Two
county officials under
investigation
Commissioner Dickie Braswell faces
criminal charge;
Ronald Johnson
considered giving up
school-board seat
Two weeks
ago the Johnston County
Sheriff's Department
announced the arrest of
County Commissioner Dickie
Braswell on a charge of
taking indecent liberties
with a 13-year-old girl.
Last week the Smithfield
Police Department put
Detective Ronald Johnson
on administrative leave
while conducting "an
internal investigation"
into a matter yet to be
identified.
Following
that announcement, Mr.
Johnson said he would
resign from the Johnston
County Board of Education
at the end of this week,
but on Wednesday said he
had changed his mind and
would remain on the board.
Chief of Police Keith
Powell initially said Mr.
Johnson had been placed on
leave with pay but said
this week his leave is now
without pay.
In the meantime, no
further details have been
provided about either
case.
Commissioner Braswell,
appointed to the county
board last year to fill a
vacancy, has made no
comment about his future
status as an elected
official. He is currently
running unopposed for
election to a full
four-year term as the
board's representative
from a district that
extends from Princeton to
Bentonville to Four Oaks.
Mr. Johnson has been
serving on the school
board since 2016 and is
not up for re-election
again until 2024. He has
worked as a Smithfield
police officer for 17
years.
He issued a
statement Wednesday
about his situation to the JoCo
Report>
Leo
Daughtry named to N.C.
transportation board
Smithfield
attorney Leo Daughtry has
resigned from the UNC
Board of Governors with
three years left on his
term to accept appointment
by the N.C. General
Assembly to the state's
Board of Transportation.
His term on that board, as
an at-large rather than
district member, continues
till June 30, 2026.
What will be his focus? "I
hope to improve the roads
in our fast-growing
county," he replied to an
inquiry from the
Weekly Sun. "It
seems that we are
beginning to have more
traffic than we can
handle."
Mr. Daughtry was a
long-time Republican
leader in the General
Assembly, first serving as
a senator from 1989 till
1993, then as a
representative till he
decided not to seek
re-election in 2016. He
served as House Majority
Leader in the mid-1990s
and ran for Governor in
2000.
In reporting his
appointment to the
bipartisan Board of
Transportation, Business
North Carolina
pointed out that Mr.
Daughtry "recently was a
vocal critic of the
Legislature’s mandate that
UNC System headquarters
move from Chapel Hill to
Raleigh." The magazine
noted that he and fellow
UNC board members Art Pope
and John Fraley
"criticized the cost and
lack of public discussion
of the move from UNC’s
traditional base in Chapel
Hill. But state lawmakers
say the combined office
can lead to better
coordination among
agencies."
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County
to cover cost of first
year's tuition at JCC
Johnston's
County Commissioners have
funded a new initiative that
will cover the cost of
tuition at Johnston
Community College during the
2022-23 school year for 2022
graduates of North Carolina
high schools.
The recently adopted county
budget provides $250,000 for
the JoCo Commissioners
Promise Program that will
bridge the gap for any
tuition not covered by the
Longleaf Commitment Grant,
federal Pell grants, or
other state funds. Students
will be responsible for the
costs of textbooks,
supplies, and
program-specific fees.
To qualify, students who
meet eligibility
requirements must apply to
JCC and fill out FAFSA (Free
Application for Federal
Student Aid) forms.
Registration for the
college's fall semester ends
August 12. For more details
and a link to the
application process, visit https://www.johnstoncc.edu/jocopromiseprogram>
Town
adds police officer with
master's degree
Jenyssa
Louise Cooper, a former
probation officer and
correctional officer with
the N.C. Department of
Public Safety, took her
oath of office at
Tuesday's monthly meeting
of the Smithfield Town
Council.
She fills one of half a
dozen vacancies on the
town's police force
following the recent
retirement of Captain Ryan
Sheppard.
Ms. Cooper holds both a
bachelor's degree from
Mercy College and a
master's degree from
Walden University, both in
the study of criminal
justice.
(Town of Smithfield
photo of Officer Cooper
with Chief of Police
Keith Powell)
Also at Tuesday's meeting,
the council approved
purchasing four new
vehicles for the Police
Department. The town is
paying $138,944 ($34,736
each) for Ford Explorer
SUVs, which Chief Keith
Powell said is the only
model of police vehicle
currently available
through a state contract
with Performance
Automotive of Clinton.
Meanwhile, Chief Powell's
monthly report to the
council showed an increase
in "calls for service" by
the Police Department
through May – from 8,596
last year to 9,926 this
year. The largest increase
by category has been for
speeding violations.
Council OKs "betterment" funds for new I-95
interchange
The
council approved an
expenditure of $12,000 to
cover the expense of new
traffic-signal poles
painted black instead of
"industrial gray" as part
of a state project to
rebuild the interchange of
I-95 and East Market
Street (US 70 Business).
Town Manager Mike Scott
said $15,000 in
"betterment" funds had
been budgeted for the
project with an
expectation that the town
would have to pay for a
sidewalk on the south side
of Market Street west of
I-95. The N.C. Department
of Transportation now says
it will cover the cost of
the sidewalk's
construction, he told the
council.
Mr. Scott recommended the
black-paint option to
match utility poles
already in place along the
Market Street entrance to
town. NCDOT's schedule
calls for the project's
contract to be awarded in
October 2023.
Crumbling drainage gutters on Stevens Street
to be replaced
The
council approved a
contract with low bidder
James Paul Edwards Inc. to
replace deteriorating
valley-type gutters where
Stevens Street intersects
with First and Second
streets in South
Smithfield. Cost of the
work totals $17,664.
Permits
issued for three
organizations' special
events.
The council approved
permits for three upcoming
events on public
properties:
• TrueVine Apostolic
Ministries will host a
"Youth Jubilee" in the 700
block of East Smithfield's
Second Avenue from noon
till 4 p.m. this Saturday
(July 16).
• The Partnership for
Children of Johnston
County will host a "Rootle
Roadster" event at
Smith-Collins Park from 10
a.m. till 1 p.m. Saturday,
July 23.
• The SSS Robotics Booster
Club will hold a
"FoxChalk" fund-raising
event on a closed portion
of Third Street Downtown
from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.
September 10.
Public
Library ends fines for
overdue materials
On
July 1 the Public Library
of Johnston County and
Smithfield became “fine
free.” That means patrons
will no longer be charged
fees for overdue
materials. In addition,
the library has erased all
past-due fines on patron
accounts.
"The change is a part of
an institutional movement
from libraries state and
nationwide that have been
guided by the
recommendations of the
American Library
Association in an effort
to increase free public
access to library
services," explained PLJCS
Director Johnnie Pippin.
“We want to remove
barriers and make library
access easier, equitable,
and enjoyable for the
residents of Johnston
County – not block
individuals from utilizing
the library.
"This initiative is about
focusing on recovery of
our materials, not
charging punitive monetary
fines," he added. "The
hope is that anyone who
stopped using our
wonderful library will
come back and take
advantage of our great
services."
Borrowed material will
continue to have due
dates, and patrons will
receive notices when their
materials are due to be
returned, Mr. Pippin said,
and "there will be the
added measure of two
automatic renewals if
there are no holds."
Located in the heart of
Downtown Smithfield at
Market and Third streets,
the library is open 9-5:30
Monday-Wednesday &
Friday, 9-7:30 Thursday,
and 9-1 Saturday.
Central
Johnston Rotary's
leaders for 2022-23
Beth
Watson is the new
president, succeeding John
Parrish (left)
who was named "Rotarian of
the Year" for his work
leading the club "back to
life" following the
outbreak of the COVID-19
pandemic two years ago.
With them is
President-Elect Jamie
Stanley, who's scheduled
to succeed Mrs. Watson
next July.
Johnston
hospitals earn honors
for stroke care
UNC Health
Johnston has received the
American Heart
Association’s "Get With
The Guidelines" GoldPlus
award for ensuring stroke
patients receive the most
appropriate treatment
according to nationally
recognized, research-based
standards.
Johnston also received the
Heart Association’s
Target: Stroke Elite award
for meeting specific
criteria that reduce the
time between an eligible
patient’s arrival at the
hospital and treatment
with the clot-buster
alteplase.
In addition, UNC Health
Johnston received the
national association’s
Target: Type 2 Honor Roll
award for ensuring
patients with Type 2
diabetes who might be at
higher risk for
complications receive the
most up-to-date,
evidence-based care when
hospitalized due to
stroke.
Stroke, the No. 5 cause of
death and a leading cause
of disability in the U.S.,
occurs when a blood vessel
that carries oxygen and
nutrients to the brain is
either blocked by a clot
or bursts. When that
happens, part of the brain
cannot get the blood and
oxygen it needs, so brain
cells die. Early stroke
detection and treatment
are key to improving
survival, minimizing
disability and
accelerating recovery
times.
UNC Health Johnston
operates what was formerly
Johnston Memorial Hospital
at Smithfield and a newer
hospital at Clayton.
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
County Commissioners
will meet twice on
Monday
Since
the board didn't hold its
regular
first-Monday-of-the-month
session on the Fourth of
July, two sessions are
scheduled this coming
Monday in the
commissioners' meeting
room at the Courthouse:
• At the 10 a.m. session,
the board will conduct a
public hearing on a
resolution authorizing a
$177-million school-bond
issue to be placed on the
ballot for this November's
General Election (the
resolution does not
specify projects to be
funded if the bond issue
is approved by voters).
Also at the morning
session, commissioners
will get an update on a
Recreation Master Plan
that's in the making and
will receive the annual
report from the county's
Child Fatality Prevention
Team.
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
10 a.m. session>
• At the 6 p.m. session,
the board will conduct
public hearings on four
land-use rezoning requests
– three in Cleveland
Township, one in O'Neals
Township. Two of the
Cleveland requests involve
plans for large
residential subdivisions.
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
6 p.m. session>
This
Friday's Third StrEATery
will feature Latin Jazz
Downtown
Smithfield's monthly
outdoor dining event
continues from 6 to 9 p.m.
along the 100 block of
South Third Street (closed
to vehicular traffic for
the duration), this month
featuring the La Fiesta
Latin Jazz Quintet.
There's no admission
charge for patrons of
nearby restaurants to
bring their meals to
tables set up along the
street. Complementing the
music are games set up for
the youngsters.
Fun
in the Park planned at
Smith-Collins this
Saturday
The event at Smith-Collins Park will continue from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. offering free food, games, and music. Its sponsors are the East Smithfield Improvement Organization, the Smithfield Police Department, and the town's Parks and Recreation Department.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This
week's list covers the
past two weeks
since the Sun wasn't
published last Thursday.)
EVERETT
SHERRILL THOMPSON, 86
– died July 12
SARAH LEE
CARTER RIED, 66 –
died July 11
JOSEPH
HAROLD ADAMS, 76 –
died July 6
JAMES MONROE
DUNN, 58 – died July
6
JAMES THOMAS
SULLIVAN, 64 – died
July 6
ELIZABETH
KING KEENE, 82 –
died July 3
ELI MASON
PARRISH (INFANT) –
died July 2
GERALDINE
(GERRY) LOIS JOHNSON
McARDLE, 90 – died
July 1
CHARLES
ANDREW (ANDY) CREECH, 82
– died June 30
CAROL FAYE
HEATH ENNIS, 66 –
died June 30
SADIE LAMM
TEDDER, 88 – died
June 30
MARK LEE
JONES, 65 – died
June 29
HENRY COY
SANDERS, 77 – died
June 27
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
About
Frank Daniels Jr. and The
Smithfield Herald
I
cannot let the passing of
The News and Observer's
Frank Daniels Jr. go by
without adding my personal
note of gratitude for what
he meant to the newspaper
industry in our region,
and to The Smithfield
Herald in
particular. (He died June
30 at age 90.)
When my family agreed to
sell the Herald to the
N&O in 1980, Frank and
his team from the get-go
gave us great support in
making sure our
community's newspaper
would continue to thrive
and, beyond that, expand
its service to the
citizens of Johnston
County.
As the number of Herald
subscribers and
advertisers rose along
with Johnston's surge in
population, we were able
to enlarge our news staff
and increase the Herald's
content to three sections
of the paper on Tuesdays
and four on Fridays! At
one point in the early
1990s we were on the verge
of adding a third weekly
edition.
One of the best things the
Daniels family did for us
was providing staff to set
up a distribution system
where we could deliver the
Herald to all of our
subscribers anywhere in
Johnston County on Tuesday
and Friday afternoons
rather than put those
papers in the mail for
delivery "out in the
country" a day later.
We were part of the
N&O's close-knit
corporate family that
included several other
excellent community papers
besides the Herald,
including the Waynesville
Mountaineer, The
Cary News, combined
papers at nearby Wendell
and Zebulon, plus a couple
of larger operations at
Beaufort-Hilton Head and
Rock Hill, S.C.
Those were the best of
times for the newspaper
industry around here, and
Frank Daniels was a big
reason for our success.
The recent demise of The
News and Observer
as we once knew it along
with the unthinkable
obliteration of The
Smithfield Herald
and other nearby weeklies
didn't take place on Frank
Daniels's watch. That
happened after his family
sold all its newspaper
holdings to California's
McClatchy Company, which
subsequently undertook an
overly aggressive
expansion across the
nation that led to
bankruptcy in the wake of
the "Great Recession" of
2007-2009.
After the N&O's sale
to McClatchy, Frank
Daniels and several of his
associates purchased The
Pilot in Southern
Pines and today that
award-winning publishing
company is flourishing
with a twice-weekly
newspaper for Moore County
along with several state
and regional magazines
augmented by a number of
online publications upon
which the Smithfield
Weekly Sun is
modeled.
If only those guys had
somehow been able to add The
Smithfield Herald
to that mix, I believe
we'd still have that
first-rate newspaper this
community sorely needs
now.
–
Wingate Lassiter,
editor & publisher
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