Good morning, Springfield.

Downtown Springfield skating rink season starts with free skating and skate rentals on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. until mid-February and on selected holidays—its grand opening is today at 4:30 with President and Mrs. Lincoln re-enactors.

More of the former Pillsbury plant was torn down last week in Springfield — the iconic water tower gave up its fight before it was removed.

The Illinois Lottery has announced a Powerball Ticket Grab Challenge taking place today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Qik n EZ, 1101 Stevenson Drive—over 800 free tickets will be available for participants competing for the $775 million jackpot later today.

Ameren Illinois customers in central and southern areas will receive credits on their upcoming power bills this month based on a $33.5 million settlement after a 10-year investigation — which began in 2015 — found that market manipulation unreasonably raised rates for those on Basic Generation Service and Real Time Pricing. The settlement was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in August and the credits will reflect each customer's energy usage.

School District 186 is in early talks with UIS and Chatham Glenwood to build a new elementary school by consolidating three south side schools—this plan would involve leasing UIS land on a long-term basis and detaching nearly 29 acres from Ball-Chatham School boundaries.

Discussions are very preliminary and any construction would be funded by sales tax revenue.

The University of Illinois Springfield announced that it will expand Prairie Promise to include eligible transfer students in fall—this program will cover tuition and fees for Illinois residents who meet financial and academic criteria and must apply by May 1 for priority consideration.

Illinois was honored in Paris with the Global Startup Ecosystem Award for Innovation Leadership after its innovation programs, research, investment, industry support, and policy achieved wins in five key categories.

The state was the only recipient among 36 winners—showing its strength in building a globally competitive economy.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday that lets the Illinois Department of Public Health issue its own vaccine guidelines using input from the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee—this change will allow the agency to set state-specific recommendations and ensure state-regulated insurance covers approved vaccines.

The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team is seeing a revival under second-year coach Olivia Lett—she said the team is playing competitively and entertaining local fans.

They stand at 3–4 after last night's win and will keep working to improve their play in upcoming games.

Illinois Springfield men’s basketball beat William Jewell 61—60 on Monday night when Jordan Rice scored 40 points and broke a school record, helping his team rally after a four point halftime deficit.

The Prairie Stars will host McKendree at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Maryville at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Frostbite Festival

9 a.m. — AMF Springfield Lanes — Check event page for registration costs — Participate in the 62nd annual Frostbite Festival with 2 mile and 10 mile races.

Holiday Cheer Paint Night with Ashley Blake

6:30-8:30 p.m. — The Library - Pizza and Sports Bar — Free entry — Unleash your inner artist and get festive with a fun paint night experience.

Dual Piano Christmas

7 p.m. — Hoogland Center For The Arts — Ticketed event — Experience an evening of holiday favorites and comedic improvisation on dual pianos.

Town Snowman Paint Night With Ashley Blake

1-3 p.m. — Harvest Market — Supplies included — Unleash your creativity while painting a winter wonderland masterpiece inspired by Snowman Town.

New Year’s Eve Celebration with Lick Creek

7-8:30 p.m. — Boondocks — Ticket required — Celebrate New Year’s Eve with live country rock music from Lick Creek in Springfield.