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| PUBLISHED ONLINE MARCH 24, 2020 • VOL. 2, NO. 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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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| AN EARLY WEEK EXTRA EDITION: Dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic Real "breaking news" regarding the coronavirus pandemic is coming fast and furious, prompting this two-days-early edition of the Weekly Sun. That means I'll be publishing two editions this week, on Tuesday and Friday (like we used to do with The Smithfield Herald). So here we go.... CORONAVIRUS CASE COUNTS
TOWN OF SMITHFIELD'S "COMMUNITY BRIEFING CALL" GIVES ASSURANCES, ANSWERS CITIZENS' QUESTIONS Key points from Friday's telephone briefing by the town's leaders: • Essential services --- Police, Fire, Public Utilities, Public Works --- "fully operational." • Town Hall staffed but public entry limited (per sign pictured below). • Recreation centers, playgrounds and restrooms at parks closed; greenways open. • No curfews in place at this time. READ MORE about the briefing with an online link to the recorded audio>  GOVERNOR EXTENDS SCHOOL CLOSING TILL MAY 15 In an Executive Order issued on Monday, N.C. Governor Roy Cooper decreed that the state's public schools shall remain closed through May 15. A previous order had closed schools through this Friday (March 27). Anticipating the lengthened closing period, Johnston County's public schools have been making arrangements for online "digital learning" opportunities for students at home (get the latest word on the school system's website). Students who lack computers or some other Internet device to access those lessons may pick up a Chromebook at Smithfield-Selma High from 9 a.m. till noon, 3 to 5 p.m. this Thursday. HOSPITAL BANS VISITORS, WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS Johnston Health on Monday began prohibiting visitors, with these exceptions: one visitor allowed for pediatric patient, partner of a laboring mother, Emergency or Outpatient companion, in-person discharge instructions, and 24 hours following a surgery or invasive procedure. No visitors under the age of 18 will be allowed and persons over age 65 or who are pregnant or "immunocompromised" are discouraged from visiting. Here's the full announcement from Johnston Health> HAM & YAM FESTIVAL POSTPONED INDEFINITELY The Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation's Board of Directors decided Friday to postpone the 36th annual Ham & Yam. Launched in 1985, the event in recent years has been held the first Saturday in May. It's uncertain at this point whether the festival will be rescheduled for later this year. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO MEET WEDNESDAY The Johnston County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting to receive an update on the local situation at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Courthouse. "Please be advised that the Board may choose to take action on items related to the COVID-19 Coronavirus as requested by staff," states the official notice of the meeting. "The Board will also consider the adoption of a Remote Participation Policy for future board meetings to include boards and committees appointed by the County Commissioners." |
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 Now
showing at the movies: nothing at all.
SIGNS  OF THE(CORONAVIRUS) TIMES . . . The Town of Smithfield is doing what it can to help restaurants stay open for business despite the Governor's ban on sit-down dining inside or out. Each Downtown restaurant now has one reserved parking space for take-out orders only. The town provided the signs for each of them.
 One of numerous
public events that are no longer "upcoming."
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| American
Public Power Association gives Town of Smithfield Utilities a safety award The Safety Award of Excellence was earned for "safe operating practices" in 2019. The Town of Smithfield won First Place in the category for public utilities with 10,000 to 20,000 hours of annual worker exposure.  More than 335 utilities entered the
annual competition --- the highest number of entrants in
the program's history.The Town of Smithfield was one of four North Carolina award winners. The others were the City of Albemarle, Greenville Utilities Commission, and the Town of Granite Falls. Ted Credle, Smithfield's director of public utilities, stated: "This award shows the commitment of the entire staff to safety and serves as a testament to the hard work that goes into ensuring that our team members go home to their families every day." The American Public Power Association is "the voice" of community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. |
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ON THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING . . .  Guitarist and vocalist Brad "Proton" Jones volunteered to perform on a street corner in the heart of Downtown Smithfield last Friday as part of a campaign to encourage folks to patronize local businesses, especially restaurants, as they fight to survive the economic paralysis brought on by the coronavirus threat. More about that campaign on Downtown Smithfield's Facebook page> The musician's performance was one of the first things that drew the editor's attention as he began a tour of the town to document the first day of a Spring destined to be long remembered. The rest of the editor's photographic report on the FEATURE PAGE> |
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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.... ELLEN SKINNER ROGERS, 90 - died March 21 |
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OTHER PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION SMITHFIELD'S COMMUNITY BRIEFING DID YOU MISS A PREVIOUS EDITION? Rewind with our archives |
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