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Congressman McHenry Weekly Update
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A Busy Week in the Tenth District
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This past week, I was thankful to be able to spend some time back home in the Tenth District visiting and meeting with some of the wonderful schools, organizations, and people that also call western North Carolina home. Gaston Christian School Head of School Dr. Marc Stout gave me a tour of the new Dr. M.O. Owens Worship and Fine Arts Center that was dedicated last fall. The center houses Gaston Christian's theater, vocal, instrumental and dance programs as well as carpentry and woodworking classes. It is a tremendously impressive facility dedicated to the founder of the school. Click here to learn more about the facility and my visit courtesy of the Gaston Gazette.
On Thursday, I was able to tour the Cleveland Community College Data Center and IT Classroom. The state of the art data center allows students to get important hands on experience through the IT Academy at CCC. Click here to learn more about the Data Center through this article from the Gaston Gazette about my visit.
Friday morning, I presented a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to the Hickory Police Department in memory of Rony, a 6-year-old German Shepherd who served with Master Police Officer Chris Berry on the HPD for over four years. You can read more about Rony's dedicated life of service from the Hickory Daily Record by clicking here.
Later that morning, I had a great discussion with the U.S. Department of Agriculture North Carolina Farm Service Director Len McBride about farming and agriculture in western North Carolina.
I also enjoyed my conversation with Carol Moore, the director of STEM West. STEM West is a regional educational initiative under the umbrella of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and Workforce Development that emphasizes the importance of science, technology, engineering and math in our schools.
I ended my busy week by attending the BUILD Transportation Grant check presentation to the City of Hickory. The City of Hickory was awarded the $17 million BUILD Grant to invest in projects that will have a positive impact on the region.
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Thankful for the Organizations and Companies that Call Western North Carolina Home
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I also enjoyed visiting some of the great organizations and companies that make the Tenth District such a wonderful place to call home. It was a real blessing to visit with the folks who run Catherine's House, a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy. For the past 25 years, Catherine’s House has provided residential care and services to over 2,200 homeless women and children and helped them find jobs and permanent housing.
It was an honor to attend the Lincoln Economic Development Association's Annual Milestone Achievement Luncheon. The businesses recognized for their longevity in Lincoln County have made an investment in our community and I am grateful for their commitment.
I enjoyed my tour of Texture Plus in Lincolnton. Texture Plus is a leader in polymer-based building materials and I am grateful they decided to make Lincoln County their new home.
I want to thank the professionals at Carolinas Center for Counseling for the extremely informative tour of their Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) service. PSR is designed to help adults with psychiatric disabilities increase their functioning so that they can be successful and satisfied in the environments of their choice with the least amount of ongoing professional intervention. It was great to participate in a Q&A with the participants in the PSR program. I appreciate their questions and enjoyed the dialogue.
I also had the opportunity to stop by Cleveland County Rescue Mission. CCRM is a great organization that not only provides shelter during harsh weather but offers a holistic approach to helping people improve their lives.
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What I Have Been Reading |
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Gardner-Webb coach and players thank their fans
News & Observer
Congratulations to the Runnin' Bulldogs on an incredible season. For the first time ever they reached the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, they lost to UVA, the number one seed, last Friday. While it was a disappointing result, it doesn’t distract from what was a historic season for Gardner-Webb. We are very proud of you and all the hard work you put in to this year.
New Educational State Forest being developed near Stanley
Banner News
Very cool to hear that there is a new forest in Gaston County that is dedicated to teaching the public, especially students, about the forest environment. The Mt. Island State Educational Forest will have self-guided trails that include exhibits, tree identification signs, a forest education center and a talking tree trail. There will also be specially trained rangers are available to conduct classes for school and other youth groups.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
2334 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Telephone: 202.225.2576
Fax: 202.225.0316
GASTONIA DISTRICT OFFICE
Suite 115
Gaston Co. Administrative Bldg
128 West Main Avenue
Gastonia, NC 28053
Telephone: 704.833.0096
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HICKORY DISTRICT OFFICE
1990 Main Ave. SE, PO Box 1830
Hickory, NC 28603
Telephone: 828.327.6100
Toll-Free in NC: 800.477.2576
Fax: 828.327.8311
BLACK MTN. DISTRICT OFFICE
160 Midland Avenue
Black Mountain, NC 28711
Telephone: 828.669.0600
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