Small businesses blocked by city construction could get a new source of help. The Council sent a bill to the mayor on October 8 that would create a support program for storefronts expecting losses from projects that disrupt traffic for at least 30 days. The final version allows grants or reimbursements of up to $15,000 per storefront each year, and loans of up to $50,000 at no more than 3% interest. It is still at the mayor's desk, so this is not a fund owners can apply to today. The bill would also require an application process and a decision within 30 days.

Some Brooklyn bodegas are using AI to help set prices. amNewYork saw a new register system at stores in Sunset Park and Greenpoint that compares a product's price with nearby shops and suggests what to charge. In one demonstration, a bottle of Coke Zero listed at $2.49 received a $4.95 suggestion. The system does not automatically change prices or add a rush-hour surcharge; the store still makes the call. The company has not fully explained how it builds those local price averages.

A produce delivery by boat is testing a different way to get food into Manhattan. Gothamist followed a shipment from Hunts Point to East 34th Street, where electric cargo bikes handled the last stretch. The city's larger plan seeks a daily barge service between Red Hook and Hunts Point with room for at least 100 containers per trip, potentially starting by 2030. For now, this is a small trial, not a replacement for the trucks that supply the city.

New York businesses with certain unpaid sales tax bills have a chance to cut what they owe. The state's PAID program removes qualifying penalties and half the interest if the full reduced balance on all eligible bills is paid electronically by December 31. Eligible bills must have been final and subject to collection as of September 1; recent balances due with sales tax returns do not qualify. Businesses that receive a PAID letter do not need to enroll separately, but paying only part of the required total will not secure the discount.

Wed, Oct 14, 6:30-8:30pm: Francis Fukuyama: In the Realm of the Last Man - The political thinker discusses his new book and the past fifty years of democracy and liberalism with Tibita Kaneene at New York Law School, 185 West Broadway. Tribeca.

Wed, Oct 14, 6-7:30pm: Tagliatelle with Fall Ragù at Eataly - Learn to shape fresh pasta and make a squash ragù, then enjoy antipasto, Prosecco, pasta with a wine pairing and dessert. Take home the pasta you make and the recipe. At 200 Lafayette Street. SoHo.

Thu, Oct 15, 7-10pm: Backgammon Night at Huda - Six-5 Society hosts a night of backgammon at Huda New Levantine Bistro, 312 Leonard Street. All levels are welcome, with teaching for beginners and boards available to borrow. Williamsburg. $10.

Fri, Oct 16, 7pm: A Cacao Dinner at ÓOL - Chef Chantal Gutierrez leads a tasting through cacao's history, from Ecuador's rainforest to Mesoamerica, with a cacao-fruit spritz, tuna tartare, a macambo dessert and an ancestral cacao drink. At 178 Spring Street. SoHo.

Sat, Oct 17, 6:30-8:30pm: Lectures on Tap: Through the Telescope's Looking Glass - Astrophysicist and author Moiya McTier explains how telescopes changed our view of the universe, from Galileo's lenses to instruments in deep space. The bar address comes with the confirmation email. Lower East Side.

Sat, Oct 17, 7-9:30pm: TIME at Tenri Cultural Institute - Hear violin, cello and piano works by Debussy, Gershwin, Piazzolla and more, see Eliso Babuadze's photographs and stay for a reception with the artists. Guests can also make a small canvas in response to the music. Greenwich Village.

Sun, Oct 18, 4-6pm: Autumn Bloom at PIVOT Pilates - Take a 50-minute reformer class, then learn to arrange seasonal flowers inside a pumpkin to bring home. The class is open to all levels, and flowers and materials are included. At 1995 Broadway. Upper West Side. $95 for Pilates and the workshop; two spots left.

Wed, Oct 14, 6-7pm: Taking Pictures and Making Movies of Supermassive Black Holes - Harvard astrophysicist Shep Doeleman, who led the team behind the first black hole images, presents the Event Horizon Telescope's latest results in the Simons Foundation's Presidential Lectures series. Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium, 160 Fifth Avenue. Flatiron. Free; register.

Thu-Sun, Oct 15-18: KOOM Haus - Korean beauty, food and lifestyle brands take over Iron23 at 29 West 23rd Street. Browse, try products and discover new brands. Thursday-Saturday 11am-7pm; Sunday 11am-5pm. Flatiron. Free; RSVP.

Fri, Oct 16, from 10am: POP MART's SKULLPANDA: OFF MODE - Three immersive rooms introduce the new collection at 423 West 14th Street, with artist Xiong Miao appearing on opening day. The pop-up continues through Nov 30. Meatpacking District. Free.

Sat, Oct 17, 11am-7pm: 101 Studio's SoHo Reopening - Get personal styling, visit the floral installation and take a Polaroid at 101 Thompson Street. The first 200 guests receive a welcome gift. SoHo. Free.

Sun, Oct 18, 1-4pm: The Red Room at Printemps - Tour the restored Art Deco banking hall at One Wall Street, with glass mosaics by Hildreth Meière. Guides include one of the artist's great-granddaughters. Tours run every half hour; last tour at 3:30pm. Financial District. Free.

Sat, Oct 17, 11am: Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade - Watch costumed dogs parade along Avenue B between East 11th and East 7th Streets. Arrive around 10-10:30am for a viewing spot. Registration to march is full, but spectators do not need to register. East Village. Free to watch.

Sat, Oct 17, 11am-3pm: Brooklyn Bridge Park Harvest Festival - Pier 6 has a mini pumpkin patch, face painting, crafts and live pumpkin carving, with cowboy songs from Hopalong Andrew at noon and Dolly Parton covers at 2pm. Costumes welcome. Brooklyn Heights waterfront. Free; no registration needed.

Sat, Oct 17, 2pm: Show Up, Kids! - Kids and grownups help Bebe invent a comedy show by choosing the plot, props, characters and costumes at The RAT. For ages 3-10. DUMBO. $20.

Sun, Oct 18, 11:30am-12:30pm: Family Pumpkin Carving at Time Out Market - Creatively Wild teaching artists help kids and grownups carve a pumpkin on the fifth floor. Each ticket includes one pumpkin, a carving kit and stencils. DUMBO. $50 plus fees.

Straker's - London chef Thomas Straker's first New York restaurant takes over the former Lucky Strike space, with East Coast fish and wood-oven mussel flatbread. SoHo.

Calabash - Camari Mick's Afro-Caribbean bakery and brasserie serves sticky buns, coconut canelés and beef patty croissants by day. Prepaid Friday and Saturday dinners include suya steak frites and asun pasta. West Village.

Bar à Part - The team behind Zimmi's has opened a 15-seat wine bar and cafe next door, with small plates and pastries from Clodagh Manning, formerly of London's Lyle's. West Village.

Booth's Extra Fine - The Nobody Told Me team opens a steakhouse with martinis, horseradish burgers and rum cherry sundaes. Martini Hour runs 4-6pm, with $12 martinis and half-priced caviar. Williamsburg.

Bar Lento - An Italian wine bar and bistro with a garden, wines from Sardinia to Veneto and seasonal plates like fluke ceviche. Chelsea.

Bebo - A Georgian restaurant serves khachapuri, dips and soup in a room filled with fringed lampshades and antique plates. Brooklyn Heights.

Table Mercato - The Boston sandwich shop makes its New York debut with crispy chicken cutlets on house-baked focaccia, plus chips, onion dip and rainbow cookies. East Village.

Softville - Australia's Gelato Messina opens its first U.S. shop, serving soft serve made with Ronnybrook dairy and sundaes with cakes, sauces and toppings. Lower East Side.

On October 13, 2010, crowds stopped on Chelsea sidewalks to watch mysterious objects in the sky, prompting dozens of UFO calls to the NYPD. CBS cameras suggested they were yellow balloons, but officials couldn't confirm what they were.