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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE JULY 23, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 37 |
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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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| Johnston school board's re-opening plan will bring back K-5 students first But even that won't take place till after Labor Day, which falls on September 7 this year. In the meantime, all of Johnston's students --- in grades K-12 --- will begin the new school year August 17 with online "virtual learning" via the Internet, as was done to close out the 2019-20 school term. That means students in grades 6-12 (middle and high schools) will be restricted to instruction delivered remotely for the foreseeable future. And the K-5 students will be divided into two groups, each attending school just two days each week (Monday and Tuesday for some, Thursday and Friday for others). The board's decision came at the end of a special meeting Wednesday evening that lasted more than five hours and drew more than 3,000 online viewers as public attendance at board members has been barred by coronavirus restrictions.
And that would be a tight fit unless many more parents chose to keep their children at home all the time for remote learning. (The board learned at Wednesday's meeting that more than 9,000 families have chosen the virtual-learning option so far, with the deadline for parents to make that choice extended indefinitely). Expressing dismay about holding elementary-age children out of school for extended periods, board members settled on the two-days-every-week plan for them. Meanwhile, "exceptional children" and others with special needs in grades K-12 will be brought to school every weekday every week. The decision to delay the return of students till after Labor Day was prompted by the transportation staff's insistence that at least five more weeks would be required to work out the logistics of school-bus routes for the K-5 scenario that hadn't been considered before Wednesday's meeting. The board's decision on re-opening leaves numerous details yet to be worked out, raising many questions from parents and staff about what comes next. For the latest information on re-opening plans, check the schools' website> |
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| CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Cases climb to 2,490 at
mid-week;
hospitalizations continue downward Here's the County of Johnston's coronavirus report as of 5:25 p.m. Wednesday: • 2,490 cases, 42 deaths, 20 hospitalized --- down from 22 a week ago and 29 two weeks ago, 746 at home, 1,682 presumed recovered. • 1,315 female cases; 1,175 males. • Cases by age: 385 ages 0-17 (333 last week); 308 18-24 (268 last week); 1,088 25-49 (999); 457 50-64 (396); 252 age 65+ (220). • Cases by race: 1,466 white, 320 black, 663 other, 41 unknown (not reported). • Cases by ethnicity: 1,263 Hispanic, 935 non-Hispanic, 292 unknown. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services' mid-week report shows that 12% of Johnston County's tests for coronavirus infection are coming back positive --- down slightly from 13% last week. The statewide rate remains at 8%. State statistics show Johnston with 123 cases per 10,000 residents --- not the highest rate in North Carolina, yet higher than neighboring Wake's 85 per 10,000. Dr. Marilyn Pearson, the county's director of public health, reports that 394 tests were performed at three "community testing events" last Friday and Saturday --- two at the Brightleaf Flea Market on US 301 South in Smithfield and another at the Western Assembly Church on US 701 north of Newton Grove. More testing will be done at Brightleaf Flea Market this Friday and Saturday. Here's the Health Department's current list of test sites and testing events>
PUBLIC LIBRARY DECIDES NOT TO ACCEPT PPP LOAN Jeff Jennings, chairman of the Board of Trustees, says the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield has decided not to accept a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration. "The library does indeed qualify as a non-profit entity," he told the Sun, which published a list of local loan recipients last week that included the library. "However, during April-June a more clearer understanding of the criteria to receive funds emerged. We decided it would be best to return the funds since our income was not reduced due to the library's closure," Mr. Jennings said. "The majority of our funding comes from the state, county, and town and none of our partners decreased funding during that time," he added. While both the County of Johnston and the Town of Smithfield have adopted their budgets for fiscal 2020-21, state funding remains in limbo, awaiting budgetary decisions by the N.C. General Assembly. The county increased its annual appropriation to the library to $589,000 --- up from $507,121 this past year. The town's annual appropriation remained the same at $270,000. Funding from the state amounted to $192,000 in fiscal 2019-20. The library's home in Downtown Smithfield is temporarily closed because of coronavirus concerns, but its services remain available remotely. For more information about that, visit the library's website> |
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 On hot Sunday mornings in July, faithful folks flock to outdoor worship services  Pastor Beth Burton-Williams has been
leading her congregation through services in the parking
lot outside South Smithfield's First Christian Church
since Easter.She said plans are to continue the 10 o'clock gatherings through Labor Day, at least. Ms. Williams has served as pastor here since 1995, making her the longest-serving among Smithfield's current mainline denominational ministers. Meanwhile, across town, St. Peter Church of Christ also continues to hold Sunday morning services in its parking lot off East Massey Street. Centenary United Methodist is among a handful of churches in our area that opened their sanctuaries to worshipers at the beginning of June, but relatively few members have returned in person, choosing to view services at home live-streamed online. |
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CIVIC & SOCIAL DOINGS Emily Woodard Harris to head Cotillion chapter
"I look forward to
showing kids how fun Cotillion classes are --- not
stuffy or boring!" Mrs. Harris stated. Topics covered include table manners, writing thank-you notes, responding to formal invitations, and many other social skills "to make life more pleasant for students and those around them." For more information regarding the program and to register for classes, visit https://nljc.com/n/index.php/chapters/johnstonnc/chapter.
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Town
of Smithfield Facebook photo
Relief from the oppressive July heat? This surely does look refreshing, but it's not the answer to the summertime heat we're presently enduring. Instead, It's a Smithfield Fire Department project to flush water from all the town's hydrants throughout July and August as a means of testing the hydraulic capabilities of the town's water system. The hydrant flushing can cause one's household water to become cloudy or brown, but it should clear up. Even so, if residents have questions or concerns, they're advised to call Town Hall at 919-934-2116 or the Fire Department at 919-934-2468. TOWN SEEKS PAYMENT PLANS FROM UTILITY CUSTOMERS The Town of Smithfield wants utility-service customers with unpaid balances that have accrued since March 31 to establish a payment plan to avoid interruptions in service after July 29, currently the expiration date for Governor Roy Cooper's order suspending disconnections and waiving penalties, fees, and interest on unpaid bills. "Governor Cooper has emphasized that customers' bills are not being forgiven under his executive orders," the town's announcement states. "Customers are still responsible for paying for all usage between March 31 and July 29." For most Smithfield residents, that includes charges for electricity, water, and sewer. To establish payment plans, customers with overdue bills are advised to contact the town at 919-934-2116, ext. 1106 or e-mail Finance Director Greg Siler> |
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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.... BETTY LOU McCULLERS WYNN, 80 - died July 21 TREVA LOU SMITH, 86 - died July 20 MYDE WOODARD CASEY, 82 - died July 19 JUDITH ANN BULLOCK, 60 - died July 17 LARRY JAMES MASSENGILL, 75 - died July 16 HEIBAR OBED MARTINEZ-HERNANDEZ, 27 - died July 15 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  TWO OF DOWNTOWN'S MID-20th CENTURY STALWARTS This photograph from the 1950s shows two of Downtown Smithfield's "home owned" businesses that stood side by side at the southeast corner of Market and Third streets. Gregory's "dime store" building was sold in 1977 to Congleton Hardware after fire destroyed its home on Market Street. In 1990, Western Auto moved out of the central business district into a brand-new building on US 301. Neither business is in operation here today. (Photo from the Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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DID YOU MISS A PREVIOUS EDITION? Rewind with our archives |
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For more information
about our community, check out my 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 government website links • Local weather data, current & past • Neuse River levels & forecasts • Official time & Farmer's Almanac • Monthly unemployment reports • Quarterly retail-sales reports • Official population estimates • Agricultural statistics • Things to see and do www.smithfieldselmasun.com |
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The National League of Junior
Cotillions, Johnston County Chapter, has named Emily
Woodard Harris as its new director.
