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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE AUGUST 6, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 39 |
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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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ISAIAS: not quite the storm we had feared  By the
time Hurricane Isaias reached the central Coastal Plains
early Tuesday morning, it had been downgraded to a
Tropical Storm. The highest wind gusts recorded at
Johnston Regional Airport near Smithfield topped out at
just 33 mph, the highest sustained winds around 20 mph.More importantly, rainfall totaled 3.72 inches from midday Monday through Tuesday morning --- less than the 4-6 inches that had been forecast. As a result, the Neuse River at Smithfield did rise significantly --- from about 6 feet before the storm to a peak of 16.48 feet late Wednesday morning --- but that level only qualifies as "minor flooding" here and was no threat to lower-lying residential properties. READ MORE about the storm with the unusual name on OBSERVATIONS> |
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 3,148 cases, 46 deaths, 33
in hospitals
Despite the continuing rise in number of cases, Johnston County Health Director Marilyn Pearson told the County Commissioners on Monday that "most people are doing pretty well with this" --- a reference to reports showing more than 2,500 Johnstonians "presumed recovered" from coronavirus infections to date. Dr. Pearson said the average age of Johnstonians who have died from COVID-19 infections is 75, while the average age of those requiring hospitalization is 58. The largest number of cases, 42% of the total, fall in the 25-49 age group, she noted. The Health Department has conducted more than 2,300 tests, Dr. Pearson reported. (Many more tests are being conducted by health-care providers and businesses.) VIEW the current list of test sites and testing events in Johnston County> A TELEPHONE SCAM WARNING Further complicating the coronavirus mess was word from the county this week that scammers have been telephoning folks pretending to be representatives of the Health Department offering $100 gift cards with payments for shipping and handling. "If you receive one of these calls, do not share any personal or financial information," the county warns; "hang up immediately" and call the N.C. Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM. Here's the County of Johnston's coronavirus report as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday: • 3,148 cases, 46 deaths, 33 hospitalized, 530 at home, 2,514 presumed recovered. • 1,688 female cases; 1,460 males. • Cases by age: 494 ages 0-17 (454 last week); 424 18-24 (358 last week); 1,318 25-49 (1,209 last week); 584 50-64 (527 last week); 326 age 65+ (296). • Cases by race: 1,842 white, 412 black, 477 other (417 not known). • Cases by ethnicity: 1,491 (47%) Hispanic, 1,253 non-Hispanic (404 not known).
 Smithfield-Selma's Graduation Day (at last!) Principal David Allen offers a virtual fist pump prior to handing a diploma to one of 303 graduates in the SSS Class of 2020. More pictures from the socially distanced event outside the school's front door last Thursday, along with a list of the graduates and recipients of academic awards, appear on the FEATURE PAGE> SCHOOL BOARD'S MONTHLY MEETING TUESDAY The Johnston County Board of Education will conduct its regular monthly meeting next Tuesday afternoon (August 11) in the Evander S. Simpson Building on US 70 Business east of Smithfield. The agenda, along with attendance regulations, should be posted on the school system's website by the end of the week> |
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It would house the Sheriff's Department on one floor and the county's 9-1-1 Communications Center on the second. Estimated cost: $17.5 million.
Dan Mace of Moseley Architects attributed the lower-than-anticipated cost of the new jail to the coronavirus pandemic and told the board Monday he expects construction bids to remain depressed for another year. That should reduce the amount of money the county will have to borrow to complete both projects. And, if plans can be completed and bids awarded on the second phase next spring, both projects can be finished in February 2022, Mr. Mace said. Moving both the Sheriff's Department and 9-1-1 Communications out of cramped quarters would clear the way for sorely needed expansion of judicial facilities inside the Courthouse complex Downtown, Mr. Mace added. That prompted Commissioner Jeff Carver to question the wisdom of committing to a second major construction project just now without knowing the cost of Courthouse renovations on top of other pressing needs like new schools as well as fiscal uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, he joined the other members of the board in a unanimous vote to authorize design work on the second building, concluding that it's okay "to spend a little money on soft costs" without making a final commitment on construction. READ MORE from Monday's sessions of the County Commissioners> |
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Smithfield Town Council awards $786,381 contract to rebuild beaten-up Equity Drive A circular street that serves several hotels, restaurants, and other businesses off Outlet Center Drive beside I-95 is going to be rebuilt. And it's sorely needed, as the photograph below illustrates.
JSmith Civil, LLC of Goldsboro won the rebuilding contract by submitting the lowest of five bids, which ranged as high as $1,532,214. The winning bid came in at $786,381. The work --- which includes "Full Depth Reclamation" that essentially means tearing up what's there and starting all over again --- is set to begin next month. Council members were assured by Town Engineer Bill Dreitzler that access to all the businesses along Equity Drive will remain open at all times during construction. "It's going to be a solid road," he declared. Along with the street's rebuilding will be the addition of curbs and gutters to both sides and a sidewalk along one side. READ MORE from Tuesday's monthly Town Council session> |
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10,000 free books for Johnston's children! The Partnership for Children of Johnston County (PFCJC) has reached a milestone in its effort to increase literacy and provide books to children.  Through the agency’s partnership with
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, more than 10,000
Johnston County children have received free books
delivered directly to their homes since the program
began here.The Partnership became part of the Dolly Parton campaign in 2017 when the N.C. General Assembly budgeted funding for Smart Start to administer the program across the state to provide free, age-appropriate books each month to children under the age of 5. To learn more, visit the Johnston County Partnership's website> |
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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.... CLARENCE ARTHUR BARBOUR, 80 - died August 4 MARY ALICE CAPPS, 74 - died August 1 RICHARD EARL BARBOUR, 68 - died July 31 JORGE ALEXANDER GUTIERREZ, 34 - died July 31 MICHAEL JOSEPH (MICKEY) NIXON, 56 - died July 31 LAWRENCE EARL McCULLERS, 87 - died July 29 GILBERT RAY BROUGHTON, 72 - died July 28 BERTHA LOUISE HALL WILLIAMS, 86 - died July 27 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  ORIGINALLY CAROLINA TELEPHONE'S SMITHFIELD HOME No longer used as an office open to the public is the former Market Street home of Carolina Telephone & Telegraph Company, the local phone provider through much of the 20th Century. A series of corporate acquisitions over the years changed the brand to Sprint, then Embarq, before giving way to today's CenturyLink, which continues to maintain switching equipment in the original CT&T building. A REMINDER ABOUT PROGRAM ON RACISM IN HEALTH CARE A round-table discussion organized by the Johnston County Heritage Commission's Black History Committee will be live-streamed at 7 p.m. today (Thursday), accessible via the Heritage Center's YouTube channel or Facebook page> |
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LINKS TO MORE PAGES IN THIS EDITION OBSERVATIONS 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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