A leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council’s final report on reform of the disaster response agency appears to shift considerable burden onto states, local governments, tribes and territories (SLTTs) while slashing the agency’s workforce by 50%, positioning federal response in the rear and largely ignoring requests to send recovery funding down to the county level.

While President Donald Trump ran on slimming government bureaucracy — ostensibly the stated aim of the Department of Government Efficiency — given the state of post-Hurricane Helene aid, the Department of Homeland Security could perhaps fill an entire office with paperwork in need of Kristi Noem’s signature. 

North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has strengthened the process by which it allows people with a driver’s license to register to vote in an effort to prevent noncitizens from illegally participating in elections. 

The changes were instigated following scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which prompted an internal investigation by the DMV. The initial inquiry that led to the change was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security.

As of noon Thursday, ICE and Border Patrol have engaged in operations from Lenoir to Raleigh, largely avoiding Asheville and much of Western North Carolina. But both agencies are generating a climate of fear statewide, regardless of the city they choose to target.

Scenic Chimney Rock has historically been an out-of-the-way place, nestled tightly against the Broad River in a narrow valley between lush, towering peaks that peer down at nearby Lake Lure. It’s always been difficult to get there — especially now, with most roads still closed 11 months after Hurricane Helene — but you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction up Highway 9 by the near-ceaseless stream of dump trucks coming down and out.