FOURTH OF JULY NOSTALGIA ON PARADE

All three incumbent members of the Smithfield Town Council filed for re-election this week, and all three face opposition in November's municipal election. Here's the rundown of candidates who had filed by 5 p.m. Wednesday (listed in the order of their filing with the Johnston County Board Elections):

For Mayor of Smithfield
Andy Moore (incumbent)
For Town Council, District 1 (East Smithfield)
Gettys Cohen Jr. (This is the seat vacated by the recent death of Marlon Lee.)
For Town Council, District 2 (South Smithfield)
Elizabeth Anne Temple, Erin Keller, Sloan Stevens (incumbent)
For Town Council, District 3 (North Smithfield)
Travis Scott (incumbent), Abrilla O. Robinson
For Town Council, District 4 (West Smithfield)
David Barbour (incumbent), Doris Wallace

The deadline for candidates to get on the November ballot is noon Friday, July 18.

Meanwhile, the Town Council will be asked to approve the process for temporarily filling the vacant District 1 seat during its regular third-Tuesday meeting next week. An August 1 deadline is proposed for candidates to apply.
 

School board split on discrimination policies

Separate policy banning Pride flags in classrooms adopted

With one member absent, the Johnston County Board of Education on Tuesday voted 3-3 on a motion to remove all references to sexual orientation and gender identity from its policies addressing discrimination. That means the policies stand as written, at least for now.

On a separate vote, the board voted 4-2 to adopt new policy wording critics contend is directed against the display of LGBTQ+ Pride flags in Johnston's public schools.

Kay Carroll and April Lee cast the two votes against the revised classroom display rule; Board Chair Lyn Andrews, Michelle Antoine, Jeff Sullivan, and Terry Tippett voted in favor of the new rule, which states:

Principals and teachers shall limit displays in the classrooms, school buildings, ball fields, school grounds, and buses, such as signs and flags, to materials that represent the United States, the state of North Carolina, Johnston County, the school name, mascot, post-secondary institutions, school-sponsored events, sponsorships, military flags, family photos, student art and/or the approved curriculum.

Absent from Tuesday's meeting was Kevin Donovan, chairman of the board's Policy Committee which recommended that change as well as the other revisions regarding discrimination. Board Chair Andrews said he was "out of town on business."

Mr. Sullivan joined Mr. Carroll and Ms. Lee in opposing removal of specific references in several policies to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and mental, physical, or sensory disability – replacing such lists with the phrase "unlawful discrimination" followed by an Internet hyperlink to state law that lists similar defining characteristics.

"There's no need to bury the protected classes with a hyperlink," Ms. Lee exclaimed. "Either we are going to stand with people, or we are not."

Mr. Carroll said the wording of the schools' current policies against discrimination should be left alone "until such time as federal law changes."

Ms. Antoine insisted the changes are needed now because of President Trump's threat to cut federal funding to school systems that don't remove references to sexual orientation.

Board Chair Andrews defended the revisions coming from the board's Policy Committee on which she serves. "This was simply meant to try to be inclusive," she said. "The idea was that all students would be protected."

She concluded with a declaration that "every child is safe in every classroom – every classroom. We're not going to stand for anything else."

Mr. Carroll also took the lead in opposing the new policy restricting displays of flags and signs and other materials. "It's a knee-jerk reaction to a Pride flag," he said, and runs counter to the board's commitment to a school system "that makes all of our students feel welcome, comfortable, safe."

Apparently referring to displays of the Pride flag in Johnston's schools, Ms. Antoine said "people are complaining, which is what drove the policy" adopted Tuesday.

Mr. Carroll predicted the new policy restricting classroom displays "will end up causing us more trouble than you can shake a stick at."

New Wilson's Mills High still a year away from opening

The Board of Education got a video update on current bond-issue projects at Tuesday's meeting, including this drone shot of the Wilson's Mills High School campus taken earlier this week. While that school won't be ready for students until August of next year, staff recently began moving into the almost-finished Swift Creek Elementary School on Cleveland Road where classes will start next month.
 

Assistant DA Jason Waller succeeds DA Doyle

Governor Josh Stein has appointed Senior Assistant District Attorney Jason Waller to succeed retiring District Attorney Susan Doyle as the new DA for North Carolina's Prosecutorial District 13 (Johnston County).

Mr. Waller began his career as a prosecutor in 2006 as an assistant DA in Wake County. In 2016, he was named Prosecutor of the Year by North Carolina's Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

He joined Johnston County's DA office in 2018 and was shortly thereafter promoted to Senior Assistant DA by Ms. Doyle, who has served as Johnston's district attorney since her election to the office in 2006 (she worked as an assistant DA for 13 years before that).

A native of Beulaville in Duplin County, Mr. Waller resides in Clayton with his family. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 2003 and 2006.
 

FOR SALE AT 806 SOUTH FIRST STREET, SMITHFIELD

Lovely custom-built home on large landscaped lot.
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SUSAN LASSITER • Long & Foster Real Estate • 919-669-9235

Downtown's newest shop about skin care and soul

Downtown Smithfield's newest small business, That Make Scents, has opened at 105 South Third Street. Owned and operated by Thunderhawk and Terry Chavis, the shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering a unique blend of handcrafted skincare products, spiritual support, and "soulful gifts."

Thunderhawk, a former cosmetologist, felt called to this work. She’s created her own line of head-to-toe skincare products: lotions, shampoos, and conditioners that promote both physical and spiritual healing. “By healing the skin – our body’s largest organ – I’ve also found a path to help others heal emotionally and spiritually,” she said. “My love is to help people reach their highest potential and give them hope.”

In addition to skincare, That Make Scents also offers skin and spiritual consultations, personalized long-term support for clients, and a curated selection of jewelry and wellness items. Thunderhawk believes joy and self-care go hand-in-hand: “You are supposed to have fun!” she exclaimed.

After years of operating her business from home, Thunderhawk knew it was time to grow. She discovered the storefront on a visit through Downtown and immediately felt at home. “I had a vision of lines of people, and when I walked into this space, I just knew. The Town of Smithfield and the downtown community have been so welcoming.” (Story & photo from Downtown Smithfield Development office)
 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Town Council to hear four land-use requests Tuesday,
including a revised plan for Mallard Road subdivision

The Smithfield Town Council will four public hearings on land-use proposals when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall. The four requests under consideration:
(1) Preliminary plat approval for Village on the Neuse, a 117-lot residential subdivision on Buffalo Road between Smithfield Middle School and Holland Drive.
(2) A zoning amendment requested by Brown Investment Properties to increase maximum building height in the B-3 Highway Entrance Business District from 40 feet to 50 to allow construction of three-story apartments.
(3) Rezoning of 75.61 acres on US 70 Business West northeast of St. Ann Catholic Church from R-20A and B-3 zones to Light Industrial. Clarius Partners, LLC of Chicago is the petitioner.
(4) Revision of a previously approved plan for a residential subdivision covering 491.2 acres on Mallard Road north of Brogden Road to allow 873 single-family detached houses and 454 attached townhouses – 1,327 total units instead of 2,005 in the original plan. Raleigh-based Mallard Smithfield NC, LLC is the petitioner.
VIEW the complete agenda for Tuesday's council session>

Crape myrtles at site of our farmers market

They're blooming now all over town, including this spot in the county's parking lot across Johnston Street from the Courthouse. This lot is the staging place for Downtown Smithfield's every-other-week farmers market. It's coming up again this Saturday –  from 8 a.m. until noon.
 

Two-year moratorium on driver-license renewals

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has announced a moratorium on the expiration of Class C driver licenses in North Carolina. Under legislation by the N.C. General Assembly, standard passenger-vehicle licenses expiring on or after July 1 this year will remain valid for driving purposes within the state for up to two years beyond the printed expiration date.

The moratorium will remain in effect through December 31, 2027. Expired licenses will not be valid for any purpose other than establishing the license holder's driving privilege and may not be recognized by other states or federal entities. The moratorium does not apply to commercial driver licenses or any licenses suspended or revoked.

DMV Commissioner Paul Tine advises motorists to renew their licenses "to ensure they remain valid for identification purposes, including to fly, rent a car, get a bank loan, fill a prescription, and have documents notarized.”

Saturday service resumes at 20 locations, including one at Clayton
Beginning this weekend through August 23, DMV will offer walk-in services on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. till noon, no appointment needed. Here's the list of locations>

Motorists may get license renewals online by visiting the DMV website>
 

  DEATHS AND FUNERALS  
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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Our Neuse rises after heavy rainfall upstream

So it comes as no surprise that the river level at Smithfield will reach a predicted peak of 15.5 feet at 2 a.m. Friday before falling back below "minor" flood stage by early Saturday morning.

The cause: Tropical Depression Chantal's destructive rainstorm in the upper Neuse River basin four days ago. That includes the Eno River, winding through Hillsborough and Durham before flowing into Falls Lake, which begats the Neuse.

The flooding here would likely be greater if the Army Corps of Engineers weren't regulating the release of water from the Falls Lake dam.

The thing that overwhelms us, producing historic flooding as we last saw after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, is the amount of water that flows into the Neuse from major tributaries below Falls Lake. When heavy rains deluge places like Wake Forest and nearby Clayton, the Neuse at Smithfield rises much quicker and much higher than what we're seeing this weekend.

You can track the actual and predicted Neuse River levels at Smithfield in real time by visiting this particular web site provided by the National Weather Service>
 

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