And
so the season of Advent
is now upon us
Three
generations had the honor
of lighting the first
candle of the Advent
season this past Sunday at
Centenary United Methodist
Church: With Nathalia
Parrish (left) is
her daughter Crecia
as grandfather Al Faber
with granddaughter Lilly
await their cue to ignite
the Candle of
Hope. (Seated on the
left is the church's
pastor, Steve McElroy).
The traditional
celebration continues
this Sunday at numerous
local churches with
lighting of the Candle of
Love followed on
successive Sundays by
candles of Joy and
Peace and finally the
Christ Candle on Christmas
Eve. (Screenshot
from Centenary
Church's YouTube
broadcast>)
New
state budget boosts
Smithfield projects
• $950,000 for enlarging RR culvert blamed
for flooding
That
appropriation breaks a
logjam that had stymied
the town's negotiations
with the CSX Railroad over
who should shoulder the
cost of replacing an
undersized drainage
culvert blamed for costly
flooding of several
businesses along South
Bright Leaf Boulevard on
several occasions in
recent years. "We
are hoping the $950,000
will cover the cost of the
culvert upgrades," Town
Manager Mike Scott told
the Sun this week. "We are
still discussing
maintenance
responsibilities with
CSX."
• $989,500 for rebuilding the Neuse River
Amphitheater
The town
had budgeted just $74,000
this fiscal year for
repairs to the wooden
stage beside the river on
the Town Commons, but this
grant from the state will
do much more. Mr. Scott
provided a summary of the
town's funded projects
that noted: "The
construction will create a
new facility that is
handicap accessible and is
expected to greatly
enhance Smithfield's
Downtown tourism
presence." Plans for a new
amphitheater were
developed by the Johnston
County Tourism
Authority in partnership
with the town.
•
$536,300 for
expanding facilities at
Smith-Collins Park
This state
appropriation will pay for
a "multi-use path" around
the park including an
extension to a town-owned
holding pond across from
the campus of Johnston
Community College. Those
funds will also pay for
expansion of the new
splash pad that opened
this past summer next to
the Innovation Academy at
South Campus.
• $3 million for sewage piping and pumping
projects
Included
are appropriations for
three wastewater projects:
$2 million for
construction of a new
"outfall" line to serve
anticipated new
development east of I-95
along with repair and
enlargement of a pumping
station there; $500,000
for enlargement of a
pumping station to
accommodate new
development in West
Smithfield; and another
$500,000 for a "force
main" to serve
"developable land" north
of Durwood Stephenson
Parkway.
Town Manager
Scott gave credit to
Johnston County's two
House representatives
in the N.C. General
Assembly for securing the
appropriations. "Larry
Strickland did the heavy
lifting here but Donna White
was heavily involved in the
CSX funding and supported
the other projects," he
noted. Support also came
from state senators
Lisa Barnes and
Brent Jackson, who
assisted with coordinating a
meeting with the town and
CSX, Mr. Scott said.
Johnston among top-10 counties getting state
"earmarks"
A
report put together by The
News & Observer
this week shows Johnston
County with 43 projects
receiving so-called
"earmarks" from the
General Assembly totaling
$110,418,274 – an amount
putting us among the
state's top-10 recipients.
Included are grants to
most of Johnston's
municipalities plus
appropriations of
$5,111,793 for
construction at Johnston
Community College, more
than $1.8 million for
technology and school-bus
safety initiatives in
Johnston County's public
schools, and just over
$1.4 million for
expansion of the
mental-health wing at
Johnston Health's
Smithfield hospital.
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Just
in time for the
holidays: a new virus
variant
Omicron
is its name, and the big
question is: Will it be as
potent as the Delta
variant that hit us this
summer and sent numbers of
COVID-19 infections and
deaths rising at alarming
levels again?
We'll get a Johnston
County update on the
situation Monday when
Dr. Marilyn Pearson, the
county's director of
public health, makes her
monthly report to the
County Commissioners. That session
will be
live-streamed>
Meanwhile, we continue to
lag the state and nation
in getting
folks vaccinated. Our
percentage remains below
50% while statewide 56%
and nationwide 60% of
the population is fully
vaccinated.
This
morning's report from
Johnston County Public
Schools
showed 71
active cases among students
and staff (down from 114 two
weeks ago) with 232 students
and 13 staff members
quarantined (325 students
and 17
staff quarantined
before the Thanksgiving Week
holidays). As of this
morning, Corinth
Holders High School had 24
students in quarantine; no
other school in Johnston had
more than 15, with just 4 at
Smithfield-Selma High, 3 at
South Smithfield Elementary,
2 at Smithfield Middle, 1 at
Wilson's Mills Elementary,
and 0 at West Smithfield
Elementary.
VIEW the
school system's COVID
dashboard with data for
all schools>
VIEW the
current list of
vaccination clinics in
Johnston County>
VIEW the
current list of testing
sites in Johnston
County>
CORONAVIRUS
weekly
measurements |
Case total
since 3-20
(last week) |
Deaths
since 3-20
(last week) |
Hospital
patients
(last week) |
Fully
vaccinated
(last week) |
| JOHNSTON COUNTY |
33,450
(33,231) |
355
(354) |
24
(23) |
103,592: 49%*
(102,799) |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
1,537,044
(1,524,078) |
18,800
(18,676) |
1,157
(1,113) |
5,971,067: 57%*
(5,926,764) |
| UNITED STATES |
48,695,518
(48,018,473) |
782,106
(774,416) |
|
197,363,116: 60%*
(195,973,992) |
| WORLDWIDE |
263,689,974
(259,185,236) |
5,228,097
(5,171,809) |
|
8,063,862,132
total doses given |
* Percentage of total population (all
ages)
Data provided by: County
of Johnston at
4:41 p.m. November
30
N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:30 p.m.
December 1
Johns
Hopkins
University at
8:24 a.m. December
2 |
Duke
Endowment boosts
Johnston's telehealth
effort
Story
and photo from Johnston
Health
Johnston
Health has received a
$324,000 grant from The Duke
Endowment to fund an
innovative mobile telehealth
program to reach underserved
communities.
"During the pandemic, we’ve
seen the value of virtual
visits for patients,”
said Leah
Johnson, corporate
& community outreach
coordinator for Johnston
Health. "Unfortunately, many
of our most vulnerable
residents have barriers to
this type of care. They
don’t have access to
high-speed internet or
devices such as laptops or
smartphones. They can’t
take time away from work to
either schedule or show up
for a virtual visit, much
less pay for it."
To meet the need, Johnston
Health is teaming up with
UNC Health Virtual Services
to offer its urgent-care
program aboard the
hospital’s new mobile
outreach unit. Before
video-conferencing the
providers, a nurse or CNA on
the bus collects vitals
and chief complaints from
patients and, if
needed, draws blood or tests
for flu or strep.
In addition, the team can
refer patients with chronic
conditions to Project
Access, which
links them to hospital
services and primary-care
providers. A local pharmacy
has agreed to help patients
get the medicines they need.
While the goal is to improve
access to care, the hospital
also sees an opportunity to
decrease avoidable Emergency
Department visits. During
the fiscal year ending June
30, 2021, Johnston Health
identified 1,164 avoidable
visits to its Smithfield and
Clayton emergency rooms. By
the third year of this new
program, the team is hopeful
it can reduce those visits
by 40 percent.
Just 1.05 inches of rainfall during
November
That's
the report for the month
from Cornell Cox's
Backyard Weather Station
in South Smithfield.
November's reading puts us
at 51.79 inches for the
year – already above our
annual average of almost
48 inches. Even so, the
recent paucity of
precipitation
has prompted a
statewide ban on outdoor
burning. On the plus side,
we've not had any warnings
about a shortage of water
from the Neuse River,
which is holding steady
just now at a recorded
depth of just under 5 feet
at Smithfield.
A
new tradition at
Johnston
Health's hospitals
"Lights
of Joy" were turned on
Wednesday evening on the
lawns of Johnston Health's
hospitals in Smithfield
and Clayton. Taking part
in the first annual "tree"
lighting here were (left
to right) CEO Tom
Williams, Sol Haliburton
of the Johnston Health
Foundation, and
the Rev. Greg
McClain, director of
spiritual care and
volunteers. Funds raised
by the event will
benefit patients assisted
by the foundation. (Johnston
Health photo)
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Town's
tree lighting this
evening; parade next
Thursday
The
Town of Smithfield's
Christmas tree will be
lighted at 7 p.m. today
(Thursday) at the corner
of Market and Third
streets during festivities
starting earlier that
include performances
by the Johnston County
Community Choir, Artistry
in Motion, and the
Smithfield Middle School
Jazz Band.
The
town's Christmas parade is
set for 7 p.m. next
Thursday (Dec. 9)
following the usual course
along Market Street from
Sixth to Second streets.
Other upcoming events of
the season are posted at SmithfieldChristmas.com>
Candidates
for election in 2022
begin filing on Monday
The
filing period opens at
noon Monday (Dec. 6) and
continues till noon
Friday, Dec. 17 for state
and county offices up for
grabs in the March 8
Primary Election and the
General Election next
November. In addition,
candidates for Town of
Smithfield offices that
normally would been filled
by voters last month will
also file this month since
the town's
2021 election was
postponed till March 8
because of delayed results
from the 2020 U.S. Census.
Several local incumbents
have already announced
their intention to
seek re-election,
including Sheriff Steve
Bizzell, County
Commissioner Patrick
Harris, and Register of
Deeds Craig Olive.
County
Commissioners to elect a
new chairman Monday
With
newly installed
Commissioner Dickie
Braswell on board in place
of Chairman Chad Stewart,
who resigned effective
Nov. 30, commissioners
will elect a new chairman
– a matter taken up
by the board every
December. Also on the
agenda for Monday's 10
a.m. session at the
Courthouse is a report
from County Attorney
Jennifer Slusser on
potential redistricting
for future election of
county commissioners
according to their place
of residence. The
complete agenda for the
morning session is posted
on the
county's website>
At the board's 6 p.m.
session, also at the
Courthouse, commissioners
will conduct public
hearings on two rezoning
requests, both in Clayton
Township – one for
business purposes, the
other for industrial uses.
Here are
details of that
agenda>
Town
Council to consider
W. Smithfield
subdivision requests
Public
hearings are scheduled
during the council's 7
p.m. monthly meeting
Tuesday at Town Hall on
two proposed residential
developments in West
Smithfield. It will be the
second hearing on a
request for conditional
zoning to allow a 165-lot
subdivision on the north
side of NC 210 just west
of Skyland Drive. Another
request for conditional
zoning involves a 134-lot
subdivision proposed for
acreage southeast of the
intersection of Wilson's
Mills Road and Durwood
Stephenson Parkway. A
third hearing will be held
on a request to rezone two
parcels northeast of the
intersection of White Oak
Drive and Azalea Drive in
North Smithfield from R-10
residential to R-8, which
allows houses on smaller
lots. The complete agenda
for Tuesday's meeting is
posted on the
town's website>
GIFTS
FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR
LIST!
Tervis
Tumblers, Southern
Couture T-shirts
NEBO Tools &
Gadgets, Russell Stover
Candy
Evergreen Door Décor,
Flags & Door Mats
Plus a large
selection of Seasonal
Gifts!
840 S. Bright Leaf
Blvd. Smithfield •
919-934-7164
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JOHN DOUGLAS
BLIZZARD JR., 84 –
died December 1
TAMMY OWENS
HUNT, 61 – died
November 30
GUY C. LEE,
81 – died
November 29
RAY VON
JERNIGAN, 79 –
died November 28
MARGARET LEE
AUSTIN LeMASTER, 78 –
died November 25
WARREN
FREDERICK (RED) MILLER,
76 – died
November 25
MAYBELLE
BLACKMON NORRIS, 88 –
died November 25
BILLY HAROLD
NEWTON, 78 –
died November 23
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Once
again, our Legislature
shortchanged teachers
The
N.C. General Assembly made
like Santa Claus with the
new state budget, doling
out millions of dollars in
grants to our local
governments, mostly for
sorely needed
infrastructure projects.
Wish they had done the
same for our school
teachers and other
state-paid workers.
Yes, the legislators did
fund one-shot bonuses for
just about everybody and
did boost wages to
the now-accepted
$15-an-hour minimum for
the lowest-paid state
employees. But 5%
pay raises for school
teachers over two
years, after
three years without
across-the-board
adjustments, is a pitiful
response to the need for
better compensation not
only to retain but also to
recruit the best people we
can get to teach our
children.
Leaving that unmet need on
the table stings even more
in light of another round
of income-tax cuts
including complete
elimination of the state's
corporate income tax over
the next several years.
Another puzzling
disappointment:
The Legislature left
standing a rule that
public schools cannot
start the fall semester
before late August, even
though the pandemic taught
us the importance of
expanding instructional
time throughout the year,
including most of the
summer.
Johnston County Public
Schools, especially, need
that calendar flexibility
as our fall semester has
been cut short to get
final exams out of the way
before the Christmas
holidays. (That situation
was worsened by the recent
addition of three "mental
health" holidays to this
fall's semester.)
A bit of local
high-school football
history may be
in the making this week,
with an ironic twist added
to the story:
Princeton High School is
undefeated as it hosts the
team from Wallace-Rose
Hill High this Friday in
the Eastern N.C. 2-A
championship game. Back in
1959, undefeated
Smithfield High School
beat Wallace-Rose Hill 7-6
in the game that sent SHS
to the 2-A state
championship contest that
resulted in a 20-0
victory over Boone High
School.
Smithfield High's final
record in '59 was 13-0,
and that's Princeton's
record heading into Friday
night's battle. May
history repeat itself!
On the last
day of November Smithfield
still had a number of
trees in full fall-color
dress, including these two
in nearby yards on
Crescent and Walnut
drives:
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