Thunderstorm

With Election Day approaching, Arizona's gubernatorial contest is drawing scrutiny beyond the wave of attack ads funded by both campaigns, as voters weigh where Gov. Katie Hobbs and challenger Andy Biggs actually stand on major policy issues. The race is among several closely watched state contests factoring into broader election forecasting.

Separately, President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to let immigration authorities resume deporting immigrants to "third" countries rather than their countries of origin, a policy that had been blocked amid legal challenges. A ruling would have significant implications for immigration enforcement nationwide and could shape ongoing debates over executive authority on deportation policy. Other local Arizona items in the day's briefing included rental affordability rankings, a new reality TV production based in Scottsdale, and notable real estate sales in the Phoenix area.

The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked an effort by President Donald Trump to curtail mail-in voting ahead of the November 3 midterm election, a ruling with implications for how ballots are cast and counted across the country, including in Arizona. The decision preserves existing mail-in voting procedures as states prepare for the midterms.

The ruling came amid a broader roundup of Arizona news, including state action to limit the use of treated sewage sludge on trust land near Yuma following resident complaints about fly infestations, and routine Maricopa County restaurant health inspections that flagged several violations. The mail-in voting decision is the item with the most direct bearing on the midterm election cycle, as voting access and procedure disputes remain a recurring flashpoint in national politics ahead of November.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has asked President Trump to issue a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration covering 23 Ohio counties, including Butler, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene and Preble in the greater Dayton area, following severe thunderstorms that struck from Aug. 10 through Aug. 23. The storms brought flash flooding and 17 confirmed tornadoes, killing two people, injuring at least four, and prompting about 59 water rescues.

Preliminary damage assessments from FEMA and the Small Business Administration found at least 50 homes and businesses destroyed, 806 with major damage, and 475 with minor damage. DeWine requested activation of FEMA's Individual Assistance Grant program to help with temporary housing, home repairs, rental assistance and other needs, along with SBA low-interest loans for uninsured losses and FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. DeWine said the damage exceeds the state's capacity to respond alone, and federal aid would be critical to recovery efforts.

A draft report from two New York City agencies estimates the city must build about 700,000 new housing units over the next 10 years to meet demand — nearly double the pace of the past 15 years combined. The figure stems from a 2023 local law requiring the city to set five-year neighborhood housing growth targets. Planners put the current shortage at roughly 290,000 units, projected to grow by another 410,000.

Meeting that target would require a far faster construction pace than recent years, even with Mayor Zohran Mamdani's pledged $22 billion for 200,000 affordable units. The strategy aims to spread new construction more evenly, pushing "low-growth" neighborhoods — including single-family areas and denser ones like the Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Greenwich Village — to add more housing through zoning changes and financing support. Experts are divided on feasibility, and even success might not fully ease record-high median rents of $5,000 in Manhattan and $4,500 in Brooklyn.