SIU, historic group reach settlement

CARBONDALE -- Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and the Ulysses S. Grant Association are parting ways, meaning a historic collection of papers is going to Mississippi.

The school and the nonprofit group say they've reached a deal in a legal dispute over Civil War materials collected in Carbondale by the late history professor John Simon.

The group has talked about leaving the university since Simon, the group's executive director, was fired after accusations of sexual harassment. Simon died in July, while negotiating a return to the university.

Under the settlement announced this week, all of the materials will be moved to Mississippi State University. That's home to the association's new executive director, John Marszalek.

Both sides announced the settlement in a joint statement and say they're not commenting further.