 |
||||
| PUBLISHED
ONLINE OCTOBER 10, 2019 •
VOL. 1, NO. 41 |
||||
|
||||
|
Autumn has apparently arrived (at last); Monday is a federal holiday for some A week ago --- on Thursday, Oct. 3 --- we had a record-high temperature of 97 degrees, measured at Johnston Regional Airport. Last Friday's high was 93. It's much better now: Cloudy skies kept highs Tuesday and Wednesday in the upper 60s. Overnight lows dropped to 57 Wednesday morning and 54 this morning (Thursday). Ahhhh. Meanwhile, we've haven't had appreciable rainfall since Hurricane Dorian's outer bands brought us more than half a foot a month ago.  Next
Monday is Columbus Day --- a federal
holiday, which means banks will be closed,
normal mail deliveries won't be made, and all
federal agencies will be shut down. It will be
"business as usual" on Monday for our public
schools as well as state, county, and
municipal offices and services. Photo from Carolinas Association of
Chamber Execs
Receiving the award are members of the local chamber's staff: (left to right) Mike Mancuso, president and CEO; Kelly Wallace, director of operations; and Christie Lambert, administrative assistant. With them is Dean Faile, president of the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Triangle East Chamber of Commerce judged best in its class in the Carolinas The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives has named the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce based in Smithfield as "Outstanding Chamber of the Year" among chambers in the two Carolinas with under 700 members. The award was presented last week at the association's annual management conference in Myrtle Beach. Apparently a big reason for the award was the local chamber's "re-branding" this past year to serve a larger community with a new focus, changing its name from Smithfield-Selma Chamber of Commerce to Triangle East Chamber. "The award is judged on your total body of work, not just one thing," Mike Mancuso, the Chamber's president and CEO, told the Sun." In the end they are looking to see if you are following your plan, mission, and vision --- and is it making a difference." READ the narrative submitted by the Chamber to the award's judges> |
||||
|
||||
Interim Superintendent points out magnitude of schools' funding shortfall Interim Superintendent of Schools Jim Causby gave Johnston's Board of Education a "five-week report" on important issues he has identified since he took over the job in early September. The big takeaway from his remarks was his discovery of a large gap in funding versus needs of Johnston's public schools. "We've been spending more than we've got," he told the board at its monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon. As a result, the school system's Fund Balance has dwindled from about $10 million a few years ago to just $330,000 of "useable money" today, he said. And, this year's tentative school budget is about $10 million short of being fully funded, he added. READ MORE about his report and other school board matters> A better way to pay for garbage & trash disposal outside of Johnston's towns? Johnston's County Commissioners will hold a public hearing next month on a plan to add a fee to yearly property-tax bills in place of windshield decals presently sold to permit out-of-town residents to dispose of garbage and trash at the county's roadside "convenience centers." READ MORE in coverage of Monday's monthly sessions of the commissioners> |
||||
  JOHN
P. (JACK) O'HALEAttorney at Law 102 S. Third St. Smithfield 919-934-6021 e-mail kim@jackohale.com |
||||
St. Ann
Catholic Church draws a crowd All
part of a fund-raiser to benefit the
church and its missions, other ingredients
of the festival included a silent auction
and a raffle. Organizers expected to raise
$65,000 to $70,000 from the one-day event,
in line with its success over the years. |
||||
 7th Street Marketplace & The Chicken Barn |
||||
WHAT'S COMING UP? A rundown of upcoming civic and cultural events in our community that we've been told about or seen publicized elsewhere: JOHNSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT'S "SKYFEST" --- an "open house" featuring aerial demonstrations, a "kids zone," outdoor concert, and "beer garden" --- is set for this Saturday (Oct. 12). The airport is located northwest of Smithfield off US 70 Business. Admission to the event will be free of charge. For more information, visit www.skyfestnc.com. AN "ELITE" HIGH-SCHOOL CHORUS will perform at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Smithfield this Saturday (Oct. 12) at 7 p.m. Colla Voce, an audition-only chorus from Wake County's Holly Springs High School, has been invited to perform at Westminster Abbey and other venues in Great Britain. There's no admission charge for the concert here, but donations will be accepted for the upcoming trip. St. Paul's Music Director John Drymon, organist, will accompany the chorus. AUTHOR EMILY WALLACE will present her new book --- Road Sides: An Illustrated Companion to Driving and Dining in the American South --- at a public reception on Sunday, October 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Frank Creech Art Gallery at Johnston Community College. Ms. Wallace is a native of Smithfield. SMITHFIELD KIWANIS PANCAKE SUPPER is set for Tuesday, October 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church. Tickets are $7, dine in or take out. Proceeds benefit the Kiwanis Club's community-service projects. THE 15th ANNUAL HISTORICAL GHOST WALK hosted by the Johnston County Heritage Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 24 in Smithfield's Riverside Cemetery. Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for students in grades K-12. Tickets are not sold in advance. Guided tours are offered first-come, first served, starting at the corner of South Second and Church streets. |
||||
 |
||||
 Photo
by Rick Childrey
Inductees into last year's
inaugural class of the SSS Alumni Hall of Fame:
(left to right) Andy Moore, Tony Nixon, Tom Lock,
Dr. Rose Gunter Snipes Bynum, Lyn Andrews, Mike
Wooten, and Darryl Lynn Lucas. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR THIS YEAR'S ADDITIONS TO SMITHFIELD-SELMA HIGH'S ALUMNI HALL OF FAME  Last year, alumni of
Smithfield-Selma High School established a
"Hall of Fame" to honor graduates who've "made
their mark" in various fields as adults.The organizing committee is soliciting nominations for this year's class through October 23. A nominee must have graduated at least 10 years ago (Class of 2009 or earlier). Inductees may also be awarded posthumously. Nominations may be submitted online at this link: http://bit.ly/SSSHOF2019. This year's Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, December 7. Last year's inaugural Hall of Fame class included these seven SSS grads: • Andy Moore, Class of 1989, mayor of Smithfield, former town councilman, leader of community-service organizations. • Tony Nixon, Class of 1976, manager of Walter Sanders Funeral Home, leader of East Smithfield Improvement Association and other church and civic organizations. • Tom Lock, Class of 1974, Superior Court judge, former District Court judge and District Attorney. • Dr. Rose Gunter Snipes Bynum, Class of 1972, Doctor of Nephrology and Internal Medicine, Senior Medical Director, UCB Bioisciences in Research Triangle Park, former vice president at GlaxoSmithKline. • Lyn Andrews, Class of 1975, former Director of Exceptional Children Programs, Johnston County Schools, former Aquatic Director, Town of Smithfield. • Mike Wooten, Class of 1981, banker, chairman of the Johnston County Board of Education, played football for VMI and Washington Redskins, Atlantic Coast Conference football official. • Darryl Lynn Lucas, Class of 1980, retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, leader with Disabled American Veterans in Concord, N.C., played football at UNC-Chapel Hill. DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we'll post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We'll monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area. JOHN WILLIAM JOHNSON, 79 - died October 8 ALICE JEAN JONES NORRIS, 81 - died October 8 DORIS EASON MITCHELL, 79 - died October 6 MARTHA McEACHERN McCLEARN, 84 - died October 5 KATIE STROUD HEATH, 86 - died October 5 DARRYL McDANIEL, 56 - died October 4 KENNETH RAY LANE, 63 - died October 3 |
||||
 919-934-0153 www.CallPernell.com |
||||
THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS Burlington's Smithfield Spinning
Plant, 1950
Here's an
aerial view of the Burlington textile plant
before several "modernizations" were done in
years that followed. Today the extensively
remodeled building houses Johnston Medical Mall,
owned by the County of Johnston, which acquired
the property after Burlington closed its
operations here in 1997. In the background of
the photo, upper left, is the American Legion's
baseball park. In those days it included a
covered grandstand. In the late 1940s it was the
home of a Minor League professional baseball
team: the Smithfield-Selma Leafs (per tobacco).
(Photo from Johnston County Heritage
Center archives)
|
||||
|
"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION FEATURE PAGE: International Food Festival> SPORTS & RECREATION: Tennis lessons for youth> OBSERVATIONS: Pricey amphitheater? Better road name?> County Commissioners' Oct. 7 meetings> School board's Oct. 8 meeting> Chamber of Commerce award narrative> WANT TO VIEW PREVIOUS EDITIONS? Visit our archives |
||||
|
|
||||
|
For more
information about our community, check out
our online "newspaper parent" via the link shown
below. This website is a handy "portal" to
important sources of current information about
Smithfield and Johnston County.
 Here's what you'll find there:• Local weather data, current & past • Monthly jobs reports • Quarterly retail-sales reports • Official population estimates • Agricultural statistics • Local government links • Things to see and do www.smithfieldselmasun.com |
|
|
|
|