LINCOLNTON - The health care debate is raging across the Charlotte area.  In Charlotte folks gathered at Dilworth Neighborhood Grill to ask questions about President Obama's reform plan. Meanwhile in Lincolnton, hundreds showed up Wednesday night for another town hall meeting organized by Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry. Continue reading here:… Read more »

"This is, by far, the largest town hall I've ever had," McHenry told the 150 or so people packed in the lobby. "When I scheduled these meetings I didn't realized I was the only member of Congress in North Carolina holding them." Read more »

More than 1,400 people packed the Lenoir Rhyne University auditorium for a health care town hall meeting Tuesday night hosted by Congressman Patrick McHenry. Due to the extremely large crowd, the meeting had to be moved from the city hall at last minute. Right off the bat, Congressman Patrick McHenry made his feelings known about his position on the health care bill. "There are some fundamental things we have to do to curb the cost of health care and the choice should be in our hands," said McHenry. Read more »

A town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-Cherryville) Tuesday night unfolded just as the congressman hoped it would: uneventfully. Just the idea of a town hall meeting has been controversial since the debate over health care reform swung into high gear. Across the country, many of the events have involved yelling as conservatives expressed frustration over the plan being championed by Democrats in Washington, D.C. Read more »

A town hall meeting drew heated debate about health care Monday evening in Mooresville. More than 700 people showed up to talk with Congressman Patrick McHenry, a Republican serving North Carolina's 10th district. Many people could not get inside the Mooresville town hall. Firefighters stood at the doors to make sure it wasn't filled beyond capacity. Read more »

The health care debate came to Mooresville Monday evening as Rep. Patrick McHenry continues to crisscross his district holding town hall meetings. Hundreds showed up to the meeting, but many had to be turned away. The Republican congressman had to stand on a table to address the waiting crowd. Read more »

The town hall forum, long a hallmark of the August congressional recess, is disappearing this year as the partisan lines harden and tempers flare over the health care debate... ...Only two North Carolina lawmakers, Republicans Sue Myrick of Charlotte and Patrick McHenry of Cherryville, plan to have town hall meetings. Read more »

If you’re a North Carolinian and hoped to offer your two cents at one of these events, you’re probably out of luck. As of Tuesday, based on calls to the office of every member of the state’s congressional delegation and searches of their Web sites, only one had scheduled any public forums in his district during the August recess: 10th District Republican Patrick McHenry, who over the next three weeks is planning a town hall meeting in each of the 10 counties he represents in the House. Read more »

The August recess sends members of Congress back to their home districts and many are getting an earful. 10th district Congressman Patrick McHenry held a town hall meeting in Mitchell County on Thursday night. The forum was well-attended, standing room only. McHenry fielded questions from a civil and mostly-friendly crowd. Read more »

McHenry, in an interview, called the decision to keep the meetings private “ridiculous and bizarre” and noted that even the Fed releases detailed minutes of its Federal Open Market Committee meetings three weeks later. “The Federal Reserve makes more consequential and large decisions about our monetary policy than this board ever could,” he said. Read more »