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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE NOVEMBER 12, 2020 • VOL.
2, NO. 53 |
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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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 Veterans Day 2020, observed virtually Because of coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings, Smithfield-Selma High School was unable to host the annual Veterans Day program put on by Johnston County Public Schools. Instead, an online production featuring recorded talks and music along with video clips from past events was used to carry on the tradition virtually. Following the 11 o'clock live-stream, military veterans and their families picked up complimentary lunches outside the SSS cafeteria, with the driveway lined by American flags put out by local Rotarians. This was the 16th year the school system, with help from ROTC students, has saluted veterans in a special way. VIEW the online recording of Wednesday's Veterans Day program> SMITHFIELD'S FIREWORKS GO OFF DESPITE THE RAIN It was raining as darkness fell Wednesday evening, but that didn't stop the Town of Smithfield from going ahead with its Veterans Day fireworks tribute at Community Park. A video of the festivities, opening with a salute to town employees who have served in the military and concluding with the fireworks show, is archived for viewing on the town's Facebook page> CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Smithfield's
403 cases per 10,000 residents
• 6,401
cases, 69 deaths, 27
hospitalized + 944 at home for a total ofis now the highest incident rate in Johnston The countywide increase in COVID-19 cases this past week was 339 --- up from 296 the previous week, reports the Johnston County Public Health Department. But this week's report covers just six days rather than seven since the county didn't issue its daily report on Wednesday, a holiday. According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services at mid-week, Smithfield ZIP Code 27577 registered 403 cases per 10,000 residents over the past 14 days --- the highest rate among Johnston's postal zones. Close behind was Selma 27576 at 396 per 10,000, followed by Princeton 27569 at 374, Four Oaks 27524 at 367, Benson 27504 at 316, Clayton 27520 at 297, and Kenly 27542 at 251. The infection rate for Johnston County as a whole: 34 cases per 10,000 residents. Here's the County of Johnston's daily report issued at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday (no report on Wednesday, a holiday for county employees): 971 active cases --- up from 878 a week ago --- with 5,361 presumed recovered. • 3,367 female cases; 3,034 male. • Cases by age: 924 ages 0-17 (871 last week); 879 18-24 (833 last week); 2,642 25-49 (2,501 last week); 1,236 50-64 (1,165 last week); 720 age 65+ (692). • Cases by race: 3,785 white, 777 black, 892 other (947 not known). • Cases by ethnicity: 2,299 Hispanic, 3,389 non-Hispanic (713 not known). INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS JOHNSTON COUNTY JAIL: 5 inmates, 20 staff. JOHNSTON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION: 63 inmates, 5 staff. NURSING AND ADULT-CARE CENTERS: 17 residents, 86 staff. VIEW the county's latest report with additional details> SCHOOLS' REPORT SHOWS CASES DOUBLING THIS PAST WEEK Here's what was posted at 8:50 a.m. today (Thursday): STUDENT DATA: 50 cases among 21,660 students who have returned to face-to-face learning at school this week --- 20 in elementary schools, 8 in middle schools, 22 in high schools (last week: 22 total cases among 21,724 students in school). EMPLOYEE DATA: 19 cases, 191 quarantined among approximately 5,000 employees including teachers, administrators, and support staff ---8 cases in elementary schools, 2 in middle schools, 8 in high schools, 1 in Central Office administration (last week's totals: 8 cases, 82 quarantined). Data updated every weekday on the school system's website>
A SECOND FREE-TESTING SITE OPENS IN SMITHFIELD In addition to free testing at Smithfield-Selma High School every Tuesday, the Johnston County Public Health Department is offering free tests at the Smithfield Progressive Men's Club at 1208 Old Goldsboro Road this week and next. Neither appointments nor screenings are required. Participants are asked to bring identification and insurance cards if they have them so the department can bill insurers for the testing. The schedule for both test sites is posted on this link: VIEW the current list of COVID-19 test sites and testing events in all of Johnston> |
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 "Trusted by families since 1977" 840 S. Bright Leaf Blvd. • 919-934-7164 • www.carrollpharmacy.com |
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School employees to get fall supplements as usual; teachers got $350 state bonuses The Johnston County Board of Education cleared the way Tuesday for employees other than teachers to get the $300 supplement they usually get in November. In addition, Johnston's teachers will get their usual fall supplements as well in addition to $350 bonus checks received from the state this past month. The N.C. General Assembly authorized the $350 for all teachers instead of across-the-board raises, which haven't been granted since the state's 2018-19 budget cycle. The good news for local school systems like Johnston's is that the recent state bonus went to county-paid as well as state-paid teachers. Johnston County's taxpayers are footing the bill for the $300 checks and the local teacher supplements to be distributed this month. AUDIT REPORT OFFERS BREATHING ROOM There was some doubt about locally funded extra pay this year because of fiscal uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. But the required annual audit of the school system's finances, received by the school board this week, paints a rosier picture than what faced school leaders a year ago. Adam Scepurek, CPA of the auditing firm Anderson Smith & Wike of Rockingham, reported at Tuesday's monthly board meeting that Johnston's school system finished the 2019-20 fiscal June 30 with a General Fund balance of $9,854,025 --- "not a great number," he said, but certainly much better than an alarmingly low reserve of just $317,000 a year earlier that produced a warning letter from auditors. When asked what the system's fund-balance goal should be, Mr. Scepurek said "it would be nice to be (at) $20 million." Even so, he commended Johnston's schools for turning its dire situation in a positive direction. An emergency appropriation from the County Commissioners along with budget cuts made by Johnston's school administration helped get that done, Mr. Scepurek acknowledged. But he also gave credit to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the closing of schools in March that produced budgetary savings. All the other school systems across the state that his firm has audited have increased their fund balances because of COVID-related savings, he said. SMITHFIELD-SELMA HIGH LISTS QUARTERLY ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS VIEW Principal's List and Honor Roll for the first 9 weeks on the FEATURE PAGE> |
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Town Council approves funding for both riverbank and Spring Branch fix-up work The Smithfield Town Council Tuesday night approved without dissent two draw-downs from reserve funds to repair an eroding Neuse River bank beside the Town Commons greenway and reconstruct shaky embankments along Spring Branch between Fifth and Sixth streets.
Town Manager Mike Scott said Edwards made similar repairs to the riverbank south of the bridge last year with large rocks and concrete, and it held up during the recent high-water episode. To match a $100,000 state Environmental Enhancement Grant awarded for the Spring Branch Community Restoration Project, the council agreed to dip into the town's healthy General Fund Balance to draw out $100,500 to award a $200,500 design and construction contract to KCI Technologies of Raleigh. The project approved Tuesday includes reconstruction of the Spring Branch embankment to eliminate deteriorating man-made walls while constructing adjacent wetlands to reduce downstream flooding as well as nutrient pollution of the Neuse River. A second phase, yet to be funded and approved, would add a greenway trail and other amenities along that stretch of the stream beside the Fifth Street Community Garden. READ MORE about Town Council doings at Tuesday's monthly meeting> |
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 On hand for the award presentation in the kitchen of the First Baptist Ministry Center: (left to right) church volunteer Ann Wilson; Deidre Kraft of the DAR; honoree Lisa Gainey; Mary Aker, Sarai Daniels, and Becky Owens of the DAR; and church volunteer Mary Helen Burgess. DAR chapter honors volunteer Lisa Gainey for her leadership in Feed the Kids program Story
& photo from Smith-Bryan Chapter, DAR
 JUNIOR WOMEN'S LEAGUE RAISES $9,000 FOR "HEALTHY FAMILIES" The coronavirus pandemic forced the Junior Women's League of Smithfield (JWL) to cancel its annual Big Night Out gala in June, but in its place the organization held a virtual fund-raiser that netted $9,000 for the Johnston Health Foundation's new "Healthy Families Program" at Health Quest. On hand for the recent check presentation: (left to right) in front --- Dietician Heather Davies and Director Ashley Scott of Health Quest, Executive Director Sol Halliburton of the Health Foundation, 2019-20 JWL President Dana Peterson, current President Sarah Edwards, Fund Development V.P. Kelly Blanchard; in back --- Frankie Benavidez of Health Quest along with JWL officers Amanda Johnson, Pam Bachelor, Laura Hill, Erin Smith, and Meredith Fordham. JWL is accepting applications for membership through next Monday (Nov. 16). LEARN MORE on the JWL website> (JWL photo) |
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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.... RUBY LEE DUBLIN, 85 - died November 10 PHYLLIS ANN RELIFORD, 75 - died November 9 ROBIN GENE CASTLEBERRY, 63 - died November 9 HELEN OWEN PARHAM, 93 - died November 8 BRIAN DAREAL SANDERS, 60 - died November 6 STACY LEE JOHNSON, 73 - died November 5 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  SMITHFIELD'S FIRST CREECH DRUG STORE Many of us remember Creech's Pharmacy on South Third Street in the heart of Downtown Smithfield --- operated by the late Jimmy Creech for many years. Coincidentally, there was an earlier Creech Drug around the corner on Market Street --- the interior of which is pictured in this colorized postcard from the 1920s. What's confusing about the separate businesses are the furnishings behind the counters shown here, apparently the same fixtures that stood inside the second Creech drug store until it closed in 2003. (From Johnston County Heritage Center collection) |
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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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Precarious walls line Spring
Branch beside the Fifth Street Community
Garden.
