Your Daily Guide

County Health Board Approves Paid Parental Leave

Workers in Allegheny County are one step closer to receiving 12 weeks of paid parental leave. The county’s Board of Health unanimously passed the proposal, sending it on to County Council for consideration. One hundred percent of an employee’s wages would be covered under the proposal — up to a max of $4,200 per week — but businesses with fewer than 15 employees would be exempt. [WESA]

• We explain how the current version of the policy differs from the original proposal, as well as all the fine print about who qualifies and who doesn’t. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

Ming-Na Wen Publishes Pgh-Inspired Chinese Cookbook

The voice of Mulan herself (which I watched over and over on VHS as a kid) wrote the new cookbook Have You Eaten Yet?, a collection of Chinese-American recipes inspired by the dishes served at her family’s restaurant, Chinatown Inn. Wen will be in town on Oct. 8 for her book launch, where you can buy a signed copy. [Simon & Schuster / Post-Gazette]

• What happened to Pittsburgh’s Chinatown? We discuss how the Boulevard of the Allies decimated the neighborhood. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

Long-Lost Candy Bar Returns

A variant of the iconic peanut butter-and-chocolate Clark Bar (invented in Pittsburgh!) has returned after being forgotten for nearly half a century. Boyer Candies discovered the recipe for the Clark Crush Bar deep in its archives, and is now selling limited qualities of the resurrected candy. The first 100 people in line at 9 a.m. today at Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop in the Strip will receive a free Crush Bar. [TribLive]

Looking for a scare this season? Here are our favorite frights and delights — for horror fans and fraidy cats like myself — in and around the city.

💀 Hard-Core Horror

Guard your soul down in West Mifflin, where a demonic force named Rulos lurks in the walls of an abandoned building. Rulos, the devious mastermind behind Pittsburgh’s newest professional haunted house, Portals of Fear, offers VIP experiences — including snacks! — and lots of dates all throughout October.

🕸️ Less Scary, Still Fun!

Tickets to Haunted Hollow in Somerset County get you access to four attractions, including a boarding house and asylum, sinister hayride, swamp walk, and cornfield, as well as DJs, food and drink concessions, and nightly bonfires. Check for discounts. Admission is free for most dates if your birthday is in October!

🧪 Creepy & Quirky

The Hopewell Windmill in Beaver County becomes a haunted, 18-hole mini golf course this time of year. Putt through the shadows with your glow-in-the-dark golf ball, and treat yourself to ice cream afterwards.