South
Hurricane Helene survivor endorses Trump admin's plan to nix FEMA after storm devastated Southeast
Hurricane Helene survivor Mona Roper is calling for FEMA to be eliminated six months after the storm brought landslides and historic flooding to the Appalachian communities of western North Carolina.
Her calls came in response to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revealing her plan to reshape how disaster relief is handled, which involves eliminating the disaster resource agency that came under fire from many Republicans last year.
“She sounds very promising. It would be great to see changes,” Roper said of Noem on “Fox & Friends.”
HURRICANE HELENE: FOX WEATHER METEOROLOGIST RESCUES WOMAN FROM CAR DURING LIVE SHOT AS FLOODWATERS RISE
Homes are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Chimney Rock Village, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“Samaritan’s Purse has been great here in the community, but FEMA has not. There’s still a lot of people lacking FEMA’s support. I’m lacking FEMA support myself, and it’s just something that I think to do away with… is absolutely the correct way they should proceed. I don’t think the system is capable of being revamped.”
Roper lamented that the agency designed for people “desperately in need of help” has caused them to “suffer even more.”
The massive category four storm struck the Florida coast last year and barreled through the southeast, hitting states like Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia along with the Tar Heel State.
FEMA ADMINISTRATOR URGES HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS TO TAKE ACTION AMID LOSING TEMPORARY HOUSING
Members of communities like Roper’s are still working to recover six months later.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell opened up about the agency’s recovery efforts on “Special Report” last year, telling Fox News, “We have been on the ground since before Hurricane Helene hit Florida and before it crossed over North Carolina, and what I would say is just because somebody doesn’t see a person in a FEMA shirt doesn’t mean that we’re not in the area.”
The agency has consistently defended its work in the region.
Roper told co-host Lawrence Jones that money “is not flowing at the speed and at the volume that it needs to be.”
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“The North Carolina damage for the storm is severe. It’s different to have a hurricane in the mountains than it is to have one in Florida,” she said.
“I’ve been trying for six months now to receive money, and our road and our bridge got washed away. FEMA says, ‘You need to fix it. Fix it and send in receipts and we’ll send you money.’ The road bridge is $500,000 to $800,000 to fix it, so that’s not feasible.
She continued, “I’m just sort of in a loophole… that I’m getting no assistance from.”
Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Maria Lencki contributed to this report.
Delaware
Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Dec. 16, 2025
Claiming lottery in Delaware
18 states have laws that allow national lottery prize jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but is Delaware among them?
The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 7-1-2
Night: 0-1-8
Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 5-5-8-3
Night: 4-2-6-8
Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
10-21-22-24-26-33
Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
03-04-19-24-39, Lucky Ball: 11
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 5 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 6-6-3-8-7
Night: 8-7-0-5-4
Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
- Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
- Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
- Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
- For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.
Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?
Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.
How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?
Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.
When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
- Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
- Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.
Florida
New law, recent memo outline new rules for license plate frames in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/WCJB) – Covering your license plate is now considered a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida.
The new law, which went into effect Oct. 1, sets new penalties for people who have coatings, covers or devices designed to shield their license plates from traffic cameras and toll cameras.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles sent a memo to all law enforcement agencies on Dec. 12 to clarify the rules for license plate frames, which are a popular way for people to support their favorite sports teams, causes and alma maters.
The memo says the new law does not prohibit frames, as long as it doesn’t obscure the visibility of the “alpha numeric plate identifier” or the “decal located in the top right hand corner of the plate.”
Tallahassee Police are now weighing in on the new guidelines.
“My best advice is to remain clear and visible,” said TPD Detective Michael Carter. “If you have any concerns, any doubts, just keep it clear and visible.”
Detective Carter said the new law really aims to crack down on people who have ill intent and are trying to avoid detection by traffic cameras or toll cameras.
Carter says having an unobstructed license plate helps law enforcement solve crimes.
“Let’s say you were involved in a hit-and-run — we may potentially be able to use that plate to get a lead to get a direction to start looking,” Carter said. “But if someone is actively avoiding or putting something on their plate so it’s not readable, where it can’t be detected, that’s hurting you, that’s hurting me, that’s hurting everyone.”
TPD is one of several law enforcement agencies across the state trying to clarify the new frame rules for motorists in their area.
A social media post from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office shared examples to help people determine if their license plate frames comply with the new rules.
The law went into effect in October and was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 19.
The second-degree misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, meaning you’d have to appear in court.
But the law itself isn’t new. It used to only be a non-criminal traffic infraction.
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Georgia
Georgia Senate set to question Fani Willis over Trump prosecution – WTOP News
ATLANTA (AP) — After more than a year of legal maneuvering, Fani Willis will face questions Wednesday from a Georgia…
ATLANTA (AP) — After more than a year of legal maneuvering, Fani Willis will face questions Wednesday from a Georgia state Senate committee over her prosecution of Donald Trump.
The question is whether Fulton County’s Democratic district attorney will answer any of them.
The Republican-dominated state Senate in January 2024 created the Special Committee on Investigation to examine allegations of misconduct against Willis concerning her case seeking criminal convictions for efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia. Even before Trump embarked on a retribution campaign against his enemies, Republicans on the Georgia committee were eager to bring Willis in for questioning.
When Willis announced the indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, she used the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Republicans didn’t like that, but the committee has focused on Willis’ hiring of special prosecutor Nathan Wade to lead the election interference case. The resolution creating the committee said a romantic relationship between the two amounted to a “clear conflict of interest and a fraud upon the taxpayers.” But now the case is defunct after Willis was removed and another prosecutor dismissed it. Thus far, the committee has turned up few new facts regarding Willis’ activities. And she may choose to be guarded after Trump called Willis a “criminal” who should be “prosecuted” and “put in jail.”
Democrats have decried the panel as a partisan time-waster driven by political ambition. Four Republicans on the committee are running for statewide office in 2026. Chairman Bill Cowsert of Athens is running for attorney general, while Sens. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, Blake Tillery of Vidalia and Steve Gooch of Dahlonega are each seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Another Republican who had been on the committee, John Kennedy of Macon, resigned from the Senate last week to pursue his own bid for lieutenant governor.
Amid a court battle over the committee’s power to order her to appear, Willis didn’t show up last year when subpoenaed. A judge agreed that Willis couldn’t ignore the subpoena, and her lawyers worked out an agreement for Willis to appear when the subpoena was reissued this year.
But Roy Barnes, the former Democratic Georgia governor representing Willis, told state Supreme Court justices last week in a hearing over the validity of an earlier subpoena that there may be limits to what Willis will answer.
“You can’t just pick somebody out and say, ‘We’re going to embarrass you; we’re going to try you; we’re going to harass you,’” Barnes told justices. “So we’ll make an appropriate objection at the time. I’m not a potted plant.”
Willis’ prosecution began to fall apart in January 2024, when a defense attorney in the case alleged that Willis was involved in an improper romantic relationship with Wade.
In an extraordinary hearing, both Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship. They both vehemently denied allegations that it constituted a conflict of interest.
The trial judge chided Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment,” ultimately ruling that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
But after defense attorneys appealed, the Georgia Court of Appeals cited an “appearance of impropriety” and removed Willis from the case. The state Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal.
Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
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