An investigation but no answers
January 15, 2022Johnston school board Chairman Todd Sutton is right. Federal law bars schools from saying much about...
Will mask mandate end when students return in January?
December 9, 2021When she flipped from mask choice to mask mandate, Johnston school board member Lyn Andrews said one...
Landscape mandate accomplishes nothing
January 5, 2022Kudos to Smithfield Councilman David Barbour. Normally a fan of rules and regulations, he drew the l...
Next Clayton manager should live in town
December 1, 2021The Town Council could still require it in an employment contract. But by statute anyway, the next C...
How can county best manage growth, or should it even try?
November 26, 2021Everything County Commissioners said recently about growth had the dual virtues of being honest and accurate. Ted...
Our Opinion: Of course county commissioners withheld school funding
October 26, 2021Joe Preston, whose wife quit teaching rather than wear a mask at school, says he’s running for the J...
Our opinion: School, county leaders differ on public comment
October 14, 2021When Johnstonians speak before their school board, a video screen counts down the three minutes they...
Our Opinion: Street vendors deserve better than this
October 6, 2021In the Bronx, a New York City borough, two sanitation crews began throwing away produce because the ...
Our Opinion: Test scores were predictable but they’re still troubling
September 29, 2021Kristy Stephenson, the school system’s head of testing, tells Johnston school leaders not to put too...
Our opinion: Schools must find way to reduce student quarantines
September 23, 2021We suspect many Johnston parents share County Commissioner Larry Wood’s COVID-19 frustrations. At a ...
Lift veil of secrecy shrouding public employee records
March 16, 2021Your taxes pay their salaries, but when police officers, teachers and other public-sector workers ar...
Town, community college leave us scratching our heads
October 27, 2020Normally, when people in positions of authority dodge a reporter’s questions, it’s because they have done something wrong. Not necessarily criminal, but something that likely to cast them or …
Commissioners right to scrap decals
October 20, 2020Residents of rural Johnston have many objections to the county’s trash-decal program. One, certainly, is the cost, which has climbed markedly over the years. Another is the hassle of having to …
The people of Selma have a right to know the public’s business
October 13, 2020We like Selma mayor Cheryl Oliver. She’s sharp, articulate, polished in public appearances and, we think, genuinely committed to the betterment of both Selma and Johnston County. But if Ms. Oliver …
Selma got it backward
September 22, 2020Selma Councilman Byron McAllister says a majority on the Town Council wanted Steven Hicks out as town manager because he had the wrong vision for Selma. Perhaps that’s true. But if so, Selma …
Clayton voters are angry, but will they stay that way?
September 22, 2020Everything Timothy Weiss said to the Clayton Town Council was true. The council was wrong to pay Adam Lindsay, a rookie town manager, like a seasoned veteran. Doing so set Mr. Lindsay up for …
Schools miss chance to be transparent
August 25, 2020April Lee, head of the Johnston County Association of Educators, says the public schools are hiding COVID-19 cases as K-5 students prepare for in-person classes. If so, Johnstonians have to wonder …
Towns should provide level playing field for business
August 4, 2020Not long ago, Clayton banned food trucks, arguing that they threatened brick-and-mortar restaurants, which not only pay taxes but often give back to the community, sponsoring festivals and youth …
In Selma, town manager’s quip was tone-deaf
July 15, 2020The average monthly water bill in Selma is going up more than 42 percent. To Town Manager Steven Hicks, the increase is no big deal. It’s the cost of one hamburger and soft drink a week, the town …
Parks benefit all Johnstonians
July 14, 2020As a matter of policy and politics, asking newcomers to pay for the services they demand is sound. Most of the time. Which is to say that while Johnston’s system-development fees are higher …
Local news
SSS students display their photos
SMITHFIELD —Through February, photographs by Smithfield-Selma High School students are on display at...
School board member Johnson appeals for looser mask rules
SMITHFIELD — Another month, another 4-3 vote to mandate masks in Johnston schools. “It’s sad news,” ...