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For years, Asheville, North Carolina, marketed itself as a mountain escape known for breweries, boutique hotels and Blue Ridge views. But residents and critics say a different reality has taken shape in the wake of Hurricane Helene: panhandling at intersections, public intoxication, encampments and an unsafe downtown.

Carl Mumpower, a private practice clinical psychologist, lifelong Asheville resident and former City Council member who served from 2001 until 2009, said the city’s current challenges stem from decisions made over decades.

“Asheville began its efforts to address homelessness at least three decades ago. This effort accelerated in the early part of this century with the first ‘Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness,’” Mumpower told Fox News Digital.

“That plan was ill advised but passed with a super-majority. At the time, I suggested to the council that any plan that removed personal accountability from the helping equation was doomed to fail.”

LEFTIST LAWMAKERS WANT TO MAKE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS A NATIONWIDE CRISIS

Mumpower said the city has continued down the same path ever since.

“That plan and subsequent plans have failed with equal enthusiasm. Homelessness, drug abuse, and related crimes have increased relentlessly under the watch of local homelessness experts and a governing body that is dominated by liberal Democrats and those with an even more extreme view to the left. That lack of balance — the last conservative on the council was in 2009 — has led to a myopic repeat of errors.”

He also argued that city leaders relied on ideas that were not grounded in practical solutions.

ONE OF AMERICA’S PRETTIEST CITIES SCRAMBLES TO RECLAIM STORYBOOK STREETS FROM HOMELESS CAMPS, DRUG DENS

“As regards homelessness, Asheville has a persisting history of pursuing fantasized interventions over more realistic, measurable and trackable solutions.”

The Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care, the local, government-supported coalition responsible for coordinating federal homelessness planning and services in Asheville and Buncombe County, said homelessness in the region is at its highest level on record in its latest count.

Data from the group’s 2026 Point-in-Time survey found 824 people experiencing homelessness, a 9.1% increase from 2025. That included 334 people living unsheltered, up 1.8% from the prior year. Nearly 500 others were in shelters or transitional housing, a rise the Continuum of Care attributed partly to expanded emergency shelter and transitional housing capacity.

These “fantasize interventions,” Mumpower said, were accompanied by the city’s pursuit of defunding the police department.

“The council’s political dismantling of the police department — resulting in a 40% reduction due to retirements and resignations — has had a dramatic impact on crime in Asheville,” he said. “Most ‘smaller’ crimes are no longer enforced or realistically tracked, and return on investment costs have skyrocketed. We have officers who earned over $150,000 in overtime last year due to manpower shortages. Enforcement is not possible without adequate, motivated personnel.”

“The direct impact on residents is increased and unenforced crime, direct exposure to intoxication and violent street behaviors, and burdensome taxes and fees to chase the recycled program pretenses.”

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Mumpower said many local residents have simply stopped going downtown.

“The single most common phrase uttered by county and surrounding area residents is ‘I don’t go downtown anymore – it’s nasty, crazy, and scary,’” he said.

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He said tourism also suffers when disorder becomes more visible in the city center.

“Tourism is impacted, and those we attract are often coming here not as families, but as partiers seeking to join the fray.”

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The issue has taken on added urgency in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of western North Carolina in September 2024.

Michael Whatley, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, said the storm worsened hardship in the region and exposed failures in the government response.

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“The biggest issue set that we’ve been dealing with, obviously, is the hurricane relief coming on the heels of Hurricane Helene and the fact that the Biden administration and Roy Cooper, when he was governor, failed miserably to help that situation in terms of following the hurricane,” Whatley told Fox News Digital.

Whatley said that the administration’s clearance of relief funds will assist residents to get back on their feet.

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“As part of President Trump’s government response, $1.4B was made available by HUD for housing relief,” Whatley said. “And there also has been over the last month or so a lot of movement with FEMA in terms of the disaster relief that they’re providing to homeowners there.”

“We’re certainly not ready to hang up a mission accomplished sign by any stretch of the imagination. But federal relief that has been put into Western North Carolina is substantially more than has ever been given into North Carolina as a result of any storm by the federal government.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the City of Asheville said that officials continue to focus on public safety.

“This month we launched the Asheville Police Department’s Downtown Plan which will essentially double police patrols downtown – increasing day and overnight patrols and, in some cases, responding along with trained mental health counselors. Our REST Team program is an operational response to mitigate the effects of homelessness,” the city said. “It uses specially trained Asheville Fire Department staff to engage with concerned residents and people experiencing homelessness to problem-solve and connect them to resources.”

A city spokesperson also noted that officials expanded their panhandling ordinance and continue working with community partners like the Asheville Downtown Association and its ADID program.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Cooper’s campaign, the Asheville’s mayor office and the police department for comment.

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The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, killing two suspected narco-terrorists, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

“On April 24, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the post continued. “Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.”

No U.S. military forces were harmed.

ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS KILLED AS US FORCES STRIKE SUSPECTED DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN CARIBBEAN

SOUTHCOM did not immediately provide additional details about the identities of those killed or the specific groups involved.

The U.S. military has carried out numerous strikes in recent months on suspected drug-smuggling vessels as part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.

The strike comes less than a week after SOUTHCOM said it conducted a similar operation in the Caribbean, killing three suspected narco-terrorists.

US, ECUADOR LAUNCH JOINT OPERATIONS TARGETING NARCO-TERROR GROUPS: SOUTHCOM

Earlier this month, the military struck a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four alleged narco-terrorists, SOUTHCOM said.

SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

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The Eastern Pacific remains a key corridor for narcotics trafficking, with cartels often using small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs toward the U.S. and Central America.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

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A driver who allegedly helped wreak havoc during a “reckless” drag-racing street takeover was paraded out of his apartment in handcuffs.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the arrest of 22-year-old Asil Assaidi on Thursday. Assaidi was charged with reckless endangerment and riot following a series of “dangerous, fiery driving stunts” near two New York City gas stations on April 18.

“Too often there are no consequences in the criminal justice system for this type of outrageous behavior,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “Clearly, it’s time for that to change.

“My hope and expectation is that Asil Assaidi will be held fully accountable for his actions,” she said.

NYPD INVESTIGATING ‘RECKLESS’ DRAG RACING STREET TAKEOVER IN QUEENS

Assaidi, who grinned widely as he was led out of an NYPD stationhouse on his way to court for his arraignment, did not have any prior arrests, police said. People believed to be his friends were also pictured as the suspect was captured leaving the station.

WATCH: Drag racing suspects cause chaos in NYC street takeover

The district attorney’s office said that Assaidi participated in a drag-racing street takeover involving more than 100 vehicles in Queens that triggered an NYPD investigation.

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The incident was reported shortly before 2 a.m. near Eliot Avenue and 69th Street, according to the NYPD. One of the participants waved a Palestinian flag out the car window while screeching around the intersection.

When officers arrived at the scene, they activated their lights and sirens to disperse the crowd. Dozens of vehicles then fled the area.

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Queens Criminal Court Judge Indira Khan ordered Assaidi to return to court May 14. If convicted of the top charge, Assaidi faces up to seven years in prison.

Authorities allege that Assaidi was operating a blue Infiniti G37 with a dark hood panel and missing front bumper during the street racing.

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Assaidi, they allege, drove the car in circles around the intersection, nearly colliding with several people standing nearby. Skid marks formed on the road surface and smoke and sparks were produced from the rear end of the car, police said.

An individual poured liquid onto the ground and ignited a ring of flames between Assaidi’s car and the crowd.

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The suspect, authorities allege, repeated the reckless driving with a second driver in a silver vehicle that included a second ring of flames in front of the crowd.

During the incident, a few people also allegedly jumped on the hood of an NYPD vehicle, causing damage and cracking the windshield before fleeing the scene in a black car.

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No injuries were reported in connection with the drag-racing incident.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the NYPD for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

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A former substitute teacher in Texas was arrested and charged with an “improper relationship” with a student, authorities said.

According to a Facebook post from the Llano County Sheriff’s Department, Angela Palmares, 27, was arrested after the Llano Independent School District notified authorities Tuesday of an alleged relationship between her and a student. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Palmares is being held on a $150,000 bond, according to jail records.

The Llano Independent School District notified authorities of the alleged relationship, prompting the investigation.

NEW JERSEY TEACHER WHO SLEPT WITH STUDENTS AT FAMILY BAGEL SHOP LEARNS PRISON SENTENCE

Following the report, the teacher, who last worked for the district on April 2, was removed from the district’s list of available substitutes.

According to a letter the Llano Independent School District superintendent, Mac Edwards, sent to families, the former substitute engaged in “inappropriate communication with students, specifically through a social media platform outside of the school day.”

Edwards said in his letter to families that the district has been in contact with families of students who may have been affected.

IDAHO HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER ALLEGEDLY WISHING ‘UNWANTED PREGNANCY’ ON TRUMP SUPPORTER

“The district takes all allegations of this nature extremely seriously and remains committed to providing a safe and supportive environment to students,” he said. “At this time, we are unable to provide additional details due to personnel and student privacy considerations.”

Further details were not provided by the school district or the sheriff’s office.

The Llano County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division began investigating the allegations Wednesday, and after conducting interviews and reviewing evidence, the investigation led to an arrest warrant.

The Criminal Investigation Division, in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety Fusion Center, located Palmares in Bell County.

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“Palmares has been charged with Improper Relationship between an Educator and a Student, a 2nd Degree Felony,” the Facebook post read.

The investigation remains ongoing as the sheriff’s office asks anyone who may be a victim or who has information related to the case to contact the Llano County Sheriff’s Office and request to speak with an investigator in the Criminal Investigation Division.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have arrested a Somali illegal immigrant who authorities say is linked to a past piracy case and faces an outstanding warrant for passport fraud.

Said Jama Ahmed is being held in North Dakota on illegal entry charges after agents apprehended him near the U.S.-Canada border earlier this month.

Officials said his fingerprints match records collected during a 2012 U.S. Navy operation involving suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to a Friday announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“Weak Biden Administration border policies allowed this illegal alien to enter and remain in the country despite his multiple law enforcement encounters,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. 

TOM HOMAN: ‘NOT SURPRISED’ BY ‘POTENTIAL TERRORIST’ APPREHENDED AT US-MEXICO BORDER

According to DHS, Ahmed was first spotted on April 14 by an off-duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer walking southbound with a backpack a few miles north of the border.

About two hours later, a U.S. Border Patrol agent located Ahmed and took him into custody.

The fingerprint match ties Ahmed to a 2012 incident in which the USS Halsey, a Navy guided-missile destroyer, responded to a distress call from an Indian-flagged vessel hijacked by pirates, according to DHS.

CALIFORNIA ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 49 PRIOR ARRESTS TOPS ICE’S LATEST ‘WORST-OF-THE-WORST’ LIST

A Navy boarding team encountered Ahmed and nine others who were allegedly armed and holding the ship hostage.

“A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team conducted boarding operations and encountered Ahmed and nine other armed pirates who had taken the Indian ship hostage by force, where the Navy then logged Ahmed’s fingerprint,” DHS said.

Authorities say Ahmed entered the U.S. in September 2022 near San Luis, Arizona, and has had multiple prior encounters with law enforcement.

GUATEMALAN MAN CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN POSSESSION RELEASED BY FAIRFAX COUNTY DESPITE ICE DETAINER, DHS SAYS

In 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him during a search for fraudulent documents.

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A full extradition warrant was issued in April 2025, according to DHS.

“We are thankful for our hardworking U.S. CBP officers and Canadian officials for their cooperation in arresting this individual,” Bis added. “DHS will continue to work to arrest criminal illegal aliens to protect the American homeland from all threats.”