Good morning, Springfield.

Schnucks will offer Thanksgiving meals with a family-size dinner including turkey + potatoes and stuffing for under $4 a serving at local stores from Nov.

18-25. Customers can shop at Springfield locations for quality holiday food on a budget.

UIS associate professor Noah Reynolds was named University Scholar for 2026 for outstanding teaching and research.

He will receive $15,000 a year for three years while mentoring students in molecular microbiology — a prestigious honor awarded by his peers.

Springfield Fire used vacant campus apartments for live training on Wednesday, Oct.

14 while UIS saved demolition costs ahead of building a new facility for a hands-on Bachelor’s of Applied Engineering Technology program. Construction will start early 2027 on Sunflower Court.

Illinois Gov. Pritzker announced that state and Cook County programs cleared $2.4B in medical debt for 1.5M residents after two years.

The state program wiped out $1.4B for nearly 700,000 people (while Cook County removed $1B for 800,000 people) at a news conference in Chicago.

Illinois’ free counseling for Medicare open enrollment starts today and runs until Dec.

7 — the program offers assistance with choosing plans at 300 sites served by 1,000 certified counselors.

Illinois State Police mark October as Infant Safe Sleep Awareness Month — urging families to use firm sleep surfaces and avoid loose bedding to help prevent infant suffocation.

Springfield caregivers are encouraged to review safe sleep tips from state resources for guidance.

Illinois officials said the state-funded medical debt relief program forgave over $1.4 billion in debt for nearly 700,000 residents yesterday — using less than $10 million in public funds and exceeding its goal by over $400 million, with recipients receiving about $1,200 in relief each on average.