(The Center Square) – Wildfires continued to burn Monday in the Carolinas, though a sign of optimism arose with a burning ban lifted in 41 South Carolina counties and measured rainfall in both states.

Largest of the fires is Table Rock in Pickens and Greenville counties of South Carolina. The Black Cove fire is burning in North Carolina’s Polk and Henderson counties, the Rattlesnake fire is burning Haywood County, and the Alarka 5 fire is in Swain County.

South Carolina’s Horry County at the Atlantic Ocean and North Carolina border, and the northwestern counties of Spartanburg, Greenville, Pickens and Oconee remain under a burning ban. In North Carolina, all 100 counties have a ban in effect.

The Table Rock fire size is about 13,191 acres in South Carolina and 574 in North Carolina, the Forestry Commission of the former said. Containment is about 30%.

The Persimmon Ridge fire is 2,078 acres in size with 64% containment. Rain Sunday into Monday measured nearly 1 inch.

The Covington Drive Fire in Myrtle Beach is about 85% contained and in mop-up and strengthened firebreaks stage.

In North Carolina, the Black Cove complex of fires are 7,672 acres in size. It includes the Black Cove (3,502 acres, 36% contained), Deep Woods (3,971 acres, 32% contained) and Fish Hook (199 acres, 100% contained) fires. Rainfall overnight into Monday helped the battle.

(The Center Square) – A bill that would dissolve a 61-year-old commission and place it under the Tennessee attorney general’s office took another step on Monday.

Senate Bill 861/House Bill 910 would move the Human Rights Commission’s duties to the attorney general’s office as of July 1.

Former Gov. Frank G. Clement created the independent commission in 1963, according to its 2023-24 annual report. A nine-member board oversees the commission, which not only investigates cases but also conducts education and outreach efforts.

Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, told the House Government Operations Committee on Monday that transferring the authority could put more teeth into civil rights investigations.

“I think if someone receives a letter or action that the attorney general is investigating their actions, I think that’s going to perk up some people,” Garrett said. “I think that’s going to make some people hopefully say, ‘What have I done to attract the attorney general of the state of Tennessee who has the authority to investigate claims that I might have been involved in?'”

Democrats have pushed against the bill.

“Independence matters,” said Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville. “Autonomy matters. From your answer its seems as if the HRC wasn’t doing something as far as getting behind and their authority wasn’t enough and we have to give it more authority and a letter coming from the AG’s office is going to give it more authority than it has now. I fundamentally disagree with that premise.”

The bill is not about an organization’s failures but about making it better, Garrett said.

Others are concerned about what happens to the cases, around 1,000, that would have to be resubmitted to the attorney general’s office.

“The time and resources spent on refiling cases would disproportionately affect the complainants and the businesses alike, causing unnecessary delay and confusion and disrupt the legal process for thousands of individuals relying on timely resolutions,” Muriel Nolen, the executive director of the commission during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 24.

The committee agreed to move the bill to the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee. The Senate version passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and was referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee.

(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Denver announced on Sunday that it arrested Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, a citizen of Mexico who has been removed from the United States, or voluntarily returned to Mexico, 16 times since 2002.

Most recently, Cruz-Mendoza was sentenced for “reckless driving resulting in death” after killing one man and injuring others in a Colorado car accident in June 2024.

Sentenced to just one year in jail in August 2024, Cruz-Mendoza was already being released from Jefferson County’s Detention Center, according to Denver 7. ICE agents made the arrest upon Cruz-Mendoza’s release from jail.

This was just one of a series of arrests of criminal illegal immigrants that ICE Denver reported it made last week.

• March 25: Arrested Rafael Cabrera-Barron, who has already been removed from the United States twice. Cabrera-Barron has convictions for sex assault on a child and currently has pending charges for burglary, trespass, child abuse and possession of controlled substance.
• March 25: Arrested Juan Nava-Dominguez. Nava-Dominguez has previous convictions for possession of fentanyl and served 8 years in prison.
• March 26: Arrested Victor Alonso-Martinez. Alonso-Martinez has convictions for illegal re-entry and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
• March 27: Arrested Gabriel Vergara-Cabanas. Vergara-Cabanas has a criminal history that includes charges for kidnapping, menacing, assault, harassment and sexual-related offenses.
• March 28: Removed a “Salvadoran criminal alien” wanted for the crimes of aggravated homicide, displacement of individuals, unlawful groupings and aggravated robbery in El Salvador.

This comes as Denver politicians and Colorado Democrats have been outspoken in their disagreement with President Donald Trump’s deportations efforts, as previously reported by The Center Square.

In early March, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding his city’s sanctuary city immigration policies.

During testimony, Johnston “defended Denver’s values.”

“As we all heard, he referred to Denver not as a ‘sanctuary’ but as a ‘welcoming’ city, which has opened the floodgates for violent gangs like Tren de Aragua to take over our communities,” Colorado’s Republican members in the U.S. House said a joint statement in response to Johnston’s testimony. “The people of Colorado deserve better… It is time that Colorado Democrats come to the table and repeal sanctuary policies and protect Coloradans.”

Elyse Apel is a reporter for The Center Square covering Colorado and Michigan. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Elyse’s writing has been published in a wide variety of national publications from the Washington Examiner to The American Spectator and The Daily Wire.