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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE NOVEMBER 28, 2019 •
VOL. 1, NO. 48 |
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| Candidates seeking election in 2020 have three weeks to file, starting next Monday Because North Carolina has moved its Primary Election to March 3, the filing period for candidates seeking county, state, and federal offices is already upon us, even though the 2020 General Election is almost a full year away (on Nov. 3). Candidates must sign up between noon next Monday, Dec. 2 and noon Friday, Dec. 20. A rundown of local offices up for election by Johnston County voters --- along with maps showing revised districts for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the N.C. General Assembly --- on this week's FEATURE PAGE>  All seven
justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court were
in attendance for last Friday's session inside the
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield: (left to
right) Anita
Earls, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (presiding in
the back), Sam Ervin IV, Paul Newby, Robin Hudson, Michael
Morgan, and Mark Davis.
N.C. Supreme Court holds two-hour session here as part of its Bicentennial celebration Justices of the Supreme Court of North Carolina heard two cases Friday morning in the historic main courtroom of the Johnston County Courthouse. It was part of a series of such events being held in several cities and towns across the state as the court celebrates the 200th birthday of its founding. In attendance were several classes of high-school and community-college students as well as individual citizens who reserved tickets in advance (at no cost). Of course, the gathering included a large contingent of Johnston County attorneys, who had lunch with the justices across the street in Centenary Church's Wesley Hall following the court's session. And it was an honest-to-goodness "working session" of the court. The justices considered two cases on appeal from lower courts: the first involving a contract dispute (Vizant Technologies, LLC v. YRC Worldwide Inc.), the second a criminal case (the State v. Sydney Shakur Mercer). The court announced no decisions following Friday's hearings. Normally the court's rulings on specific cases aren't made till several months later. READ MORE about the event on the OBSERVATIONS page> |
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 7th Street Marketplace & The Chicken Barn |
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 Photo
from Smithfield-Selma High School
Members of the SSS AVID Class of 2019 pose beneath the banners of some of the colleges and universities they're now attending. Smithfield-Selma High's AVID graduates outperformed their peers across the nation Students in the AVID program at Smithfield-Selma High School have outperformed their peers nationally, according to newly released data. This past year 100% of SSS seniors participating in AVID applied to a four-year college and 96% of them were accepted. Across the USA, 81% of high-school students aspire to earn a bachelor's degree yet less than 50% actually enroll at a four-year university. AVID is a nationally recognized program that helps students navigate the college application process and build the academic and social skills needed to succeed in college and the workforce of the future. More than 7,000 schools and districts in 47 states partner with the AVID program. READ the full story on the Johnston County Public Schools website>  SSS team wins
"Brain Game" roundSmithfield-Selma High School's three-member team was the winner of its round against other high-school teams on WRAL-TV's "Brain Game" academic quiz show taped earlier this month. Mohamed Mohamed, Jude Reece, and Ashley Hernandez will advance to another round of competition to be played after the first of the year. Meanwhile, the episode showing their winning performance will be aired on WRAL Channel 5 at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. |
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Report shows enrollment decline at JCC and most other N.C. community colleges Enrollment based on "full-time equivalencies" (FTE) has been declining at Johnston Community College and most others in North Carolina's system since peaking in 2010, according to a report published in Business North Carolina magazine. JCC's FTE enrollment was down 9% from 2007 through 2019. Statewide, enrollment was down 2%. JCC's number is in the middle of the pack. Wake Technical Community College led the state with a remarkable 60% growth in enrollment. Three schools had declines exceeding 40%. READ MORE in the Business North Carolina story that includes statewide data>  NEWS
ITEMS FROM JCC:• N.C. Supreme Court justice shares experiences with students. Story on JCC's website> • New VP of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives named. Story on JCC's website> • Medical office instructor gets grant from Wake Electric Membership Corp. Story on JCC's website> |
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"A GENERATION GOES TO WAR: 1941-1945"  The Johnston County Heritage Center unveiled a new exhibit Saturday morning that showcases the stories of Johnston County soldiers and sailors and their families who endured the pain and hardship of the Second World War. "There's something special about this generation --- they were tough," remarked Todd Johnson, the center's director, at the exhibit's opening. "A Generation Goes to War: 1941-1945" will remain on display for several months. The Heritage Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It's located in the former home office of First Citizens Bank at the corner of Market and Third streets in Downtown Smithfield. Admission is free of charge. The Heritage Center is a department of the County of Johnston. |
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Board of Education reviews report on Johnston's six "Restart" schools The Johnston County Board of Education met in special session Monday afternoon to review a state-required annual report for the county's six "Restart" schools. They're among more than 100 low-performing North Carolina public schools voluntarily participating in what's termed a "scholastic experiment" granting flexibility in curriculum, class size, academic calendar, licensure of teachers, and other matters in an effort to improve end-of-grade test scores. This past year was the second year as "Restart" schools for Cooper Academy at Clayton and North Johnston Middle, and the first year for West Smithfield Elementary, Selma Middle, and Benson Elementary and Middle schools. All six schools reported declines in overall end-of-grade test scores from 2017 to 2019. As a result of those scores and other measurements, Selma Middle and North Johnston Middle were graded "F" by the state this past year. The other four "Restart" schools were graded "D." After hearing a summary of how each of the schools will seek to raise student performance in the year ahead --- presented by Tamara Thomas, the county's director of school improvement --- the board approved the updated "Annual Reform Model Report" covering the six schools. READ MORE in Monday's PowerPoint presentation to the school board> CORRECTION: An item in last week's Sun about the agenda for Monday's school board session incorrectly listed 14 low-performing schools in Johnston as "Restart" schools. At the present time, only the six covered in the story above are participating in the state's program. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENDAS
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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. JESSIE LEWIS ALLEN JR., 64 - died November 24 COSTA WILLIAM HOCUTT JR., 94 - died November 24 RANDY (FREDDIE DURAN) RADFORD, 56 - died November 23 WILLIAM BOBBY HUX, 67 - died November 23 SUSAN BECKWITH PETTIWAY, 80 - died November 22 JAMES EDWARD LANGLEY, 78 - died November 21 REY SALOMON RAMIREZ CRUZ, 48 - died November 21 JOSEPHINE PILKINGTON CAPPS, 89 - died November 20 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS They played
high-school football on Thanksgiving Day!
This photograph from the 1952 yearbook of Smithfield High School isn't identified, but it's likely an action shot from the Smithfield vs. Selma football game played on Thanksgiving Day in 1951 at Legion Field off US 301 between the two towns --- an annual tradition during the football seasons coming out of World War II. In the background is the baseball grandstand that once overlooked the playing field. The SHS yearbooks, by the way, may be viewed online on the DigitalNC website> |
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"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION FEATURE PAGE: First look at local elections of 2020 SPORTS & RECREATION: Annual "Grinch Run" Dec. 7 OBSERVATIONS: "State judicial capital" for a day WANT TO VIEW PREVIOUS EDITIONS? Visit our archives |
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8th
ANNUAL
GINGERBREAD
HOUSE FESTIVAL
at the Public
Library of
Johnston
County and
Smithfield, 6
p.m. Thursday,
Nov. 12 just
prior to the
Christmas
Parade.
Entries will
be accepted
Monday-Wednesday,
Dec. 9-11 in
several
categories. 
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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 |
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