City manager

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson held a news conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, branding the state "ground zero" for fraud. Officials touted the administration's "War on Fraud" agenda, including a new whistleblower incentive program offering up to $30,000 for tips leading to convictions. They highlighted recent FBI raids in Minneapolis tied to a 26-indictment Medicare fraud probe and criticized Gov. Tim Walz's administration for lax oversight, citing the shuttered housing stabilization services program. The event followed a Senate Democrats' report alleging CMS targeted blue states in fraud enforcement, which Bessent disputed.

Toms River's Township Council unanimously introduced zoning to add 140 apartments, including 28 affordable units, at Jamestowne Village, and approved converting 19 market-rate units to affordable at Autumn Ridge. But the council again failed to act on most of its court-ordered fourth-round affordable housing plan, originally due to the state in March. Mayor Daniel Rodrick accused the council of "betrayal"; council members blame him for the Jamestowne expansion. Fair Share Housing has asked a judge to enforce a 2025 settlement and strip the township's builder's remedy immunity, which could allow higher-density projects to bypass local zoning. A hearing is set for December 7, with disputed Route 70 and Route 9 parcels central to the standoff.

Aiken City Council unanimously approved a resolution asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to authorize a homeless court for the city. The next step is a Dec. 3 presentation to the state's Access to Justice Commission, which will recommend whether the chief justice should sign an order creating the court. Similar courts already operate in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Rock Hill, Myrtle Beach and Gaffney, handling non-violent misdemeanor cases for unsheltered residents through service-based alternative sentencing rather than traditional prosecution.

City officials, including the city manager, solicitor and public safety director, back the plan, which is projected to cost $50,000 to $60,000 annually; $30,000 has already been budgeted. If approved, the court would launch in 2027 amid a growing local unsheltered population.

Wisconsin election officials have reviewed and deactivated more than 500,000 voter registrations over the past year as part of routine list maintenance ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission says the cleanup targets voters who died, moved, were convicted of a felony, or were adjudicated incompetent—not active, eligible voters. Breakdown includes roughly 187,000 inactive voters who didn't respond to postcards, 142,000 who moved, nearly 130,000 flagged through the multistate ERIC system, about 31,700 deceased voters, and 2,575 felony-related removals. As of October 1, Wisconsin had about 3.6 million registered voters, with officials anticipating over 2.6 million ballots cast. The rolls have drawn conservative scrutiny since 2020, often fueled by false claims conflating active and inactive voter lists.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said fraudsters in Minnesota paid mothers roughly $1,500 per child to falsely claim their children were autistic, a scheme he said harmed both the children misdiagnosed and families genuinely needing services. Speaking alongside President Trump and Vice President Vance, Oz said CMS reviewed providers in the state's 14 high-risk programs and found about a third could not be validated, prompting dozens of cases, including criminal investigations, and roughly $500 million in deferred payments. The findings follow reporting by independent journalist Nick Shirley and come after Oz gave Gov. Tim Walz a 60-day ultimatum to fix the program. Walz has called the federal scrutiny political retribution against Minnesota.

Early voting in several Middle Tennessee counties is running well above 2022 levels, with Davidson County seeing the sharpest jump and Wilson County also up significantly, according to election officials. Davidson County's administrator of elections said part of the surge reflects population growth rather than a pure turnout comparison, but data suggests a larger share of registered voters could cast ballots early than in past cycles. A Vanderbilt University political science professor noted the numbers may signal stronger Democratic enthusiasm this cycle, though he cautioned that polling could be underestimating either party's support. Early voting continues through Oct. 29, with Election Day set for Nov. 3.