Open Newswire

Alaska gubernatorial candidate Treg Taylor has agreed to pay a fine and update his campaign disclosure reports as part of a settlement with state regulators to resolve a campaign finance disclosure complaint.  The complaint challenged Taylor’s failure to disclose details of more than $187,000 in expenditures to a handful of campaign consulting businesses.  Commissioners with […]

Idaho’s top-ranking federal law enforcement official, U.S. Attorney Bart Davis, announced his retirement Wednesday following a long, influential legal and political career in Idaho.  Davis, who is 71 and in his second term as U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho, will retire Oct. 17, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho said. […]

LINCOLN — A Lincoln state senator accused city officials Wednesday of improperly taxing residents outside city limits and pledged to seek legislation to force refunds to taxpayers. State Sen. Beau Ballard, one of 10 state senators whose districts include part of Lincoln, announced his office had received evidence from constituents that the City of Lincoln […]

Authorities say the drug and gun trafficking crackdown will continue in other parts of north Mississippi.

(The Center Square) - Questions over the legality of donations continue to rock the campaigns in the Colorado gubernatorial race. The campaign for Democratic candidate Phil Weiser, the current state attorney general, met Tuesday's deadline to submit a notice to "cure" or refund reportedly illegal excesses of 46 campaign donations. Under state law, donations can't exceed $1,450. Jack Todd, the Secretary of State’s Office's communications director, told The Center Square in an email that the campaign had issued that notice. But the notification document remains unavailable on Colorado’s TRACER website, which tracks campaign donations. The investigation into Weiser remains pending. Following a separate Secretary of State's Office investigation, Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx’s campaign was recently fined nearly $60,000 for what the state says are 210 violations exceeding the legal limits for donations. The campaign is appealing the fine. On Oct. 2, the state Elections Division’s administrative hearing officer, Macon Cowles, issued a 27-page decision recommending Marx’s campaign be fined $57,647.16 for 210 contribution violations. According to media reports, it's the largest election-related fine in the state's history. Marx’s campaign was first alerted over potential violations over campaign contributions on May 8 when a complaint was filed by a Republican political operative from Colorado Springs, Darcy Schoening, who previously served as the special initiatives director for the Colorado Republican party. Schoening filed 20 more complaints throughout the proceeding months, with the last complaint being filed on Sept. 22. The complaints can be found on the TRACER website. The state says Marx's campaign committed 210 violations. Of those, 200 came from individual donations that the state says exceeded the $1,450 legal limit. The remaining 10 came from cash contributions totalling $1,045. The cash donations exceeded the $100 legal limit, according to the state. Per Colorado law, complaints are submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office's Elections Division. Once the division validates a complaint, the campaign has 10 days to issue a notice of intent to "cure" or fix the problem. This means the campaign has acknowledged the alleged violations and has submitted a notice with plans to resolve the issue. But according to the Elections Division, by July 17, almost a month after the initial alleged violation was filed, Marx’s campaign had only refunded $61,029 in contributions – falling nearly $22,000 short of the prohibited amount collected. Marx’s campaign called for a reduced fine since it had attempted to refund the prohibited contributions, but the Elections Division determined the campaign had not effectively cured all violations, nor substantially complied with state election finance law. Cowles noted that per the “aggravat[ed] circumstances,” the campaign would face a 100% enhancement of the base fine for the unprecedented violations. Marx’s campaign treasurer, Gregory Carlson, was heavily criticized during the Elections Division's Oct. 2 hearing, with state election officials noting his lack of experience in handling campaign finances. Officials said Carlson had never informed one of the companies accepting contributions to refuse any amount over $1,450, and as a result, the campaign accepted more than the allowed amount. Roger Hudson, a spokesperson for Victor Marx’s campaign, said that “Marx and the campaign are appealing this egregious fine recommendation, which we believe is politically motivated, and we fully expect to prevail.” He noted that every one of more than 50,000 donations was “fully reported” and that “nothing was ever hidden …” “Every overage, which added up to less than 0.3% of total campaign revenue, has been refunded. The only real dispute is over a 10-day refund deadline that doesn’t appear anywhere in the Secretary of State’s own Campaign Finance Manual," Hudson told The Center Square. Rule 10.6 of Colorado Campaign and Finance rules states that contributions exceeding the allowed limit must be refunded within 10 days of its findings. That means any amount in excess of $1,450 goes back to the donor. Two complaints were also filed against Weiser, in early September by a Colorado real estate agent, Danielle Neuschwanger, who found 46 instances across both complaints that Weiser had accepted more than the allowed amount for individual campaign contributions. On Sept. 22, the state’s election division issued an opportunity for Weiser’s campaign to submit a notice with its intent to resolve the excess contributions. The campaign had until Tuesday to respond with a notice of intent to cure - the deadline that the state says the campaign met. Weiser’s campaign spokesperson, Nate Jackson, told The Center Square that the campaign had already “cured all the alleged violations.” However, at the base of Neuschwanger’s complaint was that the refunds reportedly were not made within the 10-day period required after a campaign discovers excess contributions were made. Under Colorado law, the 10-day period to issue refunds starts as soon as the campaign discovers excess contributions were collected. The period does not start after the state issues a formal opportunity to cure, nor does it start when a complaint is filed. Weiser’s campaign would have to effectively plead that once they discovered the excess donations, they did, in fact, issue the refunds within 10 days of their findings. Weiser’s campaign did not respond to The Center Square’s request for further comment.

In mid-July, the US Army activated Delta Company of the 7th Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Battalion under 3rd Special Forces Group. The unit has taken on the informal name ‘Drongo’, a nod to an African bird known for its ability to vocally mimic other species to drive off competitors. Its declared purpose is to support US Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) influence and information operations across the continent, though it is not technically an AFRICOM unit as it belongs to Army special operations and executes missions in AFRICOM’s area of responsibility. Drongo’s existence says less about African security dynamics than about Washington’s shrinking […] The post Drongo Company: Can Washington’s new PSYOP unit win back African trust? appeared first on African Arguments.

Mientras la Región de Antofagasta registra una tasa de desempleo de 6,3%, fortalecer las competencias laborales y ampliar las oportunidades de acceso al trabajo sigue siendo un desafío prioritario. En respuesta a esta realidad, SENCE y SQM lanzaron cursos de formación del Programa Sumando, que beneficiará a 270 personas con formación en oficios altamente demandados […] Este artículo Programa Sumando impulsa la formación de 270 personas desarrollando capacidades únicas en la Región de Antofagasta fue publicado originalmente en El Diario de Antofagasta.

A federal audit found Arkansas mishandled thousands of reports of child abuse and neglect, including allegations of rape and video surveillance in children’s bedrooms. The Sept. 29 report from the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services surveyed 27,690 reports the Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services rejected […]

Last month, an inspector noted ongoing issues at SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy in Canton.

Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and her Republican challenger, former state Rep. John Loughlin, met Wednesday afternoon for their second televised debate in less than two weeks, sparring over grocery stores, gas prices, and how much blame to assign to President Donald Trump for Rhode Islanders’ problems. Unlike the candidates’ pretaped Sept. 25 matchup […]

Democrat Rebecca Bennett enlisted former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in her bid to flip the House seat now held by GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr.

Districts 6, 25 and 30 are among those shaped by last year’s GOP-led redistricting of congressional maps ahead of the midterms.

With the 2026 midterm election a month away and absentee ballots being mailed to voters Oct. 9, MTFP asked the state’s candidates for federal office how they would address Montanans’ healthcare concerns. The post How Montana’s candidates for U.S. House and Senate plan to tackle healthcare appeared first on Montana Free Press.

Luis Galeano’s recent detention underscores the risks many other exiled Nicaraguan journalists face as the Trump administration ramps up its immigration crackdown. The post Exiled journalists fled repression in Nicaragua. Now they face immigration uncertainty in the U.S. appeared first on LatAm Journalism Review by the Knight Center.

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While suspending the gas tax faces little opposition, Democrats question Republican legislative leaders' timing so close to Election Day. NC lawmakers suspend gas tax with quick return to Raleigh is a story from Carolina Public Press, an award-winning independent newsroom. Our breakthrough journalism shines a light on the critical overlooked and under-reported issues facing North Carolina’s more than 11 million residents. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

On September 14, 2026, more than 900 fuel tankers entered Bamako under military escort, the Malian government announced. The figure sounds like a victory: the capital got its fuel. But the very need to herd 900 tankers into a single protected convoy is not a story about victory — it is a story about how vulnerable the ordinary roads have become, the same roads through which Mali imports 95% of its fuel. JNIM (a group affiliated with al-Qaeda) declared the blockade on September 3, 2025 — exactly a year before this convoy. According to the group’s spokesman, the goal was […] The post 900 Tankers Under Escort: What Africa Corps Actually Does in Mali appeared first on African Arguments.

شعبه اول دادگاه انقلاب رشت ایوب محمد نبیل، شهروند ۲۸ ساله عراقی، را به اتهام «محاربه از طریق جاسوسی برای عربستان» به اعدام محکوم کرده است.

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name.Jefferson County voters will be asked this November to approve two tax increases to benefit public schools. Together, the measures would raise $133 million for Jeffco Public Schools.Ballot Issues 5A and 5B are what’s known as mill levy overrides, which are property tax increases to pay for educational programming. Jeffco voters last passed one in 2018 for $33 million.How would the money from Ballot Issues 5A and 5B be spent?Ballot Issue 5A would raise $73 million that would be split like this:About $54.5 million for pay increases for teachers, principals, and school support staff. A district presentation said $15 million would be used to fund already-promised pay increases, and $39.5 million could be used for future salary boosts.About $10 million for career and technical education classes for students. About $8.5 million for the district’s charter schools. State law requires that school districts share mill levy override revenue with district charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently run by nonprofit organizations.Ballot Issue 5B would raise $60 million that would be split like this:About $53 million for building maintenance projects, including repairing parking lots, replacing leaky roofs, and fixing heating and cooling systems. The funding would also be used to replace aging technology and improve school security systems. About $7 million for the district’s charter schools. What would Ballot Issues 5A and 5B cost taxpayers?Property taxes would increase by about $42 per year on every $100,000 of a home’s value. For a $650,000 home, that would amount to $273 per year.What do supporters say about Ballot Issues 5A and 5B?Proponents say Jeffco needs this money to stave off more budget cuts and school closures.Jeffco is the state’s second-largest district, with about 74,000 students. But its enrollment is declining, partly due to lower birth rates. Because Colorado funds its districts per student, fewer kids means fewer dollars. In addition, Jeffco voters have approved fewer mill levy overrides than other area districts, which means Jeffco can’t supplement its state funding as robustly.Read all of Chalkbeat's 2026 election coverageLower salaries cause Jeffco teachers to leave, supporters say. Jeffco’s average teacher salary was $84,392 last year, state data shows, ranking it fourth out of Colorado’s five largest districts.Jeffco’s hands-on classes are popular, but space is limited. Warren Tech, the district’s career and technical education center, has a waitlist of nearly 1,500 students.The district’s school buildings also need maintenance. Jeffco had to cancel, delay, or dismiss school early 10 times last year because of issues such as cracked pipes or power outages, the district said. What do opponents say about Ballot Issues 5A and 5B?Opponents say Jefferson County taxes are high enough and more money wouldn’t improve students’ academic outcomes, according to comments submitted to Jefferson County’s ballot guide. Opponents also argue that Jeffco teachers are not poorly paid. Enrollment declines mean Jeffco schools need less money, opponents say. And they argue that fewer students means school closures are inevitable, whether the measures pass or not.Opponents are also skeptical about how Jeffco spent the money from the last tax increase.Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.

واکنش‌ها به تغییر نرخ ارز و التهاب در بازار عراق