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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 • VOL.
2, NO. 44 |
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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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SCHOOL RE-OPENING PLAN, v. 3:
• Pre-K & EC students to
return Sept. 28
• Kindergartners Oct. 12; grades 1-5 Oct. 19 On July 22 the Johnston County Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of a re-opening plan to return elementary-school students to classrooms September 8. On August 27 the board voted 4-3 to delay the students' return till the end of the first nine-week grading period (October 15) --- a delay recommended by Superintendent Eric Bracy. This week the board voted unanimously on yet another plan --- this one also recommended by the superintendent --- to bring back pre-kindergarten and special-need students (a.k.a. "exceptional children") on September 28 followed by kindergartners on October 12 and students in grades 1-5 on the 19th. Dr. Bracy also reported that his administration is working on logistics for bringing back middle-school and high-school students as early as October 19, with a decision on that likely to come by early next week. Meanwhile, parents who have chosen to keep their children on the stay-at-home virtual-learning option may continue down that path even as others return to school. Dr. Bracy told the board Tuesday he was recommending the latest re-opening plan in light of Governor Roy Cooper's lifting last week of restrictions on commercial openings as the gain in coronavirus outbreaks appears to be lessening statewide. READ MORE from Tuesday's monthly meeting of Johnston's school board, including an uplifting report on the school system's financial situation> WEEKLY CORONAVIRUS REPORT
4,120 cases: 3,475
presumed recovered
Here's the County of Johnston coronavirus report as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: • 4,120 cases, 54 deaths, 21 hospitalized, 570 at home, 3,475 presumed recovered (that nets a total of 591 active cases). • 2,199 female cases; 1,921 male. • Cases by age: 629 ages 0-17 (604 last week); 598 18-24 (573 last week); 1,710 25-49 (1,649 last week); 762 50-64 (729 last week); 421 age 65+ (405). • Cases by race: 2,372 white, 539 black, 606 other (603 not known). • Cases by ethnicity: 1,756 Hispanic, 1,790 non-Hispanic (574 not known). CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS: Smithfield Manor Nursing & Rehab: 1 resident, 8 staff. Springbrook Rehab & Nursing Center: 7 residents, 10 staff. Johnston County Jail: 3 inmates, 16 staff. Liberty Commons: 4 staff. VIEW the current list of test sites and testing events in Johnston County>
PUBLIC LIBRARY RE-OPENS FOR 50 PATRONS AT A TIME Tuesday saw the re-opening of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, with a maximum of 50 persons allowed inside the building at any one time. Patrons, who must wear face masks, may browse the shelves and check out materials. Patrons may use the library's computers by appointment only. For more information, visit the library's website> HERITAGE CENTER OPEN ON REGULAR SCHEDULE AGAIN The Johnston County Heritage Center's hours are 9-5 Monday-Saturday. Face coverings are required, and visitors in the Reading Room are required to use hand sanitizer or wear gloves before handling materials. |
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Johnston's jobless rate rose to 7.9% in July (May's 11% still stands as COVID-19 peak) The shutdown in mid-March of many businesses and services because of the coronavirus pandemic drove Johnston County's unemployment rate to a record high of 11% in May. Then, as many businesses were allowed to re-open, the rate dropped back to 6.9% in June. The state's report for July puts Johnston's jobless rate at 7.9%, with an estimated 7,569 county residents unemployed --- up from 6,401 in June yet fewer than the estimated 10,167 out of work in May. What about August? Employment reports from the N.C. Department of Commerce usually lag 30 days or more after the end of each month, so we won't get that answer till late September or early October. Looking at surrounding counties, Johnston's July jobless rate was among the lowest. Only Sampson, a county heavy with seasonal agricultural employment, had a lower rate --- at 7.1%. Wake County's rate was 8% while nearby Wilson and Nash counties had rates exceeding 10% in July. VIEW the statewide employment report for July> All county employees will get pay raise of 2.1% Oct. 1; some, another 1.2% in Jan. County of Johnston employees will receive an across-the-board salary increase of 2.1% October 1. Some of them will get an additional 1.2% merit raise January 1, depending on individual evaluations. Those raises were covered in the county's 2020-21 budget that the County Commissioners adopted in June. Normally, pay raises take effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. County Manager Rick Hester had recommended delaying that this year because of financial uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Near the end of Tuesday evening's monthly meeting of the county board, Mr. Hester said revenues now appear stable enough to allow for the October 1 pay raises, "without objection" from commissioners. They had none. The commissioners also agreed with Mr. Hester's decision NOT to suspend withholding of Social Security and Medicare taxes from county employees' checks, as allowed by a recent directive from President Donald Trump, since the suspended payments would be deducted from employees' checks after the first of the year. READ MORE from Tuesday's monthly sessions of the county board, including adoption of a teleworking policy and a move to hire a Broadband consultant> |
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County Commissioner candidates reveal their priorities during online Zoom forum
Taking part were: • District 1 candidates Justin King, an insurance agent, and Fred Smith, a real-estate developer and former commissioner. • District 2 candidates Ted Godwin, a retired banker who's currently chairman of the Board of Commissioners, and Wendy Ella May, who lists herself as "retired/student." • District 6 candidates Tony Braswell, a small-business owner and incumbent commissioner, and Dr. Gettys Cohen, a dentist. District 4 candidates Alton Lamont and incumbent commissioner Larry Wood did not participate. Although candidates for the county board must run from separate residential districts, they are elected by voters countywide. Because commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms, three other seats aren't up for election this year. The forum participants were asked what they consider Johnston County's most pressing need. Mr. King: Broadband Internet service. Mr Smith: Funding for "safe homes, safe streets, safe schools." Mr. Godwin: "Flexibility" when it comes to budgeting. Ms. May: "Liveable wages." Mr. Braswell: "All of the above," especially Broadband Internet. Dr. Cohen: Transportation services for disadvantaged citizens. Beyond those items, several candidates called for land-use planning to protect rural areas from uncontrolled growth and encourage new development closer to municipalities. They were asked about county funding for public schools. Mr. King proposed a $300-million funding commitment from the county over the next three years, with $240 million of that dedicated to instructional needs and $60 million for construction. He advocated raising the local sales-tax rate by a quarter of a percentage point to pay for new schools. Mr. Smith said his first act as commissioner would be authorization of a $100-million bond issue for new schools. He said that's affordable without a property-tax increase because of the county's phasing of bond issues since the 1990s. Mr. Godwin said the cost of school construction ought to be lowered. He suggested "building schools that look like fire departments with metal skins." Ms. May advocated a binding agreement between commissioners and school board members for funding that would "get students out of mobile classrooms." Mr. Braswell suggested alternatives to more school construction such as virtual learning and year-round instruction. Enrollment growth can be slowed "as parents have more choices," he said. Dr. Cohen proposed upgrading school facilities with emphasis on locations outside the high-growth areas to encourage "less crossover" by parents who have sought to send their children outside assigned attendance districts. The candidates were asked what County Government should be doing about climate change. Mr. King proposed employment of a "sustainability officer" to push for stepped-up use of renewable energy sources. Ms. May and Dr. Cohen concurred with putting more emphasis on "green" energy. Mr. Smith and Mr. Braswell said the issue is primarily a federal responsibility. Mr. Godwin said climate change is "not mankind's doing," that global warming has been "cyclical for eons." He concluded: "We've got more important things to think about in Johnston County." VIEW the entire forum archived on the Junior Women's League Facebook page> Up next: A similar online forum at 7 p.m. next Tuesday (Sept. 15) for candidates seeking four seats on the Johnston County Board of Education. CHAMBER'S "CANDIDATES CONNECTION" OPENS FRIDAY The Triangle East Chamber of Commerce's online forum for candidates running for school board, county commissioner, state legislator, and members of Congress is scheduled to launch Friday (tomorrow) on the Chamber's website> Questions have been presented to the candidates for short video responses. The site will remain open until the November 3 election. |
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Photo from the
Johnston County Report
CHURCH LOSES ITS FRONT DOOR TO RECKLESS DRIVING Pastor Mike Walls told WRAL-TV News that Freedom Baptist Church near a curve on North Bright Leaf Boulevard at Hancock Street has been struck by vehicles three times now, including a crash early Tuesday morning that injured the car's driver and two small children. "We call this the first drive-thru church in Smithfield," he joked. What's no joke is the extensive damage that was done to the building. The driver, a woman from Dunn, faces charges of driving while impaired and child abuse. |
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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.... GEORGE HUBERT ARCHIBALD, 80 - died September 7 CHARLES WILLIAM OLIVE, 87 - died September 6 J. DONALD PUTNAM, 79 - died September 2 HAROLD BRAXTON LEE, 82 - died September 2 KATIE F. CAMPBELL, 69 - died September 1 ABRAHAM MARTINEZ CERVANTES, 4 - August 31 flood victim ALEXA OSORIO, 5 - August 31 flood victim |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  'TWAS A POPULAR SPOT IN THE 1950s Cumberland Dairy Products operated the Smithfield Dairy Center on what was then Eighth Street (today's Bright Leaf Boulevard) half a block north of Market Street. Next door to the right was the home of Wilson Chevrolet; to the left (not visible) was Gardner Motor Company, Smithfield's Crysler-Plymouth dealership. (Photo from the Joe & Warren Grimes Collection, Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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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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