Good morning, Springfield.

Lil Bear, an 18-year-old North American black bear who was found orphaned and served as an ambassador at Dickerson Park Zoo, died after a health emergency Oct.

29 when staff found a large lung mass and humanely euthanized him.

Springfield police urged residents to plan routes and share itineraries for Halloween, today, and to use bright costumes or glowsticks and masks that don't block vision so kids and drivers can see one another.

SPD says extra officers will patrol neighborhoods and asks drivers to slow down and avoid distractions.

Ozarks Food Harvest is teaming with more than 60 local grocers for the 28th annual Check Out Hunger campaign, which runs Nov.

1-Dec. 31 so shoppers can add $1, $3 or $5 (tax-free) at checkout to help provide $5 worth of groceries per dollar and reach a 100,000-meal goal.

Imaginasium will permanently close at the end of the year after owners couldn't find a buyer (3444 S.

Campbell Ave. Ste. O), and open play and memberships will continue through December while the owners continue to seek a buyer and plan equipment sales afterward.

Members of Springfield’s C-Street Zombie Corps performed Michael Jackson’s Thriller for clients and staff at the Nova Center of the Ozarks on Friday afternoon, offering a sensory-friendly, up-close Halloween show for people with autism and developmental disabilities.

Troopers in Southwest Missouri have issued 219 hands-free driving citations so far this year, down from 318 last year, while statewide citations fell from more than 1,500 to just over 900.

Patrol officials say the statistics may undercount distracted driving and remind drivers fines run up to $500 (or $1,000 in work and school zones).

With clocks set to fall back, fire officials in Springfield urge residents to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, replace batteries yearly, install alarms inside bedrooms and on every level, and replace units every 10 years to halve the risk of dying in a home fire.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department warned on Oct.

29 that suspected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been found in waterfowl in southeast Greene County after four nearby Christian County cases, and officials tell residents to avoid wild birds, keep pets away, and report dead birds to authorities.

No. 23 Missouri (5-2) visits Arkansas (3-4) today at 6:45 p.m. in an SEC game at Fayetteville; the matchup airs on SEC Network.

District high school football play began Friday; check scores and highlights for local teams on Ozarks Sports Zone's Scoreboard page.

New Covenant Academy swept Springfield Catholic in the Class 2 sectional on Thursday to advance; the Warriors (32-1) will play Cole Camp in a Class 2 quarterfinal today at Cole Camp High School, and the winner advances to next week's MSHSAA championships in St. Joseph.

High school football districts began Friday night as area teams opened district play, and state volleyball edged closer to the Final Four after regional wins this week.

All-American running back Ahmad Hardy will make his season debut today at 6:45 p.m. in Fayetteville for Missouri against Arkansas and is expected to get a handful of carries off the bench (trainers cleared him after recovering from a May gunshot wound).