The Johnston County landfill at 680 County Home Road in Smithfield will accept vegetative debris related to Hurricane Irene from residential customers at no charge, today through Sept. 10. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. through 4:45 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. through 3:30 p.m.
For more information, contact the Solid Waste Division at 919-989-4750.
The Johnston County Building Inspections Department will be open Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. for residents who have storm damage that requires a permit for electrical reconnections.
The department is at the Johnston County Land Use Center at 309 East Market Street in Smithfield. The main entrance is at the rear of the building.
If you have questions during those hours Sunday, or between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, contact the department at (919) 989-5060.
Johnston County officials report that 217 citizens sought shelter at Smithfield-Selma High School. Currently the shelter is at 54 percent capacity. The county has an estimated 19,000 Progress Energy power outages.
State road crews are continuing to pick up debris from the April storms and tornados in Wake and five other counties, but the roadside cleanup will end soon.
The state Department of Transportation says the final pickup for debris stacked beside state-maintained roads in Johnston County will be Tuesday.
In four other counties, residents are asked to put debris on the roadside for final pickups that will begin Tuesday: Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties.
In Wake County, DOT says its crews will make their second sweep of state roads late this week and early next week. June 15 is the deadline for roadside debris removal in Wake County.
Residents are asked to make two piles for building materials and tree limbs or other vegetation, and to keep travel lanes clear.
Talks are set for this week on a proposal to largely ban the use of firearms within 600 feet of any occupied building.
The Good Neighbor Firearms Ordinance Work Group will meet 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, at the Emergency Operations Center, 120 S. Third St. The work group includes County Commissioners, planning officials and residents charged with crafting the ordinance.
Those who want to attend should come through the Third Street entrance.
The meeting was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed due to winter weather.
To read more about the recently proposed firearm ordinance, click here.
More of how to dispose of those live trees:
Screenings of six short films about Smithfield and Johnston County are scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Neuse Little Theatre, 104 S. Front St., Smithfield. Admission is free, but seating is limited.
The films are:
“Post 518: Johnston County, N.C.,” by Jessie Landerman. The film explores how military service affects race relations and how small-town veterans cope with the reality of racism in America.
“The Banks of Smithfield,” by Wendy Redfield. This film tells the story of the Bank of Smithfield, now First Citizens Bank, and the roles its historic buildings have played in Smithfield and in five neighboring communities.
“Percy’s Run,” by D.L. Anderson. Joshua Percy Flowers was a moonshiner and foxhunter. This film attempts to cover the ground between the two pursuits and reveal a picture of the man apart from the legends.
“The Red Dog,” by Sara Washington. Since 1941, Carolina Packers has made what many describe as “the best hotdogs in Eastern North Carolina.” This short documentary takes a look at the people who work hard to make the hotdogs.
“The Smithfield Rescue Mission,” by Brooke Shuman. This short film shows a typical day at the Smithfield Rescue Mission men’s shelter with words from current residents.
"Tobacco Culture in Smithfield," by Maggie Smith. Residents share their memories and thoughts on the importance of tobacco culture in Smithfield and how things have changed over time.
Is another Josh Hamilton waiting to emerge from the Triangle's baseball ranks?
He might get some help from an Eastern North Carolina baseball family.
On Jan. 8, the Narron family and friends will conduct a free skills clinic for players in the seventh grade.
If you're unable to attend Friday night's prep football playoff game between North Johnston and East Bladen, you can listen online to a veteran broadcaster with a local connection. Robert Hester, the father of Johnston County's county manager, Rick Hester, and the rest of the Bladen Sports Network will be in town to carry the game live on WGQR-FM 105.7 (in Bladen County) or bladenonline.com.
Robert Hester has been broadcasting games in his area for nearly 40 years.
Johnston County blueberries apparently helped attract a medical-device company and 187 new jobs to Four Oaks.
State and local officials announced this morning that Becton Dickinson will open a distribution center at the edge of the small town, just off Interstate 95. The company will be the first tenant in a long-delayed industrial park being built on farm land.
During a ceremony in the Four Oaks Elementary School cafeteria, Mayor Linwood Parker, seated left, noted that the courting process involved many meetings with BD officials, economic developers and others over several months.
During a recent meeting, he said that he served fresh blueberries from his wife's bushes, as well as watermelon and cantaloupe. "I think they liked them," he told the crowd of about 200 people, drawing laughs.
