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The owner of a Minneapolis Warehouse District sex shop decided to paint his building bright red.

• His neighbors aren't impressed and the city says he better fix it.

Dennis Buchanan said he will comply — probably with some brown paint.

• "Sorry that I have a little flavor," he told Axios.

The coming winter is bringing renewed attention to Minneapolis' homeless crisis.

What's happening: The number of people living outside increased nationwide during the pandemic. In Minneapolis, advocates and city officials are once again working to connect people with stable housing before the temperatures drop.

• Local efforts to clear large encampments, meanwhile, have created tension between the city and people living outdoors.

With less than a week before the election, we are sharing interviews we conducted with top mayoral candidates about what they would do to address encampments and provide stable shelter for those in need.

Want to branch out from costume contests and haunted hayrides?

• We found the spooky, the paranormal and just plain weird things to try this Halloween.

🎭 Live improv in the dark, a musical about history's most prolific murderess and a performance about an unsanctioned psychological experiment. Catch all of these shows and more at the Twin Cities Horror Festival this weekend. $15.

🔮 Visit the Twin Cities' top psychics and mediums at the Fall Festival Psychic Fair on Saturday, hosted by the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community. Get insight on life, contact loved ones from beyond the grave and learn more about your own psychic power. Free.

A proposed Minneapolis ordinance aims to pump the brakes on the city's surging catalytic converter theft problem.

Why it matters: Catalytic converter thefts increased from 124 reports in 2019 to 1,076 in 2020, according to MinnPost, which cited Minneapolis Police Department data. And the problem has gotten even worse in 2021.

• Catalytic converters cost thousands of dollars to replace and leave people without transportation.

Minnesota's spot in history as the birthplace of waterskiing might soon get some extra recognition.

Driving the news: Three members of Minnesota's congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig — recently introduced a resolution urging the Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp honoring next year's 100th anniversary of the sport.

We've reached the last week in October and Minnesota lawmakers remain locked in a stalemate over what was supposed to be a September special session on pandemic worker bonuses and other issues.

State of play: After months of public hearings and behind-the-scenes talks, there's still no agreement on how to distribute the $250 million in federal funding set aside for frontline workers.

• A move last week to kick the impasse to the full Legislature for votes on competing plans failed.

Minnesota State Sen. Chris Eaton (DFL-Brooklyn Center) is one of the nation's chattiest state legislators — on Twitter, at least.

Driving the news: Data collected by Quorum shows that Eaton tweeted 9,000 times between Jan. 1 and Aug. 25, ranking her No. 6 in the country.

It's MEA weekend! Here's what's happening around the Twin Cities.

🎬 The Twin Cities Film Festival has begun! Watch premieres like Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" during the hybrid event, which runs through Oct. 30.

• Fifty screenings will be in person at ICON Theatres, and 90 films are available online. $50-$150.