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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE JANUARY 28, 2021 • VOL. 3,
NO. 4 |
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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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 JUST A "TRACE" OF THE WINTRY WHITE STUFF It's what they predicted for our area: a "trace" up to an inch of snowfall, and this is all we saw when we got up this morning (Thursday). Oh well, we did hear thunder the other day. Does that mean we'll see a legitimate snowfall sometime next week? |
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It's back to school for most students next week in alternating two-day shifts Johnston County Public Schools expect 22,012 students to return to classrooms next week after a two-month break resulting from coronavirus restrictions and the year-end holidays. By parental choice, 14,124 Johnston County students will remain under virtual learning at home, school officials said this week. Next week's return to schools was ordered by a 4-3 vote from the county's Board of Education two weeks ago. Because of the recent surge in coronavirus cases in Johnston County as elsewhere, the school system's administration had recommended a delay in students' return till the middle of March --- at the end of the third nine-week grading period. Under "Plan B" (as the state calls it), students in all grades will return next week in "cohorts": one group attending classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, the other on Thursdays and Fridays. When they're at home, those students will return to remote, online "virtual" learning to complete a five-day school week.
"I want to thank the
staff and students of the Johnston County Public
Schools for the trust they have placed in me as
a member of the board and for their example in
showing us all the meaning of public service and
hard work," Zukowski said in a prepared
statement. Chairman Todd Sutton
said, "I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Mrs. Zukowski for her service to the
students and staff of Johnston County Public
Schools and we wish her health, safety, and
happiness in her new home." A process for filling
the vacant seat on the board will be determined
in the near future. The Johnston County
Board of Elections lists Mrs. Zukowski's address
up till now as 180 Running Springs Court off NC 42
east of Clayton. Her new place of residence was
not disclosed in Wednesday's announcement. CORONAVIRUS
REPORT
Health Department has vaccinated 4,900 folks at five drive-thru clinics That includes more than 1,500 who received the vaccine at last Friday's drive-thru clinic at Johnston Community College and 900 who got shots at Wednesday's clinic held at a racetrack south of Benson, reports the Johnston County Public Health Department, which runs the clinics with support from the Sheriff's Department. Coupled with earlier clinics, the Health Department has administered a total of 4,900 shots to date, according to the county's reports. No other clinics were scheduled for the rest of this week. What happens next week will depend on how many doses are allotted Johnston County by the state and when they are delivered. A reader of the Sun asks why residents of other counties are allowed to receive vaccines at drive-thru clinics held by the Johnston County? Explains Lu Hickey, the county's public information officer: "We have been advised that since the COVID vaccine is a federal asset, anyone eligible may receive the vaccine where(ever) it is available." Meanwhile, Johnston Health has been administering the vaccine to qualifying individuals fortunate to secure a hard-to-get appointment, and the state this week said local pharmacies may get a limited number of doses in the near future. Not sure which "group" you're in for determining who's next in line for vaccinations? The state has launched a website that will answer that question and sign you up to receive notifications about latest developments. It's called Find My Vaccine Group> HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S REPORT posted at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday The county's mid-week report showed 2,128 active COVID-19 cases here: 2,070 recovering at home plus 58 in hospitals. That total is up from 2,070 a week ago. The past week brought 15 more coronavirus-related deaths --- the largest weekly increase recorded here since the pandemic's arrival last March. Current outbreaks at Smithfield's nursing and rehabilitation centers: Smithfield Manor --- 113 current/former residents, 45 staff members, 14 deaths. Barbour Court --- 108 current/former residents, 57 staff members, 7 deaths. The Landings ---20 current/former residents, 12 staff members, 4 deaths. Classic Care Rest Home --- 2 current/former residents, 1 staff member, no deaths. SCHOOL SYSTEM'S REPORT recorded at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday STUDENT DATA: 46 active cases among students (42 a week ago); 440 active quarantines (399 a week ago) including 15 at Smithfield-Selma High School, 3 at Smithfield Middle, 5 at West Smithfield Elementary, 1 at South Smithfield Elementary. STAFF DATA: 12 active cases among employees (30 a week ago); 129 active quarantines (127 a week ago) including 3 at Smithfield-Selma High School, 3 at West Smithfield Elementary, 2 at South Smithfield Elementary, none at Smithfield Middle School. VIEW frequently updated details on the schools' COVID-19 Dashboard>
VIEW the latest information about Health Department vaccination sites> VIEW the current list of COVID-19 testing sites throughout Johnston County> GOVERNOR EXTENDS CURFEW THROUGH FEBRUARY Governor Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that's he's extending his order through February that includes a stay-at-home curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and a limit on public gatherings to 10 persons indoors and 50 outdoors. That order also includes restrictions on sales of alcoholic beverages. READ "Frequently Asked Questions" about the Governor's extended order> |
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The Hastings House, Smithfield's oldest, gets U.S. grant for storm-related repairs Less than a year after the signing of America's Declaration of Independence, the newly formed North Carolina General Assembly during its very first session established the Town of Smithfield. And yet the oldest surviving residence in today's Smithfield wasn't built until circa 1840 --- more than 60 years after the town's founding in 1777. And it's not on its original foundation, having been moved in 1965 from a site near the corner of South Second and Johnston streets to its present-day location facing Front Street at the western end of Johnston Street.  Even then the historic
Hastings House stood unused for 20 years --- until the
town's Parks & Recreation Department and the
Downtown Development Corporation moved their offices
there in 1986. Today it's occupied fully by Downtown Development's office, yet it remains under jurisdiction of Parks & Recreation since it stands on Smithfield's Town Commons that stretches between the Neuse River and Front Street from the present-day boat ramp southward to Riverside Cemetery. The Town of Smithfield is one of 22 entities statewide --- and just two in Johnston County --- awarded federal grants through the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for repairs to historic properties damaged by storms starting with Hurricane Michael in 2016. The grant for the Hastings House work is $178,674. Gary Johnson, director of the Smithfield Parks & Recreation Department, said the Hastings House "did receive some damage such as broken windows and panes, leaks in the roof and siding" from storms over the past several years "that continue to be an issue." Under the grant, "the scope of work includes exterior and interior carpentry work, work on some of the masonry issues, plaster and painting, electrical, and the addition of storm windows," he noted.
Eligibility for the grants was limited to properties either already listed or soon to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mr. Johnson pointed out. Structures moved from their original locations, like the Hastings House, cannot be candidates for the Register until 50 years have passed. As a result, the U.S. Department of the Interior has now concluded that the Hastings House is eligible for inclusion "due to its excellent, and early example, of the transition from Federal style to Greek Revival" architecture, Mr. Johnson said. The only other Johnston County recipient of storm-damage grants is the vacant Princeton Graded School building, one of two surviving schools in the county that were built with Rosenwald Foundation funds in the 1920s for African-American students. It is owned by TESS of North Carolina, an organization based in Mount Olive that's focused on preparing students for higher education. Johnston's other Rosenwald survivor is the Short Journey School building on Cleveland Road that was restored by the Catholic church some years ago and is used today as a retreat and conference center operated by Raleigh's Cardinal Gibbons High School. |
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WHAT'S COMING UP? COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET TWICE ON MONDAY; CHAIRMAN TO PRESENT "STATE OF THE COUNTY" REPORT Both the 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. sessions will be held in the Old Superior Courtroom of the Johnston County Courthouse. Limited seating is available for the public. The meetings will be live-streamed on the county's Facebook page> Board Chairman Chad Stewart will present a "State of the County" annual report at the morning session. Commissioners will also get COVID-19 updates from county officials, receive the annual Audit Report for the fiscal year that ended last June 30, and get an update on a Broadband study recently begun by a consultant. VIEW the complete agenda on the county's website> The evening session is generally devoted to public hearings on land-use rezoning requests. This month's cases involve properties in Elevation, Pleasant Grove, Boon Hill, Meadow (2), and Cleveland townships. VIEW the complete agenda on the county's website> SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL WILL MEET AT 7 P.M. TUESDAY; TO CONSIDER STORMWATER FEE ADDED TO PROPERTY TAXES The meeting at Town Hall is open to the public --- face masks and social distancing required for attendance. Business items on the agenda include a $784,571 contract to move forward with an expansion project for the Police Department and a report from the town's Stormwater Advisory Committee that proposes a fee added to property taxes, based on a parcel's "impervious area," to fund projects addressing drainage issues throughout the town. VIEW the complete agenda on the town's website> SCHOOL BOARD'S FINANCE COMMITTEE WILL MEET TUESDAY Because it has been enlarged to include a majority of board members, the Johnston County Board of Education's Finance Committee will meet in a session open to the public at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Because the meeting will be conducted remotely via Zoom, the public may view the proceedings on the schools' YouTube channel>  In a row along Market Street: (left to right) the Heritage Center, the Public Library, and the Ava Gardner Museum (just beyond the protruding facade of the county's Land Use Center, the former Hudson-Belk building). DOWNTOWN'S CULTURAL CENTERS REMAIN CLOSED The Ava Gardner Museum, the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, and the Johnston County Heritage Center in the heart of Downtown Smithfield remained closed indefinitely to walk-in visitors. The Ava Museum is closed for repairs after a water-line break flooded its floors earlier this month. Fortunately, none of the artifacts or exhibits sustained damage. Both the Public Library and the Heritage Center are closed to prevent spread of COVID-19 infections, but the library is offering curbside service and the Heritage Center is open to researchers by appointment. VISIT their websites for updates and details about current access options: • Ava Gardner Museum> • Public Library> • Heritage Center> |
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 'Tis
the season to payattention to your heart The Johnston Health Foundation is asking us to "wear red" on Friday, February 5 at the start of an eight-day campaign to increase heart-health awareness and raise money in support of the foundation's Heart Fund. It's part of a nationwide awareness initiative that tells us that one person dies from cardiovascular disease every 36 seconds in the United States. Furthermore, "it's the most costly condition in America," with about $1 in every $6 spent on health care related to cardiovascular disease, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Heart Association. "Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Johnston County," according to the Johnston Health Foundation, which raised more than $57,000 from last year's All in Red campaign. The money is spent "to provide assistance to Johnston Health heart patients in need so that they can undergo cardiac procedures and rehabilitation," the foundation notes. (Johnston Health operates hospitals at Smithfield and Clayton as well as numerous outpatient clinics.) Surveys show only 27% of Americans can identify all the major symptoms of a heart attack or know to call 9-1-1 immediately when these symptoms occur: • Chest pain or discomfort. • Upper-body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or upper stomach. • Shortness of breath. • Nausea, light-headedness, or cold sweats. VIEW a flyer with more about the local campaign and how you can help> |
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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.... LELA RUTH CARROLL, 82 - died January 25 JULIA ANN EVANS, 73 - died January 25 ETHEL S. WORDS, 99 - died January 25 ROSSIE WARREN BAILEY, 90 - died January 24 EUGENE (GENE) RHODES BARBOUR, 78 - died January 24 JAMES CASHUS HOLT SR., 88 - died January 24 AARON WILLIAMS JR., 77 - died January 24 WILLIAM MILLER GRAY, 73 - died January 23 RONNIE EUGENE WHITLEY, 64 - died January 23 AMY PARKER DESORMEAUX, 60 - died January 22 ANNIE MAE WELLS GUIN, 72 - died January 21 IVA MAE BROWN LEE, 92 - died January 21 EDWARD (EDDIE) JACKSON, 93 - died January 20 GREGORY LEE HAMPTON, 53 - died January 19 DOROTHY LEWIS, 88 - died January 15 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  FINAL GROUP OF SMITHFIELD HIGH'S BUS DRIVERS In 1969, the last year of Smithfield High School, students still worked as compensated drivers of school buses. They're showcased in the school's final yearbook: (left to right) first row --- June Creech, Teresa Creech, Debra Creech, Judy Barefoot, Judy Eason; second row --- Tony Pope, Jenny Sanders, Diane Blackman, Diane Boykin; third row --- Tommy Stancil, Danny Wood, Jerry Roberts, Bennie Hatcher. Accompanying the picture was this statement: "These devoted students must be of high caliber; that is, they must be responsible and alert persons. Bus passengers have nothing to fear when in the capable hands of their driver." Anyone remember how much student school-bus drivers were paid? (Photo from the SHS yearbook collection accessible online through DigitalNC) |
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LINKS TO MORE
PAGES IN THIS EDITION
OBSERVATIONS
Thank goodness for our parks! FEATURE PAGE Holt Lake memories: Sula Hansley recounts her youth in war-ravaged Berlin, Germany  |
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Johnston
County Board of Education member Tracie Zukowski
is resigning her position from the Board of
Education. Zukowski and her family will be
relocating out of Johnston County effective
January 27.
