THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
VOL. 108, ISSUE 28
Spring storms sweep region
Colombo, Roberts, Stanfield win Carbondale Council seats Jackson Brandhorst @jackson.html Lylee Gibbs @lyleegibbsphoto
FOR STORM COVERAGE, SEE PAGES 4, 6, 7 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
Tornadoes hit both sides of Mississippi, travel through Cape Girardeau area Lylee Gibbs @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
CAPE GIRARDEAU | 6
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
GOREVILLE | 6
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
CITY COUNCIL | 3
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