Spring storms sweep region
Tornadoes hit both sides of Mississippi, travel through Cape Girardeau area
@lyleeGiBBsphoto
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI
– Two tornadoes tore through the Cape Girardeau area and across the mighty Mississippi River to the Illinois banks, leaving several communities affected in the wake of the storm’s path.
Randy Colyer, 60, sheltered in his basement just up the road from his farm in East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, while loud noises roared overhead. He later emerged from safety following the end of the storm to find his entire shed gone, and notable damage to his farming equipment.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, at around 7 p.m. on April 2, 2025, an EF1 tornado began near the Dalhousie Golf Club and moved northeast. The storm then crossed the Mississippi into East
Cape Girardeau on the Illinois side of the river where it crossed paths with the Colyer family’s farm. The tornado reached peak winds of 100 mph causing tree damage and minor structural damage to the area.
The next morning on April 3, dozens of neighbors, friends and family brought equipment and their helping hands to clear out the damage. Giant claws of excavators clamp around sheets of metal exterior siding and wood panels, carrying them to piles taller than the machines themselves.
It’s the time of the season when the fourth-generation farmer would be preparing to plant acres of soybeans and a bit of corn in his fields. After the tornado, a lot of his machinery will need repairs.
“It’s not a good time for it to
Shelter in time of storm: Beshears family weathers tornado in Goreville
enan chediak
@enanchediak
dominique martinez-powell
@d martinezphoto
GOREVILLE, ILLINOIS
–
The bridge that once stood over the pond was upside down in the middle of the water. The gazebo was wobbly and askew, and the brick chimney that had once hugged the side of the two-story cabin now lay on the ground in a heap of broken tree branches and debris.
The tornado sirens blared in the distance as Goreville residents sought shelter. Several places in southern Illinois experienced damage after a tornado hit the area on April 2, 2025.
The National Weather Service survey said that an EF-2 tornado
passed through the area on April 2 causing “severe and extensive damage to hundreds of pine trees along its path.” The tornado also caused damage to some structures in the area. According to the survey, “One home suffered the loss of its roof, and a few outer buildings were destroyed.”
The Cedar Rock Cabins were also affected, where fallen trees damaged their cabins and other parts of their property.
Cindy Beshears was not in town when the sirens went off and the storm hit, but her family hunkered down in their storm shelter underneath their home in Goreville, Illinois. Beshears recalled that her deceased exhusband made the storm shelter
Colombo, Roberts, Stanfield win Carbondale Council seats
Jackson Brandhorst @Jackson html lylee GiBBs @lyleeGiBBsphoto
Nathan Colombo, Dawn Roberts and Brian Stanfield appear to be joining Mayor Carolin Harvey, councilmembers Adam Loos, Clare Killman and Nancy Maxwell on the Carbondale City Council – pending an official election certification.
As of Monday, April 7, just one day after the election, 4,285 votes had been counted. Of those counted votes, Colombo had earned 780, Roberts 917 and Stanfield 748. Lee Fronabarger fell just short at 666 votes, while Jason Endicott followed behind with 547. Write-in candidates LaCaje Hill and Ginger Rye-Sanders also came up short, with Hill accumulating 307 votes and RyeSanders grabbing 320. The election is not technically over and has yet to be officially certified. According to the Jackson County election results, while all in-person votes have been counted from each precinct, mail-in votes are still coming in.
Jackson County Clerk Frank Byrd told the Daily Egyptian that his office has 15 days to finalize the tally. While speculative, it is unlikely that the mail-in ballots change the
lylee GiBBs
Cindy and Ronnie Beshears pose for a portrait in front of their storm-damaged property April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois. The Beshears’ property was hit during the tornado the night before, but they and some family from Paducah stayed in their storm shelter underneath their back porch to stay safe.
Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Vienna floods after weekend rains, but not the worst city’s seen
LyLee Gibbs @LyLeeGibbsphoto
VIENNA, ILLINOIS - At the end of a flooded apartment complex driveway, two young children push around wooden pallets they carried down to the water’s edge in their rain boots and coats. A bursting Little Cache Creek dispersed nearly 2 feet of water onto Locust Street.
Between 5 and 9 inches of rain fell on Vienna throughout the four-day-long stretch of storms according to the National Weather Service in Paducah.
Just up the drive, Courtney Evetts waited inside as her kids made the most of the weather under cloudy skies. The flooding trapped a parking lot full of cars, leaving many residents at the apartment complex, including Evetts, stuck without transportation until the water rescinded.
“It’s not flooded this bad since I’ve lived in here,” Evetts said.
Flooding was expected for the residents of Vienna, and an extensive amount of preparation by the city helped mitigate the damages. Mayor Steve Penrod said when the city heard of the forecast, preemptive measures were taken to minimize the flooding. High schoolers volunteered to help fill sandbags, which were placed at businesses that had a higher risk of being impacted by the excessive rainfall.
The preparations and sandbags seemingly paid off for the community as there were no damages to businesses that he knew of and no water rescues or injuries were reported, he said on Sunday.
Penrod, who is now 68 years old, can recall when the town flooded so much the water went over Illinois 146 near the city park. While this storm did not wash away 146, it flooded over U.S 45, putting this amongst the top two highest floods in Penrod’s memory.
Vienna has dealt with the water time
and time again – Penrod said when he was in grade school, the city built watershed lakes north of Vienna to capture some of the excess water before it washed out the town, which has lessened the floods, he said, having not seen a severe flood in many years since.
The mayor said he heard from several residents – not with concern about flooding or even the Wednesday tornado warnings –but inquiring how the community could lean on one another.
“A lot of people were calling to say, ‘How can I help? Can I help fill sandbags? Where are they doing it at?’ People want to volunteer,” Penrod said. “The community really came together to prepare for this.”
Vienna High School was set to host prom on Saturday, April 5. However, students now have to save their tuxedos and dresses
for Thursday, April 10.
Joshua Stafford, the Vienna superintendent, said that the tough decision to postpone the dance came after heavy evaluation and ultimately prioritizing the students’ safety.
The school was not short of activity without the prom, as the building became
a safety shelter for many residents from the storms. A group of firefighters from Utah who were traveling through Johnson County on the interstate had sheltered in place at Vienna High School after they needed a place to take refuge from the Wednesday storms temporarily.
The storms were steady throughout the weekend. By Sunday, April 6 the floodwater had lowered by nearly a foot, but certain places like parking lots and baseball fields were still submerged.
“We did have our city park, it’s low anyways, but we had an excessive amount of water in it,” Penrod said. “Like the city park bathrooms had about 3 foot of water in them. So we’ll have a clean up to do on those when the water goes down.”
While the four-day-long weather trends flooded the city park and submerged the Vienna baseball fields, it’s not the worst residents have seen. Stafford remembered times where the water crept its way up to the four-way stop in the middle of town.
“The amount of floodwater we got this time is pretty indicative of something you’re going to see every five to 10 years in our community,” Stafford said.
Editor-in-chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached through email at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com or on instagram @lyleegibbsphoto
Tucker Wright steps on a wooden pallet he put in the flooded street as it rains April 5, 2025 on Locust Street in Vienna, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Street signs block the entrance to Locust Street after flooding made the road impassable April 5, 2025 in Vienna, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
results by April 15. The candidates currently in the lead, Colombo, Roberts and Stanfield, have all claimed victory.
Although this is his first victory, this was not Colombo’s first attempt at elected office; he notably ran for Carbondale mayor in 2019, narrowly losing to former Mayor Mike Henry after campaigning for a congressional seat the year before.
“I’ve been running for office for six years, and it’s nice to finally accomplish the end goal of getting elected,” Colombo said.
Excited to be taking a seat alongside Stanfield and Roberts, Colombo said he is looking forward to collaborating with the new City Council.
“I’m thrilled. I have a good, personal and professional working relationship with the majority of the folks that are on council or elected,” Colombo said. “The one person that I do not yet have a deeper relationship with, Brian Stanfield, I’m really looking forward to building a relationship.”
Colombo is active both in the Carbondale community and on social media. His values are built from his passion for public service and his commitment to his community – a place he can make the most difference, he said.
“I’ve watched the numbers come in for the past several years and have a pretty good idea of how this shakes out,” Colombo said Tuesday night as results came in. “I mean, the numbers are where they are. The outcome is going to land at Dawn, Nathan and Brian as the folks elected in this contest.”
Stanfield said he plans to hit the ground running in the coming weeks, setting his sights on the upcoming public interest meetings concerning rental housing in Carbondale.
“We’ve worked long and hard,” Stanfield said Tuesday night. “I think that this is the right combination of people.”
During his campaign, Stanfield highlighted housing and homelessness as two issues that could be solved together by utilizing the expertise available and the research being
done by SIU students and faculty. By utilizing them, Stanfield said, the city would give Salukis a reason to stay in Carbondale and contribute to the community.
Stanfield is an SIU alumnus from Iowa who fell in love with Carbondale during his time as a graduate student in the late ‘90s. He is currently a philosophy professor at John A. Logan College with a five-star rating on Rate My Professor.
Roberts said she is looking forward to working with Stanfield and Colombo in bringing different strengths to the table.
“I think we’ll balance each other well on council,” Roberts said. “There’s real potential to do some good.”
Roberts is a Carbondale native whose family roots run deep within the city. A graduate of Carbondale Community High School and SIU, Roberts will now hold office while she simultaneously pursues a PhD in population health.
“This campaign came together thanks to a lot of hard work and a great team,” Roberts said. “Right now, I’m feeling a mix of relief,
gratitude and responsibility. It has been a lot of long days and door-knocking, but I’ve really enjoyed the conversations I’ve had with folks – that really was one of the best parts of this experience.”
Roberts has worked in the technology sector for most of her life, but made a pivot to a career more focused on humanitarian science after her time working at the Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development.
The newly elected council members will take their seats at the first City Council meeting in May.
“Carbondale changes people that go on to change the world,” Colombo said. “I think what we do in Carbondale has a broader impact, on the world at large, even in its tiny little way, and I intend to act accordingly and respect the station that’s been afforded to me.”
Staff reporter Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com. Editor-in-chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com or on instagram at @lyleegibbsphoto
Voters mark their ballots at the voting poll April 1, 2025 at Eurma C Hayes Community Center in Carbondale Illinois. Daylin Williams | dwilliams@dailyegyptian.com
Provided photo of Brian Stanfield.
Provided photo of Dawn Roberts.
Provided photo of Nathan Colombo.
Johnson County officials scramble to recover from severe storms
Joslyn Cole @JCole@dailyegyptian Com
VIENNA, ILLINOIS – After back-to-back disasters, Johnson County officials raced to keep up with relief efforts as they attempted to balance tornado cleanup and flooding.
An Emergency Operations Center meeting was held before the storms hit to get everyone on the same page, according to Richard Marose, the Johnson County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency coordinator.
“We had an EOC meeting yesterday prior to the storm, with all the responsible parties; county government, city government, highway crews, police, and others,” Marose said.
The county dealt with the aftermath of two major weather events: a severe storm followed by extensive rainfall.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, on April 2, an EF 2 tornado began north of Buncombe, Illinois. The tornado caused damage to hundreds of pine trees along its path. One home lost its roof, and there were some buildings that were destroyed. The tornado traveled through Cedar Rock where trees suffered from extensive damage and also caused damage to the cabins. The tornado ended just south of Deer Ridge Road.
“We’ve been on top of this. This, I think, is our third or fourth tornado in four years,” Marose said on April 3.
Despite the chaos, Marose said getting to affected areas was not a problem. Police and highway crews were out monitoring roads during the storm.
“The police department and highway department are all down the roads continuously. They were out last night during the storm, and those guys know the areas very well,” Marose said.
Marose said that the process for assessing damage was straightforward but tedious. Officials conducted visual assessments and communicated with residents before handing things over to the Red Cross.
“The Red Cross kind of took over from there, assisting people with their needs,” Marose said.
One of the worst-hit areas in Johnson County is Tall Tree Road, which was directly struck by the storm.
Trees were snapped in half or completely uprooted, leaving jumbled piles of branches and debris scattered everywhere. The road was lined with large puddles, and branches were strewn along the sides, making some areas nearly impassable. Entire sections of the woods appeared mangled and torn apart on Thursday.
Marose said that cleaning the damage would be a long process.
“We haven’t finished with the last one yet. Cleanup effort recovery will take months,” Marose said.
Marose says that crews were still working on Dutchman Lake Road, Dixon Road and Shelby Road when the April 2 storm hit.
Officials haven’t had time to estimate how much the recovery will cost.
“We haven’t had time to sit down and calculate that yet,” Marose said.
Johnson County was relying on its partnerships with local schools, churches and other community organizations to provide shelter while they prepared for the weekend’s expected floods.
“We’ve got a great shelter relationship with our high schools, grade schools, and several churches in our county,” Marose said. He credited Superintendent Joshua Stafford for helping organize these efforts.
Volunteers, especially high school students, stepped up in a big way.
“Right now, I’m looking at about 30 or 40 young adults filling sandbags. The community definitely comes together,” Marose said Thursday.
Marose said that as the community braced for more rain that was forecast over the weekend, the community’s response was encouraging.
Staff reporter Joslyn Cole can be reached at jcole@dailyegyptian.com.
PRSSA hosts Groove 4 Good Dance-A-Thon
daylin Williams @dWilliams@dailyegypTian com
At a small event hosted in the Student Center, nearly 10 people danced around through the evening for the Groove 4 Good Dance-A-Thon on Saturday, April 5. The event was made to raise funds for For Kids Sake International, an organization aiding impoverished communities with essentials like food, water and education.
Proceeds from the event go directly to the organization. Despite the weather, the event featured dancing, pizza, snacks, popcorn and a photo booth to attract attendees.
Staff photographer Daylin William can be reached through email dwilliam@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @photosbydaylin
Thrift Shop CWU celebrates grand opening in Carbondale
Jasmine Thompson JasmineThompson@dailyegypTian com
Thrift Shop CWU has officially reopened and expanded its building in Carbondale, welcoming the community to explore its new space. The shop, which transformed a long-abandoned building next door into their expanded shop, is the vision of manager Corey Frisby, who was currently out due to having a new baby.
Hannah Maulding, the assistant manager, shared some background about the store’s creation. “Corey has been working on this for at least two years. He convinced our board it was a good idea, and after a long renovation process, we’re finally officially open,” Maulding said. “The goal is to have more space for merchandise so we can better serve the community.”
Originally from California, Maulding said she moved to Carbondale and wanted a sense of belonging. “I always loved thrifting, and when I saw they were hiring, I thought I’d give it a shot. The people here are really nice, and now it feels like home to me,” she said.
The thrill of thrift shopping is what Maulding enjoys most. “You never know what you’ll find here. You can discover vintage items from the ‘20s or ‘80s, and even new products at a lower price. It’s like a treasure hunt,” she said.
“We’re friendly here, and many of our
customers are regulars. We know them by name, and they know us. Some have been coming for years,” she said. “It’s nice to see those connections grow.”
The store frequently provides support to individuals in need of clothing or blankets. They aided a woman transitioning into housing by helping her secure essential items for her family. It’s fulfilling to realize they’re making a positive impact.
When discussing the store’s impact on the community, Maulding said it serves as a gathering space. “With the new expansion, people come in to hang out, enjoy our art installations, or play video games, even if they don’t plan to shop. It’s a place for people to connect,” she said.
Maulding described the shop to someone unfamiliar with it. “It’s colorful and a bit crowded, but in a good way.! We often tell customers to take their time because there’s so much to discover here,” she said.
Encouraging community donations is also a priority for Thrift Shop CWU. “We want people to know that what they donate here goes back into the community. It’s about helping those in need, not just making a profit,” Maulding said.
Staff reporter Jasmine Thompson can be reached at jasminethompson@dailyegyptian.com
Group of participants line dance to Cotton Eye Joe at the Groove 4 Good Dance-a-thon in the SIU Student Center April 4. 2025 in Carbondale Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Group of participants dancing in a circle at the Groove 4 Good Dance-a-thon.
1
happen because as soon as it dries up, it’s planting season,” Colyer said. “A lot of good friends and neighbors helping, so hopefully – well they’re coming to pick up some of the equipment right now and they’re gonna take it and start working on it to repair it and get it back to us as soon as they can.”
Three to four years ago, when a storm tore through Randy Lambdin’s farm, Colyer was there with helping hands to clean up the damage, and now Lambdin is doing the same. Driving one of the many excavators at work, Lambdin came from 20 miles north to help
Colyer – even calling him the night of the storm to check in on him.
Across the river, near Delta and Advance, Missouri, Sheila Jansen sheltered at her daughter’s house in the basement while a tornado destroyed her home.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, at around 6:30 p.m. on April 2, 2025, an EF2 tornado began northeast of Advance, Missouri and moved around 14.8 miles along Highway 25 towards Delta. Damaging nearly 200 structures, wind speeds reached 125 mph.
One death was reported when Whitewater Fire Chief Garry Moore died due to weather-related causes, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Clark Parrott.
past their home.
with a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a 5-gallon bucket.
The shelter sits under what used to be their back porch, which is now enclosed.
An 8-foot-by-20-foot, cinder-blocklined room shielded her children and grandchildren as the tornado brushed
Cindy said that her ex-husband saved their lives that night and that God had his arms wrapped around them.
A majority of the damage on the property was done to the Toler Cabin, the biggest of the three cabins on the property.
Jansen’s stove was left outside where the garage would have been and the brick siding to the house lay scattered across the yard.
The mid-day sky poured into the living room through a giant hole where the roof used to be.
A group of young men, including Nick Miller and Logan Watkins, pulled up to Jansen’s home without even knowing the owner. They sawed down big trees and stacked limbs into piles despite losing chains from their chainsaws and getting them stuck in the large tree trunks that lay around the property. The group went through several cans of gas while helping around the property.
“We just came out to help a neighboring town and we saw it on the news and heard it
from some buddies and just decided to come out and help and offer our time,” Miller said.
“Everybody needs a little help in times like this.”
Jansen’s sister, Pam Horrell, arrived at the home and walked through the damage, looking at all the holes in the ceiling and insulation that covered the floor. She stood in the blue painted main bedroom for a moment, which went unscathed, looking around.
“I’m just grateful she was in a safe place,” Horrell said.
Editor-in-Chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached through email at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @lyleegibbsphoto.
Blake Stowers from the Stowers Tree Service volunteered to remove some of the fallen trees and storm damage from the Beshears’ property before the anticipated rain on Thursday afternoon.
The lift, steadied on plywood because of the soft muddy soil, hoisted the workers as they used chainsaws, pulleys, ropes and other tools to clear the fallen tree from the cabin’s roof. A skid steer was used to move heavy debris out of the way.
The National Weather Service in Paducah reported between 5 to 9 inches of rain had fallen between Wednesday and Sunday.
Editor Enan Chediak and Student Managing Editor Dominique Martinez-Powell can be reached at echediak@dailyegyptian.com and dmartinez-powell@dailyegyptian.com.
Photo
Fourth-generation farmer Randy Colyer, 60, stands in front of where his shed used to be for a portrait April 3, 2025 in East Cape Girardeau. After a tornado swept the area, his entire shed and farming machinery was destroyed. Nearly a dozen of his friends and family came out to help clean up the damage. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Cindy Beshears sits outside of her home that was just brushed by the April 2 tornado April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell @d.martinezphoto
J.W. Lott and Blake Stowers, workers in the Stowers Tree Service, operate a lift as they volunteer to clear the storm damage at the Cedar Rock Cabin where a fallen tree knocked down the cabin’s chimney in a tornado the night before April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Logan Watkins, 24, cuts a fallen tree with a chainsaw at the home of Sheila Jansen after a tornado swept through the Cape Girardeau area, destroying many homes in its path April 3, 2025 in Missouri. Watkins, along with several friends, heard of the storm damage and traveled from a nearby town to clean up. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Randy Colyer knocks down a wooden board that landed on the top of his semi during a tornado while his son Trenton waits to catch it April 3, 2025 in East Cape Girardeau, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
The roof above Sheila Jansen’s livingroom was torn away by a tornado April 3, 2025 in Missouri. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
The Beshears’ bridge lays upside-down in their pond far from where it previously stood, torn out in the tornado the night before April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Blake Stowers directs Tyler Vaughn in the Skid Steer as they brace the fallen tree to keep it from falling further as they work on it April 3, 2025 at the Cedar Rock Cabins in Goreville, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell @d.martinezphoto
A fallen tree sits on top of the Toler Cabin where its chimney used to be April 3, 2025 at the Cedar Rock Cabin in Goreville, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell @d.martinezphoto
Hands Off protest stands up in Carbondale
Enan ChEdiak @EnanChEdiak
The intersection of Illinois 13 and U.S. 51 were lined with people protesting as part of the national Hands Off protest on Saturday, April 5, 2025. This protest was part of more than 1,300 that took place around the country, which, according to NPR, were organized in opposition to the Trump administration and to Elon
Musk’s involvement in the government.
In Carbondale, the protesters faced a unique challenge – rain. The protest took place at the Town Square Pavilion in Carbondale at 1 p.m. and was coordinated by Indivisible Shawnee.
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached through email at echediak@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @enanchediak
Protestors stand near the railroad tracks for the Hands Off protest April 5, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
A protester plays a sousaphone in the rain at the Hands Off protest.
Protesters line both sides of Illinois 13 as they protest in the rain.
Protesters wave signs at the intersection of Illinois 13 and U.S. 51 for the Hands Off protest.
Protesters hold signs and umbrellas as they participate in the Hands Off protest in the rain.
Trans Resource Fair brings community together from across the Midwest
Enan ChEdiak @EnanChEdiak
The Rainbow Cafe was bustling with people slipping between the building and the Rainbow Community Health and Wellness Center next door. Booths displaying services from around southern Illinois lined the hallways and walls. A speaker from Equality Illinois and a march capped off the warm Tuesday, March 31.
Kelsey Maffett, the chair of the board for Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center, said that the goal of the event was to connect trans people in the area to as many resources as possible at one time. Some of the resources that Maffett mentioned included gender-affirming haircuts, gender-affirming makeup, health care resources, harm-reduction resources, gender-affirming health care providers, legal services, food security and affirming churches.
“The goal is to provide one safe place for trans folks to access as many different types of resources as possible and hopefully walk away with some tangible benefit,” Maffett said.
“Whether that’s somebody they can call, whether that’s a knowledge of a provider they didn’t have before, or specifically walking out of here with Narcan or sexual health products or something that can truly make a difference and help somebody access something that may otherwise be cost prohibitive.”
Narcan is a rapid treatment medication for the effects of opioid overdoses, according to narcan.com.
According to Freddy Siglar, the Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center is a community center dedicated to providing a safe space for individuals who identify as LGBTQ. Siglar is
the youth program coordinator for Rainbow Cafe and a qualified mental health professional at Rainbow Community Health and Wellness.
According to Siglar the community center originally was an after-school program to provide a safe space for LBGTQ youth but they have since expanded. Now, the community center offers resources not just for youth.
“We have free HIV testing and other STI testing as well,” Siglar said.
“We offer behavioral health, which I do a good chunk of the behavioral health here. That includes counseling, therapy of any kind. And also, like I said, I do like some of the mental health workshops at the youth center as well.”
According to Maffett, Carbondale is in a unique place to offer care to a variety of individuals not just in southern Illinois but also to people from neighboring states.
“It is truly the furthest south place that you can access certain types of healthcare at this point,” Maffett said.
“We have a large group of community members who have come from Texas, Florida, Georgia, other states, either seeking a community of support, seeking health care that they weren’t able to access in those other states
José “Che-Che” Wilson, the director of civic engagement at Equality Illinois, spoke at the fair and echoed Maffett’s statement about Carbondale’s part in providing resources to LGTBQ people in Illinois and the surrounding states
“This is a community here in Carbondale. You might not know it, but you folks are literally on the front lines,” he said
“We have people coming in from Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida, and
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the first place they stopped is here in Carbondale,” Wilson said Wilson attested to Carbondale’s contribution to Illinois’ reputation, referencing a letter by Governor Pritzker saying that trans people moved to Illinois from another state. Pritzker said on Illinois.gov, “If you’re looking for a place to be authentically yourself, come to Illinois — a state where, regardless of who you are, we celebrate all Illinoisians, recognize their accomplishments, and fight to protect rights to live with dignity and respect.”
“This community is so vital to the ecosystem of defending and protecting LGBTQ rights in the state of Illinois,” Wilson said about Carbondale in his speech. “And I want you to know that because even your presence here is so important.”
Being present was one of the reasons that the Trans Resource Fair was put together. “Now more than ever, you know, federally really it’s a scary time (to) be trans. It’s a scary time to be queer, and it’s a scary time to be even an ally,” Maffett said.
“To be able to bring folks together and say, ‘Here are people you can count on. Here are groups and resources and providers that you can count on, and we’re here. We’re in this area.’ Part of it is visibility and representation and showing there are people in this community who care about you and you can find them here anytime, but you can especially find them here twice a year at the trans resource fair where we can all bring everybody together.”
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached through email echediak@dailyegyptian.com of on Instagram @enanchediak.
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Brochures lay on display on a table at the Trans Resource Fair March 31, 2025 in the Rainbow Cafe in Carbondale, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
WEDNESDAY (4/9)
Boobys - Local Band Benefit Night, 21+, $5
PKs - Trivia Night, 8 p.m., 21+, Free
THURSDAY (4/10)
Boobys - Karaoke Night, 18+ to sing, 21+ to drink, 8:30 p.m., Free
FRIDAY (4/11)
Boobys - Little Baby Tendencies and Daisy Ladies, 21+, $5
PKs - Wes Hoffman (STL) / Wayside / Isabella, 21+, 10 p.m.
Tres Hombres - Justin Grant, 6 p.m., Lucas Wayne & the Cottonmouths, 8 p.m., 21+, Free
Varsity Center - LIVE: Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadow Cast Event, Midnight $12, $10 students
FILMS: Clueless, 7 p.m., $8
Saturday (4/12)
Booby’s - Project Human X Paint and Sip, 18+ to paint, 21+ to sip, 5-7 p.m., Academic Order/ Cartilage Casanova/ Ultrasex, 9 p.m., 21+
The Pavilion - Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show, continues April 13
Varsity Center - LIVE: Union County Sal with Squadfathers, Guests, 7 p.m., $15
WEDNESDAY (4/16)
PKs - Trivia Night, 8 p.m., 21+, Free
THURSDAY (4/17)
PKs - Tawl Paul & Slappin' Henry Blue, 8 p.m., 21+, Free Tres Hombres - Cash & Co., 6 p.m., 21+, Free
PKs - Ri¢hie Kirkpatrick (Nashville) / Cash & Company, 6 p.m., 21+, Free Booby’s - Karaoke Night, 18+ to sing, 21+ to drink, 8:30 p.m., 21+,Free
FRIDAY (4/18)
Boobys - Emo Night, 9 p.m., 21+, $5 PKs - Aaron's bday music video party,
10 p.m., 21+, Free Tres Hombres -The McDaniels, 6 p.m., 21+, Free Varsity Center - LIVE: After Credits Comedy, $10 in advance $15 night of show
FILMS: The Social Network, 7 p.m., $8
SATURDAY (4/19)
PKs - Cats of Carbondale fundraiser with Katt Holiday & Lizabilly, 8 p.m., 21+, Free Booby’s - Rachel Sue & The Step Family, 21+, 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY (4/23)
PKs - Trivia Night, 8 p.m., 21+, Free
Thursday (4/24)
Booby’s - Collage Club Happy Hour (Supplies Provided), 6-8 p.m., All Ages Marion Cultural and Civic CenterOzark Mouth Daredevils, 6 -8:30 p.m.
FRIDAY (4/25)
Tres Hombres - Josh Morrison &
Friends, 6 p.m., 21+, Free Booby’s - Ace Wave & Friends, 21+, $5
SATURDAY (4/26)
PKs - Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship (STL electro-comedy) / Whoa, Coyote / Ivy June, 9 p.m., 21+, Free Varsity Center - FILMS: Kill Bill Vol. 1, 7 p.m., Vol 2, 9:30, $8
Booby’s - 70’s Disco and Funk Night with DJ Messie Bessie and DJ 86 Pants, 21+, $5
Sunday (4/27)
Knights of Columbus - Glo Bingo, 4 p.m.
MONDAY (4/28)
PKs - Meg & The Wheelers (Chicago country western), 7 p.m., 21+, Free
WEDNESDAY (4/30)
PKs - Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy (Wichita), 8 p.m., 21+, Free Booby’s - Open Mic Comedy
Olivia Herron works hard in yearlong improvement campaign
Ryan GRieseR RGRieseR@dailyeGyptian com
Olivia Herron’s rise to the top of the collegiate swimming world didn’t happen overnight, or in even one or two seasons. But once the switch flipped, it flipped.
The English swimmer has always been passionate about her sport, dating all the way back to the swim lessons she took and excelled in as a child. But after a “disappointing” 202324 season, this year, Herron’s mindset shifted.
“I did well last season, but it was slightly disappointing with what I wanted,” Herron said.
“There was definitely a realization that I didn’t have too long left to swim in college, and if I wanted to do something, it was going to have to be sooner rather than later,” Herron said.
The junior delivered in a big way. Herron set four Missouri Valley Conference records, including the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke and the 200- and 400-yard individual medley races.
Herron’s season culminated in a trip to the NCAA championships, where she broke her own MVC and school records in the 100yard breaststroke, 200-yard IM and 200-yard breaststroke, where she made the consolation heat and was named a second-team All-American.
Herron said that she learned to view practices in a different light, which helped to fuel her breakthrough.
“I really just started to enjoy it, rather than looking at practice as a negative thing, looking at it as a positive thing and enjoying working hard… I like feeling fast and swimming fast, so I think it helps,” Herron said.
“I focused a lot on the small details, and I worked closely with (assistant coach) Michael (Hampel), and it just seemed to work. The training style, we changed a few things that really worked,” Herron said.
Brooklyn Anderson, a fellow junior who also competes in the 200-yard backstroke and 200- and 400-yard individual medley, said that the path toward improvement started with the 2024 NCAA championships.
“Last year, (Herron) went to NCAAs with Celia (Pulido), and I think that really motivated her to see the goals that she could accomplish,” Anderson said. “This year, she’s just really focused and pushed in every aspect.”
Swim and Dive head coach Geoff Hanson said that another big part of Herron’s development was her choice to stay in Carbondale during the summer of 2024 as well as compete in several meets that featured long course, 50-meters swimming as opposed to the typical 25-yard lane.
“She did a lot of work on the mental side of things, race preparation… she just worked on how to prepare yourself mentally for races,” Hanson said. “And then she just committed to training and getting stronger physically. She’s a lot stronger than a year ago, both from what we do in the pool and then what she did in the weight room last year.”
Staying in Carbondale meant that Herron would be away from Manchester, England, where she was recruited from.
“I always wanted to come to America to swim because I had an older teammate who came out. It just looked amazing. And then the facilities and the opportunities that you have here for swimmers, we don’t really have that at home,” Herron said. “I spoke to a lot of schools, but SIU just ticked all the boxes that I wanted.”
She said, “Honestly, it’s ticked boxes I didn’t even know I had originally. It’s been more than I could have hoped for, and more than I ever expected.”
During Herron’s recruitment, which according to Hanson was done entirely over Zoom during the pandemic, it immediately became clear that she’d be a fit for SIU, too.
“We just knew that she was a really good student, a good, good swimmer from out of high school… and knew that she could help us in events where we needed her,” Hanson said.
Outside of the pool, Herron’s aptitude as a student was also recognized recently when she was named the MVC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She is studying to be a veterinarian and holds an impressive 3.91 GPA.
“It was really hard. Last semester was really challenging, I struggled a lot to manage both,” Herron said. “I’ve gotta keep focusing on those, and just keep reminding myself why I’m doing this because it’s easy to just kind of be like ‘Oh, this doesn’t matter, this doesn’t matter,’ but I’ve got to to keep reminding myself that it does and it adds up and it will be worth it in the end.”
Herron’s dedication in the classroom is evident even to her coaches.
“She does the balance very well,” Hanson said. “She’s committed to that. She’s a really great, great student, and that comes first.”
According to Anderson, who is Herron’s roommate and one of her best friends, Herron’s talents and work ethic have also led to her being viewed as a role model for her teammates.
“As a swimmer, she’s hardworking, just someone to look up to for sure. She’s like the epitome of hard work and success,” Anderson said. “As a teammate, she’s always there encouraging people, and as a friend, she’s so fun to be around and always joking.”
Herron is also quick to give credit to her teammates and coaches for their role in her ascendance.
“It means everything. To be honest, I wouldn’t be who I was, I wouldn’t have had the year I had without the team. It’s as much of a credit to them as it is to me,” Herron said.
For the first time in 30-plus years, SIU had two women score at the NCAA championships, which helps to continue to spread SIU’s name nationwide in the swimming scene. And according to Hanson, having a teammate like Herron helps to elevate the swimmers who are already at SIU and shows “you can be at the highest level, you can be at an institute of champions.”
And because of how good she’s gotten, Herron’s continued improvement is now based more in the details, fine-tuning them and stacking that with the work she has already done.
“The faster you get, the harder it is to get faster. The margins become smaller and smaller, so now it’s about getting stronger,” Hanson said. “We’re fighting for tenths and hundredths of seconds.”
Herron herself isn’t quite sure where she will follow up this year’s performance. But don’t mistake that for thinking she can’t do it.
“It gives me a lot of confidence for next year,” she said. Moving forward, I did this by doing good times, and kept doing good times and getting faster, so I don’t see it as, why stop getting faster?”
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Photo provided by Saluki Athletics.
From the Outback to the Itch: Meet Saluki catcher John Lemm
college,” Lemm said.
SIU gets a lot of different students from a variety of countries to come compete as Salukis, but not many can say they come from as far away as John Lemm, a catcher on the baseball team who calls Brisbane, Queensland, Australia his hometown.
Lemm was involved in a variety of sports as a kid, though rather than participating in the traditional American ones like football and basketball, he instead played soccer, rugby and cricket before joining baseball around the age of 8.
“At that point in my life I was just trying to see which sports stuck,” Lemm said.
Lemm continued to play baseball through high school and eventually decided that he would pursue playing at the collegiate level in the United States.
“After I hit a growth spurt and started filling out a little more, I saw there was a possibility to play in
With baseball not having the same popularity in Australia that it does state-side, Aussies who come to America to pursue baseball at a higher level have built a community for themselves.
“It’s a very tight-knit community, but it is starting to expand more,” Lemm said.
As part of the minority of Australians who have a major interest in baseball, he said he takes pride in seeing his fellow countrymen, and home as a whole, see success at the higher levels.
“It’s really encouraging and awesome to see,” Lemm said.
Lemm committed to New Mexico Junior College where he was redshirted in his freshman year, which was a difficult time for him.
“I thought that baseball wasn’t it for me,” Lemm said. “I told my parents that I wanted to come home.”
But Lemm stuck it out and transferred to South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois
where he put up impressive numbers and refound his love of the game.
“It put the spark back in baseball for me,” Lemm said.
During these first couple years in America, Lemm was also taken aback with how deep the talent can be in the U.S., even at an amateur level.
“It was a smack in the face,” he said. “You see how far behind Australia is in talent.”
Following his stint at South Suburban, Lemm was recruited by Mitch Hannahs to play at Indiana State. But when the skipper of the Sycamores took the same position at the University of South Florida, it gave Saluki head coach Lance Rhodes and his staff the opportunity to swoop in.
Rhodes, who has a reputation of going after the best JUCO players he can get, saw exactly what he wanted in Lemm.
“He’s got a great personality,” Rhodes said. “He’s as good of a kid as it gets, he’s just awesome to
be around.”
“He had all the physical attributes that we were looking for,” Rhodes said.
To this point in the season, Lemm has been a valuable piece on SIU’s roster. The junior has appeared in all 27 games thus far, clobbering 7 home runs and driving in 24 runs in the process. The lefty has also posted a .423 on-base percentage and .580 slugging percentage. All of these stats are good enough to rank in the top 30 of the Missouri Valley Conference.
“It’s fun to see him developing into his power potential,” Rhodes said.
Jake Ryan, who acts as both the catching coach and the assistant hitting coach, attributes Lemm’s success to the work that he puts in and his willingness to get better.
“It’s the basic answer, it’s his work ethic, the effort that he puts in,” Ryan said. “He has a legit want to be the best that he can be.”
Lemm’s work ethic has made him a perfect fit for how the Saluki
catchers are coached, as the closeknit group is taught to work together to drive day-to-day improvement.
“We treat the catching position like a brotherhood,” Ryan said. “We take a lot of pride in trying to make each other better.”
Rhodes has also been impressed with Lemm’s ability to be a leader and act as an on-field manager of the game, saying he is a good communicator who knows the game well.
Ryan agreed, saying “He has a good sense and good feel for the game. His ability to see the game is a huge benefit for him and our coaching staff.”
As they near the midpoint of the season, Lemm and the rest of the Salukis still have a lot of time to grow individually and as a team in their pursuit of the crown in the Missouri Valley.
Sports Reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at npfankuche@dailyegyptian.com.
SIU mediveal combat club battles in Rec
The medieval fight club takes on other realms in the Rec Center on April 5, 2025. Carthage, which is the name of Carbondale’s realm, took on UIUC’s realm called Newmenore as well as many scattered realms from Illinois in fastmoving, close-quarter combat with foam weapons and shields. Will
