CORONAVIRUS REPORT
20,000
children eligible for
vaccinations here
That
estimate came from
Dr. Marilyn Pearson, the
county's public-health
director, during
her monthly COVID-19
report to the County
Commissioners on Monday.
On Tuesday the Food
and Drug Administration and
the Centers for Disease
Control authorized and
recommended the Pfizer
vaccine for children ages
5-11.
As a result, Johnston's
Public Health Department
began offering
COVID vaccines for
anyone five years of
age and older this morning
(Thursday) as part of its
ongoing weekday clinics at
the department's
headquarters next door to
the hospital on North Bright
Leaf Boulevard. No
appointments are necessary
for the shots, which are
administered free of charge
regardless of one's
insurance or immigration
status.
In addition, this Saturday
the Health Department will
host a COVID vaccination
clinic specifically for
anyone 5-18 years old –
from 9 a.m. until 2
p.m. Smithfield's Celtic
Creamery will be on site
selling ice cream, the
county announced.
In her report to
commissioners, Dr. Pearson
said Johnston's COVID
caseload per 100,000
residents is down to 134 –
much better than the number
a month ago. But she added
that the goal is to get that
number down to 10 per
100,000.
"We are still, of course, in
a pandemic stage," she said,
"but I'm hoping that
eventually we will get to an
endemic stage, like flu, so
we can manage this and it
doesn't cause so much
disruption to all our
lives."
This
week's report from
the school system
(posted this morning) showed 68
active cases among
students and staff (down
slightly from 72 last
week) with
219 students and
7 staff members
quarantined (228 students
and 8 staff were
quarantined a week ago).
Schools with the most
students in quarantine (as
of this morning):
Corinth-Holders Elementary
17, McGee's Crossroads
Elementary 16, Princeton
Middle/High 15, Riverwood
Elementary 14, Corinth
Holders High 13, Princeton
Elementary and Wilson's
Mills Elementary with 10
apiece.
VIEW the
school system's COVID
dashboard with data for
all schools>
VIEW the
current list of
vaccination clinics in
Johnston County>
VIEW the
current list of 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 |
32,324
(32,104) |
345
(339) |
31
(28) |
101,181: 48%*
(100,485: 48%) |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
1,485,455
(1,472,655) |
18,191
(17,935) |
1,193
(1,406) |
5,839,740: 56%*
(5,796,977: 55*) |
| UNITED STATES |
46,253,631
(45,705,087) |
750,431
(741,242) |
|
192,931,486: 59%*
(190,990,750: 58%) |
| WORLDWIDE |
248,243,646
(245,279,357) |
5,024,725
(4,975,680) |
|
7,141,675,382
total doses given |
* Percentage of total population (all
ages)
Data provided by: County
of Johnston at
9:40 a.m. November
3
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:20 p.m.
November 3
Johns
Hopkins
University at
8:22 a.m. November
4 |
Unemployment
rate drops to 3.3% in
Johnston
That's
the lowest monthly rate
since the pandemic set us
back a year and a half
ago. According to
September's employment
report from the N.C.
Department of Commerce,
the number of Johnstonians
holding jobs rose from
97,979 in August to 98,634
while the number
unemployed dropped from
3,958 to 3,357. Johnston's
jobless rate in September
2020 was 6.2%. Because of
COVID-19's impact on the
economy, the rate jumped
from 4.0% in March 2020 to
a pandemic peak of 11% two
months later.
Hospital
gets Gold Seal for
treatment of strokes
Story
from Johnston Health
Johnston
Health has earned The Joint
Commission’s Gold Seal of
Approval and the American
Stroke Association’s
Heart-Check mark for Primary
Stroke Certification.
Johnston
Health underwent a
rigorous onsite review on
August 6. During the
visit, a pair of Joint
Commission reviewers
evaluated compliance with
related certification
standards including
program management and
delivering and
facilitating clinical
care. The reviewers also
conducted on-site
observations and
interviews.
Tom
Williams, CEO and
president of Johnston
Health, said several teams
within the hospital worked
together for more than
five years to put into
place the many processes
needed to treat stroke.
Highlights along the way
included implementing
tele-stroke, administering
the “clot-busting”
medicine tPA at the
bedside, and fine-tuning
the Code Stroke process.
A
breakthrough project for
industrial recruiting
County's first "spec"
building for a
biotech plant on US 70
Business
Chris
Johnson, the County of
Johnston's economic
development director, told
the County Commissioners
Monday that Johnston has
"turned away" more than
60 industrial
prospects over the past
couple of years because we
lacked a suitable vacant
building in place to
accommodate their
manufacturing needs.
The lack of so-called
"spec," or "speculation,"
structures here has given
neighboring counties that
provide them a leg up on
Johnston's recruiting
efforts, Mr. Johnson has
said time and again since
he began work for the
county eight years ago.
That changed Monday when
commissioners approved the
first project under
Johnston's new Speculative
Building Assistance
Program.
AdvanceTEC, a manufacturer
of "clean rooms" used by
pharmaceutical companies
like Novo Nordisk and
Grifols at Clayton, has
agreed to construct a
"spec" building on US 70
Business between
Smithfield and Clayton
that will house its
operations and provide
space for additional
industrial recruits.
The county will make that
happen with a commitment
to lease the extra space
from AdvanceTEC up to two
years at $11,481 a month.
If a prospect is recruited
before that time is
up, the county will be
"off the hook" for the
remaining payments.
AdvanceTEC pledges to
invest at least $10
million and create at
least 20 jobs paying
salaries averaging at
least $100,000 at its new
plant here. If those goals
are met, the county will
rebate 50% of property
taxes collected on the new
facility over a five-year
period, according to
a second agreement
approved by commissioners
Monday.
The AdvanceTEC building is
planned for a 12-acre site
on the north side of US 70
Business near Saint
Ann Catholic Church.
The
Johnston County Economic
Development Office
provided this photo of the
AdvanceTEC executive team:
(left to right) Drew
Fisher, director of
operations
South who will manage the
facility here; John
Burton, the company's
founder; Gene Taylor,
director of integration;
Bryan Phelan, manager
partner and director of
customers; and Ted
Schaper, director of
operations North.
More
than 800 have received
rental assistance from
county
Finance
Director Chad McLamb
reported to the County
Commissioners Monday that
825 households so far have
received payments from the
Emergency Rental
Assistance Program funded
by the Federal
Government's
coronavirus-relief
package. The total
distributed so far exceeds
$2.6 million, he added.
The amount of funding
still available for
assistance to qualifying
households here exceeds
$10 million. Get more
information about the
program>
Commissioners
award contract for new
sewage plant
Low-bidder
Adams Robinson Enterprises
of Dayton, Ohio will
construct the facility on
county-owned land off NC
210 near the landfill. Of
the $ 83.5-million project
budget, $68,754,000 is for
the construction contract,
with the balance allocated
for engineering,
oversight, contingencies,
and other expenses. The
new plant will eventually
replace the county's
treatment facility on the
Neuse River at Smithfield
that was temporarily put
out of commission by
Hurricane Matthew's
flooding in September
2016. The new facility's
construction will be
financed by a state
loan offered to the
county at an interest rate
of 1.1% over 20 years.
Applicants
sought for Chairman
Stewart's replacement
The
County Commissioners set a
deadline of 5 p.m. next
Monday for residents of
Chairman Chad Stewart's
district to apply for
appointment by the rest of
the board to fill the
remaining 12 months of his
current term after he
gives up his seat November
30 to accept a job as
manager of Johnston
County's Alcoholic
Beverage Control system.
Mr. Stewart's district
covers southeastern
Johnston, extending from
Four Oaks to Bentonville
to Brogden to Princeton.
Commissioners will consult
with leaders of Johnston's
Republican Party regarding
the appointment since Mr.
Stewart was elected as a
registered Republican and
his successor must follow
suit.
VIEW map
showing the residential
districts for
commissioners>
OPEN
instructions for
applying for the pending
board vacancy>
SSS beats East Wake 44-25 for season's 7th
win
Five
consecutive victories for
Smithfield-Selma's
football Spartans produced
the best regular-season
record in many years for
SSS: 7-3 overall, 5-2 in
the first year of play in
the new Quad County 3-A
Conference that resulted
in a three-way tie for
second place with South
Johnston and Wilson Fike.
Clevonte Watson scored
four of the Spartans' six
touchdowns against East
Wake last Friday:
three rushing and another
on a pass reception
from George Brewer.
Brandon Perry and Joshua
Hightower also had TD
runs.
Leading the charge on
defense were
Hightower with 10 tackles
and Jaylen Stancil with 8.
The Spartans intercepted
three East Wake passes –
one apiece for Isaiah
Dawson, Michael
Thompson, and Perry.
This is the second season
for SSS head coach Deron
Donald. The Spartans won
two games and lost five in
last spring's
COVID-shortened campaign
and haven't won as many as
seven games in a season
since 2008.
Spartans
will host rival South
Johnston in playoff
opener
South
Johnston defeated SSS by a
touchdown, 21-14, when the
two conference foes met
here back on Sept. 17 And
even though the Spartans
and Trojans tied for
second place in the
conference and South
finished with a season
record of 8-2,
Smithfield-Selma got a
higher seeding in the
state 3-A playoffs and
will host the Trojans for
a second time at 7 p.m.
Friday at Charles Tucker
Stadium.
Tickets to
the game may be
purchased in advance
online>
Neuse Charter girls to play for 1-A
volleyball title
The Cougars
won their 26th match of
the season on Tuesday to
advance to the state 1-A
championship showdown this
Saturday against Union
Academy of Monroe. Game
time is 6:30 p.m. at
Raleigh's
venerable Reynolds
Coliseum.
Union
has a season's record of
28 wins and
two losses. Neuse
Charter also has just two
losses and finished 10-0
in the Carolina 1-A
Conference.
REVIEW the
Cougars' season along
with the team's roster
on MaxPreps>
October
turned out to be
wetter than normal
October brought a
bountiful 6.15 inches of
rainfall to Smithfield on
the heels of a relatively
dry September, bringing the
total for the first 10
months of 2021 to 50.74
inches – an amount just
above our average rainfall
of almost 48 inches. Still,
we're not likely to catch up
with 2020's total, which
reached 76.2 inches. Our
monthly report comes from
Cornell Cox's Backyard
Weather Station in South
Smithfield.
A visit to Holt Lake's shore late Monday
afternoon captured this autumnal spectacle.
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Touch-A-Truck
for youngsters this
Saturday Downtown
The Junior
Women's League of
Smithfield will host its
sixth annual Touch-A-Truck
event on Saturday, when
children will have an
opportunity to climb in
and explore big rigs,
emergency vehicles,
construction equipment,
and other machines set up
in the 200 block of South
Third Street Downtown from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission
is free, with a $5
charge for passes to
the Ford Companies
Playland.
Standard Time returns Sunday: Turn
back your clocks
The
first Sunday in November,
coming as late as it can
this year, is set by
Congress as the return to
Standard Time in most
states including North
Carolina. Daylight Saving
Time will return the
second Sunday
in March 2022.
School
board's monthly meeting
scheduled next Tuesday
The Johnston
County Board of Education
will convene in the Simpson
Building on US 70 Business
east of Smithfield at 4 p.m.
for a closed session, with
its open session scheduled
to start at 5 p.m. VIEW the
agenda once it's
posted>
Smithfield
Council to get options
Tuesday for
redistricting
The council
will meet at 7 p.m. at Town
Hall. On the agenda is a
decision on
how Smithfield's four
districts for electing
council members will be
redrawn in light of results
from the 2020 Census. That
must be settled no later
than November 17 to
permit the filing period to
open in December for four
council seats to be filled
by an election delayed from
this week till next March
because Census results
weren't available in time
for candidates to sign
up earlier this year.
A map of Smithfield's current electoral
districts is posted on
the Johnston County
Board of Elections
website>
Other
items on the agenda for
Tuesday's council session
include public hearings on
a proposed six-unit
townhouse project at the
intersection of West
Market and Britt streets,
Phase 2 of a single-family
subdivision northeast of
East Johnston and South
Sixth streets, and new
landscaping requirements
for future single-family
and townhouse
developments. The council
will be asked to rename
South Avenue as "Dr. CJ
Allen Avenue" in honor of
the long-standing pastor
of Mount Zion Church of
Deliverance and to
create a new town position
of fire marshal "to
provide building
inspections and plan
reviews for all new and
existing structures,"
reads a memo from Fire
Chief Michael Brown.
VIEW the
complete agenda posted
on the town's
website>
Veterans
Day observance at SSS
will be virtual again
As was done last
year because of the
coronavirus pandemic,
Johnston County Public
Schools will conduct the
annual Veterans Day
celebration at
Smithfield-Selma High School
online on the school
system's Facebook
and YouTube
pages. The 11 a.m. program
next Thursday will
feature remarks by Johnston
County native Pascual
Goicoechea, a native of Cuba
who came to the United
States and served as an
officer in the United States
Army for 33 years, retiring
in 2010 as chief of
operations at Fort Bragg.
Following the online event,
veterans are invited to SSS
between noon and 2 p.m. to
receive a free curbside meal
and a commemorative pin.
Veterans
Day fireworks
planned at
Community Park
Smithfield's Parks
& Recreation Department
will host a Veterans Day
celebration at the park from
4:30 to 7:30 p.m. next
Thursday, capped off
with a fireworks display.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
TIMOTHY PAUL
PEACOCK, 65 –
died November 2
KENNETH
McKINLEY WILLIAMS,
63 –
died November 1
PEGGY
THORNTON LASSITER, 88 –
died October 31
ODESSA
DUNCAN BARBOUR, 92 –
died October 28
KEITH LLOYD
SLOCUM, 79 –
died October 28
WILLIAM
KEVIN SMITH, 56 –
died October 27
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Will
county respond to calls
for slower growth?
Reporting
on work done so far toward
updating Johnston's Land
Use Plan, County Planning
Director Braston Newton
told county commissioners
this week something they
already knew:
Of more than 2,200
responses from a recent
survey, Johnston's
citizens "overwhelmingly
say we've grown too
quickly," he said.
Moreover, protection of
forests and farmland
ranked No. 1 among
concerns about the course
of Johnston's rapid
suburban development, Mr.
Newton reported.
Regarding residential
growth in particular, a
"pretty large number" of
survey respondents want
County Government to
"discourage apartments,"
he noted. Working against
that sentiment, he
continued, is the fact
that housing prices over
the past five years have
gone up twice as fast as
wages.
Mr. Newton presented
population projections for
Johnston County from two
government
agencies: The U.S.
Census Bureau forecasts
growth from 2020's 215,999
to 230,444 in 2040 – an
increase of 10%,
while the state's
Office of Management and
Budget projects 309,989 in
2040 – an increase of 48%
over the next 20 years.
"It's too small,"
exclaimed Commissioner
Fred Smith, citing a
recent upsurge in building
permits here that portends
more residents than the
state's bullish forecast.
Who believes Johnston's
growth will
slow significantly
from the 47,121 increase
in population from
2010 to 2020 – the third
consecutive decade of
gains of that
magnitude (since
1990, when I-40 was
completed into Johnston
from Raleigh).
Whatever commissioners
decide to include in the
updated Land Use Plan,
it's not likely they'll
build a dam against the
market forces pushing more
folks our way.
Fall
colors are just now
reaching the trees of
Smithfield.
Here's a brilliant example
photographed Wednesday
afternoon
at the corner of South
Second and Davis streets:
If
you're not a subscriber and
want to be
alerted each Thursday
when a new edition
of the Smithfield
Weekly Sun is
published, send your
name and e-mail address
to wingate.lassiter@nc.rr.com and
I'll add you to the list
(at no cost).
Subscribers to
this edition: 1,311
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
Rewind
through the Weekly Sun's
Archives
