Latest news with #ChuckEdwards
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chuck Edwards, Thom Tillis introduce bills to move Air Force crash site marker
North Carolina Congressional leaders introduced legislation last week that would allow for moving a memorial dedicated to a U.S. Air Force crew killed in an accident more than 40 years ago. Nine Air Force members died August 31, 1982, when their plane crashed in Cherokee and Nantahala national forests, which abut along the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, while on a training mission from Charleston Air Force Base. U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis put forward companion bills that would facilitate relocating a memorial dedicated to them closer to 'where the crash actually happened, and the majority of the wreckage was recovered,' Tillis said in a May 23 news release. 'This bill will give the families of crew members who died in this tragic accident the authority needed to work with the U.S. Forest Service to move the memorial to a more accessible site, keeping the memories of our nation's fallen soldiers alive for years to come,' Edwards said in a May 23 news release. He, along with North Carolina Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, put forward the Stratton Ridge Air Force Memorial Act May 23. Edwards said that the proposed site for the memorial is Stratton Ridge rest area in Graham County, which is closer to the site of the crash than the current granite marker on private land in Cherokee and Nantahala national forests. He said that it's also more prominent and accessible to the public. This legislation is a crucial step in ensuring these heroes are properly remembered in perpetuity at the actual crash site,' Tillis said in a release. 'Western North Carolina will never forget the tragedy that occurred in 1982 when nine Air Force crew members lost their lives in our district,' Edwards said. More: Rep. Chuck Edwards releases report for Helene recovery and FEMA reform More: Protest targets Rep. Edwards' support for budget that could threaten Medicare, VA funding More: Hendersonville man in coma but stable after Memorial Day weekend crash in Mills River George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@ This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: NC lawmakers move to allow relocation of Air Force accident memorial
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC Congressman seeks to expand veteran services, data about suicides
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — On this Memorial Day, North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards says the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to do more to protect veterans, and he's introducing legislation to help. 'These are folks that have served our country, that deserve the very best that we can give them,' said Edwards (R-11). The Justice for America's Veterans and Survivors Act calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to properly document causes of death for veterans across the country and note if suicide was a factor in an annual report. Current VA data shows on average, 22 veterans commit suicide every single day. Edwards says better reporting will help Congress pass legislation to improve mental health treatment for veterans and help surviving family members receive benefits they deserve. 'Given the statistics that we see in America today of so many veterans taking their own lives, it just makes sense to work to get more underneath the data and to fully understand,' Edwards said. With the legislation, Edwards said he is also planning visits to every military base in North Carolina to hear from servicemembers and their families about what they need. 'After they've taken risks to serve our great nation, we need to do everything we can to make sure that they are healthy once they return into normal society,' Edwards said. The bill now heads to a committee on Capitol Hill where Edwards says he is expecting wide support for it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC Congressman seeks to expand veteran services, data about suicides
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — On this Memorial Day, North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards says the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to do more to protect veterans, and he's introducing legislation to help. 'These are folks that have served our country, that deserve the very best that we can give them,' said Edwards (R-11). The Justice for America's Veterans and Survivors Act calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to properly document causes of death for veterans across the country and note if suicide was a factor in an annual report. Current VA data shows on average, 22 veterans commit suicide every single day. Edwards says better reporting will help Congress pass legislation to improve mental health treatment for veterans and help surviving family members receive benefits they deserve. 'Given the statistics that we see in America today of so many veterans taking their own lives, it just makes sense to work to get more underneath the data and to fully understand,' Edwards said. With the legislation, Edwards said he is also planning visits to every military base in North Carolina to hear from servicemembers and their families about what they need. 'After they've taken risks to serve our great nation, we need to do everything we can to make sure that they are healthy once they return into normal society,' Edwards said. The bill now heads to a committee on Capitol Hill where Edwards says he is expecting wide support for it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bloomberg
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Balance of Power: Early Edition 05/22/2025
On the early edition of Balance of Power, Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz discuss. On today's show, Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis, Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress Senior Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, Bloomberg's Liz Capo McCormick and Republican Main Street Partnership President and CEO Sarah Chamberlain. (Source: Bloomberg)
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Police intervene as Trump congressman accused of clipboard assault
A North Carolina Republican is back in the spotlight for yet another abrasive incident with a voter, but this time the lawmaker allegedly took matters into his own hands. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., reportedly smacked an attendee at a non-partisan event Saturday evening with a clipboard after going on a pro-Trump tirade, according to a witness account. It's the second time in months he's stirred controversy at an event with constituents. But Guy Gooder, a member of the Rotary club and organizer of the event, told The Charlotte Observer that Edwards went off script and used parts of his speech to defend Trump's tariffs and DOGE agenda. 'He spent 30 minutes basically insulting the rotarians' intelligence in his speech.' After leaving the stage and winding through the crowd, Edwards got in a heated discussion with an attendee before later smacking them with a clipboard, Gooder alleges. The man said he heard the strike but did not see it as Edwards' body was blocking his view. Edwards, meanwhile, alleges that he was the victim of a belligerent rant from a drunken man. 'The rotarian basically said that was a load of BS,' Gooder said of the clash. 'Chuck [Edwards] stops and kind of bends over, kind of in-his-face type of stuff,' he added. Then, while the supposed heckler was still seated, Edwards 'hit the guy with his clipboard,' Gooder claimed. The congressman's office released a statement on Sunday stating Edwards 'refused to engage with an intoxicated man that was cursing.' 'He became more belligerent and later called the police,' the statement continued. 'His behavior was embarrassing to the people at the event and was duly noted by the police. To my knowledge there was no further action taken by police.' The outburst is the second headline-grabbing incident the North Carolina lawmaker has had in recent months. In March, Edwards drew negative press for hosting a town hall that later descended into chaos as voters screamed and swore at the Republican. The room steadily grew louder and the residents more unruly. Edwards struggled to keep control over the hundreds as he stood at the front of the room, stammering at times, listening to the cacophony of complaints. 'Bootlicker!' one attendee yelled at the March town hall. Another in the audience yelled out: 'What do you plan to do to make sure North Carolina does not get taken over by dictatorship and fascism?' Edwards had enough, admitting at one point: 'And you wonder why folks don't want to do these town halls.' 'I feel like this is not productive with everybody yelling at me,' he admitted.
