5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado
Randy Turner is an eighth grade English teacher at Joplin East Middle School. Prior to entering the educational field, Turner was a reporter and editor at various Southwest Missouri newspapers for more than two decades, receiving more than 100 national, state, and regional awards, including 30 for investigative reporting. He is the author of four books, two novels, Small Town News and Devil's Messenger and two non-fiction, Newspaper Days and The Turner Report. John Hacker is the award-winning managing editor of The Carthage Press, and former editor of the Joplin Daily. Hacker, a graduate of Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, has been one of the top reporters and photographers in Missouri for the past two decades, with a reputation for covering breaking news. Hacker is recognized as a top weather photographer and has had numerous lightning photos exhibited.