U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested six men on their way to work in late
January in Du Quoin, marking one of the first reported ICE enforcement actions this far south in Illinois under President Donald Trump’s expanded second-term immigration crackdown.
ICE agents conducting surveillance in Perry County on the morning of
Thursday, Jan. 29, stopped a truck of Hispanic men on Illinois 152 en route to their lumber-stacking jobs at Alstat Wood Products, a sawmill in rural southern Illinois.
Original online reporting from the Daily Egyptian had only been able to verify the arrest of five men, but the DE confirmed on Sunday through volunteers who had been in contact with the detainees that six men were arrested.
Those arrested were 53-year-old Carlos Sanchez-Luna of Mexico; 37-year-old Guadalupe Hernandez Lopez of Mexico; 27-year-old Ramiro Lopez Alvarez of Mexico; 42-year-old Gilberto Gomez Perez of Mexico; 28-year-old David Ernesto Rodriguez-Mejia of El Salvador; and
Scott Nagy bares feet to raise awareness for shoe charity
| @lyleegibbsphoto
On Jan. 11, 2025, Saluki men’s basketball head coach Scott Nagy did something Saluki fans had never seen before: He coached their entire game against the Missouri State Bears barefoot. He coached barefoot again in the Dawgs’ recent matchup against the Bradley Braves, as he has once a year for nearly his whole career.
“I’ve been doing it I don’t even know how many years now, 15 to 20,” Nagy said in an interview
with the Daily Egyptian.
He does so to support Samaritan’s Feet International, a humanitarian aid organization that gives shoes to those in need around the world. For every barefoot game Nagy has coached, fans have had the option to donate shoes at the door in exchange for free tickets to the game or donate funds directly to a special link on the Samaritan’s Feet website. The tradition started after Nagy and his wife, Jamie, adopted their daughter Naika and were looking for a way to give back.
“I was looking for a way to help Naika’s country, Haiti, and there’s all kinds of ways to help but there was a coach in our league back then, Ron Hunter, who did the first barefoot game,” Nagy said. “I asked him about it, how did this come to be, and he introduced me to Manny Ohonme, who is the founder and CEO of Samaritan’s Feet International.”
Nagy said he has gotten to know Ohonme well over the years of working with Samaritan’s Feet,
4 candidates vie for Jackson County judge
BRAYDEN GUY bguy@dailyegyptian.com
Democrats Heather Heaslett, Benjamin Reed and Casey VanWinkle are campaigning for their party’s nomination to run for the Jackson County resident circuit judge in November. Republican Jamie Snyder is running unopposed in that party’s primary.
The position opened after Judge Christy Solverson announced her retirement on Jan. 30, 2026. Circuit court judges hear cases typically in a specific docket assigned by the chief judge, but they do rotate which docket they work on. A docket is a record of the proceedings or filing of one or more cases. Circuit court judges also appoint associate judges who hear cases designated by the circuit court judges.
Head coach Scott Nagy coaches barefoot from the sidelines as the Salukis face off against the Bradley Braves Feb. 15, 2026 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs
Business Manager: Amy Dion businessmanager@dailyegyptian.com
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Angelica is a beautiful senior Snowshoe mix who came to us when her family could no longer afford to care for her. This sweet girl has a gentle soul and a calm, loving presence that makes her a comforting companion. Angelica enjoys quiet moments, soft affection, and the simple pleasures of a cozy home. She’s hoping to find a peaceful forever family who will cherish her golden years and give her the love and stability she so deeply deserves.
STAR Bonds to make an ‘oasis’ out of Illinois Star Centre mall
JARRET COLEMAN FOR JRNL 419
The Illinois Star Centre Mall has been a focal point for the community for almost 35 years. After opening in the fall of 1991, it became a local epicenter for retail and entertainment that rivaled not only the University Mall in Carbondale, but many big-name malls across the country. With Sears, Target and Dillards anchoring the mall into the late 1990s and early 2000s, the future was bright for the newest shopping center in the region. But by the early 2010s, the mall had started to empty out and lose its luster. The interior closed in 2018, in a haze of its former glory.
Enter Shad Zimbro. Together with his friend and business partner, Rodney Cabaness, the founders of Black Diamond Harley Davidson are revitalizing the Marion mall, aiming to create an “Oasis” of retail and entertainment for the region. The duo said it began as a simple dream over four years ago, and following countless hours of painstaking work, it is finally becoming a reality.
“You don’t get sleep,” Zimbro said in a recent interview alongside Cabaness. “Rodney works about 20 hours a day, and so it is just a lot of time and dedication.”
The STAR Bond District in Marion is a first for the state of Illinois, and the motorcycle juggernauts are taking full
advantage of the opportunity.
It’s a project years in the making. In 2010, former Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly approved the Innovation Development & Economy Act, which granted the city the use of STAR Bonds to help fund development projects in a defined location known as the STAR Bond District. As a part of the act, the bonds are paid back though tax revenue collected in the new, developed area, with the other half paid back by the city and the state. Earlier efforts fell apart in 2013, however, when the initial proposed project couldn’t meet the requirements of the state.
But with the appointment of Millennium Destination Development, a company led by Zimbro and Cabaness, as the city’s Master Developer, plans finally gelled a few years ago to create something brand new for the city of Marion. Bringing it back to life was a key platform for Mayor Mike Absher when he first ran for the position, and he worked with Zimbro and Cabaness to make it a reality. In the fall of 2023, the Department of Revenue approved the redevelopment of the Star Centre Mall and surrounding areas.
“So the mall was still going, but it was steadily declining, and then the mayor, when he ran, revitalizing the mall was one of the things he ran on,” Cabaness said. “Shad and
I were doing other developments in other states, and the light bulb was flipped on by Mayor Absher when he talked to us about doing something specifically in the mall, and we were kind of the natural choice since we already owned the parking lot.”
The mall had long become an eyesore in the eyes of many in Marion, and yet the plan still drew skeptics who worried it would be yet another failed venture. But Zimbro
and Cabaness said they believe they are starting to win over public perception as the project takes shape.
More and more travelers coming in from Interstate 57 will see the many other amenities southern Illinois has to offer, Cabaness said, calling the area “a hidden gem.”
“Once people come here and they see how much southern Illinois has to offer, and the cost of living is less and there is so much to do in nature, it’s a beautiful place to do business,” he said. “It is no secret that the beauty of the region will no longer be lost on those who are just visiting for the first time, as well as the locals who will be making brand new discoveries once the retail and entertainment hub brings them in.”
Though the mall, now christened as the “ThrillHouse,” slated to open in the spring, will act as the centerpiece for all of the Oasis developments, they also have a few existing projects that have already begun to change the trajectory of entertainment in the region.
Launched in 2023, the Thrillville Thrillbillies laid the groundwork for what Zimbro and the rest of the Harley Davidson crew envisioned for the future of sports tourism, as they housed a collegiate baseball team in the summer Prospect League. This served as a replacement for the Frontier League’s SI Miners, which disbanded at the end of the 2021 season. Starting from scratch,
complete with a team reveal that invited members of the public to vote on the name of a mascot, as well as a complete overhaul of the now Mtn Dew Park, things got off the ground very quickly for the first STAR Bond developments. With three seasons of baseball, concerts and events under its belt, the first phase of Marion’s new Oasis jumpstarted the new district. Upon completion of the project, the mall is slated to have many different attractions, including bowling, axe throwing and a full size GO-KART track housed within the mall. Additionally, the 100,000-square-foot ThrillHouse will include a 2,000 square foot arcade, restaurants and bars, the Integrity Dome (a place to house indoor sports including baseball and soccer), and a TopGolf equivalent driving range at the Mammoth FieldHouse directly across from the mall.
“It’s going to be fun,” Zimbro said. “And it’ll be fun for everybody just to get up there and see some of the stuff in the mall that is going to make us feel like kids again.”
ThrillHouse has hosted “Sneak Peek Saturdays,” showing the arcade, as well as the go-kart tracks as they near completion. The entire space is currently slated to open in late February.
This story was produced for JRNL 419: Investigative Reporting
Photo provided by Jarret Coleman
Photo provided by Jarret Coleman
38-year-old Alvarez Yecfren Alexander of Honduras — whose name was originally reported incorrectly.
The Perry County Weekly-Press first reported the names of those detained on Feb. 11, citing an ICE spokesperson.
All of the men were booked in the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on the same day they were arrested.
Lopez, Perez and Rodriguez-Mejia were all transferred to the Greene County Jail in Springfield, Missouri on Feb. 3. Lopez is still being held in detention in Greene County, but Perez was extradited from the jail by ICE on Feb. 6 and Rodriguez-Mejia was extradited from the jail by ICE on Feb. 14. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. ICE did not return multiple calls and emails from the DE seeking information regarding their location.
Sanchez-Luna, Alexander and Alvarez are all still being detained in the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center.
“I did not dream of this, really, to be honest with you — until I got the phone call saying that they’d been picked up,” Daniel Alstat, owner of Alstat Wood Products said in an interview with the DE on Feb. 5.
Alstat Wood Products is a familyowned sawmill and logging company just off of Illinois 127 in rural Perry County, Illinois. The company has been in operation since 1988 and is one of the few remaining sawmills in southern Illinois.
Alstat said he was struggling to find locals to do some of the hard labor during certain times of the year. Depending on the season, Alstat employs roughly 25 to 30 people — many of whom are family members.
Looking for additional laborers to begin work in 2026, other sawmill owners pointed Alstat in the direction of a contracting company called Midwest Lumber Solutions Inc.
Through this company, Alstat said he hired five men on sixmonth contracts at the beginning of the new year in what he called an “experimental” approach to finding employees. Although six men were arrested in total, Alstat said that he had employed five men who had
been detained. It was not clear where a sixth man had been working, and further efforts to reach Alstat for comment have been unsuccessful.
“When I signed the contract for the five employees, basically it states that they’ll (Midwest Lumber) be responsible for them,” Alstat said. “When I ran it through my people and got it approved, it was all good. So we just kind of went from there.”
Diego Rest, of Kissimmee, Florida, the owner of Midwest Lumber Solutions Inc., which operates out of Missouri and Florida, confirmed to the DE on Feb. 7 that the employees had been hired by his firm and contracted to work at Alstat. He said he’d been aware they were detained by ICE, but declined further comment.
Rest is also the owner of Midwest Outsourcing Inc., located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to Alstat, Rest’s contracting company was responsible for providing payment, housing and transportation for the men.
The men had been living in a trailer on North Howard Street in Du Quoin since November of 2025, according to neighbors, who were familiar with the men and knew that they worked at Alstat.
Multiple neighbors described more than one instance of police activity at the trailer in the months that the men lived there, and several recounted an incident that they said happened weeks ago in which they saw men being placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.
Perry County State’s Attorney Matt Foster said he did not have any reports concerning the men nor their address. Court records website Judici did not indicate any of the men were facing charges in Perry, Jackson or Union counties.
One neighbor, Tristan Gossman, said he didn’t hear much from the men, though had been familiar with where they lived.
“Good neighbors are quiet neighbors,” Gossman said “They must have come and gone at different hours. I didn’t know there was more than a couple people living there. I had not a single problem with them.”
Other neighbors told the DE they occasionally heard loud music at
night, and said it appeared multiple people were living in the home.
Du Quoin is home to a little over 5,600 residents — 2.44% of which are Hispanic, according to Data USA, and is best known for the Du Quoin State Fair and Street Machine Nationals, which brings hundreds of visitors to town during the summer.
Du Quoin Mayor Josh Downs said he did not learn about the ICE activity until after the men had been detained.
“Du Quoin police were not notified beforehand or asked to participate in any way with any ICE activities in Du Quoin,” Downs said on Feb. 9. “They were notified afterward by a resident who noticed unmarked vehicles in town.”
Under the TRUST Act, Illinois state law prohibits local and state police officers and other officials from cooperating with ICE, with some limited exceptions.
The report from the Weekly-Press cites ICE Public Affairs Officer Nina Pruenda saying that ICE, along with federal partners, conducted a vehicle stop during a targeted enforcement operation and encountered six men — all of which Pruenda told the WeeklyPress have warrants out for their arrests.
The DE was unable to independently verify the status or
nature of any arrest warrants, and ICE did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Their names did not appear in a Judici search across multiple southern Illinois counties, though it is unclear how long the men had been living in the area.
Alstat said it was his understanding that the men were pulled over by ICE as part of a broader surveillance effort by the agency in the region, and that they were not necessarily the target of it.
“From the details I’m gathering, they were pulled over on an actual highway,” Alstat said. “They got in their vehicle and started coming to work and drove through an area where they (ICE) were looking for people in another spot and when they happened to drive by with some Hispanic looking people they (ICE) went ‘Oh look at that, let’s question these people.’”
Intensified ICE action over the past year has produced a plethora of legal battles concerning the conduct and procedures involving arrests and detentions made by ICE agents — such as Perdomo vs. Noem.
Perdomo, represented by the ACLU, alleges that recent ICE activity violates the Fourth Amendment because ICE agents are racially profiling and conducting stops on individuals without reasonable suspicion. The ongoing case has made its way to the Supreme Court, where it saw a contentious concurring opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“He (Kavanaugh) suggested that if ICE knows people are working in jobs typically held by immigrants, or at workplaces where immigrants often work, if they’re speaking Spanish or doing other things typically associated with undocumented individuals, that might give law enforcement reasonable suspicion to stop and question them,” said Cindy Buys, a professor in the Southern Illinois University School of Law who specializes in immigration law.
The visa status of the five individuals detained in Du Quoin is unclear.
Alstat said that he was told that the five employees he subcontracted had six-month work visas.
Buys said that H-2A visas are used for agricultural workers, and that many southern Illinois farmers use them to add employees for seasonal labor.
“It sounds like they had some kind
of temporary visa, meaning they were lawfully present and had employment authorization,” Buys said after a DE reporter told her about the case.
“However, depending on the nature of their criminal records, that could invalidate their ability to remain and work lawfully. For those without criminal records, if they were here on valid temporary visas, there shouldn’t be a reason to arrest and detain them.”
Buys has not counseled the five men.
A wide range of criminal behavior puts an individual at risk of losing immigration status. The immigration statute has its own list of deportable offenses — and it’s not limited to felonies. Most misdemeanors qualify.
Buys said that obtaining immigration visas can be timeconsuming, and that some companies specialize in handling that process.
“Companies with expertise in the visa process may act as the employer of record and subcontract workers to local businesses,” Buys said. “There’s nothing inherently improper about that arrangement.”
It is unclear whether ICE is still operating in southern Illinois, and the future of the five individuals currently in detention is unknown. Alstat said the situation has been unsettling to him.
“If I’d have known this was going to go down this way, I maybe would have chosen a different path to approach this,” Alstat said. “But still, I needed the labor. It was a chance I was willing to take. At the same time, I don’t know that there’s really been anything that’s gone wrong with anybody, because I still haven’t understood why they were taken if they had that paperwork. So I don’t know yet.”
The Daily Egyptian has reached out to ICE, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, the Southern Illinois Immigrants Rights Project and several ICE detention centers throughout the Midwest and is awaiting further comment.
This story is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
News Editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com. Senior Editor Lylee Gibbs
The sun sets on Du Quoin’s historic Main Street Feb. 12, 2026 in Du Quoin, Illinois. Du Quoin, a small town in Perry County of just over 5,600 residents, became one of the first confirmed cases of ICE activity in southern Illinois since Trump’s increase of immigration enforcement. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Alstat Wood Productions sits along IL-127 Feb. 12, 2026 in Du Quoin, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Dawgs go 1-1 during home stretch at Banterra
The SIU Women’s basketball team is nearing the conclusion of its regular season as it looks to gain momentum heading into Arch Madness. The Salukis went 1-1 to start a three-game home stretch in Carbondale, downing Illinois State on Feb. 13 and falling to Bradley just two days later.
SIU 84, ILLINOIS STATE 60
The Salukis faced off against the Illinois State Redbirds at the Banterra Center on Friday, Feb. 13. The matchup followed a two-game win streak where the Salukis hoped to bag another win at home.
With head coach Kelly Bond-White out for recovery from an emergent medical illness, assistant coach Greg Brown led the team to a successful victory.
“We didn’t add to her trouble tonight with that. She’s good and responding well. We’re excited to get her back and healthy tomorrow at practice,” Brown said.
Beginning at tip-off, the Redbirds were eager to get the first shot off within the first minute, which led to a short-lived back and forth.
The Salukis gained a 12-point lead with smooth 3-pointers and determined turnovers to set the pace for the rest of the quarter. Not too harshly shaken up by the run of points, the Redbirds returned the favor with a run of their own, bringing in 7 points straight. The first quarter went to SIU by a narrow 17-14 margin.
The Dawgs turned up the volume
going into the second quarter, getting the first shot off with a pull-up jumper from Alayna Kraus. An impressive 17 point run gave the Salukis a boost in confidence, driving through the Redbirds who would only be able to rack up a total of 11 points throughout the whole quarter, in contrast to the strong Saluki sum of 25, adding up to a halftime total of 41-25 in favor of the Dawgs.
Coming in hot for the third quarter, ISU moved with determination to bring themselves back into the game. With effective work capitalizing on jumpers, the Redbirds put a stop to Saluki momentum in the first half of the third quarter. With a few turnovers given up by SIU on top of some blocked shots, the Salukis looked to bring their energy back after a timeout following a 11 point jump in ISU’s score.
Both teams came out of a timeout with a short back-and-forth. Saluki forward
Carmen Morales showcased a strong display of dominance in her area on the court with two powerful layups. Toward the last minute of the third quarter, Kraus moved confidently, dropping back-toback shots with ease.
Finishing out the third quarter, Kynnedi Davis dropped a brilliant buzzer beater to leave the Redbirds in the dust, with SIU up 66-43.
“We worked on it during shootaround. Coach Brown just said, come on, we’re gonna work on buzzer beaters, and we just started throwing them up… and
we find out (Davis) makes one and we just say thank you Coach Brown,” guard Kayla Cooper said.
Opening the last quarter, Cooper started a small run for the team with a 3-point jumper less than a minute in. With ISU giving their best attempt to stay in with a back and forth exchange, the Salukis were able to overwhelm them by adding far more to the scoreboard.
As the Redbirds ramped up the mistakes, the Salukis capitalized. Multiple failed layups and turnovers from ISU gave SIU all the confidence they needed to finish out strong with a final score of 84-60.
BRADLEY 56, SIU 53
The Salukis took on Bradley University on Sunday, Feb. 15 during blackout cancer night at the Banterra Center. Head coach Kelly-Bond White also returned to coach her athletes after being out for Friday’s win over ISU. She stated after the game how the focus was more for the theme than the actual game.
“We were being asked to fight, not for us, but to show gratefulness to people who were battling real fights every single day,” said White.
After acquiring a third win in a row, SIU looked to step up their game against the third-in-conference Braves.
Tip-off to start went to Bradley, who would take the advantage to gain their first point of the game. Indiyah Green would soon return with SIU’s first point with a smooth jumper. Both teams struggled
with shots during the first half. Missed jumpers and poor layups halted game progress. Chemistry did look alive with the Salukis, who prevented layups from the Braves with sharp defense. Short lived runs would end the first quarter 14-12, with Salukis taking a slight upperhand.
The second quarter started with two short runs by SIU, both off turnovers, showcasing the ferocity that the team outputs with teamwork.
This run was put to halt by Bradley’s own run of 4 points. Both teams displayed their moments of smart defense, halting each other from continuous momentous runs.
Coming out of a media timeout, Bradley looked to assert a much more aggressive style of defense. SIU began to creep close as the Braves continued their momentum in a 6 point run, putting just one point between the two battling teams.
A motivating 3 pointer by Krause was just one of few successful attempts of breaking through the Brave defense. A good second-chance layup by Green shut out the half of the game, with a slight lead for the Salukis; 27:24.
The third quarter continued to show both teams and their slight shakiness. Multiple missed shots and looseballs came from each side. However, the game’s speed intensified as players slid across the court, moving the ball furiously with each pass.
Amy O’Hara on the Braves played a
threatening role all game long, notably preventing layups for the Salukis. Bradley State played determined to stay behind SIU within a one or two plays. The third quarter ended with Salukis staying up with the Braves barely behind, going into the fourth quarter 42-38.
Tension peaked in the fourth quarter, as the Braves were able to catch up numerous times. Intense movement and focused dribbling from SIU gave them a two point lead, but a foul from Green led to free throws and a tie score for the first time all game.
Not more than two minutes later, back-to-back layups from Braves Tamia Perryman would knock SIU from holding on to the lead. A race for the lead or a tie for overtime was needed as the Salukis approached the final minute. Freethrows seemed to be key for pushing each team on top nearing the end of the game. A foul on Krause would give the Salukis an opportunity to tie the game, but Krause missed the first of three, leaving the salukis behind despite her two other shots going in. With only a few seconds left, the Braves would close out the game with their own free throw shots, ending the score 56-53.
The Salukis hope to earn a win on Thursday, Feb. 19 as they take on the Panthers of Northern Iowa at the Banterra Center.
Sports Reporter Leo Castro can be reached at lcastro@dailyegyptian.com
Puzzle Answers
(Puzzles on 12)
CONTINUED FROM 1
even taking his teams on trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to help deliver shoes.
“I’ve gotten to know him, his heart, and his organization very well, and it’s something I believe in and what they’re doing in terms of how they’re helping people, how they’re bringing hope to people, and how they’re saving people’s lives,” Nagy said.
Nagy said he realizes the incredible place of privilege that he and the team come from compared to the people of countries that Samaritan’s Feet supports.
“I find it a bit ridiculous when you can walk in any of our players’ lockers and see the number of shoes or walk in my closet and see the number of shoes,” he said. “Several of these countries, it’s the first time some of these children have even had a pair of shoes.”
Nagy went on to describe how big of a difference the shoes make in the lives of those that get donated to.
“For some of these countries, it keeps them from getting sick because so many of the diseases people get are footborne diseases that come through the skin because obviously your feet are what touch the ground and so a lot of these diseases are coming in through their feet,” Nagy said. “And so if you’re giving a pair of shoes to someone who doesn’t have a pair of shoes, there is a possibility that you’re saving their life.”
Nagy was blown away with the fan reception after his first barefoot game at South Dakota State in 2009.
“We got over 2,000 shoes we had to rent a garage to put them all in there,” he said Saluki guard Davion Sykes talked about how much the cause means after the game against the Braves.
“At the end of the day it’s bigger than basketball. I know a big reason Coach Nagy does this is because of his family,” Sykes said.
Nagy’s work with Samaritan’s Feet has even given Naika a chance to reconnect with family back in Haiti.
“The first time we went over (to Haiti), I was able to connect with her birth mom,
Jalen Haynes (5) dribbles the ball towards the basket as he is guarded by Bradley defense Feb. 15, 2026 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com
Head coach Scott Nagy sits barefoot in the team huddle as the Salukis face off against the Bradley Braves Feb. 15, 2026 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com
Dawgs go 2-1 in jam-packed week
ELI HOOVER ehoover@dailyegyptian.com
The Saluki men’s basketball squad competed in three games in the span of six days this past week, notching wins against the Indiana State Sycamores and Evansville Purple Aces before dropping a matchup against the Bradley Braves.
SIU 80, INDIANA STATE 65
The Salukis made their way to Terre Haute, Indiana on Monday, Feb. 9 to take on the Sycamores. They led for 32 minutes in what ended up being a comfortable 80-65 victory.
What was an offensive struggle in the first half switched to a game of runs late in the half. SIU broke off an 11-0 run before the Sycamores answered with an 8-0 run of their own. The Salukis were able to weather the storm for the time being, up 27-23 with 3:56 left to go in the first half.
SIU continued to lock down Indiana State on defense and score just enough points to keep the lead on offense. The Dawgs took a 37-32 lead into the halftime break.
SIU pulled away the entire second half, never even entertaining the possibility of letting Indiana State back in the game.
The victor was never in doubt over the final minutes. The closest the Sycamores got was 13 points, and the Salukis came away with an 80-65 win.
SIU
86, EVANSVILLE 60
On Thursday, Feb. 12, the Salukis welcomed the Purple Aces for Blackout Cancer Night inside the Banterra Center. SIU put their foot on the gas early and rarely took it off in a 86-60 victory.
“It means a lot, honestly. Playing for something bigger than basketball,” guard Damien Mayo Jr. said postgame about Blackout Cancer night postgame. “For us to come out with a W by 26 points, it’s a blessing.”
Guard Drew Steffe and forward Rolyns Aligbe combined for six 3-pointers in the early going and forced Evansville head coach David Ragland to call his second timeout of the contest with 11:07 remaining in the first half, down 29-9 and on the wrong end of a 26-2 run.
“We knew how they played us last year, very tight, so for us to hit those shots early with Drew and Rolyns, four in a row, it forced them out away from the basket,” Saluki head coach Scott Nagy said.
The Purple Aces started the slow climb back into the contest as the first half wore on. A 14-2 run for the visiting side had them down 39-28 with 3:10 left in the first half.
Evansville continued their run and eventually brought the Saluki lead down to single digits. The first half ended with a layup from SIU guard Jalen Haynes and the home squad taking a 43-32 lead.
SIU continued to distance themselves from the Purple Aces on the scoreboard as the second half started. A 57% shooting percentage for the Salukis to start the second half gave them a 62-42 lead with 11:44 remaining in the game.
An 8-0 run for Evansville put them right back in the thick of it. That and a nearly five- minute scoring drought for the Salukis narrowed the lead to 62-50 with 7:25 remaining in regulation.
Just as fast as the Purple Aces got back in the game, the Salukis slammed the door in their face. SIU stretched their
lead to 77-55 at the final media timeout of the matchup.
A 3-pointer from guard Caden Hawkins with exactly a minute to go brought a roar from the crowd and served as a confirmation of a 86-60 victory.
BRADLEY 70, SIU 60
The Salukis welcomed the Braves as part of a post-Valentine’s doubleheader at Banterra Center Sunday, Feb. 15. The Salukis felt the heartbreak of a 70-60 defeat that dropped them to 6-10 in MVC play.
Both offenses seemed to be affected by the early afternoon start, going a combined 35% from the floor through the first four minutes of play. A 3-pointer from Bradley forward Corey Thomas gave the Braves an early 7-4 advantage.
It didn’t take much longer for Bradley to find their rhythm. They immediately went on a 9-2 run that forced Saluki head coach Scott Nagy to call his first timeout of the contest with 13:19 to play in the first half down 16-6. The immediate returns didn’t look good for SIU, as they missed their next four shots after the timeout.
Just as fast as they heated up, the Braves went cold. They missed six consecutive shots and didn’t score for nearly four minutes. The Salukis weren’t able to take control however, and trailed 20-14 with 7:05 remaining in the first half.
SIU briefly took the lead thanks to an 11-2 run powered entirely by guards Davion Sykes and Quel’Ron House. A 3-pointer from Bradley guard Alex Huibregste tied the game at 28 at halftime.
Both teams came out of the locker room at halftime the same way they did at the beginning of the game: very slow. The teams combined for 6 points in the first four-and-ahalf minutes of the second half. That left the Braves with a 32-30 advantage.
The second half continued to repeat the first as Bradley dominated the next four minutes of play. A multiple-minute scoring drought for the Salukis and a 6-0 run for the Braves gave the visiting side a 44-35 lead.
A 7-0 SIU run cut what was once a 13-point Braves lead to 51-46 with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
House brought the Salukis within 3 points with two minutes remaining after successfully converting an and-1. A 3-pointer from Huibregste and a basket from guard Jaquan Johnson for the Braves immediately after made any Saluki comeback effort an uphill battle with the score 68-60 and 51 seconds remaining in the matchup.
Two free throws from Johnson locked the final score at 70-60 Bradley, with chants of “B-U” from the Braves bench and visiting fans filling the Banterra Center.
Poor 3-point shooting became an issue yet again for SIU, as they went 0-15 from deep in the game.
“I have coached a lot of games, almost 1,000. I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a game where we didn’t make a three,” Nagy said postgame.
The now 12-15 Salukis turn their attention to the Drake Bulldogs, who they’ll face on Wednesday Feb. 18 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at ehoover@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @hoovermakesart
SIU’s Davion Skyes (4) jumps to score the basket while University of Evansville’s AJ Casey (23) tries to get the ball away from him Feb. 12, 2026 at SIU’s Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Damien Mayo Jr. (10) goes for the basket while University of Evansville’s AJ Casey (23) and Trent Hundley (45) try to block him Feb. 12, 2026 in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Quel’Ron House (2) dribbles the ball towards the basket as he is guarded by Bradley defense Feb. 15, 2026 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com
First-time college students now get priority registration at SIU
CARLY GIST cgist@dailyegyptian.com
As of Feb. 16, first-time college students at SIU now have the opportunity to register early for fall classes.
In years past, staggered enrollment for undergraduates would take place over the course of a week, with first-year students registering after returning and transfer students. According to Shelly Gehrke, associate provost for student success, administration requested registration for first-time, first-year, post-high school undergraduates to open in mid-February, a process defined as “priority registration.” First-time students are defined as those who are coming to college for the first time, not SIU specifically. This means transfer students are not included, Gehrke said.
Wendell Williams, associate chancellor of enrollment management, said priority registration was created to help both the students and the institution. He said around 1,600 applicants indicated on their application or contacted field representatives to say they were ready to register and committed to SIU.
The university begins receiving applications for the following academic year during the preceding July. Williams said that 79% of students who indicated that they were ready to register received merit-based scholarships, and of that total, around 21% have a 3.8 GPA or higher.
“Those are kids that are going to be recruited and snatched up by all other universities, and traditionally, we wouldn’t actually begin to register those students until April,” he said.
“So you think about that. (You) let me know in November that you were ready to register, and you don’t get a chance to do anything until April. And especially imagine if you’re trying to get an advising appointment or trying to get to orientation, and we want our students registered before they come to orientation. Imagine the staffing challenges it takes to kind of get all of that worked out.
“Some of our students aren’t getting registered until after they get out of school. So imagine yourself in high school that you would get ready to graduate, and you got a student that might be going to the University of Illinois, at the University of Illinois
Chicago, and they’ve already registered for their classes, and you haven’t registered yet. You’re thinking that you’re behind. So in our strategic planning retreat, we said, ‘Let’s challenge ourselves to allow these students, to give these students priority registration.’”
Williams said priority registration will give students a locked-in schedule, allowing them to have “peace of mind.”
“If you think about it, they will be able to make sure that they have enough financial aid or anything else, because those bills are calculated as early as July, so they’ll know exactly what they’re going to be receiving for financial aid or any other things that they might need to do, to do any extra savings or working just to be able to comfortably have a good start to the semester,” Williams said. “It’s just better planning, and we actually yield more students that way.”
Active military and veteran students of any year or degree are also included in priority registration, as Illinois state law requires them to have access to the earliest registration time available.
“Those populations will be able to register online until it closes March 29 at 11:59 p.m.,” Gehrke said. “Then March 30, it will kind of go back to
normal, where March 30 at 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. are the special populations that get to register like normal, and then starting March 31 is our regular staggered enrollment process, and the new first-time students will be at that point plugged into that process.”
Special populations include student athletes, University Honors Program students, Chancellor Scholars and Law Honors students.
Williams said the new registration process will also allow the university to better prepare for the school year.
“Traditionally, some of those general education core courses that these students would be taking might fill up and our new student might not be able to get those classes, but now those students, we will be able to plan well in advance how those classes are filling up,” Williams said. “It’ll help us to problemsolve. It’ll help us to realign any kind of staffing priorities that we might need to do, and it’s going to help with just new student orientation. So that’s the reason why we went with priority registration.”
Although priority registration comes before returning and transfer students may apply, Williams said he does not think it will hinder their
registration process.
“It probably won’t have a major impact on returning students, because, remember, returning students, especially those who have been here a year, won’t be taking the exact same courses that a lot of the first-time in college students will be taking,” Williams said. “This is just for first-time, brand new students in college.”
Gehrke said the advising team made modifications so advisers could be responsive to new students while also supporting current students.
“We expect lots of after-registration appointments, and changes to schedules over the next many months,” she said. Students can register online at salukinet.siu.edu. Wendell said that if students need help with the registration process, they can reach out to the admissions office, their field representatives, academic advisers and recruitment and retention coordinators.
“It’s going to give a lot of students a great Saluki start, and when you have a great Saluki start, you’re gonna have a great Saluki finish,” Williams said.
Editor-in-Chief Carly Gist can be reached at cgist@dailyegyptian.com
The primary for the Illinois First Judicial Circuit Court will be held on March 17. Early voting began on Feb. 5. The primary is a closed election, so voters declare which party’s ballot, Democrat or Republican, to vote on. Any voter can choose their ballot at the polls, no matter their previous party affiliation.
Heaslett is a native of Murphysboro who has been a licensed attorney since 2005. She has experience working as an attorney and a judicial law clerk in the Appellate Court of Illinois. She wrote and founded a grant that brought Redeploy Illinois to the First Judicial Circuit.
The grant is a $766,551 program that “provides evidence-based alternatives to youth incarceration, serving more than 80 local youth each year,” according to Heaslett on social media.
Reed was born and raised in Murphysboro and attended law school at SIU. He currently practices family law at his law firm across the street from the Jackson County Court House. Reed has been licensed since 2012, but before that, he helped his family law firm as a young boy.
VanWinkle has practiced law across southern Illinois for 25 years. He is experienced in civil practice, which covers areas of law such as workers’ compensation and personal injury.
VanWinkle said that his “mindset, personality and his patience” are all qualities he would bring as a judge to make people feel respected and heard.
“I am the type of person that I think you would be happy to be in front of,” VanWinkle said.
Snyder has served as counsel to the City of Carbondale and as Assistant State’s Attorney over his 24 years as a licensed attorney. He is currently the City Attorney of Carbondale.
Snyder described himself as a “soft Republican.” He said that his career as an attorney with a “conservative background” in the “most progressive community in southern Illinois” shows he can represent the interests of citizens and put his “political views aside” to be an impartial judge who listens.
All of the candidates live, work and participate in the Jackson County community. But they each have distinct careers and qualities.
“I am a hard worker,” Heaslett said. “I am somebody who sees a problem and takes steps to change that problem, even if I am not in a policy position.”
She referenced writing the grant for Redeploy Illinois as a side project while she was an assistant state’s attorney as evidence of her hardworking nature, even outside of
her normal duties.
“You are not going to find many assistant state’s attorneys that have done something like that,” Heaslett said.
Snyder has been practicing as a lawyer longer than anyone else in this race. He said that these years of experience distinguish him from the other candidates. He also has experience in managing court dockets as the city attorney.
“When I took over, they had a backlog probably of anywhere between 7,000 to 8,000 cases that were just sitting there,” Snyder said.
Snyder said managing this backlog by “systematically going through those cases to get the docket back down to a manageable level” was a unique experience that sets him apart from the Democratic candidates, one of whom he will be facing in November in the general election.
VanWinkle also said that his experience distinguishes him from the other candidates. While he has focused on civil practice, he said that he has had an “eclectic background” where he has “done some personal injury, family law, workers’ compensation, and contract law.”
With this background, VanWinkle has spent a lot of time in court.
“I have just been in front of more clients and judges. I think those things pay off over time with the comfortability of being able to handle different scenarios,” VanWinkle said.
Reed has worked with the Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Service. The service provides low-income individuals and seniors with legal aid who might not otherwise be able to afford it. If people who cannot afford an attorney do not receive any legal aid, they could defend themselves in court, known as “pro se.” Doing this work within family law has allowed Reed to connect with people who need their voices to be heard, even if they do not have legal representation.
“I also deal with a lot of folks who are pro se when I do adoptions and divorces. I would like to think that I am in tune to what they say,” Reed said.
Reed is also distinguished by his bar poll results, where he received a 94.44% recommendation.
“I think there is a reason why I scored the way I did on the bar poll. I think I got the right combination of attributes,” Reed said.
The “bar poll” is the Judicial Advisory Poll, which is organized by the Illinois State Bar Association. The ISBA is a voluntary organization of over 28,000 lawyers, law students and non-lawyers qualified by their experience or work.
Like most polls, the bar poll relies on the honesty of its respondents. Other attorneys in the ISBA respond to the polls. Respondents are advised only to answer if they have dealt with or observed the candidate during their legal service or work, or have had professional experience with the candidate, or have been on committees, boards, or in lectures with the candidate.
The poll measures a candidate’s integrity, impartiality, temperament, legal ability, court management, sensitivity to diversity and bias and asks the respondents if they recommend the candidate. All of these can be answered with “Agree,” “Disagree,” or “No Opinion.”
VanWinkle was the only candidate aside from Reed to receive poll results. He got a 43.75% recommendation.
Heaslett and Snyder did not receive enough responses for their poll. The polls for candidates are only posted if they receive 30 or more responses from other attorneys. VanWinkle received 33 responses to his poll, and Reed received 55 responses.
In Jackson County, there are 98 private attorneys, according to the ISBA. While that number is not as small as Randolph or Perry county’s, it is still a lot less than the 276 attorneys in Champaign or 431 in Peoria County.
“We do not have a huge bar down here,” Reed said.
The ISBA’s vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Judicial Advisory Polls, John Rekowski, told the Daily Egyptian that receiving 55 responses in a county with 98 private attorneys is typical.
Depending on the type of law an attorney practices or the type of work they do, they may not interact with many other attorneys.
“In my career, the vast majority of the cases I have dealt with have been
pro se litigants,” Snyder said. “When it comes to attorneys that I have worked with, it is the same 15 to 20 attorneys who work here and around Jackson County that I deal with on a regular basis.”
Heaslett also had a similar issue with her line of work.
“Having worked at the appellate court over the last six years, I am just not interacting with other attorneys much,” she said.
On the results page of the ISBA website, it mentions that the opinions of the poll “do not reflect the opinion of the Illinois State Bar Association.” The ISBA does give its opinions on candidates in judicial evaluations, but the ISBA only does judicial evaluations for the appellate and supreme courts and not the circuit court.
“Unfortunately, the system has allowed the bar poll to be something that can be manipulated for campaign purposes,” VanWinkle said.
Whether or not the bar poll is favorable or unfavorable to the candidates, they all received signatures from citizens of Jackson County who believed in their ability to campaign for resident judge.
Heaslett said she is campaigning with a focus on systems improvement that she would bring as a voice at the table as judge.
Heaslett makes sure to review any policy recommendations she receives in her mailing list from the Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice. She cited an example of benchmark policy advising judges on “how to interact appropriately with LGBTQ+ individuals” by “using correct pronouns” to ensure the courthouse is friendly and respectful.
Heaslett also suggested improving the court system could be achieved by pushing grants similar to Redeploy Illinois, expanding local services to adults through “helping courts.” Drug courts or veteran courts are examples of helping courts. These courts look at individuals with crimes that come from drug use, homelessness or mental health and offer services like therapy or treatment rather than incarcerating them.
“I think those helping courts are
worthwhile, and I would be a voice that advocates for Jackson County using them more,” Heaslett said.
Neither Reed nor VanWinkle had campaign focuses that were discussed in their respective interviews. Both of them had a focus to ensure the people feel heard in court if they were elected.
“When people are dealing with situations in court, they really just want their voices to be heard and understood by the judges,” Reed said.
“All anybody wants to do when they are in front of a judge is feel like the judge is listening and that their concerns are taken seriously,” VanWinkle said.
Snyder said he would focus on mental health issues if elected.
“We do persons in crisis in coordination with the Carbondale Police Department, my office, and other agencies,” Snyder said.
Snyder said Solverson started the persons in crisis program in Jackson County. said he wishes to continue that program and push further to work with the Supreme Court of Illinois to “try and get a mental health court in Jackson County.” Snyder said this would divert people from criminal court who are having mental health problems.
“I have seen too many people that my office has sought detention examinations that we get told ‘No’ by the state’s attorney’s office,” Snyder said. “Then that person ends up in jail two to three days later, or a week later, and now they are in a confined space, which does not help their mental health.
“That is not serving that person. That is a disservice to them and the community,” Snyder said.
After the primary, one of the Democratic candidates and Snyder, the Republican candidate, is expected to run against each other in the November general election. Whoever becomes the resident circuit court judge will serve a sixyear term before their constituents vote to retain them for another term.
Staff Reporter Brayden Guy can be reached at bguy@dailyegyptian.com
Casey VanWinkle
Heather Heaslett
Ben Reed
Jamie Snyder
Salukis battle in Puerto Vallarta
AARON CARNAHAN acarnahan@dailyegyptian.com
The SIU softball team put their passports to good use, traveling south of the border to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta Collegiate Challenge taking place from Wednesday, Feb. 11 through Friday, Feb. 13. The Dawgs arrived as the hottest team in the Challenge, riding an undefeated start to the season. The red-hot Salukis cooled off a bit, ending the five games with a 2-3 record. That brings their overall record to 7-3.
The opening game of the Challenge was a showdown between the unbeaten Salukis and the 2-3 Eastern Kentucky Colonels. An offensive eruption carried the Dawgs to a 22-7 victory in five innings. Seventeen hits went along with the explosive 22 runs. Defending Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and D1 Mid-Major Player of the Week Sydney Potter had herself a day at the plate, going 2-4 with a three-run dinger and three additional RBIs, putting up an astounding six RBIs.
Emily Williams had an extraordinary performance against Eastern Kentucky’s pitching. Williams swung a dangerous bat, and her massive two-homer run, seven RBI game was a message to opposing pitchers this season that Williams will be a problem at the top of the Saluki lineup. Potter, Erin Lee, Amanda Knutson,
Jordan Stewart, Brooklyn Pritchett and Charleston Pursley also had multiple hits in the contest.
Head Coach Jen Sewell said she loved the offensive boom, adding post-game, “I told them the ones who slug with people on base are going to win these games.”
Walks were a problem for both pitching staffs, with Southern handing out nine free passes to opposing hitters. True freshman Brooklyn Danielson had to leave the game in the second inning shortly after entering. Emily Delgado was the SIU pitcher to right the ship and lead the Dawgs to a sixth straight victory.
SIU was back in action less than an hour later. The opponent was the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in the early afternoon showdown. Hailey Lucas, the Missouri Valley Freshman of the Week, entered the circle for the Salukis and didn’t disappoint. Lucas was able to hold off UTSA and take a tie game into the bottom of the seventh.
Saluki bats were struggling in the contest, only accounting for 3 hits as a team against Roadrunner pitching. Maleah Blomenkamp, Sage Grann and Knutson had the hits for the Dawgs, with Blomenkamp’s sixthinning double knotting the game up at 1-1. A heartbreaking 2-run homer for UTSA in the bottom of the seventh ended the Salukis sixgame winning streak and gave them
their first loss of the year by a final score of 3-1.
The Dawgs opened Thursday with a clash against the Long Beach State Wave. Long Beach took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but a crafty play by Mikaela Coburn and Potter erased it. Coburn got in a rundown between first and second, Potter alertly recognized this and was able to swipe home and steal a run to tie the game at 1-1. Coburn attentively advanced to second base on the throw to the plate. Grann belted a double to score Coburn and take a 2-1 lead.
Lucas relieved McDowell in the third inning, coming into the circle less than 24 hours after pitching six innings against UTSA. A Wave solo shot in the fifth inning tied the game at 2-2. The seventh inning plagued SIU for the second straight game, with an RBI single by Long Beach scoring a run to make it 3-2. Self-inflicted wounds hurt Southern as well, as an error in the seventh allowed another run to score. Long Beach pitching was able to close the game out with a final score of 4-2.
Heading into Thursday afternoon on a two-game skid, the focus for the Salukis was to win the rematch with UTSA that afternoon. In an exhilarating comeback walk-off victory, the Dawgs won a marathon of a game 10-9 in 10 innings. The game couldn’t have started worse for SIU, as UTSA capitalized on four errors committed by the Salukis as
well as putting up a monstrous 17 hits in the game, bringing the score 6-0 Roadrunners heading to the bottom of the fifth.
The Salukis got back within striking distance in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs. The bases were juiced for a Coburn RBI single, making the score 6-3 and keeping the bases loaded. The speedy Knutson scored on a wild pitch, and a heads-up play by Lee had her scoring right behind Knutson. With it now 6-5, SIU trailing, Pursley tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice. Stewart slid home for the lead after a throwing error on the Roadrunners’ part. Pursley scored her ninth run of the year, tying the team high for runs scored, on another UTSA error to make it 8-6 in a SIU comeback lead after six innings.
Looking to close out the game in the seventh, the Salukis couldn’t quite stifle the Roadrunners’ rally, and UTSA tied the game and shut down the Dawgs to send the game to extra innings. With the score 8-8 entering the eighth, extra innings rules put a runner on second base automatically. After a sac fly in the top of the eighth, Williams came through in the clutch to tie the game at 9. A scoreless ninth inning, thanks to Lucas, was followed by a scoreless top of the tenth, thanks to Danielson making her return. Blomenkamp came through as the hero in the bottom of the tenth, with a walk-off
single to put the Dawgs on top 10-9. SIU had 26 hours to rest and relax before taking on Long Beach for the second time in two days. Potter belted a leadoff home run to left to take a 1-0 lead. Long Beach came right back in the bottom half of the first and hit a two-run homer to claim a 2-1 lead. More first-inning damage followed. A single with the bases loaded scored two more runs and increased the Long Beach lead to 4-1. In the top of the third, Potter launched another missile, bringing her season total to eight. The score was 4-2, Long Beach leading after three innings. Long Beach extended the lead to 5-2 after an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. Delgado and Lucas pitched with some fire, holding Long Beach at 5-2. The Dawgs threatened at the top of the seventh, and the bases were loaded for the Salukis with only one out. Potter put up a good at-bat but bounced into a double play, and SIU fell short, falling to 7-3 on the season.
The Dawgs will rest up and head into the UAB Green and Gold Classic down in Birmingham, Alabama, Friday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 22. They’ll open the weekend Friday at 9 a.m. against the Mercer Bears.
Sports Reporter Aaron Carnahan can be contacted at acarnahan@dailyegyptian.com
Salukis swipe opening day win, drop next 2 against Oral Roberts
The Salukis began their season on the road in a three-game series against Oral Roberts University from Feb. 13 to 15. SIU, predicted to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference, traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with high expectations. ORU, the reigning co-champions of the Summit League, was picked to finish first in their conference. The two high-caliber teams displayed high-level play, but the Golden Eagles took the series two games to one.
FEB. 13: SIU 4, ORU 2
The first game of the season was underway, and the Salukis looked strong to begin the 2026 campaign.
RF Kye Watson kicked off the game with a single up the middle, followed by CF Julio Guerrero getting plunked with a pitch, putting the Dawgs in scoring position with no outs. 1B Cecil Lofton got SIU on the board with an RBI single.
The Golden Eagles responded swiftly in the second inning with a 2-run single.
Watson, already 1-1, led off the third inning with a home run to right field. The game-tying long ball by the Freshman outfielder was his first as a Saluki.
A fourth-inning homer by DH Michael Mylott gave the Dawgs a 3-2 lead. The SIU pitching staff continued to mow down the Golden Eagles, and another homerun, this time off the bat of Lofton, upped the lead to 4-2.
RHP Dylan Petrey came in and sent the Golden Eagles down in order, and ended the first game of the season with a 4-2 score in favor of SIU.
FEB. 14: SIU 0, ORU 1
Looking to build on the previous victory, the Salukis faced off against the Golden Eagles for game two of the series and season.
RHP Meade Johnson got the nod yesterday for SIU, and he went to work. The towering righty tossed five innings of one-hit ball. Up until the sixth inning, both pitchers were doing their thing, keeping the score 0-0.
The Golden Eagles came up in the
sixth inning and plated the game’s only run via an RBI groundout.
The eighth inning was the Dawgs’ best shot at potentially tying or taking a late lead. The Salukis loaded the bases with a single, an error and an intentional walk, but an inning-ending strikeout squashed those hopes.
While both pitching staffs dominated on Saturday, the Golden Eagles swooped in and grabbed a 1-0 victory over the Dawgs, knotting the series at one win apiece.
FEB. 15: SIU 2, ORU 6
The Salukis and the Golden Eagles clashed once more for the rubber match of the opening series.
Contrary to the previous game’s pace, the scoring began immediately. For the second time in this series, Watson mashed a home run, and the freshman slugger began his SIU career with an exclamation mark.
The Golden Eagles immediately returned the favor with an RBI single, giving each team a run in the first inning. A few innings later, ORU would put up another, this time an RBI double.
The sixth inning began, and the Salukis started rallying. With runners on first and third with no outs, Lofton drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Once again, the Golden Eagles responded in the bottom half of the inning. The Dawgs were in trouble as there was traffic on the bases with nobody out. A wild pitch and a pair of singles gave ORU a 5-2 lead. ORU would tack on an insurance
run in the bottom of the eighth, and the Salukis could not find an answer to the persistent Golden Eagles offense.
After the first three games of the season, the Salukis are 1-2, while the Golden Eagles sit at 2-1. The Dawgs now pack their bags for Boone, North Carolina, for the Appalachian State Tournament on Feb. 20 to 22.
Sports Reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at npetschke@dailyegpytian.com
BASEBALL WEEKEND SERIES RECAP
Photo provided by Saluki Athletics
| @aestrada@dailyegyptian.com
International food fair brings far-reaching flavors to SIU
Community members gathered at the SIU ballrooms on Feb. 11, 2026 to taste cuisine from around the world at the International Food Festival.
The event was hosted by the International Student Council as part of SIU’s 2026 International Festival, an annual weeklong cultural celebration. According to an SIU press release, participating organizations included the African Students’ Union, Bangladesh Student Association, Indian Student Association, Fulbright Student Association, Nepalese Student Society, Sri Lankan Student Association, Pakistan Students’ Association, Latin American Student Association and the Multicultural Empowered Women Student Association. Each food item cost one or more tickets, which event attendees were able to purchase for $1 each. The theme of the International Festival was “Threads of the World — Weaving Cultures Together.” The week also featured the International Parade of Flags, SIU’s Study Abroad Fair and the Cultural Show. The Global Soundscape, a new event, showcased musical traditions from around the world with international music and karaoke performances.
Staff Photographer Amilia I. Estrada can be reached at aestrada@dailyegyptian.com
Members of the Multicultural Empowered Women Student Association (MEWSA) serve drinks from various cultures to students.
Members of the Bangladesh Student Association serve traditional cuisine from their country at the International Food Fair.
Eko-Maie and Saho Araki pose for a photo while waiting in line at the African Student Union booth.
Members of the Multicultural Empowered Women Student Association (MEWSA) serve drinks from various cultures to members of the community at the International Food Fair Feb. 11, 2026 at SIU’s Student Center ballrooms. Amilia I. Estrada
Across
Able was I ere I saw --5. The Paris subway 10. 4 qts.
13. Underhand political revelation
14. Relating to birds
15. Set of three 16. Isinglass
17. Hunters’ cabin
18. Radicals
19. Hard durable wood
20. Birthday party essential
21. Said to photographers
23. Inclination
25. G M builder Alfred
P --26. Scarcely
28. First Gospel
31. Usual type of switch
32. “I miss my ---, my --miss misses me”
34. “Halt! --- fire!”
35. Burden
36. Some embers
37. Former Georgia senator Sam ---
38. Great weight
39. Legion
40. Oater baddie chasers
41. Firefighter’s water source
43. Captivates
44. Paws
45. Russian prison camp
46. South American cowboy
48. Little Dickens heroine
49. Plugs
52. Twice-baked bread
53. Come together
55. Chop-chop
56. Tennessee state flower
57. Happen again
58. Greek goat’s cheese
59. Lobbying gp.
60. Measures
61. Old Russian ruler
Down
1. Tickle Me toy
2. Star Wars princess
3. Aural atmosphere creator in films
4. Alias
5. Affliction
6. Summon
7. “There is a --- in the affairs of men ...”
(Shakespeare: “Julius Caesar”)
8. Syncopated piano piece
9. With uniform service throughout 10. E.g. methane and water vapor
11. Supports
12. Fail to win
15. Hallowe’en option
20. Bovine baby
22. Strong attraction
24. Sports officials (Abbr.)
25. Look happy
26. Kiosk
27. Bug
29. Physicist --- Mach
30. Fermented grape juices
32. Varieties
33. Bundle
36. Topographical outlines
37. Cosmic bang
39. Hell --- no fury like a woman scorned
40. Tab
42. Haystacks
43. Top dogs
45. Arrangement
46. Suitcase
47. Migraine feature
48. Pleasant
50. Collection of facts
51. Pole at sea
54. Butterfly catcher
55. Astern
Weekly Event Calendar
Your guide to upcoming local events over the next 7 days!
February 23
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*To play Sudoku, fill a 9x9 grid with digits 1 through 9 so that each row, each column, and each 3x3 subgrid contains each number exactly once.
