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States Newsroom
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Third data center gas plant seeks approval, as gas pipeline expansion advances

bit.lyThird data center gas plant seeks approval, as gas pipeline expansion advancesUtility regulators will consider whether to approve a third private methane gas power plant specifically for data center use in Nevada as NV Energy struggles to keep up with a surge of new demand.Switch, a major data center developer in Nevada, is seeking approval for a 510-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant at the former Sierra Biofuels Refinery in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, according to filings with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.
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President Donald Trump’s 11th-hour campaign to intervene in California’s vote counting encountered its first resistance from federal courts on Monday, with appellate judges ruling against the effort.

bit.lyTrump DOJ’s demand for emergency order in California vote counting dismissed by appeals courtPresident Donald Trump’s 11th-hour campaign to intervene in California’s vote counting encountered its first resistance from federal courts on Monday, with appellate judges ruling against the effort.
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A majority of New Mexico voters think road construction and maintenance should be a priority for state leaders, according to a new poll presented to state lawmakers Friday, but they lack a consensus on how to pay for it.

bit.lyNew Mexico lawmakers revisit funding proposal to pay for improving state’s poor roadsA majority of New Mexico voters think road construction and maintenance should be a priority for state leaders, according to a new poll presented to state lawmakers Friday, but they lack a consensus on how to pay for it.
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Missed the last episode of Stories From The States? Make sure you’re the first to get the latest drop. Listen now. @alander.bsky.social @georgiarecorder.com @bensolis1.bsky.social @michiganadvance.com @bspears.bsky.social @wisconsinexaminer.com www.newsfromthestates.com/episode/repo...

newsfromthestates.comReporters roundtable: Gubernatorial and legislative races to watch | News From The StatesReporters roundtable: Gubernatorial and legislative races to watch
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Kansas Democrats, Republicans lean into voter engagement strategies in top-of-ticket races

bit.lyKansas Democrats, Republicans lean into voter engagement strategies in top-of-ticket racesSHAWNEE — Becca Peck demonstrated personal commitment to getting out the vote by knocking on 4,627 doors for the Johnson County Democratic Party.So far.Her total stands as the best this year among party volunteers in Johnson County, but that didn’t include more than 1,400 residences she approached on behalf of individual candidates in this election cycle or the canvassing she planned to finish before Nov. 3.
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More Hoosier women are delivering at home. Is it safe?

bit.lyMore Hoosier women are delivering at home. Is it safe?A series of infant and maternal deaths overseen by unlicensed midwives led Hoosier lawmakers to a conclusion in 2013: legalize and regulate the practice to make it safer.The deaths included a Columbia City mother who died with her baby in 2003 after the woman’s uterus ruptured during a delivery at her home, and the 2007 stillbirth delivered by a Goshen mother who suffered repeat seizures during a three-day home birth.
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News From The States is your one-stop shop for expert, on-the-ground reporting from all 50 states. Your donation helps us to continue to illuminate stories and trends you can’t find anywhere else. Support us today: statesnewsroom.com/donate/

statesnewsroom.comDonate • States NewsroomSUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST States Newsroom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news operation that depends on support from people like you to produce high-quality journalism without paywalls, popups or ads. Please…
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What Peggy Flanagan’s Senate victory would mean for Indian Country

bit.lyWhat Peggy Flanagan’s Senate victory would mean for Indian CountryNAYTAHWAUSH — Peggy Flanagan took the microphone and began, as she always does, in Ojibwe.“Boozhoo,” she said, giving her name, her tribe and her clan before switching to English. “Thank you for welcoming me home.”Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, had traveled hours across prairie, wetland, forest and farmland to reach this town of 504 on the White Earth reservation, where she is an enrolled tribal member.
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Valley North’s proposed transmission line has sparked a familiar debate over land, resources, power

bit.lyValley North’s proposed transmission line has sparked a familiar debate over land, resources, powerThe view from Marc and Elizabeth Shockley’s front porch could easily land in an outdoor magazine. The historic landscape slopes gently downhill away from their home (circa 1790), and tumbles like a painting across Bloomery Road in Charles Town, West Virginia, eventually spilling into the Shenandoah River at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains on Jefferson County’s eastern edge.
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Cumberland County has promised Dominion Energy two million gallons of water a day from Cobbs Creek Reservoir for its proposed three gigawatt natural gas plant. But technically, the water is not yet theirs to give away.

bit.lyIn Cumberland, questions swirl over water sources for newly approved Dominion gas plantCumberland County has promised Dominion Energy two million gallons of water a day from Cobbs Creek Reservoir for its proposed three gigawatt natural gas plant. But technically, the water is not yet theirs to give away.
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Several big names are hitting the campaign trail in Georgia in hopes of driving up turnout on their side as voters choose their next governor and decide whether to send Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff back to Washington.

bit.lyGeorgia draws high-profile boosters to the campaign trail as candidates enter the homestretchSeveral big names are hitting the campaign trail in Georgia in hopes of driving up turnout on their side as voters choose their next governor and decide whether to send Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff back to Washington.
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Former President Obama rallies with Ohio Democratic ticket in Cleveland

bit.lyFormer President Obama rallies with Ohio Democratic ticket in ClevelandSeveral thousand Ohioans packed the Cleveland Public Auditorium Saturday for a rally featuring former President Barack Obama. Several Ohio Democratic officials and allies warmed up the crowd and the party’s entire down ballot slate appeared on stage briefly to wave at the crowd.But the main focus of the event was Democratic nominee for governor Dr. Amy Acton and the party’s pick for U.S. Senate, Sherrod Brown.
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A Lexington-based nuclear energy startup is proposing to build a massive nuclear power plant complex along the Ohio River in Lewis County, which, if fully realized, would be the largest nuclear power plant site in the country and the first nuclear power plant in Kentucky.

bit.lyStartup proposes massive nuclear power plant campus in Lewis CountyA Lexington-based nuclear energy startup is proposing to build a massive nuclear power plant complex along the Ohio River in Lewis County, which, if fully realized, would be the largest nuclear power plant site in the country and the first nuclear power plant in Kentucky.
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‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in voters

bit.ly‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in votersByron Sutter has been voting by mail for years, ever since he worked in healthcare and couldn’t leave his patients to vote in person.Mary Ann Klarenbeek votes by mail because she has breathing problems and can’t stand in line at a polling place.John Jeratowski travels for work as a journeyman electrician and would have to surrender pay to go home and cast his ballot if he couldn’t vote by mail.
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2026 ballot measures are written at a graduate-school reading level, report finds

bit.ly2026 ballot measures are written at a graduate-school reading level, report findsThis year’s statewide ballot measures are written, on average, at a graduate-school reading level, according to a new report.The readability of 2026’s ballot questions — which ask voters to weigh in on issues as varied as abortion, property taxes, voter ID and firearms — varies by state, political data tracking nonprofit Ballotpedia found in its newest Ballot Measure Readability Report.
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The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office subpoenaed at least six environmental groups, asking for records regarding climate change, in a move at least one advocated called a “fishing expedition intended to stifle our collective voice.”

bit.lyWest Virginia Attorney General McCuskey issues subpoenas on environmental groupsThe West Virginia Attorney General’s Office subpoenaed at least six environmental groups, asking for records regarding climate change, in a move at least one advocated called a “fishing expedition intended to stifle our collective voice.”
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Federal lawyers on Thursday alerted Oregon officials that they will send election observers to Multnomah County for the Nov. 3 midterm, prompting Oregon’s secretary of state to remind voters about the limited powers those individuals have.

bit.lyTrump DOJ to send federal monitors to Oregon’s Multnomah County on Election DayFederal lawyers on Thursday alerted Oregon officials that they will send election observers to Multnomah County for the Nov. 3 midterm, prompting Oregon’s secretary of state to remind voters about the limited powers those individuals have.
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COLUMBIA — South Carolina charged at least 381 women with crimes related to their pregnancy over the past three years, far more than any other state, a national advocacy nonprofit found in a report released this week.

bit.lySC files more criminal charges involving pregnancy than any other state, report findsCOLUMBIA — South Carolina charged at least 381 women with crimes related to their pregnancy over the past three years, far more than any other state, a national advocacy nonprofit found in a report released this week.
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Trump’s DOJ sues over Alaska Senate race, expanding preelection legal fights

bit.lyTrump’s DOJ sues over Alaska Senate race, expanding preelection legal fightsThe U.S. Department of Justice is stepping up its legal campaign over the midterm elections, suing Alaska over its U.S. Senate election and appealing a lawsuit against suspected noncitizen voters in California.Election law experts have cast doubt on the strength of the cases, criticizing them as performative.
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‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in voters

bit.ly‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in votersByron Sutter has been voting by mail for years, ever since he worked in healthcare and couldn’t leave his patients to vote in person.Mary Ann Klarenbeek votes by mail because she has breathing problems and can’t stand in line at a polling place.John Jeratowski travels for work as a journeyman electrician and would have to surrender pay to go home and cast his ballot if he couldn’t vote by mail.
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Kansas manufacturing business responds to candidates’ conflicting accounts of tariff effects

bit.lyKansas manufacturing business responds to candidates’ conflicting accounts of tariff effectsKANSAS CITY, Mo. — The two major party candidates for U.S. Senate diverged in a debate Wednesday night on whether tariffs were helping or hurting a Salina manufacturing business they both visited. A spokesperson for the business, however, denied U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s claim that tariffs were contributing to its growth.
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After a high-profile rape case at Cornell University highlighted what she considers a loophole that fails victims, a West Virginia legislator is joining lawmakers in 15 other states to change laws

bit.lyProposed legislation would close ‘voluntary intoxication’ loophole in WV sexual assault lawAfter a high-profile rape case at Cornell University highlighted what she considers a loophole that fails victims, a West Virginia legislator is joining lawmakers in 15 other states to change laws
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Most US House races aren’t competitive. What does that mean for how lawmakers govern?

bit.lyMost US House races aren’t competitive. What does that mean for how lawmakers govern?WASHINGTON — Fewer than 5% of U.S. House races are seen by a top political analysis as truly competitive heading into November’s midterm elections, giving relatively few voters the ability to determine which party controls the chamber for the next two years. The other 414 of 435 House districts are viewed by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter as at least leaning toward a Democrat or a Republican, as of Oct. 22.
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Swadley to serve no prison time, ordered to pay $1.2M for defrauding Oklahoma tourism department

bit.lySwadley to serve no prison time, ordered to pay $1.2M for defrauding Oklahoma tourism departmentOKLAHOMA CITY – A restaurant owner convicted of defrauding the state will serve no prison time, but must pay $1.2 million in restitution, an Oklahoma County judge ordered.Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy Truong on Thursday sentenced Brent Swadley to a suspended six-year sentence after a jury convicted him of inflating invoices related to the operation of Swadley’s Foggy Bottom restaurants at six state parks.
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DOJ to send election monitors to seven Michigan communities

bit.lyDOJ to send election monitors to seven Michigan communitiesAfter sending federal monitors to three Michigan cities for the primary election, the U.S. Department of Justice will once again send monitors to observe elections on Nov. 3, according to state officials.Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday issued a news release stating that seven Michigan communities had received notices from the Department of Justice that federal monitors would be sent to their polling places on Election Day.
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‘Clear political stunt’: Beshear rejects Ball’s nominees for executive ethics commission

bit.ly‘Clear political stunt’: Beshear rejects Ball’s nominees for executive ethics commissionA day after submitting nominations for an appointment to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, Republican Auditor Allison Ball says Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear rejected her list. A spokesperson for the governor said the list was “a clear political stunt.” Ball said in a Thursday statement she found it “deeply disappointing that the Governor would choose to abruptly reject, with no explanation, our slate of nominees for the Executive Branch Ethics Commission within hours of submission.”
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The Oklahoma-based company that owns one of the largest gas pipeline networks in the Northwest is beginning to pursue permits to expand that network, and to pump more gas to the region to meet rising electricity demand.

bit.lyLargest gas pipeline network in Northwest could grow as Oklahoma-based owners pursue expansionThe Oklahoma-based company that owns one of the largest gas pipeline networks in the Northwest is beginning to pursue permits to expand that network, and to pump more gas to the region to meet rising electricity demand.
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SC inmate has a chance to leave death row, but lawyers say it’s the safest place for him

bit.lySC inmate has a chance to leave death row, but lawyers say it’s the safest place for himCOLUMBIA — An order from South Carolina’s high court created the possibility that Donnie Council could leave death row. But in the 18 years since that ruling, his lawyers haven’t tried to get him moved.They think death row might be the best place for him.Another condemned inmate, Ron Finklea, is similarly in resentencing limbo, though for not nearly as long. Neither his attorneys nor prosecutors have taken steps in the 2½ years since the state Supreme Court created the potential for him. It’s unclear why.
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In November’s midterm elections, Democrats could win a majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years. Tomorrow, we will address this in a States Newsroom reporter’s roundtable. www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor...

newsfromthestates.comStories From The States | News From The StatesStories From The States is a weekly podcast that explores, through personal stories, how people and communities across America are being affected by government decisions. Each episode examines a…
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South Dakota man poured $5.3 million of own money into failed governor campaign, final report shows

bit.lySouth Dakota man poured $5.3 million of own money into failed governor campaign, final report showsToby Doeden spent a total of about $5.3 million of his own money on his failed campaign for governor of South Dakota, according to a new campaign finance report.The report, which was due this week, covers the Doeden campaign’s spending from May through the June 2 Republican primary election and July 28 runoff. Doeden finished first in the four-way primary but lost the top-two runoff by 42 points to Gov. Larry Rhoden.
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After 13 months in an Aurora immigrant detention center, where he became reliant on a wheelchair as his health deteriorated, a Ugandan priest who has lived in Colorado for more than 25 years was released by federal immigration officials Tuesday.

bit.lyColorado priest from Uganda released after 13 months in ICE detention in AuroraAfter 13 months in an Aurora immigrant detention center, where he became reliant on a wheelchair as his health deteriorated, a Ugandan priest who has lived in Colorado for more than 25 years was released by federal immigration officials Tuesday.
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State Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, one of Virginia’s most powerful Democrats, was indicted on federal racketeering, marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracy charges, with prosecutors alleging she used her legislative influence to protect and enrich a cannabis business she co-owns.

bit.lyVa. Sen. Louise Lucas, six others indicted in federal cannabis corruption caseState Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, one of Virginia’s most powerful Democrats, was indicted on federal racketeering, marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracy charges, with prosecutors alleging she used her legislative influence to protect and enrich a cannabis business she co-owns.