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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE JUNE 11, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 31 |
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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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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: 699 cases State leaders alarmed about recent upticks in cases reported in Johnston The County of Johnston reported Wednesday afternoon that the number of coronavirus cases here has jumped to 699 --- an increase of 186 during the past week. Smithfield's ZIP code 27577 accounted for 47 of the new cases, according to Wednesday's data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Johnston is one of eight counties with recent upticks in coronavirus numbers alarming to state health officials (the others are Wake, Durham, Lee, Alamance, Forsyth, Duplin, and Mecklenburg). N.C. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen reached out to County Manager Rick Hester and County Health Director Marilyn Pearson earlier this week to offer additional resources for testing and tracing here. The number of reported cases has more than doubled in Johnston County during the past three weeks. The County of Johnston released the following data at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday: • 699 confirmed cases; 24 deaths, 13 hospitalized, 662 at home. • 52% of cases female (365); 48% male (334 cases). • Cases by age: 72 ages 0-17; 76 18-24; 315 25-49; 134 50-64; 102 age 65+. • Cases by race: 502 white, 111 black, 17 other, 69 unknown. • Cases by ethnicity: 324 Hispanic, 285 non-Hispanic, 90 unknown. Three new outbreaks at congregant living facilities were reported this week: four residents and one staff member at McLamb's Rest Home east of Benson, two staff cases at Barbour Court Nursing and Rehab in West Smithfield, and three residents and two staffers at Providence Assisted Living on NC 210 west of Smithfield. REMINDER: The county has a new hotline number for COVID-19 information: 919-209-8310 available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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 This past Sunday was the first time Smithfield's Centenary United Methodist Church has allowed a limited number to attend traditional worship services since mid-March. Some wore face masks throughout the service; others did not. (Photo taken from the church's live-streaming feed.) Churches slow to re-open their sanctuaries Although churches are now allowed to hold indoor worship services with social distancing in place, it appears most Smithfield congregations continue to move cautiously toward a return to normal. Centenary Methodist allowed congregants at two services last Sunday morning, when 20 or so attended the early service and just over 60 the 11 o'clock service. Controlled seating in the pews allowed families to sit together yet apart from others. First Baptist, meanwhile, has allowed a handful of persons other than staff to attend recent services honoring high-school graduates and scholarship recipients. Saint Ann Catholic Church continues to hold outdoor mass, some churches are still hosting parking-lot services, while others continue to live-stream their services on the Internet with only clergy and support staff present. |
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Grifols to add another 300 jobs at Clayton with an investment exceeding $351 million The announcement came during a special meeting of the County Commissioners Tuesday morning at Johnston Community College's Workforce Development Center that's located east of Clayton between the sprawling industrial campuses of Grifols Therapeutics and Novo Nordisk, which is also undertaking a major expansion of its operations here. Commissioners approved an incentives contract with Grifols that forgives 90% at first, declining to 50% later on, of county property taxes assessed on investments in the expansion project over the next 16 years, provided investment and employment goals are met periodically during that time. In the agreement, Grifols says salaries of the new jobs will average $69,032. Beyond the county's incentives, the State of North Carolina is pledging grants up to $5,161,500 over 12 years --- also based on the company's meeting investment and employment objectives. Construction of the first phase of the Grifols expansion is scheduled to start next year with production to begin in 2025. Construction of a second phase is scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027 with production to begin in 2028. Grifols currently employs more than 1,700 at its Clayton complex. READ MORE about it in the official announcement on the county's website> MORE details in the official N.C. Department of Commerce announcement> |
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 JUNE IS NATIONAL ROSE MONTH! www.hanksflorist.com
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Not the usual graduation festivities . . .  Johnston Community College held drive-thru graduation ceremonies on three consecutive evenings this week. In this scene from a video we received from the college, President David Johnson presents a diploma to a college-transfer grad. Wearing his coronavirus mask, he also posed for pictures with each graduate in the motorized processions. Meanwhile, the college is making plans to re-open instruction for students on campus August 10, the beginning of its fall semester.  Smithfield-Selma High School is
saluting its graduates with an online slide show that
includes the names of more than 300 in the Class of 2020
along with pictures and yearbook-like profiles for many
of them.The SSS presentation also lists honor graduates, scholarship recipients, and awards for athletics and other activities. A more traditional graduation ceremony is envisioned for SSS and Johnston's other high schools in late July or early August in hopes that anti-coronavirus restrictions on outdoor mass gatherings will be further eased by then. Here's the link to the slide show posted on the SSS website> |
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School board members slow down process for authorizing future elections by district Members of a Johnston County Board of Education committee promoting the idea of electing future board members by districts has decided to slow down its campaign "so we get it right." That was the sentiment expressed by board member Terri Sessoms during a meeting of the committee Tuesday afternoon. The other members --- Chair Peggy Smith, Ronald Johnson, and Traci Zukowski --- concurred. As a result, a public hearing on the matter won't be held before September, giving committee members more time to gather information about district-election options. Dr. Smith reported on some numbers from the N.C. School Boards Association about how it's done elsewhere across the state: 20 school systems have a combination of district and at-large seats, 17 elect board members by district with countywide voting for all seats, 16 elect all members by voters within each district, and 45 (including Johnston) elect all members at-large with countywide voting. Ms. Sessoms said she had spoken with African-American civic leaders who are "very much in favor" of district elections but wary of countywide voting for all seats. She said research confirms their concern that such a plan "does truly minimize the voice of minorities." Despite a slowing down of deliberations, Dr. Smith pressed for agreement on a plan that could be introduced in the N.C. General Assembly in early January when local bills must be submitted. Approval of legislation next year would be necessary to start district elections in 2022. At the outset of Tuesday's meeting, Dr. Smith reported that 560 letters, sent mostly at her personal expense to various community leaders and organizations, produced 67 responses in favor of district elections and just nine in opposition. Besides that, the mailing "generated tremendous feedback" offering a variety of suggestions on how to proceed, she noted. The initial proposal put forth by the committee called for seven election districts defined by high-school attendance boundaries (with North Johnston and Princeton combined as one district). READ MORE about Tuesday's monthly meeting of the full Board of Education> |
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Non-profits ask County Commissioners for more help, citing loss of fund-raisers Several non-profit organizations put in requests for more funding during Monday evening's budget session of Johnston's County Commissioners. One of the reasons given is a loss of charitable fund-raising events because of anti-coronavirus restrictions on gatherings. Speaking for Harbor, which provides protective services for victims of domestic violence, Executive Director Kay Johnson said her agency expects to lose about $45,000 in income usually raised by fund-raising events like its Wine Walk. As a result, she asked commissioners to increase the county's annual contribution from $25,000 this past year to $75,000 in the fiscal year ahead. My Kid's Club, a program serving at-risk youngsters in Selma and Smithfield, seeks an increase from $25,000 to $100,000, but that's primarily to boost a fund-raising campaign for a new center replacing the club's former home beside Selma Elementary School that was severely damaged by Hurricane Matthew and subsequently demolished. Executive Director Alison Gammage said the new facility will cost an estimated $1.55 million to construct. The Smithfield Rescue Mission's Ben Olsen asked commissioners to increase funding from $21,000 to $24,000. The mission is sheltering an average of 13 men, three women, and two children nightly at separate locations in need of repairs, he said. And there's a rising need for more cooked meals for the homeless, he added. Executive Director Dwight Morris of the Partnership for Children put in a request for a second $25,000 in addition to $25,000 previously allocated his agency by the county, primarily to fund a couple of new initiatives to support at-risk kids and their parents, with an emphasis on reading skills. Carolyn Stafford, a volunteer coordinator with Special Olympics of Johnston County, also cited a loss of revenue from canceled fund-raisers as well as this spring's games that usually generate significant donations. The county has been allocating $10,000 annually for the program, which Ms. Stafford said usually involves about 650 handicapped children. Commissioners made no decisions on those requests at Monday's session, deferring final budget determinations until they meet again at 6 p.m. next Monday (June 15). The budget must be adopted by the start of the new fiscal year July 1. The proposed budget as it now stands is posted on the county's website> |
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LOCAL BUSINESS DOINGS Cary Oil purchases Seventh Street Marketplace  Stancil Oil Company of Selma has sold
the property that includes its Seventh Street
Marketplace and The Chicken Barn to Cary Oil
Company, which has re-branded the convenience store
as part of its "Breeze Thru" chain and switched
gasoline sales from Marathon to the 76 brand.The property sold for just over $2 million, according to a filing with the Johnston County Register of Deeds Office. Larry Stancil said the property had been owned by his family since 1964. For many years it was the site of an Amoco service station operated by several different businessmen. That structure was removed a decade ago to make way for the present-day convenience store and The Chicken Barn, which remains in business. The Stancil family continues to own the Marathon gas station and convenience store on South Pollock Street (US 301) in Selma. "I appreciate everyone's patronage over the years," Mr. Stancil stated. KS Bank is 34th largest that's based in N.C. Business North Carolina Magazine's annual list of the top 50 largest banks and credit unions based in this state ranks Smithfield's KS Bank No. 34 with annual revenue of $16.8 million. First Citizens Bank, founded in Smithfield and today headquartered in Raleigh, ranks third on this year's list with annual revenue exceeding $1.85 billion. Ranking first is Bank of America followed by Truist, the new name for the recent merger of BB&T and SunTrust. Both of those banks are based in Charlotte. Ranking fourth is the State Employees Credit Union. KS Bank was founded in 1924 as Kenly Savings & Loan Association. Branch offices are currently located in Kenly, Selma, Clayton, Four Oaks, Wilson, Goldsboro, Garner, and Wendell in addition to the headquarters in Smithfield. |
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MARCH AGAINST RACISM AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY The Johnston County African-American Caucus and the Johnston County NAACP are asking "all community organizations" to take part in a March against Racism, Inequality, and Injustice from 6 to 7 p.m. this Saturday (June 13). Participants are asked to gather at 5:45 p.m. at Market and Front streets near the Neuse Little Theatre. "Please wear a face mask," the organizers advise. Saturday's event is part of a series of Black Lives Matter rallies going on daily across the nation since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers almost three weeks ago. |
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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.... DAVID TAYLOR CREECH, 28 - died June 8 MAXINE PARRISH RAYNOR, 82 - died June 6 GERALDINE THOMPSON GURLEY, 91 - died June 5 LLOYD JENNINGS RICE JR. 73 - died June 5 EULA PEARL O'NEAL, 92 - died June 4 MARGARET ANN CERVANTES SCOTT, 82 - died June 3 BILLIE FRANCES LASSITER MARROW, 82 - died March 10 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  HEART OF DOWNTOWN SMITHFIELD, 1956 This aerial photo comes from the 1956 Smithfield High School yearbook. Can you find these long-gone landmarks visible in the picture: Farmers, Little Dixie, and Riverside tobacco warehouses; the Tuscarora Inn; Upchurch Pharmacy; The Smithfield Herald office; the Rose-Glenn Dining Room? (Photo from the Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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LINKS TO MORE PAGES IN THIS EDITION SCHOOL BOARD REPORT Rewind with our archives |
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LINKS TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL Meeting agendas and minutes JOHNSTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Agendas for upcoming meetings Highlights of recent board meetings Minutes of board meetings JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION Meeting agendas and minutes |
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