Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
September heat delayed fall colors. Here’s when to expect “peak leaf.”
Blue Ridge Public Radio: Climate change, especially the extended droughts and hotter temperatures, can keep those colors from popping the way they should, said retired Appalachian State University leaf expert Howard Neufeld, also known colloquially as “the fall color guy.”
ATLANTA
Incendiary device thrown at ICE building in downtown Atlanta, FBI says
Atlanta News First: The FBI is searching for a man accused of throwing an incendiary device at a federal building housing ICE offices in Atlanta. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of the unidentified man in connection with the attempted arson.
BALTIMORE
Maryland to open new waterfront park overlooking the Bay Bridge
Maryland Matters: Maryland will start accepting online reservations Nov. 6 for a new park overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, less than 10 miles from downtown Annapolis and a stone’s throw from Sandy Point State Park.
Business groups vow to block Mayor Johnson’s latest try at a head tax and a 20% cloud tax
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin said the business community will join the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club in mounting a full-court press to block the head tax and Johnson’s proposed cloud tax increase.
CINCINNATI
VP Vance campaigns in Greater Cincinnati as midterms approach
Cincinnati Public Radio: Hundreds turned out for the rally at the Sharonville Convention Center, which also featured U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and candidate for Ohio’s First Congressional District Eric Conroy, among others.
CLEVELND
Amy Acton’s odds of winning Ohio’s governor’s race soar in prediction markets amid attack ad uproar
Cleveland.com: Democrat Amy Acton’s odds of winning this year’s Ohio governor’s race have shot to record highs in prediction markets amid a bipartisan uproar over GOP rival Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother.
COLUMBUS
Ramaswamy attack ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother garners backlash
Ohio State Public Media: “When you have these situations where you don’t have the candidates facing each other on a public stage that the whole state can see,” said Brianna Mack, a politics and government professor at Ohio Wesleyan. “Eventually the ones that are saturating the market may actually end up determining the election.”
DETROIT
Dan Gilbert pledges $1 billion to redevelop Detroit’s Renaissance Center
Associated Press: Dan Gilbert, the billionaire co-founder of Rocket Mortgage, says he will contribute $1 billion to the redevelopment of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, a set of skyscrapers that formerly housed the headquarters of General Motors.
INDIANAPOLIS
Indiana K-12 chronic absenteeism rate declines for fourth year
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Hoosier students are slowly returning to their pre-pandemic attendance patterns: Indiana’s K-12 chronic absenteeism rate declined for the fourth consecutive year to just shy of 15% in 2026, the State Board of Education learned.
LOUISVILLE
Kentucky voters will decide whether to amend constitution to limit governor’s clemency powers
Louisville Public Media: Spurred by the controversial pardons of former Gov. Matt Bevin, Kentucky voters will decide whether to amend the constitution to limit a governor’s clemency power at the end of their term.
MEMPHIS
Data centers and wetlands: where Tennessee’s District 9 candidates stand on the environment
Memphis Public Radio: Two state legislators from Memphis are vying for the District 9 congressional seat based partially on their track record on sensitive environmental issues. The Republican nominee, state Sen. Brent Taylor, recently sponsored two consequential bills for Tennessee’s air and water quality.
MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee joins list of Wisconsin cities putting a pause on data center projects
Wisconsin Public Radio: After a unanimous vote by the Milwaukee Common Council to pause new data center construction, city leaders hope to develop new zoning rules while business groups say a pause sends the wrong message.
MORGANTOWN
Early voting underway in West Virginia
West Virginia Watch: West Virginia voters will choose representatives for two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one in the U.S. Senate, as well as a host of seats in the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. This is the first statewide general election that voters will be required to show photo identification under a new law.
PHILADELPHIA
Want to make friends in Philly? These rugby players suggest a good tackle
Philadelphia Public Radio: In Philadelphia, the surge in popularity for the sport has as its foundation a legacy built by a homegrown star. Maryanne “MA” Sorensen, a Delaware County resident, played for Philadelphia Rugby from 1978 to 2001, nearly half of the club’s 50-year history.
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Friends David Taylor Jr. of Munhall and Alex Atkinson of Rillton were participating in a fishing tournament Oct. 3 when they set their lines below the Highland Park Lock and Dam near Sixmile Island.
Wheeling Park High School first & only Teen Mental Health First Aid school in West Virginia
WTRF.com: Wheeling Park High School has become the first and only high school in West Virginia selected to receive funding for the Teen Mental Health First Aid program. The program teaches students how to recognize when a friend may be facing a mental health or substance use challenge, offer support and involve a trusted adult.
YOUNGSTOWN
Body cam footage shows woman removed from Youngstown Trump rally
WKBN 27 Youngstown: Body camera video released from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office reveals new details involving a woman who was removed from a campaign rally held by President Donald Trump at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown earlier this month.
