With Start of Early Voting, Election Day Becomes Election Month – NYTimes.com – Voters in Iowa went to the polls to cast the first ballots in the 2012 presidential race less than a week before hearing either candidate remark in debate. They will be joined by voters in Ohio next week, as well as 30 other states where some form of early voting will already be under way. President Barack Obama will engage in his first debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Denver, Colo., Wednesday. The theme of the first debate is domestic policy. The New York Times

Florida justice warns of assault on the courts ‘through partisan politics’ – Tampa Bay Times – With three Florida Supreme Court justices up for merit retention being targeted by a partisan campaign, one of the justices remarked that the future of the state’s highest court is being jeopardized. Justice R. Fred Lewis said, “We cannot sacrifice fairness and impartiality and the court system to political whims.” His statement was prompted three days after the Republican Party of Florida announced that it will oppose him and Justices Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince because of their “activist” and liberal views. Tampa Bay Times

West Nile virus shows up in sentinel chicken in Brooksville – Tampa Bay Times – A sentinel chicken’s positive test for the West Nile virus in Brooksville, Fla., has prompted Hernando County Mosquito Control accelerate inspections and treatment in the Brooksville area. The test result indicates that there are mosquitoes in the area carrying the virus. Though it is not harmful to the chickens, the West Nile virus can be deadly to humans and horses. There have been no cases of the virus involving humans in Hernando County, but Mosquito Control officials are suggesting that residents drain standing water and use mosquito repellent. Tampa Bay Times