Good morning, Traverse City.

Patriot Farms, opened Oct.

10 by Matthew and Whitney Wheeler, is a family farm attraction near downtown featuring mazes, wagon rides, an obstacle course, and a petting zoo; it’s open Thursday-Sunday (weekdays for school field trips) and plans Christmas activities in about two years.

Bring trick-or-treaters to the free Downtown Traverse City Halloween Walk on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., when merchants along Front, Cass and Union streets will hand out candy and crafts and offer chances to shop local.

Saab held a soft opening Tuesday for its $115 million Grayling munitions plant and said it expects to begin assembling weapons for the U.S. Department of Defense in May, with production lines and at least 30 more local jobs as it ramps up.

CENSYS Technologies of Traverse City won a $170,000 Advanced Air Mobility grant from Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to demonstrate drone power-line inspections as one of 12 statewide pilot projects funded by $1.7 million tied to federal drone orders.

Nikki Torrey was named superintendent of Buckley Community Schools after the previous leader left for the ISD, and she will lead the district amid enrollment growth and the 2025 through 2028 strategic plan while a new elementary principal starts soon.

Sleeping Bear Dunes will study its growing black bear population and diet using noninvasive DNA from hair snares after receiving a National Park Foundation innovation grant announced Oct.

20, and park staff will work with state and tribal partners to develop strategies to reduce bear and human conflicts.

Skegemog Raptor Center says severe lead poisoning killed a bald eagle this month and is urging hunters to use nonlead ammunition ahead of rifle season to protect eagles and other scavenging wildlife.

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission said the Beitner Road bridge, closed since April flooding, is expected to reopen sometime in November after crews poured the concrete driving deck during a video update Tuesday, Oct.

27 (over the Boardman River).

Experts at the Northwest Michigan Housing Summit in Traverse City said the region is falling behind on affordable housing, with Housing North projecting about 30,000 new units needed by next year and MSHDA reporting fewer than 5,000 currently under construction (10 counties).

Leland surged in the second half to beat Harbor Springs 4-0 in a regional match and will play Muskegon Western Michigan Christian on Thursday in Cadillac.

Traverse City West beat Freeland 3-1 to advance to face East Kentwood, and Elk Rapids defeated Freeland 3-0 to meet Whitehall.