Liquor

Lenoir City, Tennessee voters head to the polls to decide whether to legalize liquor store operations within city limits, a measure that has failed on previous ballots. Supporters argue the change would add convenience for residents who currently must leave Loudon County to buy liquor, and would keep sales tax revenue local rather than losing it to neighboring Loudon or Knox counties. Opponents, including a sheriff's deputy running for city council, cite public safety concerns, pointing to alcohol-related fatal crashes in the county. A sitting councilman running for the same seat declined to take a position, saying the decision belongs to voters rather than politicians.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the 160-year-old federal ban on distilling spirits at home, a practice that remains illegal even though home brewing beer is permitted. The case stems from lawsuits by Ohio brewpub owner John Ream and Texas resident Scott McNutt, which produced conflicting rulings in the 5th and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeals. The central legal question is whether Congress's power to tax alcohol also allows it to ban home production outright. The federal government argues home stills make tax enforcement harder; challengers, backed by the Buckeye Institute, say the ban sets a troubling precedent for restricting other activities. A ruling could arrive by next summer.

A Broomfield, Colorado middle schooler, Peter Daniell, won the 2026 National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C., besting 51 other finalists in a buzzer-round competition testing knowledge of the Constitution, civic challenges and American government. The national competition began with roughly 20,000 students from 240 communities before narrowing to the 52 finalists who competed across multiple rounds of knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving challenges.

Daniell clinched the title by correctly identifying the Whiskey Rebellion as the name given to farmers' resistance to a federal tax on distilled spirits during George Washington's presidency. Colorado Governor Jared Polis congratulated Daniell, calling the win a testament to his hard work and to the state's commitment to education. As champion, Daniell receives a $100,000 contribution toward a 529 educational savings plan.

Leroy Griffith, the Miami businessman known for decades as South Florida's "adult theater king," died peacefully at his Miami home on Oct. 3 at age 94, his family said. Born in 1932 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Griffith entered show business as a teenager selling candy at St. Louis burlesque shows and later managed theaters across the Midwest before settling in Miami in the early 1960s. He built a chain of burlesque and X-rated film venues across Florida and beyond, best known for Club Madonna in Miami Beach and the Pussycat Theater in Miami.

His career was marked by repeated clashes with regulators and police, including efforts to circumvent nudity and liquor ordinances, dozens of police raids, and a 2013 incident involving a trafficked minor performing at Club Madonna, for which Griffith was never charged. He famously bought back his own foreclosed theater at a courthouse auction. Griffith outlasted 17 Miami Beach mayors and 16 city managers during his decades-long run. He is survived by his wife, four children, and several grandchildren.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to amend the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State Plan to block Temporary Cash Assistance recipients from spending benefits on tobacco, nicotine and vaping products, pornography, drugs and intoxicants, video games, entertainment tickets and subscriptions, theme park admission, tattoos, spa and tanning services, and psychic or fortune-telling services. Officials describe the move as the first state-level restrictions of their kind on the federal cash welfare program, expanding beyond existing federal and state rules that already bar EBT use at liquor stores, casinos, and adult-entertainment venues. DeSantis said the goal is to save taxpayer dollars, curb fraud, and ensure aid goes toward essential needs while continuing to support Floridians who genuinely require assistance.

Benefit amounts, which average about $250 a month per household, will not change. The Florida Department of Children and Families is drafting the plan amendment and coordinating with the Trump administration before submitting a formal request and setting a phased implementation timeline, beginning with SNAP-authorized retailers before expanding further using new point-of-sale systems. The policy follows Florida's "Healthy SNAP" initiative, which since April has barred SNAP recipients from buying soda, energy drinks, and candy, though a federal judge ruled in June that similar SNAP food-restriction waivers in five other states exceeded federal authority. Florida's SNAP rolls have dropped nearly 20 percent over the past year following federal cuts.