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RandySF's JournalNapheesa Collier to miss 4-6 months after surgery on ankles
WNBA star Napheesa Collier will undergo surgery on her ankles, sidelining her for four to six months and forcing her to miss the upcoming Unrivaled season, the league announced Thursday. The operations are scheduled for the first week of January and will be performed by Dr. Martin O'Malley in New York City, sources said.
Collier hurt her ankles during the WNBA season while with the Minnesota Lynx. On Aug. 2, she sprained her right ankle against the Las Vegas Aces, forcing her to miss three weeks. She was the clear favorite to win league MVP at the time but ended up finishing second to Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson for the second straight year. In September, Collier tore three ligaments in her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury. The top-seeded Lynx lost the series in four games.
Collier had expressed confidence she would be able to return from the injuries in time for the start of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league she co-founded with New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart that begins its second season Monday. During a virtual news conference for the league Dec. 16, Collier said she did not need surgery but was "still working to get back to 100%." She added that her rehab was getting better each day and that she was planning on being healthy enough to play by January.
However, following additional consultation from a joint medical staff in Miami and Minnesota, it was determined that her recovery should have been further along at this point and that surgery would be necessary.
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/47470089/sources-napheesa-collier-miss-4-6-months-surgery
Kansas election law and USPS changes means voters have less time to mail ballots in 2026
Kansas voters will have less time to return mail ballots in 2026 after state lawmakers eliminated a three-day grace period and the U.S. Postal Service changed how it postmarks mail.
Previously, Kansas voters had until three days after Election Day for their mail ballots to arrive at election offices. Now, ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count.
In December, USPS announced that in 2026 it will postmark mail when it's processed at regional facilities rather than when it's dropped off. This processing delay could take several days, meaning a ballot mailed on time could still arrive too late to count.
We spoke to lawmakers and advocates in Kansas when the law was passed in March 2025.
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kansas-election-law-and-usps-changes-means-voters-have-less-time-to-mail-ballots-in-2026
BLOOMINGTON CELEBRATES STRONG VOTER ENGAGEMENT WITH 27.8% TURNOUT IN 2025 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
As Bloomington closed the chapter on its 2025 municipal elections, the city saw a strong turnout, suggesting a community engaged and invested in its local governance. According to an official release from the City of Bloomington, 27.8% of registered voters, translating to 16,477 individuals, made their voices heard through their ballots. Within those numbers, standing out was the 3,500 absentee voters, including 2,322 who voted early in person at Civic Plaza.
In the wards where democracy was at play, Dwayne Lowman and Shawn Nelson successfully held their posts in Council Districts 1 and 2, respectively. Joining the ranks of city overseers, Danielle Robertson secured an at-large seat, stepping into the City Council chambers for her first term. They will assume their roles officially on January 5, bearing the trust of their constituencies.
The smooth operation of the election, a ballet of civic duty, didn't unfold without the hands of many. City Clerk Jamy Hanson was quoted expressing gratitude for the collective effort: "Bloomington’s elections rely on teamwork across every department," Hanson said. "Thank you to our election judges, staff and community members who helped ensure a smooth and secure election process."
This shared sentiment bespoke of a communal toil where a tapestry of unseen labors ensured the integrity of the democratic process. The city illustrated, through its 27.8% turnout, an emphatic statement on the importance of local elections. It is through such local platforms that the larger American narrative on democracy is often written, one voter at a time.
https://hoodline.com/2026/01/bloomington-celebrates-strong-voter-engagement-with-27-8-turnout-in-2025-municipal-elections/
Maine 2026 election cycle anticipated to be highly competitive and expensive
STATEWIDE -- Maine’s 2026 election cycle is expected to be highly competitive, with political experts anticipating some races to draw significant national attention and campaign spending.
Between state and federal races, the 2026 political landscape in Maine is anticipated to be hotly contested and very expensive.
"Maine is going to be high profile on the political map in '26 for sure," said Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Maine, Mark Brewer.
Many eyes are already on the race for incumbent senator Susan Collins' seat.
https://www.foxbangor.com/news/maine-2026-election-cycle-anticipated-to-be-highly-competitive-and-expensive/article_4292937c-360d-4a29-ab25-d54a569bf8b2.html
Campaigns ramp up for Wichita's 1% sales tax special election
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Early voting begins in just over a month for Wichita’s 1% sales tax special election in March, and campaigns both for and against the proposal are ramping up.
Over the holidays, voters saw ads on TV, YouTube and other social media platforms for the “Watch Wichita Win” campaign, organized by Wichita Forward, a coalition of businesses and community organizations. They hope if the sales tax passes, it will fund different initiatives around the city while providing residents with property tax relief.
f the sales tax passes, Wichita Forward estimates it would raise $850 million over seven years. With that money, they hope to invest in public safety, further address homelessness, provide property tax relief, revitalize Century II and build a new performing arts center downtown.
But some in Wichita are asking for more details.
https://www.kwch.com/2026/01/01/campaigns-ramp-up-wichitas-1-sales-tax-special-election/?outputType=amp
New Georgia law blocks ethics complaints close to Election Day
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A new Georgia election law took effect Wednesday, changing how ethics complaints are handled in the weeks leading up to an election and limiting when allegations against candidates can be formally filed.
The law bars the Georgia State Ethics Commission from accepting complaints against candidates or campaigns within 60 days of an election, in an effort to prevent last-minute allegations from influencing voters before complaints can be fully investigated.
The law also requires campaign finance and disclosure reports for local elected officials to be filed directly with the state ethics commission, rather than at the local level.
Mark Tate, founder of the Tate Law Group, said the change could improve transparency, particularly in how political action committees disclose their funding sources.
https://www.wjcl.com/article/new-georgia-law-ethics-complaints-election-day/69899266
Wisconsin Democrats say they won't act like Republicans if they win a legislative majority in 2026
If Democrats win a majority in one or both chambers of the Legislature in 2026, the party will have more power to govern than any time in more than 15 years.
Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, said she saw a sign of what that future could look like during the state budget-writing process earlier this year. With just a three-seat advantage in the Senate, Republicans needed to work across the aisle to advance the budget, and Senate Democrats had a seat at the negotiating table, Hesselbein said.
For the past 15 years of Republican majorities in the Senate and the Assembly, GOP lawmakers have been able to operate largely without input from legislative Democrats. In 2011, following the Republican midterm surge during President Barack Obama’s presidency, a GOP trifecta in the Legislature and the governor’s office advanced legislation aimed at cementing a permanent majority.
They passed laws such as Act 10, which dismantled Democratic-supporting public sector unions; strict voter ID, which made it harder for students and low-income people to vote; and partisan redistricting, which kept legislative Republicans in power with near super-majorities even after Democrats won all statewide offices in 2018.
https://wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisconsin-democrat-republican-legislative-majority-2026-assembly-senate/
Statewide referendums keep coming. Some lawmakers want to simplify them for voters.
When Wisconsin voters heads to the polls, there are sometimes questions alongside candidates’ names. And those questions can have big consequences, like amending the state constitution.
Now, voters could get more information about some of those referendum questions in advance of voting, under a proposal being considered at the state Capitol.
As written, the bill would require the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau — which drafts bills for the Legislature — to provide a plain-language summary of any statewide referendum. It would also need to clearly explain what a “yes” or “no” vote would do.
Because Wisconsin does not have a process for voters to put policy-changing questions on the ballot, sometimes called citizen ballot initiatives, the proposal would primarily affect constitutional amendments. Those go to voters for approval after passing two consecutive sessions of the Legislature. In recent years, Republicans who run the Legislature have used this tool more frequently as they seek to bypass the veto pen of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
https://www.wpr.org/news/proposed-constitutional-amendments-plain-language-referendums
A New Redistricting Amendment Is One of the First Items VA Dems Will Take Up Starting 1/14/26
With the new year now having arrived, it’s definitely time to start thinking about the 2026 Virginia General Assembly, which is set to kick off in just 13 days (on January 14). Presumably one of the first items on the agenda for Democrats – who will have a massive majority in the House of Delegates, along with a narrow (21-19) majority in the State Senate – undoubtedly will be passage of a new constitutional amendment on redistricting. On this subect, as Speaker Don Scott said earlier this month:......
So that’s a lot of what the House of Delegates Democrats’ leadership is thinking. How about the State Senate Democrats? For starters, we definitely know how Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas is thinking, because she’s tweeted many times (e.g., see here) about her strong preference for a 10 Democrats-1 Republican map (note: currently, we’re at 6D-5R, although Abigail Spanberger won two of those Republican-held seats, VA01 and VA02, in the gubernatorial election). As for VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, he said in early December that Virginia redistricting efforts were “full steam ahead.” Sen. Surovell also said, in early November: “Listen, there’s two seats…that are pretty obviously in play. And after that, you know, it probably gets pretty hard, but it’s, you know, anything’s possible…I actually have not had that specific of a conversation [with Dems in Washington].”
In sum, the state of play right now is that Virginia General Assembly Democrats are planning to take up the new redistricting amendment pretty much right away when the legislature convenes on January 14. And almost certainly, the amendment will pass both chambers (with all Democrats voting yes, all Republicans voting no). The question is, will Democrats also unveil possible maps at that point, or will they wait until if and when the amendment is approved by voters in the spring? Along those lines, would unveiling maps PRIOR to Virginians voting on the amendment: a) be the right thing to do; b) make it more or less likely for the amendment to pass? Along those lines, let’s look at some possible 9D-2R and 10D-1R maps that have been floating around, been shared by Sen. Louise Lucas, etc.
https://bluevirginia.us/2026/01/a-new-redistricting-amendment-is-one-of-the-first-items-va-dems-will-take-up-starting-1-14-should-they-shoot-for-a-10d-1r-or-9d-2r-map/
Dick Zimmer, former congressman and U.S. Senate contender, dies at 81
Richard A. Zimmer, a three-term Republican congressman from Hunterdon County and longtime state legislator who ran a competitive race for U.S. Senate in 1996 and built a career as an advocate of fiscal conservatism, transparency in government, and the safety of children – and a lifelong opponent of wasteful government spending — died on December 31 after an extended illness. He was 81.
While Zimmer spent most of his adult life on a small farm in Hunterdon County, he grew up working class in a garden apartment in Bloomfield that he called New Jersey’s version of a log cabin. His father died when he was three, and his mother worked in a factory until marrying a postal worker from Glen Ridge, where he grew up in a blended family.
After the rape and murder of murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka in 1994 by a neighbor with two previous convictions for sexually assaulting young girls, Zimmer became the sponsor of Megan’s Law, a federal law that required law enforcement to make the public aware of registered sex offenders who lived in their neighborhoods. Zimmer’s bill passed both houses unanimously and was signed by President Clinton in 1996.
As chairman of New Jersey Common Cause in the 1970s, Zimmer advocated for the passage of New Jersey’s Sunshine Law and pushed Democrats and Republicans to reduce the number of “fat cat” campaign contributions and replace them with small donors. He also pushed for a Sunset Law that would require the legislature to review agencies that are no longer effective, and for personal financial disclosures for all elected officials.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/dick-zimmer-former-congressman-and-u-s-senate-contender-dies-at-81/
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