A
time to pray... for
peace!
The
Rev. Troy Lesher-Thomas (right)
has been leading a weekly
gathering for prayer
outside the Johnston
County Courthouse the past
couple of weeks on behalf
of those suffering loss of
life and loss of home
resulting from Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. The
vigil will continue every
Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
until this assault on
peace has passed. Dr.
Lesher-Thomas is the
interim pastor of
Smithfield's First
Presbyterian Church. The
prayer vigil is
non-denominational, open
to all comers.
Two
survive small-plane
crash near JNX airport
This aerial
view posted online by WRAL-TV
shows the wreckage of a
small plane that crashed
last Friday in a field not
far from the south end of
the runway at Johnston
Regional Airport (JNX).
Blue Line Aviation, the
plane's owner, said it was
being flown by "a
commercially rated
instrument instructor and
instrument-rated private
pilot." Both of them
survived the crash but
were immediately
hospitalized, and
subsequently released.
"We are so grateful to be able to say that both pilots are now at home following the accident, and are expected to make a full recovery," Blue Line wrote on its Facebook page over the weekend. "At this time we do not have new information on the cause of the accident, but will release it as it is received."
Blue Line began operations
this past year at its
brand-new flight-training
center at Johnston's
airport where it maintains
a number of planes similar
to the one that crashed.
Based in Morrisville near
the Raleigh-Durham
airport, the company said
it would create 10 jobs
initially at its Johnston
County center and more
than 150 jobs over the
next 10 years "to train
thousands of pilots for a
career in aviation."
Blue Line Aviation's
home at Johnston
Regional Airport, with a
plane similar to the one
that crashed on the
apron out front (Photo
from Blue Line's Facebook
page)
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
COVID
testing site moving to a
new place Monday
The Johnston County Public Health Department's COVID-testing site is moving from the Brightleaf Flea Market on US 302 South to 601-B North Eighth Street – next to Carolina Home Medical behind the hospital – starting the first of next week. Already in effect at the flea market, testing is now available just three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This
morning's report from
Johnston County Public
Schools showed
13 active cases among
students and 2 among
staffs, down from a
total of 18 last week.
Smithfield Middle School
and South Smithfield
Elementary report one
case apiece. No cases
reported among students
and staff at
Smithfield-Selma High,
West Smithfield
Elementary, and Wilson's
Mills Elementary.
VIEW the
school system's COVID
dashboard with data for
all schools>
VIEW the
current list of
vaccination clinics 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 |
56,662
( 56,578) |
441
(441) |
8
(7) |
112,904: 54%**
[51,609] |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
2,628,287
(2,621,793) |
23,203
(23,130) |
465
(587) |
6,463,218: 62%**
[3,252,489] |
| UNITED STATES |
80,057,322
(79,844,751) |
979,872
(974,833) |
|
217,556,439: 66%** |
| WORLDWIDE |
486,991,558
(475,935,572) |
6,139,477
(6,105,722) |
|
10,940,617,757
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
8:08 a.m. March 24
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:20 p.m. March
30
Johns
Hopkins
University at
8:20 a.m. March 31 |
Here's
the latest aerial view of
the West Smithfield
project from the Johnston
County Office of Economic
Development.
Amazon
center among top 25 N.C.
"Project Wins"
Based
on number of jobs to be
created, the Amazon
distribution center
nearing completion in West
Smithfield ranks 11th on a
list of "Project Wins"
claimed by the Economic
Development Partnership of
North Carolina (EDPNC) in
its 2021 report.
Smithfield's project gets
its high ranking from
Amazon's pledge to create
500 jobs and invest $100
million in its
620,000-square-foot
"transportation and
logistics" facility beside
US 70 Business near
Johnston Regional Airport.
Topping EDPNC's top 25
projects during the past
year is Apple's project in
neighboring Wake County
that will create 3,000
jobs with a capital
investment of more than $1
billion in the production
of computers and other
electronics. Third on the
list is another Wake
County project, by
Fujifilm Diosynth
Biotechnologies that will
create 1,750 jobs with a
capital investment of more
than $2 billion.
According
to its website, the Economic
Development Partnership of
North Carolina is "a
nonprofit organization that
aims to promote
collaboration between public
and private entities" and
provide "numerous services
to North Carolina business
owners including site
relocation, support, and
helping to get new
businesses started.
Additionally, the
partnership assists in
creating international trade
opportunities for North
Carolina and helps firms to
gain access to research,
technology, and academic
resources."
VISIT the
EDPNC website to get the
complete list of 2021 top
25 "Project Wins">
Retail
sales finished 23%
higher at the end of
2021
Continuing
a trend that held up
throughout the year in
spite of the coronavirus
pandemic, retail sales in
Johnston County reached an
all-time high during the
fourth quarter of 2021.
Total sales of
$766,390,585 during
October, November, and
December were 23% greater
than sales of $622,786,542
during the last quarter of
2020, and almost 39% above
sales of $552,730,370
during the fourth quarter
of 2019 (before the
pandemic). Not
surprisingly,
holiday-driven sales
during December 2021 hit a
high-water mark of $280.5
million to close out
another record-setting
year.
The
Johnston County Board of
Elections has posted sample
ballots on its website.
Because of various electoral
districts for federal,
state, and municipal
offices, the ballots are
tailored for individual
precincts, so you'll have to
click on a particular link
to view your ballot. Our
four precincts are numbered
PR 26 (East Smithfield),
PR27a (North Smithfield 1),
PR27b (North Smithfield 2),
and PR28 (South Smithfield).
VISIT the
county Board of Elections
website to view the
sample-ballot links>
If you're not sure which
precinct is yours, click on
this link to access the
State Board of Elections Polling Place
Locator>
SSS
Distributive Education
chapter wins state honors
Smithfield-Selma
High students won both
group and individual
recognition at the annual
N.C. DECA Career
Development Conference in
Greensboro, including an
Up and Coming Chapter
Award and a Chapter Award
Level of Extraordinary,
the highest achievement
for a school's DECA
chapter.
Individual awards went to
Jude Reece for first place
in Principles of Business
Management, Mohamed
Mohamed for third place in
Professional Selling and
Consulting, and Javier
Martinez-Tejeda for fourth
place in Marketing
Communications.
Frankie DiGiovanni and
Camryn were finalists in
Principles of Business
Management, while Michelle
Chen earned a top-scoring
exam in Restaurant and
Food Service Management.
The SSS chapter brought
home a first-place trophy
from the "quiz bowl"
competition. DECA stands
for Distributive Education
Clubs of America.
Chapter members pictured (left to right):
front row –
Michelle Chen, Sabreen
Mohamed, Dana Ayala,
Yvette Gomez, Fernanda
Ferreyra, Monserrat
Morales; middle row –
Magali Santiago, Terri
Sinclair, Karina Diaz
Coyt, Crystal Anthony,
Ayana Casado, Janada
Melvin, Brianne
Simerman, Frankie
DiGiovanni, Camryn
Lovette, Kamila
Gonzalez, Angel Fuentes
Ponce, Tatyana Cook;
back row – Stuart
Guerrero Hernandez,
Storme Harbinson
Wheeler, Jude Reece,
Javier Martinez, Hailey
Stephens, Katie Felizzi,
Mohamed Mohamed, Greer
Lee, Chloe Nelson. (Photo
from SSS)
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Basketball
benefit Saturday in
honor of a fallen
soldier
An
"Alumni Basketball Game"
to benefit the Jeffery
Isaiah David Memorial
Foundation is set for 5
p.m. this Saturday in the
former Smithfield High
School gymnasium at South
Second and Rose streets.
The featured game is
Carolina Thunder versus
Smithfield Matrix. Also
playing are the Kings of
Clayton and the Apex
Spurs. Tickets are $10. To
learn more, visit the
foundation's website>
Registration
opens Monday for SRAC's
summer activities
Weekly
Summer Camp sessions start
June 6 and continue
through August 12.
Art Camp sessions are set
for June 20-24, July
25-29, and August 15-19.
Pottery Camp sessions are
set for June 13-17, July
11-15, and August 8-12.
For details, call the
Smithfield Recreation
& Aquatics Center at
919-934-1408.
County
Commissioners get
20-year utilities plan
Monday
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will conduct
a public hearing near the
start of its 10 a.m.
Tuesday meeting at the
Courthouse on a proposed
20-Year Capital
Improvements Plan for the
county's water and sewer
systems. The board will
also receive the proposed
2022-23 budget for the
county's Juvenile Crime
Prevention Council. VIEW the
complete agenda for the
morning session>
At their 6 p.m. session,
commissioners will conduct
public hearings on
rezoning petitions
affecting properties in
Pine Level, Banner, and
Wilders townships. They
will also get an update on
progress toward a new
Comprehensive Land Use
Plan.
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
evening session>
Town
Council to consider
apartment project
Tuesday
The
Smithfield Town Council
will conduct a public
hearing on a proposed
50-unit apartment building
near the intersection of
South Bright Leaf
Boulevard and Holt Street
during its monthly meeting
at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Town
Hall. Also on the agenda
is the start of
discussions on the town's
2022-23 budget that must
be adopted before July 1.
VIEW the
complete agenda posted
on the town's
website>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
EDITOR'S
NOTE: No obituaries with
Smithfield connections
were detected this week.
Here's the list of funeral
homes, with links, that
are frequently checked:
Parrish
Funeral Home
Sanders
Funeral Home
Walter
Sanders Funeral Home
Casey
Funeral Home
Rose &
Graham Funeral Home
West &
Dunn Funeral Home
Kenly
Funeral & Cremation
Service
McLaurin
Funeral Home
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
What
to do if your Weekly
Sun isn't
"delivered"
Most
of you are receiving this
publication by e-mail
every Thursday, but every
now and then I get
inquiries from subscribers
who've missed getting
their weekly alert when a
new edition goes out.
The e-mailing service I
use – Mailchimp – is one
of two national operations
of this kind that appear
to be widely used and
highly reliable. And I'm
notified whenever one of
those 1,300-plus e-mails
sent out from here are
"bounced," which means
they couldn't be
"successfully delivered"
(usually no more than two
or three each week).
But some of you have
complained about not
receiving the e-mail even
though Mailchimp says you
got it. I have no way of
knowing that unless you
tell me.
My first advice for such
complaintants is to check
your "spam" folders.
E-mails go there from time
to time for no apparent
reason, yet Mailchimp
isn't aware of it.
So here's a backup plan to
keep you in the habit of
reading the Sun
each and every week
whether you get the e-mail
or not: Go to the website
smithfieldweeklysun.com
where you'll find the
latest edition posted by
the time the e-mail alert
is sent. Once you get
there, save the "bookmark"
and you'll always have
current access to content.
While you're at it, don't
forget the link to the Weekly
Sun archives at
the bottom of this page.
That link will take you to
a directory of past
editions including dates
and headlines to lead you
where you want to go.
The very first edition, in
case you've forgotten,
went out in January 2019,
making this the fourth
year of publication.
Thanks for reading!
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