A grower may be sitting on a world-record pumpkin this year, and festival organizers say they've actually fixed the traffic nightmare that's kept people away. The fix: skip Saturday, show up by 6 a.m. Sunday, and whatever you do, don't leave at 5.

— via KQED, Bryan Vo

A shotspotter alert at a Harlem NYCHA complex Wednesday led police to a 15-year-old with a gunshot wound to the stomach; he later died. A teenager is in custody as a person of interest, with no arrests made yet, and the victim lived in the same towers where a pro basketball player was shot dead in July.

— via Gothamist, Brittany Kriegstein

B.C.'s free RSV shot for high-risk seniors launched early and is already running short, with some pharmacies selling out within a day. Flu cases are climbing too, especially among kids, as health officials warn the usual signals for predicting severity aren't working this year.

— via Vancouver Is Awesome, author

An 8,000-square-foot Italian food hall with six stations, a market and a full bar just opened at The Plaza Coral Gables. Pizza dough gets a six-day prep, steaks hit the open flame, and the soft-opening hours are far shorter than the eventual daily schedule.

— via Miami New Times, Victoria Stanzione

Drop boxes open Oct. 5, vote centers Oct. 24, and the top recommendation from California's leading voter advocate isn't mailing at all. It's hand-delivering your ballot and signing a roster on the spot.

— via KQED, Steph Rodriguez

The TSX jumped 375.86 points to 35,521.24 in late-morning trading, lifted by basic materials as gold surged past US$4,208 an ounce. U.S. indexes climbed too, while the loonie slipped to 70.08 cents US.

— via Vancouver Is Awesome, author