THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025
SNAP uncertainty lingers, page 2
| Where to shop local this holiday season, page 6 | ‘Buy games’ big for basketball, page 9
The quiet revolution of shopping small for the holidays
Mariah Fletcher mfletcher@dailyegyptian.com
Every dollar spent at a small business tells a story, whether that is shopping for hand-made jewelry, supporting a local farm or gifting local art. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses added 17.9 million jobs in 2023. Carbondale’s Chamber of Commerce has over 400 members, which means small businesses are right in your back yard. “You might not be able to find something similar in a box store, but, you know, my stuff is made with love and by hand. I really put a lot of time and energy and passion into it,” local small business owner Chris McKinley said. McKinley, a local jewelry maker, has been perfecting her craft for around 15 years for her company, Kinley Jewelry. McKinley sells her jewelry in many local shops in southern Illinois, including Cristaudo’s, which is home to Sixpence, where several different local makers and artists sell products. McKinley makes jewelry from real gemstones, and likes to make naturebased products, with several pieces
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featuring moons, stars, mushrooms and themes of nature. Many items bought online require shipping, several from outside of the United States. The transportation of shipped goods is responsible for a huge portion of the CO2 emissions across the globe. According to Earth. org, a non-profit environmental news site, shipping and returning products accounts for 37% of the total GHG emissions. “It’s increasing the pollution of the Earth because everyone has to have something that comes from across the planet instead of just looking in your own backyard. You know, you can probably find what you need here if you really looked,” McKinley said. Shopping locally also means you can return products in person and not have the hassle of shipping. “The beautiful thing about buying local too is, for example, with my jewelry, if anybody ever has problems with anything, which once in a while something (breaks). A chain will get yanked off of the neck by a little kid or SHOP SMALL | 4
Salukis surrender 5-overtime thriller to Coyotes, lose 53-51
SIU tight end Ryan Schwendeman (83) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown as the Salukis face off against the Coyotes of South Dakota Nov. 15, 2025 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto Noah Petschke npetschke@dailyegyptian.com
For the last home game of the regular season, the Salukis hosted the Coyotes from the University of South Dakota on Nov. 15 in a high-stakes conference game. The Dawgs looked to climb up the standings and nab a
playoff spot in the final two games. After ending the fourth quarter tied up at 34, the Salukis battled through a marathon of overtimes before getting handed a 53-51 loss from the Coyotes. With a Coyote touchback, SIU began the game with the ball at the
25-yard line. After a quick first down, quarterback DJ Williams launched a ball to wide receiver Jay Jones for a 63yard touchdown, giving SIU an early 7-0 lead. South Dakota took the kick FOOTBALL | 3
City of Carbondale salutes veterans amid national exclusion of ROTC cadets due to government shutdown
Carmen J. Tapley ctapley@dailyegyptian.com
The City of Carbondale partnered with Southern Illinois University to fly the flag off of South Normal Avenue and West Grand Avenue at half-staff for Veterans Day in remembrance of those who have served, in honor of those who
are serving and those who will serve. SIU Air Force and Army ROTC cadets were set to participate in the vigil with a laying of the wreath, but they were notified on Nov. 4 that they would not be participating due to the government shutdown.
Aspa Drikos and Noah Oldhan, members of the ROTC Air Force and Squad Commanders for the Arnold Air Service, told the Daily Egyptian that ROTC has been given orders across the nation that they are prohibited from public solicitation while in uniform.
An American flag moves in the wind while at half staff at the Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11,2025 at SIU campus in Carbondale, Illinois. Peyton Cook | @cookmeavisual
There had been plans to hold a wreathlaying ceremony while out of service dress, but it was ultimately unaccounted for. The ceremony opened with a quick breakdown of the program and an invocation from Tom Harness, an Army veteran and SIU alumnus. Following the introduction was a proclamation from Carbondale Mayor Carolin Harvey. Her proclamation claimed Nov. 11 a celebration of remembrance to respectfully acknowledge those who have made a sacrifice for their service. Harness gave remarks during the ceremony, sharing that his inspiration for joining the military sparked from his two father figures: his biological dad, a Navy man named L. B. Harness, and his stepdad, Bob Newton, who was a soldier in the Army. Harness said that these are threads that do not connect a flag, they connect generations of service that protect a promise of freedom. He recognized the fight that women made just to be able to help protect those freedoms however they could; as medics, as mechanics, as soldiers. “The legacy of service isn’t measured
in metals and rings…,” he said. The SIU Trumpet Studio, led by Ricky Spears, assistant professor of practice at the School of Music, played taps, a tradition when holding military funerals or services of remembrance. The significance of the wreath is made of many symbols: branches for eternal life, circular shape for eternity and red ribbon for the blood and sacrifice of those who served. Paul Copeland, coordinator of Veterans’ Services at SIU, concluded the ceremony with the sentiment that the empty chairs around the audience were not for those who did not attend, but for those who were there in spirit. “I had a double student cadet in the ROTC program who was killed in an aircraft crash in peacetime,” Copeland said. “I tell people, when taps plays, that’s who is next to me… My memory of him, and our service and we walk together still. That’s the empty chair that belongs to him in my world.” Staff reporter Carmen J. Tapley can be reached at ctapley@dailyegyptian.com. Digital Editor Peyton Cook contributed to this reporting.