One week before the November 3 midterms, Tuesday’s state news was dominated by the final push of campaigning, with dueling Texas Senate rallies, Kansas and Oregon ballot deadlines, and a federal voting dispute in Washington, alongside coastal king tides flooding California highways, a courthouse bomb threat in Michigan, a vigil shooting in New Jersey, and major consumer and court actions in the FTC’s Dollar General pricing suit and Minnesota’s revived Medicaid fraud case, setting up a decisive final week in which early-vote returns, court rulings, and tonight’s World Series clincher in Florida will shape the national mood heading into Election Day.
- Alabama: Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed Tuesday that defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. is no longer part of the football program, after Kirkpatrick was charged with harassing communications and doxing.
- Alaska: RecycLiCo and Alaska Energy Metals announced October 27 testing of metal concentrate samples from the polymetallic Eureka deposit at the Nikolai Nickel Project in Alaska, which contains seven U.S.-designated critical minerals.
- Arizona: An Arizona doctor from Safford was arrested at a Miami cruise terminal after officers reported finding drugs in his luggage, including capsules and gummies that tested positive for MDMA, according to court documents.
- Arkansas: Arkansas joined the FTC and 19 other states suing Dollar General over alleged pricing discrepancies, with regulators saying customers repeatedly paid more at checkout than shelf prices showed.
- California: Monster king tides flooded Southern California’s coast Tuesday, closing Pacific Coast Highway in both directions between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, with Newport Beach activating pumps and building sand berms.
- Colorado: Poudre School District’s board met Tuesday evening in Fort Collins to consider a plan to close nine schools and consolidate two others, with parents warning of a disproportionate impact on students with special needs.
- Connecticut: Connecticut was among the states where the FDA gave a Class II risk warning to recalled Miyoko’s Creamery plant-based butter, sold in 1,304 cases over yeast, mold and E. coli concerns.
- Delaware: A 63-year-old Felton man was killed early Tuesday morning in Kent County after his truck went into a ditch and hit a tree on Spectrum Farms Road; police said he was not wearing a seatbelt.
- Florida: Tampa Bay hosted World Series Game 4 on Tuesday at Tropicana Field, with Milwaukee leading the series 3-0 and able to clinch its first championship with a win.
- Georgia: Georgia was among the states where the recalled Miyoko’s plant-based butter was sold, with the FDA warning consumers not to eat lot 07871, best by November 5, 2026, and to return it for a refund.
- Idaho: The recalled butter’s parent company, Prosperity Organic Foods, is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, and initiated the voluntary recall on September 11.
- Illinois: Illinois was listed among the states where the recalled Miyoko’s butter was distributed, and the FDA said E. coli symptoms can include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting.
- Indiana: Indiana Fever led WNBA searches in 42 states in a USA TODAY analysis of Google Trends data from October 24, 2025 through October 23, 2026, including in Indiana itself.
- Iowa: Iowa men’s basketball played its final exhibition Tuesday night against Illinois Springfield at Xtream Arena in Coralville, a tune-up one week before opening the regular season against Lipscomb on November 3.
- Kansas: Vice President JD Vance campaigned in Topeka for Sen. Roger Marshall, touting tax cuts on overtime, tips and Social Security, in a tight Senate race against Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton.
- Kentucky: Kentucky lawmakers approved $25 million for Middletown to build a police training facility, now a key issue in the city’s mayoral race, and the Justice Department will send election monitors to Jefferson County on Election Day.
- Louisiana: Louisiana joined the FTC’s Dollar General lawsuit, which alleges tens of thousands of complaints about advertised prices not being honored at the register, disproportionately affecting low- and fixed-income shoppers.
- Maryland: Maryland was among the states where the recalled Miyoko’s butter was sold, with shoppers urged to check for UPC 857554005773 and lot 07871.
- Massachusetts: A wildfire on the New York-Massachusetts border was 70% contained Tuesday, covering just over 250 acres in Rensselaer County and western Massachusetts, with about 120 firefighters battling it and no homes at risk.
- Michigan: Branch County Courthouse in Coldwater closed Tuesday morning after a bomb threat called into the library, was evacuated and searched with a bomb dog, and no credible threat was found.
- Minnesota: The Minnesota Court of Appeals revived a $7.2 million Medicaid fraud conviction against Abdifatah Abdulkadir Yusuf, reinstating six guilty verdicts after a judge had acquitted him.
- Mississippi: Mississippi House leaders are weighing school district mergers as enrollment falls, with nearly 70,000 students leaving public schools since 2013 and residents warning of hourslong bus rides and lost local control.
- Missouri: Missouri State hosted Sam Houston on Tuesday night at Plaster Stadium in Springfield, with the Bears’ offense improved since quarterback Henry Belin took over as starter.
- Montana: A Montana morning roundup for October 27 highlighted Northern Cheyenne presidential election updates, wildlife disease affecting deer and pronghorn, school safety concerns in Billings, and property taxes and childcare funding.
- Nebraska: Gov. Jim Pillen requested a federal disaster declaration after early October flooding caused over $23 million in damage in eight southeast Nebraska counties, damaging roads, bridges, water systems and schools.
- Nevada: Nevada’s WICHE Commission met Tuesday in Reno and Las Vegas to review rules on professional-education support, required Nevada practice, and when a stipend becomes repayable debt.
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire was among the states where the recalled Miyoko’s butter was sold, with the FDA Class II warning issued October 23 after the September 11 recall.
- New Jersey: Police in Elizabeth were searching Tuesday morning for a suspect after a shooting during a candlelight vigil Monday night left one person dead and four others hospitalized, with no arrest made.
- New Mexico: New Mexico’s defense stood tall against North Dakota State for a fourth straight win, keeping the Lobos undefeated in the Mountain West and in the Group of Six playoff conversation.
- New York: Rep. Mike Lawler said Tuesday the Justice Department referred phony campaign mailers falsely claiming he backs amnesty for illegal immigrants to the FBI as a voter suppression effort, as he runs for re-election in the 17th District.
- North Carolina: North Carolina hosted Charlotte in a men’s basketball exhibition Tuesday night at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, with UNC trailing early after a 76-58 loss at Indiana in its previous preseason game.
- Ohio: Ohio joined the FTC’s Dollar General lawsuit, one of 20 states alleging a pattern of inaccurate pricing persisting for years and affecting millions of purchases.
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Council voted 6-3 on Tuesday to approve zoning for the city’s first mega-data center, with Beltline Energy agreeing to terms described as the most restrictive regulated zoning for such a project in city history.
- Oregon: More than 730,000 Oregon ballots had been received by Tuesday morning, a 23.42% turnout rate ahead of 2022’s pace, and October 27 was the last day the Secretary of State recommended mailing a ballot to avoid delays.
- Rhode Island: Rhode Islanders will vote November 3 on five statewide bond questions totaling about $600 million, including $275 million for capital projects at the state’s three public colleges and universities.
- South Dakota: The Fall River County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a missing Hot Springs woman, Kelsie Bryant, 39, was found dead Saturday, with no indications of foul play so far, and a Wyoming man died Sunday in a single-vehicle crash near Faith.
- Tennessee: Tennessee-based Dollar General was sued Tuesday by the FTC and 20 states, with Tennessee officials arguing the company’s low-price promise was undermined by repeated overcharges at checkout.
- Texas: President Trump held rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock on Tuesday for GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton, while Democratic nominee James Talarico held a dueling rally in East Lubbock, in a race where Talarico raised over $146 million through October 14.
- Utah: The University of Utah apologized Tuesday to ESPN’s Pat McAfee over a College GameDay video asking students to do a McAfee impression, saying staff missed the mark and took full accountability.
- Virginia: Virginia was listed among states with a 50% to 70% chance of extremely wet conditions this winter in a new Washington Post meteorologist’s map for December 2026 to February 2027.
- Washington: The Justice Department asked Washington state not to count mail ballots from more than 400 residents it says may not be U.S. citizens, seeking emergency relief if the state could not act by noon Wednesday, according to a Reuters-reported letter.
- Wisconsin: Wisconsin men’s basketball played its final exhibition Tuesday against Oklahoma State at the Kohl Center, leading 35-22 late in the first half after starting 7-of-12 from three-point range.
- Wyoming: Sweetwater County voters will decide November 3 whether to renew the local option lodging tax, first approved in 1991, which is paid by overnight visitors rather than residents who do not stay in qualifying lodging.
