There's
a whole lot of
building going on...
And
it's much more
than the huge Amazon
distribution center
presently under
construction beside
US 70 Business West (shown
above in this County of
Johnston aerial shot
taken two weeks ago).
For Smithfield and
vicinity, it's a mixture
of large government
facilities and commercial
buildings going up,
including the
Johnston County Detention
and Public Safety
complex on US. 70
Business East, Johnston
Community College's new
School of Engineering, and
yet another multi-story
hotel off Outlet Center
Drive.
On the residential side
are several
significant subdivisions
taking shape, with more on
the drawing board. In
addition, new houses
are popping up here and
there in neighborhoods old
and young throughout
the town.
PHOTOS of
some of the highlights
are on today's FEATURE
PAGE>
919-934-0153 www.CallPernell.com
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Numbers
indicate we've
passed another peak
That
appears to be the
consensus from the front
lines of the medical
community statewide. For
Johnston County this past
week, hospitalizations and
new cases reported are
both down from recent
peaks, although deaths
continue to mount
while numbers getting
fully vaccinated continue
to trail state and
national levels.
This
week's report from
the school system on
COVID-19 infections
(posted Thursday
morning)
shows 90 active
cases among students and
staff (down from 163 last
week) with 437 students
and 32 staff members
quarantined (a week
ago 665 students and
52 staff were
quarantined).
Schools with
the most students in
quarantine (Thursday
morning): Benson Middle 24,
Four Oaks Elementary 20,
Corinth Holders High and
Polenta Elementary with 19
apiece. Locally, Selma
Elementary reported 14 (down
from 25 last week),
Smithfield Middle 11
(unchanged), South
Smithfield Elementary 10
(down from 20), Wilson's
Mills Elementary 9 (up from
6), Smithfield-Selma High 8
(down from 16), and West
Smithfield Elementary 6 (up
from 2).
On the vaccination
front, the Johnstonian
News reported this
week that at least 11
employees of Johnston Health
have left their jobs rather
than get COVID shots as
required by UNC Health Care.
Johnston Health has 1,850
full-time and part-time
employees at its hospitals
in Smithfield and Clayton
plus supporting medical
clinics.
The Johnston County Public Health
Department is holding a
Pfizer vaccine
drive-thru clinic today
(Thursday) at
the BrightLeaf Flea
Market on US 301 South
until 2 p.m. First,
second, and
booster doses of the
Pfizer vaccine only are
offered free of charge.
Last week the CDC's Independent Advisory Committee on
Immunization
Practices recommended
that elderly and other
at-risk persons
get a booster
shot at least six
months after
receiving the second of
two primary doses.
Meanwhile, JCATS
(Johnston County's
public-transit system)
continues to offer free
rides to vaccination
clinics. More than
200 Johnstonians have
taken advantage of that
state-provided service
so far, reports Neal
Davis, director of
Community & Senior
Services of Johnston
County. READ MORE
on the JCATS
website>
VIEW the
current list of
vaccination clinics in
Johnston County>
VIEW the
current list of COVID
testing sites in
Johnston County>
CORONAVIRUS
weekly
measurements |
Case total
since 3-20
(last week) |
Deaths
since 3-20
(last week) |
Hospital
patients
(last week) |
Fully
vaccinated
(last week) |
| JOHNSTON COUNTY |
30,507
(29,973) |
313
(303) |
45
(65) |
94,796: 45%*
(93,185: 45%) |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
1,390,489
(1,356,985) |
16,444
(15,941) |
3,010
(3,400) |
5,564,973: 53%*
(5,491,901: 52%*) |
| UNITED STATES |
43,356,406
(42,432,561) |
695,196
(678,919) |
|
184,335,263: 56%*
(182,012,343: 55%) |
| WORLDWIDE |
233,378,202
(229,775,845) |
4,776,486
(4,712,741) |
|
6,219,646,118
total doses given |
* Percentage of total population (all
ages)
Data provided by: County
of Johnston at
5:00 p.m.
September 28
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
11:55 a.m.
September 29
Johns
Hopkins
University at
9:21 a.m.
September 30 |
August
unemployment rate here
down to 3.9%
The
N.C. Department of
Commerce reports Johnston
County's unemployment rate
declined from 4.1% in
July to 3.9% in
August as the number
of Johnstonians with jobs
rose slightly from 97,935
to 97,979 while the number
looking for work dropped
from 4,156 to 3,958. A
year ago, Johnston's
jobless rate was
6.0%. The statewide
rate last month was 4.4%.
Rates in surrounding
counties: Wake 3.7%,
Sampson 4.3%, Franklin
4.4%, Wayne 4.7%, Harnett
5.0%, Nash 5.8%, Wilson
6.4%.
Andrea Guzman-Hernandez was crowned
Homecoming Queen by last
year's queen, Kiara
Smith, during halftime
of Friday's football
game at Smithfield-Selma
High School. Senior
football player George
Brewer was named
Homecoming King.
Spartans'
Homecoming spoiled by
Hunt, 35-0
Following
a competitive first half
that left Smithfield-Selma
trailing 7-0, Wilson
County's Hunt High
Warriors came back to
score four
second-half touchdowns
to spoil the Spartans'
well-attended Homecoming
game.
The loss puts the
Spartans' season record at
2-3, including two
losses without a win
in Quad County 3A
Conference matchups.
Next up for SSS is a trip
to Wilson to face
conference-foe Fike High
at 7 p.m. Friday. Here's an
overview of the
Spartans' season from
MaxPreps>
Spartans'
soccer boys
raise their record
to 7-3-1
SSS
is in second place in the
Quad County 3A Conference
following a 3-2 victory
over Southern Wayne on
Monday. The Spartans are
3-1 in conference matches.
Wilson Fike is undefeated
at 4-0. MaxPreps has
an overview of the SSS
season>
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
School
board to meet Friday on
policy amendment
Notice of the
special meeting went out
Wednesday morning. Its sole
purpose is "to discuss and
take action on a Policy 5100
amendment." That policy has
been amended twice recently
in response to County
Commissioner Fred Smith's
insistence that local
funding for Johnston's
public schools be frozen
until the school board
adopts a policy specifically
banning the teaching of
Critical Race Theory.
Friday's meeting is
scheduled for 11 a.m. as a
virtual session with board
members participating by
means of remote electronic
devices. It will be
live-streamed at www.johnston.k12.nc.us/boelive.
Season's
final Third StrEATery
Downtown this Friday
The
last of this season's
Third StrEATery
outdoor-dining events
continues from 6 to 9
p.m. Friday on the 100
block of South Third
Street. The Legacy Motown
Revue will provide the
musical entertainment for
diners who choose to take
out meals from nearby
restaurants and eat at
tables set up on the
street. There's no charge
for admission to the
dining area.
West
Smithfield's drone
field officially
opens Saturday
The Town of
Smithfield will host a
ribbon-cutting at 12:30
p.m. followed by
drone-flying
demonstrations from 1 to 3
p.m. at its newly
fenced field at
Gertrude Johnson Park
beside US 70 Business
West. "Bring your drones
and fly with us!" reads a
flyer promoting the event.
"Licensed drone flyers
(will be on hand) to
assist you if you've never
flown a drone."
County
Commissioners to
consider school funding
Monday
That
contentious item is listed
on the agenda for the
board's 6 p.m. session at
the Courthouse following
public hearings on five
rezoning requests
involving properties in
Elevation, Pleasant Grove,
Wilson's Mills, and
Clayton townships. Back in
June commissioners put off
a decision on county
funding for Johnston's
public schools this fiscal
year until the state's
budget is settled and the
school board addresses
Critical Race Theory to
their satisfaction. VIEW the
full 6 p.m. agenda>
The agenda for the
commissioners' 10 a.m.
session on Monday includes
updates on COVID-19, the
county's Emergency Rental
Assistance Program,
and a study of
the county's solid-waste
disposal service. VIEW the
full 10 a.m. agenda>
Town
Council to get more West
Smithfield requests
Tuesday
On
the agenda for the 7 p.m.
session at Town Hall:
• Amending the town's
application for a federal
grant to upgrade sewer
infrastructure in West
Smithfield to increase the
town's contribution toward
the $3.8-million
project from $760,000
to $950,000. It's related
to job creation by the
coming of Amazon.
• Second consideration of
conditional zoning
requested for a proposed
subdivision with 143
residential units on 31.56
acres on the north side of
NC. 210 west of Skyland
Drive in West Smithfield.
• Public hearing on yet
another West Smithfield
conditional zoning request
for a proposed subdivision
with 70 residential units
on the northeast side of
West Market Street
southeast of its
intersection with Britt
Street.
• A staff request to amend
the town's
utility policy to
retain deposits from new
customers for the life of
the account. Presently,
the town refunds deposits
after 12 consecutive
months of timely payments
for residential customers,
24 months for commercial
accounts. VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday's meeting>
For sale: highly visible
commercial property
Former
Jewel Box store on its own
lot at 1699 East
Booker Dairy Road,
Smithfield with more than
30 parking spaces. Price
reduced to $569,000.
SUSAN LASSITER
Fonville
Morisey Realty
• 919-669-9235
• LassiterSusan@aol.com
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
GLORIA
SHERRON EARP, 81 –
died September 26
PATRICIA
ANNE JOHNSON WATSON, 68 –
died September 25
JOSEPH GLENN
AYCOCK JR., 77 –
died September 24
JOHNNY
FRANKLIN YOUNG, 89 –
died September 23
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM
READERS
On
vaccination resistance and
masks in schools
Here are opinions
submitted by a couple of Sun
readers, both with
Smithfield addresses:
ROSE
WHITLEY:
I
am totally shocked that
Johnston County has only a
45% rate of
residents who are
fully vaccinated (against
COVID). It is time to
get the flu shot. Do you
think this rate will be
only 45%? Please
people, take the vaccine.
LYN JOHNSON:
At
the September 14 school
board meeting, a group
decided to push the "no
mask" issue. I
suspect that many of
them are "making the
rounds" on this
protest (when you have a
stand to sell hot dogs,
it’s certainly not
spontaneous). How
many of those protestors
live/work in Johnston
County? Do they
just follow Madison
Cawthorn around?
Our school board needs
to demand that all
speakers on this issue
be Johnston County
folks, not
semi-professional agitators. They
also need to get and
rely on SCIENTIFIC
evidence about
COVID, which shows that
masks help to slow the
spread. Stop making
the COVID vaccines and
mask wearing a political
issue and treat it like
the health issue it is.
Polio is no longer found
in the US because all of
us were lined up in the
cafeteria at school for
the Salk polio shots
(and again a few years
later for the Sabin
vaccine). There
are several generations
without a
smallpox scar
because of mandatory
vaccines. (And, by the
way, George Washington
mandated that vaccine
for his troops in 1777).
A modest proposal:
if you don’t want your
child to wear a mask
while in school and on
the bus, pull them out
and home-school them –
at your own
expense! That way,
they aren’t exposed to
any ideas you don’t
personally agree with.
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