Declan’s Dash 5K
will be held in memory of two-year-old Declan Donoghue on Saturday, May 9. See story below.
The heartbeat of Kernersville for 77 years
May 5, 2015
Vol. 36 No. 32
Fun at Spring Folly
Published Tues., Thurs., Sat.-Sun.
Library land discussion back on the table Town will vote tonight on Novant property By Linda Payne
Govenmental Affairs Reporter
Before members of the Kernersville Board of Aldermen take the plunge and purchase more than 11 acres of land along Harmon Lane from Novant Health, they want to know what citizens think about the opportunity to purchase the land for $1.25 million.
Board members said they have reached an agreement with Novant to purchase the land for approximately $100,000 per acre and have sorted out any and all concerns related to the restrictive covenants, including who has the authority to change those restrictions in the future. In addition, Board members still plan on gifting three acres to the Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners for the construction of the new Kernersville Library. “As long as the LGC (Local Government Commission) agrees to our proposed financing packaging, we will only be financing one of the four tracts of land, which means we will own the other three parcels outright,” See “Land deal” Page 3
Duct tape and reading Students at Caleb’s Creek Elementary School dared to raise $20,000 By Kim Underwood
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Sara Wolfington squeals with delight as she takes a spin on a motorcycle ride during the Spring Folly this past weekend. For more Spring Folly photos, see pages 2 and 9 of today’s Sports section. (Stephanie Booth Photography)
Duct tape has a mind of its own. If you don’t carefully hold both ends of a strip as you wait to duct tape your principal to the wall, chances are good the strip will tangle itself up, rendering it useless. That’s what happened to the first piece of duct tape that Dawn Rhymes, president of the PTA at Caleb’s Creek Elementary School (CCES), gave to kindergarten student Kenley Hamma. So, Hamma took great care
with her second piece before successfully using it to help tape Principal Judy Jones to the wall. This was a first for Hamma. “I haven’t really duct taped anybody to the wall,” she said. An informal survey of students revealed that none of the other students had either, which is not surprising, given that duct taping someone to a wall is not something people do every day. Why, you might naturally ask, were they doing it on this particular morning – Friday May 1, to be precise?
When the 850 students at CCES set out with the help of its PTA to raise $20,000 for books, Jones told them they could tape her to the wall if they were successful. Before students were done, they had raised $21,955, thanks to parents, grandparents and other sponsors who made pledges to support students committed to reading for a certain amount of time each day for 10 days. So Friday, Jones dressed See “Caleb’s Creek” Page 7
A life of hard work Jo Flinchum celebrates turning 100-years-old By Jennifer Owensby Eminger Lifestyles Editor
Josephine (Jo) Tuttle Flinchum celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, May 1 with friends and family at Kerner Ridge. Flinchum was born on May 2, 1915 in Stokes County to Samuel Joseph Flinchum and Lola Southern Flinchum and had four brothers, two sisters and one half sister. She said she was named after her father’s first wife, Josie. Flinchum attended Meadow Josephine Tuttle Flinchum School through the ninth grade. “We walked to school and burned down when I was in the back everyday until the school ninth grade,” Flinchum said, not-
ing that she then attended Walnut Cove High School until she graduated. “That was the first time I rode a bus to school.” Flinchum recalled living near a prison camp in Meadows, a small community between Danbury and Walnut Cove. “It was a minimum security prison,” she said. “We had to go outside to (empty our chamber pot) and I was afraid to go out in the woods by myself.” Flinchum recalled the cost of things was different when she was younger. “I remember I wanted to go somewhere and my father gave See “100 years” Page 6
Declan’s Dash 5K and Fun Run to be held on Saturday By Jennifer Owensby Eminger Lifestyles Editor
Declan’s Dash 5K and ½ mile Fun Run will be held Saturday, May 9 at Harmon Park to raise money to build a playground in memory of Declan Donoghue. After the passing of their son, Declan Donoghue, Nicole and Rich Donoghue wanted to do something special to honor their son’s legacy. After Declan’s passing in September 2010, they
decided to start Declan’s Foundation five months later in February 2011. The foundation is aimed at keeping Declan’s spirit of play alive by building playgrounds throughout the Triad area. Nicole and Rich have another son, Alex, who is now two-yearsold. Declan was born on May 30, 2008. Nicole said he loved being around people, watching his favorite movies and playing out-
side. However, he suffered many medical ailments, including pneumonia, abnormal bloodwork and unexplained fevers. While his parents and doctors tried everything they could to help him, they weren’t able to save him. It wasn’t until after he passed away at the age of two that doctors discovered that he had X-linked Chronic GranuloSee “Declan’s Dash” Page 7
Caleb’s Creek Elementary School third grader Bella Peluso places a piece of duct tape to Principal Judy Jones, who was taped to a school wall after the students won a challenge to raise $20,000 for books. (Photo by Jennifer Owensby Eminger)