Last Updated on March 11, 2025 6:30 pm
Tomorrow, Governor Josh Stein will deliver his first State of the State Address, highlighting his vision for the future of North Carolina. During his address, he will highlight ongoing western North Carolina recovery efforts and urge the General Assembly to invest in economic opportunity, workforce development, families and children, public schools, and public safety.
Today, Governor Stein also announced his honored guests for the State of the State.
- Ashley Cook and Freddy Carpenter of Avery County. After Hurricane Helene, Ashley and Freddy hauled food, propane tanks, heaters, and anything else that their neighbors needed across Minneapolis, Newland, and the rest of Avery County. In the weeks and months since, Ashley has used her Facebook page to broadcast the needs she discovers and to connect people to resources.
- Matt and Michelle Banz of Rutherford County, who own Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine. Their business has been a beloved tourist attraction and family outing destination for 21 years – until Hurricane Helene caused the Rocky Broad River to flood their store. Currently, their business is facing a collapsed floor and flooded merchandise and has not yet been able to reopen. Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine received a grant from the Governor’s Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative.
- Haylee and Emily Orellana of Surry County, who have each participated in the nursing apprenticeship program at Northern Regional Hospital. Emily began her pre-apprenticeship at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided both medical care and translation skills. While she is now months from graduating from the resident nurse (RN) apprenticeship program, her younger sister Haylee is following in her footsteps and pursuing a pre-apprenticeship in the hospital’s med-surg unit. Both apprenticeships were made possible by Surry-Yadkin Works, an apprenticeship program headed by Crystal Folger-Hawks at Surry Community College.
- Ali Setser of Pitt County, who is principal of Eastern Elementary School. All Pitt County Schools offer free meals for all students through participation in USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision. Eastern Elementary School offers free meals to all students to improve their health, attendance, behavior, and learning, and it also teaches students about nutrition through Wellness Week.
- Teachers of the Year. The mission of the North Carolina Teacher of the Year Program is to promote the profession through advocacy and support while recognizing outstanding teaching professionals who are implementing best practices in classrooms across North Carolina. Every year, the state selects one Teacher of the Year, as well as one Beginning Teacher of the Year. Kimberly Jones of Orange County, the 2023 Teacher of the Year, has taught 10th grade English at Chapel Hill High School since 2006 and was selected for fostering student agency and building authentic trust with students.
- Law enforcement officers. North Carolina’s LEOs make tremendous sacrifices to keep people safe and run towards danger when others might flee. Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough of Forsyth County has served in law enforcement since 1984, including previously serving the United States Department of Justice as a Special Agent in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
- Debbie Dalton of Mecklenburg County, whose son Hunter tragically died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016. Since his death, Debbie has dedicated herself to trying to keep other parents from having to face the loss that she has. She founded the Hunter Dalton #HDLife Foundation, which is committed to providing education and resources to help prevent the use of potentially lethal recreational drugs and stem the tide of tragic overdoses.
Click here to live stream Governor Stein’s State of the State address tomorrow at 7PM.
