Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
Election 2026: Key races and issues facing western North Carolina voters
WLOS 13 Asheville: What are the top issues and races on western North Carolina voters’ minds? In the week leading up to the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections, WLOS News 13 assembled a panel of experts with a range of experience in U.S. politics.
ATLANTA
Georgia breaks midterm record for early in-person voting as turnout nears 2.3 million
Atlanta News First: State election data shows that in-person turnout crossed the previous record of nearly 2.3 million ballots. The historic milestone comes the day before advance in-person voting concludes statewide.
BALTIMORE
Half of Maryland schools earn four or five stars out of five on latest report card
Maryland Matters: Half of the slightly more than 1,300 public schools in Maryland earned four or five stars out of five on the state’s annual report card of individual school performance, an increase from last year.
Pope Leo will vote from the Vatican, by mail, in Illinois’ midterm election
Chicago Sun-Times: “Robert Francis Prevost is on the list of individuals who requested a vote by mail ballot for the upcoming election,” Kim Fladhammer, Will County clerk’s office chief of staff, told the Sun-Times. The pope made the request on Oct. 3.
CINCINNATI
Former Cincinnati ICE agent sentenced for lying to federal authorities
Cincinnati Public Radio: A federal judge sentenced a former ICE supervisor based in Cincinnati to 21 months in federal prison Thursday for making false statements to federal authorities during a domestic violence investigation.
CLEVELAND
Cleveland.com: The first signs of damage from salty water entering Lake Erie might be difficult to see: fewer tiny animals eating algae, young fish struggling to grow, mussels unable to escape conditions around them.
COLUMBUS
Franklin County election official says observation is normal as DOJ plans to send poll monitors
Ohio State Public Media: The Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to Franklin County and two other Ohio counties on Nov. 3. It’s part of a large-scale effort by the DOJ, which previously said its goal was to send out 1,000 election monitors in all 50 states.
DETROIT
Click on Detroit: Project 1000 will loosen longstanding housing zoning guidelines to encourage developers to build more homes and to fix or demolish more blighted homes.
INDIANAPOLIS
As feds cut key fee, Indiana Medicaid chief warns changes needed to avoid “catastrophic situation”
Indiana Capital Chronicle: The leader of Indiana’s Medicaid program says the state must change up a widely used low-income health insurance program as the federal government slashes a key funding source over the next five years.
LOUISVILLE
University of Kentucky accuses pharmacy giant CVS Health of racketeering, fraud in federal lawsuit
Louisville Public Media: The university is suing CVS for fraud, racketeering and breach of contract. UK claims the company secretly diverted the money from hospitals in Lexington and Ashland between October 2020 to October 2025.
MILWAUKEE
Wisconsin Public Radio: The event also serves as a graduation for the collective’s Voices and Dreams Academy, a program designed to support Latina and Black women as they explore leadership, public speaking and entrepreneurship. This year’s theme is centered around the American Dream.
MORGANTOWN
Can data center concerns help Democratic women win in deep-red West Virginia?
West Virginia Watch: They’re campaigning on issues they say affect West Virginia families every day as they aim to break a GOP supermajority in the statehouse.
NASHVILLE
Tennessee congressional candidate responds to allegations he sent unsolicited nude pics
Tennessee Lookout: State Sen. Brent Taylor stopped short of admitting to sending the pictures after more than one anonymous source said they had received or seen nude photos from him, including as recently as 2021. Taylor said he had been forgiven by his wife, Kimberly.
PHILADELPHIA
Philly to Niagara Falls … in a kids car? Meet the women attempting this world record
Billy Penn: Content creators Cassie Aran and Lauren Lee are pushing the limits of their tiny electric cars to fulfill a childhood dream, and raise money for a good cause.
PITTSBURGH
Sen. Fetterman says he’ll back Israel regardless of election results
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: John Fetterman — among the most stalwart supporters of Israel in Congress even as the nation comes under heavy criticism for its conduct during its relentless war in Gaza — said the results of the election were a testament to the continued support for Netanyahu.
Ohio Valley organizations receive over $1 million in grants to help support crime victims
WTRF.com: Nine organizations and county governments serving the Ohio Valley received 10 grants totaling $1,466,449 through West Virginia’s Victims of Crime Act program.
YOUNGSTOWN
Foxconn still invested in shifting GM plant to data center components
WKBN 27 Youngstown: There have been changes at the facility over the years, but Foxconn is still on track with its plans. Work continues on changing the Foxconn facility from a car-making plant to one that makes things for data centers, like computing hardware, server racks and other components.
