Summit County, Ohio

Fort Drum, home to the 10th Mountain Division (LI), has been named 2026 Best Garrison for U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Western Hemisphere. The award recognized performance across categories including mission support, quality of life, real property, safety and security. In fiscal year 2026 the garrison sustained dozens of live-fire ranges and training areas supporting over 251,000 personnel, backed a zero-cost live-fire range conversion for new squad weapons, and trained hundreds of Soldiers on AI-based command and control systems.

Beyond readiness, Fort Drum modernized barracks, launched a fare-free installation shuttle, expanded childcare and spouse employment programs, and reduced crime and harmful-behavior incidents through targeted prevention efforts. It also secured a nuclear microreactor site under the Janus program and added solar capacity to boost energy resilience. The win positions Fort Drum to compete for the Commander in Chief's Award for Installation Excellence, which it previously won in 2020.

With Election Day a week away, Illinois Democrats are campaigning beyond state lines to aid party allies nationally. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi backed Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Jon Rosenthal; Sen. Tammy Duckworth campaigned for Sherrod Brown in Ohio; Rahm Emanuel canvassed in New Hampshire; and Rep. Danny Davis and successor nominee La Shawn Ford campaigned for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley. Gov. JB Pritzker is focused on his own reelection, holding a large cash advantage and backing fellow Democrats financially.

Big money is also flowing into Illinois races, including Chicago school board contests, with GOP megadonors Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein and wealthy Democratic-aligned groups both spending heavily to shape outcomes from Springfield to Chicago.

With early voting set to begin Oct. 19 ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Texas candidates are ramping up outreach efforts statewide. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico launched an Austin canvassing effort over the weekend, his first public campaign event since Sept. 30 when he disclosed he had the flu. He also made a surprise appearance at the Austin City Limits music festival the day before. Talarico did not address his absence publicly or take questions from reporters.

Republican nominee and Attorney General Ken Paxton used the gap to highlight his own continued travel across Texas, including stops at the TX Youth Summit and Moms for Liberty Summit, and his campaign launched a mocking "Tala-Freak-Out" tip line referencing Talarico's whereabouts.

Down-ballot races are also heating up: in Travis County's Texas House District 47, Democrat Pooja Sethi and Republican Jennifer Mushtaler are both intensifying door-to-door canvassing, citing voter concerns over affordability, education, and gas prices as early voting approaches.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rejected Illinois' request for a major disaster declaration following severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds and tornadoes that struck the state in August. FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton said federal assistance was "not warranted," affecting Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion and Will counties. Gov. JB Pritzker's office says the state will appeal, citing extensive damage to homes, infrastructure and widespread power outages. Pritzker accused Trump of playing politics with disaster relief, a charge echoed by Illinois Democrats including Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Robin Kelly, while Republican Rep. Darin LaHood also urged approval of the declaration.

The denial follows renewed attacks by Trump on Chicago over crime and comes amid separate reporting that Trump approved disaster aid for Ohio ahead of a campaign rally while leaving other states' requests pending. Trump has also approved aid for Hawaii and New Hampshire, complicating claims of a partisan pattern. The White House denies any political motive behind its disaster aid decisions.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and city council have condemned an assault on a police officer who was injured while responding to a burglary call. The incident occurred Monday when officers were dispatched to a vacant building on Copley Road. An officer spotted Leotis Daggett, 56, leaving the building and attempted to stop him; police say Daggett assaulted her during a struggle and tried to take her firearm. The officer was treated at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and released. Daggett was found with crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia, and faces charges including aggravated robbery, assault on a peace officer, drug possession, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He remains held in Summit County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Mayor Malik and Police Chief Brian Harding cited a 76% rise in assaults on Akron officers in 2026, part of a broader national trend—FBI data show 90,178 officers assaulted nationwide in 2025, the highest rate in a decade. City officials pledged continued prosecution of such attacks.
Akron leaders condemn assault on a police officer during a burglary arrest amid rising attacks on law enforcement.

Cuyahoga County's Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board has won praise from social service providers even after cutting funding to some of them, a marked contrast to the resistance County Executive Chris Ronayne has faced over demands for across-the-board departmental cuts. Providers say the ADAMHS Board took a thoughtful, targeted approach, evaluating which programs work together and prioritizing outcomes rather than simply preserving every existing agency, with some organizations gaining funding while others lost it. The opening of the Glick Recovery Campus, for example, absorbed services previously funded elsewhere.

By contrast, Ronayne's request for a flat 3.3% cut across all departments has drawn open pushback, with officials including the county prosecutor and clerk of courts declining to comply, arguing the executive's own office has expanded staff and spending. County departments have also outlined worst-case scenarios—including losing universal pre-K and funding for child advocacy and college-support programs—if voters reject a health and human services levy. The episode highlights how budget process and perceived fairness shape public and institutional trust during periods of shrinking government resources.