(The Center Square) – Six state temporary housing units are occupied as western North Carolina continues to get on its feet from Hurricane Helene, the state auditor’s office says.

Two are in McDowell County, and there is one each in Ashe, Avery, Haywood and Watauga counties.

The 29th week of recovery began over the weekend. State leaders and congressional representatives are continuing to request funding from Washington and Raleigh for what is arguably the state’s worst natural disaster.

The storm, which came ashore in Florida on Sept. 26, dissipated over the mountains of three states and left 107 dead and an estimated $60 billion damage in the Tarheel State. Monday marked 200 days since the hurricane, according to the auditor’s dashboard.

The analysis says 6,930 households “indicated a housing need and were determined to be eligible for housing assistance.” This is the number of total housed (2,727), seeking assistance (503) and not utilizing assistance households (3,700).

The number housed represents eligible for FEMA rental assistance or FEMA transitional sheltering assistance. Seeking assistance means these households are in need but not marked eligible for rental or transitional specifically; the households may be utilizing another form of shelter, the report says.

The number not utilizing assistance means the households are eligible for rental or transitional and chose not to use it.

Buncombe County, where Asheville is the county seat, was among the hardest hit regions. Nearly one-third (870) of the report’s 2,727 total housed is from the county. There are 727 of those on rental assistance, and the remaining 143 utilizing hotels. The county’s seeking assistance number, as of Saturday, is 131.

(The Center Square) – A Georgia man is facing federal charges of threatening Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her family, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern Georgia.

Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, 24, of Lilburn, is accused of sending threats that included statements, “You and your family are going to die soon” and “I will personally do the job if necessary,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday.

One statement said, “Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear. America will burn,” the federal agencies said.

Amin sent the messages between March 29 and April 1, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Investigators said they found social media threats, including an image that showed a firearm pointed at Gabbard. A second one showed a firearm pointed at Gabbard and her husband.

Amin is being charged under Title 18, United States Code, Section 875, which covers threats made across state lines.

“Threatening to harm public officials is a criminal act that cannot be excused as political discourse,” said interim U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. “Our Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously prosecute individuals who commit these acts of violence.”

Amin will remain in custody until trial, according to an order by a U.S. Magistrate. The FBI arrested him on Friday.

(The Center Square)− The Louisiana Legislature kicked off the 2025 regular session by approving a slate of major highway construction projects proposed by the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The list of approved projects spans key locations across the state, including Hammond, Bridge City, Lafayette, Monroe, Lake Charles, Bossier City, Alexandria, Chase and Baton Rouge.

While the Legislature has the authority to reorder project priorities, it may not add new projects or substitute those that have been removed.

DOTD’s construction budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year totals $1.11 billion, covering 323 projects scheduled for letting which is the process of soliciting construction bids.

DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue said the program has shifted since its initial presentation in October due to delays stemming from unforeseen issues.

“We didn’t know about them in October, but in between October and now those were identified as potentially delaying them,” Donahue told The Center Square. “So [we] put them on the list. Likely next year will be when they’re back up, because hopefully those issues will have been resolved.”

To reduce the financial burden on taxpayers, Donahue said DOTD frequently coordinates with private investors. For example, Meta will cover the full cost of infrastructure upgrades in Richland Parish.

“We are there early, whenever these things are announced, whenever an infrastructure need is identified, and have periodic meetings as those negotiations progress and beyond that,” Donahue told the Joint Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee.

According to DOTD, 138 projects have moved into the construction phase and are no longer listed in the program. Other key changes include:

• Seven projects originally scheduled for letting in FY 2025-2026 have been accelerated and will now be let in the current fiscal year, FY 2024-2025.

• Fifty-two projects planned for FY 2024-2025 have been pushed to FY 2025-2026.

• Eighty-four projects were reclassified from Stage 4 (ready for letting) to Stage 3 (design and development).

• Three projects were canceled.

• One project was marked as completed, meaning construction was handled by DOTD district forces or another entity.

• Three projects were merged into other existing projects to streamline planning and avoid delays.

• Eighteen new projects were added to Stage 4, scheduled for letting in FY 2025-2026.

DOTD noted that not all 18 of the newly listed Stage 4 projects may appear in the final program due to adjustments in funding or project scope.