5 Stories You Need to Pay Attention to This Week

NEW YORK, NY - From the World Series to driverless cars, there's hardly a subject not on the table in New York City this week. And of course next weekend you can get an early jump on your Halloween celebrations.

Patch takes a look at five stories you should be keeping your eye on ...

1. Oct. 24-28: F You — Beginning on Monday night, the F train will fall victim to FastTrack service repairs for this week — and next week. Every night beginning at 10 p.m. and ending at 5 a.m. the F train will stop running its standard route between Manhattan and Brooklyn (and vice versa). There will be no F trains at Broadway-Lafayette Street, Second Avenue, Delancey Street and East Broadway in Manhattan or York Street in Brooklyn. Instead, F trains will be re-routed via the A line in both directions from West 4th Street to Jay Street-MetroTech.
2. Oct. 25: Curse vs. curse — There's no real local connection, but it's hard to ignore one of the most appetizing World Series in decades. The Chicago Cubs, winless since 1908, face off with the Cleveland Indians, winless since 1948, in a once-in-a-lifetime showdown. Game 1 is on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FOX. If you're not from Cleveland, of course, it's hard not to root for the Cubbies — 108 years is a really, really long time to wait. If you're a transplant looking to celebrate with your fellow fans, Kelly's Sports Bar (12 Avenue A) in the East Village is a Cubs hideout and Brother Jimmy's (116 E. 16th St.) in Union Square will be hosting Indians fans.
3. Oct. 26: Crank up the heat — Care to guess the last time the temperature in New York City fell into the 30s? The answer is way back on April 10, more than six months ago. That changes this week. The temperature overnight Tuesday into Wednesday is expected to fall to 39, while it's going to be even colder the next night, falling to about 35 degrees. Time to break out the winter coats and turn up the heat for the first time this season.
4. Oct. 28: Future of transit — What's the only thing scarier than New York City drivers? How about robot drivers? It may sound like something out of 2050, but driverless cars are coming before too long, and the New York City Council is holding an oversight hearing on the topic on Friday at 10 a.m. No, seriously. The Committee on Transportation will tackle the subject, mainly because we really have no idea how it will work on city streets. There's actually a state law on the books right now saying a driver must keep a hand on the wheel at all times, so the cars aren't legal yet. New York is the only state with such a law. But driverless cars are already becoming more commonplace in California, and there's no chance we're gonna let the West Coast have all the fun. Friday's oversight hearing isn't about a particular law or amendment, but it's a first step in addressing an issue for the future of our city.
5. Oct. 30: Senatorial debate — There are very few local races which will be competitive on Nov. 8, (and most of the city races won't even take place until next fall). The highest ranking non-presidential race in New York state is the Senatorial race between incumbent Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Wendy Long. But to call it competitive would probably be unfair. Siena College's poll of 611 likely voters last week found Schumer leading 66 percent to 27 percent. Will a debate sway that one week before the election? Probably not. But if you're interested, the two candidates hold their one and only debate on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. from Union College, live on NY1.

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