Another tropical storm, named Ophelia, is making its way to the city as we try to stay dry this weekend.

Happening in the World: Italy’s longest-serving president, Giorgio Napolitano, died in Rome on Friday at the age of 98. Serving for 38 years, Napolitano is remembered as being crucial in the orchestration of Italy’s transfer of power in 2011, right on the heels of the years’ debt crisis. He saved his country from severe economic failure, and turned things around. In 2011, the nation saw a debt crisis like no other, with public debt increasing to $2.6 trillion, the highest the continent had seen since the adoption of the euro 10 years earlier. Giorgio Napolitano will be regarded as a man of civic virtue and outstanding leadership. (NYT)

Happening in the US: The possibility of a government shutdown poses a new threat to the US economy and American consumers, whose finances are already being squeezed by rising gas prices, looming college loans, and remaining pandemic costs. While any of those wouldn’t be sufficient to strain the economy on their own, economists believe that a convergence of them, including the ongoing autoworkers’ strike, rising borrowing costs, and a decline in child-care funding, will put a financial strain on households at a time when the economy is already slowing. According to economists, GDP will significantly slow down in the final three months of the year as these difficulties continue to affect both consumer and company expenditure. (The Post)

Happening in NYC: A subtropical storm that had been quietly intensifying off the East Coast for the majority of the week became a tropical storm Friday afternoon, just in time to complicate our weekend here in New York City. Meteorologists warn that a heavy downpour and dangerous strong winds are in our near future. Named Ophelia, the most perilous conditions will make landfall in North Carolina and Virginia, but will travel northwards. The storm is predicted to stretch 380 miles east to west and 296 miles north to south. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Dmitri Barcomi, a Columbia MFA student is directing William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on September 30th at 6:30pm and October 1st at 2:00pm and 6:30pm. All of the performances will take place outdoors on Columbia’s campus at Avery Plaza. According to the director, the run time of the performance is 90 minutes, with no intermission. This outdoor play will give the Columbia community a great chance to see a classic theatrical performance directed by an MFA student. Check out further details and ticket information here.

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