Good Wednesday morning, folks.

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of showers and thunderstorms with a high of 83 and a low of 68.

Today’s newsletter is 843 words — a 3-minute read.

Early signs suggest flu season is starting sooner than in recent years.

Why it matters: If you're thinking about getting your flu shot, health experts suggest it's time to roll up your sleeve.

By the numbers: About 3.6% of flu tests came back positive in early October, compared with just 0.6% at the same point last year, according to CDC data.

• The fine print: The CDC's published methodology shows no change in flu test positivity calculations.

Zoom out: Additional data, including outpatient reports, suggest flu activity is on the rise.

• The highest percentages of medical visits for flu-like illness are in children.
• Meanwhile: RSV activity remains very low in most of the country, while COVID activity is still elevated in some regions but declining nationally, per the CDC.

What they're saying: "'Get your flu shot now' is my best advice," Trish Perl, a professor of infectious diseases and epidemiology at UT Southwestern, tells Axios.

• It generally takes up to two weeks after vaccination for the immune system to develop maximum immune response.

Threat level: Arkansas had 93 flu-related deaths last flu season, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. The state also saw more than 2,100 hospitalizations for flu-like illnesses.

The intrigue: This season, the new U.S.-approved mRNA flu vaccine is available to adults 50 and older. All county health units in Arkansas offer the flu shot at no out-of-pocket cost.

• The move comes as the Trump administration has reshaped federal vaccine policy and put greater emphasis on vaccine safety and injury reporting.
• Yes, but: Serious reactions caused by vaccines are rare, and a health problem reported after vaccination does not necessarily mean the vaccine caused it, CDC has said.

The bottom line: The early rise in flu positivity is worth watching, but it doesn't yet show how severe the "reliably unreliable" flu season — as Perl describes it — will be.

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The Crystal Bridges campus has a new outdoor playscape for all ages: the Ozark Discovery Canopy.

The big picture: The playscape opens on the heels of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art's major expansion this year.

• Crystal Bridges leaders want more visitors, more children's programming, and the campus to be a community gathering space.

State of play: The playscape isn't a traditional playground. It builds on the museum's outdoor offerings, which include trails and art installations.

What they're saying: "Visitors can splash and explore in a flowing water feature and creek, interact with a large, rotating boulder, lounge on oversized hanging benches, race down a wide, family-sized slide, and more," according to a news release.

If you go: The Ozark Discovery Canopy near the North Forest Trail, close to the parking garage by the Scott Family Amazeum, is open from dawn to dusk daily.

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🛒 Sam's Club's online community where members can share notes, product feedback and participate in polls and product testing in the Sam's Club app, has more than 200,000 users since launching in 2024. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

💼 Tyson Foods is giving $100,000 to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for career readiness programs and workforce development efforts for college and high school students. Half of the money will go toward the university's Office of Career Services and the other half will go toward its Youth Motivation Task Force. (KNWA)

🚫 U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton did not show up to an Arkansas TV debate Monday. Democrat Hallie Shoffner and Libertarian Jeff Wadlin participated. (Arkansas Advocate)

Reese's rules Halloween candy nationally — but Sweet Smiles prevails in Arkansas.

The big picture: DoorDash data shows the most uniquely popular Halloween candy by state, based on last October's orders.

• Reese's over-indexes in 17 states, and the peanut butter cups are the top candy nationally for the third year in a row.
• Sweet Smiles, a Dollar General brand that sells an assortment of sweets, stands out in seven Southern states.
• Laffy Taffy claims five states across the Midwest.

How it works: DoorDash analyzed purchases made on its platform in October 2025 to find which candies each state ordered at a higher rate than the rest of the country.

The intrigue: This is the first Halloween with dye-free M&M's, Skittles and Starburst fruit chews in the mix.

• Mars launched versions made without artificial colors this summer, alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to "Make America Healthy Again."

By the numbers: Chocolate still dominates Halloween candy orders overall, taking four of the top five spots nationally, DoorDash found.

• But sour and fruity candies are gaining ground — and old-school picks Circus Peanuts and Lemonheads are making a comeback, with orders last October at least three times higher than the year before.

Alex's thought bubble: I'm team Reese's.

Thanks to Larry Graham for editing this newsletter.

💉 Alex already got her flu shot.

🏝️ Worth is on sabbatical. Hopefully, he has his flu shot.