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| PUBLISHED ONLINE MARCH 12, 2020 • VOL. 2, NO. 11 | ||||
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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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CORONAVIRUS HITS HOME: Johnston County reports first positive test; school field trips canceled; dinners put off
Here's the county's official announcement with more details> Chairman Todd Sutton announced at Tuesday's meeting of Johnston's Board of Education that all field trips planned by the county's schools have been canceled. He said Dr. Marilyn Pearson, Johnston County's Director of Public Health, had recommended the move since most of the suspected coronavirus cases reported in North Carolina so far are in neighboring Wake County, where many of the schools' field trips take place. The Johnston County Heritage Center has postponed indefinitely its annual dinner that was scheduled for next Tuesday (March 17). That was also recommended by Dr. Pearson because of coronavirus exposure in nearby Wake County. More than 350 persons had signed up to attend the dinner at Johnston's Agricultural Center. The Triangle East Chamber of Commerce annual dinner scheduled for next Thursday (March 19) has been postponed till May 11, per advice from Health Department officials. That dinner was previously rescheduled because of impending wintry weather last month. The Johnston County Board of Health has scheduled a special meeting next Wednesday (March 18) to get an update on "county preparedness efforts" related to the coronavirus. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Health Department's headquarters at 517 N. Bright Leaf Boulevard. |
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| Our next Superintendent of Schools to be chosen from 31 applicants from 11 states At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Johnston County Board of Education learned that 31 applications had been submitted by Monday's deadline for the open position of Superintendent of Schools. Allison Schafer of the N.C. School Boards Association, which is handling logistics of the selection process, described those applications --- from 11 states --- as "a really good, deep pool." The association will do background checks between now and March 31, when the school board will meet in closed session to choose perhaps seven to 10 candidates to interview. The goal is to chose a new superintendent by July 1. Ms. Schafer presented results of both community and staff surveys about the kind of superintendent the public wants. She said the surveys drew "extraordinary response" --- 1,248 completed surveys from the community and 661 from staff. In addition, the surveys produced 474 comments from the public and 271 from staff. "I've never seen such consistency," Ms Schafer said of the overall results. Both community and staff surveys rated experience in finance and budgets followed by experience as a classroom teacher as the top two qualifications for the next superintendent, she reported. The surveys also agreed on the top two characteristics of preferred candidates: (1) "inspires trust" and (2) "willing to listen" yet able to "make tough decisions when necessary." View the association's presentation with complete survey summaries> Other highlights from Tuesday's school board session: • CPA employed to do a "wellness audit" of finances and operations. • Election of school-board members by districts under study. • Clayton parent asks for board member's resignation. • Uniform bell schedule for most of county's schools approved. • Contract awarded for the new "Thanksgiving Elementary School." READ MORE about those matters and others addressed by the board> School board attorney Jimmy Lawrence resigns after serving system for 26 years  His resignation comes as a special Board
of Education committee studies less expensive
alternatives for legal services provided Johnston County
Public Schools.The numbers tell the story: Over the past five years, the school system has paid Mr. Lawrence a total of $1,333,587 for his services --- including a peak of $314,188 last fiscal year (2018-19). In addition to that, the system has paid the Raleigh law firm of Tharrington Smith $392,430 since 2015. Mr. Lawrence has served the school system as its principal attorney under several administrations going back to the mid-1990s. A committee made up of school board members Peggy Smith, Terri Sessoms, Ronald Johnson, and Teresa Grant is gathering information from other counties to see how they manage their legal services, likely at less cost than what Johnston's schools have been paying. One option before Johnston's school leaders is employing a full-time staff attorney rather than contracting for services as needed. The Legal Services Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. this Friday (March 13) to consider which way to proceed. Here's Mr. Lawrence's letter of resignation, forwarded last Friday to news media> |
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Unaffiliated candidate for N.C. House gets on the ballot with 3,000+ petition signers
He secured verified signatures of 4% of the registered voters in North Carolina House of Representatives District 26 to get on November's General Election ballot as an "Unaffiliated" candidate. He will face Republican incumbent Donna White of Clayton and Democratic challenger Linda Bennett of O'Neals Township. Ms. White won her party's nomination in last week's Primary Election. Ms. Bennett was unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination. House District 26 encompasses precincts in Johnston County's northwestern quadrant plus South Smithfield. The district includes the sprawling suburban communities of Clayton, Cleveland, Archer Lodge, and Corinth-Holders. Why is he running as a candidate unaffiliated with a political party? "I believe there are many of us in the political middle who have been left behind by the two major political parties," Mr. Lee said in a prepared statement. "Being an independent means I always look at every side of an issue --- without a political party telling me how to think or vote --- and use that to seek common ground that accommodates a majority of citizens, not just one side. "Because of the unbending partisanship in our state and federal governments, we all suffer from the legislative impasses that are now the hallmark of every single issue," he continued. "The second big reason I'm doing this is because I am a public-school teacher, and for the past eight years I have seen firsthand the declining quality of education offered in our public schools, and it has nothing to do with the devotion and competence of our teachers. The decline has many culprits, but the education of our children will never be a partisan issue to me," Mr. Lee declared. Mr. Lee, 42, is a math teacher at Smithfield-Selma High School. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of Mount Olive and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from East Carolina University. He and his wife Megan have three children ages 14, 3, and 1. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The candidate's father, Denton Lee Jr., is a Smithfield native who has retired after a long career with First Citizens Bank. A present-day resident of Cleveland Township, he is a former member of Johnston County's school board.) |
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 Azaleas in full bloom --- in
mid-March?!
Here's the evidence at the corner of South Smithfield's Vermont and Wellons streets. And no wonder they're blooming: Wednesday's high temperature recorded at Johnston Regional Airport reached 75 degrees. Spring's official arrival just a week away The actual time of the Spring Equinox this year is 11:50 p.m. next Thursday, March 19, which makes Friday, March 20 the first full day of Spring. Springtime means it's time for class reunions Two landmark local reunions we've been made aware of: • Smithfield High School Class of 1950 --- on Friday, May 1. For details, e-mail Fred T. Mattox using this address: fredt31@icloud.com. • Smithfield-Selma High School Class of 1970 --- 50th anniversary of the schools' very first graduating class --- on Saturday, May 2. Here's a poster with details> WHAT ELSE IS COMING UP?  SPRING EQUINOX WALK AT ST. PAUL'S LABYRINTH Friday, March 20 between 7:30 and 8 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, corner of South Second and Church streets in Smithfield. Daughters of the King will place votives (candles) around the labyrinth's exterior to add to your experience. 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> REGIONAL JOB FAIR AT JOHNSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE Tuesday, March 31 from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. in the Tart Building at 245 College Road in Smithfield. Hosted by the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce, the Capital Area Workforce Development with NCWorks, and JCCollege, the fair is open free of charge to all job seekers. Regional businesses will have representatives present. |
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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.... DORIS JOSEPHINE SANDERS HINES, 84 - died March 10 JAMES THOMPSON (TOMMY) BOONE, 79 - died March 7 JUDIE HOLMES WHEELER, 88 - died March 6 ROBERT YOUNG BARBOUR, 67 - died March 5 JOHN MILTON (JUNIOR) DAUGHTRY, 76 - died March 4 LISA SUZETTE RICH HAMILTON, 54 - died March 4 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  School system's headquarters in the 1960s & '70s Built at the turn of the 20th Century, the Ed Abell house at the corner of Church and South Third streets was converted into headquarters for Johnston County's school system in the 1960s. It was demolished to make way for a commercial office building after the school administration moved into its present quarters on US 70 Business East in the late 1970s. Before the Church Street setup, the Superintendent of Schools occupied one of the relatively small offices inside the Johnston County Courthouse! (Photo from the archives of the Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION SPORTS & RECREATION Visit our archives |
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