Brookport picks new interim mayor after car crash

BROOKPORT, Ill. — Brookport’s city council selected an interim mayor during an emergency weekend meeting after the leader of the small, tornado-ravaged southern Illinois community was seriously hurt in a car wreck.

City Council member Tom Souders will hold the interim mayor title until John Klaffer (KLAY’-fuhr) recovers.

Klaffer, who is also a postal worker, is in serious condition at a hospital in Evansville, Ind. He was injured Friday during a head-on collision while he was delivering mail.

Three people died in Brookport during the Nov. 17 tornado, which stayed on the ground for 11 miles. Four other deaths across the state were blamed on the storms, which spawned two dozen tornadoes.

Souders says he’s “just going to carry on” with storm recovery efforts.