Tornado victims recover photos thanks to GateHouse editor and others; Daily Republican staffer takes on Harlem Wizards (with help)

A few updates from this week:

• I recently blogged how 11 volunteers led by Daily Republican photographer Tom Kane searched for lost photos in the aftermath of the Feb. 29 tornado in Harrisburg. The Daily Republican reported Tuesday that roughly one-third of the 120 photos and other memorabilia were recovered by their owners when they were on display Monday at a local library; see a related WSIL-TV story.
• Daily Republican staff writer (and former Marion High School basketball player) Riley Swinford took to the court of his alma mater Friday night to play for The White Nights in a benefit game at the Harlem Wizards. The effort was to raise funds for The Night's Shield Children's Shelter in West Frankfort. Look in Monday's paper for story and photos; game photos can also be seen now on the newspaper's Facebook page.
• I thoroughly enjoyed meeting many of Saline County business leaders and entrepreneurs at the annual chamber show on Thursday in Harrisburg. See a Daily Register story on the show. I'm headed to another chamber function this Thursday in Harrisburg, the group's quarterly luncheon featuring Harrisburg Medical Center and Southern Illinois Healthcare CEOs as guest speakers.