William Box

Two undergraduate engineering students at Southern Illinois University (SIU) created a high-tech birdhouse for conservation groups studying kestrel nesting patterns. The birdhouse was made as a final project in the capstone design class by Brad Thompson and Melissa Flores; the program allows students to utilize their skills to simulate the design process from initial talks...

On March 9, 1892, the papers ran late in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. When they finally printed, they told the grotesque story of the previous night’s events in graphic detail. At around 2:30 a.m. three Black men named Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Will Stewart had been taken from their jail cells by approximately...

The modern world is full of distractions. It’s jam-packed with media and technology whose sole function, as far as their manufacturers are concerned, is to get you to focus on them to the detriment of everything else. Advertising is consistently one of the biggest expenditures of any company large enough to understand the importance of...

Research is being conducted at Southern Illinois University (SIU) by the Cannabis Science Center to determine the relationship between cannabinoid proteins and potentially cancerous ovarian cysts. Dr. Dale “Buck” Hales, a researcher and professor of physiology at SIU, was one of the founding members of the Cannabis Research Center. He helped to pull together a...

On the afternoon of November 9, nearly 50 demonstrators showed their support for the Carbondale Education Association (CEA) by picketing in front of Lewis Elementary School. The protest came as a result of an ongoing contract dispute between the CEA and the School District 95 Board in which the CEA has already filed an intent...

Amtrak released a press statement September 14, announcing a cancellation of intercity passenger transport services out of Carbondale and surrounding areas in preparation for a likely rail worker strike set to take place beginning Friday, Sept. 16. Starting Wednesday, the following Amtrak routes will be suspended until further notice: City of New Orleans (servicing...

The hot July sun beats down on the aging façade of the once student dormitory, then public housing and now homeless shelter. Residents sit on plastic chairs in the shade, shooting the breeze and playing card games while others keep cool inside. Signs fill some of the windows along the asphalt parkin…

Southern Illinois University employees working at the Carbondale campus have expressed anger over pay increases to SIU System President Dan Mahoney and SIU Chancellor Austin Lane. Some plan a walking protest Saturday morning at the Student Services Building. The increases include an annual salary increase and an annual housing allowance provided by the SIU System...

Since December of 2021, information has been released by sources in both the American and Ukrainian governments to the international press regarding Russian intentions to exert its dominance over Ukraine. Since the release of the first reports, the world has watched with bated breath as Russia turned down the idea of peaceful negotiation in favor...

The wave of resignations which has swept the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the local, state and national economy in the U.S. as young and old employees seek better working conditions and retire from the workforce altogether. The event has been dubbed “The Great Re…

The Koppers tie plant site used more than a half-dozen chemicals to treat wood products with preservatives for use on railroad tracks, telephone poles and other important wooden pieces of American infrastructure before its closing in 1991. A report by the United States Forest Service from 1909 describes how creosote wood treatment was a cheap...

Fabulous costumes and performances drew in crowds from across the Southern Illinois region to the historic Varsity Center for a night of games and entertainment. The Varsity Center in Carbondale hosted a Halloween themed drag show on Oct. 29, which sold out all available tickets online prior to the …

A Black Carbondale Community High School student was restrained by a Carbondale police officer at a Casey’s General Store near the school. The Thursday, Sept. 23 incident has sparked four protests with more expected to come in upcoming weeks. The female student will remain unnamed as she is under the age of 18. According to...

Speakers and lights were recently placed throughout Carbondale town square for what the city is calling an “anti-loitering system” to “deter the increase in violent crime in the area that began January of 2021.” According to the city’s website, the system plays music at high volumes and illuminates the area at night in an effort...

Making Carbondale beautiful one yard at a time is a primary goal of the non-profit that hands out the Bright Spot Award. The award is granted by a board of directors who confer it based on community nominations and is awarded monthly to a residential and commercial winner. Anne Krippenstal, the exec…

Making Carbondale beautiful one yard at a time is a primary goal of the non-profit that hands out the Bright Spot Award. The award is granted by a board of directors who confer it based on community nominations and is awarded monthly to a residential and commercial winner. Anne Krippenstal, the executive director of Keep...

The Saluki Teen Science Cafe is returning to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C) on September 23 after a three month hiatus caused by a decline in attendance during the summer months. The Cafe is a research project which records interactive, student-led STEM seminars and seeks to imp…

Developing research, spearheaded by Dr. Senetta Bancroft and Dr. Felicia Mensah, suggests that the Inverted Classroom model can better serve K-12 educational needs, particularly in majority Black and Latinx communities. The Inverted Classroom model is an experimental method of education in which stu…

The Southern Illinois Unity Coalition organized an anti-gun violence rally on Tuesday, Aug. 24 in the wake of the shooting that killed first year student Keeshanna Jackson. Koran Snulligan, a SIU-C student and friend of Jackson, spoke at the rally. She said this shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Jackson had only been in...

The Carbondale Warming Center, first opened in December of 2019, was originally intended to be a 12 hour facility, according to director Carmalita Cahill. Since then, the Center has expanded into a 24 hour facility that has served 50,000 meals since opening their doors. “We offer a place to stay, as…