Regulators say striped bass have had eight straight years of poor reproduction in the Chesapeake Bay, their most important habitat. The species has declined along much of the Atlantic coast. Scientists point to overfishing as only part of the cause, also citing warming water, weak river flow, drought, pollution and possible predation by seals and sharks. The decline could endanger an $8 billion fishing industry and tens of thousands of jobs.
Maine
3 stories since 29 October 2026, newest first
31 October 2026
29 October 2026
Americans vote on Tuesday, 3 Nov, in midterm elections that will fill all 435 House seats and 35 of 100 Senate seats, plus governorships and state measures. More than 51 million ballots had been cast early by Saturday, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab, against 7.8 million Republicans and 10.7 million Democrats among early voters reported earlier. Republicans currently hold a 218-214 House majority with two vacancies. Polling averages show Democrats leading the generic ballot by 8.4 points. Congress's approval stands at 14 percent.
Personal details of more than 41,000 employees and contractors at the US Department of Homeland Security were published online after a hacker stole them. The exposed records include names, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses and office locations. About 21,000 relate to Customs and Border Protection staff and roughly 10,000 to Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, with the rest from CISA, USCIS and HSI. The hacking group Department of Peace says it gained access through the Okta single sign-on service used by DHS, while Okta says it has no evidence its systems were compromised. DHS says it is aware of a potential breach and is working to address it.