Hello, Thursday…

Weather: There’s still a chill. Sunny skies today with highs near 50 and lows tonight around 30. Slightly warmer on Friday, with highs in the middle 50s and lows just above the freezing mark.

Free fall. Oil prices continue to tumble on global markets, and that’s leading to lower gas prices here and throughout the country. According to the price-reporting website Gasbuddy.com, there are a few places in the United States under the $2-a-gallon mark. Closer to home, the site shows $2.29 gas available at some stations in the western part of the metro area. Drivers in the Fultondale area can fill up for as little as $2.43 this morning, and slightly higher as you travel northward from there. Falling crude oil prices also led to a big drop in stock markets on Wednesday; the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 260 points for the trading session.

Sports: Hornets ranked. The first statewide rankings of the season for high school basketball teams was released late last night, and the Locust Fork girls are in the top 10 in Class 4A. The Alabama Sports Writers Association rankings place the Hornets in eighth place. No other local teams are in contention just yet. There are several games on the schedule for Thursday night, including Corner girls and boys playing at Fultondale.