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PUBLISHED ONLINE
OCTOBER 29, 2026
• VOL. 8, NO.
40 |
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produced by WINGATE
LASSITER unless
credited otherwise
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the editor
HALLOWEEN
IS A FAMILY TIME
These adults
were carrying on a family
tradition on a recent Sunday
afternoon when they gathered
in a South Smithfield
carport to carve pumpkins
into jack-o'-lanterns: (left
to right) Tiffany
Thompson of Spring Hope,
Lindsey Harris of Charlotte,
newly resettled Smithfield
homeowners Ian and Holly
Stallings, along with Garner
residents Bonney and Annette
Harris. The Town of
Smithfield permits
door-to-door
trick-or-treating by
youngsters 5-8 p.m. on
Halloween (this Saturday).
ELECTION
DAY IS NEXT TUESDAY
U.S.
Senate, U.S. House
races part of national
puzzle
Will Democrats
regain control of one if not
both branches of the United
States Congress. That's the
top question to be answered
as Johnstonians cast their
ballots in next Tuesday's
General Election?
Early voting
continues at five polling
stations through 3 p.m.
this Saturday>
Election Day
voting at 36 precincts
opens at 6 a.m. Tuesday,
closes at 7:30 p.m.>
The No. 1 federal contest in
North Carolina pits former
Governor Roy Cooper against
national Republican leader
Michael Whatley for one of
this state's two U.S. Senate
seats (Republican Ted Budd
holds the state's other
Senate seat).
 
Next in line is a race
between Republican incumbent
Brad Knott (left)
and Democratic challenger
Paul Barringer (right)
for our district's seat in
the U.S. House of
Representatives. Presently,
11 of the state's 14 members
of the House are
Republicans. Mr. Knott is
seeking election to a second
two-year term.
Another big question to be
answered by this year's
election choices is whether
Republicans will maintain
veto-proof majorities they
hold in both the N.C. Senate
and the N.C. House of
Representatives. All of the
Republican incumbents
seeking re-election from
Johnston County's state
legislative districts are
opposed by Democrats (and
three Libertarians).
Contested choices for local
offices are as sparse as
anything we've seen in
recent times. Republican
incumbents seeking
re-election to the Johnston
County Board of
Commissioners and the
Johnston County Board of
Education are unopposed on
this year's ballots,
although there is a write-in
candidate campaigning for
one of three county
commissioner seats up for
grabs.
Also unopposed are
incumbents seeking
re-election as District
Court judges (three),
District Attorney, Sheriff,
Clerk of Superior Court, and
Register of Deeds.
The only surprising thing on
Johnston's ballots this time
are nine candidates running
for two non-partisan seats
on the Johnston Soil &
Water Conservation
District's Board of
Supervisors. Apparently
that's prompted by recent
local discontent over
sprawling rural development
and its impact on property
taxes.
Meanwhile, there are four
statewide judicial contests
on the ballot: one for a
seat on the N.C. Supreme
Court, three for seats on
the N.C. Court of Appeals.
Republicans presently hold
majority votes on both of
those judicial bodies.
Also on ballots statewide
are three proposed
amendments to the North
Carolina Constitution: one
to require all voters to
present photo IDs when
casting ballots, one to cap
the state's income-tax rate
at 3.5%, and a third to
require the General Assembly
to enact unspecified limits
on property-tax increases by
county and municipal
governments.
Here are the choices facing
Smithfield-area voters:
COUNTY
& DISTRICT
CONTESTS
For
U.S. House of
Representatives,
District 13
• Paul Barringer –
Democrat, Sanford
address
• Brad Knott – incumbent
Republican, Raleigh
address
•
Steven Swinton –
Libertarian,
Sanford address
For
N.C. Senate, District
10
•
Pat LeGrand –
Democrat, Valley
Creek Drive,
Clayton
• Benton Sawrey –
incumbent Republican,
Warrick Place, Clayton
•
Kevin Terrett –
Libertarian, Channel
Drop Drive, Clayton
For N.C. House of
Representatives, District 28
• D.
Matthew Bailey –
Democrat,
Baker's Chapel
Road, Smithfield
address
•
Larry C. Strickland –
incumbent Republican,
Pine Level P.O. address
For
Johnston
County
Commissioner,
District 7
• Patrick
Harris–
incumbent
Republican,
Crescent
Drive,
Smithfield
• Will Byrd –
Republican
write-in
candidate,
Cleveland
Township
For Soil
& Water
Conservation
District
Supervisor - 2
seats
• Joe David
Austin, Freedom
Road, Smithfield
* Brad A.
Barefoot,
Eldridge Road,
Newton Grove
• Gracie
Chamblee,
Hemlock Circle,
Clayton
• Travis Allen
Floyd, Vista
Court, Clayton
• Dewitt Hardee,
incumbent,
Johnson's Chapel
Road, Benson
• John Michael
Langdon, Raleigh
Road, Benson
• Christine A.
Livingston,
Stephenson Road,
Benson
• Caitlin Marsh,
Long Grass
Drive,
Smithfield
• Luke Smith, NC
231, Zebulon
STATEWIDE
CONTESTS
For
U.S. Senate
• Roy Cooper – Democrat
• Shannon W. Bray –
Libertarian
• Michael Whatley –
incumbent Republican
•
Michael Dublin –
Green Party
For N.C. Supreme
Court Associate
Justice
• Anita Earls –
incumbent Democrat
• Sarah Stevens –
Republican
For N.C. Court
of Appeals Judge, Seat
1
• John S. Arrowood –
incumbent Democrat
• Michael C. Byrne
– Republican
For N.C. Court
of Appeals Judge, Seat
2
• Tobias (Toby) Hampson
– incumbent Democrat
• George Cooper Bell –
Republican
For N.C. Court
of Appeals Judge, Seat
3
• Christine Marie
Walczyk – Democrat
• Craig Collins –
Republican
N.C.
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS
Vote
For or Against:
No.
1 – Amendment
to require all voters, not
just those presenting to
vote in person, to present
photo identification before
voting (by absentee ballot).
No.
2 – Amendment
to keep the state income tax
rate from being raised
higher than 3.5% (a decision
made by the N.C. General
Assembly).
No.
3 – Amendment
requiring limits on
property-tax increases by
local governments (amounts
to be determined by the
General Assembly).
Early voting
exceeds turnout of four
years ago
Johnston's Board
of Elections reports that
35,422 had voted at
early-voting sites through
Tuesday. That's
significantly more than the
26,176 who had voted by
midweek prior to the
comparable off-year election
in 2022. Early voting
continues till 3 p.m.
Saturday.
Johnston
County's registered
voters: 172,719
(more to be
added after sign-ups by
early voters)
41,538 registered as
Democrat
61,764 registered as
Republican
68,123 registered as
Unaffiliated
1,193 registered as
Libertarian
101 registered as Green
Party voters
In 2022, Johnston County had
151,767 registered voters.
VIEW SAMPLE
BALLOT for Smithfield-area
voters>
FIND SAMPLE
BALLOTS according to one's
precinct of residence>
Get Tuesday's
results as soon as they're
reported to the Board of
Elections>
ANOTHER
SEASONAL OBSERVANCE
Again this year
the Johnston County
Courthouse is illuminated by
green lights in keeping with
Operation Green Light, a
national campaign of
remembrance leading up to
our annual observance of
Veterans Day. (County of
Johnston photo)
County
Planning Board rejects
latest UDO draft
Following two
public hearings over the
past two weeks, the Johnston
County Planning Board voted
without dissent Monday
evening not to recommend
approval by the County
Commissioners of the latest
draft of the county's
revised Unified Development
Ordinance (UDO).
Basically, Planning Board
members concluded that the
latest draft is
"inconsistent" with the
county's Land Use Plan
adopted three years ago that
emphasizes protection of
farmland and less sprawling
of rural residential
development.
Planning Director Braxton
Newton said "Version 4" of
the new UDO was issued prior
to a hearing held by the
Planning Board October 20.
He said at Monday's
follow-up hearing that the
county's planning staff is
recommending approval of the
latest version but
acknowledged "a lot of
confusion" among the public
about several aspects of the
new rules. "There's a lot
still left to
interpretation," he said,
especially regarding
proposed buffers between
existing farms and new
residential subdivisions.
Only a handful of citizens,
most of them engaged in
farming, appeared during the
two Planning Board hearings.
They urged county officials
to take more time "to get it
right" before final adoption
of a new UDO. Frustrated by
the drawn-out process over
the past couple of years to
re-write the rules, Jerry
Vinson said his service on a
UDO Steering Committee had
turned out to be "a waste of
my time."
Despite the Planning Board's
action this week, a public
hearing on the latest
version of UDO changes
remains on the agenda for
Monday's 6 p.m. session of
the County Commissioners,
who will have the final say
on what's enacted into law.
VIEW the
county's chart comparing
UDO "Draft V4" posted in
mid-October with "Draft
V3" issued in early
September>
JCC
enrollment tops 7,300
curriculum students
News
release from Johnston
Community College
Johnston
Community College’s fall
enrollment continued climbing
as its second eight-week
session began October 19,
surpassing 7,300 curriculum
students. Full-time equivalent
enrollment, or FTE, was up 24%
compared to last fall.
The milestone comes during
JCC’s shift to primarily
eight-week sessions, which aim
to improve student outcomes
and place renewed emphasis on
the transitions students
navigate throughout a
semester, including starting
courses, planning their next
classes, and connecting with
support.
JCC has invested in
technology, infrastructure,
and organizational
improvements to strengthen
that experience as enrollment
grows.
“Our growth challenges us to
think differently about how we
serve students,” said JCC
President Vern Lindquist. “As
we move through these
eight-week sessions, our focus
is on helping students take
their next step and keep
making progress toward their
goals.”
This marks the College’s
fourth consecutive fall term
of double-digit percentage
increases in enrollment.
Johnston
jobless rate dropped to
2.7% last month
The
N.C. Department of Commerce
reports that 127,350
Johnstonians were on the job
in September – a new record
high – while the number
unemployed dropped from
4,029 in August to 3,515.
That produced a jobless rate
of 2.7% in September –
better than the statewide
rate of 3.4% and the
national rate of 4.2%.
A stink
in South Smithfield: What
was its origin?
News release
from Johnston County
Public Utilities
The source of
an odor stretching from
Smithfield to Four Oaks
(at the end of last week)
remains a mystery. Even
with help from the state’s
Hazardous Materials
Regional Response Team,
Johnston County Public
Utilities has been unable
to identify what entered
the county’s sewer system.
But here’s the reassuring
news: The response team
conducted air sampling
Thursday afternoon (Oct.
22) at the county’s
sewage-treatment plant and
found no threat to public
health. The pH of sewage
flowing to the county’s
treatment plant has
returned to normal,
according to testing, and
that suggests the unknown
discharge into the sewer
system has ended.
Town says
Wilson Street procedure
was unrelated
Residents near
Wilson's Pond in South
Smithfield wondered if a
Town of Smithfield truck
dumping wastes directly in
sewer mains beneath Wilson
Street was the cause of the
odor problem. Not so, says
Interim Town Manager Kim
Pickett.
"Our Utilities Department
was working on cleaning Pump
Station No. 1 by the Little
Brown Jug so the county
could insert a valve on
their force main," she told
the Weekly Sun. "This
is a practice that they
sometimes have to perform.
"The odor in South
Smithfield was completely
unrelated to what our crews
were working on, and was
tied to the county's
wastewater plant," she
noted. "They don't always
put it in a Wilson Street
manhole, but they do try to
get to the closest outlet to
the county wastewater
plant."
That plant, by the way, was
originally constructed by
the town in the early 1960s
beside the Neuse River, and
was turned over to the
county in the late 1970s to
serve as a regional
treatment facility. The
county is beginning to
divert sewage from Selma and
Pine Level to its new plant
beside the county landfill
west of Smithfield.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Ghost
Walk in Riverside Cemetery
today and tomorrow
The Heritage
Center's 22nd annual Ghost
Walk will be staged on two
successive evenings for the
first time – from 6 to 8
p.m. today (Thursday) and
Friday. Admission will cost
adults $10 and students $5,
payable at the event or online in
advance>
County
Board to hold hearing on
senior housing purchase
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will hold a
public hearing during its
regularly scheduled session at
10 a.m. Monday on a request from the Piedmont Affordable Senior Housing Foundation, which is seeking tax-exempt bond financing for purchasing The Crossings of Smithfield, the Landings of Smithfield, and Four Oaks Senior Living. VIEW the complete agenda for Monday's morning session>
Commissioners' UDO hearing still scheduled Monday evening
During the board's 6 p.m. session, commissioners will hold a public hearing on the latest version of proposed revisions to the county's Unified Development Ordinance. VIEW the complete agenda for the evening session>
Town
Council's next scheduled
meeting on Nov. 17
Because next
Tuesday is Election Day, the
Smithfield Town Council will
not meet as regularly
scheduled, even though there
are no contests for town
offices on Tuesday's ballot.
The council's next scheduled
meeting will be held on the
third Tuesday of the month:
November 17.
The
first "Miss Downtown
Smithfield"
Emma Daughtry, a
junior at Princeton High
School who's the daughter of
Smithfield's Fire Chief
Jeremey Daughtry, was winner
of last weekend's inaugural
"Essence of Ava" pageant
hosted by the Downtown
Development Corporation. She
gets a $1,000 educational
scholarship with plans to
enroll in Wayne Community
College's Dental Hygiene
program.
(Downtown Development
photo)
DEATHS AND FUNERALS
Click on the
name to read an obituary,
usually posted by the
funeral home:
For sale at 317 S. Second
Street – in the
heart of
town
 2,552
sq. ft., 3 bedrooms,
2.5 baths, 0.65-acre
lot. The "Lyon
House" has lots of
charm and character
but needs updating.
Hardwoods, many
built-ins, 2
fireplaces, 9-ft.
ceilings, crown
molding. Huge
covered back porch. (ShowSpaces
Photography)
$299,000
MLS# 10200045
OPEN
HOUSE SUNDAY,
NOV. 1 from 2 to
4 p.m.
SUSAN LASSITER
• Long &
Foster Real
Estate •
919-669-9235
A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Where
are the "fact checkers"
for TV political ads?
For me, the most
despicable thing about this
year's election season has
been the incessant
television commercials for
candidates that go beyond
the usual description of
"misleading" to a lower
standard of "mean-spirited
fabrication of facts."
I'll let you choose your own
examples since there are
more than I can begin to
cite in this limited space.
Both sides are accusing
their opponents of "lying."
In some cases that appears
to be the case; in others,
the lying charge is based on
a new set of lies. "Twisting
of the truth" would be a
charitable description for
many of the commercials.
I know what the TV folks
getting rich from this
unprecedented campaign
spending are saying: "We are
obliged to accept this
advertising under the First
Amendment's guarantee of
freedom of speech." They
also fall back on the
discarded federal "Fairness
Doctrine" as grounds
for taking paid ads from any
and all comers.
But what a disservice
they're doing for voters
who're yearning for
truthfulness – and long for
solutions to the real
problems before us as a
nation and community.
What will it take to rid us
of this pestilence?
MISS A PREVIOUS EDITION?
You'll find it
in the Weekly Sun
archives>
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
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