Today’s national picture is dominated by a massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake off Kamchatka that triggered a statewide tsunami warning in Hawaii and advisories across the Pacific, a deadly mass shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan that left an NYPD officer and others dead and dominated the news cycle on July 29, and a record $800 million Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Florida. The West is battling a severe wildfire season with major fires burning in California, Idaho, Oregon and Montana and smoke driving air quality alerts, while Texas and the South remain under dangerous triple-digit heat advisories. Politics and policy also lead, with the DNC voting to strip New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, funerals for Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, a new federal nuclear campus finalist list including Tennessee, Oklahoma and others, and significant state-level moves on pay transparency in Maine, immigration protections in Massachusetts, and arts and health funding in Delaware.
Top Stories by State – July 29, 2026:
- Alabama: TSA officers at Gulf Shores International Airport discovered five stolen Civil War-era cannonballs from Fort Morgan wrapped in paper towels in a checked bag on July 18, determined to have been taken by a juvenile and packed in his grandmother’s luggage; artifacts were returned with no charges pursued.
- Alaska: Alaska State Troopers issued a Silver Alert on July 29 for 73-year-old Kim Dodge last seen near milepost 71 of the Glenn Highway near Sutton.
- Arizona: A pilot was killed in a fiery single-engine plane crash just after takeoff near Chandler airport on July 29, with NTSB investigators responding and no other injuries reported.
- Arkansas: The University of Arkansas announced a $10 million gift from the Dillard family for Dillard Hall construction at the Walton College of Business, announced as top business news on July 29.
- California: The Biscar Fire burning in Lassen County and into Washoe County, Nevada, had burned about 69,352 acres and was 97% contained as of July 29, leading state wildfire coverage.
- Colorado: Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, made its final Colorado whistle stop in Greeley on July 29 from 1:15-2 p.m. as it wrapped its 250th-anniversary coast-to-coast tour.
- Connecticut: Fallout continued July 29 from the July 13 Danbury crash that killed off-duty Bridgeport Officer Cooper Whiteside and Brittany Islami, with suspect Melissa Ramirez appearing in court on manslaughter charges as ICE confirmed a detainer lodged July 26.
- Delaware: Attorney General Kathy Jennings filed a lawsuit July 29 challenging unlawful conditions on federal counterterrorism funding, while the state also announced $5 million in arts grants and funding for four new school-based health centers in Sussex County.
- Florida: Lottery officials announced July 29 that the $800 million Mega Millions winner from the July 28 drawing, ending a 37-rollover streak, bought the ticket at Wawa at 14510 State Road 70 E in Bradenton, the largest prize of 2026.
- Georgia: Wellstar Health System announced July 29 it is cutting 761 corporate and administrative jobs statewide, while results from the special election for Georgia’s 13th District showed the late Rep. David Scott’s daughter heading to a runoff.
- Hawaii: The National Weather Service issued a statewide tsunami warning at 2:43 p.m. July 29 after an 8.7 magnitude quake off Kamchatka, Russia, prompting coastal evacuations; waves up to 5.7 feet were observed in Maui before the warning was downgraded.
- Idaho: The Big Grass Fire on the Oregon-Idaho border in Owyhee County had burned 292,087 acres and was 5% contained July 29, with wildfire smoke triggering air quality alerts across southwest Idaho.
- Illinois: The Illinois APEX Accelerator at SIU Carbondale and IDOT hosted a free contractor training and networking workshop July 29 at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center in Carbondale.
- Indiana: Thirty-five public housing agencies representing 60% of Indiana’s housing authorities joined HUD’s Work and Dignity Coalition July 28 in Indianapolis to support proposed work requirements, reported as top news July 29.
- Iowa: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced July 29 it is adding 15 Iowa House and Senate races to its 2026 target list as it seeks to break the Republican supermajority.
- Kansas: At a data center summit in Topeka July 29, developers defended project transparency saying data centers do not sneak in, while protesters outside argued cities are not disclosing proposed developments.
- Kentucky: Churchill Downs Inc. reported July 29 that Kentucky Derby Week 2026 set an all-time record for all-sources wagering, driving Q2 net revenue to $980 million.
- Louisiana: The New Orleans Saints opened 2026 training camp with press conferences from head coach Kellen Moore and GM Mickey Loomis July 28, with first practice scheduled for July 29.
- Maine: Maine’s pay transparency law requiring employers with 10 or more employees to include pay ranges in job postings went into effect July 29 under LD 54 / LD 936.
- Maryland: Ocean City announced July 29 its second annual Summer Send Off for Aug 27-30 featuring hotel discounts, illuminated hot air balloons, giant kites and laser shows.
- Massachusetts: Legislators announced agreement July 29 on the PROTECT Act described as having the strongest immigration protections in the nation, days after TPS expired for more than 45,000 Haitians in the state.
- Michigan: State health officials reported a statewide cyclosporiasis outbreak had surpassed 10,077 cases across 70 counties as of July 29, linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce.
- Minnesota: More than 30 community water systems were hit by a coordinated cyberattack July 26-27, prompting a response from Minnesota IT Services, the Department of Health and the FBI; officials said water safety remains protected.
- Mississippi: U.S. Marshals arrested Larry Smith Jr., 23, in Columbus, Ohio on July 29 for the July 4 mass shooting in Centreville, Mississippi that killed 2 and injured 7; he faces murder, felonious assault and drive-by shooting counts.
- Missouri: Early voting for the August 4 primary drove high turnout, with voters deciding four constitutional amendments including renewal of the Parks, Soil and Water Tax.
- Montana: Hot, smoky conditions and poor air quality continued July 29 with four active wildfires including the Elder One Fire near Frenchtown, with isolated thunderstorms expected before stronger winds increase fire danger.
- Nebraska: Nebraska politics made national news as Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank withdrew July 17 and was removed from the ballot July 21, leaving November’s general election without a Democratic candidate for a second straight cycle.
- Nevada: Analysts weighed Democrats’ chances of flipping Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District for the first time ever as Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson faces Republican David Flippo to replace retiring Rep. Mark Amodei.
- New Hampshire: Fallout continued July 29 from a July 24 DNC panel vote to strip New Hampshire of its first-in-the-nation presidential primary status, sparking debate over the state’s 50-year-old primary law.
- New Jersey: The state was in cleanup mode July 29 after severe thunderstorms dumped more than 5 inches of rain in parts of North Jersey, flooding roadways, knocking out power and prompting about 20 rescues in Paterson.
- New Mexico: The Democratic Party’s replacement process for Lieutenant Governor closed July 29 at 5 p.m., with State Central Committee voting that opened July 25 to replace primary winner Maggie Toulouse Oliver who withdrew.
- New York: The Midtown Manhattan shooting at 345 Park Avenue on July 28 dominated July 29 news, where a gunman killed four people including NYPD officer Didarul Islam working security before dying, with the attack beginning in the lobby and moving to upper floors.
- North Carolina: Charlotte hosted the 2026 MLS All-Star Game July 29 at Bank of America Stadium, with MLS All-Stars facing Liga MX All-Stars.
- North Dakota: The 12th Annual North Dakota Indian Education Summit was held July 28-29 at the State Capitol in Bismarck, hosted by the Department of Public Instruction and Indian Affairs Commission.
- Ohio: The 2026 Ohio State Fair opened July 29 at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds and runs through Aug. 9, kicking off in sunny, seasonable weather.
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma was named July 28-29 as one of five finalists to host a massive federal Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation campus from the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Oregon: Wildfires had blackened 1.78 million acres statewide as of July 29, with 1.5 million acres actively burning and air quality advisories in eastern and central Oregon.
- Pennsylvania: Governor Shapiro announced a $6.2 million investment from Nasdaq Inc. in Pennsylvania on July 29.
- Rhode Island: Reporting July 29 revealed more than half of the Judicial Nominating Commission members who voted to advance former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi for a Supreme Court opening had previously donated over $30,000 to his campaign, raising independence questions.
- South Carolina: The state held funeral and burial services July 29 for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly July 11 at age 71, following a national service in Washington July 28.
- South Dakota: Incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden won the historic Republican gubernatorial primary runoff July 28 with 70.8% over Toby Doeden, advancing to face Democrat Dan Ahlers in November.
- Tennessee: Tennessee was selected as one of five finalists for the DOE Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus announced July 28, a project officials say could bring billions in investment.
- Texas: North Texas was under heat advisories July 29 as a high-pressure system kept Dallas-Fort Worth near 102 degrees with heat index values up to 107 in East Texas.
- Utah: Utah Royals FC hosted league-leading Washington Spirit at America First Field July 29, seeking a third straight win in a key NWSL home test.
- Vermont: A federal appeals court overturned a Vermont judge’s 2025 order that freed Columbia grad student and Vermont resident Mohsen Mahdawi, ruling the district court lacked authority in immigration proceedings and renewing his risk of detention.
- Virginia: The Virginia Department of Health announced July 28 a Roadmap to improve regulatory oversight for nursing homes addressing recertification and complaint investigations, with VDOT traffic alerts updated July 29.
- Washington: U.S. News 2026 Best States rankings released this week placed Washington ninth overall, while Eastern Washington football opened fall camp July 29 a month before its opener.
- West Virginia: Recovery continued July 29 after deadly flash flooding July 21-23 killed at least 2 and prompted a 55-county state of emergency from Gov. Patrick Morrisey, with new severe storms July 28-29 causing additional flash flooding.
- Wisconsin: Early in-person voting for Wisconsin’s August 11 primary opened July 28, including the governor’s race, with voters directed to MyVote Wisconsin.
- Wyoming: A fire early July 27 at the historic 98-year-old Brooks Lake Lodge near Dubois caused about $300,000 in damage; the lodge remains open thanks to staff and firefighter response, topping state news July 29.
