Your forecast
Mainly cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. High 8 C, wind chill -6 this morning. UV index 1 or low.
What’s happening today
For a great list of spooky and fun Halloween events, including Farmageddon, Boo at the Zoo, Terror Garage, Doomsday and I Scream Fest, see What’s Up.

Farmageddon features a trio of terrifying options. (Supplied)
Some Winnipeg parents are trading in Halloween tricks for safer treats this All Hallows’ Eve because of concerns about crime and tainted candy.
Cheryl Summerly and her children participated in a “trunk or treat” event at the Bord Aire Community Centre in St. James last weekend as an alternative to going door-to-door. Nicole Buffie has more here.

Pastor Graham Hunt and his staff are busy preparing for hundreds of kids to enjoy a fun evening of games, races and candy at their Light up the Night alternative Halloween party. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press)
A new poll suggests more than a quarter of Canadians will spend $100 or more on Halloween, with roughly 70 per cent of respondents saying they’ll fork over as much money as they did last year on candy and costumes. The Canadian Press reports.
Today’s must-read
“It’s (-8 C), cold as hell. They going to be alive when they get here?” The text message, sent weeks before an Indian family froze to death in a Manitoba field, is among new details and photos revealed this week in a human smuggling case that is going to trial Nov. 18.
U.S. prosecutors said suspected smugglers Harshkumar Patel and Steve Shand were well aware of the dangers of extreme cold at the Manitoba-Minnesota border, but sent migrants on perilous crossings for profit. Chris Kitching has the story.

Photo from court documents showing migrants wearing ‘woefully inadequate cold weather gear.’ (U.S. District Court of Minnesota)
On the fright side
Some are well-worn warnings as familiar as the changing of seasons. Others are slow burns that end with a bang. Still others are just plain eerie. Stories of spiritual entities, paranormal activity and creepy cryptids are passed through generations the world over, becoming local legends that only sometimes reach across borders and cultures.
So if the sordid tales you grew up with no longer make you shiver, it’s time to reanimate your roster with global tales of ghosts, hauntings, and petrifying processions. The Associated Press has a selection of creepy stories from traditions around the world.

A ghost mannequin at Goosebump market as a part of Halloween festival in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday. (Sakchai Lalit / The Associated Press)
On this date
On Oct. 31, 1975: The Winnipeg Free Press reported in Ottawa, the federal government backed down on some bitterly disputed measures in its wage and price controls program to give a better break to low-income earners and those depending on investment income. In Winnipeg, arson was suspected as the cause of a fire that caused significant damage to J.H. Bruns Collegiate and forced the school to close temporarily, with plans for students to go to other schools in the area until repairs were completed. Read the rest of this day’s paper here. Search our archives for more here.

Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Free Press.

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