Illinois Medicaid changes for many noncitizens are approaching. Notices will arrive in August
Illinois will send personalized Medicaid notices in August before coverage ends Sept. 30 for some noncitizens under new federal eligibility rules.
State News
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Idaho wildfire closures make same-day travel checks essential
A BLM closure near Brownlee Reservoir is scheduled through Aug. 17. Idaho travelers should check roads, fire restrictions, land closures and local emergency notices before leaving.
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Maui wildfire survivors face narrower state aid and higher FEMA housing costs
A Hawaii relief program now limits new applications to eligible households with minor dependent children, while FEMA is raising rents for some of the roughly 600 survivors still in temporary housing.
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Georgia school phone restrictions begin shaping the 2026-27 academic year
Georgia’s K-8 bell-to-bell device restriction is active for the 2026-27 school year. District rules vary, while a statewide high-school mandate begins no later than July 1, 2027.
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Florida court orders DHS to restore SAVE voter-verification access as appeal continues
A Northern District of Florida judge ordered DHS to restore SAVE bulk-upload and Social Security-number search features, but conflicting federal rulings leave the system’s legal and technical status unsettled.
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Delaware’s new housing law is changing Sussex County subdivision hearings
Senate Bill 23 moves qualifying by-right residential applications into administrative review. Sussex County paused major-subdivision hearings while officials work out the process.
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Connecticut awards $16.8 million for 13 local bridge projects
Connecticut awarded $16.8 million in state matching grants for 13 bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects in 11 municipalities. The grants cover half of eligible costs, but no construction or closure dates were announced.
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Colorado’s new gun restrictions take effect. What changes for firearm buyers and owners
Colorado’s restrictions on specified semiautomatic firearms took effect August 1, 2026. Here are the covered firearms, required sheriff and training steps, fees, deadlines and pending lawsuit.
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California lawmakers return for final month of 2026 session
California lawmakers return August 3 with fiscal, floor and passage deadlines compressed into the final weeks of the 2025-26 legislative session.
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Arkansas cyclosporiasis cases reach 123 as lettuce investigation continues
Arkansas reported 123 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases by July 30, including 75 in Benton County. Recalled iceberg lettuce was distributed in Arkansas, but officials have not linked every state case to the product.
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Oracle’s Wisconsin data-center fight moves into court over billions in financial guarantees
Oracle is challenging Wisconsin’s financial-support rules for very large electricity users in Ozaukee County court, where collateral costs and ratepayer risk could shape future data-center projects.
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Wyoming’s $205 million rural-health program moves from applications to provider awards
Wyoming’s first-year federal rural-health award is moving into provider selection and contracting after the main application deadline passed Aug. 2, with first-year funds expected to be obligated by Oct. 30.
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D.C. begins testing reflective pavement at five heat-island sites
DDOT launched a five-site pilot of three reflective pavement products, with daytime closures during application and an evaluation report planned by the end of 2026.
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Spokane-area wildfires leave hundreds of structures destroyed as evacuations continue
The Old Trails, Fairview and Meadowview fires are being managed as the Spokane Complex after preliminary reports put structure losses at roughly 600 to 640 and evacuations at about 60,000 people.
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Virginia’s new hemp THC limit takes effect Aug. 15
Virginia will cap hemp products at 2 milligrams of total THC per package on Aug. 15, ending an exception that allowed higher THC levels when products contained enough CBD.
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Vermont primary voters face Aug. 11 deadline as final voting and filing dates near
Vermont’s statewide primary is Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. Here are the remaining candidate-filing, early-ballot and Election Day deadlines, plus how the state’s open-primary ballot system works.
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New Utah study links Great Salt Lake dust to food and human exposure pathways
A peer-reviewed Utah study found potential digestion and crop pathways for Great Salt Lake dust, but no proof of unsafe food or documented illness.
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Corpus Christi’s Projected Water Emergency Moves to 2028, but the Supply Problem Remains
Floodwater has pushed Corpus Christi’s projected Level 1 water emergency to September 2028, but low western reservoirs and uncertain inflows leave conservation and supply projects urgent.
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Tennessee’s primary-election AI ads test the limits of the state’s new deepfake law
AI-generated attack ads are appearing before Tennessee’s Aug. 6 congressional primary, but the state’s new disclosure law is enforced through complaints or civil action rather than automatic state review.
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South Dakota Teacher Apprenticeship Program Moves 71 Paraprofessionals Into Fourth Cohort
South Dakota’s fourth teacher apprenticeship cohort includes 71 paraprofessionals from 50 school districts who will pursue education degrees while remaining employed in their schools.
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South Carolina reports 1.13 million affected residents in first-half breach notices
South Carolina consumer officials say 41 businesses reported breaches affecting 1,131,320 residents from January 1 through June 30, 2026. The figure is not a count of unique people, and two large notices drove about two-thirds of the reported total.
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Federal judge keeps USCIS asylum-processing policies vacated in Rhode Island case
A federal judge denied the government’s July 15 stay request, leaving four USCIS processing policies vacated while an appeal proceeds. The ruling does not automatically approve individual cases or guarantee immediate decisions.