell, who plans to move back into the Plaza Towers district this summer. "It's not really the rain. He likes the rain. It's more the wind, and sounds that sound similar ... like the trains." Even the slightest turn in the weather can cause anxi- ety and fear for the surviving Plaza Towers students, who have been attending classes at a refurbished junior high since the storm, Principal Amy Simpson said. "We try not to say 'tor- nado' around here," said Simpson, who rode out the storm with five other staff- ers in a small bathroom. "Just the word scares them." Even the continuous out- pouring of cards, gifts and well wishes from students across the country brings fresh reminders. "The hardest part about that is that the kids are re- minded each time someone gives something to us that their friends are gone," she said. Nine-year-old Haley Del- gado carried a pair of head- phones around with her for monthstoblockoutthesound of the wind, which reminds her of the EF-5 tornado, mom Athena Delgado said. "We still have them, but she doesn't still use them," said Delgado, whose 10-year- old son Xavier Delgado also was in the school that day. For some Moore families, the chance to watch their child return to school ended on May 20. Danni Legg, mother of 9-year-old Christopher, says it has been "bittersweet" to watch the community re- cover from the storm. The neighborhood surrounding Plaza Towers was one of the hardest hit, with homes flat- tened to the foundation and reduced to piles of splin- tered debris that stretched for miles. Today, brand- new homes pop up on lots that have long since been cleared, many by the thou- sands of volunteers who ar- rived to help. Legg has found some com- fort by pouring herself into advocating for more storm shelters in schools and launching a political cam- paign for the state House. "If more shelters can come out of this, it will be worth it for Chris," Legg said. "Yes, seven children's lives were lost, but if half a million Oklahoma students and staff can be protected, it will make this hurt a lit- tle less." Fears linger for those who faced tornado OKLAHOMA By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press PORTLAND, ORE. A federal judge on Monday struck down Oregon's voter-ap- proved ban on gay marriage, saying it is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Mi- chael McShane said the ban unconstitutionally discrimi- nates against same-sex cou- plesandorderedthestatenot to enforce it. State officials earlier refused to defend the constitutional ban in court. McShane joined judges in seven other states who have struck down gay marriage bans, though appeals are underway. Oregon state officials have said they'd be prepared to carry out same-sex mar- riages almost immediately, and couples lined up outside the county clerk's office in Portland in anticipation of the McShane's decision. Laurie Brown and Ju- lie Engbloom arrived early Monday at the Multnomah County Building to form the line for marriage licenses. The two have been a couple for 10 years. Engbloom pro- posed in April, when they celebrated their anniver- sary by climbing Smith Rock in Central Oregon. "We always knew we wanted to spend our whole life together," Brown said. "This opportunity has come, it feels right, everything has fallen into place." Four gay and lesbian cou- ples brought the Oregon cases, arguing the state's marriage laws unconstitu- tionally discriminate against them and exclude them from a fundamental right to mar- riage. DemocraticAttorneyGen- eral Ellen Rosenblum re- fused to defend the ban, say- ing there are no legal argu- ments thatcouldsupportit in light of decisions last year by the U.S. Supreme Court. She sidedwiththecouples,asking thejudgetooverturntheban, and says she won't appeal. The judge denied a re- quest by the National Orga- nization for Marriage to de- fend the law on behalf of its Oregon members. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday refused the group's request for an emergency stay of that deci- sion, allowing same-sex mar- riages to proceed. In addition to Oregon, fed- eral or state judges in Idaho, Oklahoma, Virginia, Michi- gan, Texas, Utah and Arkan- sas recently have found state same-sex marriage bans to be unconstitutional. Oregon law has long pro- hibited same-sex marriage, and voters added the ban to the state constitution in 2004. OREGON Ju dg e st ri ke s do wn g ay m ar ri ag e ba n 530-366-3166 www.redbluffdodge.com 545 Adobe Rd., Red Bluff, CA LicenseOH89548 LOWCOST INSURANCE 530-527-5151 • Low Down Payment • No License OK! • Suspended License OK! • SR-22 CHEAP • Si HABLA ESPANOL Paid Advertisement TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B