Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
North Carolina early voting tops 2.8 million ballots cast ahead of Election Day
WLOS Asheville: During this two-week period, 2,816,821 ballots were cast, representing a 35.7% turnout of eligible voters in North Carolina. Of the approximately 2.8 million early voters, 2.7 million of them voted in person, while more than 92,000 voted by mail.
ATLANTA
Georgia governor’s race deadlocked, Ossoff leads Collins ahead of Election Day, poll shows
Atlanta News First: In one of the final major surveys released before voters head to their precincts, Georgia’s marquee race for governor sits in a dead heat, while incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has built a late lead in his reelection bid.
BALTIMORE
“Nearly erased” Black patriots of the Revolution now enshrined at Maryland State House
Maryland Matters: A new monument, called “Black Patriots, The Pursuit of Transcendent Liberty,” commemorates the roughly 150 Black Marylanders — some free, some enslaved— who fought against the British during the Revolutionary War.
Early voting, mail ballot turnout in Cook County surpass 2022 levels by nearly 30%
Chicago Sun-Times: Early voting and mail-in ballot turnout in suburban Cook County for the midterm elections has surpassed turnout in the 2022 gubernatorial election by nearly 30% so far, Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon said.
CINCINNATI
Early voter turnout sets records in some local counties
Cincinnati Public Radio: Early voting numbers are in, and are higher compared to past midterms. Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties in Southwest Ohio all saw more people voting early in-person compared to four years ago. Boone County in Kentucky saw record-breaking numbers that are comparable to a presidential election.
CLEVELAND
Ramaswamy keeps pushing Acton attack ad online after taking it off TV
Cleveland.com: His campaign has posted the one-minute spot, in which Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accuses her daughter of lying about her traumatic childhood, on an attack website, amylies.com.
COLUMBUS
Greater Columbus Arts Council announces thousands in grants for local artists
NBC4 Columbus: The Greater Columbus Arts Council recently announced thousands of dollars in grants for local artists. The main goal of this organization is to uplift local artists and groups throughout the city. And these grants are focused on that support and building community engagement.
DETROIT
Democrat Haley Stevens: Backing Abdul El-Sayed would be “living a lie”
Detroit News: On the eve of the Nov. 3 election, Democrat Haley Stevens said she felt she was living a lie having endorsed her former primary rival Abdul El-Sayed, leading to her shocking decision to flip her endorsement from El-Sayed to Republican Mike Rogers two days before the Michigan contest that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
INDIANAPOLIS
Candidates make final appeals in tough Indiana secretary of state’s race
Indiana Capital Chronicle: A bevy of Indiana Republican leaders at a party rally Monday urged conservatives to keep up a final push for GOP secretary of state candidate Max Engling going into Election Day.
LOUISVILLE
More Kentuckians cast votes early this year than they did during the 2022 midterms
Kentucky Lantern: The combined total of absentee voters and early voters is 438,602. Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said on X that turnout in the last midterm election year, 2022, was 337,975, so voting this year was about 30% higher. The absentee and early voting turnout out in 2023, a gubernatorial election year, was 313,009.
MILWAUKEE
Crowley and Tiffany crisscross state, making final pitches in race for governor
Wisconsin Public Radio: Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley made their final pitches to voters on why they should be governor during their final day of dueling bus tours ahead of Tuesday’s election.
MORGANTOWN
Appalachian artists sing their opposition to data centers
West Virginia Public Broadcasting: “Music allows people the opportunity to express themselves and to express their community values and to bring people together around a common cause,” said Ted Olson, a folklorist and music historian at East Tennessee State University.
NASHVILLE
Tennessee’s early voting turnout tops 1.28M, about 98K short of 2018 total
Tennessee Lookout: More than 1.28 million Tennessee voters cast their 2026 midterm ballots during early voting, outpacing the 2022 midterm early voting turnout by 45%. But the total fell about 98,000 votes short of equalling early voting turnout for the 2018 midterms.
PHILADELPHIA
In North Philly, an architect’s love letter to Puerto Rican culture has a permanent home
Philadelphia Public Radio: “En Su Sitio” highlights a variety of projects that SITIO architecture + urbanism, Fiol-Silva’s Philadelphia-based firm, shaped in the city and around the country, including several residential towers, an outdoor music venue and a pair of high-profile recreation centers.
PITTSBURGH
Union accuses new Post-Gazette newspaper owners of discriminating against striking workers in hiring
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: An unfair labor practice charge filed by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh/CWA Local 38061 claims that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s successor discriminated against striking employees in hiring and failed to restore the prior agreement’s terms.
Five West Virginians selected for Appalachian Leadership Institute
WTRF.com: The 2026-27 class of fellows was selected through a competitive application process designed to reflect the Appalachian region’s wide range of economic development challenges, opportunities and strategies. West Virginia’s five fellows are Bradley Harris, Tricia Kingery, Courtney Neese, Katie See and Kayleigh Kyle.
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County Adoption Day event helps children find forever homes
WFMJ 21 Youngstown: The county has held an Adoption Day event annually for 13 years. The event highlights the court process to adopt a child and offers resources to interested families. Judge Robert Rusu, Mahoning County probate judge, held a live adoption finalization hearing open to the public.
