{"id":3898,"date":"2026-07-04T19:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3898"},"modified":"2026-07-04T19:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:37:03","slug":"gov-stein-urges-nc-to-carry-freedom-forward-at-states-america-250-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3898","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Stein urges NC to carry freedom forward at state\u2019s America 250 celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As hundreds gathered at the North Carolina state Capitol to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Gov. Josh Stein thanked them for braving temperatures nearing triple digits Saturday.<\/p>\n

Read more Sara Bareilles Details 1st Time Seeing Cocaine While Opening for Maroon 5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNow every one of you who is here today braving the North Carolina heat is a patriot,\u201d Stein said with a big smile, drawing chuckles from the audience.<\/p>\n

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for Raleigh and Wake County until 8 p.m. Sunday, saying that heat index values could hover around 110. Temperatures are expected to hit 103 degrees in Raleigh, a mark that would set an Independence Day record and surpass the 2024 record of 101 degrees.<\/p>\n

Responding to the heat, several state agencies set up tents and handed out free bottles of water. State Capitol Police drove ATVs shuttling packs of water to those who needed them.<\/p>\n

Draped in half-American, half-German flags, Andreas Szab\u00f3 and his husband, Andre Kurth, fanned their faces with N.C. Zoo-branded handheld fans. Szab\u00f3, a council member from the German city of Rostock, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his city and Raleigh becoming sister cities Friday and stuck around for Saturday\u2019s festivities.<\/p>\n

To beat the heat, Szab\u00f3 and Kurth took advantage of the air conditioning inside the State Capitol and took a tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to drink much \u2014 not only beer,\u201d Szab\u00f3 joked. \u201cWe\u2019ll try water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having the celebration under the shade of the Capitol plaza helped Raleigh residents Joe Hooker, 29, and Rayna Yvars, 31, stay cool, Hooker said. Vendors and re-enactments offered much to enjoy after the parade; Hooker said he found a carpentry station showing how Revolutionary-era cabinets were built most interesting.<\/p>\n

Yvars said she enjoyed seeing different cultures the vendors represented \u2014 a showcase of what America was founded on.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know over the past couple years politics have been very heated in all different directions,\u201d Yvars said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s still cool to be able to walk around and meet different strangers, and we\u2019ve met different people today, even from all over the world, who think that America is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his speech, Stein focused not only on North Carolinians who sparked the country\u2019s independence movement \u2014 like Cornelius Harnett, who led the adoption of the Halifax Resolves \u2014 but on North Carolinians who worked to extend the \u201clight of liberty\u201d to disenfranchised Americans.<\/p>\n

Stein told the stories of Wilmington native Abraham Galloway, who escaped slavery, worked as a spy for the Union during the Civil War and became one of North Carolina\u2019s first Black state senators. Of Goldsboro\u2019s Gertrude Weil, who founded the North Carolina Equal Suffrage League and advocated for women\u2019s right to vote. Of Greensboro\u2019s Henry Fry, a Korean War veteran who became the state\u2019s first Black chief Supreme Court justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time our nation faced a defining moment, North Carolinians reached out, grabbed the baton, and carried the cause of freedom further than where they found it,\u201d Stein said. \u201cNow we have that same responsibility. Will we carry our freedom forward? Will we leave our democracy stronger than we found it here in North Carolina? We say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stein\u2019s speech was a good lesson in North Carolina history for Air Force veteran Eric Harper. Harper said he enjoyed seeing people of different races come together to celebrate the United States\u2019 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving to see the other side and be on the defense of this nation,\u201d Harper said, \u201cand then see what we\u2019re actually protecting is a great thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Suspect in eastern NC homicides arrested near Raleigh, Wake sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 3:17 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a sweltering July 4, Gov. Josh Stein urged North Carolinians to carry freedom forward during Raleigh's America 250 celebration at the State Capitol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nGov. Stein urges NC to carry freedom forward at state\u2019s America 250 celebration - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3898\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gov. 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