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🌱 Patch AM: How a new donation is filling Springfield holiday tables this weekend

Happening soon: FREE WEBINAR | "A Renaissance Christmas - Remix" on the Springfield Patch calendar

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Saturday December 20th Patch AM
Saturday December 20th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Morning Springfield! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a new donation is filling Springfield holiday tables this weekend
  • How Springfield landed the first-ever games of the new women’s league
  • Who’s being honored when Illinois’ top award comes to Springfield?

Also on today's calendar: The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Springfield, IL and 3 more events.

Find out what's happening in Springfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: Last night I had a dream. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Springfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Saturday: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high of 47 and low of 23 degrees.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 39, low: 27.
  • Monday: Periods of sun, with a high of 44 and low of 38 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. PNC Foundation backs Salvation Army Christmas food boxes (sj-r.com) — Hundreds of Springfield and Sangamon County families facing financial hardship will receive Christmas food boxes this weekend through The Salvation Army of Springfield, funded by a major PNC Foundation donation. Local PNC employees will help pack and distribute boxes on Dec. 20, providing shelf-stable foods, fresh produce, and holiday essentials, and residents can learn more or get involved through the Springfield Salvation Army website.
   

2. Cal Poly student drafted to inaugural Women's Professional Baseball League (ksby.com) — Springfield will host the launch of the new Women’s Professional Baseball League in August 2026, with all four teams playing their first games here. One of those players is Cal Poly student Arwen McCullough, drafted by the San Francisco team and now training hard to earn a final roster spot while inspiring more girls to pursue baseball.
   

3. Larry Gies to receive Order of Lincoln honor in 2026 (wcia.com) — Springfield will host the 2026 Order of Lincoln ceremony on April 11, where philanthropist and business leader Larry Gies will be among just five honorees. The state’s highest award for public service and achievement will be livestreamed, with a ticketed reception and dinner to follow for those who reserve spots in advance.
   

4. Illinois State Police welcomes 21 new troopers from Cadet Class 151 (newschannel20.com) — Illinois State Police just graduated 21 new troopers at the ISP Academy in Springfield, with the officers heading to posts across Illinois starting December 21. The lateral-entry class brings the total number of new troopers under Gov. JB Pritzker to 713 since 2019, following 25 weeks of combined academy and field training.
   

5. Law guaranteeing universal mental health screenings for IL youth, teens takes effect Jan. 1 (wandtv.com) — From the Capitol in Springfield is rolling out universal mental health screenings for public school students in grades three through 12 starting with the 2027-2028 school year. Beginning Jan. 1, a new law requires schools to offer annual, age-appropriate, confidential screenings, with parents able to opt out and lawmakers debating how best to balance privacy and early intervention.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Hello!
    If anyone on Stanton St finds an empty trash can with attached lid please let me know or return it to the address on the lid/can. I put my house #… (Nextdoor Laketown)
  • Something has been weighing on my mind and I have to get it off my chest!
    I was chatting with a coworker who informed me that he had his dog crated since 5 AM this morning to 10 PM-so his dog was crated for 18 hours … let… (Nextdoor Harvard Park)
  • 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝟏𝟓𝟏 𝐈𝐒𝐏 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 – The Illinois State Police... (X: ILStatePolice)
  • We hosted some students from Western Illinois University last week to discuss what FBI Springfield does in the local area, some cases, and some job... (X: FBISpringfield)
  • MyJobsCorner posted a job opening for Janitor Jobs: Hiring Immediately! Full Time / Part Time - $18-$47/Hr in Springfield. Apply here.
  • U-Haul posted a job opening for Traffic Control Manager in Springfield. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Springfield here.

Ok Springfield! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I dreamed I was swimming in a pool of orange soda, but it was just a Fanta-sea.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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