West Virginia Senate Election: Voter Turnout

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican front-runner for Tennessee governor, has declined to debate or appear on stage with challengers, including Democratic nominee Jerri Green, and has largely avoided detailed press interviews ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Early voting is underway. Critics, including some traditional Republicans, describe growing "Blackburn fatigue," citing her reliance on front-runner status, close alignment with President Trump, and a reserved campaign style. Her August primary turnout of roughly 311,392 votes was down slightly from 2018. Green has cited polling showing a close race. Blackburn's campaign has answered written questionnaires but has not engaged directly with reporters or opponents on policy specifics.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey has unveiled a 20-year Responsible Data Center Development Plan aimed at capturing economic benefits from hyperscale data centers while addressing local opposition. Under the plan, developers and utilities—not taxpayers—would bear the cost of electrical infrastructure upgrades and power procurement, and projects would need to commit to water-efficient designs consistent with state environmental law. Revenue from qualifying hyperscale projects would be split: half toward reducing or eliminating the state's income tax, 30 percent to the host county, 10 percent shared statewide among counties, and 10 percent for local electrical, water, and wastewater improvements.

The plan follows passage of the state's 2025 Power Generation and Consumption Act, which limits local governments' ability to block large data center projects. It comes amid opposition from Tucker County residents to a proposed hyperscale facility from Fundamental Data LLC, which state regulators allowed to proceed despite concerns that it offers few direct benefits to the community. The plan also creates a new Data Center Advisory Council to set siting and development standards, and bars use of eminent domain for project land acquisition.

Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty says 44-year-old David Will and his wife, 46-year-old Monica Will, a teacher at John Marshall High School, were found dead inside their Moundsville-area home early Thursday after a silent 911 call prompted deputies to respond around 1:40 a.m. Deputies were met with gunfire and took cover before spotting suspect Cyle Fabrizio, 25, holding a 16-year-old girl hostage at gunpoint in the doorway. A deputy shot and killed Fabrizio to protect the hostage. She and her 14-year-old brother, the Wills' children, were taken to safety and are now with family.

Dougherty said preliminary investigation suggests Fabrizio had an obsessive interest in the teenage girl, whom he met through church, and had been rebuffed when he sought to date her. Fabrizio had a prior criminal record dating to juvenile offenses. Authorities stress the community faces no ongoing threat. John Marshall High School canceled its homecoming parade and Thursday activities but plans to resume classes, with counseling available, and hold its football game and homecoming dance as scheduled.

A double homicide in Moundsville, West Virginia has left the Marshall County community in mourning. Authorities say David Will, 44, and his wife Monica Will, 46, a teacher at John Marshall High School, were found dead after a silent 911 call brought deputies to their home near the board of education office early Thursday morning.

Sheriff Mike Dougherty says deputies were met with gunfire upon arrival and then saw the suspect, 25-year-old Cyle Fabrizio, holding a 16-year-old girl hostage at gunpoint in the doorway. A deputy shot and killed Fabrizio to protect the hostage. She and her 14-year-old brother, the Wills' children, were taken to safety; both parents were found dead inside. Investigators believe Fabrizio had developed an obsession with the daughter, whom he met through church, after she rejected his advances. Officials stress there is no ongoing threat to the public. John Marshall High School canceled classes and its homecoming parade, offering counseling to students and staff as the community grieves.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has launched West Virginia's bid to host the proposed United States Space Academy, with nearly every higher education institution in the state joining the effort. Marshall University and West Virginia University's joint grant resource centers are coordinating the submission ahead of an Oct. 26 deadline, with participating schools potentially offering curriculum and support while a permanent campus is built and accredited.

The academy stems from Executive Order 14423, signed by President Trump on Aug. 28, which created a commission to plan the institution; NASA has since asked states and communities to propose locations. Federal plans envision an inaugural class of 300 students in 2028, growing to 1,200 by 2031 and eventually up to 4,000. A permanent campus would require at least 300 acres, with construction starting no later than 2027. Morrisey acknowledged competition from states with established space industries, including Florida and Texas, but said West Virginia has a strong case, citing recent job and investment growth in the state.

Leigh Ann Rinehart, 54, of Elkins, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to bank fraud for her role in a scheme that funneled more than $440,000 in COVID-related unemployment benefits through her home address. Prosecutors said unemployment claims were filed in the names of people living in Nevada, California, New York and other states, none of whom resided in West Virginia or authorized Rinehart to use their benefits.

More than 24 Electronic Benefit Payment debit cards tied to the fraudulent claims were mailed to Rinehart's home between June 2020 and November 2022. She activated the cards, withdrew cash, purchased money orders and cryptocurrency, and passed funds or goods to others involved in the scheme. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Workforce West Virginia, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin. It is part of the Justice Department's broader crackdown on pandemic-era benefit fraud under its new National Fraud Enforcement Division.

Michigan's Secretary of State's office reports absentee ballot returns running 30% ahead of the 2022 midterm cycle, with 201,909 ballots returned as of Oct. 6, compared with 155,142 at the equivalent point four years earlier. More than 2 million Michigan voters have requested absentee ballots this year, an increase officials attribute mainly to growth in the permanent absentee voter list rather than a surge in overall turnout enthusiasm. Michigan's ballot features races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, the Legislature, and a competitive open U.S. Senate seat between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers.

Other states are moving into their voting windows. California counties including Stanislaus have begun mailing ballots ahead of an Oct. 19 registration deadline. Virginia's early in-person voting runs through Oct. 31, with mail ballots due by Election Day, Nov. 3; its ballot includes a U.S. Senate seat and all 11 House seats. Iowa's absentee window opens Oct. 14, with written ballot requests due by Oct. 19 and completed ballots due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3; its ballot includes governor, U.S. Senate and House, and other statewide offices.