Ringing in the rain for
the Constitution's
birthday
A
light rain was falling
Sunday afternoon as
members of the Smith-Bryan
Chapter, Daughters of the
American Revolution,
gathered with others on
the steps of the Johnston
County Courthouse to ring
whatever bells they could
muster to celebrate the
236th birthday of the
United States
Constitution. Taking note
of the weather, Chapter
Regent Frances Aycock
Kiker announced she had
received "a text message
from Benjamin Franklin"
who said it would be OK to
start the ringing before
the 4 o'clock hour so
folks could get out of the
rain. Church bells
throughout Philadelphia
began ringing at 4 p.m. on
September 17, 1787 to
spread the news that the
Constitution had been
signed by the nation's
Founding Fathers.
Board
of Education antagonism
intensifies
Michelle
Antoine joins Ronald
Johnson in legal
assaults
The
simmering division within
the membership of the
Johnston County Board of
Education was stepped up a
notch or two with several
incidents this past week.
It started
with a complaint filed in
Johnston Superior Court just
prior to the board's monthly
meeting September 12 by
Michelle Antoine against the
board as a whole. But at
this point we don't know the
content of her complaint
since it has been sealed
from public view, at her
request.
"Sealing
of these documents is
warranted because the
filing contains
information that, the
release of which, would
constitute a publishing of
defamatory material
against plaintiff and
would irreparably harm
plaintiff," reads the
request filed by her
attorneys associated with
the Walker Kiger law firm
based in Garner.
Superior Court Judge Tom
Lock granted that request
by issuing a temporary
restraining order. Then,
later in the week, the
school board's attorneys
from Raleigh's Poyner
Spruill law firm requested
a transfer of the case
from Johnston Superior
Court to the U.S. District
Court for Eastern N.C.
That request was granted
on grounds that Ms.
Antoine's complaint
"alleges causes of action
for violations of federal
constitutional due process
rights and for violations of
the federal constitution’s
Equal Protection Clause."
Ms. Antoine joins board
member Ronald Johnson in
challenging the rest of the
board in court. He filed a
federal complaint in June
against officials of both
the county's school system
and the Town of Smithfield
following his indictment by
a Johnston County Grand Jury
in April on criminal charges
of extortion, felony
obstruction of justice, and
three counts of willfully
failing to discharge his
duties as a member of the
Board of Education.
Those charges came in the
wake of Mr. Johnson's
censure on two occasions
last year by all the other
school-board members at the
time for violating various
board policies, followed by
his dismissal last October
as an employee of the
Smithfield Police Department
for "detrimental personal
conduct."
Differing
opinions on a clause in
Code of Ethics policy
During
last week's Board of
Education meeting, Ms.
Antoine joined Mr. Johnson
in voting against a proposed
revision in the school
system's "Code of Ethics for
School Board Members" after
he argued that it wrongly
equates board members with
school employees. Under
state law, "elected
officials cannot be
employees," he declared.
His objection centered
around a clause added to the
policy that requires board
members to comply "with all board policies that set expectations for staff conduct."
Kay Carroll took issue with Mr. Johnson's position: "It's not about employment. It's about the way you conduct yourself. It's about the way you behave," Mr. Carroll said. "People that are elected, it just seems, feel like they are not held to same standard as the average Joe out there, and we should be."
In the end, the revised policy won approval by a 5-2 vote of the board, with Chair Lyn Andrews, Kevin Donovan, Terry Tippett, and Mike Wooten joining Mr. Carroll in favor of the added statement.
Public
outcries regarding
social-media statements
Meanwhile,
Ms. Antoine – who joined the
Board of Education last
December following her
election in November – has
been chastised by several
citizens during Public
Comment sessions at recent
school board meetings,
primarily for disparaging
remarks attributed to her on
social media against the
LGBTQ community.
"She has referred to openly
LGBT youth enrolled in
Johnston County Schools as a
'contagion'," stated Ben
Chapman, an employee of the
Johnston County Heritage
Center, at last week's board
meeting. "She said the
Progress Pride flag
represented 'the collapse of
Western civilization'....
"To imply that minority
communities are a threat to
the whole and that we
somehow represent a disease
that must be dealt with is
the language of genocide.
It's unacceptable from a
member of this board,
unacceptable for an elected
official, and you don't have
to accept it," Mr. Chapman
admonished the board.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: "LGBTQ"
– a widely used acronym
nowadays – stands for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Queer. The
multi-colored Pride flag
is the banner hoisted by
the LGBTQ community in the
public arena.)
Parents
and students complain
about new dress code
A
recently adopted policy
for all Johnston schools –
this one on a dress code
for students – drew
complaints from parents
and students of Corinth
Holders High School who
addressed the Board of
Education at last week's
meeting.
READ a
report that was
published in The
News & Observer last
weekend>
County
ratifies new wastewater
contract with town
Johnston's
County Commissioners this
week put their stamp of
approval on a revised Bulk
Wastewater Agreement with
the Town of Smithfield
following negotiations
that increased the town's
sewage-treatment capacity
allocation and cleared the
way for construction of a
new hotel here.
The Town Council two weeks
ago had authorized legal
action against the county
after learning that the
county was holding up
approval of sewage
treatment from a proposed
Homes2 Suites Hotel by
Hilton on a site next to
the new Hampton Inn. Town
officials said the county
was doing that to force
acceptance of a wastewater
contract with terms
unacceptable to the
council.
Last week the county
agreed to accept the new
hotel's sewage, and the
town's treatment capacity
under the new contract was
raised from 2.477 to 2.676
million gallons per day
(MGD). The contract notes
that the town's sewage
flow into the county's
treatment plant on the
Neuse River below
Smithfield averaged 1.817
MGD in 2021 and 2022.
A key point in the
contract, which the Town
Council approved last
week, will require payment
of bulk capacity fees for
future increases in the
town's 2.676 MGD
allocation. Similar
agreements with the county
have been signed by the
towns of Four Oaks and
Pine Level; the Town of
Selma has not yet signed.
Those towns also depend on
the county's treatment
plant for disposal of
sewage.
County
exercises option to buy
45.7 acres near new jail
The
commissioners, at their
meeting Monday evening,
authorized purchase of
45.7 acres split by
Yelverton Grove Road south
of US 70 Business within
sight of the new Johnston
County Detention Center
and Public Safety Center
to the east.
The board in March had
approved an option to
purchase the land from
John Timothy Hughes at
$40,000 per acre, pending
"due diligence" including
an environmental
assessment, which turned
up no issues. Monday's
action sets a closing date
on or before November 30.
The county intends to use
the site for
administrative offices and
warehousing, most likely
starting with a new home
for the Department of
Social Services.
County
commits future funding
for JCATS expansion
Commissioners
approved a resolution
committing a county match
of $219,297 in its 2024-25
budget to secure a state
grant of $1,313,089 for
next year's operations and
capital purchases by
JCATS, the Johnston County
Area Transit System.
Josh Jensen, who recently
took over as executive
director of Community and
Senior Services of
Johnston County, said the
promised state funding
will enable JCATS to
expand its operations,
particularly the QuickRide
Uber-like service started
this past year in the
Smithfield-Selma area.
"We're looking to expand
to Clayton," he said.
New
residency districts for
commissioners proposed
The
board received three
proposed maps that would
redraw the boundaries of
the seven districts
represented by a single
county commissioner. Those
districts haven't been
changed since they were
created almost 30 years
ago and today have
populations ranging from
more than 44,000 to less
than 15,000.
County
Attorney Jennifer Slusser
presented the three
proposals, each of which
would produce district
populations close to an
evenly distributed target
of just under 31,000. (The
maps were produced by
county staff including GIS
Director Tish Jones.)
Another goal of the new
arrangement, Ms. Slusser
noted, is to keep
incumbent commissioners in
separate districts. But
two of the three maps were
drawn without protecting
the seat of Commissioner
Tony Braswell, she said,
since he has declared his
intention not to seek
re-election next year.
That drew a thumbs-down
from Commissioner Ted
Godwin, who said he could
only support the map that
would protect Mr. Braswell
in case he changes his
mind and decides to run
again.
A public hearing on the
realignment of districts
is scheduled during the
commissioners' 10 a.m.
meeting on Monday, October
2. Ms. Slusser said the
board must adopt new
districts by October 6 to
be in effect for the 2024
election when four of the
seven commissioner seats
will be on the ballot.
While candidates must run
for the seat of their
district of residence,
they're elected by voters
countywide.
Maps and
other details about the
proposed new districts –
including a link for the
public to submit
comments prior to
October 2 – are posted
on the county's
website>
P&R
Department a youth sports
"Quality Provider"
The
Town of Smithfield Parks
& Recreation
Department has been 
awarded
the Better Sports for Kids
Quality Program Provider
designation for the
2023-24 season by the
National Alliance for
Youth Sports.
The designation is a seal
of commitment to quality
and safety based on
nationally accepted
standards, the department
announced on its Facebook
page. As a result of a
review process, Smithfield
Parks & Recreation
"has shown a commitment to
the children and families
we serve."
WHAT'S COMING UP
Autumnal
Equinox arrives early
this Saturday morning
It's the
astronomical beginning of
Fall, but usually not the
meteorological start of
the season since "Indian
Summer" around here hangs
on till sometime in
October. The exact time of
this year's Autumnal
Equinox – when the Sun
lines up with Earth's
Equator to produce equal
hours of day and night –
is calculated to be 2:50
a.m. this Saturday. The
date of the occurrence
varies from year to year,
coming as early as the
20th day of September and
as late as the 23rd.
Downtown
Farmers' Market back
after a weather break
The
next-to-last scheduled
edition of the Farmers'
Market in Downtown
Smithfield continues from
9 a.m. till 2 p.m. this
Saturday along the 100
block of South Third
Street. The edition
scheduled two weeks ago
was canceled because of a
threat of inclement
weather. The season's
final edition is set for
October 14.
Robotics
club hosting Renaissance
Festival Saturday
FRC 6004 f
of x Robotics – a
students' club based at
Smithfield-Selma High
School – will host a
Renaissance Festival from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this
Saturday in the parking
lot of the Public Library
Downtown. Attractions
include robots, STEM
activities, book signings,
crafts, petting zoo,
sidewalk chalk, cosplay,
along with ice cream, a
jester, and vendors.
Neuse
Little Theatre's Willy
Wonka: six shows
sold out!
And
that's after a sixth
performance was added to
the usual NLT schedule.
If you're curious about
who's performing in the
local production, here's a
link to NLT website page with details
about the show>
And here's a link to a
brochure about upcoming
shows in NLT's 49th
season>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Colby Stevens, manager of the Bentonville
Battlefield State
Historic Site, greeted
visitors last Friday
morning as they headed
onto the newest segment
of North Carolina's
Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Bentonville's
link in the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail
I
couldn't resist the
invitation to attend a
ribbon-cutting celebration
last Friday morning during
what's officially
designated as "The Year of
the Trail" in North
Carolina. It's only a
one-mile addition to the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail –
the "MST," its builders
(mostly volunteers) like
to call it – yet it leads
into thick woods where a
key part of the Civil War
Battle of Bentonville was
fought in March 1865.
"When you walk these
trails, you walk into
history," said Betsy
Brown, associate director
of Friends of the MST,
which works closely with
state and local parks and
recreation agencies to add
new links to an envisioned
1,175 miles of trail
winding its way from the
Great Smoky Mountains to
the Outer Banks.
With last Friday's
opening, about four and a
half miles of the MST now
traverse portions of the Bentonville
Battlefield State
Historic Site,
starting near the Visitors
Center on Harper House
Road east of US 701. The
new segment includes a
loop through the woods
beside the remains of
trenches dug by Union
soldiers as they sought to
hold off attacks from
Confederate troops.
Also visible along that
loop are straight-line
mounds of earth that are
remnants of a "pine tree
plantation." We were told
that the farmers who
planted those trees during
the 1990s were careful not
to disturb the Civil War
trenches. They were
respectful of the "sacred
ground" where American
brothers fought valiantly
against one another in
that bloody three-day
battle 158 years ago.
There's only one other
segment of the MST
currently in place in
Johnston County, and
that's the three-mile
Buffalo Creek Greenway
here in Smithfield. Plans
for linking the Smithfield
segment to MST's Neuse
River Trail at Clayton are
already in the making. Not
so advanced is
identification of a route
for an off-road link from
Smithfield to Bentonville.
Meanwhile, the MST in
place at Bentonville
beckons us now, especially
as we head into a cooler
season that's ideal for a
hike in the woods.
Here's a
link to a page on the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail
website where you'll
find maps showing
completed segments and
where future segments
are likely to be
built>
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