the national picture is dominated by climate, courts, and campaigns — wildfires are burning in Colorado, Oregon and South Dakota while Hurricane Lowell recovery begins in Hawaii, federal courts are blocking gerrymandered congressional maps in Missouri, Utah and South Carolina and deciding reproductive, education and energy cases from Washington to Oklahoma, law enforcement announces major drug and gun takedowns in Kentucky and Louisiana, labor and public health strains show with a 150-doctor strike in Minnesota and a third measles death in Pennsylvania, and the 2026 midterms reshape as Georgia and New Hampshire Senate races crystallize and Chicago, Rhode Island and Milwaukee face election turmoil.
TOP NEWS BY STATE – SEPTEMBER 14, 2026:
- Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey set a Sept. 17-18 execution window for death row inmate Jeffery Lee by lethal injection, the state’s second execution of 2026.
- Alaska: A 15-year-old boy was rescued after surviving nearly 3 days clinging to a capsized skiff in the Bering Sea near St. Lawrence Island, while two relatives died.
- Arizona: The Arizona Cardinals stunned the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 as 10.5-point underdogs in Week 1 under new coach Mike LaFleur.
- Arkansas: Arkansas Razorbacks were routed 43-10 by No. 20 Utah in Salt Lake City, marking their first loss of 2026.
- California: Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced a federal DOJ investigation and subpoenas for records from his State Protocol Foundation travel fund as a “baseless MAGA conspiracy.”
- Colorado: The Dadd Gulch Fire burning south of Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon prompted mandatory evacuations near Rustic that were later downgraded to voluntary.
- Connecticut: Heavy rains on Sept 13 triggered severe flash flooding along I-95 in coastal Connecticut, notably in Westport, causing road closures, water rescues and rail disruptions.
- Delaware: Officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the Delaware Container Terminal, a transformative infrastructure project to expand container capacity.
- Florida: Florida State University announced VP and Athletic Director Michael Alford is no longer serving effective Sept. 14, with Bruce Warwick named interim AD.
- Georgia: Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Rep. Mike Collins for U.S. Senate on Sept. 14, reversing his primary support to unite Republicans against Sen. Jon Ossoff.
- Hawaii: Hurricane Lowell, the strongest storm to hit Hawaii since Iniki in 1992, caused devastating damage on Kauai and Oahu with at least one death and widespread outages.
- Idaho: Idaho is observing SepticSmart Week Sept. 14-18 after Gov. Brad Little issued a proclamation urging septic maintenance to protect water quality.
- Illinois: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson officially announced he is seeking re-election today, launching his campaign on the South Side.
- Indiana: The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission launched investigations into utility profits and rate trackers ahead of a new performance-based pricing system.
- Iowa: Iowa defeated Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk rivalry on a game-winning field goal by Caden Buhr with 15 seconds left.
- Kansas: Vice President JD Vance held a Sept. 14 event in Kansas City on pandemic loan fraud, saying 870,000 suspected defrauders would be banned from future government loans.
- Kentucky: 52 people were indicted and 160 firearms and 20 pounds of narcotics seized in ATF-led Operation Silent Hammer in Louisville.
- Louisiana: Joint Operation Summer Heat 2.0 resulted in 95 arrests and seizure of 76 firearms and drugs in the Baton Rouge area.
- Maine: Gov. Janet Mills condemned the Trump Administration’s plan to repeal the EPA’s endangerment finding, warning it would allow unlimited pollution from power plants.
- Maryland: Gov. Wes Moore announced more than $14.5 million in federal highway safety grants to 99 agencies to prevent crashes.
- Massachusetts: Worcester District Court is launching a pilot program starting Sept. 14 to hold virtual consumer debt collection hearings one weeknight and one Saturday per month.
- Michigan: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kicked off an investment mission to South Korea to compete for new investment in shipbuilding, semiconductors and robotics.
- Minnesota: About 150 Allina doctors at Unity and Mercy Hospitals began a 4-day strike today after three years without a first union contract.
- Mississippi: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith suggested supporters of her challenger Scott Colom may have been involved in a 2023 shooting targeting her home.
- Missouri: The U.S. Supreme Court twice blocked Missouri from using a GOP-drawn congressional map aimed at Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s seat, upholding a referendum requirement.
- Montana: Independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar released a video shooting a Flock Safety camera to oppose automatic license plate readers.
- Nebraska: Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen will hand over sensitive voter information on every registered voter to the U.S. Justice Department after the state Supreme Court denied an injunction.
- Nevada: Waymo announced it will offer autonomous ride-hailing to the public in Las Vegas, its first foray into Nevada.
- New Hampshire: The Senate race is set to pit former Republican Sen. John Sununu against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas after their Sept. 8 primary wins.
- New Jersey: Federal officials announced a proposed $125 million settlement to build facilities needed to begin dredging contaminated sediment from the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River Superfund site.
- New Mexico: The high-stakes air-quality permit hearing for the Oracle-anchored Project Jupiter AI data center in Sunland Park is set to begin today.
- New York: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a federal lawsuit by six local governments to block the Trump administration’s expanded public charge rule.
- North Carolina: Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reached a $455 million settlement with North Carolina over PFAS forever chemicals tied to the Fayetteville Works plant.
- North Dakota: Gevo Inc. announced progress on its Gevo North Dakota facility in Richardton, including early commissioning of a new CO2 capture system.
- Ohio: The Ohio Department of Taxation warned about a viral AI-generated video falsely promising tax breaks for senior homeowners that directs victims to scammers.
- Oklahoma: A federal appeals court upheld Oklahoma’s 2021 law HB 1775 prohibiting teaching certain concepts related to sex and race in K-12 schools.
- Oregon: Oregon lawmakers approved $122.8 million in emergency funding to cover costs of fighting the 2026 wildfire season that has burned 2.5 million acres.
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania reported its third measles-related death of 2026 after a 40-year-old Jefferson County woman died amid an outbreak now at 676 cases.
- Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Board of Elections will meet today to consider a recount request in the close Republican primary for governor where Aaron Guckian leads by 271 votes.
- South Carolina: The South Carolina Senate rejected a Trump-backed plan to redraw congressional maps and eliminate the state’s sole Democratic House district.
- South Dakota: Crews are contending with several wildfires in western South Dakota, including the Lookout Fire near Spearfish which reached 100% containment at 444 acres.
- Tennessee: Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the United Kingdom announced a strengthened partnership to accelerate commercial deployment of fusion energy, plus a $43 million quantum grant.
- Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Water Development Board to compel data centers and other major water users to comply with water-use reporting.
- Utah: A federal court denied the Utah Legislature’s request to block Utah’s new congressional map that gives Democrats an improved shot at a House seat.
- Vermont: The trial of Jason Eaton for the 2023 shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington began today with opening statements.
- Virginia: Dominion Energy and NextEra proposed a $1 billion-a-year Virginia supplier program plus bill credits as new commitments for their $66.8 billion merger.
- Washington: A divided 9th Circuit ruled Washington’s 2018 Reproductive Parity Act requiring abortion coverage in plans that cover maternity can stand.
- West Virginia: West Virginia assistant football coach and former star Noel Devine was arrested Sunday and placed on indefinite leave after a felony strangulation charge.
- Wisconsin: Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez faced the Common Council over human error that delayed reporting of the August 11 primary results.
- Wyoming: Wyoming’s wolf-hunting season begins Sept. 15 with hunters targeting Yellowstone’s famous 12-year-old Mollie’s Pack matriarch 1090F just outside the park.
