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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE DECEMBER 10, 2020 • VOL.
2, NO. 57 |
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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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CORONAVIRUS
REPORT
Johnston is now a "Critical Spread" county; schools will return to remote-learning only Here are the numbers for Johnston County as of 4:45 p.m. Wednesday: • 8,912 cases --- up 843 in the past week --- with 83 deaths since March. • 49 currently hospitalized plus 2,033 recovering at home for a total of 2,082 active cases --- up from 1,475 a week ago. • 11.1% of Johnstonians recently tested found to be infected. That data has moved Johnston from "Substantial Community Spread" to "Critical Spread" on the state's COVID-19 County Alert System. And we're not alone as 48 of North Carolina's 100 counties --- including neighbors Harnett, Sampson, and Wilson --- are now in the "Critical" classification (shown in red on the map below).  As a result, administrative leaders of Johnston County's public-school system this week recommended another suspension of in-school instruction, starting at the end of this week and continuing through mid-January --- to be replaced by remote learning at home via the Internet as required for all students earlier this year. Johnston's newly constituted Board of Education approved that move by a vote of 5-2 at Tuesday's monthly meeting. READ the school system's summary of the new plan's impact> Here's the COVID-19 report posted by the school system this morning (Thursday): STUDENT DATA: 54 active cases among 21,660 students who have returned to classrooms; 1,490 active quarantines including 69 at South Smithfield Elementary, 10 at West Smithfield Elementary, 9 at Smithfield Middle, 22 at Smithfield-Selma High --- total quarantined up from 713 a week ago. STAFF DATA: 41 active cases among the system's 5,000+ employees; 250 active quarantines including 4 at South Smithfield, 3 at West Smithfield, 2 at Smithfield Middle, 4 at Smithfield-Selma High --- total quarantined up from 163 a week ago. VIEW the JCPS COVID-19 Dashboard for more details updated daily> School board's split vote about safety vs. liberty "We owe it to our students and we owe it to our employees to keep them safe," said school board member Terri Sessoms in support of the staff's recommendation to suspend in-school learning once more. "I'm sorry the virus did not cooperate with our calendar." Ronald Johnson was joined by Mike Wooten in voting against the change in plans. "If you are a student or family and you want to be in school, and you're a teacher and you want to teach and you want to be in school, I believe that you have that right and who am I to tell you (that) you don't if that's your choice," Mr. Johnson stated. The county's public schools, as all others across North Carolina, were closed by Governor Roy Cooper last March when COVID-19 first made its presence known here. Johnston's system finished the school term with students learning remotely at home and began the current term in the same manner. Starting in early October, students whose parents consented began returning to classrooms --- the youngest first, all others by the end of month, with middle and high schoolers limited to two days a week, in shifts. Even then, more than 13,700 of the system's total enrollment of just under 37,000 continued remote learning at home --- a choice made by individual households. Governor orders a curfew affecting many businesses Also on Tuesday, Governor Cooper issued an executive order urging residents to stay at home and requiring many businesses to be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting this Friday, continuing through January 8. Exceptions include stores that sell groceries, food, pharmaceuticals, or fuel. READ the order in its entirety>
VIEW the current list of COVID-19 test sites and testing events in all of Johnston> |
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Johnston's teachers and all other school employees to get an extra $400 this month The county's Board of Education on Tuesday approved spending about $2.2 million to provide what Finance Director Stephen Britt termed a "curriculum stipend" for teachers and their assistants and "hazard pay" for all other full-time employees of Johnston County Public Schools --- more than 5,000 in number. Most of the funding will come from federal CARES Act money. The balance, yet to be determined, will come from county funds. Mr. Britt said that can be done as a result of recently granted flexibility in how CARES money can be spent. Also, the county has built up savings in bus-fuel and utility expenses as a result of recent limits on numbers of students and hours spent in school classrooms, he noted. The extra paychecks will be distributed before Christmas, Mr. Britt told the board. "This is such a nice gesture," exclaimed board member Terri Sessoms, "because our employees have been doing more than double time. They are absolutely exhausted. They are true front-line workers. I wish we could pay them a whole lot more, but thank you for making something happen," she said to Mr. Britt. "And if you happen to come across another tree of money somewhere I would hope we can also compensate our substitutes," Ms. Sessoms continued. "We have a core number of substitutes who are absolutely rocking it" and "jumping from school to school on a daily basis" to fill in for teachers out of place for medical reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic. Chairman Todd Sutton asked that financial options for her suggestion --- to include school-bus drivers as well --- be brought before the board at its next regular meeting on January 12. READ MORE from Tuesday's meeting meeting of the Board of Education> |
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 Architect's rendering of the building that will house the Sheriff's Department on the first floor and the county's Emergency Services and 9-1-1 Communications headquarters on the second. County will move forward with plans for Public Safety Center beside new jail Johnston's County Commissioners on Monday authorized Moseley Architects to press ahead with final plans for a second new building at the site of the detention center already under construction off US 70 Business east of Smithfield. It will house headquarters of the Sheriff's Department, Emergency Services, and 9-1-1 Communications --- all three functions presently cramped inside the Third Street section of the Courthouse in Downtown Smithfield. Chief architect Dan Moseley told the board the second new building would cost an estimated $17,981,951 --- a figure that includes fixtures, furniture, and equipment plus architects' and engineering fees. But he added he's hopeful construction bids will come in below budget as they did for the detention center, which is costing the county an estimated $44.5 million --- almost $12 million less than anticipated. Looking at the architect's rendering of the proposed Public Safety Center --- which Mr. Moseley said is being designed with "civic dignity" because of its proximity to US 70 Business --- Commissioner Ted Godwin said he favors "a good Chevrolet building as opposed to a Cadillac building." Responded Mr. Moseley: "I don't believe there's a whole lot we can do to reduce the cost" by changing the building's outward appearance. He said materials are being chosen "to withstand the test of time." Sheriff Steve Bizzell came forward to assure commissioners that he and other county officials involved in the building's planning are taking care to ensure that taxpayers' dollars are frugally spent. Mr. Moseley said the schedule calls for construction of the second building to begin this summer with completion in mid-2022, a target close to the completion date for the detention center next door. Later during Monday's meeting, commissioners extended the county's contract with local consultant Jimmy Boykin to oversee construction of the Public Safety Center as he's already doing with the new-jail project.
READ MORE from Monday's monthly sessions of the County Commissioners> |
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Unemployment in Johnston down to 5.3% as more hold jobs, fewer seek insurance The rate dropped to 5.3% in October as the number of Johnstonians employed rose to 91,817 while the number out of work dropped to 5,158. September's jobless rate was 6.1% with 89,700 employed and 5,861 looking for jobs. In October 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak, Johnston's rate of unemployment was at a record low of 3.3% with 96,587 Johnstonians employed. Following the shutdown of many businesses and services last spring, Johnston's rate soared to 11% in May when 10,167 residents of the county filed for unemployment insurance. The all-time record for number of Johnstonians employed, according to N.C. Department of Commerce, came last February when the total reached 98,379. That's more than 6,500 above the latest number reported. VIEW the full October report from the N.C. Department of Commerce>  EQUITY DRIVE'S REBUILDING IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG A new sidewalk along with curbs and gutters are almost finished, and the first layer of asphalt is now in place, as Equity Drive off Outlet Center Drive gets a long-awaited makeover. Access has been maintained throughout construction to hotels and restaurants and other businesses along the rebuilt street, including Smithfield Cinemas, which has re-opened after months of closure as ordered by the Governor following last March's coronavirus outbreak. Adoption of changes in town's zoning ordinance postponed again --- till Jan. 5 The Smithfield Town Council recessed its regular monthly meeting last week until this past Monday evening to allow for more discussion about proposed changes in the town's Unified Development Ordinance. Council members spent more than 2 1/2 hours Monday going over details with Planning Director Stephen Wensman, who will make further revisions based on their comments for adoption at the council's next regular meeting on January 5. A key component of the revised ordinance is a relatively new concept embraced by North Carolina's municipalities called "conditional zoning," an alternative to the sometimes cumbersome process for obtaining special-use permits. Mr. Wensman's revised draft should be published along with the agenda for the council's January meeting to be posted during the last week of December. |
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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.... JOHN PAGE McFADYEN, 75 - died December 8 ANNIE EDWARDS SUTTON, 92 - died December 8 MILDRED JEAN WILLIAMS - died December 3 |
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WHAT'S COMING UP?  SANTA
WILL VISITNEIGHBORHOODS THIS SATURDAY "Santa's reindeer are conserving their energy for the big night so Santa will hop aboard our fire trucks and set his sights on seeing every boy and girl in town!" reads the announcement from the Town of Smithfield. Schedules for "Sleigh 1" and "Sleigh 2" are posted on the town's website> TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO ENTER CHRISTMAS LIGHTS CONTEST The "Light Up Smithfield" competition --- a new event in place of the canceled Christmas parade --- is open to all residences and businesses inside the Smithfield town limits, with judging in several categories scheduled December 18-19. Here's the contest entry form> |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARADE 35 YEARS AGO A trio of dancing "Yamettes" get in line for Smithfield's Yuletide parade in 1985. These costumes were fashioned by a member of the Town Council at the time for Smithfield's inaugural Ham & Yam Festival that year. Hmmm. Prototypes for an almost-full-body COVID-19 mask? (Photo from editor's personal 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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