DEVASTATION in Asheville after Hurricane Helene (Wikipedia).

False information has complicated hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina and at least one person has been arrested on a charge of “going armed to the terror of the public.”

According to the Associated Press, William Jacob Parson, 44, of the small community of Bostic, was taken into custody after the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Monday about a man with an assault rifle who spoke “about possibly harming” members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency working in mountain areas.

Disaster-assistance teams have changed their practice of going door-to-door in the face of threats of violence from people who believe false information such as victims will only get $750 in aid, that money allocated for emergency aid has been diverted to illegal immigrants and that anyone who accepts FEMA money could have their land seized by the federal government.

Canada expels Indian diplomats

The death of a prominent Sikh cleric, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has prompted the expulsion of six diplomats from India serving in Canada.

FLAG of Canada

Canada is accusing that nation’s government of homicide and extortion.

According to The New York Times, India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats serving in India. The largest Sihk community outside of India is located in Canada.

The government of India claims that some Sihks living in Canada are part of a secessionist movement aiming to create a Sikh homeland called Klalistan from Indian territory.

Nijjar was killed by three masked men outside a Sihk temple in 2023. Three suspects have been arrested and await trial

Sports: Dodgers fall to Mets; Kings lose

Mark Vientos hit a grand slam home run in the second inning and the New York Mets went on to a  7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second game of the National League Championship Series on Monday.

With the series tied at one game each, there’s a travel day on Tuesday and the focus shifts to New York on Wednesday and Thursday.

In a high-scoring free-for-all, the Los Angeles Kings lost Monday morning 8-7 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on the road.

Alex Laferriere scored three goals for the Kings, who are 1-0-3. The Kings are next in action on Wednesday and will visit the Toronto Maple Leaf.

Weather: Back to the Sixties

It won’t exactly be cold, but temperatures in our West Orange County cities for the next few days will dip into the 60s before rising back in the 70s. The forecast for Tuesday calls for a daytime high of 68 and an overnight low of 61. There will be clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon, with an 11 percent chance of rain. Wednesday will be close at 67 (61) under cloudy skies. Thursday will uptick slightly to 69 (59) with mostly cloudy skies. Friday is forecast to rise to 72 (57) with partly cloudy skies.