A neighbor's house in Carbondale

Its been a crazy few days out here in Southern Illinois. Friday’s storm devastated much of the region and thousands remain without power still.
The newspaper is doing a great job of providing disaster coverage for the region.
Visit our web site to keep abreast of what’s happening.

This is beginning to look like a bad week.
First the swine flu: With 103 people dead in Mexico and the flu spreading to North America and Europe, we’re all waiting and watching, while holding our breaths and crossing our fingers.
The Obama administration has declared a public health emergency but are calling it a “precautionary measure” [...]

Today is World Health Day.
What are local hospitals doing to keep themselves safe in emergencies?
I spoke to Bobby Whitledge, director of plant operations, and security and safety officer at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion.
Whitledge, director of plan operations and security and safety officer at Heartland Regional Medical Center inspects the hospital's 1000 kilowatt generator, [...]

Ever wondered how safe your home is from fires? Are there any fire hazards inside and outside your home you are simply unaware of?
Here’s a great service a lot of us havent heard about:
The City of Carbondale fire department offers a free home safety inspection program in order to encourage residents to take proactive steps [...]

I recently picked up an infant car seat and stroller system and as I looked through the instructions manual, I wondered how many parents actually understood all the complicated instructions and installed the seats correctly.
That was when I came across this shocking statistic: Apparently nine out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly. Common errors [...]

The March issue of The Southern Health Magazine was distributed along with today’s edition of The Southern Illinoisan newspaper.
Rhonda Ethridge, our design, production and art direction guru did a great job with the cover. I’d wondered what kind of image she would come up with for a subject like brain injuries. And she found something [...]

Looks like our local Jackson County Health department is moving with the times by stepping in the right direction.
They’ve established a MySpace site which provides information and resources about sexual health to teens and young adults.
With chlamydia and gonorrhea rates among teens and young adults in Jackson County way higher than they should be, this [...]

The Washington Post ran an interesting little graphic that revealed the real cost of piercing your body.
While not everyone would agree with the amount of time they say every piercing takes to heal, what’s your first reaction to this graphic? Does it reaffirm your stance against piercing or do you believe this is surface information [...]

Starting tonight at 7 p.m. we’re supposed to witness the worst winter storm Southern Illinois has seen in decades.
Here’s what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says you can do in preparation for the worst:
Add the following supplies to your disaster supplies kit:

Rock salt to melt ice on walkways
Sand to improve traction
Snow shovels and other [...]

If you want to quit smoking, but can’t, you might want to try signing up for the Freedom From Smoking class and support group hosted by members of the Jackson County Health Department.

This is a 7-week smoking cessation program that provides cessation support, educational lessons, and resources to those who have the drive and commitment [...]