Smithfield's
John Hobart was the
honored guest at last
Sunday's reception
celebrating the founding
of the Johnston County
Arts Council in 1972.
He's regarded as its
founder while working as
dean of students at newly
established Johnston
Technical Institute
(today's Johnston
Community College).
Appropriately, Sunday's
event was staged in the
Frank Creech Gallery at
JCC, acknowledging the
college's supporting role
in getting the Arts
Council off the ground.
The event also marked the
opening of an exhibit of
artwork by current Arts
Council board members that
will remain on display
through April 24: open
10-3 Saturdays, 3-5
Sundays.
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Johnston,
as most of N.C., rises
to "low risk" status
The
U.S. Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) for this
week the first time shows
North Carolina with NO
counties at "high risk of
illness and strain on the
health-care system"
because of COVID-19, and
only seven of the state's
100 counties with "medium"
risk (one of those is
neighboring Wayne).
Johnston and 92 other
counties are now at "low"
risk of rampant
infections, according to
the CDC.
The Johnston County Public
Health Department's
mid-week report shows why:
Just 212 new coronavirus
cases were detected here
in the past week, with
just seven Johnstonians
hospitalized as of
Wednesday because of
COVID-19.
Still, three more deaths
were recorded, while just
170 more residents joined
the ranks of those fully
vaccinated, leaving our
rate at 54% of the
county's total population
(88% of Johnstonians age
65 and older are now fully
vaccinated).
This
morning's report from
Johnston County Public
Schools showed 17
active cases among
students and just one
among staffs, up
slightly from a total of
15 last week. West
Smithfield Elementary
reported 2 cases among
its students while
Smithfield Middle School
reported 1 (same as last
week).
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 *
[got boosters] |
| JOHNSTON COUNTY |
56,578
( 56,366) |
441
(438) |
7
(12) |
112,743: 54%**
[51,274] |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
2,621,793
(2,613,901) |
23,130
(23,005) |
587
(799) |
6,454,918: 62%**
[3,230,855] |
| UNITED STATES |
79,844,751
(79,631,765) |
974,833
(968,331) |
|
217,184,868: 66%** |
| WORLDWIDE |
475,935,572
(464,084,733) |
6,105,722
(6,060,096) |
|
10,835,408,732
total doses |
* 2 doses
Moderna or Pfizer
vaccines or 1 dose
Johnson &
Johnson vaccine
** Percentage of
total population
(all ages)
Data provided
by: County
of Johnston at
5:23 p.m. March 22
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:15 p.m. March
23
Johns
Hopkins
University at
8:20 a.m. March 24 |
A
scene from County
Government's planning
retreat: On the left is
Commissioner Ted Godwin,
seated next to
Commissioner Dickie
Braswell, County Manager
Rick Hester, and County
Attorney Jennifer Slusser.
(County of Johnston
Facebook photo)
County
Commissioners debate
capital priorities
At
their two-day planning
retreat at Campbell
University last week,
Johnston's commissioners
agreed that their most
immediate priority is
funding two construction
needs: new schools and new
administrative offices for
county agencies.
Which of those two should
get the most of about $350
million likely available
for capital projects over
the next couple of years
was unresolved.
Commissioner Fred Smith
got the debate going when
he declared building a new
County Government
administrative campus at
an estimated cost of $180
million "the most
important thing facing us
today." Furthermore, he
said Johnston has "enough
schools in place today to
accommodate all students"
– if attendance districts
were adjusted to relieve
overcrowded schools.
"I'm on the opposite
side," responded
Commissioner Ted Godwin,
who said a less costly
option would be a new
office building for the
Department of Social
Services that would free
up several buildings it
presently occupies for
other county departments
in need of more space. (A
consultant's study to
provide options and costs
for relocating county
offices is "near the end,"
County Manager Rick Hester
told the board.)
Commissioners didn't get
into the details of school
construction during the
retreat, except to remind
themselves that a deadline
is looming on the size of
a school-bond referendum
to add to ballots for
November's General
Election. Recent
discussions with
school-board members have
brought forth mention of
$250 million.
During last Thursday's
opening session of the
planning retreat,
commissioners were told by
Kyle Laux of Davenport
& Company that the
county has saved about $27
million in bond-interest
expense over the past 20
years because of upgraded
credit ratings, plus
another $45 million saved
through bond refinancing
at reduced interest rates.
(Davenport has been
advising the county on
financial matters,
especially on steps to
raise its credit ratings,
since 1999.)
COMMISSIONERS
PLEDGE $1 MILLION FOR
BROADBAND EXPANSION
After hearing requests
from two service providers
at Monday's meeting, the
board agreed to contribute
up to $1 million from the
county's pot of federal
COVID-relief funds to
whichever company wins a
state grant to extend
high-speed Internet
service to rural areas of
Johnston that currently
don't have it. BrightSpeed
(taking over Lumen/Century
Link later this year) and
Charter (Spectrum)
presented proposals for
serving specific areas of
Johnston, mostly in
southern and northeastern
sections, and said they
will proceed with those
plans to some extent even
if requested grants of $4
million from the state are
not awarded.
BOARD APPOINTS
VETERINARIAN TO COUNTY
BOARD OF HEALTH
Dr. William E. Smith of
Smithfield's Willowrun
Veterinary Hospital was
appointed to fill a
vacancy on the Johnston
County Board of Health. VIEW the
complete roster>
TELECASTS
from both days of the
commissioners' planning
retreat as well as
Monday's regular meeting
of the board are on the
county's YouTube
channel>
As
the seasons change,
so do the signs in
yards
of our satisfied
customers.
www.CallPernell.com
A
new high: 100,000+
Johnstonians hold jobs
While
the unemployment rate in
Johnston County rose to
3.2% in January, the
number of Johnstonians
employed topped the
100,000 mark for the first
time, according to the
latest monthly report from
the N.C. Department of
Commerce.
The January tally shows
100,184 Johnstonians in a
total labor force of
103,548 were employed,
leaving 3,364 out of work
– resulting in a jobless
rate of 3.2%, up from a
revised rate of 2.8% in
December.
At
the height of the
coronavirus pandemic two
years ago, Johnston's
jobless rate soared to a
peak of 11% in May when the
number of employed
Johnstonians dropped to
82,005 while 10,667 were
unemployed.
Johnston's jobless rate of
3.2% in January was below
the statewide rate of 3.8%
20
teachers semi-finalists
for "Flame for Learning"
They're
in the running to be named
Johnston County's "Teacher
of the Year" by the
Triangle East Chamber of
Commerce next month. This
is the 28th year of the
"Flame for Learning"
award, a project launched
by Johnston's public
schools in cooperation
with the county's chambers
of commerce.
|
Amanda
Atoske
|
Amanda
Jackson
|
Patience
Spivey
|
On
the list of semi-finalists
are Beverly Harper and
Patience Spivey of
Smithfield Middle School,
Amanda Atoske of
Smithfield-Selma High,
Amanda Jackson of South
Smithfield Elementary, and
Kristine Gear of the
Innovation Academy at
South Campus in
Smithfield.
The other semi-finalists
are Jennifer Beninate of
Four Oaks Elementary,
LiAnn Cheong and Karen
Newhart of Riverwood
Elementary, Maria Eby of
Dixon Road Elementary,
Shannon Gibson of Pine
Level Elementary, Rachel
Hardin of West View
Elementary, Lee Hudson and
Will Marshall of West
Johnston High, Carlos
Jimenez of Selma Middle,
Gail Lawhorn of River Dell
Elementary, Melissa Pearce
of Cleveland High,
Meredith Rakowski of
Clayton High, Robin Tingle
of Thanksgiving
Elementary, Abigail Valdes
of Cooper Elementary, and
Brandy Williams of Selma
Elementary.
The award presentation is
scheduled for April 26.
Last year's winner was
Brian Jones, long-time
band director at
Smithfield-Selma High.
VISIT the
Triangle East Chamber
website for more about
the award event>
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Absentee
voting begins Monday;
early voting April 28
Important
dates from the Johnston
County Board of Elections
regarding the Primary
Election scheduled for May
17:
• Monday, March 28 –
Absentee voting by mail
begins (ends May 10).
• Friday, April 22 –
Deadline to register to
vote is 5 p.m.
• Thursday, April 28 –
First day of early voting.
VISIT the
Board of Elections
website for more
information>
Weekly
prayers for peace on
Tuesdays at the
Courthouse
Dr.
Troy Lesher-Thomas,
interim pastor of
Smithfield's First
Presbyterian Church, is
leading a weekly prayer
vigil for peace at 12:30
p.m. Tuesdays at the World
War I statue on the
grounds of the Courthouse
at Market and Second
streets. "Space will be
given for individual
prayers," he said. "The
prayers last 5-10
minutes with time
following for fellowship
or allowing people to
return to work as
desired."
Johnston
County 4-H schedules
Summer Fun programs
Registration
opens Monday (March 28)
for 11 programs for youth:
4-H Junior Master Gardener
June 13-17; Beekeeping 101
June 15; 4-H Farm to Fork
June 21-23; 4-H Horse Camp
July 11-12; Carolina
Mudcats game July 13; 4-H
Cloverbud Crafts July 14;
4-H Congress July 16-19;
Archery/Air Pellet Camp
July 21; 4-H Cloverbud
Cooking July 26-27; 4-H
Cooking in the Kitchen
July 28-29; Sewing 101
August 1-2. For more
information visit this
website>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JULIUS KENT
WIGGS, 62 – died
March 23
JOHN WILLIAM
STEARLEY, 84 – died
March 21
ALICE
WILLIAMS BYNUM
RICHARDSON, 84
– died March 20
EUGENE PERRY
RICHARDSON SR., 72 –
died March 20
TERESA
WOODARD CARTER, 63 –
died March 19
REV. WILLIAM
KENNETH THOMPSON, 92
– died March 18
DEWEY HOWARD
STEPHENSON JR., 90 –
died March 16
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Smithfield's
"Highway Man" is still
at work
Durwood
Stephenson has made a name
across the state as a
promoter of economic
development. Yet his
specialty appears to be
highways, starting with
his service some years ago
as a member of the N.C.
Board of Transportation. I
wasn't aware of his latest
official role in all that
till he invited me to
attend last week's meeting
of the I-42/US 70 Corridor
Commission that's pushing
for upgrades to U.S. 70
from the capital city to
the coast.
Not until I
arrived at the meeting
held at the Johnston
County Agricultural Center
west of town did I learn
that he's executive
director of this
organization. Not a
full-time job, he said.
But it is another feather
in his well-worn cap as an
advocate for progress in
our region.
The "breaking news" at
last week's meeting is the
official designation of
the US 70 Clayton Bypass
as well as the Goldsboro
Bypass as the first
segments of a new
Interstate highway: I-42.
As 70 is upgraded to
Interstate standards
elsewhere – like the
current project that's
replacing crossroads and
stoplights with bridges
and interchanges at
Wilson's Mills – I-42 will
take the place of today's
US 70 all the way to
Morehead City.
A puzzling footnote to
this story is a move to
re-number NC 42 through
Johnston to avoid
confusion for motorists
and first responders,
especially. The obvious
question is why did the
Federal Government have to
pick the number 42 for
this Interstate?
AASHTO is to blame, I was
told. That's the American
Association of State
Highway and Transportation
Officials who insisted on
the I-42 designation, for
some reason. What an
inconvenience for all
those folks facing an
address change along NC
42, which stretches from
Asheboro to Ahoskie and
cuts though the heart of
Johnston County's most
populous suburban
communities.
I'm relieved the
Smithfield Town Council
avoided confusion when it
named the reconstructed
portion of Booker Dairy
Road and its eastward
extension the M. Durwood
Stephenson Parkway. That
also makes me all the more
proud of my high-school
basketball teammate of six
decades ago!
 For more than 30 years the Rotary Club of Central
Johnston County
has organized
this event to
raise money for
scholarships
awarded to
deserving
graduates of
Johnston
County's high
schools as well
as students
attending
Johnston
Community
College – more
than a million
dollars' worth
since the
event's
establishment.
This year's
event will be
held FRIDAY,
APRIL 8 at
the Country Club
of Johnston
County.
If you'd like to
participate as a
supporting
sponsor or a
player, contact
Tournament Chair
Joy Callahan:
919-818-7376;
e-mail jtc93@ymail.com> |
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