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Of the 177 polling places in Georgia’s Fulton County, 32 received bomb threats Tuesday, county Police Chief W. Wade Yates said. Some of the threats were called directly into the locations where voting was happening, while others were called into 911 or received by email, he said. As a result, voting hours were extended at five polling places in Georgia’s Fulton County that were briefly closed because of bomb threats that were determined to be noncredible. Each voting location’s hours have were extended for as long as they were closed. The extensions ranged from 10 minutes at one location to 45 minutes at two locations.  

In Pinellas County, Florida, some voters couldn’t go to their usual voting locations because of recent hurricanes. The county, which is home to St. Petersburg, was one of the areas of Florida hardest hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton in recent weeks. The storms flooded tens of thousands of homes and businesses and left debris and sand covering streets. As a result, 25 polling places in the county were relocated, according to the county’s Supervisor of Elections. Voters showing up at their usual polling places were greeted by volunteers who redirected them to their temporary polling places. Jacksonville voters briefly diverted after suspicious package found in polling place Voters arriving at a polling place in Jacksonville, Florida, were diverted to another voting location for a short time Tuesday after a suspicious package was found outside. Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said in an email that about 20 voters were sent to other locations for about 40 minutes before operations at the polling place resumed. The package ended up being the personal belongings of a homeless person, he said. Results for 2 North Carolina counties delayed briefly as precincts close later Two counties in battleground North Carolina will delay turning in their results by 30 minutes after the State Board of Elections agreed to extend the close of voting at two precincts due to technical problems there. The board voted to push the closing time at one precinct in Burke County and another precinct in Wilson County to 8 p.m. According to election officials, likely voters at the Wilson County precinct were unable to cast ballots for almost an hour and a half because a printer needed to generate voter authorization forms wasn’t working. And in Burke County, people couldn’t vote for about 30 or 40 minutes when a precinct laptop computer with the official pollbook had a problem. The state board won’t publish unofficial results from Burke and Wilson counties until voting ends at the precincts. Results in the state’s other 98 counties can be reported at the normal closing time.

The FBI says bomb threats sent to polling locations in several states originate from Russian email domains and have been deemed non-credible. The FBI did not identify the states in question, but Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that the state’s election process had snuffed out some bomb threats he says came from Russia. Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, said they got “multiple calls” and the threats forced a brief closure of two polling places. The bomb threats were among multiple disturbances U.S. officials are tracking. But Cait Conley, a senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters on a call Tuesday that there were no national-level security incidents that were threatening to disrupt the election on a wide scale. Officials continue to warn of what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign influence and disinformation that they expect will persist beyond Election Day.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Up to 6 inches of rain fell Monday in parts of southern Missouri, prompting flash flooding in several rural areas and endangering a levee near a lake. More heavy rain was in the forecast for much of the state through Wednesday, including for the St. Louis area. The National Weather Service office in suburban St. Louis said flash flooding could be worsened “by fall leaves clogging drains and culverts in some places.” Several counties in southeastern Missouri were under a flash flood warning. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities. St. Francois County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon that a levee near Iron Mountain Lake was “in danger of failing” and residents living nearby were urged to evacuate. The evacuation was not mandatory. A shelter was opened at the Bismarck Senior Center. In nearby Reynolds County, authorities warned that rivers and creeks were rising fast. In Bloomsdale, volunteer firefighters rescued two men after they tried to drive through water on a flooded road. It was among several rural areas where water rescues were reported.

WEBBERVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A section of Interstate 96 in southeast Michigan remained closed Sunday after a semitruck crashed into more than a dozen vehicles overnight, killing 4 people and injuring 17 others, according to state police. Traffic on I-96 near Webberville had been temporarily stopped late Saturday as utility crews were completing work on power lines in the area. A semitruck with a trailer was heading westbound around 11:45 p.m. and crashed into the stalled vehicles. “It appears the driver of the semi-truck did not see the backup and could not stop his vehicle in time,” Michigan State Police said in a statement on the social media platform X. The impact caused the semitruck and several vehicles to catch fire. Police said more than a dozen vehicles were involved in the crash. Police confirmed four deaths and said 17 people, including the driver of the truck, were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. Michigan State Police said Sunday that the victims were a 29-year-old man from Carson City who was driving a Ford pickup and three relatives from Lansing who were in a Chevy Trax. They were identified as a 20-year-old female, a 43-year-old female and a 47-year-old male. Police did not say how they were related. Authorities continued cleanup efforts Sunday and said I-96 near the site of the accident would “be closed for an indefinite period.”

OKLAHOMA CITY — Severe storms and tornadoes battered Oklahoma early Sunday, Nov. 3, tossing cars and ripping roofs off buildings in the middle of the night and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Among numerous injuries, 11 people required hospitalization, authorities said. Much of the damage occurred in and around the state capital, Oklahoma City, near the state’s center, although there were reports of damage at various points around the state and early morning storms set off tornado warnings that extended south to the Arkansas state line. Heavy rains caused flash flooding in some areas and one lightning-sparked house fire was reported. More than 99,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses lost power during the overnight storms. By midday that number was reduced to fewer than 34,000. No fatalities had been reported as of midday. Richard Thompson, forecast chief for the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said he believes six or more tornadoes hit the state overnight. Meanwhile, forecasters warned state residents to brace for more heavy rain and possible severe weather through Monday. “We’re not done with it yet,” he said. In the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, firefighters and police officers went door to door Sunday morning to ask about injuries. “It leveled a complete neighborhood in Choctaw,” the town’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told The Associated Press. He added that debris hindered search and rescue efforts. “Power lines are down everywhere … a lot of the roads are blocked, hard to get through. Very large trees blocking roadways.” Oklahoma City Fire Department spokesman Scott Douglas told the AP that heavy rain and the lingering threat of tornadoes in the early morning darkness complicated early search and rescue efforts, describing a first sweep of hard-hit areas around 1:30 a.m. “It was a heavy downpour. We were trying to sweep the area with another possibility of a tornado coming through,” he said. “So that was in the back of our minds, too.” Emergency workers had to free two people from an overturned mobile home, including a woman injured when an air conditioner landed on her leg, Douglas said. The scale of the damage came into clearer focus as daylight broke. Local television footage showed downed power lines, walls peeled off homes, overturned vehicles and neighborhood streets littered with debris. Douglas said 11 people were transported to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. “There were some other minor injuries, some walking wounded, that were going to get treatment on their own,” Douglas said. Allcox said early weather warnings and tornado sirens likely saved lives. A handful of shelters — including one opened at a casino by the American Red Cross — are available for displaced residents or those without power, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said. The Oklahoma Heart Hospital South also sustained damage, state health officials said. At the University of Oklahoma, school officials had urged students and staff to seek shelter and move to the lowest floor as the storms approached campus after midnight. The National Weather Service office in Norman also issued urgent warnings, posting on social media that “If you’re in the path of this storm, take cover immediately!” Parts of Oklahoma remained under risk for more heavy rainfall and thunderstorms later Sunday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s state government is diverting $100 million to spend on loans to farmers and cleanup after Hurricane Helene. The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission voted unanimously Friday to spend the money, which had been set aside for construction projects or paying off existing debt. Officials last month estimated that the storm, which caused extensive damage in the eastern half of the state after a Sept. 26 landfall in Florida, caused $6.46 billion in economic losses in the state’s agriculture and forestry industries. Cotton, pecan and chicken farmers took severe losses, as did owners of private timberlands. Lt Gov. Burt Jones and others have called the damage a “generational loss.” The Georgia Development Authority, a state agency that lends money to farmers, will get $75 million to provide disaster relief loans to farmers and associated businesses in the agricultural industry. The other $25 million will be spent to clean up timber losses and other debris, said Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp. Because Georgia has been flush with surplus cash, it has been paying for construction projects using cash, instead of the traditional method of selling bonds to borrow money. The $100 million was being held for future spending, but it hadn’t been allotted to any project that is already underway, Douglas said. Because Georgia ended last year with a $2 billion surplus, lawmakers may be able to replace the $100 million when they amend the current budget during the 2025 legislative session that begins in January. The state did not spend similar money after 2018’s Hurricane Michael. Helene’s damage to agriculture has been estimated as more than twice as costly as Michael. The earlier storm was followed by a federal fight over aid that delayed help to farmers. Georgia itself spent more than $470 million on loans and recovery after Michael. “This is something we learned we could do,” Douglas said of the $100 million. Kemp and other state leaders say they will consider additional relief both when the General Assembly meets in January, as well as through administrative measurers before then. “We’ll continue to work with stakeholders on all levels to direct resources and support to the hardworking Georgians devastated by this storm,” Kemp said in a statement Friday. Kemp, Georgia state House Speaker Jon Burns and others have been urging Congress to act quickly on a relief package for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They are asking Congress to give block grants to states that the states can then give to farmers for recovery purposes. Burns is urging similar block grants that states could spend to repair damaged infrastructure and help private businesses and citizens. “This measure will provide necessary financial relief to farmers and foresters as we continue to work alongside our federal partners to secure every available asset and resource for the Georgians impacted by this disaster,” Burns said in a statement. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday that it has already spent $1.3 billion on direct aid to people following Helene and Hurricane Milton. FEMA has spend more than $1.1 billion on debris removal and emergency protective measures. Georgia’s government itself can’t give direct aid to people and private businesses because its state constitution bans what it calls gratuities — what most people would call gifts. Georgia Agribusiness Council President Will Bentley told a state Senate committee on Monday that a constitutional amendment is needed to allow direct disaster aid. Besides Kemp, Burns and Jones, other commission members who voted for the spending included state Auditor Greg Griffin, Attorney General Chris Carr, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and state Treasurer Steve McCoy. The Georgia Development Authority is scheduled to meet Monday in Macon to begin spending the $100 million.

CINCINNATI (AP) — A massive fire underneath a bridge spanning the Ohio River closed a heavily traveled route between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky on Friday and damaged part of the steel structure. No injuries were reported. The fire broke out overnight near a playground under the bridge, shutting down Interstate 471, according to the Cincinnati Fire Department. Video showed flames soaring more than 40 feet into the air and igniting a short section of the bridge, known for its yellow arches, near downtown Cincinnati. Chunks of concrete fell from the bridge and the fire warped a few of its steel beams, fire crews reported. The heaviest damage was on the bridge’s southbound lanes leading to Kentucky and will take weeks to repair, said Matt Bruning, a spokesperson with the Ohio Department of Transportation. At least three beams and a section of the roadway will need replaced, he said. What caused the fire is under investigation, said Frank McKinley, the city’s fire chief. The flames were fueled by mulch as well as plastic and wood playground structures below the bridge, he said. More than 60 firefighters helped bring the fire under control, he said.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is awarding nearly $3 billion to boost climate-friendly equipment and infrastructure at ports across the country, including Baltimore, where a deadly bridge collapse killed six construction workers in March and disrupted East Coast shipping routes for months. President Joe Biden is set to visit the city’s main port Tuesday, Oct. 29, to announce the grants, which officials say will improve and electrify port infrastructure at 55 sites nationwide while supporting an estimated 40,000 union jobs, reducing pollution and combating the climate crisis. The presidential visit, a week before Election Day, is intended to highlight efforts by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to promote clean energy while protecting and creating good-paying union jobs. The Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the East Coast, is a major hub for the import and export of motor vehicles and farm equipment. More than 20,000 workers support daily port operations, including unionized longshoremen and truckers. Grants being announced Tuesday include $147 million for the Maryland Port Administration. The funds will support over 2,000 jobs by enabling the purchase and installation of cargo-handling equipment and trucks to transition the port into a zero-greenhouse-gas-emission facility. The Maryland port is among 55 ports across 27 states and territories that will receive nearly $3 billion through the Clean Ports Program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Ports receiving money include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, as well as Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland, California. The grants are funded by Biden’s landmark climate law approved in 2022, the largest investment in clean energy in U.S. history. During a White House call with reporters Monday, officials said the grants also will advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution from U.S. ports. “Our ports are the backbone of our economy — critical hubs that support our supply chain, drive commerce, create jobs and connect us all,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “But we cannot overlook the challenges faced by the communities that live and work near these ports. Too often, these communities face serious air quality challenges due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships and other port machinery.” Protecting people and the environment “doesn’t come at the expense of a booming economy,” Regan said in an implicit rebuke to former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who have complained that strict environmental regulations hinder the economy. “In fact, healthy communities and a strong economy go hand in hand,” Regan said. The grant announcements, which follow $31 million in federal funds to rehabilitate a section of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal, come a week after the owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the deadly bridge collapse agreed to pay more than $102 million in cleanup costs to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department. The settlement does not cover any damages for rebuilding the bridge, a project that could cost close to $2 billion. The state of Maryland has filed its own claim seeking those damages, among others. Funding though the Clean Ports program will slash more than 3 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to energy use by nearly 400,000 homes for one year, Regan said. It also will cut 12,000 short tons of nitrogen oxides and other harmful pollutants, he said. John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, said the grants will help fulfill a promise by Biden and Harris to “rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and tackle the climate crisis … and uplift the communities who’ve borne the brunt of pollution.” In February, the EPA announced two separate funding opportunities for U.S. ports, a competition to directly fund zero-emission equipment and infrastructure and a separate competition for climate change and air-quality programs. More than $8 billion in requests from applicants across the country were received. Vernice Miller-Travis, a longtime advocate for environmental justice, hailed the EPA grants, which come after years of complaints by environmental and public health leaders that harmful pollution from the nation’s ports too often was overlooked. “What an incredible moment this is,” she said. “Fifty-five projects, almost $3 billion in funding. This is real money. And we know when you see these kinds of investments that you can really make transformation in local conditions and local operations and in people’s lives.” By Matthew Daly, The Associated Press

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — More than a dozen students were injured Tuesday when a big rig rear-ended their school bus in Stanislaus County, according to a report from ABC10 in California. According to the California Highway Patrol, the 17 students were hurt just before 7 a.m. on Crows Landing Road, north of El Katrina Lane. CHP stated that at approximately 6:48 a.m., the CHP in Modesto received a call of a traffic collision involving a school bus on Crows Landing Road, north of El Katrina Lane. According to a social media post from CHP, the bus was stopped northbound on Crows Landing with its flashing red lights and stop sign activated. A driver of a Honda sedan stopped at a safe distance behind the bus,”per California law.” “The driver of a big rig combination failed to notice the stoped vehicles ahead and the front of their combination struck the rear of the sedan before striking the left rear of the bus,” CHP stated. “All 17 elementary-aged students sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash. Luckily, none were transported from the scene. The driver of the Honda and combination were both transported to local area hospitals with minor injuries.”

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina county that is home to Asheville overcounted deaths caused by Helene by as many as 30, according to a statement Tuesday from its sheriff’s office and data from the state, significantly reducing the death toll from the historic storm. Buncombe County officials, who previously reported 72 deaths, are now deferring to a state tally of 42 deaths for the county. The county’s number dates back to an Oct. 3 news release in which county officials reported that “72 lives have been lost due to Hurricane Helene,” repeating a number cited by Sheriff Quentin Miller at an earlier media briefing. But state officials, relying on reviews by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, have consistently reported a number lower than that for the county. The number for Buncombe County included in the state’s tally has stood at 42 since at least Oct. 10. On Tuesday, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office acknowledged in a statement that the number of deaths in the county was lower than the number it provided. The statement, attributed to Public Information Officer Christina Esmay, cited factors ranging from updated causes of death to communication challenges after the storm knocked out cell service and electricity in multiple mountain counties. “In the early aftermath of Hurricane Helene all deaths were being classified as storm related and from Buncombe County. However, as the days progressed BCSO was able to identify who had passed away due to the hurricane, who was in fact from Buncombe County, and who passed away from other causes,” the statement said. “Compounded with the lack of consistent communication, due to widespread outages, the Buncombe County fatality number that was initially provided to Sheriff Miller has decreased.” The sheriff’s office did not provide additional information on how they arrived at their tally, and spokesman Matt Marshall said any other questions about how deaths have been investigated and counted should be sent to state officials. In response to a request to interview the sheriff, Marshall said he would look into his availability. Another county, Henderson, had previously reported two more local deaths than the state, but said on Tuesday that it agrees with the state’s number. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh typically reviews weather deaths and makes a ruling on cause before reporting numbers through state officials, a process it has used in past storms for years. But in the chaos following Helene, a number of counties reported fatality numbers independently of the state. The state’s tally has gradually increased through Tuesday, but the climb has slowed as bodies have been examined. State Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Kelly Haight Connor said in an email Tuesday that all examinations are complete for storm-related deaths, but she wouldn’t rule out additions if other cases emerge. The state reported 96 deaths from Helene statewide on Tuesday. The AP had tallied at least 246 total deaths across multiple states due to Helene through Monday, including 128 in North Carolina, based on data from the state and counties, including Henderson and Buncombe. With the disclosure from Buncombe County that its number was inflated, the AP has adopted the state’s total of 96, so the news organization’s multistate tally now stands at 214.