Ben Medinger has been a key hitter for Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team this year. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – It wasn’t all great for Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team this season.
But the Eagles have good timing.
That’s why they still have games to play entering June.
UCA will compete for a state championship.
“We started out a little slow and we found a rhythm,” senior left fielder Peyton McCollum said. “We felt like we had the potential.”
The Eagles (20-10) take on North Moore (22-8) in the best-of-3 Class 1-A state championship series beginning Friday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 will be held Saturday.
“We knew we had it in us to get here,” UCA outfielder Carter Brown said. “It was a matter if we wanted it enough.”
For Rob Shore, who’s in his first season as the team’s head coach after one year as an assistant, months ago he tried to plant the idea that the Eagles could play on the last weekend of the season.
“I told our guys back in like November that we could do something like this,” Shore said. “We were getting so much back (from the 2022 team), I knew we had a chance. If you can put that in their heads early, and we just kept preaching it.”
It didn’t look so bright across the first few weeks of the season. The Eagles entered April with a 4-8 record.
A week later, they lost 15-0 to visiting Central Davidson.
“We were all crushed after that game because we knew we should have never lost that bad,” McCollum said.
It also marked a turning point. UCA won its next nine games.
The Eagles insist they’re not surprised to be playing at this stage of the season.
“Absolutely not,” second baseman Troy Carver said. “We knew that once playoffs got here, we’d be better.”
Navigating the Piedmont Athletic Conference certainly helped. The Eagles tied for second place in the league, which is comprised mostly of Class 2-A teams.
“They are young, but I’ve told people all year that the conference we’re in has been preparing us to be on the stage that we’re on,” Shore said. “With some of the teams we played in non-conference and playing in those games a step above us, that has completely prepared our young guys.”
So at times the Eagles were knocked around, but they weren’t knocked out.
“I think our biggest thing is we just don’t back down,” McCollum said.
UCA swept Eastern Randolph in the West Region finals, which ended Thursday night.
The East Region finals was extended to Monday because Saturday’s scheduled Game 3 was rained out. North Moore edged host Voyager Academy 5-4 in Durham in the decisive game, sending the Mustangs to their first state finals.
A compelling clash
The matchup with North Moore pits two schools about 25 miles apart. These players have crossed paths on the youth circuit, and both schools had entries in a fall league at Asheboro’s McCrary Park.
UCA won the 2019 state title. That postseason march included a victory against North Moore in the first round when the teams were in the same conference and thus in the same region.
This year, Eastern Randolph defeated North Moore 13-5 in an early April meeting during spring break at Southwestern Randolph, so they have a common opponent.
North Moore is also part of a split conference.
Shore has experience in a championship series when he was on the 2018 coaching staff at Ledford, which reached the Class 2-A state finals.
“I kind of know what to expect,” Shore said.
Many of the underclassmen who UCA depends on might not have such a clear picture.
Sophomore Brett Smith and freshman Jake Hunter figure to be the starting pitchers for UCA, with sophomore Logun Wilkins available for that role as well.
“I feel confident in our pitching,” Shore said.
Along with the youth, there are four seniors, including leading hitter Ben Medinger, on the roster.
“We’re trying to give them one last chance,” said Carver, a junior.
Smoke flies into the sky remembering the Veterans we lost in the last year as their names burn out in the helmet during the Randolph County Memorial Day remembrance at the Historic Randolph County Courthouse on Worth Street in Asheboro, on May 29, 2023.
Attendees sing the National Anthem during the Randolph County Memorial Day remembrance at the Historic Randolph County Courthouse.
Guess Speaker D. Filmore York of the United States Marine Corps talks during the Randolph County Memorial Day remembrance.
Rob Wilkins reads off names of the Fallen that have died in the last year during the Randolph County Memorial Day remembrance at the Historic Randolph County Courthouse on Worth Street in Asheboro, on May 29, 2023.
ASHEBORO — Strong opinions were expressed during a faith-heavy discussion about a proposed “harm reduction” plan during a May 22 meeting of the Randolph County Opioid-Drug Community Collaborative.
The Collaborative was established through funding by the county board of commissioners in 2016. Per Jennifer Layton, assistant health director for Randolph County’s public health department, the Collaborative convened in 2017 with community partners to launch its coalition, and in the timespan between 2017 and 2019, the Collaborative began implementing its initial action plan.
The afternoon meeting was held at the AVS Catering and Banquet Center in Asheboro. The public information officer for Randolph County said the meeting had been posted on county social media platforms on May 18, and Layton said there was no public notice posted because it was a “coalition meeting.” Despite the short timeframe, an estimated crowd of nearly 150 showed up.
The main presentation on harm reduction was given by Jennifer Layton.
Remarks were also given by a panel consisting of Elizabeth Brewington, Manager of Health Programs for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners; Pastor Allen Murray of the Asheboro-area “Faith in Motion Ministries;” and Robi Cagle, the program coordinator for the Uwharrie Harm Reduction Initiative.
A tense and, at times, emotional question and answer session followed the presentations and remarks by the panel.
Several faith leaders from Randolph County and the Asheboro area expressed strong opposition to part of the harm reduction plan that involved a program that would supply clean needles to addicts, referred to as a syringe services program or SSP.
The General Assembly authorized SSP’s in 2016 to create needle and hypodermic syringe exchange programs. The intent of the law was an effort to promote “scientifically proven ways of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors.”
Dr. Jonathan Burris, a pastor for the New Center Christian Church, located in Seagrove, cited the low rates of needles returned or collected associated with SSP’s. Burris said he was also a data scientist with his own consulting firm that works in the area of statistics, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and heuristics.
Randolph County Commissioner Darryl Frye opens the meeting up during the H.A.R.M reduction meeting.
“I like numbers. Numbers do not lie,” said Burris. He went on to cite the North Carolina Safer Syringe annual report from 2021 and 2022, which he said shows that “there are more needles and more naloxone being served to the same people year over year.”
Naloxone is a medication similar to Narcan, which rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
“How is this not facilitating more drug addiction when only 5% are actually referred to treatment?” Burris asked. “In addition to that, we see that 19.4 million needles have been distributed. Only 6.9 million have been recovered. That means that 65% of that 19.4 million – over 12 million needles – are unaccounted for.”
Burris pressed the point, saying that he had heard Harm Reduction was collecting the needles, but wondered who had collected the needles from a “bucket” in front of a “local Asheboro business down the street” in the last year.
“It was not the folks doing the Harm Reduction,” said Burris. “It was the business owner.”
“I appreciate the sentiments here, but this is not the solution,” said Todd Nance, a pastor from Ramseur. “These people need help, but I don’t think clean needles is the solution.”
Other attendees, including the pastors present, spoke of finding used needles on the playground areas of their churches as well as drug deals going down at night in their church parking lots.
Layton referred to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan” as a basis for the work of the Collaborative. The state’s plan includes three components: prevention, reducing harm, and connecting with care.
One slide described the “core values” of Harm Reduction as overlapping the concepts of “love, compassion, and kindness,” while another billed Harm Reduction as “a social justice movement” to “respect the rights of people who use drugs,” and a “practical set of strategies” to reduce negative impacts of drug abuse.
Another slide cited 2021 statistics that 11 North Carolinians die each day of a drug overdose, and eight of those deaths were opioid-related. An additional statistic on the same slide cited 32,000 North Carolinians had died of a drug overdose between 2000 and 2021.
According to the Randolph County Opioid Resources data dashboard, there have been 257 drug overdoses resulting in 28 fatalities so far in 2023. The heat map associated with the 2023 data shows a concentration in Asheboro and in the High Point/Archdale area.
This chart displays details regarding the harm reduction plan.
The data for past years show a steady increase in both overdoses in the county, with 786 overdoses and 84 fatalities in 2022, 610 overdoses and 82 fatalities in 2021, 576 overdoses and 53 fatalities in 2020, and 664 overdoses resulting in 36 deaths in 2019.
The data dashboard does not indicate if the data is all opioid-related overdoses or if it includes other drugs.
Layton warned about making “dangerous assumptions” about the plan and directed those in attendance to “come ask questions from those doing the work.”
Part of Layton’s presentation included a short video of Reverend Michelle Mathis, the executive director of “Olive Branch Ministries,” a “faith-based harm reduction” organization that serves Allegheny, Ashe, Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, McDowell, and Watauga Counties. In the video, Mathis compares the story of Lazarus in the Bible to that of helping addicts recover, stating near the closing that “this work is messy but also miraculous.”
Rep. Neal Jackson (R-Randolph) was on hand to give an invocation at the start of the meeting, as were several of the county’s commissioners, including Chairman Darrell Frye and Kenny Kidd.
Frye opened the meeting with some brief comments which referenced the county commissioner’s intent to deal with the opioid crisis per its 2016 Strategic Plan and the $9,825,790 million in settlement money apportioned to Randolph County for funding the county’s opioid response.
In June 2022, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein announced local governments would begin receiving the first payments from a $26 billion national opioid agreement with the nation’s three major drug distributors (Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen) and Johnson & Johnson. The release stated that the fund distribution could be accessed through the Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC).
Per the NC-CORE dashboard, so far, Randolph County has received $1,209,154 in two payments during 2022; $377,436 in the spring and $831,718 in the summer.
According to Frye, the over $9.8 million breaks down to $1 million in funding a year that will stretch for the next 18 years as a result of two settlements, one with Purdue Pharma and another dealing settlement money obtained from a lawsuit against distributors of opioids like CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.
“I don’t think the needle distribution program is a good idea, and I agree that if there’s a 150 people here, 100 of them came to say this needle thing is a crazy idea.”
Commissioner Kenny Kidd
Frye mentioned the settlement funds the county has received come with “directed issues and procedures to be followed.” According to the opioid settlement website, a Memorandum of Agreement offers local governments two options for spending the money. Option A is a list of 12 approved strategies to choose from. Option B is a “collaborative strategic planning process” that includes an expanded approved list of strategies.
“We can’t save a soul or rehabilitate a person who is dead,” Frye told the audience. He went on to say that “County Commissioners have not [yet] made decisions or directed any money. This is part of the conversation today.”
In an interview with North State Journal, Kidd said that while the Collaborative was convened to offer solutions, the commissioners would be the deciding factor in what strategies would ultimately be employed.
“The commissioners will decide what to do and what not to do,” said Kidd. “Ultimately, we will make the decision – the five of us.” He indicated the topic might be brought up at the next meeting of the board of commissioners in June.
“A month ago, they [the Collaborative] came to us with proposals for the $1.2 million dollars, and there are about eight different strategies they are going to address with the rollout of those $1.2 million dollars,” said Kidd. “The commissioners tabled it because we knew this meeting was coming up, and it would be a good time for public discussion.”
When asked about the majority of the meeting’s attendees opposing a needle program, Kidd said he “agreed with that assessment.”
Kidd also provided North State Journal with images of syringes found around the Asheboro area.
“It’s Randolph County… it’s a pretty conservative community,” said Kidd, noting the area is a strong, faith-based community. “I don’t think the needle distribution program is a good idea, and I agree that if there’s 150 people here, 100 of them came to say this needle thing is a crazy idea.”
“It is not condoning. It is not enabling,” Murray said during his panel remarks about providing support services, such as clean needles to addicts. “It’s giving them one more chance.”He later added, “They’re [addicts] going to use anyway.”
Jennifer Layton, Assistant Health Director of Randolph County, talks during the H.A.R.M reduction meeting.
Murray’s Faith In Motion Ministries is relatively new and was formed as a non-profit in August 2021. Murray told North State Journal his organization is non-denominational.
During his comments, Murray also alluded to the fact he is a recovering addict and told the audience not to let politics become more important than people.
The panel did not include a representative of the “Community Hope Alliance,” which handouts for the meeting indicate is leading the harm reduction workgroup. The contact for Community Hope Alliance is Kelly Link, who may have been in attendance but was not on the panel.
Among the other materials given out was a “Stop the Stigma” flier offering alternative language to terms such as drug abuse, addicts, and junkies, as well as terms like clean and dirty needles. Instead, the flier suggested terms like “substance abuse disorder,” “person with substance abuse disorder,” and “sterile/used syringes.”
The next meeting of the Randolph County Opioid-Drug Community Collaborative is scheduled for July 24.
McCollum is a senior outfielder for the Eagles, who’ll play this week in the Class 1-A state finals. He has been a key hitter during the state playoffs.
In Game 1 of the West Regional finals vs. Eastern Randolph, McCollum provided two hits, scored a run and drove in a run. He also had two hits in the third-round game against North Stokes and the fourth-round game against Draughn.
McCollum and first baseman Ben Medinger are the only seniors who’ve regularly been in the starting lineup this season for UCA.
Summer Bowman of Wheatmore heads the ball for a goal against Pine Lake Prep on Tuesday night. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
MOORESVILLE – Wheatmore is heading back to the Class 2-A final with a chance to repeat as state champion in girls’ soccer.
Summer Bowman scored three goals as the Warriors boosted a state record by winning their 49th consecutive game Tuesday night, topping host Pine Lake Prep 5-2 in the West Region final.
Ellie Garrison racked up two goals. She has a single-season state record of 94 goals.
“A special night for us, having a chance to repeat,” Wheatmore coach Ricky Maness said.
Wheatmore (24-0) meets Manteo (24-0-2), a 2-1 winner against top-seeded Clinton in the East Region final, in the state championship game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at UNC Greensboro Soccer Stadium.
For the second year in a row, the Warriors advanced to the title game by winning the West Region final on the road.
Wheatmore was up 3-1 midway through the first half and that held up through halftime.
Pine Lake Prep (20-2-2) had a 13-game unbeaten streak end.
ASHEBORO — Phase Change Solutions, which bills itself as a global leader in temperature control and energy efficient solutions and has been based in Asheboro, is establishing a U.S. headquarters in Greensboro, the company announced last week.
Incentives played a role in luring the company to Greensboro for its expansion, according to several reports.
Phase Change Solutions has been listed as an Asheboro company with a Pritchard Street address. Company officials didn’t return messages to provide clarity on any future role in Asheboro.
Triad Business Journal reported that the company will relocate from Asheboro.
Phase Change Solutions hasn’t been a member of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce.
The announcement from Phase Change Solutions said that a $4 million investment is being made for the new facility at 813 Winston St. in Greensboro. The company says that 51 new jobs will be created.
The move into Greensboro comes with incentives provided by Guilford County. A public hearing on this topic was held earlier this month.
The company also requested state and local incentives, and several Greensboro entities were on board.
“This expansion into Greensboro marks a significant milestone in our journey towards sustainable innovation,” Phase Change Solutions CEO Govi Rao said in a statement when the announcement was made. “The vibrant community and thriving business ecosystem in Greensboro provide the perfect foundation for us to further revolutionize energy efficiency and shape the future of advanced materials for thermal management solutions. Together, we will empower industries, homes, and the planet with our cutting-edge BioPCM technology that will make a lasting impact on both our local community and the world – moving us towards a circular economy.”
The company’s website says it uses “phase change materials that stabilize temperatures across a wide range of applications.”
Uwharrie Charter Academy pitcher Brett Smith will be throwing off the Ting Stadium mound in Holly Springs in the Class 1-A state finals. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – The baseball team from Uwharrie Charter Academy knows where it will play its Class 1-A state championship series.
The Eagles will have to wait a little longer to learn their opponent.
UCA (20-10) wrapped up the West Region title by winning Thursday night at Eastern Randolph to complete a two-game swept of the best-of-3 three regional finals.
It’s not so clear in the East Region. North Moore (21-8) and Voyager Academy (22-6) each have won a game apiece. Their series finale slated for Saturday night in Durham was postponed.
The teams have reset Game 3 for 2 p.m. Monday at Durham Athletic Park.
The road team has won each game. North Moore won 4-2 on Wednesday night. Game 2 was Friday night, with Voyager Academy winning 8-1 to extend the series.
UCA coach Rob Shore said Saturday night that he has been informed by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association that the Eagles will play in the state finals at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. It will be one of two title series at that site, while two other classifications will meet at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Shore is awaiting the specific game times, but Game 1 will be Friday and Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 will be Saturday.
Shore attended Game 2 of the East Region finals Friday night. He said he’s uncertain if he’ll be present for Monday’s Game 3.
Record-setting Autumn Gentry of Trinity plans to play basketball collegiately. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Here’s a list of additional college commitments and/or signings involving athletes at area high schools made during the past several months from members of the Class of 2023 (Others have been previously listed):
Baseball
** Two Randleman players are going to UNC Greensboro. Pitcher Austin Lemons joined infielder Hunter Atkins in the signing class for the Spartans.
** Catcher Caleb Dunn of Randleman signed with Division II Catawba.
Boys’ basketball
** Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy is going to Division II Carson-Newman.
Girls’ basketball
** Ashara Spruill of UCA picked Division I Texas Southern.
** Trinity’s Autumn Gentry, the program’s all-time leading scorer, is bound for Division III Bridgewater.
Girls’ golf
** Salem Lee of Asheboro is going to Appalachian State.
Football
** Quarterback Stratton Barwick of Eastern Randolph picked Division III Guilford College, where he also hopes to play baseball as a pitcher.
** Eastern Randolph lineman Mason Sechrest is going to Division II Winston-Salem State.
** Randleman tight end Chesney Welch signed with Division II Catawba.
** Adam Cole, a receiver and defensive back at Southwestern Randolph, will take a spot as a preferred walk-on at East Carolina.
** Tight end / long snapper Eli Gravely of Southwestern Randolph is heading to North Carolina Central.
** Trinity’s Ezra Hollifield, a lineman, chose Division III Greensboro College.
** Trinity’s Colby Peel, a lineman, is heading to Division III Averett.
Softball
** Morgan Coward of Asheboro selected Division II Belmont Abbey.
** Maddie Flinchum of Providence Grove will join the Division III Pfeiffer team.
** Southwestern Randolph teammates Madison Varner and Ky Perdue have picked Division III Pfeiffer as their college destination.
UCA team members gather after winning the Class 1-A West Region title.
Clutch late-inning work boosts UCA’s baseball team
RAMSEUR – It was pretty much a matter of Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team making the best of tough situations Thursday night.
By doing so, the Eagles are heading to where they want to go.
UCA completed a Class 1-A West Regional finals sweep of Eastern Randolph by winning 8-1 in Game 2, scoring all their runs in the last two innings.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” UCA senior Ben Medinger said of the chance to play for a state title.
The Eagles (20-10) will play in the state championship series against North Moore or Voyager Academy on June 2-3 in either Burlington or Holly Springs. Game 2 of the East Region finals is set for Friday night, with a possible Game 3 on Saturday.
After a tense series with Eastern Randolph, the Eagles will have a few days to relax. UCA and Eastern Randolph are the Piedmont Athletic Conference’s only Class 1-A teams, and they made it through the bracket for this showdown.
“We just kind of ran out of steam,” Eastern Randolph coach Brent Haynes said.
UCA is now 4-0 vs. the Wildcats (8-19) this season, but it was far from easy.
Eastern Randolph pitcher Stratton Barwick blanked the second-seeded Eagles across the first five innings. UCA coach Rob Shore said the Eagles had trouble solving Barwick, a left-hander, during a 4-3, 10-inning victory more than a month earlier during the regular season.
Meanwhile, UCA had freshman pitcher Jake Hunter up to the task on the mound, though it was taxing for several reasons.
“I haven’t gone seven too often,” he said of the complete game.
There were concerns about him making it that far after he absorbed a line drive off Barwick’s bat for what became the last out of the fifth inning. The liner pelted Hunter in the stomach – and he had a sizable reminder imprinted on his midsection afterward.
Hunter keeled over, while second baseman Troy Carver retrieved the ball and recorded the out with a throw to first.
“It hurt in the beginning,” Hunter said.
“I think it scared him more than anything,” Shore said.
At the time, the Eagles trailed 1-0. They went ahead in the top of the sixth.
Grat Dalton’s one-out single brought in the tying run. Walker Wilkins’ sacrifice fly put UCA ahead.
In the bottom of the inning, No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph put a couple of runners on base without a hit with one out. Hunter responded with two strikeouts to thwart the threat.
In UCA’s six-run seventh, all the scoring came with two outs.
“We showed (relentlessness) with every one of those coming with two outs,” Carver said.
Carver’s two-out single began the scoring outburst. Medinger drove in the next two runs with his first triple of the season. The Eagles piled on more runs courtesy of some fielding blunders and Caleb Stickle’s two-run single.
“We put them up when we needed it,” UCA right fielder Carter Brown said of the runs.
That marked the end of Barwick’s pitching.
Hunter ended up with a three-hitter.
“Jake absolutely shoved,” Carver said.
Throughout the game, the good thing for Hunter was that he had third baseman Landen Zephir making a variety of defensive plays on his behalf. Those were among the reasons that potential Eastern Randolph threats were doused.
“We just could not get that hit,” Haynes said.
The Eagles achieved what they sought in their first road game of the playoffs. It was capped by a typical on-field celebration.
For Brown, a junior, the setting had significance.
“It meant 10 times more to me because this is my home (district),” he said of playing on Eastern Randolph’s field.
Eastern Randolph senior Pierce Leonard was on the flip side. He’s a transfer from UCA. Leonard scored the Wildcats’ only run.
Eastern Randolph doubled its win total during the state playoffs in Haynes’ first season.
“Guys knew they were better than a 4-17 record,” he said. “We just started finishing games. That kind of came back and got us (in this series).”
The Eagles scored nine of their 12 runs in the series in the sixth or seventh innings.
“We were a couple of outs away from being in a state championship,” Haynes said.
UCA also eliminated the Wildcats last year, though that came in a third-round clash.
In Tuesday night’s Game 1 at UCA, the Eagles broke a tie in the sixth inning for a 4-3 victory with Brett Smith and Logun Wilkins providing the pitching. Brown scored two runs and Carver rapped a triple.
Eastern Randolph held a 3-1 lead after posting three runs in the second inning with Alex Kivett’s run-producing double one of the big blows. Samuel Asbill pitched a complete game for the Wildcats.
“There can be no security anywhere in the free world if there is no fiscal and economic stability within the United States.” – President Ronald Reagan
President Reagan understood the importance of getting America’s economy in order. Yet our crippling debt, now at over $30 trillion, continues to threaten our standing in the world and must be addressed.
President Joe Biden refused to negotiate for more than 100 days to address the debt. Our country cannot afford to default on our debt due to Washington Democrats’ political games. Under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans have raised the debt limit in a responsible way. We are united in our desire to address the debt crisis and curb reckless spending for years to come. I am proud of our work to save America from defaulting and will stay focused on improving our economy for you and your family.
While Washington Democrats have procrastinated on the debt ceiling, they have also refused to acknowledge the magnitude of the crisis at our Southern border. Yet it is clear—extreme Democrats’ support of radical open border policies have resulted in the worst border crisis in American history.
Earlier this month, Title 42, a public health border security measure that has been used to keep nearly 3 million illegal migrants out of the U.S. since 2020, expired. In the days leading up to this, more than 10,000 migrants were encountered at the border, shattering records.
To address the crisis, House Republicans passed the Secure the Border Act—the strongest border security bill America has ever seen. It will keep our nation safe and our border secure.
It’s plain and simple—border security is national security. Our bill ends catch and release, fixes the asylum program, hires more border patrol agents, restarts border wall construction, and protects children from human trafficking. Once again, House Republicans have shown we have solutions to the challenges facing our nation while others choose to ignore them.
Last week, in celebration of National Police Week, House Republicans condemned ‘defunding the police’ and anti-police rhetoric and passed the POLICE Act of 2023 and the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act. We seek to give local law enforcement the resources and support they need to get the job done.
In recent years, good police officers dedicated to keeping our communities safe have not always received the resources and respect they deserve. Assaults on police have gone up significantly, leading to the deadliest year in two decades for our law enforcement officers.
As we approach Memorial Day, we honor our brave service members who gave their lives in the defense of the freedoms we hold so dear. I am deeply grateful to be an American, and incredibly appreciative of those who risk their lives daily to defend our liberties. And I will never forget the sacrifices our military families make every day.
Our nation is the greatest on earth because of courageous service members, law enforcement officers, and their families. May God bless America, and the men and women in uniform who protect our community and keep this great nation free.
Richard Hudson is serving his sixth term in the U.S. House and represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. He currently serves as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and is a member of the House Republican Steering Committee.
