Hoops tournaments boost towns across Southern Illinois
Regional holiday basketball shows draw visitors to Eldorado and Carbondale for the 43rd and 44th annual tournaments. Coaches like Greg Goodley note thousands of out of town guests over three days, bringing meals, hotel stays, and retail activity to rural communities. Tourism officials say teams and families fill hotels and restaurants, easing holiday business gaps.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carbondale
Illinois
Eldorado High School
Greg Goodley
Goodley
Carbondale Community High School
Southern Illinois Orthopedic Center
Debbie Moore
Carbondale Convention and Tourism Bureau
Christmas Day Workers Keep Gaps Covered Across County
Across Southern Illinois many spent Christmas at home, but a handful of local workers chose to keep essential services running. Gas stations, ambulances, police and fire departments, plus stores offering last minute gifts, relied on staff who worked through the holiday for pay and to help the community stay served.
Recycling tips for holiday waste from Jackson County health chief
Jackson County Health Department urges holiday recycling as waste rises 25 percent from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Bart Hogston notes curbside trash increases and promotes local options including Rechargeable Battery Recycling via Best Buy Staples Office Depot and JCHD drop offs 8am to 4pm weekdays. Cardboard and paper can be saved or taken to Southern Recycling Center 300 W Chestnut St Carbondale one block north of Sycamore.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jackson County Health Department
Bart Hogston
JCHD
Hogston
Best Buy
Staples
Office Depot
Southern Recycling Center
Chestnut St
Carbondale
Sycamore
Illinois
Stonefort recalls boom era of early 1900s rail line
Paul Pritchett, born 1919, recalls Stonefort once larger than Harrisburg with a bustling 1930s and 40s. He remembers a surrey era, nine siblings, and his family farming and coal mining roots. The town, split between Williamson and Saline counties, had mills, stores, hotels, churches, doctors, depots, and multiple businesses before decline.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pritchett
Stonefort
Zeke
Maggie Pritchett
Paul
Harrisburg
Marion
Williamson County
Saline County
Lewis
Blacksmian
Wise
Saline County State Bank
Miss Illinois Ashley Hatfield prepares for Miss America exposure
Anna native Ashley Hatfield, Miss Illinois, will attend a send off at Anna-Jonesboro High School, model her wardrobe, and perform the song for the Miss America Pageant. She will also appear in TLC’s Miss America Reality Check before the pageant on January 26.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Anna
Ashley Hatfield
Las Vegas
Anna-Jonesboro High School
Hatfield
Brett Dengeren
AJHS
Dengeren
Learning Channel
TLC
Jason Pawlowski
Miss Illinois Scholarship Association, Inc
Illinois
Pawlowsk
Children’s Miracle Network
Also Mentioned on This Page
Thesouthern.com
BY Blackwell
Thomas the
Williamson
Norman ‘Shorty’ Martin
George Jackson
John D. Homan
Miss
Codell.rodriguez
Chuck Novara
the Southern
Entertainment
Abby
Luke Winger
Christopher Elementary
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