Scott Bolejack

2 weeks ago | restorationnewsmedia.com | Scott Bolejack |McKenzie Miller

BENSON — At McGee’s Crossroads Middle School, students are taking vocabulary learning to the next level through competition. “We do this through a website called Vocabulary.com,” explained Stenson Lee, who teaches eighth-grade English and language arts at McGee’s. “Every year they have what’s called a vocabulary bowl. The competition is mastering the definitions of different vocabulary words, and based on […]

2 weeks ago | restorationnewsmedia.com | Scott Bolejack |McKenzie Miller

SMITHFIELD — Wilmington-based N. Carolina Auto Solutions has moved its Johnston County outlet to a new home. The auto repair and maintenance shop has moved from Clayton to 1140 W. Market St. in Smithfield. “The building was falling apart,” owner Jordan Hinkle said of the Clayton space. “We needed to get out of where we were.”The shop landed in West Smithfield because of a bet he made.

2 weeks ago | restorationnewsmedia.com | Scott Bolejack

CLAYTON — On World Water Day, the town recognized the team that keeps Clayton’s water and sewer systems running smoothly, sometimes under challenging conditions. The team includes Dylan Carroll, a utility maintenance crew leader in the sewer division; Jake Kyer, who focuses on fixing leaks and ensuring clean water reaches homes; and Rod Harrison, whose duties span everything from digging trenches to repairing roads after a water line breaks.

3 weeks ago | restorationnewsmedia.com | Scott Bolejack

BENSON — April 11-12 will be an event-filled weekend in Johnston County’s southernmost town. A wine walk will take place Friday. Sip, see and shop  from 5 to 7 p.m. downtown, then stroll to the Singing Grove on Main Street for music by Liquid Pleasure at 7:30. The annual Farm Heritage Days, a celebration of farms and the tractors that power them, will be held Friday and Saturday. Antique farm equipment will be on display both days at Chamber Park, 355 J. Lee Road. Vendors and food will be there too.

3 weeks ago | restorationnewsmedia.com | Scott Bolejack

SMITHFIELD — One day in downtown Smithfield, cars might park on one side of Market Street but not the other. Also, travel lanes could be wider but so would sidewalks, giving both cars and pedestrians more room. And the first blocks of Second and South Third streets could be one-way, creating a loop around the courthouse and providing more parking by allowing angled parking. Those are the highlights of a traffic study that a consulting firm prepared for the N.C. Department of Transportation.