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On Nov. 3, Charleston County voters decide whether to extend, for a six-year term, the existing 1-cent sales tax funding school capital projects, a measure they have approved twice before since 2010. Dorchester County voters will consider adopting the tax for the first time, after a May law change made counties with exactly two school districts eligible. Dorchester Two and Dorchester Four would split revenue 85/15 over up to 15 years. Charleston's extension could generate about $1.25 billion; Dorchester's new tax could raise $688.2 million. Funds must go toward construction, renovations, and debt reduction, not salaries or operations, covering new schools, building replacements, and maintenance across both counties.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted Toforest Johnson's death sentence to life in prison without parole, citing insufficient direct evidence to justify execution. Johnson was convicted in 1998 for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy, largely on testimony from a paid "earwitness." Ivey said the move was not a declaration of innocence. The decision followed years of advocacy from former Attorney General Bill Baxley, former chief justices, convicting jurors, and the original prosecutor, over strong objections from Attorney General Steve Marshall, who urged Ivey to respect the jury's verdict. Critics note prosecutors gave contradictory accounts across multiple trials of who fired the fatal shot. Johnson's attorneys continue pursuing a new trial; Ivey has now commuted three death sentences while overseeing 27 executions.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has appealed to the state Supreme Court to revive criminal charges against six Republicans accused in the 2020 "fake electors" scheme. A Clark County District Court judge dismissed the case in August, ruling prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence from the grand jury and failed to show "fraudulent intent." The defendants—Michael McDonald, Jesse Law, James DeGraffenreid, Durward Hindle III, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice—had faced forgery charges for submitting a certificate falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of Nevada in 2020. Trump pardoned them federally last year, but that pardon does not cover state charges. Ford, now running for governor against incumbent Joe Lombardo, says he expects the high court to side with his office.

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.

Springfield's City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance reviving the city's long-dormant Youth Commission, aiming to give teenagers a formal role in shaping local policy. Originally focused narrowly on truancy, the revamped 11-member commission will be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services and will take on broader issues including mental health, social media influence, food insecurity, financial literacy and civic engagement. School safety and healthy relationships may also surface as topics, officials said.

Following months of debate over appointment structure, the final plan has the City Council appointing three student members and the mayor appointing eight, alongside a mix of high school and middle schoolers. The commission also includes representatives from the police department, school superintendent's office, School Committee and mayor's office. Councilors expect emerging issues like cybersecurity—following a cyberattack that shut down Springfield schools for a week in September—to be part of the group's early agenda. The commission will issue quarterly reports on its work.

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry has sued Mayor Kaohly Her, alleging sexual harassment, reprisal and violations of the Minnesota Whistleblower Act. The 73-page complaint describes tensions dating to Her's election, including a remark that Henry needed to "be extra nice" to her since the fire union, unlike the police union, endorsed her campaign. It also alleges disputes over backpay processing for police leadership, claims by Her and an assistant mayor that they could override Henry's personnel decisions, and allegations that Her improperly received confidential law enforcement information through her police-assigned driver. The lawsuit further claims the mayor's administration ran a paid media campaign to discredit Henry's motives.

An independent investigation released Sept. 18 found Her did not engage in sexual harassment or retaliation but did engage in "offensive and inappropriate behavior." Her apologized for crossing lines but said she was pleased the harassment claims were unsubstantiated. The city has declined to comment on active litigation. The St. Paul City Council plans a closed-door session to discuss the case and is expected to retain outside legal counsel.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has requested a presidential major disaster declaration from FEMA for eight counties — Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion and Will — hit by tornadoes, high winds and flooding in mid-August. The state also extended its disaster proclamation for another month. A preliminary damage assessment found the destruction exceeds what Illinois can handle on its own, following an Aug. 11 storm with tornadoes and near-100 mph winds, additional wind damage on Aug. 13, and flooding on Aug. 14.

Approval is not guaranteed. An earlier analysis found Democrat-led states had a much lower FEMA request approval rate under the current administration compared to Republican-led states, and Illinois' two most recent FEMA requests in 2025 were denied. Illinois leads the nation with 210 confirmed tornadoes this year but had not previously sought FEMA help, instead relying on Small Business Administration assistance. If approved, FEMA aid would fund individual housing and repair grants and public infrastructure reimbursements. The request also drew political criticism from Pritzker's gubernatorial rival, Darren Bailey.