THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2026
Carbondale organizers host vigil for Minnesota woman killed by ICE agent
InsiDE Saluki QB returns in fall
Carmen Tapley ctapley@dailyegyptian.com
PAGE 4
STL hosts skating championship
PAGES 6-7
Benton native stars in ‘Fear Factor’
PAGE 11
VOL. 109, ISSUE 17
Members of the Carbondale community gathered on Friday, Jan. 9 to remember the life of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-yearold woman from the U.S. who was killed in an altercation with ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis two days prior. Good was shot three times in the face by ICE agent Jonathan Ross — who was identified by the Minnesota Star Tribune — while in the driver’s seat of her car during an active ICE raid in her neighborhood. Good can be seen on video from multiple angles disrupting the raid with her car while others, including her wife, harass the agents on foot and usher them to leave the area. An officer attempts to open her driver’s side door as Good reverses away from the scene, but she then puts the car in drive and moves forward, which is when Ross unholsters his gun and fires, killing her almost instantly. The incident ignited fiery political discourse across the nation as American political figures in the Trump administration claim that her death was justified, while others — like those gathered in Carbondale — say that Good was murdered in cold blood. Before the vigil, the Daily Egyptian requested an interview with event organizers but were provided with a pre-written statement instead. The organizers asked to remain anonymous. “We restlessly await justice for Renee Good,” the statement read. “We seek the dawn of justice, where mothers can hold their
Attendees of a vigil held for Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman who was killed by an ICE agent, walk in a procession down The Strip toward the Carbondale Civic Center Jan. 9, 2026, in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
children, where neighbors are united regardless of what side of a border they were born on.” A little after 9 p.m. at Friendship Plaza, the organizers — many masked — began the vigil through introductory speeches expressing that the gathering was a solemn occasion where the community could share their grief, sorrow, anger, loss and unsure feelings about Good’s death. The anonymous organizers remembered Good as a wife, mother of three children and award-winning poet. The extent of Good’s involvement in Minneapolis activism is currently unclear, according to reporting by The New
York Times.Organizers recognized that Good was not the first person to be killed amid ICE activity, and that 32 others had been killed since the Trump administration took office. “We have seen the fear and pain that ICE is causing all across this country to our neighbors — the death and violence that they have brought upon our communities, but especially immigrant communities and communities of color,” one organizer said. Organizers called Good a martyr and a hero, but said they believe the Trump regime will paint her as a domestic terrorist who deserved death. According to PBS, there
is no consensus among political parties. Republican leaders like Vice President JD Vance have claimed the ICE agents acted in self-defense, while Democratic leaders point to video evidence claiming otherwise. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Good’s actions an “act of domestic terrorism” in a press conference. In a guest essay to The New York Times, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey refuted this claim, writing, “I’ve watched multiple videos, from multiple perspectives — it seems clear that Ms. Good, a mother of three, was trying to leave the scene, VIGIL | 2
Meet the candidates running to represent Illinois’ 12th Congressional District Brayden Guy bguy@dailyegyptian.com
2026 marks another year of elections in Illinois. The Daily Egyptian interviewed the two candidates running for the U.S. 12th Congressional District Representative seat: Democrat Julie Fortier and Republican Mike Bost. Both of these candidates have an easy primary lined up as they are the only candidates in their respective parties. Regardless, the primary election will be held on March 17. Then Fortier and Bost are expected to run against each other for the general election, which will be held Nov. 3. Bost is the incumbent and has served as the 12th District representative since 2015, having also been a state representative for over 20 years.
A Murphysboro native, Bost graduated from Murphysboro High School and served in the Marines. He described the 12th District as “home.” “There are good people, older people, who came from farming and mining and are hardworking,” Bost said. “Unfortunately, we have seen some bad times in Illinois because quite often the laws are stripped, painted and pushed towards what Chicago wants.” Fortier has lived in O’Fallon for over 30 years. She served in the Air Force and has a Ph.D in pathology research. Fortier described the 12th District as “large” and “diverse.” “When you look at this district and you look
at the stats, as far as size, this district is 14,000 square miles – which is huge,” Fortier said. “It’s so diverse. Of that 14,000, over 10,000 of that is farm land. Within that you have over 18,000 farms, you have over 31,000 farmers, you have cities that have white collar workers, you have towns, labor unions, a coal mine in the south, an oil refinery in the north, we have community colleges and some universities. We have populations from every race, every gender and every religion. It is a true representation of America.” While the 12th District does have populations made up of many different races, according to the US Census Bureau, it is 87% white. “It’s not like going into downtown Chicago,”
Fortier said. “You won’t find farmers in downtown Chicago. You won’t find coal miners in downtown Chicago.” Fortier said that her background in research and scientific writing gives her a unique perspective and certain advantages as she goes to challenge Bost. “I assess data very fast, and I come up with solutions very fast. It’s just how I’m wired. If I don’t know something, I go and research the truth. I cannot make decisions if I am uninformed,” Fortier said. As the incumbent, Bost`s representative duties can take him out of the district often. “But if we are not in the district, we do a lot of 12TH DISTRICT | 3