News: News and Event 
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Aaaand the starting gun has sounded! The race to the Nov 3rd general election has taken off!!
Job well done by the small percentage of Ashe registered Republican voters (less than 25%) who went to the polls for this primary. This election was amongst ourselves, the next will be with the Democrats!
If we are to maintain and even increase the Conservative presence in our local, state, and federal representation we MUST get our conservative friends, family, and neighbors to the polls on Nov 3rd! Republican and Independent!
Get involved in the grass roots decisions on how your county, state. and country are run!
Come to the Ashe County GOP Convention this Saturday , and to our monthly meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month! Teamwork makes the Dream work!
Happy New Year! Starting January 1, 2026 a wave of new North Carolina laws + tax changes take effect.
📍 North Carolina — NEW LAWS & POLICIES
💰 Taxes
• NC individual income tax drops to 3.99% (down from 4.25%)
👨👩👧 Schools, Parents & Students
• State officially recognizes only biological male and female sexes
• Parents can restrict library books for their children
• Students must use sleeping quarters by sex at birth (ex: field trips)
• School boards must adopt internet safety policies (data, social media, hacking)
🗳️ Elections & Politics
• Local candidates must complete mandatory training before running
• PACs face stricter registration and reporting requirements
🏥 Healthcare & Workers
• Healthcare employers must adopt violence prevention plans, investigate incidents, and report to the state
• Expanded protections and notices for domestic/sexual violence & hate crime victims
• Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners gain expanded authority under physician agreements
• Healthcare workers may waive unpaid meal breaks in writing (12-hour shift = 12 hours pay)
🏫 Public Safety
• Certain private school staff may carry weapons with permits and school approval
🚗 Transportation & Finance
• Vehicle owners gain more flexibility over registration renewal timing
• New NC Investment Authority takes over management of all state investments, including teacher & public employee retirement funds
🩺 Access to Care
• NC joins a new interstate medical licensure compact, speeding up doctor licensing and improving access to care
⚖️ Estate Law
• Estate attorneys can keep electronic originals of wills
• Certified copies may be used in probate if originals are lost
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⚠️ Whether you love these changes or hate them — they WILL affect you.
President Donald J. Trump delivered his 2026 State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026.
The address can be viewed on the Whitehouse.gov Live site, numerous mainstream, and other media sites, as well as YouTube and other news and video sites.
National Faith Event
May 17, 2026 | 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
National Mall · Washington, D.C.
Join with neighbors and friends from every state in the Union in giving thanks and praise to God for 250 years of His Providence for the United States, in praying that God Bless and Protect America for the next 250 years, and in solemnly rededicating our country as One Nation under God. In speech, song, and storytelling, we will bear witness to the extraordinary story of how God has powerfully and wondrously shaped the United States of America—remembering the people, sacrifices, and defining moments in which God has powerfully manifested Himself in our history. This is more than an event — it is a once in a lifetime national moment. RSVP to join us in Washington, D.C.
YEAR OF CELEBRATION AND REDEDICATION, 2026
Proclamations
January 29, 2026
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
On January 1, 2026, the United States began our year-long commemoration of an important milestone in the history of our country: 250 years of American freedom and independence.
Two and a half centuries ago, on July 4, 1776, thousands of years’ worth of wisdom, philosophy, and culture were brought together in Philadelphia where delegates to the Second Continental Congress gathered to declare the birth of a new nation — “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” — and, in so doing, launched the single greatest force for goodness, justice, prosperity, and human flourishing the world has ever known.
As we celebrate the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we acknowledge with gratitude and pride that July 4, 1776, represents the most seminal political event in all of human history.
Unlike other nations, America’s Founding was rooted in the belief that every man, woman, and child is “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This conviction, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, and indelibly etched upon every American heart, remains the bedrock of our government and the crown jewel of Western civilization. For 250 years, the burning flame of liberty has been passed down from one generation to the next, and has carried our Nation and our people to heights that our Founding Fathers could have never dreamed.
Guided by the example of Founding Fathers like George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and other American patriots who helped light the torch of liberty in 1776, let us ask our Creator to bless America, free our Nation and our people from all threats to our safety and happiness, and to guide our actions for the security and common good of all Americans.
This year, we honor and cherish the generations of pioneers, warriors, statesmen, preachers, inventors, risk-takers, workers, and heroes whose unwavering commitment to the promise of freedom gave rise to the greatest Republic ever created. Today and throughout this year, I call on every American to celebrate this triumph of the American spirit, and to rededicate themselves to the sacred cause of liberty and justice for all.
The Bible teaches: “In all circumstances give thanks.” As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God.
From the earliest days of our national story, reflection and thanksgiving have been central to our character, identity, and destiny. Just weeks before declaring independence, the Second Continental Congress ordered a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer,” petitioning God “to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions” and to “establish the peace and freedom of America, upon a solid and lasting foundation.” Later, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress declared it “the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God.”
In the sweltering summer of 1776, the promise of Freedom moved our ancestors to break with a tyrannical empire, issue the Declaration of Independence, and go on to overcome every hardship to establish a Republic like no other. It is this unwavering spirit of courage, faith and patriotism that propelled Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride, and that later inspired some of the world’s greatest men to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to build a new nation. It is this spirit that led General George Washington to persevere at Valley Forge; inspired Davy Crockett to make his last stand at the Alamo; sustained settlers on the Oregon Trail; held the bloody ridges of Gettysburg; set slavery on a path to worldwide extinction; roused a generation of young men to conquer tyranny and communism overseas; and carried our beautiful Stars and Stripes to the face of the moon. To this very day, it is this American spirit that lives on in the hearts, minds, and souls of every patriot — and inspires every new generation of American citizens to reach further and aim higher.
When the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, General George Washington issued General Orders to his army. In words that have echoed throughout history, he wrote: “The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army… Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.”
Today, too, we pray that our noble cause continues to be guided by the hand of providence and the grace of God — and that the fire of freedom will forever burn brightly in the heart of every American. Above all, this year, we pray and endeavor that the triumph of the American spirit and the glorious truths expressed in our Declaration of Independence will shine more radiantly than ever before.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 2026 as a Year of Celebration and Rededication. I call on every American to reflect upon and celebrate the wisdom and deeds of the heroes of our Founding who made the miracle of America possible. I call on parents to teach their children about America’s inspiring history, heritage, and heroes. I invite the world to come to our shores to experience the splendor, warmth, and hospitality of America. And I encourage all Americans — including businesses, churches, families, and the military — to observe this year, reflecting on the blessings our Nation has received, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, concerts, celebrations, and activities in their homes, schools, work, communities, military bases, and houses of worship.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
President Donald J. Trump commanded the stage January 21st, Wednesday morning at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, delivering a bold address that reaffirmed America’s leadership on the global stage and charted a decisive path forward for Western nations.
Unlike the old FDA Food Pyramid, this one is actually based on science.
Happy New Year! Starting January 1, 2026 a wave of new federal laws + tax changes take effect.
📍NEW FEDERAL LAW & TAX CHANGES
💵 Paychecks & Taxes
• No tax on tips up to $25,000
• No tax on overtime up to $12,500
• No tax on interest for American-made car loans
📊 Deductions
• Standard deduction increases:
– $32,200 married filing jointly
– $16,100 single
• Seniors receive higher standard deductions
• New charitable deduction for standard filers:
– $1,000 single / $2,000 married (cash donations)
🏡 Wealth & Estates
• Estate tax exemption rises to $15 million (2026, inflation-adjusted)
🚘 Business & Travel
• 2026 standard mileage rate increases to 72.5¢ per mile
👶 Families
• Child Tax Credit increased to $2,200
• Trump Child Savings Accounts continue:
– $1,000 government seed at birth
– Up to $5,000 annual family contributions
– Invested in broad market index
– Private property until age 18
– Potential growth up to $1.9M by age 28
– Dell adds $250 in qualifying ZIP codes
🌱 Regulation Changes
• Green New Deal regulations cut — lowering car prices
• Stricter work requirements for able-bodied adults on SNAP
• Higher threshold before gambling winnings trigger reporting forms
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⚠️ Whether you love these changes or hate them — they WILL affect you.
December 7th, 1941 - A Sunday that year too...
PEARL HARBOR DAY
A day to never forget.
Today, we remember the 2,403 Americans who were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor 82 years ago today. May their memories forever be a blessing.
The goals of the Ashe GOP are 2-fold...
1) to find, support, and elect conservative, US Constitution adhering candidates and hold elected officials accountable for their oath to represent the people while observing, protecting and defending our Constitution. The ONLY Law of our Land.
2) to find, support, and educate conservative voters, equipping them to effectively do number 1.
Both require money. A sad and sometimes frustrating fact of life, but inescapably true.
Campaign Finance Laws lay out what a political party may and may not do. Our Ashe GOP Chairman and Treasurer, who have completed the NC Campaign Fundraising training, work very hard to ensure we always stay within the lawful guidelines. Some fundraising ideas that seem like "no brainers" are unfortunately not permitted under Campaign Finance Laws.
The Ashe GOP Fundraising Committee - Marty Oldham, Jonathan Jordan, Angela Wyatt, Paige Roten, and Kathy Shaiken meet regularly to consider and implement fundraising ideas.
They are open to and invite ideas from the membership.
The more, the merrier!
Quarterly New Member Contest
Each calendar quarter the Ashe GOP member who brings the most new members will be announced and awarded. The award includes $50 and their name engraved on our "Stanley Cup" clock.
Next Award will be announced at the March meeting.
Bi-Monthly Raffle
Next themed raffle basket at the April meeting.
Tickets are 1 for $5 or 3 for $10. Please bring cash.