Market to Table: The Taste of Homecoming
By Michel McNeese Before the first hymn is sung, before the football team runs onto the field, and before old friends begin catching up, someone is already carrying a casserole through the door. A folding table slowly fills with dishes wrapped in towels to keep them warm. Cakes arrive beneath glass domes. Someone is arranging […]
From the Editor: Always Learning
By Jamie Strickland I recently came across a word I’d never heard before: philomath. I don’t exactly love how that rolls off the tongue, but I do love what it means. A philomath is someone who loves learning just for the sake of it, continues to study new things throughout their life and is always […]
Johnston Community College Small Business Center Receives Truist Foundation Grant to Launch Rural Spark Initiative
Submitted by Johnston Community College Small Business Center SMITHFIELD — The Johnston Community College (JCC) Small Business Center has received a grant from Truist Foundation to launch Rural Spark, an initiative designed to empower aspiring entrepreneurs and strengthen economic opportunity in Johnston County’s rural communities. Although Johnston County continues to experience significant growth in its […]
J-THEN: The Boys of Summer
By Joey Smith Picture Johnston County in the summer of 1948. The tobacco is in the ground and coming on strong. The barns will start curing in a few weeks. That smell, sweet and smoky and specific to this place, will sit over the whole county from late July into fall. The men in the […]
North Carolina captures Little League Softball World Series crown
GREENVILLE — North Carolina, represented by Johnston County’s 12U All Stars, captured the 2026 Little League Softball World Series championship with a 2-0 win over Kentucky Sunday afternoon. Anna Lynn-Clark was impressive in the circle once again, allowing just three hits while striking out six in a complete-game shutout. On offense, North Carolina scored a […]
A Q& A with local leadership expert and author, Melissa Overton
By Jamie Strickland Editor’s note: In 2023, I was privileged to participate in the Leadership Johnston program, hosted by the Johnston County Chambers of Commerce. At the time, the program was facilitated by Melissa Overton of MedicalTraining.Me and The Overton Experience. That experience gave me an opportunity to learn from Melissa firsthand and introduced me […]
OPW Expanding in Smithfield
OPW Retail Fueling has broken ground on a new manufacturing facility adjacent to its existing operation on U.S. 70 Business W. in Smithfield, marking a significant expansion in Johnston County for the company. The new facility will increase OPW’s manufacturing capacity as the company responds to growing customer demand. OPW, a Dover company, manufactures equipment […]
Princeton Prepares for What’s Next
By Jamie Strickland The massive growth the rest of Johnston County has seen hasn’t quite hit Princeton yet, but town leaders know it’s coming and they are getting prepared. That’s evident before you even reach the easternmost town in the county. Along U.S. 70, real estate signs and billboards lead the way to a community […]
Publisher column: If you’re going to leave a legacy, make it a good one
By Randy Capps Legacy is a word we learn pretty early in life, but it’s not something you really think about until you’re closer to the end of your story. Recently, I spent an hour or so pondering it at my uncle’s funeral. Uncle Alan was a competitive power lifter in his youth and was […]
A Matter of Principle: Respect in the Digital Age
By Qarol Price For 42 years, my husband and I have been facilitators of discussion. We began with Heretics Anonymous in the 80s, a salon we hosted in our home where people could talk about things that were difficult, controversial or downright socially taboo. The name was deliberately provocative, but the purpose was serious: to […]