December 2025

SIU’s 2025 Holiday Craft Sale to feature more than 75 unique vendors

by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. — Imagine finding just the perfect gifts for family, friends and yourself this holiday season. You need look no further than Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Holiday Craft Sale Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 4-6.   Offering a diverse assortment of unique handiworks, SIU’s Holiday Craft Sale Dec. 4-6 is a popular event with […]

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SIU’s Sharp Museum to open exhibition featuring sculptor Preston Jackson

by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. — This month, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Sharp Museum will open an exhibition highlighting works by nationally acclaimed sculptor and SIU School of Art and Design alumnus Preston Jackson, and it will host a reception for two local artists with the Oak Street Art Collective. “Here We Are,” a celebration of Jackson’s

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SIU’s Simon Institute hosts Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar on nation’s political contradictions

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Paul Starr, a Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar at Princton University and the founding co-editor of The American Prospect magazine, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual conversation on Tuesday, Dec. 9.   Starr and John Shaw, institute director, will discuss political tensions and contradictions in the

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State of Illinois honored with International Award for Leadership in Innovation

CHICAGO – The State of Illinois has once again been recognized on the global stage at the 2025 Startup Ecosystem Stars (SES) Awards in Paris, hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Mind the Bridge. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) was recognized with the Startup Ecosystem Stars Award acknowledging the state’s international

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United Pentecostal Church in Perryville will host free Christmas banquet

PERRYVILLE – Perry County United Pentecostal Church is cordially inviting friends, neighbors, and community members in Perryville and the surrounding area to join it for a free Christmas Banquet on Saturday, December 20th. Perry County UPC is located at 1713 Perryville Blvd. in Perryville, Missouri. (Directly across the street from Perryville Walmart.) The Christmas Banquet

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USDA designates Randolph, Perry, and Ste. Genevieve Counties as Natural Disaster Areas due to excessive rain and flooding

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –- The United States Department of Agriculture has declared 49 Illinois Counties and nine Missouri Counties as Natural Disaster Areas  for excessive rain and flooding. This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters

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Lee A. Cornelius

A funeral will be held Friday, December 5, 2025 for 72-year-old Lee A. Cornelius of Perryville, Missouri who passed away Saturday, November 29, 2025 at his residence.   He was born July 22, 1953 in Perryville, MO to Wilfred and Marjorie (Sommer) Cornelius who both preceded him in death.   He and Janet Cato were

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2026 conservation cropping seminars scheduled

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Registration is officially open, so start making plans now to attend one of the two 2026 Conservation Cropping Seminars. This year’s seminars bring together distinguished speakers and special guests including Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Specialist; Bryan Young, Professor of Weed Science at Purdue University; Tom Kilcer, Advanced Ag Systems; S.T.A.R Representatives; and an

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A Doggone Good Lesson

by Caleb Jones cjones@amec.coopThere ain’t nothing better than a good dog. For me, that dog was Tuffy. He might’ve been a mutt, but the majority of his breed was “best friend.” Tuffy could round up cattle, chase off snakes and bark at any truck he didn’t recognize. But more than anything, he was my companion

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