THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026
Lost Cross anniversary celebrations, Page 2
VOL. 110, ISSUE 3
Cambria trustees resign, Page 3
Solar Bear in photos, Page 6-7
One killed, one injured in downtown Carbondale stabbing Friday night BRAYDEN GUY News Editor One person died, one person was injured and one person was arrested following a stabbing in downtown Carbondale Friday night, according to a news release from the Carbondale Police Department. The stabbing
occurred at 10:40 p.m. at 100 N. Washington St., the block near Tres Hombres and Consume Cannabis. Officers located two victims with stab wounds. One victim had life threatening injuries and another was in stable condition, the press release said. Both were taken by
ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Officers located the suspect, Romello T. Merriweather, 28, of Carbondale, and took him into custody. He was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of unlawful possession of
a weapon. The victims and suspect were acquaintances and had been involved in an altercation at the time of the stabbing, according to the press release. In 2021, Merriweather pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery, according to Judici. The victim with life-
threatening injuries, Troy Higgins, 52, from Murphysboro, had died, the CPD announced in a press release posted at 2:42 p.m. on Aug. 22. The second victim had been treated and released from the hospital. According to the press release, this is an ongoing investigation.
The Daily Egyptian reached out to the CPD Saturday evening for additional information about the investigation, but there were no sergeants available for comment. News Editor Brayden Guy can be reached at bguy@dailyegyptian.com
Carbondale’s painted hay Salukis break bale tradition ends as family record in first farm changes hands win of season SOCCER
AARON CARNAHAN Sports Reporter
Jim Benz and his son Brian Benz stand near a hay bale that Jim painted on Monday, June 29 in rural Carbondale, Illinois. Jackson Brandhorst | @jacksondothtml JACKSON BRANDHORST Staff Reporter Jim Benz has lived in the same Carbondale home his entire life. It’s where his father lived, his grandfather lived and where he’s spent nearly every moment of his 67 years on Earth. If you live in town, you’re likely familiar with the Benz residence. It’s a 277-acre farm at the intersection of Pleasant Hill and Benz Road, marked notably by the colorful hay bales in its front yard. As Jim would put it, it’s a spot that everyone knows, but no one understands. The hay bales, which Jim has painted seasonally for the last 50 or so years, have become a staple of the area. He’s turned them into jack-o-lanterns, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, American flags and more.
For almost five decades, they’ve signified the passing of time in southern Illinois. Jim began painting the bales shortly after graduating high school in the late 1970s, despite having no prior artistic aspirations. He had only ever worked with machines on the farm, but that didn’t stop his mother, Estella Benz, from suggesting that maybe he should try something a little more creative. “The neighbor next door was making tiny animals out of plywood and putting them out by the road,” Jim recalled. “My mom said, ‘you should do something like that here.’” He started with the jacko-lantern. Then, every holiday became another excuse to repaint the pair of round bales sitting alongside
the road. Thanksgiving brought a colorful turkey, inspired by the hand turkeys he remembered making in grade school. Christmas brought Santa and Valentine’s Day brought a heart, which Jim said were always the hardest because the paint would freeze in the winter. It didn’t take long for people to notice that those weren’t ordinary hay bales on the side of the road, and that somehow, every other month, they looked different. What began as a hobby slowly became one of Carbondale’s most recognizable roadside landmarks. Drivers would honk as they went by. People stopped to take pictures. One visitor traveled from Canada just to photograph the
display, Jim said. Even schoolchildren — riding the bus that Jim drove as a secondary job — would often ask him what he was going to paint next. His son, Brian Benz, watched the tradition grow into something much bigger than either of them had ever expected. “Everybody always wanted to know what he was going to do next,” Brian said. “He never told me. He would just go out there and start making it. There were a few times he thought about stopping, but then he’d see all the comments from people saying that they looked forward to seeing them every year.” The displays became so well known that people occasionally climbed
The Saluki women’s soccer team made program history in a game against Western Illinois University on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Dawgs scored five goals in a shutout victory, setting the record for most goals scored in a single game. The Salukis scored first at the home game on a goal from midfielder Aylie Haycock just two minutes into the match. Midfielder Dana Nadda assisted Haycock on the goal, and Southern Illinois led Western Illinois 1-0. SIU scored again in the 35th minute. The assist was credited to defender Veronica Gonzalez, and midfielder Brooke Gosse scored the goal. The Salukis commanded a 2-0 advantage over the Leathernecks heading into halftime. Southern Illinois continued their offensive output with a goal from forward Dior Knorr in the 56th minute. The assist came from midfielder/forward Nao Katamoto and defender Lola Martinez. The Dawgs controlled a 3-0 lead. SIU scored two more times in
the next five minutes. The fourth Saluki goal came in the 60th minute. Gosse scored her second goal of the contest, and Katamoto assisted on her second goal of the match, along with midfielder Kayla Grain assisting on her first. At the 61’ mark, SIU scored a program-recordsetting fifth goal. Forward Maya Dixon scored with Katamoto assisting on her third goal of the match. The Salukis would defeat the Leathernecks by a final score of 5-0. The five goals set a new program record for the most scored in a match since the program began competing in 2019. It was the Salukis’ first win of the season after the season began with a loss to rival Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. Aug. 13, SEMO 1, SIU 0 The Southern Illinois women’s soccer team began the 2026 season on the road in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, against the SEMO Redhawks. The opening match took place on Thursday, Aug. 13. The Redhawks went on to score a goal in the first half and take a 1-0 lead over SIU into halftime. The Saluki goalkeeper,
SOCCER | 5
FARM | 9
Five detained after fight at Carbondale football game BRAYDEN GUY News Editor Five people were arrested Friday following an altercation at the Carbondale Community High School football game, according to a Saturday afternoon press release from the Carbondale Police Department.
Kashaad Johnson, 19, from Carbondale, and four juveniles from Carbondale were all engaged in aggravated battery. The press release states, “Johnson was incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail pending a detention hearing. Three of the juveniles were
taken to the Jackson County Jail while awaiting transport to a juvenile detention facility pending a court appearance. The fourth juvenile was released to a guardian.” In accordance with the Illinois Juvenile Justice Act, CPD will not release the names of the juveniles involved.
Superintendent of CCHS, Daniel Booth, wrote a letter that was released on the CCHS Facebook page around 4 p.m. on Aug. 22. Booth said that the altercation occurred under the bleachers during the second half of the game
and that administration is actively investigating the incident. The letter also thanked local law enforcement for assistance and encouraged the community to work together to teach and help youth with behavior and conflict. The Daily Egyptian
reached out to the CPD Saturday evening for additional information about the altercation, but no sergeants were available for comment. News Editor Brayden Guy can be reached at bguy@dailyegyptian.com