YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
WeekLy edITIOn
feBrUarY 19-25, 2025 vol 47 No 8 | 1 Section | 8 Pages
Paddock begins non-profit paddling program By nORMa B. dennIs FreeLANCe WrIter ndworddesign@gmail.com It was never Bev Paddock’s plan to turn a long-time personal passion for kayaking into a non-profit, but life’s journey has taken her in that direction. In October of 2024, Paddock and her husband Cliff applied for a 501(3)(c) non-profit status for a new program, PAIRnc, Paddling for Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation. “It will accommodate people with various disabilities — physical, intellectual, developmental and communication,” Paddock
explained. “We want to give them the opportunity to paddle, to teach them how so they can do it in more places and not just in a paddle program.” After retiring from a 40-year career in diabetic education, the Jamestown resident became a L2 kayak instructor with the American Canoe Association. Two years ago, she attended an Endorsement Workshop and began teaching adaptive kayaking. “I realized that many of the same skills I used during my career could be used to assess see PaddLIng, PAGe 2
Lutzweiler sells Carter letters By CaROL BROOks FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com After former president Jimmy Carter’s death Dec. 19, Jamestown resident Jim Lutzweiler went through his collection of memorabilia and pulled out items that related to Carter, including many letters back-and-forth with the president. That story was documented in the Jan. 8, 2025, issue of the Jamestown News. Since then, Lutzweiler decided to auction off his Carter collection for others to enjoy. He picked RR Auction for the Feb. 12 sale. Why did Lutzweiler decide to sell such memorabilia? “They have been precious to me, but I am not going to live forever and the time has come for them to generate joy for other parties,” he said, noting he made copies of the letters for his two sons. He briefly considered donating them to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum but
Photos submitted
(above) Logo for Paddling for adaptive & Inclusive Recreation non-profit. (at left) Cliff Paddock, left, and Bev Paddock assist Carly during a getOutdoors adaptive paddling session in the pool at the Ragsdale Family yMCa.
BaBBlinG BrooKS: Have we seen the last of Honest abe? Trump wants to axe the penny. That’s non-cents. By CaROL BROOks FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com
Photo courtesy of Jim Lutzweiler
Reply from Jimmy Carter to Jim Lutzweiler scribbled on southeastern Baptist Theological seminary stationary. decided it already had copies. “If it doesn’t, they are certainly welcome to the copies that I have made,” Lutzweiler said. “It is quite possible that the new owner [of the letters] will ultimately do exactly that with them. In the mean-
time, those letters are pregnant with a lot of stories that I’ve never been told before or told, but not emphasized. I assume the new owner will make good use of those stories and keep them in circulasee CaRTeR, PAGe 8
The recent directive by Pres. Donald Trump to the U.S. Mint to no longer mint pennies has raised eyebrows as well as voices in recent days. In some ways it makes sense. It costs more to make a penny (and a quarter) than the face value of the coin. It costs 3.68 cents to make a penny and 13.77 cents for a nickel. Fox Business News said the U.S. Mint’s annual report stated it lost $85.3 million last year on the pennies alone — the 19th consecutive year. Pennies have been a part of the lives of Americans since 1792. Abraham Lincoln’s image was added in 1909. According to the U.S. Mint, a bureau of the Treasury department, the name was derived from the Old English “penig,” denoting a coin. The term “penny” was naturally adopted by Americans due to the British influence in the colonies and the coin’s similar role as a small denomination
used in everyday transactions. Technically, however, we do not have pennies, just 1 cent coins. The idea did not originate with Trump. Pres. Barack Obama mentioned eliminating pennies in a 2013 interview. “This is not going to be a huge savings for government, but anytime we’re spending more money on something that people don’t actually use, that’s an example of something we should probably change,” he said. Over the years, several members of Congress have also proposed disposing of the penny. Even Philip Diehl, a Democrat who ran the U.S. Mint in the 1990s has been calling for the end of the penny for decades. The president ordered the mint to stop making pennies as part of his plan to reduce government waste. This is another of the “does he have the authority to do it” items on Trump’s agenda. see BROOks, PAGe 2
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Have an event that you think needs to be included in About Town? Email Norma B. Dennis at ndworddesign@gmail.com or Carol Brooks at cab1hp@gmail.com
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Men from all across the community came to Jamestown elementary school to greet students on their 100th day of class.
one hundred days down and counting By nORMa B. dennIs FreeLANCe WrIter ndworddesign@gmail.com There are times that things go so wrong people just wish they could have a doover. For Jamestown Elementary School, however, the opposite was true. The 2024 celebration of 100 days of school was so successful, the staff decided to do it all over again. In the past, the first 100 days of school had been celebrated in individual classrooms. This was the second time it was a school-wide event. “This year we named the event “Men on a Mission,” said Rhonda Sepulveda, a member of the school’s office support who
coordinated the celebration. “We again aimed to involve 100 incredible men from our community to support our students by volunteering their time and energy to greet them as they began their 100th day of learning.” On Feb. 13, in spite of the rainy weather, men from all walks of life showed up in the morning to greet students as they arrived by bus, car or other vehicle. “It’s raining men,” said Dr. Christa DiBonaventura, school principal. Indeed, it did seem much like a storm as the men arrived, signed in and were assigned their designated spot to greet students. Included in the group were parents, other members of the community, businessmen, athletes, college students,
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deputies, firefighters and even a librarian. The men dressed to represent their careers and teachers and other staff wore apparel representing their alma mater to reinforce the important of continuing education. “Our goal was to create a dynamic and supportive environment for our students, where they could see positive male role models actively involved in their educational journey,” Sepulveda said. “By volunteering, the men helped enrich the experience of our students as they begin the second half of the school year.” In addition to being a celebration of the first 100 days of school, the event encoursee COUnTIng, PAGe 2
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2025 YoUTH BookMARk CoNTeST The Council for Art Education has designated March as “Youth Art Month.” In recognition of 2025’s special occasion, the Jamestown Public Library is sponsoring a Youth Bookmark Contest. The event runs from March 1-31 and is open to all youths in Guilford County ages 3-18. “We invite you to call upon your creativity and activate your artistic side as you design a bookmark inspired by or interpreting this year’s theme: Healing Through Art,” said Sarah Likshis, library assistant. A winner will be selected for four different age groups: 3-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-12 years, and 13-18 years. The winning bookmarks will be displayed and distributed for library patrons to see and enjoy. Stop by the library, or visit its website, www.jamestownpubliclibrary.com, for more details and to pick up a contest form. “We can’t wait to see all the imaginative and spectacular talent that exists in our wonderful community,” Likshis said.