CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Weekly
case numbers have jumped
this month
With
more folks lining up
for free tests at the
Progressive Men's Club
building on East Market
Street, Johnston
County's COVID-19 case
total has jumped sharply
since the first of
January, with an increase
of 3,417 this past week on
top of 3,462 the week
before that.
Of those 3,417 new cases
since last week's report,
2,106 are "breakthrough"
infections of persons who
had been vaccinated –
apparently a result of the
highly contagious Omicron
variant of the virus
that's sweeping the
nation. In addition,
Johnston registered 359
COVID re-infections this
past week.
COVID-related
hospitalizations among
Johnstonians have
leveled since recent
jumps. Even so, Johnston
Health announced last
weekend that it has halted
COVID testing in its
Smithfield and Clayton
emergency rooms "for those
who have no symptoms or
mild symptoms," citing
"limited resources" as the
reason for that cutback in
service.
This morning's report from Johnston County
Public Schools showed
471 active cases among
students and staff (down
slightly from last week's
494) with 1,510
students and 147 staff
members quarantined (1,527
students and 159
staff were quarantined a
week ago). Schools
with the most students in
quarantine: Polenta
Elementary 65, Four Oaks
Elementary 59, Meadow and
Selma Elementary 57, South
Johnston High
53, River Dell
Elementary and West View
Elementary 52.
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 |
44,624
(41,207) |
377
(375) |
49
(53) |
108,260: 52%*
(107,823) |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
2,147,777
(1,930,710) |
20,037
(19,763) |
4,689
(4,098) |
6,233,972: 59%*
(6,212,320) |
| UNITED STATES |
68,569,958
(63,205,421) |
857,778
(844,565) |
|
209,509,297: 64%*
(208,182,657) |
| WORLDWIDE |
338,250,666
(317,389,048) |
5,567,361
(5,515,446) |
|
9,734,033,890
total doses given |
* Percentage of total population (all
ages)
Data provided by: County
of Johnston at
8:15 a.m. January
18
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:15 p.m. January
19
Johns
Hopkins
University at
8:21 a.m. January
20 |
School-bus
delays are now being
posted online
In
response to parents
complaining about
inadequate notices as
a shortage of school-bus
drivers has disrupted
service, Johnston County
Public Schools has
launched a website with
"real time" updates on
delays or changes in
daily bus
routes. Follow this
link to take a look>
How
shall Smithfield spend
its ARPA windfall?
The
Town of Smithfield is
scheduled to get
$4,138,286 in federal
funds from
the American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) adopted by
Congress last year in
response to the
coronavirus
pandemic. Half of
that was sent out last
July 1, the rest this July
1.
Town Manager Mike Scott
requested
Tuesday's special
session of the Town
Council to get
feedback on how that money
should be spent. The
council's consensus:
Invest it
in non-recurring
capital projects
addressing issues with the
town's infrastructure.
Items on Mr. Scott's list
of choices that drew the
most favor: $450,000
for a "vac truck" (jargon
for vacuum) to
clean out sewers and
drainage pipes; $1.3
million to expand capacity
of the Neuse River intake
for the water plant;
and $1.1 million to
upgrade the electrical
substation near the water
plant (shown above)
to handle a pending change
in power
delivery from Duke
Energy.
Also on Mr. Scott's list
is a $2-million
reduction in the loan
principal for the water
plant's expansion (already
under construction).
Councilman John Dunn, an
accountant by
profession, liked
that idea after the town
manager said it would save
the town about $111,000
annually in loan payments
over the next 20 years.
Another infrastructure
concern came to light
during Tuesday's
discussion when Mr. Scott
reported that the
estimated cost of
expanding the Police
Station has gone from
$800,000 to $1,500,000
because of rising prices
for building materials.
Councilman Travis Scott
brought up the issue of
street resurfacing. "Our
roads are in really bad
shape," he said,
suggesting the town
consider means to make up
for lagging Powell
Bill allocations from the
state in recent years.
Councilman David Barbour
said sidewalks and
parks ought to be
considered in the mix for
stepped-up infrastructure
spending. He's especially
interested in plans for
developing a recently
acquired park site off NC
210 and adding sidewalks
along Wilson's Mills Road
in his West Smithfield
district.
Tuesday's discussion will
likely continue at
subsequent council
sessions as the town
manager produces more
information on specific
projects. He said the
town's ARAP money must be
spent or at least
appropriated in full by
the end of 2024.
A
changing of the guard at
the top of KS Bank
Earl Worley
Jr. (left) is the
new CEO and president of
Smithfield-based KS
Bank, succeeding Harold
Keen (right) who
has held that job since
July 1990.
Mr. Keen will continue to
serve as president and CEO
of KS Bancorp, the holding
company for KS Bank, and
also as the
bank's executive vice
chairman.
Mr. Worley has worked as
the bank's chief
operatiing officer
since 2010. From 1999 till
2010 he was chief
financial officer. His
successor as chief
operating officer is Dit
L. Breault, who also holds
the title of executive
vice president. Mr.
Breault, who has 29 years
of banking experience,
joined KS Bank last July.
Founded as Kenly Savings
& Loan Association in
1924, the firm changed its
name to Kenly Savings Bank
in 1992, then to KS Bank
in 1998 before moving its
headquarters to Smithfield
in 2003.
Campaign
targets commuters
leaving Johnston
The
good news is Johnston
County's unemployment rate
has dropped below 3%
following record-high
rates in the early months
of the coronavirus
pandemic. The not-so-good
statistic, in the eyes of
the county's economic
development director, is
an estimated 47,744
employed Johnstonians
are commuting outside
the county each and every
workday – about half the
county's
workforce, spending
just over 30 minutes, on
average, to reach their
jobs.
"We are a popular
destination for new
residents and home to an
expanding base of
industries and new jobs,
but these two very
positive trends are not
always in alignment,"
Chris Johnson wrote in a
news release promoting a
new website "designed to
connect our growing
population with exciting
employment opportunities
closer to home."
JoCoCareers.org,
he
explained, "is an
innovative, interactive
platform that directs
users to employers with
open positions in a broad
array of professional
classifications. Private
businesses, local
governments and
educational facilities are
included.
"The portal begins with a
brief survey of salary
requirements, educational
attainment levels, and
user preferences. It then
guides employment seekers
to local HR sites and,
ultimately, online job
application forms.
"Local leaders sweetened
the process by adding the
option for users to enter
their name and e-mail
address for a drawing to
receive gifts of local
products courtesy of the
Johnston County Visitors
Bureau," Mr. Johnson
noted.
LEARN MORE by
visiting GrowWithJoCo.com>
SSS
sends 30 to All County
Honors Band
Thirty
students from
Smithfield-Selma High
School performed last week
with the Johnston
County All County Honors
Band at Corinth Holders
High School. These
students prepared solos
and auditioned for this
honor in November and were
selected to
participate. The
students from
SSS: Jane Ivey
Johnson, Bryan
Guerrero, Ruthie
Nutt, Elle
Stephenson, James
Atkisson, Catherine
Cepin, Hailey
Stephens, Skylar
Rayworth, Gabe
Willis, Dylan
White, Van
Lawrence, Jude
Reece, Chris
Vega, Haley
Casper, Yaremi
Maradiaga, Violet
Eklund, Hector
Jaramillo, Marcelo
Pena, Rory
Martin, Hayden
Hudson, Corbin
Vaughan, Kaven
Peacock, Aaron
Dailey, Carter
Clever, Colby
Jones, Isaac
Sevigny, Aidan
Sevigny, Gabriela
Ramos, Joseph Evans,
and James Evans. "I
am proud of these students
for their hard work and
commitment to
musical excellence!" exclaimed
SSS band director Brian
Jones. (SSS photo)
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
County's
Land Use Steering
Committee to meet Jan. 27
The
meeting, open to the
public, is scheduled for 6
p.m. next Thursday at the
Johnston County
Agricultural Center on NC
210 west of Smithfield.
The committee is directing
a review of the county's
land-use regulations
toward recommendations for
changes to be submitted to
the County Commissioners
later this year.
Daddy-Daughter
"Royal Ball" scheduled
for Feb. 12
Smithfield's
Parks & Recreation
Department is inviting
"all princesses ages 3+"
to attend its annual
Daddy-Daughter Royal Ball
7-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
12. The cost per couple is
$45 for Smithfield
residents, $55 for
non-residents, and
$5 for each
additional daughter. You
may register at the
Recreation & Aquatics
Center or by phoning
919-934-2148.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
CAROL
STALLINGS STRICKLAND, 88 –
died January 17
TIMOTHY
SHERRILL
THOMPSON, 52 –
died January 17
TERRY JOE
GRISSOM, 59 –
died January 16
ANGELA
(ANGIE) RENEE NARRON, 53 –
died January 16
FLORINE
PETERSON TUCKER EAST, 92 –
died January 14
ALEXANDER
(AL) SNEED, 51 –
died January 14
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
What
to do about Market
Street traffic Downtown?
That
subject came up near the
end of Tuesday's
discussion of Smithfield's
infrastructure needs by
the Town Council.
Mayor Andy Moore described
the situation along Market
Street as "horrible," with
"parking on sidewalks out
of control" as motorists
pull over the curb to
guard against passing
vehicles from knocking off
side-view mirrors.
He suggested reducing the
street's lanes of travel
from four to two or
perhaps three, while
Councilman David Barbour
wondered about doing away
with parking altogether
along Market in the heart
of Downtown.
What makes the situation
"horrible" is the street's
function as busy US
70 Business through town
that's dominated by
speeding
motorists unchecked
by stoplights that stay
green most of the time.
What Market Street needs,
first and foremost, is a
little "traffic calming" –
a term for things like
boldly marked crosswalks
with roughened surfaces
and traffic signals that
force through traffic to
stop more often.
Sarah Edwards of the
Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation
told the council that her
board of directors is
going to work on a new
Master Plan that will
address the traffic and
parking situations and
offer options for making
things better.
Let's hope that gets the
job done.
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