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| PUBLISHED ONLINE FEBRUARY 27, 2020 • VOL. 2, NO. 9 | ||||
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Stories and photos by Wingate Lassiter unless otherwise noted (click highlighted link to e-mail the editor) |
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RISING SCHOOL EXPENSES UNDER SCRUTINY...  Information
requested by the Sun, provided this week
by Johnston County Public Schools.
School board committee looks to cut cost of legal services with a new arrangement A new Board of Education committee met briefly Monday morning to start looking at less expensive options for legal services provided to Johnston County's schools. Johnston's system currently pays Smithfield attorney Jimmy Lawrence $160 per hour and attorneys from the Raleigh law firm of Tharrington Smith up to $210 per hour to advise and assist the school board and staff on a variety of legal matters. The table above shows how much has been paid during the past five fiscal years. The committee is gathering data from school systems in surrounding counties to see how they're handling legal services. Options under consideration range from employing a full-time staff attorney to contracting with a variety of specialists in school law as needed. Whichever course is taken, it appears the committee is moving away from the present arrangement with attorneys. Ronald Johnson said he believes there are "many who would step up" from the private sector "willing to take a deduction in pay" to save the schools money. Committee Chair Peggy Smith said she will schedule a subsequent meeting "when I get at least five responses" to the school district's request for information on legal services elsewhere. Also attending Monday's meeting were school board members Terri Sessoms and Mike Wooten, who serves as chair of the board's Finance Committee. Teresa Grant, another member of the Legal Services Committee, was not present. |
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 Year's first snow wasn't much, yet pretty It arrived late last Thursday afternoon while temperatures were well above freezing, yet hung around long enough to cover the ground and decorate the trees without icing streets and driveways.
MORE snow photos on the SPORTS & RECREATION page> |
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Next Tuesday is Primary Election Day: the essentials of what you need to know... • Smithfield's polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. • Early voting is still available at the First Baptist Church Ministry Center on South Fourth Street from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. • Voter IDs will NOT be required for this election. • Registered Democrats and registered Republicans may only vote in their party's primary contests, but voters registered as "Unaffiliated" may choose either Democratic or Republican ballots to cast when they arrive at the polls. North Carolina's election next week is part of "Super Tuesday" --- primaries being held earlier than usual in 14 states for the Presidential nomination process. But it's also a big day for nominating candidates for U.S. Senator, Governor, and seven Council of State positions. On the local level, Republicans have primaries for the N.C. Senate, N.C. House of Representatives, District Court Judge, and two seats on the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. Democrats have primaries for U.S. House of Representatives and N.C. Senate. All of Johnston County's registered voters may participate in the nonpartisan primary for four seats on the county's Board of Education. The top 8 vote-getters among the 16 candidates on the ballot will face off in next November's General Election. Here are links to sample ballots for Smithfield voters (the Republican contest for N.C. House of Representatives does not apply in the East and North precincts): DEMOCRATS' BALLOT> REPUBLICANS' BALLOT> Here's the list of local choices facing Smithfield voters that includes each candidate's place of residence (listed in the order in which they filed for office): DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY U.S. House of Representatives, District 7 Christopher M. Ward, Tabor City Robert Colon, Wilmington Mark Judson, Apex N.C. Senate, District 11 Albert R. Pacer, Creech-Johnson Road, Zebulon Allen Wellons, Smithfield REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY N.C. House of Representatives, District 26 (South Smithfield only) Donna McDowell White (incumbent), Clayton Justin Tate, Monarch Trail, Selma N.C. Senate, District 11 Lisa Stone Barnes, Spring Hope Patrick Harris, Smithfield Dennis Nielsen, Middlesex District Court Judge, Seat 7 Terry F. Rose, Smithfield Charlene B. Nelson, Clayton Johnston County Board of Commissioners District 1 --- Fred J. Smith Jr., Pritchard Road, Clayton Michelle Pace Davis, Buffalo Road, Clayton District 6 --- Mike Powell, Cleveland Road, Smithfield Tony Braswell (incumbent), Gor-An Farm Road, Selma Lee Jackson, Smithfield NON-PARTISAN PRIMARY Johnston County Board of Education - four seats Kelly O'Hanlon-Peedin, Hawks Nest Circle, Smithfield Melynda Slay, Durwood Drive, Raleigh Lyn Andrews, Afton Lane, Smithfield Teresa M. Grant (incumbent), Crestwood Court, Garner Kay Carroll, South Lakeside Drive, Four Oaks Kenon Crumble, Sugarfield Lane, Clayton Ava Atkinson Gaines, Second Avenue, Smithfield Mark Lane, Yelverton Grove Road, Smithfield Chuck Williams, Neuse Ridge Drive, Clayton Ronald Johnson (incumbent), Westminster Drive, Clayton Carolyn Cash, Collinsworth Drive, Clayton Rick Mercier, Fireweed Place, Clayton Michelle Antoine, Plaza De Luke Square, Clayton Terry Tippett, Simon Road, Middlesex Mike Wooten (incumbent), Cedar Springs Drive, Princeton Yvonne Marlowe, Aleah Court, Clayton VIEW brief profiles of the school board candidates compiled by the Weekly Sun> WHERE TO GET IMMEDIATE ELECTION RETURNS The Johnston County Board of Elections posts returns from each precinct on its website as soon as they are reported to the board's headquarters. That means the public can get the results as quickly as anyone, including the news media. Here's the link to that website, which also will lead you to all sorts of additional information related to next Tuesday's Primary Election> |
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| Smithfield's First Baptist Church honors Pastor Lee Colbert, retiring after 40+ years
A story about Mr. Colbert's ministry was published in the Sun last summer> More photos from Sunday's worship service and reception are on Facebook> |
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JCC's nursing program ranked No. 2 in N.C.  RegisteredNursing.org --- a national
organization that promotes the nursing profession ---
has ranked Johnston Community College's program No. 2 among 82 nursing schools in
North Carolina.JCC's program scored 99.12, just a few points behind the No. 1-ranked program at Wilmington's Cape Fear Community College, which scored 99.49. READ MORE about it on the website registerednursing.org> |
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LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AGENDAS
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 Photo
from Down-to-Earth Garden Club
Community
Garden gets a Little Free Library boxDown-to-Earth Garden Club members (on the left) Meg Scovil, Kathy Hartman, and Anne Koebley handle Tuesday's ribbon-cutting at the latest Smithfield addition to the Little Free Library program, a nationwide effort to promote literacy. Located at the Community Garden on South Fifth Street, this box is one of 10 put together last year by the Leadership Johnston program. The garden club donated $250 for its installation and painting by artist Brandi Davis (next to it on the right). Anyone and everyone may take home books for free, or else donate books for others to read. WHAT'S COMING UP? BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM ON VOTING RIGHTS & RACISM Today (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield. Michael Spencer of Common Cause North Carolina will talk about "The Fight to Vote: Re-examining Racism." The Johnston County Heritage Center's annual Black History Month program is open to the public without admission charge. Light refreshments will be served. NEUSE LITTLE THEATRE PRESENTS "FLUNG," A DRAMA Final performances this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 28-29), 8 p.m. at the Hut on Front Street by the river. MORE about it on the NLT website> "RAISE THE BOOTY" FOR PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN Saturday, March 7 at the Country Club of Johnston County, 5:30 p.m. until.... This is the fourth annual edition of this fund-raiser for the Johnston County Partnership for Children. MORE about it on the Partnership's website> LIBRARY TO HOST "FINANCIAL WELLNESS" SESSIONS The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield will host three "Financial Wellness" programs in March, open to the public without charge: Monday, March 9 at 2 p.m. --- "How to Buy your First Home"; Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. --- "How to Create a Budget"; Monday, March 23 at 6 p.m. --- "How to Save for College." 11th ANNUAL JOHNSTON COUNTY ART & FOOD FESTIVAL Thursday, March 12 at the Johnston County Agricultural Center, 6-8 p.m. The Johnston County Arts Council hosts this annual fund-raiser that features culinary samples from a number of local restaurants as well as a showcase of works for sale by local artists. MORE about it on the Arts Council's website> 1865 BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE RE-ENACTMENT Saturday & Sunday, March 21-22. Every five years the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site hosts North Carolina's largest re-enactment event to commemorate the bloodiest battle ever fought on Tar Heel soil --- on March 19-21, 1865 near the end of the Civil War. The event includes many free programs on the grounds but tickets must be purchased for the battle re-enactments on nearby farmlands. Friends of Bentonville Battlefield offer this online portal to purchase tickets> |
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DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area.... GLENDA FAYE THORNTON WHEELER, 79 - died Feb. 25 VONDA LYNN DANIELS HINES, 53 - died Feb. 23 GREGORY ARNELIUS WILLIAMS, 49 - died Feb. 21 BOBBY RAY ELLIS, 83 - died Feb. 19 ANGELA FAYE LANE, 57 - died Feb. 19 MARY LOUISE WARD HINTON, 56 - died Feb. 17 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  Smithfield High School girls' basketball team, 1950 The 1950 edition of the SHS Shield was the first yearbook produced by the school since the mid-1920s. Pictured therein is the girls' basketball team for the 1949-50 season: (left to right) in front --- Mary Edna Grimes, Hortense Wiggs, Nell Rose Wallace, Annie Ruth Pearce, Joyce Daniels, Elizabeth Hill; in the middle --- Peggy Jordan, Co-Captain Lu Long Ogburn, Mary Smithwick, Frances Peedin, Ella Ann Lee, Frances Byrd; in back --- Co-Captain Rose Mae Holland, Reba Jean Flowers, Julia Allen, Marian Johnson, and Coach Luby F. Royall. Photo from DigitalNC's online archives of Smithfield High School yearbooks> |
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"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION SPORTS & RECREATION Visit our archives |
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