Small Towns

There used to be a lot of small towns in the area that have vanished with the trains and the growth of automobile use. Reed Station was located where Reed Station Road intersects with Highway 13 east of Carbondale, while Mount Carbon was located at the intersection of  Old Highway 13 and Highway 127. Texas Junction and Carbon Lake were both located just outside Murphysboro and were absorbed as the town grew.  The junction where the Ava Blacktop splits off Northbound 127, where the recently opened Southpaw Bar and Grill is?  That used to be Harrison. And of course, anyone driving south on 127 will see the sign for Etherton, now just a collection of houses adjacent to the abandoned railroad bed.

South 51 Closed

South 51/ S. University Ave will close for 24 hours for sewer repairs, from 5 am. March 28 to 5 a.m. March 29th between Walnut and Mill. Side streets crossing University will remain open but drivers will not be able to turn south on 51.

Community Survey

 If you want to complete the community survey and aid Zo Agency with its research developing comprehensive marketing plan, here you go.  I think we have done this a couple of times before.  Not sure why the town does not reach out to a perfectly good Univeristy and have them do the reserach instead of hiring an agency though.

Horstmans Cleaners

 If you missed it, Horstman's Cleaners, a fixture of downtown Carbondale since 1925, has closed permanently. The demand for dry cleaning has dropped markedly over the past couple of decades and, as workers age out of employment, dry cleaners are replacing them with robots.  The price of roboticized dry cleaning has also dropped. whereas it used to be that it was only cost efficient for dry cleaners with a staff of 100 or more to add robots, they are cheap enough now that cleaners that would employ a staff of 10 can do so.

From wnat I have heard, some of the equiptment Horstman's used also broke down and it is not cost efficient to replace it. Whatever the reason, another bit of Carbondale history is gone.

Tandoor &Tadka Closed

 Looks as if Tandoor and Tadka has closed. Not sure if or when  the restaurant will reopen but it sure has a lot of health department violations to correct

Tree Sale

 Keep Carbondale Beautiful will have its spring tree sale this Saturday from 8;30 to 2 p.m. at the Town Square Pavillion.  Shrubs ar3 $35 and trees are $40

City Council Meeting

 Well, this morning's city council meeting was quite well attended, so much so that some of the city council members had problems finding parking spots before the meeting started. From what I gather from attendees, only one person spoke in favor of the proposed ordinance banning camping on public property in city limits.  Everyone else opposed it.  Granted the current encampment on East College is quite an eyesore but the city did bring it upon itself.  The prior encampment was located in the woods south of where the current encampment is and Levels on East Grand and out of sight until the city decided to move it. Now we have the encamment in a much more conentrated and visible location.

City Council Meeting 2

 From what I have heard the agenda for Friday's 9 a.m. meeting discussing an ordinance regulating public camping within the city limits.  No action will be taken at this time. This is likely caused by the homeless campground that has sprung up near the cooling center across from Victory Dream Center. Fining people for camping there likely won't do much good since if you are camping outside in the city limits, you probably do not have enough money to put a roof over your head, let alone pay a fine.

City Council Meeting

 Must be important because there is a special meeting of the city council at 9 a.m. this Friday.  Ufortunately, I cannot get the agenda to load so have not a clue as to what the topic is.

SIMMS

 Well apparently the official name of the multi modal station is the Southern Illinois Multi Modal Station (SIMMS). I would think naming it for someone important in Carbondale history would be a nice touch and the official drop off point for passengers is still not ready.

The City of Carbondale announces that the planned relocation of the transit and passenger drop-off entrance at the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station (SIMMS), originally scheduled for March 18, 2026, has been postponed due to construction-related issues.

As a result, the current temporary transit and passenger drop-off entrance on South Illinois Avenue will remain in use until further notice.

Passengers, transit users, and drivers should continue using the existing entrance and follow current signage for drop-off and pick-up at SIMMS.

Streets

 I see the city has been doing some work patching holes on West Willow. for some reason, despite the concrete slab construction, the holes get really bad in some locations along there. Unfortunately, the patching consisted of filling the holes with asphalt and tamping it down so it will probably wash out in the next rain.  Street needs resurfacing but that probably won't happen until after the Wall Street and Poplar Street construction is finished.

Heather Heaslett

 I saw the Heather Heaslett campaign using an old fashioned method of compaigning today. Guy walking around the downtown area with campaign signs on his front and bank and using a bullhorn to solicit votes.  Have not seen that method of campaigning in years.

Meet and Greet

 I stopped by Sunday's candidate Meet and Greet. Suprised at the lack of information there about the candidates. Only two had brought any campaign literature and there was not a lot of information about postions on it. I did see Tamiko "TC" Mueller there, who is running in the Democratic primary for the 59th State Senate seat.  Here is her Balletpedia page as well as her Facebook campaign page.

Nobody approached me as I walked around, though to be fair, I did get there late in the evening and did not approach anyone either.

Candidate Meet and Greet

 Meet and Greet with three local candidates at Pag's tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. No indication in the article as to what each is running for but I think Mueller is a candidate for State Representative

Gunfire

 Had several incidents of shots fired in town in the past week.  A couple of 14 year olds shot at houses on North Bridge and S. Beveredge. No one hurt but there was damage to houses.  There was also another instance of shootings over at the Fields.

Trees

 I really wish the city woud put some trees back in place along West Main and West Walnut.  A number of them were removed several years ago because of age and disease nd the spaces where they stood still sit empty. We are a tree city so lets put more trees in.

Sidewalks

After looking at the access ramps some house have for their occupants to get in and out, I understand the sidewalk design in Carbondale much better. It can take 30 to 40 feet of ramp to allow the user to gain access to a doorway 3 feet above the ground and the curbs are there to protect people in wheelchairs from going off the edge.  Maybe not the most elegant solution but it does work.

Freddy's

 Freddy's has closed up as well. apparently, as with Fazoli's, it shut down with little notice with employees offered the opportunity to transfer to the Marion location.

Closures

 Looks like Fazoli's here in Carbondale and Hardee's in Carterville have both closed up.  From what I have read, Fazoli's employees found out the day the restaurant closed as they were told not to come in to work.  both restaurants have had all the signage removed from the building.

Ice Cream

 Looks like a dip ice cream parlor is going in next to downtown's Yummy Donuts. Cannot read the name on the sign while driving, it is  a good idea to make your sign with easily readable fonts, but it is Chilly Something. Construction is still going on but looks as if it will open by summer.

Judges

 Since there are a whole lot of signs  up soliciting your vote for a replacement judge for the 1st Circuit, which encompasses Carbondale, here is what the Illinois State Bar Association has to say about each candidate. The short form is:

Ben Reed--Recommended

Casey VanWinkle-Not recommended

Heather Heaslett and Leonard Snyder each had too few responses for the ISBA to Recommend or Not Recommend

House Razing

 Another house has been razed near Memorial Hospital, this time at the corner of Pecan and Poplar.  Eventually I expect SIH will buy up the entire area between Poplar and University, demolish the remaining houses and expand the hospital complex further north. Hospitals, Universities and Churches tend not to care much about the historical aspects of the areas in which they want to expand.

Hawthorne Art

 Hawthorne Art has closed its gallery and event space though the buiness will be active online.  Appears not enough demand for  an additional event venue in Carbondale

Front Porches

 One of the things the snow showed was how little use a lot of front doors get.  I saw houses a week after the snow still with front steps and sidewalks unshoveled and, in many of those cases, not even footprints coming out and going down the steps. It just shows how much of our lives come out of the back door and head for the car.

Sidewalks

 Still noticing a whole lot of sidewalks uncleared over a week after the snow. At this rate, they will all be melted clear before anyone gets out to shovel them.

Sales Taxes

 A  lot of communities in Illinois increased their sales taxes at the start of the year. happily Carbondale was not among them. Unhappily, Carbondale's rate of 9.75% is still higher than all of the communities on the list save 3, at least by my count.

Snow

 Kudos to the city for getting the streets cleared.  I heard from several people that even the side streets, which have been bypassed during the past few snows, got cleared.  Even the alley running paralel  to North Oakland, which has never been plowed in the 20 yars I have lived there, got plowed this time. 

Sidewalks

 

I see the city expects sidewalks cleared by the end of tomorow. I have seen street adjacent sidewalks with 2 feet of snow piled on top of them from the plows. This in addition to the 6 to 9 inches of snow that fell last weekend. Even the city sidewalk on the east side of the civic center parking lot has not been cleared yet. Couple that with a week's worth of below zero temperatures adn it is no wonder most sidewalks have not been cleared. Hope city government sends out another notice giving people another week until the weather has warmed a bit and the heaviest snowfall in 25 years has a chance to melt.

Plowed Streets Map

 Councilperson Roberts put together this map showing which streets in Carbondale have and have not been plowed. I think the city and state did a pretty good job of getting streets and downtown city sidewalks cleared in a timely manner, especially given this was the worst snowfall the city has seen since 1999. Official reports put the accumulation in Carbondale at 9 inches.

Fire Chief

 Well, we got a new fire chief pretty quickly.  Makes sense to appoint the assistant fire chief as he knows the inner workings of the department.  Problem with appointing him is that  he will likely have a blind spot towards any existing problems. From the press release:

City Manager Stan Reno appointed Jay Crippen as the City of Carbondale’s new Fire Chief, effective February 1, 2026. 

Chief Crippen brings more than 27 years of fire service experience to the position, including 24 years with the Carbondale Fire Department. A lifelong Carbondale resident, Crippen is a graduate of Southern Illinois University–Carbondale, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. 

Throughout his career with the Carbondale Fire Department, Crippen has served in numerous leadership and operational roles, including Firefighter, Shift Captain, Training Officer, Emergency Management Coordinator, Arson Investigator, and Assistant Fire Chief. His extensive experience and strong connection to the community position him to lead the Fire Department into the future. 

City Manager Stan Reno expressed confidence in the appointment, citing Crippen’s demonstrated leadership, institutional knowledge and long-standing commitment to public safety in Carbondale. 

The City of Carbondale congratulates Chief Crippen on his appointment and looks forward to his continued service and leadership.  

For more information and media requests contact Public Relations Officer, Eva Fisher, at 618-713-0711 or via email at efisher@carbondaleil.gov. 

Warming Center

 The Carbondale Warming Center will remain open 24 hours a day for the next few days.  The press release did not give a specific period.  I assume lodging is still limited as the Center did not have enough trained staff last week to open the second floor for occupants. Might be something the city could look into funding, especially since there is a need for it and the amount of pushback has stopped the use of the University Baptist Church as a facility.

Snow

 Main streets are passible though the town square parking has not been plowed as of noon and plows have not touched side streets. Looks like we got 6 to 10 inches of snow, depending on the area and how much drifting there is. Not many people driving around last night or today.

Branding Sessions

 The city is holding a series of "listening sessions" this week to help better tell the story of Carbondale. The city did this a few years agoand came up with the "All Ways Open" slogan and a logo hat really looks like the X-box logo. I certainly hope, if this involves re-branding, whomever does it comes up with a slogan that better represents Carbondale and its relationship to the area.  All Ways Open is too general and does not say anything.

The City is working with Zo Agency, a national marketing and place-branding firm selected by City Council, to develop a long-term strategy for how Carbondale tells its story—both internally and to audiences outside the community. This includes how we communicate our strengths, acknowledge challenges, and present Carbondale in a way that reflects the community today and into the future. 

 As part of this effort, Zo Agency will be in Carbondale next week to host several listening sessions open to a range of community voices. These sessions are designed to hear directly from participants about the challenges, possible solutions and the messages that need to be heard when it comes to how Carbondale is understood and represented. 

Carbondale’s City Manager, Stan Reno, shares “Carbondale’s story is best told by the people who live it every day. These listening sessions are an important opportunity for residents, students and stakeholders to share what makes this community special, what challenges we face and how we want to be seen moving forward. We encourage everyone who wants to contribute to Carbondale’s future to take part and help shape a brand that truly reflects who we are.”  

The sessions are at the following times and locations at the Carbondale Civic Center (200 S. Illinois Ave.): 

Monday, Jan 26, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Community Listening Session #1 -Room 118 

Wednesday, Jan 28, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Community Listening Session #2-Room 111/112 

Wednesday, Jan 28, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Community Listening Session #3- Room 111/112 

  If interested in participating, register using the link below: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054AA8AD23AAF9C61-61774570-destination#/  

Shelters

The city put out a press release listening the three public places where those needing shelter this weekend can go. Not sure if the Warming Center will be open 24 hours as the organization says it has staffing shortages. The other two locations are Good Samaritan House and Take Action Today, a new location on West Main  I would be willing to bet that the lobbies of public buildings, like the post offices and Multi Model station, will also have people taking refuge in them.

Carbondale Economic Rankings

 According to this, the Carbondale metro area ranks well above many other metropolitan areas in terms of economic sttrength:

The analysis from Area Development shows southern Illinois micro-politan hubs, including Carbondale, Marion–Herrin, and Mt. Vernon, ranking well above expectations and ahead of many major cities. The report highlights workforce strength, economic momentum, and cost competitiveness, areas where southern Illinois continues to excel.

Carbondale ranks 67th in economic strength and 74th overall, placing it in the top 10 percent nationally.

Marion–Herrin ranks 180th in economic strength and 219th overall, placing it in the top 25 percent nationally.

Mt. Vernon ranks 404th overall and 257th in prime workforce, placing it in the top third nationally for workforce strength.

Polar Bear

 Since Pinch Penny Pub shuttered, both Polar Bear and Solar Bear have continued, but not at the levels during the Pinch Penny era.  I heard reports of people parking in the Levels parking lot and small crowds making their way over to the Strip, as well as houses along West Mill and the West College Street area.  With the wind, it was likely too cold to stand outside for long. Driving up illinois this evening, I saw very few people out, though there were a lot of cars parked along Illinois and an ambulance pulling away from Booby's about 9 p.m.

Homeless Encampment Fire

 someone set one of the tents in the homeless encampment on fire on East College shortly after 7 p.m. on the 15th. Whomever did it was last seen running east on College. It got put out quickly with no injuries but still dang scary to have happen.

Aban Kitchen

 From what I hear, the new owners of Aban Kitchen have fired all of the previous staff. Not sure if that includes kitchen workers but would assume so.  Maybe there were problems with the staff but, given the business is pretty successful, one would think they would want to change as little as possible, at least to start.

Grocery Tax

 Carbondale was going to see the end of the regressive 1% tax on groceries as the state eliminated it at the end of 2025. However Carbondale, and a number of other local cities ( Anna, Cobden, DuQuoin and Herrin), opted to enact their own 1% grocery tax. Nothing really changes as grocers continue to send the tax revenue to the state, which then sends it back to the city, the same process as before. It just means no tax reduction on food.

Bandana's

 Bandana's has reopened with limited hours. Currently the hours are

Sunday – Thursday: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Friday & Saturday: 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM

city Jobs

 Looking for a job?  Looking for a job with the city of Carbondale?  Several openings available including3 in the police department