THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2026
VOL. 109, ISSUE 19
SOUTHERN SNOWSTORM
Neighbors help stuck drivers LEO CASTRO lcastro@dailyegyptian.com
Students, community brave freezing temps SEE MORE PHOTOS | PAGES 6-7 SIU patrol officer Drew Stacy, Micch Green and DE staff photographer Daylin Williams help push a student’s car out of the snow in the East Campus parking lot Jan. 25, 2026 in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
Southern Illinois sees more than a foot of snow in rare weather event JACKSON BRANDHORST LYLEE GIBBS ORION WOLF jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com owolf@dailyegyptian.com
InsiDE
A historic winter storm swept across the country this weekend, draping parts of southern Illinois in over a foot of snow, below zero temperatures and dangerous road conditions. For many, the winter weather meant an unexpected weekend off and snowy recreation, but for others, it became a fight to stay safe and warm amid limited shelter space and life-threatening conditions. Many businesses in Carbondale and most places on the campus of Southern Illinois University were closed during peak storm hours, which began Saturday morning and concluded on Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service reported 12 inches of snow in Murphysboro, 13 inches in Benton, 14 inches in Du Quoin and 9 inches in Carbondale, prompting Chancellor Austin Lane to cancel classes for Monday, Jan. 26
and Tuesday, Jan. 27. With now a second three-day weekend in a row, SIU students joined Carbondale community members on the streets of The Strip drifting cars, sledding down the hill at the Banterra Center and finding creative ways to stay warm and entertained. Max Anderson, 7, soared over a makeshift ramp of snow while sledding down the Banterra hill as his family watched from afar, snowflakes flurrying around him. Anderson had been sledding with his family around the area before, but said Banterra is his favorite place to go. “(I like) this hill because it’s long, it’s steep, it has hills, it has skiing,” Anderson said. “I even watched a guy skiing.” After making his last sled down the hill, he said he was going home to warm up with hot chocolate, cookies and a movie. Banterra attracts a variety of sledders, including SIU associate professor of ethnomusicology Maria Johnson, who traversed the campus on skis that she’s owned since she was a kid. She spent her
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morning cross country skiing up and down hills on campus before walking back over to her home near Chautauqua. The powdery snow, Johnson says, creates ideal conditions for sliding around campus. “It’s really good, and we’ve got so much this time,” Johnson said. “Once you make a path it can be really nice, especially if you like to go down hills and stuff like that.” Jason Riley, a resident of W. Mill St., along with Phillip Hartke and other SIU students, spent their morning shoveling off the sidewalks for their neighbors before enjoying some beer and a bonfire in their front yard. “We have a ‘you honk, we drink sign’ out front,” Riley said. “We’re just trying to stay warm by having a fire.” For some residents of Carbondale, staying warm is a much taller task than a front yard bonfire. Subzero temperatures and heavy snowfall make for a tough night’s sleep rather than fun and games. In anticipation of the unforgiving winter
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WEATHER | 4
With the widespread impact of snow coating the streets of Carbondale on Sunday, community members such as Jay Smock were out and about looking for the next stuck vehicle to put back onto the road. Southern Illinois was hit with a heavy snowfall, ranging from 8 to 9 inches accompanied by freezing winds. That is why Smock spent Sunday assisting those in need during this historic snowfall. Smock, who is a dialysis patient, works as towboat captain on the Cumberland river. He moved to Carbondale from Metropolis about three years ago for his fiancee’s work. Before moving to Carbondale for an easier commute, he shared interest in a retrieval group in Paducah, Kentucky, which offers rides and assistance to emergency services personnel and hospital workers. Smock hopes to start something like that in Carbondale through social media. As he awaits a kidney transplant, he said he believes that by helping others during this time, it will prove helpful for him. “I feel like if you put good into the universe, it’s going to come back to you,” he said. The Daily Egyptian rode along with Smock on the morning of Jan. 25 as he provided assistance to vehicles trapped in snow and aid to those in need. Smock drives a Jeep Rubicon, a fine vehicle that he claims has never gotten stuck while helping others. Equipped with a propane tank, ropes, hooks and more, Smock seemed confident in his ability to help anyone looking for it. Smock’s main medium of communication with those in need is through a Facebook group called “Being Neighborly Carbondale, IL Area.” Not long after starting patrol Sunday morning, Smock responded to someone in need of assistance to get their car unstuck. Trinity Thompson had posted on Facebook asking for someone to get her car unstuck from the entrance of DRIVERS | 5
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