Several eastside football teams will be battling it out for Sectional Championships this weekend. Cathedral meets Lawrence North, Warren Central meets up with Southport, Arsenal meets up with Zionsville, New Palestine versus Martinsville, Scecina meets Cardinal Ritter, Eastern Hancock meets Howe, and Indianapolis Lutheran versus Indiana School for the Deaf. Games will be on Oct. 30 at various venues. Visit the school’s Web sites or www.ihsaa.org for times and ticket prices. Congratulations and good luck to all our student-athletes.
• Indianapolis leaf collection begins Nov. 9 and ends Dec. 4. The Dept. of Public Works will pick up your leaves curbside (up to 40 bags) the same day as your trash pickup. Put leaves in lawn-waste bags or large plastic trash bags and place them at least three feet away from the trash carts. Before you do that, however, you might consider composting those leaves yourself or donating them to your friendly local gardeners, who would love to have them for their compost bins/gardens.
• There has been a troubling, scary rash of business robberies at bars, restaurants, and gas stations in recent weeks. In some cases, the owners or managers have been held at gunpoint. As small, independent businesses, these crimes have a huge impact on their bottom lines and morale. Keep them in your positive thoughts and support them through your dollars!
• On a related note, good people can do something to help themselves. Educate yourself — and a great place to start is to go to the next IMPD East District Task Force on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at East District HQ, 201 N. Shadeland (the former Eastgate Mall building, on the south entrance). It will be the last task force meeting of the year, and there will be a celebration, but they will also have their usual educational session. Get the facts from the “boots on the ground.”
• The Indiana State Library will be getting a new Education Center. It will open next year on the ground floor of the library in a 1,800 square foot hall, where it will offer learning exhibits about the state’s government to school groups and families. The library is located at 315 W. Ohio and is a tremendous resource for all Hoosiers.
• The Jack Eichacker Memorial Soup Supper will be held Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. at Downey Ave. Church, 111 S. Downey Ave. Admission at the door is $5, and soup bowls are $3. There will be a dozen soups to choose from, desserts, and more. There will be a silent auction as well. Proceeds go to support the HOPE Fund, which provides professional counseling on a sliding scale to individuals in need.
• On Nov. 7 at 2 p.m., the Central Library (40 E. St. Clair St.) will host Veterans Reclaim Armistice Day. NPR’s Steve Inskeep will lead a discussion and resource fair on the healing impact of the arts and humanities related to the physical and mental wounds of war. Admission is free and veterans and their families are encouraged to attend.