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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026
Women’s Softball recap | Page 3
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH EDITION
VOL. 109, ISSUE 24
Ebony Ball coverage | Page 5
Arch Madness preview | Page 10
SIU alumna Hilla Medalia nominated for Academy Award CARLY GIST cgist@dailyegyptian.com
When Hilla Medalia earned an athletic scholarship from SIU, she had a plan: stay in Carbondale for just a year, strengthen her English,
compete in the triple jump and major in something fun. Now, in less than two weeks, she’ll be sitting at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards, a nomination under her belt.
“I always loved film, but I didn’t think of being a filmmaker actually,” Medalia said in a Feb. 24 interview with the Daily Egyptian and River Region News. “You know, some people have a dream to be a
filmmaker. I didn’t have this dream, I just really loved film. As part of my going to a college adventure that I thought would be very short, I said, ‘you know I’m just going to do something I love.’ And then I stayed
and I graduated and I went onto my master’s, and then I had quite a somewhat fast beginning.” The Israel native studied radio and television during her undergraduate AWARD | 4
Women in male-dominated fields Millennials and Gen Z: The first daughters to live differently
MARIAH FLETCHER mfletcher@dailyegyptian.com
Keeley Whitmer inspects the cable housing of a donated bicycle Feb. 18, 2026 while volunteering with the Recycle Your Bicycle program at SIU’s automotive facility in Murphysboro, Illinois. Whitmer joined the program in 2023 and is now the volunteer coordinator. Olivia Luesing | oluesing@dailyegyptian.com TO SEE OUR COVERAGE VISIT PAGES 6-7
The telephone was invented before women were able to vote in the United States. The hit musical “West Side Story” has been on and off Broadway longer than women have received equal pay to men. The film “The Godfather” has been playing on screens longer than women have been able to acquire their own credit card. Considering the grander historical context, Western women have only recently been able to break free from patriarchal prohibitions through financial independence, education and careers. Because of the women that fought for suffrage in the 1900s, the modern woman is able to
build a career and stability that was inaccessible to her before. Kailey Sneed, a Public Relations student at Southern Illinois University, is the first in her family to do many things. Sneed was the first and youngest member of her family to move away from her hometown. She was also the first to pursue a university education and live financially independent without a man. She says this is because of her dedication to breaking cycles. Sneed said that moving away from her hometown made her feel lighter, and like more opportunities were on the way. A place of her own was so much more than just an apartment – it was a doorway to a new beginning. DAUGHTERS | 9
Carbondale dedicates stage to Robbie Stokes, approves property sale for police training center TREVOR JOHN tjohn@dailyegyptian.com
The Carbondale City Council on Feb. 24 voted to name the new Washington Street stage after musician Robbie Stokes and approved the sale of cityowned property on Bigler Road for construction of a regional law enforcement training center. The council also renewed its
contract with Veo Mobility to expand the scooter and bike fleet to 650 devices and introduce AIassisted parking enforcement. The council named the stage at the Washington Street Concert Venue Robbie Stokes Memorial Stage. The complex, located at the intersection of Washington and Walnut streets, will be called New Era Events Plaza. Stokes, who died on May 14,
2023 at age 73, was a musician, sound engineer and storyteller in Carbondale. Peyton Blewett, who performed with Stokes as lead singer and rhythm guitarist for 41 years in the band Four on the Floor, described him as a “Carbondale icon on the wheel” and referred to him by his nickname “Robbie Rocker” during public comments. Councilman Adam Loos said
during the meeting that the Council sought input from the community before making the decision. Some residents expressed disappointment when other naming suggestions were not selected. Brandon Gill, a performer in Carbondale’s rock music scene, said during public comments that most sound engineers in Carbondale worked with Stokes.
“If you’ve met any sound person in this town, but without exaggeration, like 90% of them worked for or with Robbie,” Gill said. Phil Bankester, who described himself as a professional successor and direct admirer of Stokes, called Stokes a caretaker of the Carbondale music and arts community. “I can’t think of an individual who
STOKES | 9