Chelsea native Reia Briggs-Connor trained at Genevieve Spinelli's studio, captained the Chelsea High cheer squad, and spent five seasons as a New England Patriots cheerleader before building Phunk Phenomenon into one of the region's top hip-hop dance companies.

Now based in Everett and Peabody, the studio created the Boston Celtics Junior Dance Team — and Briggs-Connor keeps bringing it back to Chelsea for community events and a scholarship for local kids.

NewBridge Cafe has served Chelsea's steak tips since 1975, when founder Charlie Mandracchia opened the restaurant on Washington Avenue. Fifty-one years later, his son John Mandracchia and brother Mark still run it — going through more than 1,000 pounds of steak tips a week.

The family's marinade recipe remains a closely guarded secret, and Boston Magazine has repeatedly named NewBridge among the best steak tips in Greater Boston.

Chelsea's Ciao! Pizza and Pasta is expanding beyond its tiny Williams Street storefront with a second location in Lynn — a 70-seat restaurant with a full bar and private dining room. The new spot, opening at 41 Sutton Street this September, will carry over Chelsea favorites like the Margherita and campanelle, alongside new dishes built for the bigger menu.

Chelsea's fall calendar is packed: the weekly Farmers Market runs through October 20, and the city's Autumn in the Square series brings free movies, a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, and a dog-friendly Barktoberfest to Chelsea Square through November 1.

Round it out with a walk at Mary O'Malley Park or along the Chelsea Greenway, a free cooking class at the GreenRoots Teaching Kitchen, and stops at neighborhood staples like NewBridge Cafe and Katz Bagel Bakery.

A federal jury acquitted Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins on two extortion charges tied to a cannabis company stock deal, clearing him to return after a year on leave. Local officials, including Chelsea Councilor Leo Robinson, welcomed the verdict — but Gov. Healey has stopped short of endorsing his return, and a separate state ethics review remains possible.

Revere and Winthrop have joined Chelsea at high risk for West Nile virus, Northeast Mosquito Control announced, after an increase in positive mosquito samples regionally.

The elevation follows the state's sixth human WNV case this year, confirmed by Massachusetts DPH on September 4. Officials urge repellent use, protective clothing, and eliminating standing water through the fall.

Revere's shuttered McMackin Field — known for decades as "Little Fenway" — has reopened after a $6.5 million rebuild that fixed the drainage problems that closed it in 2014.

The new multi-use turf field serves Little League baseball, softball, and youth soccer. A young Tony Conigliaro once played there, and the park is named for WWII hero Staff Sgt. Charles McMackin.

Piantedosi Baking Co. of Malden marked 110 years in business last month with a cookout hosted by co-owner Joe Piantedosi and attended by Mayor Gary Christenson. Founded in 1916 by Italian immigrant Salvatore Piantedosi, the wholesale bread bakery is now run by its third and fourth generations — and its bread is stocked on grocery shelves in Chelsea today.