was dominated by the final week before the November 3 midterms, with the Federal Reserve holding rates at 3.75%-4.00% in a 10-2 vote, election fights intensifying in Alaska, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and Ohio, and a wave of state-level court, weather, and sports news from king tides in California and Florida to missing hikers in Colorado, a wrongful-conviction death in Oklahoma, and the death of civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. With early voting underway in many states and World Series Game 5 set for Tampa tonight, the day’s disputes over ballots, polling, and campaign spending are likely to carry straight into Election Day itself.
- Alabama: Coach Kalen DeBoer dismissed defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. from Alabama’s program after gathering more information about his latest arrest on doxing and harassing-communications charges.
- Alaska: The New York Times reported that aides to Senate Democratic nominee Mary Peltola worked with campaign lawyers and Senate Democrats’ campaign staff to recruit ballot candidates who could siphon votes from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, including a retired teacher also named Dan Sullivan; President Trump on Wednesday called for Peltola to drop out and face prosecution, and the Justice Department is conducting an aggressive criminal investigation, according to Fox News reporting cited in coverage.
- Arizona: Two California men accused of kidnapping a man in rural Arizona and holding him hostage in Phoenix for ransom remained in custody on October 28 on $500,000 cash bonds, with a Maricopa County Superior Court appearance set for November 3; prosecutors said the men allegedly traveled to Arizona specifically to commit this type of crime.
- Arkansas: Hyundai and Crain Hyundai of Bentonville donated $20,000 to the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville to support hands-on STEM education programs for children across Northwest Arkansas.
- California: Los Angeles had seen just 0.69 inches of rain so far in October, but record high tides had already been observed in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with coastal flood advisories in effect and West Coast tidal flooding expected to remain an issue through Friday.
- Colorado: Two college students, Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, remained missing after a weekend backpacking trip on Ice Mountain in Chaffee County; search crews found a tent collapsed under snow with sleeping bags, a stove, and clothing inside, but no sign of the students.
- Connecticut: A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Wednesday rejected Richard Sackler and his wife Lin Gao’s bid to reconsider an earlier ruling and pause the sale of their Greenwich mansion, which was pledged as collateral to help pay Purdue Pharma’s $7.4 billion opioid settlement.
- Delaware: Early voting hours shifted on October 28 to 11 a.m.-7 p.m. through November 1, with Sussex County leading early voting; 16,190 absentee ballots had been cast, about 51% more than in the primary, and the last day to request a mailed absentee ballot is Friday, October 30.
- Florida: World Series Game 5 between the Brewers and Rays was set for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, with Milwaukee leading 3-1 after Tampa Bay’s 4-3, 12-inning Game 4 win; separately, Port St. Lucie police reported a criminal investigation at a vape shop on Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard, with no specifics immediately available.
- Georgia: Atlanta Dream owners publicly blamed the WNBA’s lack of “urgency” for Thursday’s 12:30 p.m. ET Game 6 start at State Farm Arena, saying they raised the scheduling conflict two months ago; forward Angel Reese said Wednesday the Dream remained confident despite trailing Golden State 3-2.
- Hawaii: Hawaii had the second-highest average gas price in the country in the October 28 snapshot, at $5.655 per gallon, behind only California at $5.996.
- Idaho: Ballots for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines 2026 director election, including member-director ballots for Idaho members, were due by October 28 at 5 p.m. CDT.
- Illinois: Administrative law judges recommended cutting Peoples Gas’s proposed $144 million Chicago rate increase to $66 million, a 54% reduction, as the utility seeks funding to replace 1,000 miles of aging pipe by 2035; the Knicks were also set to visit the Bulls at the United Center on Wednesday night.
- Indiana: Gov. Mike Braun declined to order the Indiana Election Commission to meet before Election Day to review pending campaign misconduct allegations, leaving its scheduled November 20 meeting in place; separately, Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston will miss the Unrivaled season after arthroscopic surgery on her right meniscus.
- Iowa: Bird flu hit a northwest Iowa commercial turkey operation with 44,000 birds, the largest flock infected in Iowa so far in 2026 and the state’s eighth highly pathogenic avian influenza detection this year.
- Kansas: Kansas was named among the seven states that could decide Senate control, with polling models disagreeing on whether the race leans Republican or is a toss-up, and Ballotpedia featured Kansas among its 10 Senate elections to watch.
- Kentucky: Kentucky played UCF in its third and final men’s basketball exhibition at Rupp Arena on Wednesday night, leading 39-35 at halftime after an early three-point burst.
- Louisiana: The southbound right lane of U.S. 167 in Pineville was closed Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Intelligent Transportation System radio-equipment work, with no detour planned.
- Maryland: The Maryland Stadium Authority board approved a facilities operations agreement with The Maryland Jockey Club covering operational responsibilities and financial oversight for the state’s thoroughbred racing facilities; the Camden Yards complex was also to be illuminated blue at dusk on October 28 for Brachial Plexus Injuries Awareness Week.
- Massachusetts: New firearm registration requirements under the state’s 2024 law became mandatory on October 28, six days before voters decide November 3 whether to repeal the law through Question 9; separately, the New York-Massachusetts border wildfire was contained at about 251 acres, with crews working its interior on Wednesday and no homes destroyed.
- Michigan: Calhoun County Sheriff Steven Hinkley and Battle Creek Police Chief Shannon Bagley held a press conference Wednesday on Monday’s LeRoy Township standoff, in which Travis Baker, 35, died after reportedly firing at officers and a fire engulfed the home; the cause of death is being investigated by Michigan State Police. Separately, a Dearborn attorney and Democratic state House nominee faced a discipline hearing over allegations he shorted 30 clients a total of $825,000.
- Minnesota: Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged conservative activists James O’Keefe and Cam Higby with felony unlawful voting and identity theft, alleging they claimed other voters’ identities at Minneapolis polling places during the August primary while testing the state’s voter-vouching process; they did not actually cast votes, according to prosecutors.
- Mississippi: NOMAD Power Solutions announced October 28 that Birmingham-based Utility Specialists will represent it in Mississippi, along with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, expanding its utility sales network to 26 states.
- Missouri: More than 41,000 Missourians on probation or parole will be able to vote in the November 3 election under House Bill 1871, which restores voting rights for people on probation or parole for non-violent and non-sexual crimes.
- Montana: A state judge has blocked, for now, Montana’s newer voter-registration restrictions challenged by a student advocacy group, leaving previous rules in place for students who want to register where they study, including for the midterms.
- Nebraska: Ballotpedia featured Nebraska among its 10 Senate elections to watch on November 3, a list spanning Senate, House, governor, and state races across the country.
- Nevada: The Vegas Golden Knights announced details October 28 for their Nevada Day game on Friday, October 30, at 3 p.m. PT against the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena, including white-jersey festivities and a signed-jersey auction benefiting Clark County school programming.
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire was among the states where the recalled Miyoko’s Creamery plant-based butter was distributed, with the FDA listing yeast, mold, and E. coli concerns for lot 07871, best by November 5, 2026; New Hampshire’s Senate race was also featured among Ballotpedia’s elections to watch.
- New Jersey: A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released October 28 found Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s approval at 48%, down from 58% in March, driven largely by growing uncertainty among Democrats; separately, police investigated a shooting in a commercial area of Moonachie on Wednesday evening, with West Commercial Avenue closed and the Attorney General’s Office handling the police-involved shooting investigation.
- New Mexico: Civil rights leader and New Mexico native Dolores Huerta died October 28 at age 96, her family announced; she co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
- New York: More than a dozen anti-ICE protesters were arrested Wednesday after blocking Brooklyn Bridge traffic for about 30 minutes, with the NYPD confirming 14 people taken into custody; Gov. Kathy Hochul also signed a bill Wednesday safeguarding New Yorkers and their children from chatbots and AI, and a former NYPD sergeant was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison for a drunken wrong-way crash that killed an Upper East Side doorman.
- North Carolina: North Carolina had the cheapest average gas price in the country in the October 28 snapshot, at $3.463 per gallon.
- North Dakota: North Dakota’s September unemployment rate was 2.2%, among the lowest in the country and well below the national 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics release covering September data.
- Ohio: President Trump returned to Ohio on Wednesday for a midterm rally in Chillicothe, his third Ohio stop in recent weeks, with FAA temporary flight restrictions around Rickenbacker International Airport from 3:30 to 11:15 p.m. and over Chillicothe from 4:30 to 7 p.m.; neighbors and a village board in Bratenahl also raised objections earlier in October to tree plans at the Lake Erie mansion of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
- Oklahoma: Glynn Simmons, who spent 48 years in an Oklahoma prison after a wrongful murder conviction before a judge ordered his release in 2023 and later found him actually innocent, died Wednesday morning from complications of cancer he had battled since his release; he was weeks shy of 73.
- Oregon: Oregon had the fifth-highest average gas price in the country in the October 28 snapshot, at $4.859 per gallon, and an atmospheric river headed into the Southwest was forecast to bring near-record late-October moisture to parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah for Halloween weekend.
- Pennsylvania: Ballotpedia featured Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th House districts among its 10 House elections to watch on November 3.
- South Carolina: South Carolina had the fourth-cheapest average gas price in the country in the October 28 snapshot, at $3.742 per gallon.
- South Dakota: South Dakota’s September unemployment rate was 2.0%, the lowest listed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics state summary, compared with 4.2% nationally.
- Tennessee: In Nashville on Tuesday night, the New York Islanders recovered from blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Predators 4-3 in a shootout, with Semyon Varlamov earning his first NHL win since November 2024 after double partial knee replacements.
- Texas: Prediction markets on October 28 put Democrat James Talarico at 66% to win the Texas Senate race, with Republican Ken Paxton at 34%, after dueling Lubbock rallies; Kalshi reporting also cited at least $158 million committed by Elon Musk to support Paxton, including $75 million through America PAC in September and $83 million through the Senate Leadership Fund.
- Utah: Utah’s September unemployment rate was 3.5%, below the national 4.2%, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics state summary.
- Vermont: Electric aircraft maker Beta Technologies’ rapid expansion in South Burlington, including tens of millions of dollars in property acquisitions over the past year, has raised concerns among some residents, according to WAMC reporting October 28.
- Washington: The Justice Department’s noon Wednesday deadline arrived for Washington to act on its request to set aside ballots from more than 400 people it says may not be U.S. citizens, with Secretary of State Steve Hobbs saying the state was carefully reviewing the request for compliance with state and federal law; more than one million Washington voters had already submitted ballots as of October 27.
- Wisconsin: Ballotpedia, based in Middleton, Wisconsin, released its list of 50 elections to watch on November 3, covering Senate, House, governor, and state races; Wisconsin’s women’s basketball team also hosted UW-Eau Claire in an exhibition Wednesday evening.
- Wyoming: Relevant Gold announced October 28 it had staked 294 additional claims covering about 5,800 acres at its Lewiston Project in Fremont County, expanding its land position there to about 20,000 acres along an interpreted 2.5 km extension of the Burr trend.
