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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE MARCH 5, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 10 |
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Stories and photos by Wingate Lassiter unless otherwise noted (click highlighted link to e-mail the editor) |
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| PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS School board incumbents survive Round 1 with Ronald Johnson leading the pack
Despite recent fiscal and personnel issues that drew 16 candidates to file for four seats on the Johnston County Board of Election, all three incumbents seeking re-election finished among the top eight vote-getters in Tuesday's Primary Election to qualify for the General Election ballot next November. Board member Ronald Johnson, who raised many of the issues provoking controversies in recent months, led Tuesday's voting by more than 3,000 votes. Incumbent and former board chairman Mike Wooten finished fourth behind former school employee Lyn Andrews and former school board member Kay Carroll, while incumbent Teresa Grant finished in seventh place. Three other challengers making the cut are Chuck Williams, Terry Tippett, and Rick Mercier. Mark Lane finished in ninth place, just 102 votes behind Mr. Mercier. Posted returns from Tuesday's Primary are unofficial at this point, awaiting the counting of 235 provisional ballots next Thursday, March 12. FRED SMITH LEADING BY 47 VOTES; TONY BRASWELL WINS GOING AWAY The counting of provisional ballots could change the outcome of Tuesday's Republican Primary for the District 1 seat on the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. In that race, former commissioner Fred Smith led Michelle Pace Davis by just 47 votes: Smith 9,582, Davis 9,535. The winner of that race will face Democrat Justin David King in the General Election. One other Republican Primary for commissioner gave incumbent Tony Braswell a resounding win over two challengers, Mike Powell and Lee Jackson. Countywide vote totals: Braswell 9,470, Powell 4,869, Jackson 3,673. Mr. Braswell will face Democrat Gettys Cohen of Smithfield in November. ALLEN WELLONS VS. LISA STONE BARNES In the Republican Primary for the District 11 N.C. Senate seat, State Representative Lisa Stone Barnes of Nash County outpolled County Commissioner Patrick Harris of Smithfield and Dennis Nielsen. District vote totals: Barnes 12,576, Harris 5,279, Nielsen 613. She will face Democrat Allen Wellons of Smithfield in November. He defeated Albert R. Pacer in their party's Primary on Tuesday. District vote totals: Wellons 12,504, Pacer 8,126. District 26 N.C. Representative Donna McDowell White of Clayton easily defeated challenger Justin Tate in the Republican Primary and will face Democrat Linda Bennett of O'Neals Township in November. District vote totals: White 7,092, Tate 2,681. TERRY F. ROSE WINS DISTRICT COURT SEAT  Smithfield attorney Terry F. Rose (pictured)
defeated Charlene B. Nelson of Clayton in the Republican
Primary for District Court Judge. Since no Democrat
filed for that particular seat, Ms. Rose will run
unopposed on the General Election ballot.In the three-county district that includes Harnett and Lee as well as Johnston, Ms. Rose won 19,057 votes, Ms. Nelson 9,292. No other candidate for district judge --- all of them incumbents --- had anyone file to challenge them in this year's elections. JOHNSTON DEMOCRATIC VOTERS BACK JOE BIDEN In Tuesday's Presidential Preference Primary, Joe Biden was the overwhelming choice of Johnston County voters who chose to participate in the Democratic Party race. He got 8,034 votes followed by Bernie Sanders with 4,414, Michael Bloomberg with 2,527, and Elizabeth Warren with 1,484. With token opposition on North Carolina Republican Primary ballots, Donald Trump received 19,016 of 19,998 votes cast by Johnstonians. Meanwhile, Democrat Christopher M. Ward of Tabor City won Tuesday's Primary for the District 7 seat now held by Congressman David Rouzer, who had no opposition in the Republican Primary. VIEW Johnston County's Primary Election results for all races and precincts> |
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 Flood-ruined house burned for training This vacant house at 739 NC Highway 210 is the first of four in that low-lying area of West Smithfield to be "control burned" by the Smithfield Fire Department as a training exercise. Those four houses and two others elsewhere in Smithfield --- heavily damaged by flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 --- have been purchased by the town with federal FEMA funds for demolition. Once cleared, the properties will remain vacant. Scheduled for burning March 23 are vacant houses at 808 and 845 NC 210. |
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New boulevard has a new name yet again, and it's "Durwood Stephenson Parkway" It wasn't even on the agenda for Tuesday night's monthly meeting of the Smithfield Town Council --- to reconsider the naming of both widened and extended portions of Booker Dairy Road between Buffalo Road and Bright Leaf Boulevard (US 301). Councilman David Barbour, who asked that it be added to the agenda, said "a number of citizens" are "not happy" with the previous naming. There's particular concern, he said, that the "Booker Dairy" label on more than one roadway will confuse emergency responders. Presently, the newly constructed portion intersecting 301 near Wal-Mart is "Booker Dairy Road Extension" while both the recently widened section in front of Smithfield-Selma High School as well as the original two-lane section past the Eden Woods Subdivision is "Booker Dairy Road." There's also a short curved segment of the original road cut off by the reconstruction that's named "Old Booker Dairy Road" because it still serves several residences. Mr. Barbour offered a motion to rename all of the new four-lane roadway from 301 to Buffalo Road "Durwood Stephenson Parkway," keeping "Booker Dairy Road" in place for the two-lane section heading south. Councilman Travis Scott, who supported the change "for the safety of the community," amended Mr. Barbour's motion to include a request to the N.C. Department of Transportation to extend the "Parkway" name across the Neuse River through West Smithfield all the way to US 70 Business --- in place of "Durwood Stephenson Highway," as NCDOT originally named that portion. The motion carried 6-1, with Councilman Steve Rabil voting no without comment. MORE news from Tuesday's monthly Town Council meeting> |
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GoTriangle says extending commuter rail to Clayton "viable," to Selma not so much Johnston's County Commissioners got a report Monday from GoTriangle, the Research Triangle Public Transportation Authority, that finds extension of proposed commuter-rail service as far east as Clayton would likely qualify for federal aid deemed essential for such a project. Extending service farther eastward to Selma wouldn't measure up as things now stand, commissioners were told. Johnston County agreed last year to put up $76,000 to join GoTriangle's commuter-rail study. Results presented Monday are preliminary, with more in-depth findings to follow if commissioners agree to contribute another $250,000 --- a decision they put off till April's board meeting. In the long run, Johnston County's taxpayers would be required to contribute substantially to commuter rail's capital costs and operating expenses at an undetermined level. Durham, Orange, and Wake counties, meanwhile, have imposed half-cent sales-tax levies to fund their portions of commuter-rail as well as expanded bus service. MORE about that and other matters addressed by commissioners Monday> JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETS AT 4 P.M. NEXT TUESDAY (MARCH 10) In the Evander S. Simpson Building, 2320 U.S. 70 Business East, Smithfield. The agenda was not available before the Sun's "press time" on Thursday; this link will lead you to it once it's posted online> |
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Nature's resilience on display . . .  Friday, Feb. 21: Early-blooming daffodils at this Chestnut Drive residence were beaten down by the season's first snowfall two weeks ago.  Friday, Feb. 28: Those same daffodils were blooming heartily again a week later. And many throughout town are still blooming this week. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME RETURNS THIS SUNDAY  That means you'll need to move your
clocks and watches ahead one hour before bedtime
Saturday or else you'll be an hour behind Daylight
Saving Time Sunday morning.Congress moved the start of DST from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March in 2007. |
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WHAT'S COMING UP? "RAISE THE BOOTY" FOR PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN This Saturday (March 7) at the Country Club of Johnston County, 5:30 p.m. until.... This is the fourth annual edition of this fund-raiser for the Johnston County Partnership for Children. MORE about it on the Partnership's website> LIBRARY TO HOST "FINANCIAL WELLNESS" SEMINARS The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield will host three "Financial Wellness" seminars open to the public without charge: Monday, March 9 at 2 p.m. --- "How to Buy your First Home"; Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. --- "How to Create a Budget"; Monday, March 23 at 6 p.m. --- "How to Save for College." 11th ANNUAL JOHNSTON COUNTY ART & FOOD FESTIVAL Next Thursday, March 12 at the Johnston County Agricultural Center, 6-8 p.m. The Johnston County Arts Council hosts this annual fund-raiser that features culinary samples from a number of local restaurants as well as a showcase of works for sale by local artists. MORE about it on the Arts Council's website> 1865 BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE RE-ENACTMENT Saturday & Sunday, March 21-22. Every five years the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site hosts North Carolina's largest re-enactment event to commemorate the bloodiest battle ever fought on Tar Heel soil --- on March 19-21, 1865 near the end of the Civil War. The event includes many free programs on the grounds but tickets must be purchased for the battle re-enactments on nearby farmlands. Friends of Bentonville Battlefield offer this online portal to purchase tickets> |
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DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We 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.... HUBERT (MULE) AVERY, 82 - died March 2 MARGARET (MARGIE) ANN LEE STUBBS, 72 - died Feb. 29 ROSA LEE LEMON CHRISP, 82 - died Feb. 29 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  Smithfield's Town Hall & Fire Station before the 1960s Behind the fire station with the big red doors stood the tower with a loud siren that alerted volunteer firemen whenever a fire call came in. To the left of the fire station is the one-story Town Hall, replaced in the early 1960s by what was renamed as the "Municipal Building" across Fourth Street in the old Hotel Gabriel Johnston (from which this picture was taken). The fire station was torn down to make way for the present-day facility, which opened in 1980. (Photo from Joe & Warren Grimes Collection, Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION: SPORTS & RECREATION Visit our archives |
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