News briefs
Film, discussion to look at addiction recovery
SIU's Student Health Center will host a panel discussion and feature film next week that focuses on recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
The community meeting is from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 in the Student Health Center's Auditorium. The documentary "Anonymous People," which focuses on the more than 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, will be featured.
The event is free and is open to the public and the university community.
A panel discussion and community Q-and-A will follow. Panelists include Dr. Aaron Newcomb of Shawnee Health Service, and representatives from TASC-IL (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities); Centerstone, Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Treatment, and the university's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). In addition, there will also be Narcan training available for those interested in learning how to administer naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Student Health Services, the Jackson County Health Department and Southern Illinois Healthcare are sponsoring the event. Light refreshments will be available.
For more information, contact Beth Morrison, assistant director, Student Health Services, at beth.morrison@siu.edu.
Jackson County Bar Association raises funds for food pantry
In December, the Jackson County Bar Association held its 11th-annual holiday food drive to benefit the Murphysboro Food Pantry.
Individual members made donations throughout the month of December. Alice Noble-Allgire, L. Douglas Gill, and Craig and Roberta Reeves challenged members to match their combined $1,500 pledge, and members surpassed that challenge, collecting a total of $4,725 for the pantry.
The pantry, the largest USDA food pantry in Jackson County, served an estimated 36,537 people by the end of 2017.
"With a new year on the horizon, it was quite a surprise to receive a very generous donation from the JCBA," pantry director Megan Austin said.
The Jackson County Bar Association is a voluntary organization of attorneys and law students that meets monthly and provides continuing education, social and public service opportunities for its members.
Artspace 304 presents 'Mini-Monumentals'
The newest exhibit at the Carbondale Civic Center Corridor Gallery by Carbondale Community Arts is sculptor Dan Johnson's "Mini-Monumentals."
Johnson's collection includes sculptures made of clay, concrete, granite and steel.
The exhibit will be at the civic center until Jan. 31.
'Groundhog Day' to be shown at Varsity
The film "Groundhog Day" will be screened Friday, Feb. 2 at the Varsity Center for the Arts. The classic and near-cult status movie stars Bill Murray as Phil Connors, an arrogant and cynical Pittsburg TV weatherman who wakes up to find it's Groundhog Day all over again - and again, and again.
"Groundhog Day" will show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Tickets are $5. Advance tickets are available at thevarsitycenter.org or at the door beginning at 6:15 p.m. the night of the show.
The Varsity Bar will be open and offering beers and wine, select cocktails, coffee and cream liqueurs, as well as soda and snacks.
Pagan alliance to hold public ritual
The Southern Illinois Pagan Alliance will present Imbolc, its first public ritual of 2018, Saturday, Feb. 3 at Gaia House Interfaith Center in Carbondale.
SIPA rituals are free and open to the public. All are welcome. The gathering will start at 6 p.m, with the ritual starting at 7 p.m. A potluck will follow.
Gaia House is located at 913 S. Illinois Ave. For more information, call or text Tara Nelsen at 618-924-0263 or email taracatgirl@yahoo.com.
Stage Company to open 'Agnes of God' Feb. 9
The Stage Company will present its first production of 2018, "Agnes of God," Feb. 9 to 18 at the Varsity Center for the Arts in downtown Carbondale.
Summoned to a convent, Dr. Martha Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is charged with assessing the sanity of a novice accused of murdering her newborn. Miriam Ruth, the Mother Superior, determinedly keeps young Agnes from the doctor, arousing Livingstone's suspicions further. Who killed the infant, and who fathered the tiny victim? Livingstone's questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love leading to a dramatic, compelling
climax. Kevin Purcell directs.
Tickets will be $15 each or $8 for students, with all tickets just $7 Thursday, Feb. 15. For more information, call 618-549-5466 or visit stagecompany.org.
Polar Plunge to come back Feb. 17
Support the Special Olympics athletes of Illinois by jumping into the waters of the SIU Campus Lake Saturday, Feb. 17 for the 2018 SIU Polar Plunge.
The funds raised from the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge will benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Check-in for the plunge begins at 10 a.m. at 1493 Douglas Dr. in Carbondale.
This is the 19th year of the LETR Polar Plunge. In 19 years, more than $18.4 million has been raised by more than 66,000 plungers.
Plungers can register for the Plunge at plungeillinois.com.