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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 52 |
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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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ELECTION RESULTS
School-board seats go to Johnson, Andrews, Carroll, Wooten; Barnes wins Senate race
The Johnston County Board of Education will get two new members next month:
Incumbent Teresa Grant finished sixth among eight candidates seeking those seats. (Incumbent Peggy Smith chose not to seek re-election this year). Actually, Mr. Carroll is not a new board member. He previously served from 1992 through 2008, part of that time as chairman. Ms. Andrews is a retired Johnston County school teacher and administrator. Newly elected to a seat on the Johnston County Board of Commissioners is Fred Smith, but he's not new either, having served as commissioner for two years prior to winning a seat in the N.C. Senate in 2002. He joins incumbents Tony Braswell, Ted Godwin, and Larry Wood, who won re-election Tuesday to new four-year terms on the Board of Commissioners. All are Republicans. The two Republican state representatives from Smithfield-area districts --- Donna White and Larry Strickland --- won re-election to the N.C. General Assembly. Ms. White's district is contained within the boundaries of Johnston County (see voting results above). Mr. Strickland's district is mostly within Johnston with the addition of the Angier area of Harnett, producing a total of 29,346 votes to 13,943 in his favor. Republican State Representative Lisa Barnes of Spring Hope defeated Democrat Allen Wellons of Smithfield in a race for an N.C. Senate seat representing much of Johnston and Nash counties. Mr. Wellons was seeking a return to office, having served as a state senator for six years after first winning election in 1996. Two-county voting results from the District 11 Senate race: Barnes ---- 34,644 in Johnston + 26,235 in Nash = 60,879. Wellons --- 24,957 in Johnston + 24,761 in Nash = 49,718. Incumbent Republican Congressman David Rouzer outpolled Democrat Christopher M. Ward by a vote of 269,847 to 176,610 to win re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives from District 7, which stretches from Johnston County southward to Wilmington. Incumbent U.S. Senator Thom Tillis also won re-election. Johnston County voters decisively favored Republican Party candidates in all partisan races --- including Dan Forest, who lost the race for Governor to incumbent Democrat Roy Cooper. Bear in mind that the voting totals reported here are preliminary, subject to an official canvass by the Johnston County Board of Elections next week. VIEW complete, though unofficial, Johnston County returns as they now stand> |
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CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Case
number passes 6,000 but uptick
• 6,062
cases, 68 deaths, 24
hospitalized + 854 at home for a total ofslowed to just under 300 this past week The increase in COVID-19 cases this past week was 296, down from the record 409 for the previous week, reports the Johnston County Public Health Department. Smithfield ZIP Code 27577 saw an increase of 61 cases this past week, down from 72 the previous week. Here's the County of Johnston's daily report issued at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday: 878 active cases --- up from 832 a week ago --- with 5,116 presumed recovered. • 3,191 female cases; 2,871 male. • Cases by age: 871 ages 0-17 (837 last week); 833 18-24 (785 last week); 2,501 25-49 (2,378 last week); 1,165 50-64 (1,100 last week); 692 age 65+ (666). • Cases by race: 3,580 white, 737 black, 870 other (875 not known). • Cases by ethnicity: 2,243 Hispanic, 3,180 non-Hispanic (639 not known). INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS JOHNSTON COUNTY JAIL: 5 inmates, 19 staff. JOHNSTON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION: 55 inmates, 5 staff. NURSING AND ADULT-CARE HOMES: 18 residents, 64 staff. VIEW the county's latest report with additional details> JOHNSTON SCHOOLS' REPORT STARTS OVER EACH MONTH Here's what was posted at 8:45 a.m. today (Thursday): STUDENT DATA: 22 cases among 21,724 students who have returned to face-to-face learning at school this week --- 9 in elementary schools, 4 in middle schools, 9 in high schools (October's total: 66 cases among 23,096 students in school). EMPLOYEE DATA: 8 cases, 82 quarantined among approximately 5,000 employees including teachers, administrators, and support staff --- 3 cases in elementary schools, 0 in middle schools, 5 in high schools, 0 in Central Office administration (last month's totals: 40 cases, 439 quarantined). Data updated every weekday on the school system's website>
VIEW the current list of COVID-19 test sites and testing events in all of Johnston> |
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Johnston unemployment rate up slightly as numbers employed and jobless rise The N.C. Department of Commerce reports that Johnston County's estimated rate of unemployment was 6.1% in September --- up slightly from the August rate of 6.0%. At the same time, the number of Johnstonians employed rose from 87,446 in August to 89,700 in September while the number of persons filing for unemployment benefits also rose --- from 5,644 in August to 5,861 in September. Johnston's unemployment rate peaked at 11% in May following the shutdown of many businesses and services in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. In contrast, the county's jobless rate stood at record-low levels a year ago, and was just 3.2% in September 2019. Johnston's rate of 6.1% in September of this year was below the statewide rate of 7.0%. Neighboring counties had rates ranging from 5.4% in heavily agricultural Sampson to 8.5% in Nash and Wilson. The rate in Wake County was 6.1% --- the same as Johnston's. VIEW the statewide employment report for September 2020> |
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County Commissioners agree to help Smithfield pay for shoring up riverbank Johnston's County Commissioners agreed Monday to contribute up to $20,000 to help the Town of Smithfield pay for repairs to the eroding Neuse River embankment that threatens to undermine the Buffalo Creek Greenway trail.  Town Manager
Mike Scott told commissioners the riverbank just north
of the Market Street bridge took a hit from rushing
waters following heavy rainfall in the region overnight
August 31. Shoring up the embankment with large rocks
and concrete --- as the town has done elsewhere with
successful results --- will cost as much as $100,000, he
said.Smithfield's greenway, Mr. Scott pointed out, is "heavily used... not only by Smithfield residents but a lot of county residents" as well. Adrian O'Neal --- employed last November as the county's parks, greenways, and open space coordinator --- recommended the $20,000 commitment from the county's Open Space Fund, which is fed by real-estate developers to be distributed throughout Johnston for projects related to public recreation. He said Smithfield's greenway is an important link in the state's evolving Mountains-to-Sea Trail deserving of the county's assistance. Normally, federal aid could be expected for storm-related damage to such facilities, but the August 31 rainstorm was not a "FEMA event," Mr. O'Neal explained (FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency that distributes U.S. funding for disaster relief.) READ MORE about Monday's monthly sessions of the County Commissioners> |
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South Smithfield's Carson Cataliotti named "Assistant Principal of the Year"  Johnston
County Public Schools (JCPS) has chosen South Smithfield
Elementary's Carson Cataliotti as its 2020-21 "Assistant
Principal of the Year."Kerri Evans of Swift Creek Middle School was named "Principal of the Year." She has served as that school's principal since it opened in 2017. Ms. Cataliotti has served Johnston's schools for 13 years. "This is my fourth year as AP, and to be named as Assistant Principal of the Year was very exciting," she said in a statement provided by JCPS. "Assistant principals are sometimes behind the scenes, so to be recognized was a true surprise." "My dad (Jerry Stevens) was my elementary-school principal and my mom (Linda Stevens Whitley) was my middle-school principal. I guess leadership runs in the family," she stated. "I just knew from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher.... I decided to go into administration because I viewed a school as a bigger classroom, and that is exactly what it has been like for me. I love being able to have a bigger impact on my students." The Johnston County Education Foundation awarded Dr. Evans $1,000 --- $500 for personal use and $500 for her school --- and Ms. Cataliotti a check for $500. Both were nominated by their colleagues for their respective awards. |
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 Camellia sasanquas, "one of the loveliest of fall flowers," are blooming here in early November. But where, in this year of the COVID, are our full-color autumn leaves? October the driest month of 2020 (so far) Cornell Cox's Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield recorded just 2.13 inches of rainfall during October --- the driest month of 2020 to date. Fortunately, we were spared the ravages of hurricanes and tropical storms that drenched other regions of the Southeastern USA this past month. Even so, October's local rainfall brings the year's total to 60.67 inches --- significantly above our average of 47.75 inches for an entire year, according to U.S. Climate Data. WHAT'S COMING UP? SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL MEETS NEXT TUESDAY Postponed from this week's regular meeting date because of the election, the council's monthly session begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 10) at Town Hall. Key items on the agenda: • Approval of a $96,920 contract to refurbish a recently eroded portion of the Neuse River's bank beside the Buffalo Creek Greenway trail. • Approval of a $200,500 construction contract for the Spring Branch Community Restoration Project. • Public hearings on zoning-ordinance amendments proposed by the town's Planning Department regulating columbarium burial sites at churches, adding conditional zoning as a parallel classification in each of the town's primary zoning districts, requiring quasi-judicial approval of subdivision preliminary plats, and adopting Historic Preservation Commission regulations. • Public hearing on tax-exempt bonds sought for renovations of Johnson Court Apartments by Vitus, a multi-state company that owns and manages the property. VIEW the complete agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting> SCHOOL BOARD'S MONTHLY MEETING NEXT TUESDAY The Johnston County Board of Education will hold its monthly meeting next Tueday afternoon (Nov. 10) in the Simpson Building on US 70 Business east of Smithfield. The board usually convenes at 4 p.m. for a closed session to discuss personnel and other matters permitted by state law, followed by its open business session at 5 p.m. Once the agenda is posted, you may view it on the school system's website> VETERANS DAY ONLINE OBSERVANCE PLUS FIREWORKS The 16th annual Veterans Day program hosted by Smithfield-Selma High School will be a virtual event this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Starting at 11 a.m. next Wednesday (Nov. 11), the program may be viewed online> Guest speaker will be Air Force Master Sergeant Wes J. Bryant, who was part of an elite special-operations task force chosen to secure Baghdad and northern Iraq against ISIS. The event will also feature stories and testimonies from several Johnston County veterans about their service, including a veteran of World War II. And don't forget the Smithfield Parks & Recreation fireworks display after sundown at Community Park, where there's plenty of parking places for watching the show. REMEMBER: Veterans Day is a holiday observed by all levels of government.  |
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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.... BOBBY EVERETTE BISSETTE, 89 - died November 3 JAMES PAUL ALLEN, 74 - died November 3 THURMAN RUDOLPH CREECH SR., 77 - died November 2 ROBERT GLENN PITTMAN, 78 - died November 2 GILDA GRIMES (PATSY) DENNING, 91 - died November 2 BERONIA RUTH (BLONDIE) CAPPS, 66 - died October 31 ROBERT BRITT DAVIS, 73 - died October 31 LEAMON LESTER PEARCE 82 - died October 29 THOMAS BATTLE (TOM) BROUGHTON II, 69 - died October 29 |
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| ro THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  REMEMBER WHEN THIS IS HOW WE VOTED? Used throughout the middle part of the 20th Century, mechanical voting machines with levers to push down constituted the "modern" replacement for the old-fashioned paper ballot. No "paper trail" in case of problems. And plenty of opportunities for altering the results, perhaps. Thank goodness for our present-day system of marked paper ballots read by computers and then saved in case a recount is required. (Photo found online from a 1956 polling place in Connecticut) |
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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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