Nearby Communities
State Edition
National Edition
🌱 How Clayton’s engineering chief quietly earned statewide recognition this year
Clayton, North Carolina Patch AM: a 4 min readWhat's up Clayton! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How Clayton’s engineering chief quietly earned statewide recognition this year
- Why Clayton High’s valedictorian says her diploma is on hold
Also on today's calendar: TWN - Clayton and 5 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the carpenter ant say when he walked into the bar? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 83 and low of 52 degrees.
- Thursday: Plenty of sunshine, temps: high: 85, low: 57.
- Friday: Mostly sunny and warm, with a high of 91 and low of 63 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
📰 News we're reading
• Clayton Engineering Director Earns Industry Recognition (jocoreport.com) — Clayton residents should know their town’s engineering director, Jonathan Ham, has been named the Triangle Chapter’s 2026 Government Engineer of the Year for his leadership on local streets, utilities, and stormwater projects. Town leaders praise his behind-the-scenes work keeping infrastructure reliable and safe, and Ham says the honor reflects a team effort focused on serving Clayton’s community. 
• Clayton High School valedictorian says diploma being withheld after principal cuts off graduation speech (wavy.com) — Families in Clayton are watching closely after the Clayton High School valedictorian says her diploma is being withheld because she added unapproved remarks about global suffering and marginalized communities to her graduation speech. The principal cut her off mid-speech, and Johnston County Public Schools say they intervened to keep the ceremony focused while they now review the diploma issue.
📸 Around Clayton
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓
Upcoming Events in
Clayton
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
-
Sanford Spinners vs. Clayton Clovers June 9th →
East Clayton Community Park, 1774 Glen Laurel Rd, Clayton
6:30 pm
Tuesday June 9
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
-
Square to Square Street Festival →
Clayton, NC Calendar Clayton, NC 27520 -
Bears, Yarn, and Bright Colors: Toddlers | Registration Required →
Clayton, NC Calendar, 111 E Second St, Clayton
3:30 pm -
Board of Education Meeting
Cleveland High 2320 US Hwy 70 Bus E, Smithfield, NC 27577, USA
4:00 pm -
TWN - Clayton →
Boba Beans Bistro, 50 Neuse River Pkwy Ste 1, Clayton
11:00 am -
Collage Monsters | Registration Required →
Clayton, NC Calendar, 111 E Second St, Clayton
11:00 am -
Downtown Concert 2 →
Clayton, NC Calendar Clayton, NC 27520 -
Raleigh Red Oaks vs. Clayton Clovers June 20th →
East Clayton Community Park, 1774 Glen Laurel Rd, Clayton
6:30 pm
Saturday June 6
Tuesday June 9
Wednesday June 10
Thursday June 11
Saturday June 20
📣 Clayton Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
-
2026 Wendell Classic Golf Tournament
Wendell Chamber of Commerce Wendell Country Club 180 Jake May Drive
11:00 am -
Eng 2, Math 1, Math 3 & Bio EOC
East Wake High School 5101 Rolesville Rd, Wendell, NC 27591
7:25 am -
SC Dance Company
East Wake High School 5101 Rolesville Rd, Wendell, NC 27591
5:00 pm -
Band and Orchestra Banquet
East Wake High School 5101 Rolesville Rd, Wendell, NC 27591
7:00 pm
Thursday June 4
Friday June 5
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Is anyone missing a beautiful black kitten?
It’s between Hutson Lane & Marino Place in Riverwood Athletic. (Nextdoor Riverwood Athletic) - Answer: Brown Headed Nuthatch.
When I was doing bird of the day I was never able to get a decent image of this cutie. So for all the bird of the day fans, can you identify this… (Nextdoor Cobblestone)
- Lowes Foods Supermarket posted a job opening for Beef Shoppe/Seafood Clerk PT in Clayton. Apply here.
- Novo Nordisk A/S posted a job opening for Manager, Receiving & Inventory Control in Clayton. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Clayton here.
🗞 Nearby News
Garner
- Join the action as the Carolina Hurricanes take on Golden Knights for the Stanley Cup (wxii12.com)
Smithfield
- Willow Springs Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash (jocoreport.com)
- Johnston County Business Hit By $100,000 Copper Theft (jocoreport.com)
- Former North Carolina Senate Candidate Arrested on Stalking Charges (shorenewsnetwork.com)
Selma
- Transforming Lives: Johnston County woman's recovery and benefit for the community (cbs17.com)
- Students earn 2026 N.C. State Fair Youth Livestock Scholarsh... (johnstoniannews.com)
Ok Clayton! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Is the bar tender here? (Thank you W. M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
👉 Help make Patch AM better
- Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
- Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
- List items for sale or services offered
We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.