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