JESUS ARRESTED! – scene from "Journey to the Cross"

Roman soldiers make the arrest outside Centenary United Methodist Church as Jesus and disciples depart The Last Supper inside the sanctuary. From here he's taken inside the Johnston County Courthouse across the street for the trial leading to his crucifixion, depicted below in the church yard. The final scene took place a short walk away where the gathering at the Empty Tomb is told that "He is Risen!"

Centenary's Holy Week re-enactment was created in 1985 by the late Richard Williams, the church's long-time diaconal minister. This year's production drew more than 400 spectators on Sunday, March 22.

Volunteers from Centenary's congregation and other Smithfield churches played the roles. Gary and Linda Ridout organized this year's production. Photos shown here were provided by Brittany Edwards, Centenary's director of communication.

Local gasoline prices approach $4 a gallon

The website gasbuddy.com reports this morning (Thursday) that the average price for a gallon of gasoline sold in North Carolina is $3.91. AAA reports that the national average is $4.08. What about prices here in Smithfield?

Gasbuddy shows the lowest price was $3.81 at Murphy's Express on North Bright Leaf Boulevard. Next lowest was $3.83 at Sheetz at I-95 and East Market Street.

A random drive around the area Wednesday afternoon found a number of stations displaying $3.99.9. The lowest price in the region? Gasbuddy showed $3.61 at the recently opened BJ's Wholesale Club in Selma's Eastfield development.

All those prices are roughly $1 higher than what we were paying a year ago. The U.S. war against Iran is getting most of the blame.
 

Where did Spring go? We've had summertime heat more so than usual lately, and it hasn't rained much here or anywhere else in North Carolina for some time now.

Cornell Cox reports 1.76 inches of rainfall in March at his Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield. That's less than half the normal 4.01 inches, and brings us up to just 6.16 inches since the start of 2026. The three-month average for Smithfield is 10.77, according to U.S. Climate Data.

Meanwhile, last Friday's high temperature recorded by the National Weather Service at Johnston Regional Airport was 87.8 degrees – likely a record for the date. After a brief "cool off" earlier this week, Wednesday's high briefly reached 86 degrees; and it's expected to reach the mid-80s over the next couple of days before another "cool front" (with some rain, perhaps) arrives on Sunday.

Because of persistent dry conditions plus the heat, the N.C. Forest Service has canceled all open-burning permits statewide and suspended the issuance of new permits. The ban will remain in place until further notice.
 

Johnston's retail sales up 6.5% in 4th quarter of '25

The N.C. Department of Revenue reports that retail sales in Johnston County during October, November, and December of 2025 totaled $994,515,068 – an increase of more than $60.7 million – 6.5% – over fourth-quarter sales in 2024, which were up 10.2% over the previous year.
 

SSS students were "job shadows" for a day

"Shadow Day" is a long-standing project put together by members of the Central Johnston Rotary Club in collaboration with the faculty at Smithfield-Selma High School. Students spent the better part of their day last Thursday exploring career opportunities with professionals in fire science technology, medicine, law, business, and finance.

The event was led by Landis Bullock, a Rotarian and SSS alumnus, and Judy Yow, the school's career development coordinator.

Students interested in law, business, and finance had the opportunity to shadow attorney Martin A. Tetreault. Their experience included a tour of the Courthouse, where they met and engaged with the District Attorney and the Clerk of Court, and observed a family court hearing.

The students then visited KS Bank to learn about career opportunities within the banking industry. Their final stop was Acera Wealth Management, where financial advisor Chris Key shared insights into his career path and provided guidance on financial planning and saving for retirement while adhering to client confidentiality.

Fire Science Technology students spent the day with the Smithfield Fire Department. They observed the daily responsibilities of firefighters, interacted with Fire Chief Jeremey Daughtry, and participated in physical activities that firefighters routinely perform to maintain readiness for emergencies.

Medical-track students visited UNC Health Johnston where they explored various departments, including cardiology, sonography, the wound clinic, oncology, and nursing and gained valuable insight into health-care careers.

After their morning "in the field," the students and SSS staff joined Rotarians at their regular lunch meeting where they posed for the picture above: (left to right) in front – Julian Hernandez Martinez, Leslie Cruz Martinez, David Little-Scott, Cy Yow, Henry Segura-Castro; in middle – CTE-CDC coordinator Judy Yow, Eileen Pena Hernandez, Jennifer Ruiz Reyes, Josselynn Martinez, Diana Balderas-Bacilio, Wendy Palacios Munoz, De'Avion DeGraffenried McDaniel, Lorlyn Augustyn, Jaquelyn Mendoza Hernandez, and SSS college advisor Maria Garcia-Ortega – back SSS Principal Ryan Ewell, Natalie Silva Deras, Payton Millard, Elizabeth Collins, Fatima Jallow, and Valeria Guzman Paz. (Photo & story basis from Smithfield-Selma High School)
 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

State, county offices to be closed for Good Friday holiday 
Town of Smithfield offices will also be closed. Johnston County Public Schools will be closed Friday and all next week for Spring Break. Smithfield's recycling station at Buffalo and Hospital roads will be closed Saturday; the county's garbage and trash convenience centers will be closed Friday but open Saturday as usual.

Smithfield hosting two more Easter egg hunts Saturday
• The first annual Marlon Lee Easter Egg Hunt continues from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. at Smith-Collins Park. It's sponsored by the Johnston County Citizens Association.
• Town Councilor Doris Wallace is hosting an egg hunt from 1 to 4 p.m. at Gertrude Johnson Park at 1222 West Market Street (US 70 Business) for children ages 1-10.

Easter arrives Sunday with a community sunrise service 
It takes place at 6:45 a.m. in Riverside Cemetery behind St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Steve McElroy of Centenary United Methodist Church will lead the service, which is open to all, regardless of religious affiliation.

County Commissioners to get airport report Monday
Johnston's County Commissioners will receive an annual report on operations at Johnston Regional Airport during their 10 a.m. Monday session at the Courthouse. Another annual report will come from the county's Nursing Home/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Board. VIEW the complete agenda>
Commissioners will get an "update" (no details provided) from the N.C. Department of Transportation during the board's 6 p.m. Monday session. No public hearings are scheduled on rezoning cases. VIEW the complete agenda>

Town Council to clean up property purchase Tuesday
The Smithfield Town Council's Consent Agenda for next Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting includes a resolution to ratify acquisition of three contiguous lots along Buffalo Road next to the site of an envisioned baseball stadium for the Smithfield Tobs. The $350,000 transaction was recorded with the Register of Deeds in early March but wasn't approved by the council in open session (see editorial comment below).
On a related matter, the council will be asked to approve $15,950 for demolition of the DAV hut at Community Park that's in the way of the proposed Tobs stadium.
A public hearing is on Tuesday's agenda regarding a zoning amendment to permit clubs in B-1 business districts.
Police Chief Pete Hedrick will ask for approval of an agreement to install "automated school-zone speed-enforcement cameras" at Smithfield-Selma High, Smithfield Middle, and West Smithfield Elementary.
VIEW the complete agenda for Tuesday's meeting>
 

 DEATHS AND FUNERALS 
Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home:

CENTER OF MAP SHOWS LOCATION
OF PROPERTY BOUGHT BY TOWN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Disturbing disclosure about town's land purchase

Kudos to Mickey Lamm of the online JoCo Report for exposing a violation of the spirit if not the letter of North Carolina's Open Meetings Law regarding the Town of Smithfield's acquisition of property along Buffalo Road next to the site of the baseball stadium about to be built for the Smithfield Tobs.

Here's the link to the JoCo Report's story>

The law permits real-estate negotiations by local government behind closed doors, and that's frequently done by both the Town Council and Johnston's County Commissioners. But once negotiations are done, the official authorization to purchase ought to be done in open session.

The property in question here are three adjoining tracts totaling about 1.7 acres next to the Bradford Park residential subdivision. The town paid $350,000 according to a deed recorded at the Courthouse in early March following a couple of closed-session discussions by the Town Council in January. But approval wasn't ratified in any open council session prior to the recording of the sale. Nor has the purpose of the purchase been explained by the council in open session.

Meanwhile, the council saw a conceptual plan for the baseball stadium at its March 17 meeting that did not include the property in question. That's strange because one of Councilman Travis Scott's objections to the plan is a limited number of parking spaces near the stadium. JoCo Report has since gotten an addition to the stadium plan that shows an "indoor practice facility" and "club house" on the 1.7 acres.

Mr. Scott's objections, by the way, led to 4-3 vote by the council to continue moving forward with the stadium's construction.

Perhaps we'll get the real-estate mishandling straightened out at Tuesday's regularly scheduled meeting of the council. On its Consent Agenda is "a resolution ratifying the negotiation for and the acquisition of" the Buffalo Road acreage.

Even so, the episode erodes the public's trust in how government functions. And it casts a pall over hasty planning for a baseball stadium being squeezed onto a questionable site.
 

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