Good morning, Springfield.

Local educators introduced the STEM Minute SKATE for Girls program to teach math + ice skating skills to young learners, blending academic lessons with physical activity at a local ice rink.

SIU School of Medicine is hosting Beer, Brats, & Beginnings on Sept.

10 to celebrate the local brewery that helped shape its history. The museum event will detail how the brewery operated from 1849 until its closing in 1966 — a nod to the enduring community spirit.

Sacred Heart-Griffin opened a new engineering lab designed to enhance hands-on STEM learning for students.

The updated facility will support project-based classes at the school.

The Sangamon County Board voted Tuesday, Sept.

1 to impose a 3% hotel-motel tax for the BOS Center expansion in downtown Springfield. Growth Alliance CEO Ryan McCrady warned delaying the project would drive up costs, while hotel managers expressed concerns about downtown amenities.

Illinois received credit rating upgrades from S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s following the FY27 budget, with S&P raising its bond rating to A and Moody’s assigning an A1 rating to highlight fiscal progress over the past seven years.

The Sangamon County Board approved a 3-percent hotel-motel tax to fund the BOS Center expansion, saying swift action is needed to avoid rising project costs while some board members and hotel managers expressed concerns about downtown conditions and data accuracy.

Players from the Women's Pro Baseball League visited HSHS St. John's Children's Hospital on Sept.

3, engaging patients with signed memorabilia and a swing session (held in Springfield).

Motorcycle racing returns today at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the annual Springfield Mile.

Gates open at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and opening ceremonies begin at 1:30 for heats and main events.