Rebuilding of Town
Commons amphitheater has
begun
The
old railroad-tie seating
is gone, and a new
concrete base for better
seating was taking shape
this week at the Neuse
River Amphitheater below
Front Street. Balfour
Beatty Construction of
Raleigh won the
reconstruction contract at a
cost not to exceed $989,500,
the amount of a state grant
awarded to the town by the
2021 session of the N.C.
General Assembly. The old
stage will soon come down to
make way for a new structure
in its place. Will it be
ready in time for Ham &
Yam May 6?
EMS
will give local
hospitals priority for
strokes
Story from UNC Health Johnston
Starting
March 1, the Johnston County
Emergency Services EMS
Division will begin using
UNC Health Johnston as a
primary stroke center,
giving patients experiencing
stroke symptoms the option
of being transported locally
to receive care.
In changing its protocols,
Josh Holloman, deputy
director of Emergency
Services, said his agency
reviewed more than two years
of stroke data from Johnston
County.
"We are pleased with the
results and the excellent
care provided by the
hospitals in Smithfield and
Clayton," he said. "Johnston
has proven itself by being
recognized as a primary
stroke center as well as
earning the American Heart
Association's GoldPlus award
for stroke care."
Carolyn Ellis, director of
cardiac services at
Johnston, said the hospitals
are already treating stroke
patients who arrive by
personal vehicle as well as
those who have stroke
symptoms during their
hospitalization. "Instead of
bypassing us for a
tertiary-care hospital, EMS
will now bring their
patients here," she said.
"With stroke, time is
brain," she emphasized.
"From the start of symptoms,
we have a
four-and-a-half-hour window
in which to administer a
clot-dissolving medication
to restore blood flow to
brain regions." The
medication can reduce the
severity of stroke and
reverse some side effects.
"It can be the difference
between life and death or a
long-term injury," Ms. Ellis
said.
If patients need an advanced
procedure, such as surgery
for a brain blockage, the
hospital can transport to
UNC Health Rex (in Raleigh),
Ms. Ellis noted. "We work
with Rex to do the more
comprehensive procedures we
can’t do here."
UNC Health Johnston earned
primary stroke certification
in October 2021. Since then,
the Smithfield and Clayton
hospitals have worked
diligently to shorten
treatment times.
Johnston
has 8 more nationally
certified teachers
They
were recognized at last
week's meeting of the
Johnston County Board of
Education along with 29
others who recently
achieved recertification.
None of the newly
certified teachers are
associated with
Smithfield-area schools,
according to staff
directories posted on the
school system's website.
The list of Johnston
County's newly certified
and re-certified National
Board teachers can be
found within the
archived agenda for last
week's school board
meeting>
The News &
Observer reports
that North Carolina leads
the nation with 23,858
teachers who've completed
the certification process
administered by the
National Board for
Professional Teaching
Standards. Apparently a
big reason is that the
State of North Carolina
boosts a teacher's pay by
12% with National Board
certification. Also, the
state offers low-interest
loans to help teachers
meet the $1,900 cost of
attaining certification,
the N&O noted.
Here's
an update on beleaguered
school-bus operations
Johnston's
Board of Education got a
staff report at last
week's monthly meeting on
the status of school-bus
operations, which continue
to be hampered by a
shortage of drivers and
complaints about
overworked employees
driving buses beyond their
normal duties.
Assistant Principal David
Pearce said Johnston
County Public Schools has
almost doubled the number
of employees hired as
"drivers only" – from 83
last spring to 152 now.
But that's less than half
the 325 drivers he said
the system needs to
eliminate "dual
employment" that relies on
teacher assistants,
primarily, to work extra
hours to drive the buses –
some on both morning and
afternoon routes.
Dr. Pearce said JCPS
continues to make progress
in recruiting more
drivers, with 39 enrolled
in required N.C. Division
of Motor Vehicles classes
in January, 37 prospects
awaiting their "behind the
wheel" training, and 136
applicants awaiting
enrollment in the DMV
classes.
Last year's action by
school board to raise
drivers' pay to $17.50 an
hour has helped with
recruitment, he said, but
that's still "not up to
the market" for jobs in
the region that require a
Commercial Driver's
License.
The school board's Finance
Committee met last Friday
to see what more could be
done. "We are looking
into an aggressive
approach to increase pay
as well as possibly
changing pay dates for
classified staff to
better serve our
employees as well as
hopefully increasing the
number of employees for
bus transportation,"
Mike Wooten, the
committee's chairman,
reported to the
Weekly Sun. "We have asked our
finance Director,
Stephen Britt, to run
some numbers and give us
some ideas for review to
help recruit and keep
our current staff in
transportation as well
as other trades that
need to be addressed in
our school system."
Another session of the
Finance Committee was
set for 8:30 a.m. today
(Thursday).
MORE FACTS
ABOUT THE COUNTY'S
SCHOOL-BUS SERVICE
Here's additional
data presented to the
Board of Education last
week by Marlon Watson,
the system's
transportation director:
• JCPS currently
operates 249 buses
daily. That's down from
310 in 2018-19. As a
result, the system's
efficiency rating
determined by the N.C.
Department of Public
Instruction is up to
92.5%, Mr. Watson noted.
• Four years ago, 24,908
students were assigned
to buses; now, that
number is 23,739. A
"snapshot" of daily
ridership during the
first month of school
shows a decrease from
17,695 then to 16,644
now.
• Average ride times for
students: 20 minutes in
the morning, 21 minutes
in the afternoon. The
earliest pick-up time is
5:14 a.m., the latest
drop-off at 6:34 p.m.
Scheduled to go into
service in March as part
of a Smart Bus Pilot
Program in place here is
software using scans to
track when each student
gets on and off the bus
each day, Mr. Watson
told the board. Parents
already have access to
an online app enabling
them to track their
students, he noted.
JCC
gets state grant to
expand its Culinary Arts
program
Johnston
Community College is
receiving $310,260 from
the North Carolina State
Board of Community
Colleges to support the
Culinary Arts. The state
board approved the
amount as part of a
$5-million allocation to
14 community colleges to
build capacity for
workforce training in
high-demand occupations
across the state. The
grant makes it possible
for JCC to extend its
already popular Culinary
Arts continuing
education program into
an Associate in Applied
Science degree program
by supporting new
faculty and equipment.
The curriculum program
is scheduled to begin
admitting students in
the fall of 2023.
(JCC photo shows Chef
Robbie Carver keeping a
watchful eye over the
work of his students.)
"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840
S. Bright Leaf
Blvd. • 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT
Neuse Charter boys unbeaten as
conference champs
The
Cougars finished the
regular season last Friday
with a 96-55 victory at
home against Union High,
producing a record of 10-0
in the Carolina 1-A
Conference, 23-3 overall.
Senior Sire Holmes again
led the Neuse Charter
attack with 26 points
versus Union, followed by
senior Blane Barefoot with
16, senior Darian Murray
with 15, and senior
Phillip Sullivan with 14.
Conference tournament play
for the Cougars begins at
6 p.m. today (Thursday)
with a semi-final matchup
vs. Lakewood High School.
The Cougars' roster posted on
MaxPreps lists 16
players (more than those
shown in this photo from
the school's Facebook
page). Dustin Squibb is
the head coach.
The Neuse Charter girls'
basketball team finished
the season with an 11-14
record following a 58-36
loss to Union High last
Friday and a 47-37 loss to
Rosewood in the opening
round of the conference
tournament on Monday.
Sophomore Cayley Cochran
scored 17 points and
senior Lyndsy Parrish 12
in Friday's game. Cochran
led the Cougars with 18
points in Monday's finale.
SSS
basketball teams
finish seasons with
just one win
Both
the boys' and girl's
basketball teams lost
their final regular-season
games at East Wake High
last Friday, then ended
their seasons with losses
in the opening round of
the conference tournament
on Tuesday. The boys
finished with a record of
1-23 while the girls lost
all of their 20 games.
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
NLT's 174th production, Monte
Carlo, opens
this weekend
Show
times are 8 p.m. this
Friday and Saturday, 3
p.m. Sunday, and 8 p.m.
February 24-25 at The Hut
beside the river on Front
Street in Smithfield. To
reserve tickets at a
discounted price of $13,
call 919-934-1873. This is
the Neuse Little Theatre's
48th year of production. VIEW more
details including cast
list>
What's to be closed on Presidents Day
next Monday?
It's
a federal holiday but not
one for state and local
government services.
Closings include most
banks and the Post Office
along with most mail
deliveries. It is not a
holiday for Johnston
County Public Schools.
County
Commissioners will meet
as usual this Monday
Because it's not a holiday for local
governments, the
Johnston County Board
of Commissioners will
meet at 6 p.m. Monday
at the Courthouse. The
agenda contains no
particular matters for
discussion, only slots
set aside for Public
Comments and reports
from the county
manager and individual
commissioners. VIEW
the agenda>
A
public service
announcement
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
FRANCISCO
VALADEZ GUZMAN, 60 –
died February 11
VICTOR
WARREN BARFIELD, 94
– died February 10
ROBERT (BOB)
ALLEN GARDNER, 85 –
died February 10
DEE F.
KENNEDY JR., 83 –
died February 10
JOSEPHINE
WILLIAMS, 80 – died
February 10
JESSIE LEE
HOOKS, 69 – died
February 7
DANNY WAYNE
STALLINGS, 65 – died
February 5
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
A
successful partnership
producing skilled
workers
Johnston
Community College this
week honored Johnston
County Public Schools as
its "Business and Industry
Partner of the Year."
A big reason for that
recognition is the school
system's Career and
Technical 
Education
(CTE) program that
provides a seamless
transition from
high-school to
community-college training
opportunities to meet a
growing local demand for
skilled employees in
"advanced manufacturing"
as well as traditional
professions like nursing,
early childhood education,
business and accounting,
construction, and
agriculture.
The need for those
employees was one of the
key points brought before
a recent gathering of
community business
leaders.
Here's an
archived report on that
event>
Johnston County this
school year has 29,337
students enrolled in CTE,
with 2,441 "industry
credentials" already
earned by students, states
a resolution adopted by
the Board of Education
proclaiming February as
CTE Month. The resolution
goes on to note that "CTE
concentrators in Johnston
County Public Schools have
a 98.5% graduation rate
with 94.8% being employed,
enrolled, and/or enlisted
(in military service)
after high school."
An informative short video
about the school system's
CTE program is currently
posted on the
website of the Triangle
East Chamber of
Commerce>
COULD
WE CALL IT
A MISTLETOE TREE?
Devoid
of leaves in winter, this
hardwood gracing the
courtyard of Smithfield's
First Christian Church has
more than a normal share
of mistletoe clinging to
its bare branches.
Does that make the bench
below a compelling place
for kisses?
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,427
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
Rewind
through the Weekly Sun's
archives
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
|
