Sanford, Florida

Election officials in several Florida counties, including Seminole, Broward, and Monroe, are investigating delays in vote-by-mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service. Seminole County has issued more than 500 replacement ballots, with one local delivery taking seven days; a Broward official's son waited 12 days for a ballot sent from Orlando. USPS says it has found no delivery issues in Broward or Monroe. Central Florida counties outside Seminole report no similar problems. With Florida's 7 p.m. Nov. 3 return deadline approaching, officials are urging voters who haven't mailed ballots to instead vote early in person or drop ballots at secure intake stations.

Nearly a year after a gunman attacked the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, the community continues to process the trauma while moving toward recovery. On Sept. 28, 2025, Thomas "Jake" Sanford rammed a truck into the church and opened fire before setting the building ablaze, killing four people—John Bond, Thelma Armstrong, Craig Hayden and William "Pat" Howard—and injuring 10 others. Sanford was fatally shot by a Michigan DNR officer and a Grand Blanc police officer. Federal authorities determined the attack was driven by anti-Mormon animus, with survivors recalling Sanford questioning victims about their faith before shooting.

In the year since, local government, schools and law enforcement have expanded counseling services, launched a resiliency center, and trained officers to help houses of worship prepare for potential attacks. Businesses and interfaith groups rallied around the community, and a Catholic parish plans to install a memorial statue and security bollards. Church officials have announced plans to rebuild the meetinghouse on the same site, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for the anniversary. Residents describe grief as something to live with, not overcome, even as rebuilding offers a path forward.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed Senate Bill 373, requiring Michigan landlords who offer multiple rent payment methods to include at least one option free of extra fees. Any lease terms violating the rule are void. Sponsor Sen. Mary Cavanaugh, D-Redford Township, framed the measure as part of a wider effort to address housing affordability, citing data showing nearly 310,000 Michigan rental households qualify as extremely low income. A companion bill, Senate Bill 1052 from Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, clarifies that certain Medicare/Medicaid-sponsored incentive arrangements won't be treated as kickbacks or bribery.

The rent-fee law is among several Michigan stories in brief: three boaters were rescued after their catamaran capsized in Lake Michigan near Coloma; the state House advanced a dam-safety overhaul six years after the deadly Edenville and Sanford dam failures; GOP congressional candidate Thomas J. Smith declined a candidate forum invitation ahead of his race against Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet; and a Bay County teen shot during a home invasion now faces charges for firing at his mother's vehicle.

President Donald Trump held a rally in Myrtle Beach urging South Carolina Republicans to back Sen. Darline Graham in Tuesday's runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman, the contest that will decide the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate seat once held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump, not on the ballot this cycle, told supporters to "pretend" he was in order to boost turnout and reiterated his "complete and total endorsement" of Graham. Gov. Henry McMaster, who appointed Graham to the seat after her brother's death, formally endorsed her hours before the rally.

The race tightened after Graham stumbled in a debate when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea, admitting she was "not that informed on national security." Trump defended her as being "honest." The debate moment fueled momentum for Norman, who picked up a notable endorsement from former Gov. Mark Sanford, who broke with Trump, citing the nation's fiscal challenges after the national debt hit $40 trillion. The runoff winner becomes the GOP nominee for the November general election in the reliably red state.