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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE JULY 2, 2020 • VOL. 2, NO.
34 |
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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 UPDATE 1,565 cases:
+317 in one week;
unemployment rate 11% in May The N.C. Department of Commerce reported Wednesday that Johnston County's unemployment rate reached 11% in May --- up slightly from an adjusted rate of 10.8% in April. The state estimates that 10,167 Johnstonians out of a labor force of 92,172 were unemployed in May, when the statewide jobless rate reached 12.7%. Johnston's jobless rate in May 2019 was just 3% --- the same as the statewide rate. Also on Wednesday, the County of Johnston released the following coronavirus data: • 1,565 cases; 32 deaths, 29 hospitalized, 645 at home, 859 presumed recovered. • 52% of cases female (816); 48% of cases male (749). • Cases by age: 234 ages 0-17; 189 18-24; 679 25-49; 299 50-64; 164 age 65+. • Cases by race: 960 white, 205 black, 259 other, 141 unknown (not reported). • Cases by ethnicity: 834 Hispanic, 531 non-Hispanic, 200 unknown. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 10-15% of Johnston County's coronavirus test results have come back positive during the past week. That puts us among counties of most concern to state public-health officials.
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REMINDER: The county has a hotline phone number for COVID-19 information: 919-209-8310 available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. SHERIFF BIZZELL WON'T ENFORCE FACE-MASK ORDER Following Governor Roy Cooper's order last week, Johnston County's Sheriff Steve Bizzell issued a statement declaring that his deputies "will NOT be enforcing the requirements to wear face coverings." He said there is no provision in the Governor's order to charge a person for not wearing a mask in public. "A business owner or manager has the right to refuse entry to a customer or patron that refuses to wear a face covering," the sheriff continued, "and if that person enters the premises or refuses to leave the premises when asked, law-enforcement officers may be called, and we have a duty to enforce the criminal trespassing laws if required." Furthermore, he said, "I respectfully ask our citizens not to call 9-1-1 to report the failure of individuals to wear a face covering in public, as this line is designated for emergency calls." In conclusion, Sheriff Bizzell said "we strongly encourage our citizens to take precautions such as wearing face coverings and social distancing to protect themselves, their family, and others." PUBLIC LIBRARY, HERITAGE CENTER ARE RE-CLOSING First the Public LIbrary of Johnston County and Smithfield, then the Johnston County Heritage Center announced this week that their doors will be closed to the public once again because of the recent resurgence in coronavirus cases here. The library will continue to offer curbside pickup service 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 919-934-8146 to make arrangements. Likewise, the Heritage Center staff will continue to serve researchers remotely. For help, e-mail heritagecenter@johnstonnc.com or call 919-934-2836. |
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 The gathering posed on the embankment above the Neuse River Amphitheater. Marlon Lee's "100 Men In Suits" turn out as advertised in a rally against racism There really were "100 Men In Suits" who endured the outdoor summer heat for more than two hours last Saturday morning to demonstrate their commitment to squashing racism in our society. "Together we mean business" was their rallying cry. Organized and led by Marlon Lee, the only African-American member of the Smithfield Town Council, the march included a significant number of white men, not just blacks. Racism? "A lot of it is taught" --- mostly between a child's preschool and middle-schools years, Mr. Lee told the marchers. "And why do we have to put one's race on a job application?" he asked. "Defund the police?" No, he answered. "I was one of the advocates to fund this police department," he said, referring to the Town Council's recent decision to increase Smithfield's police budget to raise officers' salaries. "If you're doing wrong, they've got a job to do," he said. At the same time, he said the town needs more racial diversity within its police force, "and needs to look at some policies" such as racial profiling by patrol officers. Speaking of policies, Town Manager Mike Scott told the Sun that Smithfield eliminated choke-holds as an acceptable practice 10 years ago when he was chief of police. When he was chief in Iowa years ago, he explained, one of his officers put a choke-hold on a suspect during an arrest that resulted in the man's permanent paralysis. As a result, Mr. Scott has outlawed that practice wherever he has served. Police choke-holds are now being barred nationwide in the wake of George Floyd's killing during an arrest in Minneapolis six weeks ago. Saturday's "100 Men In Suits" march made stops at the Courthouse, Town Hall, and the police station, with a surprise conclusion at the site of Smithfield's infamous Ku Klux Klan sign across the river. MORE coverage of Saturday's event on the OBSERVATIONS page> |
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County, town raising rates for water, sewer; town's electric rates same for another year While both the County of Johnston and the Town of Smithfield are keeping their property-tax rates unchanged for fiscal 2020-21, both governments have raised rates for water and sewer services, effective July 1. For a residential customer using 4,000 gallons a month, the new rates will produce total charges of $78.36 for in-town Smithfield customers (up $3.95 --- 5.3%), $154.32 for out-of-town Smithfield customers (up $12.03 --- 8.45%), and $90.80 for customers of the County of Johnston's rural system (up $6.70 --- 8%). Town of Smithfield electrical customers will not see an increase in power rates this year: 9.316 cents per kilowatt-hours plus a monthly base charge of $11 for a  residence year-round. Meanwhile, Duke
Energy residential customers in West Smithfield and
outlying rural areas will pay 10.433 cents
per kilowatt-hour July-October and 9.96 cents
November-June plus a $14 monthly base charge under a rate schedule that took
effect January 1.Town of Smithfield utility customers will continue to pay $16.24 a month for curbside garbage collection or $20.24 for backyard collection plus $10 a month for curbside yard-debris pickup. Backyard garbage collection is offered to persons disabled or age 70 and older at the curbside rate of $16.24. N.C. MOTOR-VEHICLE LICENSE FEES ARE UP 7.86% The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is required by state law to adjust its fees and rates every four years, based on total annual rises in the Consumer Price Index. As a result, July 1 brought an increase of 7.86% for about 90 license and registration fees. The annual fee for passenger-vehicle registrations will go from $36 to $38.75. VIEW the complete DMV fee schedule that took effect this week> Town of Smithfield wins communication awards Smithfield's is one of 21 North Carolina local governments receiving 2020 Excellence in Communications Awards from N.C. City & County Communicators, an organization of professional government communicators. The town won first place in Social Media: General Use on a Single Platform for its Facebook page and second place in Video: Regular Programming for its "Smithfield in 60" series of one-minute online postings highlighting local events.  "We realized in previous years we
were simply not conveying proper information to
our citizens and followers in a thorough and expedient manner,"
said Tim Kerigan, the town's public information
officer. "Since hiring Brian Eaves (pictured)
as the town's Marketing and Communications
Specialist at the end of 2018, those efforts have
been drastically improved."Added Mr. Eaves: "Our Facebook reach has increased almost 500% from the beginning of 2019 and we have increased our total followers by almost 60%." Smithfield is the smallest town to win an award from the state group this year, according to the town's announcement. LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AGENDAS
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Friday a holiday with the 4th on Saturday  Friday (July 3) is a federal, state, and
local holiday for all government offices and services.Banks will be open Friday as usual but closed on Saturday, the Fourth of July. Both the Public Library and the Heritage Center in Downtown Smithfield will be closed Friday and Saturday.  Might as well call it "Smithfield Beach" This stretch of sand on the west bank of the Neuse below the Market Street bridge has become a popular fishing spot. The beach-like sand results from upstream erosion producing silt that's deposited along the river banks by floodwaters --- and we've experienced quite a few episodes of that over the past couple of years. |
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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.... PAULINE RAY BAUCOM, 83 - died July 1 HILDA FAYE HUTCH, 75 - died June 29 HELEN LOUISE DAVIS CANUPP, 91 - died June 26 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS
REMEMBER THESE SMITHFIELD LANDMARKS? The tower behind the old Smithfield Fire Station and the water tank that straddled Caswell Street near the old water plant were local curiosities in their day. Atop the tower was a siren that called volunteer firemen to duty. It was also used for drying fire hoses, as you can see here. Meanwhile, the over-the-road water tank enticed motorists, especially with children present, to drive between its legs (thank goodness it was never knocked down, disrupting Smithfield's water supply). The siren tower came down in the late 1970s to make way for the town's present-day fire station. The water tank was removed --- spectacularly by helicopter --- in the early 1980s. (Photo from The Smithfield Herald Collection, Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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LINKS TO MORE PAGES IN THIS EDITION OBSERVATIONSDID YOU MISS A PREVIOUS EDITION? Rewind with our archives |
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PLEASE THANK
THESE RECENT SPONSORS OF THE WEEKLY SUN:
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