Today’s spine-chilling short story can only mean one thing: the most hair-raising month of the year, October, is upon us. Granted, it’s hard to imagine how things could get much scarier in a year where every day has felt like Halloween, but we’re confident the next 31 days will find a way of rising to the occasion.

As you might recall, last Friday we shared a survey asking you, our readers, to weigh in on what you’d like to see from The New Tropic. We’re sprucing things up around here and adding accouterments to our unabashedly Miami members-only program Club New Tropic; naturally, we’d appreciate your input.

Beyond our long-term plans, we also want to know what you’re interested in more immediately: October also happens to be the most fun month of the year, so why not get weird with it? Would a collection of Miami’s creepiest moments in history catch your eye? Or how about a handpicked selection of supernatural music or movies? Tell us what you’re thinking by sending an email over to [email protected] or fill out our survey! We promise we don’t bite… for now (*cue sinister laughter*… but no, seriously, we don’t bite. That’s hardly a way to treat your readers, much less a viable commercial strategy. Y’know what, forget we said anything.)

In other news…

Many Miami businesses are keeping cautious and refraining from resuming full-blown operations in light of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Phase 3 reopening order. If you thought you’d be able to rush back into the loving embrace of after dark institutions like The Corner, think again. If you’re trying to stay apprised of who’s doing dine-in (ideally in a safe fashion!) and where to score the best deals in light of Miami Spice’s extension, these New Times guides are a solid place to start.

Money talks: Miami-Dade County public schools are reopening earlier than planned starting next Monday, October 5. Although the school board had previously voted to pursue a staggered reopening beginning October 14, state officials threatened to withhold funds unless students resumed in-person learning sooner. The situation is… not good.

We’ve heard rumblings that some people are confused about DeSantis’ Phase 3 order and whether or not it affects the ability of municipalities to enforce local COVID-19 regulations. Rest assured, it does: Here’s how Miami-Dade is planning on getting around the statewide rollback on virus-related fees and fines.

Biscayne Bay’s troubles may not be grabbing front-page headlines anymore, but the work to manifest a more environmentally-friendly Miami remains ongoing. If you’re concerned about climate change, there’s a lot going on to get involved in: the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit is hosting a town hall meeting over Zoom tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to discuss recommendations and next steps for preserving the bay. And next week, Miami Waterkeeper is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of the Waves of Change docu-series and other events on October 6-8.

Just wait until they get a load of frightening Friday 👻

It’s a scary world out there — try not to get too shook,

—   Zach & The New Tropic