Today we honor our veterans and their families for the incredible service they have given to our country, and we join with all of our veterans to commemorate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the United States.
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I am very proud of my father, a World War II Marine who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima, where this historic picture was taken. We lost nearly 7,000 Marines during this five-week battle for control of the Pacific.
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Join me as I remember my father, his service, and all families with military ties across the state as we celebrate our liberties and appreciation for those who served.
Happy Memorial Day!
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We had a great young Jackson County citizen here in Raleigh to serve as a Senate Page this past week! It was a pleasure to get to know Holden Bullock and his family, and I'm glad that he enjoyed his time serving as a Page. I was a Page when I was Holden's age. It is a wonderful civic opportunity. If you, a friend, or a family member wants to be a page, please call my office at 919-715-3005.
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As a member of the Sportsmen's Caucus I welcomed wildlife organizations from across North Carolina to the legislature on Thursday. I spoke with trout fishermen, birders, and advocates for our public lands. All were supporting the wonderful natural places we have in this state, providing hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone.
I am an avid birder, and I have worked closely with the NC Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission, the Audubon Society, and others to ensure that our state's policies protect the magnificent diversity of birds we have from the mountains to the sea.
I have also worked hard to clean up and protect our mountain trout streams across WNC. Our thriving trout rivers and streams have blossomed into a $300 million industry in the mountains over the past 20 years. If you want to see the impressive numbers,
here's the link.
We are proud to have re-introduced Elk here in our mountains and Red Wolves in Eastern North Carolina. My bill to designate Haywood County as the Elk Capital of North Carolina recently passed through the House and will come up for a vote in the Senate soon.
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I had a great conversation with our friends from the NC Wildlife Resource Commission's staff of experts.
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Another Step Forward For Rural Broadband
The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (DIT) have partnered with libraries and municipalities across the state to improve broadband access.
Nine library systems and four municipalities, including Bryson City, have received funding for local broadband initiatives.
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Communities will be able to use these funds as they see fit to best meet their unique needs. Bryson City’s funding will help expand its free downtown Wi-Fi program. Each library in the partnership received
$35,000
to purchase equipment like Wi-Fi hotspots and computers for students to take home and use.
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Downtown Day
It was great to see representatives for our great Western North Carolina downtowns here in Raleigh for Downtown Day. I met many wonderful advocates for downtown areas, including Waynesville's own Buffy Phillips!
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From left to right: Downtown Waynesville Association Executive Director Buffy Phillips, myself, Buncombe County Representative Brian Turner, League of Municipalities Executive Director Paul Meyer, Representative Rachel Hunt, and Representative Jon Hardister.
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We had a great conversation about the economic importance of local downtown areas, especially in rural counties. Last year alone, North Carolina downtowns were responsible for a
$2.3 billion impact to our state's economy!
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From left to right: Representative Jon Hardister, Senator Rick Gunn, Senator Jim Perry, Senator Ted Alexander, Senator Natasha Marcus, NCDDA Vice President of Government Affairs Zack Matheny, myself, NCDDA President-Elect Mary Rose, and NCDDA President Julie Metz
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Farm Stewardship
I attended a wonderful breakfast last week with the North Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. All ingredients for the event were sourced locally from our
North Carolina organic farmers,
including sausage from WNC Representative John Ager's Hickory Nut Gap Farm!
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From left to right: Heather Barnes, Rochelle Sparko, Karen McSwain, Liz Mason, Laura Kilian, myself, Roland McReynolds, Annie Ager, Representative John Ager, and Representative Ray Russell.
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Liz Mason, an organic farmer from Caswell County, gave a great speech about her farm, the support that our state's organic farmers need, and organic farming's economic and employment impact. One of the most important assets her farm needs is
quality, high-speed internet.
It is absolutely necessary, no matter where you are or what you do.
That is why my goal is that everywhere we have electricity, we will have quality, high-speed internet.
That's internet, everywhere, to everyone, for everything.
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Please
share
this with your friends!
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P.S. check out our legislative web page at
www.joesamqueennc.com
. You can find all of my previous newsletters and more!
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