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SIU Day of Giving smashes
SIU’s 10th annual Day of Giving was held on Sept. 17, 2025, raising over $5.7 million dollars to fund SIU scholarships, research and programs. This breaks the $4 million record set by the SIU foundation in 2023, as well as the 2024 total of $4.15 million split between fundraising events on Feb. 28 and Sept. 18, 2024.
The slogan for this year’s Day of Giving was “We R1 of 21,” celebrating SIU’s status as both an R1 University and an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions for Higher Education, one of only 21 universities in the country to earn both classifications.
“This year’s Day of Giving has been nothing short of historic,” Chancellor Austin Lane said in a news release. “The dual designation of Research 1 and Opportunity University captures exactly who we are: a place of groundbreaking discovery and expanded access. The generosity of our alumni and friends ensures we can continue to open doors for students while advancing research that changes lives.”
Donations contribute to SIU’s IMAGiNE 2030 plan, which outlines five pillars of
VOL. 109, ISSUE 6
New Carbondale police chief, page 10
For more photos and story, see pages 6-7
improvement for SIU: student success and engagement; diversity, equity and inclusion; branding and partnerships; research and innovation; and sustainability. According to the SIU Foundation website, the money that is donated is put into foundation accounts for each individual school or organization. Donors could select a particular school, program or fund to donate to as well as the specific scholarship or fund.
According to the SIU Foundation website, $3.17 million of the overall donations contributed to SIU athletics, including a $3 million dollar donation by SIU Alumnus Craig Englert to the women’s athletics fund. Colleges that received significant donations were the College of Business & Analytics, earning $281,156; the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology & Math, earning $146,105; and the Simmons Law School, earning $101,690. Other notable recipients include the Touch of Nature program, which received $131,879; the College of Arts and Media, which received $76,265; and the College of Health and Human Sciences, which received $57,710.
“We’re always hopeful for a good turnout for the Day of Giving,” Assistant Vice
SIU civil service workers seek raises as board approves FY26 budget
CARLY GIST CGIST@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM
e Sept. 18 SIU Board of Trustees meeting saw approval for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, but also a call for higher wages from SIU Carbondale’s civil service union. During public comments at SIU Edwardsville’s East St. Louis Center, members of SIUC’s Association of Civil Service Employees shared experiences of low morale, heavy workloads and unfair pay.
“I was on campus recently, and we have the IMAGiNE banners all over, and I saw one that said ‘Imagine Equity,’ and I had to laugh kind of to myself, because given how sta are treated on campus, imagining that is all we can do,” Terry Richardson, ACsE president, said. “ ere is no evidence that we’ll ever receive this equity.”
Civil service is a job classi cation at SIU that refers to non-academic employees, such as accountants, human resources, janitors and professional, technical and support sta positions. It is governed by the State Universities Civil Service System of Illinois, an agency that, according to Illinois.gov, aims to “develop, maintain, and administer a comprehensive and e$cient program of human resource administration for the higher education community.”
SUCSS falls under the State Universities Civil Service Merit Board, an 11-member board that oversees civil service decisions, including certi cation, appointments and promotions at public Illinois universities to ensure that they are made on the basis of merit.
“Our civil service employees are the backbone of the university,” Rhonda Radford, an SIU accountant and ACsE representative said. “ e amount of person-to-person interaction we have with students and their families is very signi cant. We facilitate student procedures and processes by assisting and guiding them through o$cial and uno$cial formalities, thereby keeping schools, colleges and the university as a whole running smoothly. At the same time, we have nonetheless not been regarded as valuable or essential university employees.”
e SIU Board of Trustees allocates 30 minutes of their regular board meetings for public comments and asks that those wishing to speak contact the executive secretary prior to the meeting. However, 11 speakers were on the roster for ursday’s meeting, so Chair J. Phil Gilbert allowed each speaker just three minutes to discuss their concerns.
Radford used her three minutes to cite research
Lukus McDaniels (40) holds up the SIU v. SEMO rivalry wheel while surrounded by the rest of the SIU Football team after the Salukis beat SEMO 59 to 31 Sept. 20, 2025 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
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Punches, paintings collide at boxing gym event
LEO CASTRO LCASTRO@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM
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An afternoon of live sparring and art was on full display at the So Ill Syndicate gym on Saturday, Sept 20, as Pharoah Boxing collaborated with Lexy’s Art Room to raise money through a colorful combination of combat and craft called punches and painting.
Friends and family gathered to show their support for the gym’s ghters, participate in painting and enjoy free pizza. Inside, the public was greeted to a unique display of paintings from Lexy’s Art Room, each piece with its own theme and art style. e afternoon was lled with ery ghting, where spectators watched from outside the ring. Despite the intensity of each sparring session, no ghter left the ring without congratulating their opponent. As boxers continued to battle, one person in particular sat in focus, working on a canvas in the corner of the gym.
Lexy Estes transitioned from a college student with a psychology degree to pursuing art full time during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now coruns Lexy’s Art Room with her partner, Joseph Anderson. Estes shared her story of nding meaning and comfort in art throughout her life, serving as a medicine in her mental health.
“To me, art is therapy. Art is expression. Art is freedom,” she said.
Although Estes majored in psychology, she also minored in art, and even had her own art space for paint and crafts in her three-bedroom apartment during college.
“My friends and family referred to it as Lexy’s Art Room,” she said.
beautiful, as long as you’re expressing yourself,” she said.
Breathing, stillness and mindfulness are all possible while making art, she said.
Estes’ partner, Anderson, who also paints, found himself in the talks of hosting an event with his boxing gym coach.
Willie Martinez, founder of Pharoah Boxing Club, is one of the head coaches and main organizers of events like Punches and Paintings.
As Anderson and Martinez grew to know each other in the gym, they shared an interest in collaborating for a charitable event.
Martinez said he hated boxing as a child, but then began using it as a therapeutic instrument and eventually started his own club for others.
Martinez started boxing in eighth grade after his cousin introduced him to the sport. Initially, he disliked it after a memorable rst practice where he was beaten by the coach’s daughter, causing him to brie y give it up. After nding himself in some trouble at school, Martinez returned to boxing as a therapeutic outlet.
“ e rst day I was at practice, my coach told me, no gang-banging, get good grades and no drugs,” he said. “And that pretty much turned me around after that.”
Martinez continued boxing throughout high school and after his service in the Marines, joining di erent boxing clubs around Chicago. When he moved to southern Illinois in 2008, Willy found a small issue that would reveal itself to be an opportunity to help others.
nonpro t,” he said.
Martinez shared his comfort with welcoming new beginners into his gym, and didn’t mind coming out in his house sandals to help with practice.
Martinez teamed up with So Ill Syndicate’s gym owner, Daniel Presely, to move the club, providing the space that is now open to the public, located at 215 S Illinois Ave.
Presely, who is involved in di erent martial arts like, tae kwon do, Muay ai and more, is explicit about the certi cation and professionalism needed of the coaches that teach the students to be the best that they can be.
“If people like it a lot and they’ve got a little bit of propensity to continue doing it, then we push them up through the classes,” Presley said. “ at’s when they start becoming members of the club, and they can show their dedication that way.”
Martinez emphasized the importance of community service, using the boxing club to help those inside and outside the gym. Realizing purpose may not just be found in a gym, Martinez’s idea for a community car wash was one of many ways of giving back.
“ at car wash was to raise funds for our scholarship to help kids who don’t have funds to pay for their USA Boxing memberships to help families that are on nancial assistance,” he said.
e gym also has worked with Chef Rotary Kitchen, giving out meals for free near Washington Street.
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As her space got more crowded, Estes moved into an art studio, where she opened it to the public. During this time, Project Human X, another art organization, hired her to teach painting classes.
“I realized, ‘wow, I really do love doing this,’” she said.
Estes said she believes that many adults forget what it feels like to be childlike, free and experimental with colors and textures.
“You don’t have to make something
“ ere wasn’t any boxing clubs, so I would just box at the SIU Rec Center every now and then,” he said. “And they had a pretty decent club going.”
When Martinez found himself in a stable position, he opened his own boxing club, with help from friends from a previous Mixed Martial Arts gym in Marion. Originally running the gym from a two-car garage, he started teaching kids and adults.
“From being a registered USA Boxing Club, it grew to being a small
Both Martinez and Presley plan to host several more fundraising events in the near future, with the most recent being two of six or seven planned. One will be an event in support of breast cancer awareness month, and they hope to include more businesses from the strip and Carbondale.
All proceeds from Punches and Painting bene t the Southern Illinois Collaborative Kitchen, a nonpro t run by sta at Cristaudo’s in Carbondale. ey provide food to families a ected by illnesses, nancial hardships and others in need.
Sta reporter Leonardo Castro can be reached at lcastro@dailyegyptian.com
King Edwards and Fabio Derramadero face o in the ring during the Punches and Painting event Sep. 20, 2025 at Syndicate gym in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Protesters, mourners meet during Charlie Kirk memorial at SIU
Mourners gathered inside of the student center on Monday, Sept. 15 to pay respects to Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Sept. 10, while protesters gathered outside of the memorial service, holding signs against Kirk’s rhetoric. e memorial was held at SIU and organized by student Phil Hartke. SIU’s chapter of Turning Point USA also made an appearance at the vigil.
Kirk, a right-wing in uencer and podcaster, self-identi ed as a conservative, evangelical Christian and a capitalist. Kirk was a controversial gure within American politics and also the co-founder of TPUSA, an organization with the principle of educating students about conservative values.
Inside the Student Center auditorium, attendees sat in the rows, and shortly after, protesters came to stand behind the seats. ere were around 20 protesters with about 300 attendees to the vigil.
Kirk has publicly stated many of his controversial views. In December 2023, at TPUSA’s AmericaFest, he said, “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” He also critiqued Martin Luther King, Jr. at the event, calling MLK “awful,” and “not a good person.” In a video shared
to his Instagram in April, Kirk, who was anti-abortion, compared abortion to the Holocaust, stating, “ at’s how we get Auschwitz…We allow babies to be taken away…under the guise of women’s reproductive health.”
Kirk had controversial takes on gun laws as well. In April 2023, while speaking on the Salt Lake City campus of Awaken Church, he said, “It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
At the memorial, Pastor Steven Tanner opened with remarks and a prayer over the community. e organizer, Hartke, gave a speech to attendees.
“Just last week, many of us watched on our phones as a shocking and tragic event unfolded on a college campus not unlike our own,” Hartke said. “While we may not have known Charlie personally, we knew his voice — through radio shows, debates and countless conversations.
“Some of us agreed with his views, others did not, but we all witnessed the movement he helped shape. Over the years, we also saw glimpses of his personal life: his marriage, the start of his family and his pursuit of the American dream.
Today, Charlie’s voice has been silenced, and two young children are left to wake
each morning wondering where their father has gone,” Hartke said.
“His death is part of a disturbing pattern,” he said.
“But it wasn’t just Charlie’s death that led me to organize this vigil—it was the reaction to it,” Hartke said. “While many may have disagreed with Charlie’s ideas, a small but vocal group justi ed his assassination as acceptable punishment for his beliefs. We’ve all seen these comments online, perhaps even in our own feeds. I want to be clear: this is a minority, not representative of any whole group.”
U.S. Congressman Mike Bost addressed the crowd via video from Washington, D.C.
Illinois Sen. Terri Bryant also took the stage. As she spoke, protesters in the back of the auditorium started asking questions and making remarks. e protesters interrupted Bryant by asking about Palestine and victims of previous shootings. Protesters were escorted out by campus police, where they continued to speak and protest from the lounge outside.
Zarina Morgan, a protester attending the vigil, explained why they decided to protest.
“I wanted to come out and basically let it be known that I feel like it’s not OK that there is a vigil being held,” Morgan said. “Held for someone who spent his life and career being unapologetically racist, misogynistic, Islamaphobic and the list goes on. I feel like having an event like this, especially on campus, it’s sending a message that the things that Charlie Kirk has said are tolerable and it is not.”
Another protester, Jayveon Edmonds, was holding a protest sign with Kirk’s quote about the Civil Rights Act. Edmonds expressed that he chose this sign because the Civil Rights Act was important to him as a Black man in a PWI.
“Now, the reason I am out here is because I don’t think it is OK to honor a man who was OK with genocide and openly racist.” Edmonds said, “Also, it’s the rst day of Hispanic Heritage Month, and then (SIU) is going to throw this vigil for him. at’s just a disservice to Black and Brown people as a whole, also women.”
Several protesters at the Student Center, who didn’t want to share their names with the Daily Egyptian, expressed disappointment in SIU for allowing the event to happen on campus and spoke about the event from a spiritual perspective.
After the event ended, vigil attendees chanted “USA,” as protesters shouted “You aren’t a Christian,” and “Shame on you.”
Chris Long, a vigil attendee, said he came to the event to support the “Christian community, truth, values and the loss of a good man.”
When protesters interrupted Bryant’s speech, Long stood up reactively when they began yelling.
“It’s hard to be provoked like that in a personal setting like this,” Long said after the event.
“It’s hard to see people hate a man whose opinion is di erent from them, mostly on policy,” Long said. “It’s hard to be intimidated by that, by people who don’t pay attention to conversation, who don’t dig deep, who take a surface level
look to something and pass judgement and pass hate onto it.”
Jay, who attended the vigil and did not provide the DE his last name, was asked what the event meant to him.
“I have been following Charlie (Kirk) for a long time. He really helped me see a lot of what’s going on in the world at a younger age and helped me turn around some things in my own life, by the way he spoke and the way he encouraged people to really think about things outside of their own personal opinions.”
When asked about how Kirk helped Jay view the world, Jay gave a fast answer. “One thing in particular was about, I think the media. Which has really become a problem in the country, about how things are deliberately taken out of context, twisted, and even out right lies, sometimes in order to push an agenda because of how politically divided everything is.”
Paul Frazier, an o cer at the scene said, “Actually, I am just trying to make sure we have a peaceful (time). We are going to always honor the First Amendment on this campus, so whether what’s going on in the auditorium, the vigil going on in there, or the individuals protesting or saying whatever they need to say because of the vigil, we (are) not going to stop it.”
When Frazier was asked what he expected from the vigil, Frazier responded, “Actually, I didn’t even know that we were having a protest. I knew we were having a vigil, and actually, I walked down here from the opening of our Hispanic Heritage, which is on the other side (of campus).”
Frazier expressed that his top priority was that the protest doesn’t get out of hand, and that the students and attendees make it home safely. “ at’s my only concern. Like I said, there is a ne line between free speech and hate speech, and I haven’t heard any hate speech.”
A video message from U.S. Congressman Mike Bost plays for an audience of attendees at the Charlie Kirk vigil organized by SIU student Phil Hartke Sept. 15, 2025 at the SIU Student Center in Carbondale, Illinois.
Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
SIU Police remove protesters from the Charlie Kirk vigil organized by SIU student Phil Hartke. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Protesters hold signs and yell as attendees leave the Charlie Kirk vigil organized by SIU student Phil Hartke. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Saluki soccer starts conference season with a win
ELI HOOVER EHOOVER@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM
The Saluki soccer squad started the conference season off with a bang, defeating the Belmont Bruins 2-1 in front of a packed crowd at the Lew Hartzog Sports Complex on Friday, Sept. 19.
The Bruins defense had to put in work early on in the contest, facing six shots in the game’s first nine minutes. At the 21st minute, Belmont goalkeeper Sydney Jones and defender Kennedy Wise both had to make goal line stops to keep the match scoreless.
Thirty-one minutes in, Saluki sophomore midfielder Aylie Haycock was able to corral a rebound from junior Dana Nadda’s shot to score the game’s first goal from point blank range. The goal was Haycock’s third of the year. She didn’t score at all last year, but has already contributed to four Saluki goals this season.
SIU’s lead didn’t last long. Only two minutes before the half, Belmont freshman forward Maggie Gawrych leveled the game at 1 for the Bruins, and the score stayed knotted there heading into halftime.
In the second half, both defenses continued to stay strong. Each offense came out of the break shooting blanks, coming up empty on a combined four shots through
the first 20 minutes of the latter half.
The Salukis finally broke through in the 67th minute, as SIU sophomore Sophia Schlicklin scored from a near-impossible angle on the end line. Schlicklin’s second goal of the year came courtesy of a combined feed from Haycock and Nadda. The three of them have connected on multiple occasions this season, and lead the Salukis in points. Nadda has nine, Schlicklin has eight and Haycock has seven along with Dory Latenser.
After that connection, Belmont didn’t even so much as get a shot off the rest of the way, leaving the final tally at 2-1 Salukis.
Freshman goalie Lily Murray had two saves on three opportunities for the Salukis, and the SIU offense berated Belmont in the shots category, outshooting the Bruins 21-7 while putting 12 total shots on goal.
The Salukis, whose homestand continues Thursday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. against the Evansville Purple Aces, move to 7-1-2, 1-0-0, their best start since the program began in 2019.
Sports reporter Eli Hoover can be reached at ehoover@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at @hoovermakesart
SIU volleyball takes Game 3, fnishes 1-2 in Razorback Invitational
NOAH PETSCHKE NPETSCHKE@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM
e Salukis traveled to Arkansas on ursday, Sept. 18 to compete in the three-day Razorback Invitational tournament, looking to get back on track after dropping two out of three games in their previous two tournaments.
The Arkansas Razorbacks came out swinging during the first set Thursday, with an impressive one attack error on 17 kills. On the other side of the net, outside hitter Kelly Franklin led the charge for SIU during Match 1 with three kills of her own.
The relentless mashing of the ball granted Arkansas a 10-point lead at 18-8, and the Razorbacks never looked back. Although the two teams went back and forth toward the end, a remarkable start from the Razorbacks propelled them to a dominant 25-15 victory in the first set.
The second match began favorably for the Salukis as they jumped out to a 5-3 lead, 4 points coming on kills. Outside hitter Cecilia Bulmahn was on point as she delivered three kills in the span of 4 SIU points.
However, the kills slowed down, and a plethora of attack errors allowed the Razorbacks to go on a 14-7 run, coasting to a 25-16 victory in the second set.
The Salukis had their backs against the wall to begin the third match in the best-of-five contest, and the Razorbacks did not hold back. Coming out of the gates with a 10-3 start, the lead was not a promising sight for SIU. Outside hitter Ella Swansiger was on the attack, racking up four kills in the set. The Razorbacks would continue their dominance and take the third set 25-14, leading to a 3-0 Arkansas victory.
Friday was a new day for the Salukis as they faced o against Arkansas State for an afternoon contest, and they made noticeable strides since ursday’s loss. SIU was quickly on the attack, battling with the Red Wolves, obtaining a lead of 22-17 in the rst set.
e Red Wolves capitalized on a multitude of attack errors from the Salukis and took the contest into overtime, where they swooped in and grabbed Set 1 from SIU.
e second set began as SIU attempted to shake o the troubles they had encountered previously.
e two teams were neck and neck midway through the set, but an impressive o ensive display from the Red Wolves boosted the team past the Salukis, going on an 8-3 run and swiping the second set 2517. It was time for the third set, and the Salukis looked to win their rst of the tournament, and they played
hard for it. Outside hitter Annabelle Sulish delivered ve kills and kept the set neck-and-neck for most of the way, but the Salukis kept on hitting, driving the team into their rst set victory by a score of 25-22. Set 4 began, and the Salukis needed to carry some of that magic from Set 3 to stay alive. However, the Red Wolves turned on the jets and racked up 17 kills to deliver the nal blow of the game, leading Arkansas State to a 3-1 win on the day.
Saturday was the last chance for the Salukis to avoid getting shut out in the tournament, and they delivered. e matinee contest versus North Dakota State started on the wrong foot, with the Bison taking the rst set by a score of 2519, fueled by many kills and some attack errors from the Salukis.
Set 2 worked in favor of SIU. e combination of three service aces, two by setter Emma Lade, and an
o ensive spree, allowed the Salukis to make quick work of the Bison, winning the set 25-13.
e third set of the game came down to the wire, with both teams battling to keep it close. e Bison were up 23-22 when kills from Pena, Sulish and Swansiger solidi ed the SIU win 25-23 in dramatic fashion.
e fourth set was not much di erent, neck and neck the whole way, exchanging kills and forcing the set into overtime. Numerous lead changes and ties made for a thrilling matchup, but the highpowered SIU o ense powered 19 kills en route to a 26-24 victory, taking their rst game of the tournament.
e Salukis begin conference play Sept. 26 against Murray State in Kentucky.
Sports reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at npetschke@dailyegyptian.com
Brooke Gosse Saluki starting mid elder scouts the eld for an open teammate Sept. 19, 2025 at Lew Hartzog Track and Field Complex in Carbondale, Illinois. Claire Stroh | @cstrohphoto
Saluki forward Sophia Schlicklin celebrates with teammate after kicking the game winning goal making the score 2-1 Claire Stroh | @cstrohphoto
For Kids Sake International hosts Superhero 5 K
themed run for the thought of saving lives.
For Kids Sake International is a fundraising organization that focuses on helping underprivileged children and families with basic needs and education in Bangladesh, e Gambia and e United States. ey do this by providing a safe and loving environment with food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education.
Executive Director Shema Ruperto attended the event. Ruperto, fresh out of college in 2004, was asked to organize a fundraising event. She loved the excitement and skills that went into organizing a nonpro t event to help people. at same year she went to Bangladesh, where For Kids Sake International rst started, and was able to see rst-hand the impact the fundraising event had.
e Superhero 5K Run event hosted by For Kids Sake International, took place on Saturday, Sep. 20th at Turley Park and has been ongoing for 13 years now. e event is a superhero-
“Superheroes are known for going above their personal desires and needs in their comfort zones to help other people,” Ruperto said. People can dress up in superhero out ts or as their favorite superhero. ere are vendors, food trucks, massage therapists, as well as awards such as best dressed and who raised the most money.
“I think it’s a really good cause, what they’re doing here, donating to kids in local communities and communities overseas,” Johnessa Gri n, a participant in the 5K said.
For Kids Sake International will have another fundraiser in the fall, which they call Close the Gap, to ll the gap they need to hit their goal of raising $250,000 at the end of the year. For more information, visit forkidssakeintl.org.
Sta photographer Emily Brinkman can be reached at ebrinkman@ dailyegyptian.com
A child dressed as Spider-Man runs among a large group of people starting the Superhero 5K Run.
Emily Brinkman |ebrinkman@dailyegyptian.com
Carbondale Fire Department pose with Shema Ruperto at the Superhero 5k Run Sep. 20, 2025 at Turley Park in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Runners cross the nish line for the Superhero 5k Run Sep. 20, 2025 at Turley Park in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
A runner in a mask and cape crosses the nish line. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Williams, Salukis thrash Redhawks to reclaim the wheel
SEMO’s quarterback, Jax Leatherwood, to get on the board 7-14.
forced a punt that put the Dawgs on the shadow of their own goal line.
It was rivalry weekend for Saluki Football as they faced the SEMO Redhawks in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Saturday night in the annual War for the Wheel game. Flying past the Redhawks with a nal score of 59-31, the wheel once more resides in Carbondale.
e Dawgs came out ready to play, going up two scores in the rst two-and-a-half minutes of the game. DJ Williams opened the scoring with a 75-yard quarterback keeper on the rst play from scrimmage. Running back Shaun Lester punched in the second Saluki touchdown following a fumble recovery and return by linebacker Colin Bohanek that set SIU up at the SEMO 5-yard line.
e Redhawks responded with a 12-play drive capped o with a rushing touchdown for
e o enses cooled down some from there with the two teams trading punts before another Saluki takeaway, an interception by linebacker Chris Presto, that put the Dawgs in prime position to score.
In a game that was de ned by the o ense,
Presto had a strong performance. e junior had the interception, forced the fumble for Bohanek and tallied 12 tackles. Only his fellow linebacker, Andrew Behm, had more tackles for either defense in the a air.
“Our linebackers are just made up of the right things.” Nick Hill said.
With a short eld ahead of them, SIU was able to push the lead back to 14 with another rushing touchdown from Williams. e ensuing SEMO possession got into Saluki territory, but a sack on third down
e Salukis were unfazed by the poor eld position, marching 94 yards to make it 28-7, highlighted by another long rush from Williams, this time for 40 yards, and a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vinson Davis III.
Davis was a favorite target for Williams on the night. The fifth-year senior hauled in eight receptions for a whopping 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Another empty possession for the Redhawks gave the ball back to the Dawgs, giving them the opportunity to put a drive together inside of two minutes. Williams, on 4-for-6 passing on the drive, was able to lead the Dawgs into eld goal position for kicker Paul Geelen, who put SIU up 31-7 at halftime.
Out of the break and chasing a lot, Leatherwood and the Hawks moved down the eld e ciently, reaching the endzone in eight plays to bring their de cit down to 17. e Dawgs immediately negated the SEMO score with a touchdown of their own in two plays, with Williams nding wide receiver Fabian McCray who fought his way past the pylon.
for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Williams’ 493 yards of total o ense is the third most in a game in SIU history, surpassing Nic Baker’s performance last time the Salukis traveled to Cape Girardeau in 2023.
“I think he’s the best player in the country and I think he proved that tonight.” Hill said. Doing all they could to stay in the game, the Redhawks got back down to SIU’s goal line, but a pair of negative plays forced them to take the eld goal, making it 38-17.
e Salukis struck back with yet another quick drive, with Williams hitting Davis over the middle who took it up eld for a 69-yard touchdown, putting the Dawgs up 28. e two teams each found the end zone two more times, with SIU’s coming through the air to wide receiver Jay Jones and on the ground from Lester, in the last 20 minutes of the game to end the game with the Dawgs on top 59-31. With the win over the Redhawks, the Salukis improved to 3-1 and brought the wheel back to Carbondale. e Dawgs will be o next weekend before hosting Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 4 – the rst Missouri Valley Conference game that SIU will play in the 2025 season.
Saluki Football prays with head coach Nick Hill following the 59-31 win against SEMO in the annual War for the Wheel game Sept. 20, 2025 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Cejai Parson (5) holds an SIU ag as he waits to wave the ag in victory after the Salukis beat the Redhawks 59 to 31 Sept. 20, 2025 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
DJ Williams (1) rushes to the end zone during wheel game. Dominique Martinez-Powell |
Cornerback Jeremiah McClendon (8) pretends to steer the wheel alongside Saluki Football after defeating SEMO 59-31 in the annual War for the Wheel game Sept. 20, 2025 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Quarterback DJ Williams (1) is tackled by Redhawk Landon Sylvie (34) in the annual War for the Wheel game. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Aiden Moriarty (89) hold onto a player. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
How the Carbondale community is collaborating to combat crime
TREVOR JOHN TJOHN@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM
For Bernard Amofa, a !rst-year graduate student from Ghana, the American dream took a new shape during his !rst week on campus. In broad daylight, a simple act would reshape his view of safety in the “land of opportunity.”
“A guy snatched my bicycle,” he said. “It changed my perception.”
Amofa’s experience is not an isolated one. It re ects the broader safety concerns detailed in recent police reports.
On Aug. 23, 2025, a tra c stop at 500 West Freeman St. ended with Henry Dolmon, 20, and Corey M. Trapp Jr., 18, arrested on weapons charges. Police pulled over the vehicle due to a moving violation and discovered a !rearm. Both suspects were armed, and Trapp was additionally found with illegal cannabis.
A week later, on Sept. 3, the community was sharing photos of a missing Amaree N. Johnson, 16. Fortunately, on Sept. 17, he was found safe and in good health. While speci!c circumstances of Johnson’s location were not disclosed by the Carbondale police, they expressed gratitude for the public’s assistance in resolving the matter. It is worth noting that Johnson was known to frequent the Tatum Heights and Lake Heights neighborhoods in Carbondale.
$ese events are not just stories; they are realworld examples behind the city’s safety and crime statistics.
According to the most recent FBI data available, Carbondale’s crime rate is one of the highest in the nation. With a total crime rate of 4,096 per 100,000 — 69% higher than the national average and 98% higher than the state average. Now, — Carbondale !nds itself at a crossroads with two distinct philosophies for achieving peace: a tactical police push measured in arrests, and a preventative community pull measured in changed lives.
e ground view
For those who call Carbondale home, safety is a constant negotiation between experience
FROM 1
Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations Britni Bateman said. “This year’s turnout has exceeded our expectations.”
and loyalty.
“From what I’ve heard, the crime rate has slowly gotten a little bit worse,” said Connor Fitch, a freshman at SIU and Carbondale resident. “I’ve been told about certain gas stations to just stay away from.”
$rough the lens of international students, the concept of safety is understood di%erently.
For Amofa, his experience transformed the police from an abstract authority into a welcome sight.
“When I see police, I feel more safe,” he said.
$is is contrasted with the experience of Arjit Dhakal, a !nal-year graduate student from Nepal, whose anxiety stems from America’s global reputation. “My family was worried about gun shootings,” he explained. “I do feel a bit concerned whenever police walk around me. It’s a di%erent feeling.”
$is spectrum of fear and concern unites students under a common plea, both to the city and university administration: a desire for security in Carbondale that is tangible and approachable.
A spectrum of solutions
$ree distinct organizations lead the city’s journey to safety, each with a di%erent mission and a leader driven by a deeply personal motivation.
Carbondale United
For Nancy Maxwell, the founder of Carbondale United, the !ght against violence began as a direct response to personal tragedy.
“Carbondale United was born out of gaps we saw in the community,” Maxwell said. “As someone who has personally felt the pain of losing a loved one to violence, I knew we needed an organization that didn’t just respond after the fact, but worked every day to prevent those tragedies.”
$is mission has shaped their entire approach to combatting crime in Carbondale. Instead of focusing on arrests and seizures, Carbondale United works to “eradicate the reasons for violence” by linking distraught people with counseling, jobs and housing. $ey measure their success through stories: “a teen who chooses
Of the 1,037 donors, 295 chose to contribute to the Balancing Education, Experience and Reality (B.E.E.R.)
Scholarship fund, a scholarship open to juniors and seniors of all majors started by “Carbondale in the ‘80s and ‘90s
school over the streets,” Maxwell wrote.
According to Maxwell, their current biggest challenge is limited resources. To combat the source — poverty and trauma — they need more funding, sta% and volunteers.
$e relationship between Carbondale United and the Carbondale Police Department is a web of complexity. “Sometimes our work complements theirs, and sometimes we challenge each other,” Maxwell wrote. “But ultimately, both sides want a safer city... Arrests alone won’t solve the problem, but opportunities will.”
Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers
Bob Bahr, a longtime community member and president of SIU/Carbondale Crime Stoppers for the last seven years, has watched this city’s safety landscape change over the years. His work is informed by a sobering national perspective about what is at stake — “14,000 murder cases reported in America per year,” Bahr said. For him, the key lies in bridging the gap of fear that often separates citizens from the police.
“Individuals who might consider reporting a crime may hesitate to do so due to fear of retaliation,” Bahr said during the “Be Prepared, Don’t Be Scared!” safety event on Sept. 13. $e anonymity of the Crime Stoppers tip line is his answer. His message to the community is a simple plea born from 15 years of service: “Pick up the phone and drop a tip.”
e Carbondale police and Chief Anthony Copeland $e new Carbondale Chief of Police Anthony Copeland is not from the city; he is a law enforcement leader with two decades of experience in departments across multiple cities. “I was not looking to go someplace to be chief,” Copeland said. “I was actually contacted by some folks... they read the brochure and they were like, ‘We think Carbondale may be looking for you.’”
After nearly a month on the job, Copeland inherited a department in the midst of a tactical push. $e Strategic Response Unit, launched in March 2025, made 80 arrests and seized 26 illegal !rearms by July. While the idea of such a
(The B.E.E.R. Group),” an SIU alumni Facebook group. Donors raised $23,074 for the scholarship, just under half of their $50,000 goal. Alumni also met on Sept. 16, 2025 at Hangar 9 to celebrate and raise money for the scholarship, hosted by SIU
unit can be intimidating to some in the public, Copeland said its primary purpose is e ciency. With patrol o cers handling over 60,000 calls for service annually, the SRU was designed to be a focused resource for high-priority issues like gun violence.
Chief Copeland’s philosophy is built on a foundation of understanding the community’s needs through listening. $e “how” of his plan to build trust is presence. “I’m out there constantly,” he said. He sees his department’s tactical work and the preventative e%orts of groups like Carbondale United as part of a necessary “holistic approach.”
“We have to !nd the root cause,” Copeland said. “$at’s where those partnerships come in. We have to be able to work together.”
Making sense of the two fronts
$e SRU making arrests and seizures and Carbondale United creating opportunities can seem like opposing forces. According to Dr. Tammy Rinehart Kochel, a criminology expert at SIU, they are two sides of the same coin.
“$ey are meant to be complementary — meeting di%erent needs, not either/or,” Dr. Kochel wrote in an email.
Kochel explains that “hot spots policing” (the SRU’s model) has proven e%ective at addressing immediate, “entrenched crime problems.” In contrast, “community-based prevention initiatives” (Carbondale United’s model) are “longer-term approaches” meant to address the “environmental conditions that facilitate crime and disorder.”
How to report a crime
Anyone with information about a crime is encouraged to contact the Carbondale Police Department. To submit a tip anonymously, you can reach the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers at 618549-COPS or the Murphysboro/Jackson County Crime Stoppers at 618-687-COPS. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers USA website. Cash rewards are available for information leading to an arrest.
Sta reporter Trevor John can be reached at tjohn@dailyegyptian.com
Alumni Association Board President and Hangar 9 owner Scott Moller.
News reporter Morrigan Carey can be reached at mcarey@dailyegyptian.com
No power conference teams on Saluki
men’s basketball nonconference slate
The Saluki men’s basketball team released their nonconference schedule for the 2025-2026 season on social media on Monday, Sept. 15, with the notable absence of any power conference teams.
But that doesn’t mean that the Salukis won’t be playing top-flight opponents this fall and winter.
“No power conference schools were willing to play us,” Saluki basketball head coach Scott Nagy wrote in an email when asked why there were no power conference teams on the schedule.
e Salukis go on the road
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since July 2019, when the ACsE contract began, the cost of living has increased by 25.29%, she said. In the past year, food prices have increased by 3.2%, electrical services by 6.2%, natural gas by 3.8% and medical care by 3.4%.
“While Illinois has increased minimum wage, enabling the lowest paid employees to receive pay increases conversely created salary compression throughout the SIU Civil Service System,” Radford said. “It has also
and face two di erent NCAA Tournament teams from the 20242025 season: Nov. 26 at at-large Memphis and Dec. 3 at Big South auto-bid High Point. ey also visit 2024 NCAA Tournament participant Nevada on Nov. 12. e
Salukis round out the road portion of their nonconference schedule with dates at North Dakota State Nov. 17 and at Richmond Dec. 13.
One of the biggest rule changes this o season was the fact that now teams can face o against fellow Division I teams in preseason exhibitions with fans in the stands. anks to that rule change, the rst time that Saluki fans will be able to le into the
reduced morale and employee retention among the long-term employees…We must discuss the disparity between the employees’ wages and the raising costs.”
e salary increase plan for scal year 2026, which was also approved at the meeting, delegates SIUC to provide an amount that may be distributed to provide employees with a minimum average salary increase of 1%, and to grant increases as identi ed through the recent Compensation 2030 study conducted by CBIZ consulting rm.
“Adequate salaries for our faculty and sta are a high priority for the
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stands at the Banterra Center will be on Oct. 17 for an exhibition against Austin Peay. e Salukis will also be travelling to St. Charles, Missouri on Oct. 29 for an exhibition contest against Lindenwood.
When asked why the team is going to Lindenwood for the matchup, Nagy wrote in an email that Lindenwood will be returning to the Banterra Center in the 2026-2027 season for an exhibition game.
“Going on the road for an exhibition game allows our players to get a feel for what a road game is like,” he wrote. “We felt like this was a good exhibition game for
University,” the salary increase plan reads.
Richard Mans eld, the Daily Egyptian accountant, said that the 1% increase is ine ective.
“Most of the time, it’s barely enough to cover the increase in my health insurance, but also I have to take into consideration my auto insurance, my home owners insurance, all that stu , gas, everything’s going up,” he said during the meeting. “So it’s almost like taking a pay cut every year.”
e circumstances have put morale at an all-time low, Mans eld said.
Your guide to upcoming local events over the next 7 days!
us to play on the road due to ease of travel, our large alumni base in the St. Louis area and it allows our players who are from the St. Louis area to play in their hometown.”
SIU opens up the regular season with home dates against Division II McKendree on Nov. 3 and the University of Missouri Kansas City on Nov. 7. ey don’t return to the Banterra Center until Nov. 29 against the Ohio Valley Conference’s Little Rock. ey round out the home portion of their nonconference schedule on Dec. 10 against another OVC foe in University of Tennessee-Martin.
The final piece of the scheduling
“I’ve got 36-plus years work history. I’ve never worked at any place that I go into work every day and it feels like I’m walking into a funeral,” he said. “Everybody that I work with, I see them in the hallways, they’re hanging their heads.”
Cathy Lilley, a part-time accountant in the Charlotte ompson Suhler School of Journalism, serves on the ACsE’s bargaining team. During public comments, she said that the organization delayed negotiating salaries in anticipation of the CBIZ study, but that the current o er barely utilizes the study.
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puzzle for the Salukis is their yearly multi-team event, or MTE. This year they are heading down to Jacksonville, Florida for the Jacksonville Classic. The Salukis will face Delaware Nov. 23 and the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Nov. 24. The Salukis went 4-6 in last year’s nonconference schedule, and notably almost took down the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Nov. 14. before losing 85-78.
Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be reached at ehoover@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at @hoovermakesart
SIUC Chancellor Austin Lane spoke highly of the study during his executive o cer report at the meeting.
“When we got into CBIZ, there was no mandate to do any type of compensation study at all,” Lane said. “ ere was no mandate. We wanted to do that because we wanted to know what people kept telling us. ey said, ‘Hey I’m not being paid correctly, or I’m being compressed within my salary.’ We wanted to do something about that, so I thank the board for approving those CBIZ adjustments. We’re gonna have folks in those adjustments get raises as high as 40-some-odd percent.”
Civil service employees at the SIU School of Medicine will see an average 2.5% increase in salary, according to the approved salary increase plan. e School of Medicine also had a signi cant highlight during the meeting: Dr. Jerry Kruse, the dean and provost, announced his retirement.
Several notable proposals were also approved by the board. e employment agreements of Lane, SIUE Chancellor James Minor and SIU President Dan Mahony were extended. WSIU was approved to sublease excess broadband. e report of purchase orders and contracts at SIU Carbondale were also approved, which includes programming, membership and distribution interconnected fees for WSIU Public Radio; aircraft parts and accessories for repair and maintenance of SIUC %eet aircraft; and bulk aviation fuel and hanger rental for line service vehicles and %ight training.
Additionally, the SIU Faculty Collaboration Award was presented to two pairs: Sinan Onal (SIUE) and Chao Lu (SIUC) for their collaboration on AI-driven gait analysis research to advance biomedical engineering and rehabilitative healthcare, and Jyotsna Kapur (SIUC) and Eric Ruckh (SIUE) for their e orts to enrich interdisciplinary courses for honors education.
e next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4, 2025 at SIU Carbondale.
New Carbondale Police chief details ‘triage’ approach
Late last year, the Carbondale City Council found themselves searching the nation for a new law enforcement department head when Stan Reno went from police chief to city manager after the resignation of former City Manager Gary Williams.
After nearly a year’s worth of research, interviews and community forums, the city found their guy just an hour down the road in Paducah, Kentucky.
As of Sept. 2, Anthony Copeland o cially assumed the role of Carbondale Police chief, a position that he says was not on his radar until he was told that he may be exactly what the city was looking for.
“I was actually contacted by some folks who knew me and they literally said ‘we think Carbondale may be looking for you,’” Copeland told the Daily Egyptian in an exclusive interview.
“My response was like, ‘what are you talking about?’ And then when I read that advertisement detailing what they were looking for and what the community needs were, I was like well, that’s my passion,” he said.
Copeland began his law enforcement career in a city that looks, feels and operates much di erently than Carbondale. At 19 years old, Copeland patrolled the streets of Baltimore, Maryland as an o cer with the Baltimore County Police Department, a place that sees crime committed at a similar clip as Carbondale, just on a much larger scale.
After four years as an o cer there, the place in which he grew up, Copeland moved to Paducah in 2006 where he would eventually work his way through the ranks, becoming the assistant chief of police in 2018.
Copeland’s experience growing up in Baltimore is what compelled him to
pursue a career in law enforcement. From an early age, he began volunteering at the state park and working with his church at community events in the inner city.
Copeland recalled instances from his youth, speci cally those that highlight the privilege of mobility and opportunity, that have inspired him to do good, and to give back to his community. A childhood encounter with a man in a wheelchair on the streets of Baltimore and the paralysis of his grandfather after a stroke revealed to Copeland that he had a calling to community service as an able-bodied person.
“I felt like I was called to be in some sort of service — as some sort of volunteer. Something that gives back,” Copeland said.
He understood that, while community service was what he wanted to do, he also had to pay the bills.
“I needed to nd a way to pay for college and a way to pay for my health insurance,” Copeland said. “My parents didn’t have it, and I understood.”
In addition to his 23 years of professional experience, Copeland holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in human development and leadership from Murray State.
After spending nearly 19 years in Paducah, Copeland nds himself tasked with managing the safety of a complex city that works in collaboration with a university police department and multiple community organizations that aim to holistically identify and address the root causes of crime.
“To be e ective in this leadership position, I need to understand the needs and the resources of this agency and this community,” Copeland said. “When you have a city the size of Carbondale, the biggest challenge is that there are multiple needs that all need to be taken into consideration. We have to provide
patrol response, we have to provide victim advocacy and we have to provide mental health advocacy.
“Because we have these complex needs and because we have to provide a complex response, we have to be, dare I say, a jack-of-all-trades agency to meet the needs of the community.”
ese needs were outlined in a 2022 report from SIU’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in which SIU surveyed Carbondale residents about the safety of their city. e report found that 20% of Carbondale residents feel that gun violence is a major problem within the city, and an additional 25% consider gun violence to be a moderate problem.
“Each week, Carbondale experiences an average of ve gun-related incidents, two gun-related arrests and two guns seized,” the report reads. “ is issue not only generates a great deal of concern among residents, it also consumes a substantial amount of city police resources.”
In response, the Carbondale Police Department launched the Strategic Response Unit in March of 2025, which has since made over 80 arrests and seized 26 illegal rearms this summer alone.
Copeland said the unit’s primary purpose is e ciency. With patrol o cers handling over 60,000 calls for service annually, the SRU was designed to be a focused resource for high-priority issues like gun violence.
“What we know is that the possession of illegal rearms is something that we need to focus on,” Copeland said. “And why do we know that? Because the community has told us that.”
Before the creation of the SRU, Carbondale City Councilwoman Nancy Maxwell founded and launched Carbondale United.
Instead of focusing on arrests and seizures, Carbondale United works to “eradicate the reasons for violence” by linking distraught people with counseling, jobs and housing.
“We (CPD) cannot x everything,” Copeland said. “We want to increase the quality of life and we want to reduce harm and crime, and we want to do so in partnership with the community. When I see resources like Carbondale United, I say ‘absolutely.’ It is that collaborative, holistic approach that will continue to push this community forward.”
In pushing forward, Copeland notes that he still has his work cut out for him when it comes to fully understanding the city and the collaborative processes that hold it together. With what
Copeland calls a “triage” approach, his main focus is responding to calls quickly and e ectively and then understanding the roots of what causes those calls in the rst place.
To do so, he’ll need the support from those monitoring the streets of the SIU campus, a place that nds itself bordering some of the highest crime areas in the city.
His relationship with SIU Police Department and its chief, Ben Newman, is one that Copeland said he hopes to foster as he begins to understand the dynamic between the city and the campus.
“We should have a very close relationship with the college and with SIU PD,” Copeland said. “We’ve got to be working hand in hand to provide a safe environment for students, because we know that your feeling of security and safety a ects your learning ability and your ability to thrive in life.”
To determine the success of his force, Copeland aims for a decrease in crime rates and an increase in community trust. Quanti ers like the amount of illegal rearms seized and public safety data will help paint a picture of how the Carbondale Police Department is fairing under Copeland’s leadership.
He said he’d also like to make sure
that his department is ensuring that they are protecting people’s rights and that everything they do is being done so constitutionally.
“Law enforcement must remain unpolarized, and our focus has to be on the protection of rights,” Copeland said. He said he wants the community to know that he is approachable and appreciates public thought. He encourages public involvement, public feedback and nds it necessary for the safety of Carbondale to be achieved through community collaboration.
“People call the police on their worst day – when they’re having some of the worst moments of their life,” Copeland said. “Every time a police o cer interacts with someone, they’re either going to make a positive injunction, or it’s going to be negative. You’ve never walked away from an interaction with a police o cer and thought ‘eh, that wasn’t bad.’ I want to do my best to have those be positive interactions.”
News Editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian. com. Sta Reporter Brayden Guy can be reached bguy@dailyegyptian.com. Sta Reporter Leo Castro can be reached at lcastro@dailyegyptian.com.
New Carbondale Police Chief Anthony Copeland | Photo provided by the City of Carbondale
A sunny Saturday afternoon in Marion brought family and friends together at Ray Fosse Park to celebrate a Day of Hope. The day was dedicated to the emotional, physical and mental support for children in southern Illinois. The Day of Hope is neither a fundraiser nor a toy drive, rather, it’s something in between. The Gateway to Hope Foundation offered a variety of things to local children, all the way from toys to scholarships. Children of all ages played throughout the park. High schoolers Dylan Robertson and Evan Adams came to the park not knowing the event was taking place, but were welcomed with open arms and plates of food. “They’re doing a really good thing; giving out free food and free drinks,” Robinson said. When asked if he would attend again, Robertson replied, “Oh yeah, I’d actually come here every year.”
“The event itself is basically for a day of giving, a day of love and a day of celebrating our kids,” Gregory Portee said, who helped orchestrate the Day of Hope. People were smiling, legs were dancing and food was eaten at this family-oriented event that really captured the meaning of hope. Shanika Boo, a regular attendee and a long-distance family member of host Gregory Portee, summed up the experience by explaining it as “something to do on a Saturday.” “You know, let your kids play. Win a few gifts. Have some good food,” Boo said.
‘A
Day of Hope’ inspires local youth
An assortment of toys donated to the Day of Hope event in Marion, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Kids jump in a bounce house at the Day of Hope event in Marion, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Gregory Portee interacts with his relatives at the Day of Hope event in Marion, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Kids participating in the Free Throw Contest attempt to throw small basketballs into the hoops Sept. 20 2025 at the Day of Hope event in Marion, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Cordell McGoy dances to the music at the Day of Hope event in Marion, Illinois. Cordell is a long time volunteer. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
WEEKLY CROSSWORD
Short-legged hound 7. Della's creator
Appear threateningly
Not pro
New Jersey township with motto "Let There Be Light"
Measuring the amount of
Tropical lizard
Acts the hero
OR needs
Deliver
Building projection
___ Raton
Ocean flyer
Early computer acronym
Poetic contraction
31. Shark's close relative
35. In support of 36. "Jeopardy!" host before Alex
37. ___ Nahasapeemapetilon of "The Simpsons"
38. Most basic part
39. "Don't be afraid. I don't ___!"
40. "Not ___ many words" 41. Underground plant stem 42. Tabloid staple 43. Ermines
44. Messenger of Greek gods
45. Light
46. Sch. in Troy, New York
47. "___ Is Born"
48. Word with pad or pool
52. Stinger
53. Teen concern
54. Criticize severely
55. Lady ___: star of 47-Across
59. Biblical exile
