🌱 Passenger Attacks Flight Attendant, Plane Diverted: Airline

Happy Friday, people of Denver! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening today in town. We have info about an attack on a flight, our state's vaccine rollout for kids and how you can help your neighbors.

First, today's weather:

You can expect some brilliant sunshine and warmer temperatures. High: 72 Low: 43.

Here are the top stories today in Denver:

1. An American Airlines flight was diverted to Denver on Wednesday after a passenger attacked a flight attendant, officials said. A passenger on the flight said a man in first or business class punched the flight attendant twice in the face. (Denver Patch)
2. The number of fights on flights in 2021 has soared so far, driven by mask mandates, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Many unruly passengers are making front-line airline workers jobs even more difficult as the pandemic continues. (FOX 31 Denver)
3. Early evidence suggests the pandemic has likely contributed to an increase in childhood obesity, according to a new report. In Colorado, the obesity rate for kids ages 10-17 went up to 11.2 percent. (Patch)
4. Gov. Jared Polis rolled out Colorado's strategy Thursday for vaccinating kids ages 5 to 11 — now our state is just waiting on formal FDA emergency use authorization for Pfizer, which is expected today. (KVDR)
5. Believe it or not, the holidays are just two short months away. As you begin planning a holiday meal with all the trimmings, it's also a perfect opportunity to seek out ways to help and give back to your Denver neighbors. Here's how to help ensure Denverites don't go hungry this holiday. (Denver Patch)

Today's Denver Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Denver!

Today in metro Denver:

• Trick or Treat on Navajo Street (6 p.m.)
• Sam Tallent at Comedy Works South (7:15 p.m.)
• Denver Comedy Underground: Zach Reinert (8 p.m.)
• Dolls in the Attic & Fire and Ice (8 p.m.)

Denver Patch Notebook

• City and County of Denver Government: "This month, Denver broke ground on Valor on the Fax, a 72-unit apartment community for people experiencing homelessness who also have a brain injury or related disability." (Facebook)
• Denver Art Museum: "Don't miss the first Untitled event inside the renovated Martin Building and new Sie Welcome Center at the Denver Art Museum on Friday, October 29 from 6 to 10pm." (Facebook)
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science: "BOO. It's almost Halloween, and we felt like your feed could use a few more skeletons. So, who is spookier? 1. Diceratherium cooki articulated skeleton 2. Articulated Bison Anitquus skeleton 3. Trigonias mounted skeleton ..." (Facebook)
• Denver Broncos Community Development: "More than 100,000 fewer individuals donated blood with Vitalant nationwide in the past year compared to the year prior. If you haven’t donated yet this year, give blood in support of #DriveforLife24 while cheering on the Denver Broncos ..." (Facebook)
• Downtown Denver Partnership: "Are you a property owner downtown? Have you applied for your Urban Forest Initiative grant yet? You could qualify for up to $20,000 for infrastructure improvements that support growing our tree canopy." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

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Events:

• Best Halloween-Decorated Homes Around Highlands Ranch (Oct. 29 & Oct. 30)
• Save 15 Percent On Boo-tiful Flowers This Halloween! (Oct. 31)
• Social Security Seminar (AM Nov. 2 & PM Nov. 2)
• Becoming A Millionaire Through Apartment Investing (Nov. 2)
• Psychic Medium John Edward live in Denver (Nov. 7)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (Nov. 8)
• Dakota Ridge Soccer Indoor Clinic/Tournament (Nov. 14)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Amber Fisher

About me: I'm a Patch editor covering news in Denver's metro area and Boulder. I've spent the past nine years working for various news outlets across North America, including Chicago Patch, Global News and WBEZ. I've covered high-profile court cases, civil rights abuses, mass shootings, natural disasters and major crimes — but also countless happy news stories about kindness, innovation and resilience. When I'm not writing articles, I can be found hiking, snowboarding, debating politics with my husband and attempting to be a sci-fi and astronomy geek.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Denver Daily? Email me at amber.fisher@patch.com.