March 7, 2017

Numbers show 10 busiest intersections in Sumter Planner says study of Alice Drive project and traffic will be coming TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

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BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Automobile insurance commercials are often surprising.

What is not surprising is that Alice Drive and Broad Street is the

busiest intersection in Sumter.

According to numbers released by planner Allen Yu of the Sumter Urban Area Transportation Study Committee, 34,150 vehicles pass through the intersection each day.

Second on the list is Broad Street at Bultman Drive, with 32,500 vehicles per day. Alice Drive again appears on the list at the No. 3 spot, which is the intersection of Alice Drive at Liberty Street, seeing 29,450 vehicles per day.

No. 4 is Wilson Hall Road at Broad Street, which sees 28,600 vehicles per day.

Next at No. 5 is Liberty Street at Wedgefield Highway, which carries 27,350 vehicles per day.

Broad Street is involved in the next spots, at Mason Road (No. 6, 27,300), at Stamey Livestock Road (No. 7, 26,500) and at Robert Dinkins Road (No. 8, 26,400).

SEE TRAFFIC, PAGE A7

Food truck, beer festival draws 3,500 ‘Fake milk’ is the next food fight Dairy producers want crackdown on some products A6 SPORTS

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PHOTOS BY JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM

Luke Stiltner cooks vegetables in a wok at the Island Noodles booth at the Sumter Green Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival ... Untapped on Saturday at Sumter County Fairgrounds. According to organizer Lynn Kennedy, the fundraiser attracted more than twice the number of festivalgoers expected.

Organizer says event will return; proceeds will help Sumter Green with beautification projects

Sumter man seeks state’s District 5 seat as Democrat

BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

About 3,500 people attended Saturday’s event at Sumter’s American Legion Post 15’s fair-

Archie Parnell, a Sumter resident, has announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District.

The primary election will be held May 2, and the special election will be June 20. Runoff elections, if needed, will be May 16.

The District 5 seat was left PARNELL vacant by Mick Mulvaney, who was appointed by President Donald Trump as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Parnell is the first Democrat to announce his intention to seek the seat, while the seat has attracted numerous Republican candidates and at least one independent candidate.

Republicans Chad Connelly; Sheri Few;

SEE PARNELL, PAGE A9

T

Hungry customers lined up for some Mexican food at Jose’s Food Truck at the festival. The festival was so successful, it will become (at least) an annual event.

he first Sumter Green Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival ... Un-

tapped was an overwhelming success, according to Lynn Kennedy, festival organizer and chairwoman of Sumter Green.

grounds to sample a wide variety of foods, both “American” and ethnic, all to raise money for Sumter Green’s environmental and beautification projects.

Kennedy credited the perfect weather and interest in the newness of the event for the big turnout.

“And it really was the first,” she

said. “We’ll definitely do this again, probably annually and maybe even more often. We intentionally started kind of small, with only 15 food trucks, because we didn’t expect so many people. The vendors said they were very pleased and said they’d like to come back next time,

SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE A9

Fireside Fund enters final week for this season

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com “Volunteers at Sumter United Ministries usually begin interviews with a prayer, and often the client will say an ‘amen’ at the end, or sometimes even join in a little during the prayer,” said ministry Office Manager Diane Garrick. “One sweet senior lady we had the pleasure of interviewing this week asked if she could lead the prayer.”

Of course, the interviewer

said, “yes.”

“It was a heartfelt, humble prayer,” Garrick said.

During the interview, two of the areas the ministry looks at in depth are income and budget, Garrick said.

This client’s income is modest —

she is a widow and receives Social Security for her deceased husband.

“She also works part-time as a school crossing guard — which she says she loves,” Garrick said.

Her budget is simple — no “fluff” at all, she said.

“She owns her home, which is a great benefit to her,” Garrick said.

“However, with no house payment, her living expense totals disqualify her for some forms of assistance that someone who has a rent or

SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A7

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: pressrelease@theitem.com

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Man arrested for filing false insurance claim Demetrius Alexander Brown, 36, of 90 Picadilly Drive, Mayesville, was arrested Friday in connection with filing a false insurance claim in 2016 for a 2015 traffic crash.

Brown was charged with presenting false claim for insurance payment, value more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, a felony which carries a BROWN penalty upon conviction of a fine at the discretion of the court, up to five years in prison or both.

According to the arrest warrant, Brown reported a vehicle claim to his insurance company and intentionally misrepresented the facts of the wreck, reporting damage that actually occurred during a Dec. 29, 2015, wreck, under which he was insured with another company which failed to repair the vehicle because of lack of coverage.

SLED investigated the case at the request of the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

Brown was booked at SumterLee Regional Detention Center.

The case will be prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

Sumter City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. today Sumter City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. today in City Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Included on the agenda is the final reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale of approximately .01 acres (501 square feet) of property at 31 N. Main St. to a private developer.

In new business, Council will consider a resolution authorizing a contract for the Sanitary Sewer Right-of-Way Clearing Project for spring 2017.

Council will receive comments from members concerning matters of interest and hear comments and reports from the city manager.

Public comments from city residents will be accepted.

Council may meet in executive session to discuss contractual matters and appointments to boards and commissions, if necessary.

For more information, call City Clerk Linda Hammett at (803) 436-2578.

Congressman apologizes for joke about Kellyanne Conway WASHINGTON (AP) — A Louisiana congressman has apologized for making a crude joke about White House adviser Kellyanne Conway.

Democrat Cedric Richmond made the joke during a comedy routine at last week's annual Washington Press Club Foundation congressional dinner. Citing the picture of Conway kneeling on SCOTT a couch in the Oval Office, Richmond said Conway looked "kind of familiar there in that position."

The joke fell flat as the room full of journalists, congressional staffers and politicians audibly groaned.

Richmond initially defended the joke, saying his use of the word "familiar" simply meant that Conway looked too comfortable.

But Sunday night he issued a statement apologizing for the joke.

"After a discussion with people I know and trust I understand the way my remarks

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this Feb. 26 photo, Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway kneels on the couch as President Donald Trump meets with leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. have been received by many," said Richmond. "I have consistently been a champion for women and women's issues, and because of that the last thing I would want to ever do is utter words that would hurt or demean them. I apologize to Kellyanne Conway and everyone who has found my comments to be offensive."

It was unclear whether Richmond reached out to

Conway or simply issued a statement.

Richmond is in his fourth term representing New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He is also chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The congressional dinner is a light-hearted affair in which journalists and politicians mingle. Usually a Republican and a Democratic member of Congress take a stab at deliv-

Clarendon crash kills Sumter boy

Flipping for a cause

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Watch for discolored water during testing The City of Sumter will perform fire hydrant flow tests on North Wise Drive, East Bartlette Street, South Main Street, Pocalla Subdivision, Stafford Meadows Subdivision and Heritage Bay Subdivision between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday.

Water customers in the surrounding area may experience temporary discolored water.

Direct any questions or concerns to City of Sumter Public Services Department at (803) 436-2558.

ering a stand-up comedy routine. Some are funny while others bomb miserably.

The Republican comedian at this year's dinner was Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

He first mentioned Conway's picture during his stand-up routine.

"Has anyone seen the controversy around Kellyanne Conway and the couch in the Oval Office?" Scott said.

“Come on, people. You remember the '90s. That couch has had a whole lot of worse things. Come on now."

Scott was apparently referring to President Bill Clinton's Oval Office affair with a White House intern.

Richmond's joke about Conway appeared to be off the cuff.

"Tim, you kind of opened the door. I really just want to know what was going on there, because, you know, I won't tell anybody," Richmond said. "And you can just explain to me that circumstance — because she really looked kind of familiar in that position there. Don't answer — and I don't want you to refer back to the 1990s."

JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM

Kevin Conyers cooks pancakes at the Kiwanis Club’s annual Pancake Day on Saturday at Alice Drive Middle School on Miller Road.

A 12-year-old boy was killed and several people were seriously injured in a wreck on U.S. 15, two miles north of Summerton, on Sunday evening.

According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones, a 1997 Toyota driven by Randy Lewis, 32, traveling north on the highway was struck by a 2005 Chevrolet pickup driven by Charles Jones, 68. The collision caused the Toyota, which was carrying five passengers as well as the driver, to veer off the right side of the road where it struck a ditch. The Chevrolet pickup veered off the right side of the road, struck a ditch and overturned several times, Jones said.

Rosheed Goodwin, 12, of Sumter, died approximately two hours after the incident, according to Clarendon County Coroner’s Office.

Both drivers were flown to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia with serious injuries. Two passengers in the Toyota were also flown to Palmetto Health Richland with serious injuries, while two others were transported to McLeod Health Clarendon in Manning.

HOW TO REACH US IS YOUR PAPER MISSING? ARE YOU GOING ON VACATION? 36 W. Liberty St., Sumter, S.C. 29150 (803) 774-1200 Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher / Advertising jack@theitem.com (803) 774-1238 Michele Barr Rick Carpenter Business Manager Managing Editor michele@theitem.com rick@theitem.com (803) 774-1249 (803) 774-1201 Gail Mathis Jeff West Clarendon Bureau Manager Customer Service Manager gail@theitem-clarendonsun.com jeff@theitem.com (803) 435-4716 (803) 774-1259

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Shaw welcomes new honorary commanders Civic leaders get behind-the-scenes look at Air Force FROM STAFF REPORTS Fourteen civic leaders from Sumter and surrounding communities joined the ranks of honorary commanders alongside squadron, group and wing commanders during a ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on Friday.

Those newly inducted joined 14 continuing honorary commanders, who are beginning their second and final year in the program.

The honorary commander program gives civilian participants and their corresponding commanders the opportunity to share ideas and learn from one another as they take part in special events, programs and activities involving their assigned squadron. This allows a two-way flow of information and understanding of the Air Force, its mission and its effects on the community.

“It's hard to put a face on the Air Force,” said Rob Sexton, 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs community relations manager. “We're mostly planes, bombs and missiles, and that can be hard to relate to. The program enables us to embed civic leaders in every

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS KELSEY TUCKER

Fourteen new Team Shaw honorary commanders were welcomed to the program during a ceremony at Carolina Skies Club and Conference

2017 TEAM SHAW HONORARY COMMANDERS Vivian FlemingMcGhaney Alfred Mae Drakeford John Hoffman Christopher Curtis Hutto James T. McCain Debbie Nix Lynn Lambert

Kyle Kelly Dr. Clay Lowder Eric Reisenauer Tom Tompkins Fred Moulton Bill Buxton Chris Hardy

group and squadron so that they can learn about the missions of Team Shaw and the Air Force, and so our commanders and airmen can put down roots in the community

John Michalik Dr. Michael Mikota Thomas Gardner Lorraine WashingtonDennis Carvel Randolph Coker II Jack Swart Shelley Kile

through these relationships. It is the only way civic leaders can get a ‘behind-the-scenes’ peek for up to two years. For our participants and the people they influence, it puts a

Christie Richardson Abram Ludd Michelle Logan-Owens Dr. Rodney Alan Jerome Robinson Melissa Linville David Nether

human face on the Air Force.”

After a display from the Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, participants were taken to the Carolina Skies Club and Confer-

ence Center for an induction ceremony.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, from my perspective; professionally, personally and from a community standpoint it’s been amazing,” said Michael Mikota, Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments executive director and continuing honorary commander for the 20th Mission Support Group. “Having the opportunity to work with the 20th MSG, to find out what they do on base, it opens up the whole idea of what Shaw does and how important it is to our community, to our state, to our nation.”

Dobrinska relinquishes command to Matthews in ARCENT ceremony FROM STAFF REPORTS U.S. Army Central Command held a change-of-command ceremony Friday at Patton Park on Shaw Air Force Base.

Lt. Col. James Dobrinska II relinquished command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion after two years, and Lt. Col. Lindsay Matthews assumed command with the USARCENT Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Michael Garrett, as the presiding officer.

During his command, Dobrinska focused on improving readiness by revamping the physical fitness program and increasing both weapons proficiency and medical readiness, according to a U.S. Army news release. This improved the physical fitness and overall readiness for soldiers who are continually operating in the Middle East region, the release said.

"Simply he made the unit better," Garrett said. "Thank you for your dedication and

perseverance to our command."

Matthews earned her commission from Villanova University and has held various assignments from platoon leader for 61st Chemical Company, 23rd Chemical Battalion to planner for U.S. Africa Command.

"Like many of us, she has experience with the region," Garrett said. "She's commanded in the headquarters atmosphere and recognizes the challenges of a headquarters command. We are looking forward to your contributions, and I am expecting you to take us to the next level. We are very, very happy to have you as part of the team and welcome to USARCENT." Matthews said she can’t wait to get started.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to command," Matthews said. "I can't stop smiling. This command is amazing. We have fantastic soldiers, NCOs and officers as well as civilians.”

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Lt. Col. Lindsay Matthews, left, and Lt. Col. James Dobrinska II, the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Central incoming and outgoing commanders, stand at attention during the change-of-command ceremony held at Shaw Air Force Base on Friday.

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NATION / WORLD

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

White House aides defend wiretapping accusation WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s explosive claim that Obama tapped Trump’s telephones during last year’s election, although they won’t say exactly where that information came from and left open the possibility that it isn’t true.

The comments came even as FBI Director James Comey privately asked the Justice Department to dispute the claim because he believed the allegations were false.

When asked whether Trump accepted Comey’s view, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told ABC’s “Good Morning America”: “I don’t think he does.”

Sanders and Kellyanne Conway, another top adviser, said the president still firmly believes the allegations he made on Twitter over the weekend.

The aides said any ambiguity surrounding the issue is all the more reason for Congress to investigate the matter.

“We’d like to know for sure,” Sanders told NBC’s “Today” show.

The House and Senate intelligence committees, and the FBI, are investigating contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, as well as whether Moscow tried to influence the 2016 election.

On Sunday, Trump demanded that they broaden the scope of their inquiries to include Obama’s potential abuse of executive powers.

When asked where Trump from, Sanders said the president “may have access to documents that I don’t know about.”

Likewise, Conway said that “credible news sources” suggested there was politically motivated activity during the campaign.

Members of Parliament on Monday debated banning mandatory workplace high heels, in response to a petition by a receptionist who was sent home for wearing flat shoes.

The petition, which calls formal workplace dress codes “outdated and sexist,” gathered more than 150,000 signatures, making it eligible for a nonbinding debate in Parliament.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

UK debates high heel dress codes

BY JILL LAWLESS The Associated Press LONDON — British lawmakers focused on footwear Monday, asking whether employers should be able to make women wear high heels as part of a corporate dress code.

Members of Parliament debated a ban on mandatory workplace high heels, in response to a petition started by a receptionist who was sent home without pay for wearing flat shoes.

Nicola Thorp was told in December 2015 that her shoes were unacceptable for a temporary assignment in London with finance firm PwC. Her employment agency, Portico, had a dress code specifying that female workers must wear nonopaque tights, have hair with "no visible roots," wear "regularly re-applied" makeup — and appear in shoes with a heel between 2 to 4 inches high.

For Thorp, that was a step too far.

She started an online pe-

tition, calling formal workplace dress codes "outdated and sexist." It has gathered more than 150,000 signatures, making it eligible for a debate in Parliament.

Thorp told the BBC that "dress codes should reflect society."

"Twenty years ago, women weren't allowed to wear trousers in the same role that I'm doing now," she said. "And it's only because some women spoke up about that and said, 'We feel like we have a right to wear trousers,' that that's changed."

Monday's debate was non-binding, but the political pressure for companies to scrap mandatory high heels is building. British law forbids companies from discriminating against women, but Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee said in a report sparked

by Thorp's experience that "discriminatory dress codes" remain commonplace.

The lawmakers said they heard from hundreds of women "who

told us about the pain and long-term damage caused by wearing high heels for long periods in the workplace, as well as from women who had been required to dye their hair blonde, to wear revealing outfits and to constantly reapply makeup."

The committee also heard from the College of Podiatry, which said women who wear high heels for long periods of time have "reduced balance, reduced ankle flexion and weaker muscle power in the calf," and are prone to disabling pain.

The committee urged the government to enforce existing laws against discrim-

ination and impose higher fines on companies that break the rules.

In response to Thorp's petition, the government said the law already specifies that dress codes must be reasonable and "make equivalent requirements for men and women."

"Employers should not be discriminating against women in what they require them to wear," the government said.

Thorp's petition has already caused one change.

Portico announced last year it was amending its policy to adopt a genderneutral dress code and to allow workers to wear flat shoes if they prefer.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

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A5

Museum to host exhibit of woman’s civil rights photography Varela was one of few Latinas involved in the movement

BY RUSSELL CONTRERAS The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mexican-American photographer Maria Varela was present at some of the most dramatic moments of the Civil Rights Movement, capturing images of voting rights demonstrations in Alabama and efforts to create Head Start programs in poor, rural areas.

As one of the few Latinas involved in the black Civil Rights Movement, historians say, her work has often been overlooked.

Now the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is set to feature 28 images from the Albuquerque resident’s rarely seen photography of the movement at an exhibition called “Time to Get Ready: Fotographía Social.”

“You can tell she wasn’t just someone who dropped in and photographed what happened.

She was part of what was happening,” said Cesareo Moreno, the museum’s visual arts director.

Moreno said the exhibit will cover Varela’s work from Mississippi marches and voting rights battles to photographs she took of Chicano activists fighting to get Spanish land grants recognized in New Mexico.

In 1963, the Chicago-raised Varela was recruited by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a key organization in the movement, to work in Selma, Alabama, for a voter literacy program. A local sheriff arrested its staff and broke up the program.

Varela was then reassigned to Mississippi where organizers told her to develop training materials.

After training with noted photographer Matt Herron in New Orleans, Varela grabbed a camera and built her own dark room in Mississippi be-

PHOTOS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Preparator Laurel Hauge at the National Museum of Mexican Art prepares Maria Varela’s photographic print Feb. 28 for an upcoming exhibit in a gallery in Chicago.

Mexican-American photographer Maria Varela talks Feb. 3 about her civil rights photography during an interview in her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is featuring the Albuquerque resident’s rarely seen photography of the movement at an exhibition called “Time to Get Ready: Fotographía Social.”

cause local drug stores likely would refuse to develop her film. She dressed in a skirt and a head scarf and tried to remain invisible while she took photos.

The images she captured were meant to be part of informative booklets passed out to farmers, town residents and parents who were working to resist segregation and poverty. She created pamphlets to train activists to build political campaigns and develop farming co-ops.

Her photos illustrated an autobiography of civil rights

activist Fannie Lou Hamer.

“A lot of times I wasn’t thinking. I was just shooting,” she said. “Other times, I was zeroing in on strong faces ... people with determined expressions.”

As news of her work spread, SNCC assigned Varela to various marches and demonstrations. Organizers felt law enforcement officers would be less likely to beat protesters if there were more cameras, Varela said.

One of her assignments was to capture images of the 1966 “March against Fear” in Mis-

sissippi, an event created by activist James Meredith to encourage blacks to register to vote. But Meredith was gunned down by a sniper on the second day of the march.

That prompted SNCC and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference to join and

continue the march. It was during this event that historians think Stokely Carmichael shouted the phrase “black power.”

Though Varela rarely took photos of the famous civil rights leaders like King, she noticed King, Carmichael and Andrew Young leading the crowd. The three leaders weren’t smiling.

“They clearly looked burdened. They looked thoughtful and pensive,” she said. So, she snapped the shot.

Less than two years later, King was dead.

Varela would photograph Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, New Mexico land grant leader Reies Lopez Tijerina and the organizing meetings leading to the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, a march King planned to draw attention to poverty.

Brian Behnken, a history and Latino studies professor at Iowa State University, said historians likely had a problem placing Varela in the context of the Civil Rights Movement because she was a Mexican-American documenting conflict between whites and blacks.

“It has taken a while, but I think she’s being appreciated more now,” Behnken said.

“She was way ahead of her time.”

Moreno said artists today can learn from Varela and how she used her photography to tell stories of people often overlooked.

“She was literally walking along history,” Moreno said.

“And her work is tender and honest.”

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STATE | NATION

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Owner seeks to bring back depot’s blues hall’s glory days GREENWOOD (AP) — Cracked, discolored wooden boards creaked underfoot as Daniel Prince walked up to the dusty, yellowed counter where beer was once served to eager, dancing patrons — the drafty echo inside Jackson Station today belies the booming roar of guitars and saxophones that once filled the now-dilapidated blues club.

It’s a roar Prince wants to bring back. One he said has been sorely missed.

Built in 1852, the former train depot was host to Confederate President Jefferson Davis when he boarded a train to Abbeville to sign the papers of surrender at the end of the Civil War. In 1897, former S.C. Gov. Ben Tillman hosted the state’s first political stump meeting on the station’s steps.

But in 1975, Gerald Jackson bought the historic depot — which was then located in central Hodges, near the current Hodges One Stop — for a single dollar and the promise to move it or tear it down. Jackson moved the

depot to the corner of U.S. Highway 25 and S.C. Highway 185 and named it Jackson Station after his family’s general store, which burned at that spot years earlier.

Jackson was a Navy medic in Vietnam who would tend to wounded Marines, said Lander University sociology professor Daniel Harrison. Harrison, who is working on a book about Jackson Station, said Jackson taught himself plumbing, construction, carpentry and electrical work using old Time-Life books and used that knowledge to refurbish and repurpose the depot into a bar and blues club.

“He came back from Vietnam and wanted to open up a club,” Harrison said. “He had seen a lot of clubs overseas on R&R in Asia. He was a music aficionado. He loved the blues and had an extensive music collection himself.”

The club opened in October 1977, and Jackson ran it for about 13 years, when on April 7, 1990, a patron hit him in the head with a bush ax, leaving

him unable to continue running the club and in constant need of medical care.

Jackson died in 2010, and although the building that echoes with centuries of history still stands where he planted it, the club’s stage that hosted blues greats has remained silent since the attack.

As Prince was growing up in Donalds, word about Jackson Station was ubiquitous. There was no avoiding the notoriety and popularity of one of the Lakelands’ hottest music spots.

“I was aware of it my whole life,” Prince, now 36, said. “Lots of family members came here, they were always sharing stories.”

His sisters, Holly and Lisa, went to Erskine College, and the only nightlife spot many students there had was Jackson Station. Since its closing, there had been a number of failed attempts to buy and restore the building, he said.

“It almost sold to a Dollar General, and I couldn’t stand to see it be com-

mercialized like that,” he said.

The building that once cost Jackson a single dollar — which he later got back — cost Prince $150,000. It was bought Aug. 26, 2016, but Prince said he had backed out of buying it earlier in 2013 and 2014.

The restoration won’t be easy or cheap. He said the cost to fix the badly damaged roof alone is estimated to be about the price he paid for the whole building. But with a 10-month-old child and hopes for another, he said he’s willing to take his time.

“I don’t have all the time in the world, but I’ve got time,” he said.

While talking about his plans, curious onlookers drove off the highway and up to the ramp leading into Jackson Station to ask why he was on the property. After hearing his plans, they couldn’t help but be excited.

“I came a few times near the end of it,” said Dennis Smith, who drove up to talk to Prince. “Then it closed down, and started to deteriorate. It’s such a waste.”

‘Fake milk’ is the latest food fight

BY CANDICE CHOI AP Food Industry Writer NEW YORK — Is “fake milk” spoiling the dairy industry’s image?

Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice “milks” they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk. A group that advocates for plant-based products, the Good Food Institute, countered this week by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say terms such as “milk” and “sausage” can be used as long as they’re modified to make clear what’s in them.

It’s the latest dispute about what makes a food authentic, many of them stemming from developments in manufacturing practices and specialized diets.

DiGiorno’s frozen chicken “wyngz” were fodder for comedian Stephen Colbert. An eggless spread provoked the ire of egg producers by calling itself “mayo.” And as far back as the 1880s, margarine was dismissed as “counterfeit butter” by a Wisconsin lawmaker.

The U.S. actually spells out the required characteristics

for a range of products such as French dressing, canned peas and raisin bread. It’s these federal standards of identity that often trigger the food fights.

COW, NUT, BEAN Though soy milk and almond milk have become commonplace terms, milk’s standard of identity says it is obtained by the “complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” That’s a point the dairy industry is now emphasizing, with the support of lawmakers who last month introduced legislation calling for the FDA to enforce the guidelines.

“Mammals produce milk; plants don’t,” said Jim Mulhern, president of the National Milk Producers Federation.

The federation says it has been trying to get the FDA to enforce the standard since at least 2000 and that the lack of enforcement has led to a proliferation of imitators playing “fast and loose” with dairy terms.

Those products often refer to themselves as “soymilk” or “almondmilk,” single words that the dairy industry says is a way to get around the guidelines for “milk.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The ingredients label for almondmilk is seen Feb. 16 at a grocery store in New York. Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice “milks” they say are masquerading as the real thing.

The Plant Based Foods Association, which represents companies like Tofurky and milk alternatives, says standards of identity were created to prevent companies from passing off cheaper ingredients on customers. But the group says that’s not what soy, almond and rice milk makers are trying to do.

Those companies are charging more money, and consumers are gravitating toward them, said Michele Simon, the group’s executive director.

The FDA says it takes action “in accordance with public health priorities and agency resources.”

EDIBLE, BUT EGGLESS The little-known Association for Dressings and Sauces showed its might in a 2014 mayonnaise melee.

The group repeatedly complained to the FDA that an eggless spread was calling itself Just Mayo, noting that under the federal rules mayonnaise is defined as having eggs.

Hellmann’s mayonnaise maker Unilever, one of the association’s members, had sued Just Mayo’s maker citing the same issue. That lawsuit was dropped after the company faced blowback from the vegan spread’s supporters.

The dressings and sauces group wasn’t the only one upset by Just Mayo’s name.

The CEO of the American Egg Board, which represents the egg industry, also tried unsuccessfully to get a consultant to stop the sale of Just Mayo at Whole Foods.

The revelations led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soon after, the egg industry group’s CEO retired earlier than expected.

As for Just Mayo, the company worked out an agreement with the FDA to keep its name — with some strategic tweaks to its label to make clear it does not contain eggs.

Groups such as the dairy federation say federal standards of identity ensure people get what they expect from products labeled with terms such as “milk.” Animal rights advocates who support plant-based alternatives question whether the standards of identity remain relevant.

Matt Penzer, an attorney for the Humane Society of the United States, said some standards are outdated but are being used by the established players to fend off competition and innovation.

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FIRESIDE FROM PAGE A1 mortgage payment might get.”

The woman had never been to the ministry for assistance before, but because of paying for repairs needed for her car, she fell short and was not able to pay her gas bill.

“Thanks to the generous support SUM receives through the Fireside Fund, we were able to assist her financially by paying her gas bill,” Garrick said. “She will not have to worry about heating for the rest of the season.”

The ministry also provided her with food and referrals, Garrick said.

“She was so thankful. She said so — more than once — and also led the interviewer in a closing prayer, giving thanks to the people who give so generously to SUM, the Fireside Fund and to God.” Fireside Fund has provided Sumter United Ministries with the resources to assist with the heating needs of more of our Sumter neighbors this winter than it’s ever been able to in the past, she said.

“Even with the bouts of unseasonably warm weather

we’ve been having lately, we are still experiencing some very cold nights and mornings, and there are people in our community wondering how they are going to keep warm,” Garrick said. “Your continued donations to the Fireside Fund are helping to keep your neighbors warm.

Thank you!”

From Feb. 27 though March 2, the Crisis Relief Ministry assisted 15 families with utilities and heating for a total of $2,293.

This winter’s Fireside Fund is dedicated to the memory of Sumter philanthropist Phil Edwards, who died in 2016.

Edwards’ generosity can be seen across Sumter and the South Carolina Midlands.

From Sumter County Museum to the expansion of WilliamsBrice Stadium in Columbia,

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

‘She was so thankful. She said so — more than once — and also led the interviewer in a closing prayer, giving thanks to the people who give so generously to SUM, the Fireside Fund and to God.’ DIANE GARRICK Sumter United Ministries office manager the Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust, set up by Edwards and his wife, Flora, continues to enhance our community.

The recipient of this year’s Fireside Fund contributions is Sumter United Ministries.

Fireside Fund was established in 1969 to help needy families and individuals pay heating bills, buy firewood or heating fuels and stay warm

during the winter months.

Since its founding, Fireside Fund has brought in more than $1.5 million in donations from generous readers.

Anyone in need of assistance with heating costs may call Sumter United Ministries at (803) 775-0757.

Donations can be mailed to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151 or dropped off at the office, 36 W.

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A7

Liberty St. This will be the final week The Sumter Item and the ministry collect money for Fireside Fund.

Names, including groups, should be spelled completely.

When making a donation in someone’s honor, the names will be printed as given.

Donors ending the week on Monday, March 6: Sowers and Reapers Inv. Club, $200; in memory of Hugh Humphries

by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Moore, $100; Friendship Circle of St. John United Methodist Church, $75; St. Paul AME Church (Plowden Mill) Sunday School Class No. 3, $30; in memory of John Ivey Brown

by Porter and Patricia Thompkins, $25; and Helen Freeman, $25.

Total combined anonymous: $0 Total this week: $455 Total this year: $48,401.18 Total last year: $52,959.60 Total since 1969: $1,540,389.24

TRAFFIC FROM PAGE A1 Tied at No. 8 is the Liberty Street and North Guignard Drive intersection, and the Guignard and Miller Road intersection is listed at No. 9, with 21,600 vehicles crossing the intersection each day.

Rounding out the top 10 is Broad Street at Carter Road, with 24,750 vehicle transits per day.

Yu said the numbers are based on a 2015 South Carolina Department of Transportation study done of “termini,” or segments of roads. He said the intersection numbers are derived from those DOT numbers using planning software.

“These numbers are not actual (observed) numbers but are based on a model,” he said.

He also said numbers do not mean the intersections are congested.

“It is just telling you there are so many vehicles going through the intersection,” Yu said.

Yu said motorists may want to use the information to avoid certain intersections, or business planners might want to target busy intersections for placing a business venture.

The numbers do not reflect any changes since the Alice Drive construction project was completed, he acknowledged.

“We are going to put a study into our future plans, before and after,” he said. “I want to see the data, not only traffic, but also accidents.”

Yu said the full list of Sumter’s busiest intersections will be made available at www. sumtersc.gov/planning.

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N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

THE SUMTER ITEM

H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

36 W. Liberty St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

COMMENTARY

A wry squint into our grim future

W

ASHINGTON — Although America’s political system seems unable to stimulate robust, sustained economic growth, it at least is stimulating consumption of a small but important segment of literature. Dystopian novels are selling briskly — Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” (1932), Sinclair Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here” (1935), George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” (1945) and “1984” (1949), Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” George (1953) and Will Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1985), all warning about nasty regimes displacing democracy.

There is, however, a more recent and pertinent presentation of a grim future. Last year, in her 13th novel, “The Mandibles: A Family, 20292047,” Lionel Shriver imagined America slouching into dystopia merely by continuing current practices.

Shriver, who is fascinated by the susceptibility of complex systems to catastrophic collapses, begins her story after the 2029 economic crash and the Great Renunciation, whereby the nation, like a dissolute Atlas, shrugged off its national debt, saying to creditors: It’s nothing personal.

The world is not amused, and Americans’ subsequent downward social mobility is not pretty.

Florence Darkly, a millennial, is a “single mother,” but such mothers now outnumber married ones. Newspapers have almost disappeared, so “print journalism had given way to a rabble of amateurs hawking unverified stories and always to an ideological purpose.” Mexico has paid for an electronic border fence to keep out American refugees.

Her Americans are living, on average, to 92, the economy is “powered by the whims of the retired,” and, “desperate to qualify for entitlements, these days everyone couldn’t wait to be old.” People who have never been told “no” are apoplectic if they can’t retire at 52. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are ubiquitous, so shaking hands is imprudent.

Soldiers in combat fatigues, wielding metal detectors, search houses for gold illegally still in private hands. The government monitors every movement, and the IRS, renamed the Bureau for Social Contribution Assistance, siphons up everything, on the you-didn’t-build-that principle: “Morally, your money does belong to everybody. The creation of capital requires the whole apparatus of the state to protect property rights, including intellectual property.”

Social order collapses when hyperinflation follows the promiscuous printing of money after the Renunciation. This punishes those “who had a conscientious, caretaking relationship to the future.” Government salaries and Medicare reimbursements are “linked to an inflation algorithm that didn’t require further action from Congress.

Even if a Snickers bar eventually cost $5 billion, they were safe.”

In a Reason magazine inter-

“The (only) good news from Shriver’s squint into the future is that when Americans are put through a wringer, they emerge tougher, with less talk about ‘ADHD, gluten intolerance and emotional support animals.’” view, Shriver says, “I think it is in the nature of government to infinitely expand until it eats its young.” In her novel, she writes: “The state starts moving money around. A little fairness here, little more fairness there. ... Eventually social democracies all arrive at the same tipping point: where half the country depends on the other half. ... Government becomes a pricey, clumsy, inefficient mechanism for transferring wealth from people who do something to people who don’t, and from the young to the old — which is the wrong direction. All that effort, and you’ve only managed a new unfairness.”

Florence learns to appreciate “the miracle of civilization.” It is miraculous because “failure and decay were the world’s natural state. What was astonishing was anything that worked as intended, for any duration whatsoever.”

Laughing mordantly as the apocalypse approaches, Shriver has a gimlet eye for the foibles of today’s secure (or so it thinks) upper middle class, from Washington’s Cleveland Park to Brooklyn. About the gentrification of the latter, she observes: “Oh, you could get a facelift nearby, put your dog in therapy or spend $500 at Ottawa on a bafflingly trendy dinner of Canadian cuisine (the city’s elite was running out of new ethnicities whose food could become fashionable). But you couldn’t buy a screwdriver, pick up a gallon of paint, take in your dry cleaning, get new tips on your high heels, copy a key or buy a slice of pizza.

Wealthy residents might own bicycles worth $5K, but no shop within miles would repair the brakes. ... High rents had priced out the very service sector whose presence at ready hand once helped to justify urban living.”

The (only) good news from Shriver’s squint into the future is that when Americans are put through a wringer, they emerge tougher, with less talk about “ADHD, gluten intolerance and emotional support animals.”

Speaking to Reason, Shriver said: “I think that the bullet we dodged in 2008 is still whizzing around the planet and is going to hit us in the head.” If so, this story has already been written.

George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

Now is the time to ‘Tell America what really happened’ with Russia The Wall Street Journal proclaims “Washington Goes Nuts” and asks, “Can the intelligence committees act like grownups?”

if they can continue lending their names and exposing their reputations to a president with so little regard for democratic institutions, and for the truth.

The political brawl over Russia, the Trump campaign and U.S. intelligence has reached the point where basic questions about U.S. institutions and trust in government are at stake. Democrats are trying to capitalize on anonymous leaks based on U.S. intelligence collection to destroy the Trump presidency, and the president is responding with a fusillade of unproven accusations. To adapt Benjamin Franklin’s comment about the Constitution, you have a banana republic, if you can keep it.

Pardon the gallows humor, but what a spectacle. Democratic leaders and the media wildly overreacted to last week’s news, based on a leak, that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. in the not-so-secret lair of his Senate office. Resign. Special prosecutor. Watergate.

Then the president, with his familiar self-restraint, replied with a Saturday morning Twitter barrage alleging that former President “Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” Mr. Trump offered no evidence for his claims, which may have been based on a report by a radio talk-show host.

Political collusion with a foreign power and the abuse of intelligence collection to smear an opponent threaten the integrity of democratic institutions. Let’s hope the intelligence committees rise above their putative party leaders and tell America what really happened.

In “This is Trump’s modus operandi,” The Washington Post offers this Trump history: Whenever he is under fire for something in a sustained way, he makes a shocking claim or provocative declaration about something else to change the subject. He is a master practitioner at the politics of distraction. These five examples might jog your memory: • After struggling during the first GOP primary debate to explain his disparaging comments about women, he attacked Megyn Kelly. “There was … blood coming out of her wherever,” he said, ensuring that the media focused on the new TrumpKelly “feud.”

• When the 2005 Access Hollywood video came out, he brought Bill Clinton’s former accusers to St. Louis as his guests to the second debate.

• In November, the morning after agreeing to settle a fraud lawsuit against Trump University for $25 million, he demanded that the cast of “Hamilton” apologize to Mike Pence.

• Days after firing Michael Flynn, he held a rambling 77-minute press conference because he knew that it would get the Flynn story out of the news.

• Perturbed when critics pointed out that he lost the popular vote, he claimed that three million to five million people voted illegally.

A New York Times editorial explores the ramifications of “When One President Smears Another.”

Let’s begin with what the public can know for certain. President Trump had no evidence on Saturday morning when he smeared his predecessor, President Barack Obama, accusing him of ordering that Trump Tower phones be tapped during the 2016 campaign. Otherwise, the White House would not be scrambling to find out if what he said is true.

Just contemplate the recklessness — the sheer indifference to truth and the moral authority of the American presidency — revealed here: one president baselessly charging criminality by another, all in a childish Twitter rampage.

The Times reported on Sunday that the F.B.I. director, James Comey, was so alarmed by Mr. Trump’s fact-free claim — which implicitly accused the F.B.I. of breaking the law by wiretapping an American citizen at a president’s behest — that he was asking the Justice Department to publicly call it false. In other words, the F.B.I. director was demanding that Justice officially declare the president to be misleading the public.

This is a dangerous moment, which requires Congress and members of this administration to look beyond partisan maneuvering and tend to the health of the democracy itself.

As for those senior officials of this administration who have integrity: It is past time for them to begin asking themselves

Excerpts from a recent interview with retired late-night king David Letterman in New York magazine: On Trump’s outrageous statements: “I’m tired of people being bewildered about everything he says: ‘I can’t believe he said that.’ We gotta stop that and instead figure out ways to protect ourselves from him. We know he’s crazy. We gotta take care of ourselves here now.”

On possible Russian interference in the election: “I do like the idea that Putin has something on Don and decided: ‘Let’s get him in office, and we’ll get things to go our way.’ That’s beginning to sound like an Alex Jones theory, but that’d be fun, wouldn’t it?”

On Alec Baldwin and comedy: “Comedy’s one of the ways that we can protect ourselves. Alec Baldwin deserves a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sadly, he’s not going to get it from this president. In a 2007 playoff game, a swarm of midges from Lake Erie caused Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain to blow the game with a few wild pitches. Well, that’s Alec Baldwin and Saturday Night Live. It’s distracting the batter. Eventually Trump’s going to take a fastball off the sternum and have to leave the game.”

On Steve Bannon: “Bannon looks like a guy who goes to lunch, gets drunk and comes back to the office: ‘Steve, could you have just one drink?’ How is a white supremacist the chief adviser to our president? Did anybody look that up?”

Notable & Quotable is compiled by Graham Osteen. Contact him at graham@theitem. com.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your letter to letters@theitem.com, drop it off at The Sumter Item office, 36 W. Liberty St., or mail it to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151, along with the writer’s full name, address and telephone number (for verification purposes only). Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety at www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

FESTIVAL FROM PAGE A1 and we got lots of good comments from festivalgoers. Everybody had a good time, and people enjoyed having some foods they can’t ordinarily get here.”

She said many of the vendors actually ran out of some food in the afternoon and had to “make a run to the grocery store for ingredients (to) reload.”

“One of them had to call in to their restaurant in Columbia to send over two more workers,” she said.

Kennedy said the help of the many volunteers was invaluable, too.

“Without them, I don’t know what we’d have done,” she said.

Kennedy said Sumter Green has two more fundraisers coming up this spring.

“We’ll have our flower sale JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM on Saturday, April 15, and Radene Miller picks up cauliflower and radishes at the Dellinger Farms booth at the Food Truck and Craft Earth Day will be on Saturday, April 22, at Swan Lake,” she Beer Festival ... Untapped at Sumter’s American Legion Post 15’s fairgrounds on Saturday.

PARNELL FROM PAGE A1 Penry Gustafson; Tom Mullikin, South Carolina State Guard commander; state Rep. Ralph Norman; State House Speaker Pro Tempore Tommy Pope; and Kris Wampler have also announced their candidacies.

Josh Thornton of Rock Hill will run for the American Party.

Parnell will officially begin his campaign at 3 p.m. in downtown York, he said.

He explained he wanted to kick off his campaign in York to honor former Rep. John Spratt, who was from York, and also to honor his father.

“My grandparents died when my father was an infant, and he was raised in the orphanage in York,” he said. “I wanted to honor my father and the orphanage for caring for him.”

He said one of his major issues will be providing better constituent services.

“I want to return service to the district; I don’t think this district has had much constituent service under Mulvaney’s tenure at this job, and we need to look after the district,” he said.

He also said he considers his background in taxes to be an asset.

“My background is: I’m a tax person,” Parnell said. “I have been in business for a long time but focusing on taxes, and I think I can give some clarity to the way people think about tax policies and the way they can be made simpler and fairer.”

Parnell said he is against completely dismantling the

Affordable Care Act. “An analogy my wife (Sarah) made the other day makes sense to me,” he said.

“You don’t tear your house down if the stairs are creaking.”

He said he thinks it will be very wasteful to create a new health care structure,

and efforts to implement tax credits will make it more complicated.

“We have structure already that’s not perfect, but it can be improved,” he said.

“I think improving the ACA is a better way to go.”

Parnell graduated from Sumter High School and earned a bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees from University of South Carolina.

A9

said. “Earth Day events will be free, and both will be from 8 a.m. to noon.”

Proceeds from the Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival and both Swan Lake-Iris Gardens events will benefit Sumter Green, a nonprofit run by volunteers whose stated goal “ ... is not only to keep the Sumter community green, but continue to welcome residents and visitors alike into our community.”

Among the group’s projects was the planting of trees at seven entryways to the city to welcome visitors to Sumter.

The volunteers maintain these areas, as well as others, such as the median at Alice Drive and West Liberty Street. The organization also provides recognition to individuals and businesses who beautify their landscapes and otherwise contribute to the appearance and “greening” of the city.

For more information about Sumter Green, visit the website www.sumtergreen.org or call (803) 436-2640.

as director for Goldman Sachs’ tax department in Asia.

Parnell is married to Sarah Parnell and has two grown daughters, Lydia and Julia.

According to Parnell’s LinkedIn profile, his work history includes positions as a tax attorney, senior counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and

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By Amanda McNulty, County Extension Agent

Nature Did Her Part The roadsides are ablaze with color now thanks to our State wildflower, yellow jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens. The common name is yellow JESSAMINE – not jasmine. Other plants in different families have the common name of jasmine; Confederate Star Jasmine is one, and there is a genus titled Jasminium, in which you find winter jasmine with green stems and yellow flowers appearing throughout the “colder” months.

Our plant in question, yellow jessamine, is native from Virginia down through Florida, across Tennessee and Arkansas, and in states bordering the Gulf Coast. Not recognizing national boundaries or borders, it’s also found growing in parts of Central America.

Sempervirens means evergreen which is one reason yellow jessamine is such a vigorous grower – it always has green, photosynthesizing leaves. The opposite leaves are linear, dark and glossy, occurring in pairs along a dark, almost black, thin stem which is exceptionally strong. You can’t just “pop” a piece of yellow jessamine vine if you need it to adorn a Tuesday night hat for Making It Grow but need pruners in hand if you want to cut a length.

Even then, you will probably have to go to some trouble as this vine climbs by twining, and a kitten with a ball of yarn couldn’t do a better job creating an inextricable mass of stems tightly entwined with the branches of the supporting plants (or man-made structures) upon which this plant grows.

In full sun, yellow jessamine will make its way twenty or thirty feet into the tops of trees, saving its display of flowers for cascading tendrils which are suspended below the uppermost supporting branches. On a wire fence, this plant will simply produce stems until it reaches the top of the support and at that point will begin to spill over and produce flowers. In normal years it flowers from March through late April or early May; this year it attained full bloom in our part of the state in mid-February.

All parts of this plant are seriously toxic. Although it relies on insect pollinators to transfer pollen from male flower parts to the receptive female stigmas, bees do not preferentially seek out these blossoms. Although our native bees, because of co-evolution, are not harmed by the poisonous compounds found in all parts of the plant, they visit yellow jessamine flowers less frequently if other nectar sources are available. Some people grow yellow jessamine on fences and trellises because deer don’t eat it.

Only man has occasionally made use of it for certain homeopathic remedies. It depresses the central nervous system and that activity made it useful as a substitute for opium during the Civil War. Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

AROUND TOWN The Rembert Area Community Did you know that March is Coalition (RACC) and S.C. recognized as Red Cross Sumter County Veterans Association to Thrive will host a tax fair from Month in celebration of the meet 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturvolunteers who help those day, March 11, and Saturin need by giving their day, March 18. This event is time, money or blood?

Blood donation is now easi- free and open to the public.

There will be S.C. Thrive er than ever with the Blood representative on site to Donor App and RapidPass. assist with electronically With this free app, donors filing your federal and state can schedule and manage donation appointments, ac- income taxes. Spaces are limited. Call (803) 432-2001 cess their donor card, earn to reserve your spot. rewards and more. You can help save a life by becomThe Sumter Mall will hold a ing a blood donor during Color for a Cause event from one of the following blood 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, donation opportunities: March 14. This is a live colTuesday, March 28, 11 a.m.oring competition and 4 p.m., Central Carolina shopping event to raise Technical College, 506 N. funds and awareness for Guignard Drive; Wedneslocal organizations. Repreday, March 29, 10 a.m.-3 sentatives from the followp.m., USC Sumter, 200 Milling organizations will be in er Road; and Thursday, attendance: United Way; March 30, 2-7 p.m., Grace Clarendon County; Lee Baptist Church, 219 W. CalCounty; Sumter County Dishoun St. abilities and Special Needs; Sumter County Library; Volunteers from AARP will American Red Cross; offer free tax preparation Pawsitive Direction Rescue; from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on and KAT’s Special Kneads.

Mondays and Wednesdays through April 12 at the The Sumter Chapter of the NaShepherd’s Center, 24 tional Federation of the Blind Council St. Applicants are of South Carolina will meet advised to bring the followat 7 p.m. on Tuesday, ing with them: photo ID; March 14, at Shiloh-RanSocial Security cards for all dolph Manor, 125 W. household members being Bartlette St. Mary Junous claimed; tax documents — will speak. The spotlight is W-2 forms, 1099R, 1099SSA, shining on “King of the interest income and all Year” R.L. Fullard and the other income statements; first runner-up is associate 2015 tax returns and power member Kerry “Butch” of attorney forms if filing Thompson. Transportation for someone other than provided within their coveryourself. Call Henry at (803) age area. Contact Debra 499-4990 or Lula at (803) Canty, chapter president, 316-0772. at (803) 775-5792 or debra. canty@frontier.com .

The Sumter County Veterans Association will meet at 6 The 17th Annual Cavalier Pride p.m. today at American LeAuction will be held on Satgion Post 15 on Artillery urday, March 18, at Robert Drive.

E. Lee Academy in Bishopville. Food will be served Sumter County Active Lifefrom 5 to 7 p.m. Bidding styles (SCAL) will sponsor a will begin at 5:30 p.m. with St. Patrick’s Day Walk / Hike the first table closing at 7 on Saturday, March 11, at p.m. Tickets are $15 in adDillon Park, 1305 Clara Louvance or $20 at the door. ise Kellogg Drive. ParticiCall (803) 484-5532 for more pants will have two walk information. options: walk the paved one-mile exercise track or The Pilot Club of Bishopville plan to hike about one to will present “Lee Haw Lee two hours along the CyCounty has Talent” at 7 p.m. press Trail. Meet at the on Saturday, March 25, at large pavilion next to the the Bishopville Opera baseball fields, playground House. Suitable for the and flag pole. No cost to whole family. Tickets can participate. Registration be purchased at Bishopville will be from 9 to 10 a.m.

Drug, Little Florist and with the walk / hike beginState Farm insurance and ning at 10 a.m. Call (803) are $15 for adults and $10 469-6509. for under age 17.

PUBLIC AGENDA SUMTER CITY COUNCIL Today, 5:30 p.m., Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. BISHOPVILLE CITY COUNCIL Today, 6:30 p.m., Colclough Building

SUMTER COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION / ELECTION COMMISSION Thursday, 5:30 p.m., registration / election office, courthouse, room 114

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take the time EUGENIA LAST to hear someone out.

You may not agree, but there will be value in knowing what you are up against. Take action if you want to make changes, but do so thoughtfully so that no one gets hurt.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t overreact if someone puts pressure on you to do more. Take a moment to rethink the best way to handle anyone who gets in your way or who tries to take advantage of you.

Stabilize important relationships.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Check over your personal papers or get your taxes up to date. Taking care of business will be stabilizing and bring you greater freedom to explore something new. Romance and personal growth are on the rise.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Reacquaint yourself with familiar faces, places and pastimes. Your enthusiasm will be infectious and lead to new beginnings. Personal improvements will result if you show discipline and implement a healthy diet and physical fitness routine.

The last word in astrology

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Personal changes can be made.

Sign up for a retreat or plan to make a change to where or how TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Let your you live. New beginnings will imagination run wild and you will sprout through social networking. come up with some interesting Expand your mind, your outlook ideas. Focus on your dreams and and your future. Follow your the things you enjoy the most. Any instincts. help you offer others will be appreciated and repaid. Share your SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’ll face difficulties if you fight feelings. the establishment. Keep diplomacy GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll be in mind when dealing with anyone torn between what you want and who can influence your position or what you have. Don’t rely on your future. Stick close to home anyone to help you make a and take care of your personal decision. Figure out responsibilities. Focus on selfwhat’s best for you and follow that improvements, not trying to path. Avoid overreacting or letting change others. temptation lead you astray.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do You’ll have to counter someone’s whatever it takes to use your skills. poor habits or influences. Don’t be Refuse to let anyone or anything tempted to get involved in risky slow you down. Overreacting, schemes or joint ventures. Go it indulgence and excess will stand between you and your desires. Use alone and control how much time, money and effort you are willing to your intelligence and strive for sacrifice. perfection.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Discuss your thoughts with people heading in the same direction as you, and you will find solutions.

Collaborating and joining forces to form a strong coalition will help you bring about change. Honor your beliefs and fight for your rights.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Listen to your inner voice and take action.

Follow your emotional awareness and make adjustments to the way you live. Don’t miss an opportunity to achieve what you want to pursue because someone is being demanding.

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

Increasing cloudiness

Clouds and mild with a t-storm

Clouds giving way to sun

77°

58°

74° / 43°

78° / 48°

79° / 44°

64° / 48°

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 40%

S 8-16 mph

SSW 7-14 mph

NW 7-14 mph

SE 6-12 mph

WSW 7-14 mph

ENE 6-12 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

THURSDAY

Sunny and pleasant Clouds and sun with Clouds and sun with a shower a shower

Greenville 70/51

Columbia 77/59

Sumter 77/58

Aiken 76/57

ON THE COAST

Charleston 76/60

Today: Some sun, except increasing clouds in northern parts. High 70 to 76.

Wednesday: A shower or thunderstorm in spots in the morning. High 70 to 77.

72° 41° 63° 38° 86° in 1955 20° in 1960

LAKE LEVELS Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

356.84 74.75 74.65 97.93

24-hr chg -0.01 -0.03 -0.20 -0.13

RIVER STAGES

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest.

Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date

0.00" 0.19" 0.77" 5.77" 10.21" 8.19"

River Black River Congaree River Lynches River Saluda River Up. Santee River Wateree River

NATIONAL CITIES

REGIONAL CITIES

Today City Hi/Lo/W Atlanta 68/50/t Chicago 55/37/s Dallas 71/45/pc Detroit 60/36/t Houston 75/54/t Los Angeles 77/55/pc New Orleans 79/61/t New York 57/50/c Orlando 81/60/pc Philadelphia 63/51/c Phoenix 76/53/s San Francisco 60/49/pc Wash., DC 64/50/c

City Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 70/45/pc 53/27/s 75/58/pc 51/27/pc 75/62/pc 85/59/pc 72/62/pc 61/42/pc 85/62/pc 64/44/pc 84/58/pc 65/51/s 65/45/pc

Myrtle Beach 71/61

Manning 76/60

Today: A couple of showers. Winds southwest 7-14 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Winds westnorthwest 4-8 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 76/59

Bishopville 75/59

IN THE MOUNTAINS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

SATURDAY

Gaffney 68/51 Spartanburg 67/52

Temperatures shown on map are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

LOCAL ALMANAC

FRIDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 61/40/sh 71/51/t 81/57/pc 76/60/pc 70/62/c 76/60/c 71/55/c 67/55/t 77/59/pc 75/58/pc 71/58/c 74/60/c 76/60/c

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 7.23 -0.15 19 3.40 -0.50 14 4.75 +0.04 14 1.91 -0.03 80 76.31 +0.11 24 5.69 +0.07

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 65/32/s 72/39/pc 76/38/pc 77/48/pc 67/53/t 76/46/pc 71/41/pc 74/43/s 75/41/pc 72/41/pc 68/44/sh 72/44/pc 74/43/pc

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 76/59/pc Gainesville 80/58/pc Gastonia 69/54/c Goldsboro 75/59/c Goose Creek 76/60/pc Greensboro 69/52/c Greenville 70/51/sh Hickory 67/48/sh Hilton Head 75/61/pc Jacksonville, FL 78/59/pc La Grange 69/47/t Macon 76/55/sh Marietta 67/45/t

Sunrise 6:43 a.m.

Moonrise 1:41 p.m.

Sunset Moonset

6:23 p.m.

3:01 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Mar. 12

Mar. 20

Mar. 27

Apr. 3

TIDES AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Wed.

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 74/42/pc 82/54/c 71/42/s 71/44/pc 76/46/pc 71/41/pc 72/40/s 70/39/s 75/46/pc 81/53/pc 73/38/pc 75/39/pc 69/39/s

High 4:21 a.m.

4:55 p.m.

5:27 a.m.

5:58 p.m.

Ht. 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.8

Low Ht. 11:28 a.m. 0.1 11:40 p.m. -0.2 12:29 p.m. 0.0 -----

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 63/44/sh Mt. Pleasant 75/61/pc Myrtle Beach 71/61/pc Orangeburg 75/60/pc Port Royal 74/61/pc Raleigh 73/57/c Rock Hill 71/51/sh Rockingham 72/58/pc Savannah 77/61/pc Spartanburg 67/52/c Summerville 75/60/pc Wilmington 73/59/pc Winston-Salem 69/50/c

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 71/35/s 76/46/pc 72/48/pc 75/44/pc 74/49/pc 70/42/pc 67/37/pc 71/38/pc 77/48/pc 71/40/s 76/46/pc 71/43/pc 70/41/s

Look no further than your local newspaper for

The right advertising opportunity!

Call (803) 774-1200 and get started today.

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC

Jeff Byer comments on his photo submission, “We recently visited Dry Falls near Highlands in North Carolina. They call it Dry Falls because ‘supposedly’ you can walk behind the falls and still stay dry.”

HAVE YOU TAKEN PICTURES OF INTERESTING, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL OR HISTORICAL PLACES? Would you like to share those images with your fellow Sumter Item readers? E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandra@theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150. Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only please.

Photos of poor reproduction quality may not publish. With the exception of pictures that are of a timely nature, submitted photos will publish in the order in which they are received.

SECTION

B

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

USC BASEBALL

USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Holbrook haters need to let year play out

Make it 3

T

o say the least, it has been a disappointing start for the University of South Carolina baseball team.

A top five pick in the vast majority of the preseason college polls, the Gamecocks are off to a mediocre 7-5 start. And to make matters worse, USC lost its series with archrival Clemson for the third straight year.

And to dig that dagger in just a little bit deeper, Carolina coughed up Dennis two late-inning Brunson leads in the losses on Saturday and Sunday. One bullpen meltdown is understandable; two in a row with all of the praise heaped on the bullpen is pretty much impossible to swallow for South Carolina fans.

It’s also been pretty much impossible for some in Gamecock Nation to swallow their tongues since Sunday’s 5-3, 11-inning loss. Of course, those are the ones questioning the coaching acumen of USC head coach Chad Holbrook.

Not only are they railing on Holbrook, some have suggested it is time for him to go; not at the end of the season, but at this very moment.

For those of you who are in that group that are also reading this column, please return to reality and look at this rationally.

Give this season time to play out. Allow Holbrook and his coaching staff time to work with and develop these players and see the end result. If Carolina loses in an NCAA tournament regional like it did three years ago or doesn’t even advance to the NCAAs like two years ago, then it might be time to question Holbrook.

This Holbrook bashing is really annoying. The only rationale for it is he took over a program that played for the College World Series championship three straight years, winning in 2010 and ’11 before falling to Arizona in ’12.

It pretty much made Ray Tanner a deity as a coach. Of course, that good will is being stretched because he hasn’t been smart enough to get rid of Holbrook yesterday.

A quick history lesson on Tanner. He didn’t take South Carolina to the CWS until his sixth season. That was the first of three straight years going to Omaha, Neb., followed by a 5-year drought that had the natives restless.

Then came the 3-year run that ended his career. Tanner knew it was time to move on at that point. Despite the loss to Arizona, Tanner went out on top. He didn’t want to wear out his welcome in the dugout.

Thus the door was opened for Holbrook, who was Tanner’s top assistant for each of those three trips to Omaha. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it didn’t happen until he showed up.

Now, did Holbrook make some questionable coaching decisions over the weekend?

For the Holbrook haters, every decision is questionable, but there were definitely some up from debate, especially for pitching to you know who with a 1-run lead, no one on base and two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

No way, no how am I pitching to the Tigers’ Seth Beer in that situation. He is the best hitter in college baseball, and while a good college left-handed relief pitcher, it can be argued that Josh Reagan isn’t in

SEE HATERS, PAGE B3

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson (22) drives against Mississippi State center Chinwe Okorie (45) in the first half of the Gamecocks’ victory over MSU in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament on Sunday in Greenville.

No. 4 Gamecocks top MSU for 3rd straight SEC tourney title

BY PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer GREENVILLE — A’ja Wilson thinks No. 4 South Carolina proved it’s not only the best in the Southeastern Conference, but one of the best in the country and a major threat in the NCAA

Tournament.

The Gamecocks won their third straight SEC Tournament title behind Kaela Davis’ 23 points and Wilson’s dominant fourth quarter to rally past No. 7 Mississippi State 59-49 on Sunday. South Carolina (27-4) celebrated amidst the falling confetti.

The Gamecocks understand, Wilson said, there are bigger goals still to chase.

“I think we really showed ourselves,” Wilson said. “We showed a good picture of what we do, how we are here at South Carolina.”

Wilson, the two-time SEC player of the year, is a big

part of that. She had seven of her 15 points and eight of her nine rebounds in the final period as the Gamecocks rallied from 45-40 down to win their 10th straight over the Bulldogs (29-4).

SEE USC, PAGE B3

CLEMSON BASKETBALL

Tigers open ACC tourney against Pack Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame (5), who was named third team All-ACC on Monday, and the Tigers open play in the ACC tournament today against North Carolina State in Brooklyn, New York. Clemson is one of several teams capable of pulling off a surprise in the tournament.

BY SCOTT KEEPFER The Greenville News CLEMSON – When acknowledging the crowd following his final home game on Saturday, Clemson senior point guard and Oregon native Avry Holmes gave a nod to the Clemson community for the hospitality he’s received since transferring to the school three years ago.

“From the day I first got here, everyone was so welcoming,” Holmes said.

“And every day it just kept getting better and better and better.”

So, too, has Holmes, who enters today’s first-round game against North Carolina State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with perhaps the hottest shooting hand in the league.

AP FILE PHOTO

SEE TIGERS, PAGE B

AUTO RACING

Evening out: Keselowski wins Atlanta after Harvick miscue

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brad Keselowski celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday in Hampton, Georgia.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — From Brad Keselowski’s perspective, it was just a matter of things evening out.

Sure, he slipped away from Atlanta Motor Speedway with a victory that seemed downright improbable most of the day.

Then again, he’s been on other side, too.

“We’ve had races where we’ve led a bunch of laps and things fall apart at the end,” Keselowski said Sunday evening, savoring the 22nd victory of his career with his nearly 2-year-old daughter,

Scarlett, crawling around on the floor of the media center.

“That’s just part of how this sport works.”

Keselowski passed Kyle Larson for the lead with six laps to go and pulled away for a victory that, by all rights, should’ve gone to Kevin Harvick.

He won the pole . He easily led the first two 85-lap stages under NASCAR’s new format. He wound up running out front for a staggering 292 of 325 laps, usually ceding the lead only when he came into the pits.

In the end, though, Harvick went a little too fast on his last trip down pit road, leading to a penalty that dropped him to ninth place.

“I hate when I lose that way,” Keselowski said.

“When you win that way, you just take it and move on.”

In fact, Keselowski had to overcome his own misfortune after snatching the lead from Harvick coming off pit road on an earlier stop.

Concerned that some lug nuts had not been attached

SEE ATLANTA, PAGE B2

B2

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

SCOREBOARD TV SPORTS TODAY 8 a.m. — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic First-Round Game from Seoul, South Korea — Netherlands vs.

South Korea (MLB NETWORK).

Noon — College Basketball: Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament First-Round Game from Brooklyn, N.Y. — North Carolina State vs. Clemson (WKTC 63, ESPN2, WWBD-FM 94.7).

1 p.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: Canadian National Team vs. Toronto from Dunedin, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

2:30 p.m. — International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match — Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal (FOX SPORTS 1).

2:30 p.m. — International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match — Real Madrid vs. Napoli (FOX SPORTS 1).

3 p.m. — College Baseball: Duke at Liberty (TIME WARNER 1250).

4 p.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: Mexican National Team vs. San Diego from Peoria, Ariz. (MLB NETWORK).

6:05 p.m. — Talk Show: Sports Talk (WDXYFM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240).

7 p.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: Boston vs. Washington from West Palm Beach, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

7 p.m. — Women’s International Soccer: SheBelieves Cup from Washington -United States vs. France (FOX SPORTS 1).

7 p.m. — College Baseball: The Citadel at South Carolina (WNKT-FM 107.5).

7:30 p.m. — College Baseball: Arizona at Texas Tech (FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST).

7:30 p.m. — NHL Hockey: Philadelphia at Buffalo (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

7:30 p.m. — College Softball: Troy at Mississippi State (SEC NETWORK).

8 p.m. — NBA Basketball: Portland at Oklahoma City (NBA TV).

9 p.m. — NHL Hockey: Carolina at Colorado (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

10 p.m. — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic First-Round Game from Tokyo — China vs. Cuba (MLB NETWORK).

11 p.m. — Professional Tennis: BNP Paribas Showdown from New York — Americas vs.

World (ESPN2).

2 a.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh from Bradenton, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

5 a.m. — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic First-Round Game from Tokyo — Japan vs. Australia (MLB NETWORK).

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION W 40 37 25 23 10

Boston Toronto New York Philadelphia Brooklyn

L 23 26 38 39 51

Pct .635 .587 .397 .371 .164

GB — 3 15 16½ 29

W 37 34 29 27 23

L 24 28 34 35 40

Pct .607 .548 .460 .435 .365

GB — 3½ 9 10½ 15

W 42 32 31 30 28

L 19 30 31 32 33

Pct .689 .516 .500 .484 .459

GB — 10½ 11½ 12½ 14

L 13 19 27 36 38

Pct .787 .698 .571 .419 .397

GB — 5 13 22½ 24

L 24 28 34 35 37

Pct .619 .556 .452 .426 .403

GB — 4 10½ 12 13½

SOUTHEAST DIVISION Washington Atlanta Miami Charlotte Orlando

CENTRAL DIVISION Cleveland Indiana Chicago Detroit Milwaukee

WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST DIVISION W 48 44 36 26 25

x-San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

NORTHWEST DIVISION W 39 35 28 26 25

Utah Oklahoma City Denver Portland Minnesota

PACIFIC DIVISION W x-Golden State 51 L.A. Clippers 37 Sacramento 25 Phoenix 21 L.A. Lakers 19 x-clinched playoff spot

L 11 25 37 42 44

Pct .823 .597 .403 .333 .302

GB — 14 26 30½ 32½

SUNDAY’S GAMES Indiana 97, Atlanta 96 Golden State 112, New York 105 Phoenix 109, Boston 106 Washington 115, Orlando 114 Utah 110, Sacramento 109, OT Dallas 104, Oklahoma City 89 New Orleans 105, L.A. Lakers 97

MONDAY’S GAMES Miami at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

New York at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Indiana at Charlotte, 8 p.m.

Portland at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Houston at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Utah, 9 p.m.

Sacramento at Denver, 9 p.m.

Boston at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Calgary 66 36 26 4 76 179 182 Los Angeles 65 31 28 6 68 161 164 Vancouver 65 28 30 7 63 152 186 Arizona 65 23 35 7 53 157 210 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

SUNDAY’S GAMES Calgary 5, N.Y. Islanders 2 Columbus 3, New Jersey 0 Pittsburgh 4, Buffalo 3 Minnesota 3, San Jose 1 Vancouver 2, Anaheim 1 St. Louis 3, Colorado 0 Carolina 2, Arizona 1

MONDAY’S GAMES Boston at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

San Jose at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES New Jersey at Columbus, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Detroit at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.

St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Carolina at Colorado, 9 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

Nashville at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

Montreal at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Detroit at Boston, 8 p.m.

Ottawa at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Chicago at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Brooklyn at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Detroit at Indiana, 8 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

New York at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Toronto at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Utah at Houston, 8 p.m.

Sacramento at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Washington at Denver, 9 p.m.

Boston at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES Cleveland at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 8 p.m.

San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Philadelphia at Portland, 10 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

Pittsburgh St. Louis New York Los Angeles Philadelphia Washington Arizona Colorado Milwaukee San Diego Cincinnati Chicago Miami San Francisco Atlanta

Pct. 0.727 0.700 0.636 0.600 0.556 0.556 0.500 0.500 0.444 0.400 0.400 0.375 0.333 0.273 0.200

OT 8 6 6 14 11 8 12 11

Pts 82 76 74 70 69 68 66 61

GF 183 166 180 194 160 179 166 158

GA 165 165 170 193 178 180 190 187

OT 7 6 8 2 11 8 10 12

Pts 95 88 88 84 71 68 62 62

GF 210 205 223 210 188 164 155 147

GA 135 149 180 173 193 190 180 187

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25 DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — The top 25 teams in the Baseball America poll through March 5 (selected by the staff of Baseball America): Record Prv 1. Texas Christian 10-1 1 2. Florida State 9-2 2 3. Florida 10-2 3 4. Louisville 11-0 6 5. Oregon State 10-1 8 6. Louisiana State 9-3 4 7. Cal State Fullerton 5-4 7 8. East Carolina 8-3 9 9. Clemson 8-3 15 10. South Carolina 7-5 5 11. Arizona 10-1 19 12. Washington 7-4 11 13. Virginia 11-1 12 14. Texas Tech 11-2 21 15. Louisiana-Lafayette 6-4 16 16. Stanford 9-3 22 17. North Carolina 9-3 13 18. Coastal Carolina 9-5 18 19. Georgia Tech 9-2 17 20. North Carolina State 6-5 10 21. Mississippi 7-4 20 22. St. John’s 10-1 NR 23. Oklahoma State 6-5 24 24. Baylor 11-1 NR 25. Texas A&M 9-3 25

PGA SCORES MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES

MONDAY’S GAMES

TODAY’S GAMES Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Boston vs. Washington at West Palm Beach, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Dominican Republic vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Miami vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Philadelphia vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Canada vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 1:07 p.m.

Colorado vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Italy vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City vs. Cincinnati at Goodyear, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco vs. L.A. Dodgers at Glendale, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Mexico vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

Oakland vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCE L 21 22 25 22 24 26 27 27

W 8 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2

Baltimore vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Boston 5, Houston 5 N.Y. Mets 8, Miami 2 Pittsburgh 13, N.Y. Yankees 1 Minnesota 2, St. Louis 1, 10 innings Arizona vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Cleveland (ss) vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Milwaukee vs. Cleveland (ss) at Goodyear, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

San Diego vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs vs. L.A. Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

Texas vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

Sunday At Club de Golf Chapultepec Mexico City Purse: $9.75 million Yardage: 7,330; Par 71 Final Dustin Johnson (550), $1,660,000 70-66-6668—270 Tommy Fleetwood, $1,045,000 69-70-6666—271 Ross Fisher, $497,000 67-68-72-65—272 Jon Rahm (170), $497,000 67-70-67-68—272 Thomas Pieters, $312,500 68-69-68-68—273 Justin Thomas (110), $312,500 69-66-6672—273 Phil Mickelson (89), $211,667 67-68-6871—274 Brandt Snedeker (89), $211,667 75-68-6665—274 Rory McIlroy (89), $211,667 68-65-70-71—274 Tyrrell Hatton, $166,000 70-67-68-70—275 Kevin Kisner (73), $154,000 72-68-68-68—276 Sergio Garcia (64), $131,250 68-71-6870—277 J.B. Holmes (64), $131,250 69-68-69-71—277 Jordan Spieth (64), $131,250 71-72-6371—277 Fabrizio Zanotti, $131,250 68-69-72-68—277 Daniel Berger (54), $105,125 70-66-7072—278 Paul Casey (54), $105,125 74-71-67-66—278 Matthew Fitzpatrick, $105,125 71-67-7268—278 Rickie Fowler (54), $105,125 69-69-7367—278 Francesco Molinari (49), $91,333 71-72-7066—279 Matt Kuchar (49), $91,333 68-71-67-73—279 Andy Sullivan, $91,333 71-65-72-71—279 Jason Dufner (43), $86,000 70-70-72-68—280 Martin Kaymer, $86,000 70-67-75-68—280 Joost Luiten, $81,000 71-67-71-72—281 Hideki Matsuyama (39), $81,000 72-72-6671—281 Jimmy Walker (39), $81,000 67-74-6872—281 William McGirt (33), $75,625 72-67-7172—282 Ryan Moore (33), $75,625 67-73-69-73—282 Lee Westwood, $75,625 67-71-66-78—282 Chris Wood, $75,625 68-73-71-70—282 Branden Grace (25), $70,500 73-69-6873—283 Bill Haas (25), $70,500 70-69-75-69—283 Mackenzie Hughes (25), $70,500 70-70-7370—283 Soren Kjeldsen (25), $70,500 75-71-7166—283 Scott Piercy (25), $70,500 72-73-72-66—283 Hideto Tanihara, $70,500 75-67-67-74—283 Rafa Cabrera Bello (17), $64,000 72-69-7172—284 Pat Perez (17), $64,000 68-71-74-71—284 Justin Rose (17), $64,000 70-72-71-71—284 Charl Schwartzel (17), $64,000 71-68-7075—284 Jhonattan Vegas (17), $64,000 69-74-6873—284 Bubba Watson (17), $64,000 73-72-6871—284 Gary Woodland (17), $64,000 73-67-7470—284 Roberto Castro (12), $59,000 69-68-7474—285 Adam Scott (12), $59,000 73-76-68-68—285 Bernd Wiesberger, $59,000 73-70-71-71—285 Byeong Hun An (10), $55,500 73-66-7176—286 Brooks Koepka (10), $55,500 76-69-6873—286 Louis Oosthuizen (10), $55,500 73-72-7368—286 Brendan Steele (10), $55,500 74-71-7071—286 Emiliano Grillo (8), $52,000 72-77-69-69—287 Mike Hendry, $52,000 71-74-73-69—287

FRANK’S

ATLANTIC DIVISION W 37 35 34 28 29 30 27 25

L 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 5 6 8 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

TODAY’S GAMES

GP 66 63 65 64 64 64 66 63

Pct. 0.778 0.750 0.700 0.667 0.667 0.600 0.600 0.556 0.500 0.500 0.400 0.250 0.273 0.222 0.222

Canada vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Dominican Republic vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (ss) vs. Houston at West Palm Beach, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Philadelphia vs. Atlanta at Kissimmee, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Toronto vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Washington vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Boston vs. N.Y. Mets (ss) at Port St. Lucie, Fla., 1:10 p.m.

Italy vs. Oakland (ss) at Mesa, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels vs. Cincinnati at Goodyear, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers vs. Milwaukee (ss) at Phoenix, 3:05 p.m.

Milwaukee (ss) vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Puerto Rico (ss) vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Venezuela (ss) vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Mexico (ss) vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

Columbia (ss) vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., 6:35 p.m.

Portland at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Washington at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Montreal Ottawa Boston Toronto Florida Tampa Bay Buffalo Detroit

L 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 6 8 7 7

COLLEGE BASEBALL POLLS

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The Collegiate Baseball poll with records through March 5.

Voting is done by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors: Record Pts Prv 1. Texas Christian 10-1 496 1 2. Florida 10-2 494 2 3. Oregon St. 10-1 492 4 4. Arizona 10-1 489 5 5. Louisville 11-0 487 6 6. Louisiana St. 9-3 486 3 7. Virginia 11-1 483 8 8. Florida St. 9-2 480 10 9. St. John’s 10-1 478 16 10. Baylor 11-1 478 17 11. Texas A&M 9-3 477 11 12. Texas Tech 11-2 475 12 13. Oklahoma 13-1 472 18 14. North Carolina 9-3 469 7 15. Clemson 8-3 465 22 16. Dallas Baptist 8-3 462 23 17. Stanford 9-3 459 25 18. South Carolina 7-5 456 13 19. Michigan 9-3 453 NR 20. East Carolina 8-3 450 NR 21. Vanderbilt 7-5 446 14 22. Cal. St. Fullerton 5-4 442 15 23. Coastal Carolina 9-5 440 NR 24. Florida Gulf Coast 10-2 438 NR 25. Tennessee 9-1 437 NR 26. Missouri 10-1 434 NR 27. Missouri St. 10-1 433 NR 28. Louisiana-Lafayette 6-4 429 28 29. Washington 7-4 424 29 30. Mississippi 7-4 422 9

MLB SPRING TRAINING W 7 9 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 2 3 2 2

United States (ss) vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 7:05 p.m.

Cleveland vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 9:10 p.m.

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL

N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Ottawa at Arizona, 9 p.m.

Montreal at Calgary, 9 p.m.

New Jersey at Colorado, 9 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Washington at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Nashville at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Los Angeles New York Kansas City Chicago Tampa Bay Minnesota Seattle Oakland Baltimore Cleveland Boston Houston Detroit Texas Toronto

METROPOLITAN DIVISION Washington Columbus Pittsburgh N.Y. Rangers N.Y. Islanders Philadelphia Carolina New Jersey

GP 64 64 64 65 64 64 62 65

W 44 41 40 41 30 30 26 25

L 13 17 16 22 23 26 26 28

CENTRAL DIVISION Minnesota Chicago Nashville St. Louis Winnipeg Dallas Colorado

W 42 42 32 32 30 26 17

L 15 18 24 27 30 29 44

OT 6 5 9 5 6 10 3

Pts 90 89 73 69 66 62 37

GF 212 198 192 176 198 182 123

GA 149 164 184 182 206 209 214

PACIFIC DIVISION San Jose Edmonton

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NASCAR FROM PAGE B1 properly to the tires, Keselowski’s team summoned him back to the pits, knocking him from first to 14th. Instead of getting upset about the miscue, the driver rallied his crew and vowed to work his way back toward the top.

When Harvick faltered, Keselowski was ready to pounce.

“You take advantage of the opportunities when they come,” he said.

This has become a pattern for Harvick at Atlanta, where he’s led the most laps four years in row but has yet to post a victory. In fact, he hasn’t won at the 1.54-mile trioval since his first Cup victory in 2001, which came in just his third career race after taking over following the death of Dale Earnhardt.

“I’m just snake-bit here,” Harvick said. “But it was my own doing.”

GP W L OT Pts GF GA 64 38 19 7 83 177 150 65 35 22 8 78 187 170

● ●

www.frankscarwash.com w ww.frankscarwash.com

Chase Elliott’s first career Cup victory could come any week now.

The 21-year-old Georgia native had another close call at his home track, running as high as second one week after leading the Daytona 500 before running out of fuel late in the race.

Elliott might’ve been the one in position to seize the Atlanta win if not for a slow pit stop that cost him several positions near the end. He wound up fifth.

21. (21) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 323, 0, 16.

22. (27) Landon Cassill, Ford, 323, 0, 15.

23. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 323, 0, 14.

24. (28) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 323, 0, 13.

25. (17) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 322, 0, 12.

26. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 322, 0, 11.

27. (30) Aric Almirola, Ford, 321, 0, 10.

28. (22) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 321, 0, 9.

29. (36) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 320, 0, 8.

30. (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 320, 0, 7.

31. (33) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 320, 0, 6.

32. (19) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 319, 0, 10.

33. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 317, 0, 4.

34. (32) Corey Lajoie, Toyota, 313, 0, 3.

35. (2) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 309, 0, 15.

36. (38) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 298, 0, 1.

37. (31) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, engine, 253, 0, 1.

38. (10) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, garage, 182, 0, 4.

39. (39) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, garage, 74, 0, 1.

Johnson wins in Mexico in debut as world’s No. 1 player MEXICO CITY — Dustin Johnson survived a few anxious moments on the back nine by playing mistake-free when it mattered to win the Mexico Championship in his debut as the No. 1 player in the world.

Johnson blasted out of a fairway bunker to the middle of the 18th green to secure a two-putt par for a 3-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood of England.

Johnson became the fifth player to win in his debut at No. 1, and his fourth World Golf Championship title is second on the career list behind Tiger Woods, who won 18 since the series began in 1999.

INKSTER WINS WALGREENS CHARITY CLASSIC

SUN CITY WEST, Ariz.

— Juli Inkster successfully defended her Walgreens Charity Classic title Sunday, closing with an 8-under 64 for a four-stroke victory.

Inkster finished at 12under 132 at Grandview in The Legends Tour’s season-opening event.

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Keselowski could understood how it happened, especially on a day when a number of top drivers — including two-time defending race winner Jimmie Johnson — ran afoul of the 45-mph speed limit.

“Anyone who wants to leave a comfort zone, I’m going to push harder and I’m going to beat them,” Keselowski said. “You’ve got to run right to the limit.

Sometimes, you’re going to go over.”

FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500 RESULTS

By The Associated Press Sunday At Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Ga. Lap length: 1.54 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 325 laps, 0 rating, 53 points.

2. (8) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 325, 0, 43.

3. (16) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 325, 0, 34.

4. (29) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 325, 0, 33.

5. (11) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 325, 0, 49.

6. (6) Joey Logano, Ford, 325, 0, 37.

7. (13) Kurt Busch, Ford, 325, 0, 30.

8. (9) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 325, 0, 43.

9. (1) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 325, 0, 48.

10. (7) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 325, 0, 27.

11. (25) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 325, 0, 28.

12. (15) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 325, 0, 26.

13. (4) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 325, 0, 28.

14. (23) Erik Jones, Toyota, 325, 0, 26.

15. (26) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 325, 0, 22.

16. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 325, 0, 21.

17. (24) Danica Patrick, Ford, 325, 0, 20.

18. (14) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 324, 0, 19.

19. (18) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 324, 0, 19.

20. (37) Cole Whitt, Ford, 324, 0, 17.

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Famer won for the fourth time on the senior tour.

She has 31 LPGA Tour victories.

LORENA OCHOA TO PLAY HER LPGA TOUR EVENT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Lorena Ochoa is going to compete on the LPGA Tour for the first time in five years, but only for her tournament.

Ochoa said Sunday that she will play in the Lorena Ochoa Match Play on May 4-7. It will be her first time competing since the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2012.

The 35-year-old Mexican star walked away from the game in 2010 when she was No. 1 in the world. She is married with three children, and stopped playing her LPGA Tour event when her first child was born.

Her tournament was moved from November to May this year.

Ochoa says she is starting to practice a couple of times a week. She says she has been away for so long she couldn’t find her golf shoes.

From wire reports

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AREA ROUNDUP

SHS soccer boots Camden Sumter High School’s varsity boys soccer team improved to 2-1 on the season with a 4-1 victory over Camden on Monday at the SHS field.

Connor McAlister scored a goal and had two assists to lead the Gamecocks. TJ Simmons, Chris Reyes and Brayan Martinez each scored a goal.

Sumter plays host to Lancaster on Thursday.

VARSITY BASEBALL SUMTER 6 LEXINGTON 5

LEXINGTON — Sumter High School finished undefeated in the NaturChem Invitational with a 6-5, 8-inning victory over Lexington on Sunday at the LHS field.

Daniel Twitty pitched seven innings to get the victory. He allowed five hits and five runs, two of them earned. He struck out six and walked one.

Andrew Twitty pitched a scoreless eighth for the save for Sumter, which is 4-0 on the season.

Caleb Larrimore, Rylan Williamson and Tucker Chapman each had a hit and a run batted in. Daniel Twitty was 2-for-3.

Jordan Holladay was the Gamecocks’ all-tournament player, and he also won the home run hitting contest for the second straight year.

Andrew Twitty was SHS’ All-Academic representative.

Sumter plays host to Cane Bay on

Laurence Manning at Colleton Prep, 4 p.m.

TODAY VARSITY BASEBALL

VARSITY BOYS TENNIS

JV SOCCER SUMTER 6 CAMDEN 1

Wilson Hall at Ben Lippen, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL

VARSITY BASEBALL

Sumter at Manning, 4:30 p.m.

Varsity Track and Field East Clarendon at Carvers Bay, 5 p.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD Wilson Hall in Home Meet, 3:45 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV BASEBALL

Noah Chase scored a goal and had two assists to lead Sumter to a 6-1 victory over Camden on Monday at the SHS field.

Mohamed Atta scored twice for the Gamecocks, who improved to 2-0.

Brayden Perez, Patrick McKnight and Ja’Von Perry also scored goals while Dyson Roberts and Jalen Ruffin each had an assist.

Manning at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

B-TEAM BASEBALL

VARSITY AND JV BASEBALL

VARSITY BOYS GOLF

Wilson Hall at Robert E. Lee, 4 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Williamsburg, 4 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Trinity-Byrnes (at Traces Golf Club), 3:30 p.m.

VARSITY BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER

VARSITY BOYS GOLF

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

Ben Lippen at Wilson Hall (at Sunset Country Club), 3:30 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV BOYS SOCCER Manning at Lakewood, 5 p.m.

WILSON HALL 8-15 ORANGEBURG PREP 6-5

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER Wilson Hall at Ben Lippen, 5 p.m.

ORANGEBURG — Wilson Hall swept a doubleheader against Orangeburg Prep on Thursday at the OP field, winning the opener 8-6 and the second game 15-5.

Tyler Jones had two hits and scored three runs for the Barons in the first game. Cameron Coulter had two hits and three RBI and William Reese had two hits. Dylan Richardson got the win, striking out six and walking two.

In the nightcap, Richardson, Jones, Reese and Coulter all had two hits. Coulter and Richardson both scored three runs while Jones, Reese and Walker Terry all scored two runs.

Jones picked up the win.

B TEAM BASEBALL Thomas Sumter at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

GSSM at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Trinity-Byrnes, 6 p.m.

B TEAM BASEBALL

Cane Bay at Sumter, 6:30 p.m.

Crestwood at Manning, 6:30 p.m.

Robert E. Lee at Colleton Prep, 5 p.m.

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER Wilson Hall at First Baptist, 5 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER Wilson Hall at Pee Dee, 5 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV GIRLS SOCCER

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER Westwood at Sumter, 6 p.m.

Sumter at Lancaster, 5:45 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

VARSITY SOFTBALL Lee Central at Buford (DH), 5 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Robert E. Lee, 5 p.m.

First Baptist at Wilson Hall, 5 p.m.

Fountain Inn Christian at Sumter Christian, 4 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV SOFTBALL Manning at Lakewood, 5:30 p.m.

Dillon at East Clarendon, 5 p.m.

Orangeburg Prep at Clarendon Hall, 5 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY SOFTBALL Sumter at Lugoff-Elgin (DH), 5 p.m.

Robert E. Lee at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

B TEAM SOFTBALL

USC FROM PAGE B1 South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose team likely heads to the NCAAs as a No. 1 seed, accepts that these Gamecocks will remain out of the national conversation about those program’s capable of ending UConn’s try for a fifth straight NCAA title.

“We’re going to keep flying under the radar,” Staley said.

“We’re going to keep getting better. We’re going to keep making the most of the opportunities that we have. Wherever we’re sent, we’re going to continue to play and use the experiences of playing in the SEC to our advantage.”

Mississippi State (29-4) closed within 50-49 on Roshunda Johnson’s bank shot with 4:42 left. The Bulldogs, however, would not score again in losing their second consecutive SEC tourney final to South Carolina.

“One of these days, I’m going to walk off that court, and I’m not going to walk off when the confetti comes down,” Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer said. “I’m going to be able to stand there and enjoy it.”

Once more, that joy went to South Carolina.

The Gamecocks already joined Tennessee as the only programs to win four straight SEC regular-season crowns — the Lady Vols won seven straight. South Carolina now became the second team, alongside Tennessee, with three consecutive tournament titles. Tennessee, though, accomplished it twice.

Wilson, playing without injured post partner Alaina Coates, found her dominance in the final quarter. Along with her points, the Southeastern Conference player of the year had eight of her nine rebounds and two of her four blocks in the period.

She was named the tournament’s MVP. When it was over, Davis heaved the ball high into the air and the Gamecocks celebrated at midcourt to the cheers of a packed arena, located about two hours north

B3

PREP SCHEDULE Crestwood at Thomas Sumter, 5 p.m.

Lee Central at Buford (DH), 5 p.m.

East Clarendon at Lamar, 6 p.m.

Pee Dee at Laurence Manning, 6 p.m.

Fountain Inn Christian at Sumter Christian, 4 p.m.

Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

|

Lugoff-Elgin at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

VARSITY SOFTBALL Pee Dee at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV SOFTBALL Sumter at East Clarendon, 5:30 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY SOFTBALL Hammond at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD Sumter, Crestwood at Lakewood, 5 p.m.

Lee Central at Lamar, 5 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Orangeburg Prep, 4 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS MEN WOMEN The top 25 teams in The Associated The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 5, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25thplace vote and last week’s ranking: Record Pts Prv 1. Kansas (59) 28-3 1619 1 2. Villanova (2) 28-3 1517 2 3. UCLA (3) 28-3 1487 3 4. Gonzaga (1) 30-1 1430 4 5. Oregon 27-4 1364 6 6. North Carolina 26-6 1291 5 7. Arizona 27-4 1252 7 8. Kentucky 26-5 1182 9 9. Baylor 25-6 1084 11 10. Louisville 24-7 1047 8 11. West Virginia 24-7 958 10 12. SMU 27-4 849 14 13. Purdue 25-6 839 16 14. Duke 23-8 667 17 15. Cincinnati 27-4 634 18 16. Florida State 24-7 631 15 17. Florida 24-7 617 12 18. Butler 23-7 538 13 19. Saint Mary’s 27-3 456 20 20. Wichita State 30-4 401 21 21. Virginia 21-9 400 23 22. Notre Dame 23-8 394 19 23. Iowa State 20-10 147 24 24. Wisconsin 23-8 139 22 25. Maryland 24-7 47 — Others receiving votes: Middle Tennessee 28, Oklahoma State 23, Minnesota 22, Michigan 16, Dayton 11, Seton Hall 9, Southern Cal 6, Providence 5, Vermont 3, Arkansas 2, Miami 2, VCU 2, Wake Forest 2, Creighton 1, Michigan State 1, Princeton 1, UNC Wilmington 1.

down-low option South Carolina is so used to. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, a 6-2 freshman, made two of three shots but often was muscled out of position by the Bulldogs.

COATES’ RETURN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina guard Kaela Davis (3) shoots as Mississippi State forward Victoria Vivians (35) defends in the first half of the Gamecocks’ 59-49 victory over the Bulldogs in Sunday’s SEC Tournamen championship game in Greenville. of South Carolina’s campus.

Teaira McCowan had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Mississippi State. All-SEC first team selection Victoria Vivians had another disappointing performance for the Bulldogs, going 3-of-10 from the field for 9 points. Vivians, who averaged 16.6 points a game this season, had a total of 24 points in their three games here.

THE BIG PICTURE Mississippi State: The Bulldogs felt the first shot in this one as the Gamecocks made their first seven baskets to take a 14-5 lead. Mississippi

HATERS FROM PAGE B1 the top five pitchers on the USC staff.

And no disrespect to Chase Pinder, you’re going to have beat me even though technically all Beer did was tie the game. Still, it swung the momentum in Clemson’s favor.

As for pinch hitting for cleanup hitter Alex Destino in the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and second with no outs, that is open for debate to me. If the best bunter on your team, Justin Row, does his job then it’s harder to criticize Holbrook’s decision. That didn’t happen though.

Even though Holbrook was playing the percentages, you hate to not give your best hitter a chance to win the game there.

What makes matters worse for Holbrook is that the man who preceded him as Tanner’s top assistant is now the head coach at Clem-

State’s defense — and 6-foot-7 Teaira McCowan — kicked in after that. McCowan made it near-impossible for the Gamecocks to find Wilson underneath.

South Carolina: Coates’ absence didn’t seem like it would hurt the Gamecocks much with the way Davis got started. The Georgia Tech transfer hit six of nine shots for 13 points in the first two quarters. Davis was nine-of-16 from the floor overall, including three 3-pointers.

Once Mississippi State clamped down on Wilson, there wasn’t anyone who could provide that second

son, Monte Lee. That makes comparison shopping quite easy.

Lee has done a great job in his year-plus at Clemson. The Tigers have beaten USC four of six times, won an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title and hosted a regional.

However, let’s take a quick look back to last year. Clemson beat the living snot out of Western Carolina in its regional opener, while USC was upset by Rhode Island in its regional opener. A few days later, Carolina was hosting a Super Regional against Oklahoma State, which won the Clemson regional.

Yes, OSU went on to beat USC, but it shows how things can turn on a dime in baseball.

The Never Holbrookers are all doom and gloom since South Carolina hasn’t even hit its Southeastern Conference schedule yet. If the Gamecocks don’t execute and play better than they have so far, it may not be that pretty.

Let them play though. Chillax and see what happens.

The 6-foot-4 Alaina Coates cheered and encouraged her team from the bench with her right ankle sprain. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley can’t wait to see her back in the lineup for the NCAAs. “Not having Alaina Coates makes you do a lot of different things,” she said. “You have to make adjustments because

Press’ women’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Mar. 5, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking Record Pts Prv 1. UConn (33) 31-0 825 1 2. Baylor 30-2 782 2 3. Notre Dame 30-3 763 3 4. South Carolina 27-4 711 5 5. Maryland 30-2 708 4 6. Stanford 28-5 639 10 7. Mississippi St. 29-4 621 6 8. Oregon St. 29-4 595 6 9. Duke 27-5 512 13 10. Florida St. 25-6 508 8 11. Ohio St. 26-6 487 9 12. Washington 27-5 470 11 13. Louisville 27-7 438 14 14. Texas 23-8 417 12 15. UCLA 23-8 361 15 16. Miami 23-8 354 16 17. DePaul 25-6 275 18 18. NC State 22-8 261 17 19. Kentucky 21-10 211 20 20. Drake 25-4 169 22 21. Syracuse 21-10 158 21 22. Oklahoma 22-9 128 19 23. Creighton 23-6 77 24. Kansas St 22-10 54 24 25. Missouri 21-10 42 23 Others receiving votes: South Florida 35, Temple 31, West Virginia 31, Belmont 29, Texas A&M 8, Green Bay 5, Michigan 4, Tennessee 4, Purdue 4, Ark Little Rock 3, Dayton 3, Western Kentucky 1, Arizona St. 1.

there’s a huge void left

OFF TO THE RANGE Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said Victoria Vivians’ shooting problems aren’t anything that can’t be fixed with a little time in the range.

It’s like when Schaefer’s golf game goes bad and he needs to tune up his swing. “She’s got to spend some time on the range,” he said.

UP NEXT Mississippi State will await its NCAA Tournament bid.

South Carolina will await its NCAA Tournament bid.

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Winthrop wins Big South title; 1st NCAA tourney since 2010 ROCK HILL (AP) — Once a March regular, Winthrop is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Point guard Keon Johnson set the tone before and during the Eagles’ 76-59 win over Campbell on their home floor in Sunday’s Big South Conference Tournament final.

Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey was about to address his team in the locker room prior to tipoff when Johnson spoke up.

He had something to say.

“Keon’s a man of very, very few words,” Kelsey said. “He’s been that way since he got here. When he talks, the room stands still, and guys lean forward. I didn’t have to say another word.”

Johnson talked to his teammates about battling for each other, then went out and scored 26 points. After two straight 31-point games, the 5-foot-7 Johnson won the MVP award for the tournament.

The senior opened the second half with back-to-back 3s, and scored 15 of Winthrop’s first 19 points in the second half.

Afterward, when he snipped his share of the net, he gently waved toward the cheering student section.

“It was just special,” Johnson said. “It’s the last time I’ll be here with a Winthrop uniform on and just taking down our nets. No one’s going to use that net again.”

The Eagles (26-6) scored on the first possession of the game and never trailed. Winthrop snapped its streak of three straight losses in the conference final.

“We’ve gotten really close the last three years, and I’ve been in some really lonely locker rooms afterwards talking to some distraught young men,” Kelsey said. “You sit in that empty room, and you realize how close you were and you know how hard it is to get back there. There’s no guarantees. So to (win) was special.”

Winthrop went to the NCAA Tournament in nine seasons from 1999-2010. The Eagles’ lone win came in 2007 against Notre Dame.

“Because there’s all those banners, there’s a lot of pressure, and we didn’t talk about

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Winthrop’s Duby Okeke (0) dunks over Campbell’s Marcus Burk (34) in the first half of the Eagles’ 76-59 Big South Conference championship victory in Rock Hill on Sunday. the pressure,” Kelsey said. “I didn’t, and they didn’t, but it was there. It was real.”

Xavier Cooks had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Winthrop and Rod Perkins scored all 15 of his points in the first half.

Chris Clemons, who scored 51 points Thursday for Campbell (17-17) in a quarterfinal win over second-seeded UNC Asheville and got 33 in the semifinals against Radford, had 29. The 5-9 sophomore scored 16 straight points for the seventh-seeded Camels in the second half, but missed 11 of his first 13 shots and finished 9-of-27 from the floor.

“I don’t think I played as good as I hoped to play,” Clemons said. “I didn’t shoot well, personally.”

Campbell’s only appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 1992, when it lost to eventual champion Duke.

The Eagles took a quick 12-2 lead as Campbell missed seven of its first eight shots.

The Camels rallied to tie it at 21, but Winthrop responded with a 9-0 run.

Once Johnson hit his first 3 of the second half, the Eagles led by double digits the rest of the way.

Winthrop lost to Coastal Carolina in the 2014 and 2015 finals and UNC Asheville last season. Now the Eagles are tournament bound once again.

“It’s the greatest spectacle in American sports,” Kelsey said. “I’m just so excited our guys get to experience that.”

TIGERS FROM PAGE B1 Holmes has made 57.1 percent of his 3-point shots over the Tigers’ last six games and finished the regular season ranked as the league’s top 3-point shooter, both overall (.452) and in ACC play (.531).

Holmes’ percentage ranks No. 2 all-time in Clemson history in ACC play, trailing only the 54.5 success rate posted by Michael Tait in 1987, when the 3-point line was a foot closer than it is currently.

Holmes doesn’t play for North Carolina or Duke, so he’s essentially flown under the radar for his two seasons with the Tigers, but remains unfazed by his anonymity.

“I don’t worry about what I can’t control,” said Holmes, who is Clemson’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points per game. “I do what I can when the opportunity is presented. I’m not really focused on my stats; I just try to work hard to help my team win. Quiet role or not, I’m just trying to play well and have fun with the game.”

There have been some fun moments this season, but plenty of heartbreaking ones, too, including five losses in ACC play by two points or less. However, Holmes recognizes that opportunity awaits, and the Tigers enter the ACC Tournament on a 2-game winning streak for the first time in a decade.

Given how they’ve played against the best teams in the league — an overtime loss to North Carolina and 2-point losses against Duke and Florida State — the Tigers

would appear to be among an extensive list of teams capable of pulling a surprise or two in the 15-team tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I have confidence in our team,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said.

“I think we’re a good team, I really do. I know our record isn’t what we would like it to be, and there are certainly a bunch of games that have come down to the wire and several that we haven’t been able to close out, but I think our team isn’t going to be in awe of anyone we play or not confident that we can’t play on a big stage.

“But we just have to win the first game. At the end of the day, you’re just trying to advance.”

It will be difficult for the Tigers to do that without a big contribution from Holmes, who is coming off the first double-double of his career – 17 points and 10 rebounds against Boston College.

Clemson (16-14, 6-12) faces N.C. State (15-16, 4-14) just six days after defeating the Wolfpack 78-74 at Littlejohn Coliseum. The 6-day turnaround rematch is the quickest against an ACC foe since 2001 when Clemson played Florida State twice in five days.

The winner will advance to face No. 5 seed Duke at 2 p.m. in a second-round game on Wednesday.

“Everybody can beat anybody in this league,” Holmes said. “But I feel like there’s more pressure on other teams than there is on us.”

ACC TOURNAMENT At The Barclays Center New York First Round Tuesday, March 7 Clemson vs. N.C. State, Noon Wake Forest vs. Boston College, 2:30 p.m.

Georgia Tech vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Second Round Wednesday, March 8 Syracuse vs. Miami, Noon Duke vs. Clemson-N.C. State winner, 2:30 p.m.

Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest-Boston College winner, 7 p.m.

Virginia vs. Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh winner, 9:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Thursday, March 9 North Carolina vs. Syracuse-Miami winner, Noon Louisville vs. Duke_Clemson-N.C. State winner, 2:30 p.m.

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech_Wake Forest-Boston College winner, 7 p.m.

Notre Dame vs. Virginia_Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh winner, 9:30 p.m.

Semifinals Friday, March 10 North Carolina_Syracuse-Miami winner vs. Louisville_Duke_Clemson-N.C. State winner, 7 p.m.

Florida State_Virginia Tech_Wake Forest-Boston College winner vs.

Notre Dame_Virginia_Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh winner, 9:30 p.m.

Championship Saturday, March 11 Semifinal winners, 9 p.m.

BIG PICTURE Winthrop: This is the Eagles’ first NCAA appearance under fifth-year coach Kelsey. ... The Eagles are now 6-0 in Big South finals as the top seed.

UP NEXT Winthrop awaits seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The 68-team bracket will be revealed Sunday, March 12.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GLANCES

Bryce leads UNC Wilmington to Colonial title over Charleston CHARLESTON (AP) — C.J. Bryce scored 24 points and UNC Wilmington clinched its second straight NCAA Tournament berth with a 78-69 victory over College of Charleston in the Colonial Athletic Association championship Monday night.

The Seahawks (29-5) grabbed control with an 18-5 run in the second half.

Bryce sparked the decisive surge with a 3-pointer and finished it off with another long-range basket, making it 65-50 with 8:25 remaining.

College of Charleston closed to 76-69 on Evan Bailey’s 3-pointer with 17 seconds left, but it ran out of time for a comeback. The Cougars (25-9) dropped to 0-6 in conference tournament finals since it last went to the NCAAs by winning the Southern Conference title in 1999.

Seahawk fans rushed the court to join the celebration when the buzzer sounded. Players jumped and shouted.

“We’re not done yet,” Bryce told the crowd.

Davontae Cacok had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Seahawks, who extended their single-season record with their 29th victory. It was Cacok’s 12th doubledouble of the season.

UNCW is 1-5 in its five previous NCAA tournaments, winning its first-round game in 2002 against No. 4 seed Southern California before falling in the next game to Indiana.

The Seahawks lost 93-85 to fourth-seeded Duke a year ago. Bryce had 16 in that game.

Denzel Ingram had 11 points for UNC Wilmington (29-5), which has won three straight CAA regular-season titles.

Joe Chealey had 21 points for the Cougars, and Jarrell Brantley finished with 20.

THE SUMTER ITEM

THE BIG PICTURE

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

First Round Tuesday Feb. 28 Campbell 81, Presbyterian 62 Charleston Southern 79, Longwood 74 At Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill Quarterfinals Thursday, March 2 Campbell 81, UNC Asheville 79 Radford 56, Liberty 52 Winthrop 92, Charleston Southern 78 Gardner-Webb 91, High Point 55 Semifinals Friday, March 3 Campbell 66, Radford 50 Winthrop 80, Gardner-Webb 77, OT Championship Sunday, March 5 Winthrop 76, Campbell 59

College of Charleston: Chealey has to make shots for the Cougars to succeed and he struggled early on. Chealey couldn’t seem to get past the 6-foot-7 COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Cacok and 6-9 Chuck Ogbodo whenever At North Charleston Coliseum he attempted to slash to the basket.

North Charleston First Round Chealey was 7 for 19 from the field.

Friday, March 3 UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks shot Delaware 81, Hofstra 76 Madison 80, Drexel 70 53 percent (28 for 53) from the field, help- James Quarterfinals Saturday, March 4 ing make up for a lackluster 12-for-21 UNC Wilmington 91, Delaware 82 night for free throws.

William & Mary 71, Elon 66

UP NEXT College of Charleston awaits a potential postseason bid.

UNC Wilmington will wait to see its NCAA Tournament seeding.

TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE TODAY MEN

ACC First Round WKTC 63, ESPN2 Noon – Clemson vs. North Carolina State 2 p.m. – Wake Forest vs. Boston College ESPNU 7 p.m. – Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech HORIZON ESPN Championship, 7 p.m.

WEST COAST ESPN Championship, 9 p.m.

SUMMIT ESPN2 Championship, 9 p.m.

NORTHEAST ESPN2 Championship 7 p.m. – St. Francis (Pa.) vs. Mount St. Mary’s HORIZON ESPNU Championship, SUMMIT ESPNU Championship, WEST COAST ESPNU Championship, BIG EAST FOX SPORTS 1 Championship,

WOMEN noon 2 p.m.

College of Charleston 67, James Madison 62 Towson 82, Northeastern 54 Semifinals Sunday, March 5 UNC Wilmington 105, William & Mary 94 College of Charleston 67, Towson 59 Championship Monday, March 6 UNC Wilmington 78, College of Charleston 69

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

At Scope Arena Norfolk, Va. First Round Monday, March 6 Maryland-Eastern Shore vs. N.C. A&T, 5 p.m.

Coppin State vs. Howard, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 7 Delaware State vs. Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.

S.C. State vs. Florida A&M, 6:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 8 N.C. Central vs. Delaware State-BethuneCookman winner, 6 p.m.

Norfolk State vs. S.C. State-Florida A&M winner, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 9 Morgan State vs. Coppin State-Howard winner, 6 p.m.

Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore-N.C. A&T winner, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals Friday, March 10 N.C. Central_Delaware State-Bethune-Cookman winner vs. Hampton_Maryland-Eastern Shore-N.C. A&T winner, 6 p.m.

Norfolk State_S.C. State-Florida A&M winner vs. Morgan State_Coppin State-Howard winner, 8:30 p.m.

Championship Saturday, March 11 Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

4 p.m.

9 p.m.

At Bridgestone Arena Nashville, Tenn.

First Round Wednesday, March 8 Mississippi State vs. LSU, 7 p.m.

Auburn vs. Missouri, 9:25 p.m.

Second Round Thursday, March 9 Georgia vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m.

Alabama vs. Mississippi State-LSU winner, 3:30 p.m.

Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

Mississippi vs. Auburn-Missouri, 9:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Friday, March 10 Kentucky vs. Georgia-Tennessee winner, 1 p.m.

South Carolina vs. Alabama_Mississippi State-LSU winner, 3:25 p.m.

Florida vs. Vanderbilt-Texas A&M winner, 7 p.m.

Arkansas vs. Mississippi_Auburn-Missouri winner, 9:25 p.m.

Semifinals Saturday, March 11 Kentucky_Georgia-Tennessee winner vs.

South Carolina_Alabama_Mississippi StateLSU winner, 1 p.m.

Florida_Vanderbilt-Texas A&M winner vs.

Arkansas_Mississippi_Auburn-Missouri winner, 3:25 p.m.

Championship Sunday, March 12 Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

At U.S. Cellular Center Asheville, N.C. First Round Friday, March 3 The Citadel 78, Western Carolina 72 Samford 79, VMI 61 Quarterfinals Saturday, March 4 UNC Greensboro 76, The Citadel 67 Wofford 79, Chattanooga 67 Samford 67, Furman 63 ETSU 73, Mercer 66 Semifinals Sunday, March 5 UNC Greensboro 77, Wofford 73 ETSU 81, Samford 72 Championship Monday, March 6 ETSU 79, UNC Greensboro 74

SUN BELT CONFERENCE

At Lakefront Arena New Orleans First Round Wednesday, March 8 Coastal Carolina vs. South Alabama, 12:30 p.m.

Arkansas State vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 3 p.m.

Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Little Rock, 6 p.m.

Troy vs. Appalachian State, 8:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Friday, March 10 Texas-Arlington vs. Coastal Carolina-South Alabama winner, 12:30 p.m.

Texas State vs. Arkansas State-LouisianaMonroe winner, 3 p.m.

Georgia State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette-Little Rock winner, 6 p.m.

Georgia Southern vs. Troy-Appalachian State winner, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals Saturday, March 11 Texas-Arlington_Coastal Carolina-South Alabama winner vs. Texas State_Arkansas State-Louisiana-Monroe winner, 12:30 p.m.

Georgia State_Louisiana-Lafayette-Little Rock winner vs. Georgia Southern_Troy-Appalachian State winner, 3 p.m.

Championship Sunday, March 12 Semifinal winners, 2 p.m.

OBITUARIES

THE SUMTER ITEM

DOROTHY W. MERCHANT Dorothy Wolinski Merchant, age 94, beloved wife of the late Harland George Merchant, died on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at NHC Healthcare.

Born on Jan. 31, 1923, in Jamestown, New MERCHANT York, she was a daughter of immigrant parents, the late Stanley John and Anna Jodash Wolinski. Mrs. Merchant loved her family and was very active in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When her children were growing up, she was active in the PTA and served as the club’s president at Fletcher Elementary School in Jamestown. She worked for many years as a sales clerk for JC Penney. She enjoyed sewing, photography and ballroom dancing. She was an accomplished artist.

In the Sumter community, she was a member of the Shepherd Center and served with Meals on Wheels. She was a member of St. Anne and St. Jude Catholic Church, where she was a lifetime member of the Catholic Women’s Guild.

Surviving are two sons, S. Richard Merchant and his wife, Renee, of Brooklyn, Michigan, and Timothy H. Merchant and his wife, Beth, of Sumter; three daughters, Terry Anne Merchant Smith and her husband, William J., of Sumter, Cynthia Merchant Smith and her husband, Lynn, of Sumter and Deborah Sue Van Metre and husband, Robert, of Eastover; 11 grandchildren, Adrianne Henderson, Michael Smith, Michelle Flanagan, Christina Freeman, Laura Hollingsworth, Amy Canaday, Jennette Edwards, Elizabeth Hiller, Shaun Merchant, Ryan Merchant and Whittney Merchant; along with 17 great-granchildren.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by three sisters, Genevieve Spataro, Janet DiSabantonio and Helen Francis Wolinski; and three granddaughters, Sheila Lynne Merchant, Kimberly Rae Merchant and Amy Nicole Smith.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Anne Catholic Church.

Interment will follow in St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery.

The grandsons will serve as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday with a wake service beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Bullock Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Hollings Cancer Center, MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee St., Charleston, SC 29425.

You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family’s guest book.

The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.

HOYT M. COLLINS SR. ALCOLU — Hoyt Milton Collins Sr., 76, husband of Judy Britton Collins, died on Sunday, March 5, 2017, at his home.

Born on July 12, 1940, in Mullins, he was a son of the late William Hoyt ColCOLLINS lins and Elnora Horton Collins. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a member of American Legion Post 68, where he served as past commander and adjutant. He retired from the S.C. Highway Patrol with 26 years of service, sheriff of Clarendon County from 1992 to 1996, and served as chaplain of the S.C. Sheriff ’s Association in 1995. He was a member of Manning First Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon and Sunday school superintendent.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years; two sons, William Britton Collins (Lisa)

of Sumter and Hoyt Milton Collins Jr. (Sarah) of Moncks Corner; four grandchildren, Sarah Beth Hester (Ethan), Cameron Collins and Elizabeth Collins, all of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Clinton Collins of Moncks Corner; a greatgrandson, Simeon Hester of Las Cruces; three stepgrandchildren, Brianna, Alayna and Christopher Bryant; and several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Manning First Baptist Church with the Rev. Daniel Lee and the Rev. John Gambrell officiating. Burial will follow in Sumter Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Jimmy Britton, Nick Gibbons, Billy Harvin, Jim Mitchum, Gary Martin and Fritz Hamer.

Honorary pallbearers will be all law enforcement, American Legion Post 68, Kimbrough Johnson Sunday School Class, deacons of Manning First Baptist Church, and Steve Belangia, Charles Hightower, Lynn Gamble, Joe Wilson, Joe McIntyre and Ricky Pruitt.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service in the church fellowship hall and other times at the residence.

Memorials may be made to Manning First Baptist Church, 49 W. Boyce St., Manning, SC 29102.

Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 4352179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org

CATHERINE M. EVANS NEW ZION — Catherine McKnight “Cathy” Evans, 61, wife of Russell Clark “Rusty” Evans, died on Monday, March 6, 2017, at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Fort EVANS Campbell, Kentucky, she was a daughter of the late Muldrow “Mutt” and Letha Bell Smith McKnight. She was a member of Sardinia Presbyterian Church.

She is survived by her husband of New Zion; two daughters, Chasity Barwick and Renee Evans, both of New Zion; two brothers, Matt McKnight of Florence and Joe McKnight (Ronney) of Camden; a sister, Missy Menard (Wayne) of Florence; three grandchildren, Kirby, Evan and Madison Green; and a very special niece, Abby Fowler.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Sardinia Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Robert Jolly officiating. Burial will follow in Olive Grove Cemetery in Turbeville.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Sardinia Presbyterian Church and other times at the residence, 3295 Walker Gamble Road, New Zion.

Memorials may be made to Sardinia Presbyterian Church, 1386 Garland Road, New Zion, SC 29111.

Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 4352179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org

JAMES ZACHARIAS DALZELL — James Zacharias, age 83, beloved husband of Kathryu Ann Wuerstle Zacharias, died on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at ContinueCARE Hospital at Palmetto Health Baptist.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Bullock Funeral Home.

Sumter public schools and graduated from Edmunds High School before entering Clemson College. His college education was interrupted

by World War II, during which he served in the European theater in France and Germany. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and returned to Clemson, where he was a member of the Pershing Rifles. He graduated from Clemson College in 1947 with a major in civil engineering. He married Kathleen Smith in 1950 and they lived in Yuma, Arizona, where he worked for the Corps of Engineers. After a few years, they returned east and he furthered his engineering education in North Carolina, where his children were born. Mr. Mallard and his family returned to Sumter in 1959, where he joined the civil engineering firm of Palmer and Malone, later renamed Palmer and Mallard. He went on to be instrumental in the design of the water and sewer systems built in Sumter, until his retirement in 1972, and was awarded lifetime membership of the Water Pollution Control Federation. He had grown up in First Presbyterian Church of Sumter and served as a teacher and an elder there after returning to Sumter.

A longtime member of the Sumter Lions Club, he served as president during the 1977-1978 year. He was an accomplished square dance caller, receiving a commendation to the S.C. Square Dance Hall of Fame in 1987. An avid fisherman, he enjoyed his membership in the Cains Mill Club and his home away from home on Lake Marion.

In addition to his wife and parents, Mr. Mallard was preceded in death by his two sisters, Suzanne Mallard Graham and Ruth Mallard Richburg.

He is survived by his children, James Palmer Mallard III of Sumter and Barbara Mallard Brogdon and her husband, Billy; two grandchildren, Laura Christine Brogdon and Christopher Palmer Brogdon; and one great-grandson, Aiyden Brogdon, all of Houston, Texas.

Mr. Mallard appreciated the medical care he received from the Veterans Administration during his lifetime and from Palmetto Health Tuomey Hospice at the end of his life. His family would like to express their appreciation to his niece, Beth Fogle, for her devoted assistance to her uncle and aunt through the years.

“Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” Mark 9:41 The family chose Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.

ROSA FRIERSON Rosa Frierson, widow of Deacon Isiah Frierson, entered eternal rest on March 6, 2017, at her residence, 643 Scarborough St., Bishopville, SC. The family is receiving friends at the residence, 643 Scarborough St., Bishopville.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete but will be announced by Wilson Funeral Home, 403 S. Main St., Bishopville.

MARIANNE M. BEASLEY

JAMES P. MALLARD JR. James Palmer Mallard Jr. was laid to rest next to his wife of 63 years, Kathleen Mallard, in a private ceremony at Sumter Cemetery on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.

He died on Dec. 1, 2016.

Mr. Mallard was born in Sumter to James Palmer Mallard and Annie Hughes Mallard. He was educated in

Marianne Mansell Beasley, 84, died on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born on April 6, 1932, in Camden, Mississippi, she was a daughter of the late William Duncan Mansell and Mildred Parkes Mansell. Mrs. Beasley was a member of the United Methodist Church in Camden.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Georgia.

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 She retired from KPMG-Peat Marwick Accounting.

Mrs. Beasley was survived by her only sibling, a sister, Willene Mansell Sherer, who died a few hours later the same day.

Other survivors include her brother-in-law, Hugh M. Sherer; one nephew, Duncan Sherer (Nancy) of Mount Pleasant; one niece, Lisa Avins (Rick) of Sumter; six nieces and nephews, Nora Anne Avins, Catherine Landon Sherer, William Duncan Sherer, Blake Thomas Shannon, Clint James Shannon and William Cole Shannon; and her very special caregivers, Betty Baker, Shayna Baker and George Ann Taylor.

Private services will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be made to St. Michael’s and All Angels’ Episcopal Church, 6408 Bridgewood Road, Columbia, SC 29206.

Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.

FRANCES BROWN Frances Brown, 77, widow of Collins Brown, departed this life on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

She was born on Jan. 3, 1940, in Sumter, a daughter of the late Theodore Scriven and Janie English.

The family will receive friends at the home, 854 Manchester Road, Sumter, SC 29154.

Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements.

DODD V. SHEPARD Dodd V. Shepard, age 96, beloved husband of the late Mary W. Jennings Shepard, died on Sunday, March 5, 2017, at his residence.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Bullock Funeral Home.

SHIRLEY ADDISON TIMMONSVILLE — Shirley Addison, wife of Raymond Addison, died on Monday, March 6, 2017, in Mount Pleasant.

Visitation is at the residence, 216 N. Kershaw St., Timmonsville.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by Jefferson Funeral Home Service Inc. of Lynchburg.

MARY B. SISSON Mary Broadway Sisson, 71, was called home on Sunday, March 5, 2017, at Palmetto Health Richland.

Born in Sumter, she was a daughter of the late William Broadway and Mae Stevens Broadway Brown. Mary loved playing bingo, going grocery shopping and cutting coupons. She was the former owner of the 378 Stop Shop on Myrtle Beach Highway. She especially loved her grandkids. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by a daughter, Kim Sisson (Jerry Stone) of Sumter; a son, B.J. Sisson (Lisa) of Sumter; two sisters, Minnie Lee Ardis of Florida and Harriett Hodge (Larry) of Sumter; three brothers, Bubba Brown of Sumter, Mike Stevens (Tina) of Sumter and Cecil Stevens of Conway; six grandchildren, Tim Hudson, Chelsey Stephen, Jerizane Stone, Desiree Thames, Madisyn Hudson and Hunter Sisson; and a special friend, Melida.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Travis Franklin Sisson; and two sisters, Dot Broadway Effler and Helen Brown Newman.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday in the Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Bill Tschorn officiating. Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Bill Effler, Brad Newman, Tony Newman, Jason Newman, Buddy Newman and Joseph “Boo” Morris.

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The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore-CannonStephens Funeral Home and other times at the home, 2861 Jereco Road.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Department 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908.

Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.

MERCEDES H. BRUNSON Mercedes Hays Brunson, 96, died on Monday, March 6, 2017, at her home.

Born in Wagener, she was a daughter of the late J.O. and Leila Gantt Hays. Mrs. Brunson was twice married, first to the late Wilbur Gantt and later to the late Luther Brunson. Mrs. Brunson was a retired bookkeeper with Bilton Lincoln.

Surviving are one son, Wilbur Roger Gantt of Sumter; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Northside Memorial Baptist Church with the Rev. Neal Sweet and the Rev. Jimmy Holley officiating.

Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and other times at the home of her son, 9 Edisto Court.

Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.

ALTON L. SPRINGS Alton LeGrand Springs, 85, widower of Willie Jean Poole Springs, died on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at McElveen Manor.

Born in Coward, he was a son of the late Clen and Bertha Leola Broach Springs.

Mr. Springs was of the Pentecostal faith. He was a U.S. Army veteran of Korea and retired from Campbell Soup Co. Surviving are two sisters, Ruby Nichols of Sumter and Shirley Feagin of Mount Pleasant; and a brother, Hoyt Springs of Lake City.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Donna K. Springs.

Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Bethesda Cemetery in Cades with the Rev. Carl Lavender officiating.

Memorials may be made to Amedisys Hospice Care, 198 E. Wesmark Blvd. Suite 2, Sumter, SC 29150.

Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.

VIMA LEE HOPKINS BISHOPVILLE — Vima Lee Hopkins, age 86, passed away on March 5, 2017.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Norton Funeral Home, Bishopville.

Funeral plans will be announced by Norton Funeral Home, Bishopville.

HARRY E. LITTEER Harry Edward Litteer, age 92, beloved husband of 70 years to Joyce Banker Litteer, died on Sunday, March 5, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Bullock Funeral Home.

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FX espionage drama ‘The Americans’ returns

BY KEVIN M C DONOUGH How do you create and sustain an espionage drama when the daily headlines read like something out of “The Manchurian Candidate?” Since 2013, “The Americans” (10 p.m., FX, TVMA) has not only reinvented and reinvigorated the spy vs. spy drama, it seems to have turned the genre inside out.

Thrillers like “James Bond” movies never imagined the private lives of secret agents. Despite his license to kill, 007 would never have taken his Aston Martin out of the driveway if he had a wife and kids to worry about. “24” managed to evoke Jack Bauer’s former wife and pesky daughter, and often involved plots where both the president and his (or her) adversaries were never far from the family tree.

But “The Americans” has placed the action, and the tension, right in the home.

Over four seasons, KGB spies Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) have done their dirty work, both in the back alleys of Reagan-era Washington, and the kitchens, church halls, hotels and living rooms of the people they have deceived by assuming multiple identities and entering into numerous marriages, friendships and love affairs.

Spy thrillers have always been preposterous, asking us to suspend disbelief as James Bond, Jack Bauer and Carrie Mathison persevered through gunfire, explosions, drug addictions, psychotic breakdowns and other ordeals. If anything, “The Americans” asks the most of its audience. How on earth can Elizabeth and Philip keep their stories straight? Are there enough hours in the day for them to slip in and out of so many wigs and alter egos?

As season five begins, their parental and professional radar is on high alert as their daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), grows ever closer to Matthew (Daniel Flaherty), the son of their friendly neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). He’s an FBI agent who continual-

ly turns a blind eye to a Russian plot right in front of his eyes. Now that’s hard to believe!

• Famous for a line of YouTube advice (“Don’t go to the ocean; the ocean is the shark’s house”) that became a viral video sensation, Veronica “Pooh” Nash-Poleate gets a show of her own, “She’s In Charge” (10 p.m., TLC), and a platform for her common-sense advice. Proof that the age of the internet can turn 15 minutes of fame into an eight-episode cable deal.

• Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC’s “The Profit,” evaluates ideas and candidates eager to earn a $500,000 contract and equity in his company on the new series “The Partner” (10 p.m., CNBC).

• Beginning today, Netflix streams “Amy Schumer: The Leather Special” a standup concert taped last November at Denver’s Bellco Theatre.

TV ON DVD TV-themed DVDs available today include “The Americans, the Complete Fourth Season.”

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • More blind auditions on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TVPG).

• A different kind of party on “This Is Us” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• The mountain people have plans for the annual coal parade on “Outsiders” (9 p.m., WGN, TV-14).

• A Muslim student’s

Housewife” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * Skydiving can be dangerous on “Bull” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Death at the demolition derby on “Bones” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) * Jessica loses her temper on “Fresh Off the Boat” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * When dinosaurs walked the Earth on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) * Kenny has advice about faculty choice on “The Real O’Neals” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * A JAG lawyer vanishes on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

PATRICK HARBRON / FX

Keri Russell stars as Elizabeth Jennings and Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings in the “Amber Waves” fifth season premiere episode of “The Americans,” airing at 10 p.m. today on FX. death raises questions on “Chicago Justice” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• Lara Spencer hosts “People Icons” (10 p.m., ABC), a celebration of celebrities, from Liz and Dick to Beyonce and Jay Z, who have graced the pages of checkout counter glossy magazines.

Fox, r, TV-14) * Mike tries to salvage a softball season on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Wally has visions on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) * Tricking Sabrina on “The Mick” (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * Katie feels dispensable on “American

LATE NIGHT Judd Apatow is booked on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) * Hippo Campus appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Alec Baldwin and Kerry Washington appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Copyright 2017 United Feature Syndicate

CULT CHOICE A rare book dealer (Johnny Depp) finds himself embroiled in Satanic doings in the 1999 shocker “The Ninth Gate” (9 p.m., MoreMax), directed by Roman Polanski and co-starring Frank Langella and Lena Olin.

SERIES NOTES McGee’s apartment has a sketchy history on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Election season on “New Girl” (8 p.m.,

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CLASSIFIEDS

TUESDAY, MARCH 07, 2017

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CLASSIFIED DEADLINES

803-774-12

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS SERVICES

Unfurnished Apartments

EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted Full-Time

H.L. Boone, Contractor: Remodel paint roofs gutters drywall blown ceilings ect. 773-9904

Truck Shop Diesel mechanic needed. Local shop looking to grow.

General knowledge of trucks/trailers a must. Welding skills desired. CDL pref. but not mandatory. Typical work wk is Tues.-Sat. Competitive hrly salary based on exp/knowledge.

Call Pete Baker 803-316-2113

Lawn Service Clary Lawn Service Bushhog & Landscaping Free Estimates Call 803-406-3514

Legal Service Attorney Timothy L. Griffith 803-607-9087, 360 W. Wesmark.

Criminal, Family, Accident, Injury

Roofing Robert's Metal Roofing 35 Yrs exp. 45 yr warranty. Financing avail. Expert installation. Long list of satisfied customers. 803-837-1549.

All Types of Roofing & Repairs All work guaranteed. 30 yrs exp. SC lic.

Virgil Bickley 803-316-4734.

Tree Service NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal, trimming & stump grinding. Lic/Ins 803-316-0128 A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721 Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

MERCHANDISE Garage, Yard & Estate Sales LARGE GARAGE SALE Every Weekend Tables $2 & $3 FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every weekend. Call 803-494-5500

For Sale or Trade Funk & Wagnalls standard reference encyclopedias, new. $125 Call 803-469-2958 Lg coffee table, plus matching tables, solid, good condition. $125 Call 803-469-2958

We will be happy to change your ad if an error is made; however we are not responsible for errors after the first run day. We shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the printing or omission of an advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or cancel any ad at any time.

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Home Improvements

All out Home Improvements We beat everybody's price Licensed & Bonded 803-316-8969

11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

Front Office / Clerical & CMA needed for busy internal medical practice. Competitive salary and benefits. Fax resume to office manager @ 803-905-6810

Huntington Place Apartments Rents from $625 per month 1 Month free* *13 Month lease required Leasing office located at Ashton Mill Apartment Homes 595 Ashton Mill Drive 803-773-3600 Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5 Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette.

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO

Cashier needed full time. Must have some computer knowledge, be self-motivated, dependable & energetic. Apply at Wally's Hardware from 1pm-3pm, 1291 Broad St. F/T HVAC Service Tech position available. Gene's Heating & Air, LLC, Requirements: • Valid SCDL with clean record • Reliable attendance & punctuality • Excellent customer service skills • Prefer 5 yr. with NATE certified Applications available Email resume to: geneshvacap @ftc-i.net

REAL ESTATE Homes for Sale Eastover - 15.6 acres w/ 1900 sq ft country style 3 + 2.5 ba, all brick home. Secluded location w/ fenced pasture & barn. $229,000. Earth Properties, Inc. 803-794-8000 x 23.

TRANSPORTATION

Chef/CDM/Kitchen Manager Please apply in person at NHC HealthCare Sumter 1018 N. Guignard Dr. Sumter, SC (EOE)

Autos For Sale Nesbitt Transportation is now hiring Class A CDL Drivers. Must be 23 yrs old and have 2 yrs experience. Home nights and weekends. Also hiring experience diesel mechanic. Call 843-621-0943 or 843-659-8254

59' Ford Galaxy, Runs good, $2500. 3 golf carts $700 a piece.

Call 803-236-6426

Miscellaneous

Help Wanted Part-Time Sumter Habitat ReStore Part-time donation collection team member wanted for local pick-ups, deliveries and warehouse duties. Some heavy lifting required. Must have a valid SC drivers license with clear record and pass background check. Apply in person at: Sumter Habitat ReStore, 30 Bridge Court, Sumter. No telephone inquires.

Looking for experienced lawn care person, must have drivers license, and experience with lawn care equipment. Call 803-469-8377 Camp Bob Cooper (Clemson University Youth Learning Institute), Summerton, SC is now hiring for Part-Time Food Service Workers, no more than 28 hours per week, $7.25/hr. Shifts vary; some weekends.

Must have a valid driver's license and be able to pass a background check. Please Call: 803-478-2105 Clemson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Lg rocker recliner, cloth, good condition. $100 Call 803-469-2958 New & used Heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364

RENTALS

Martin's Used Appliance Washers, Dryers, Refrig., Stoves.

Guarantee 464-5439 or 469-7311.

Open 7 Days a week 9am-8pm

Mobile Home Rentals

Bar stools solid wood swivel w/high back leather deats. $95each Call 803-469-2958

Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water//sewer//garbage pk-up incl'd.

RV parking avail. Call 803-494-8350

Refurbished batteries as low as $45. New batteries as low as $59.95. Auto Electric Co., 102 Blvd Rd. 803-773-4381

LEGAL NOTICES Legal Notice Public Storage/ PS Orangeco, Inc. LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell to satisfy the lien of owner at public sale by competitive bidding on March 16, 2017 personal and/or business property including but not limited to furniture, clothing, tools and other household / business items located at the properties listed.

The sale will begin at 2:00 pm at 1143 N. Guignard Drive, Sumter, SC 29153.

The personal goods stored therein by below named occupant(s);

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

You will please take notice that the original Amended Summons and Amended Complaint in the above entitled action were filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on the 20th day of January, 2017.

109 North Main Street, Post Office Box 1211, Sumter, South Carolina 29151, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the date of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

Legal Notice 1143 N.Guignard Dr, Sumter, SC 29150 103 - McDaniel, Raven 119 - McBride, Joe Ann 208 - White, Amy 216 - Capers, Rosemary 520 - Miller, Jr., Thomas 544 - Robinson, Crystal 748 - McPherson, TaJona 1277 Camden Hwy, Sumter, SC 29153 A033 - Hinnant, Jazmine B029 - Chatman, Michael B083 - Alston, D'Janna C035 - Plowden, Charlene D019 - Conyers, Jacinda D021 - Wells, Jerry E022 - Sparks, Valerie E058 - Isaac, Charles I009 - Hammett, Anthony 3785 Broad St, Sumter, SC 29154 0147 - Dicks, Frankie 0214 - lockes, Carlton 0316 - Cruz, Allen 0334 - Powell, James 0403 - Demmons, Dante 0515 - Andrews, Jennifer Purchase must be made with cash only and paid for at the time of sale.

All goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of the sale. Sale is subject to adjournment.

Beer & Wine License Notice Of Application Notice is hereby given that JLW Enterprises, LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license permit that will allow the sale ON premises consumption of Beer & Wine or Liquor at 226 N. Washington St Sumter Sc, 29150. To object to the issuance of this permit / license, written protest must be postmarked no later than March 16, 2017. For a protest to be valid, it must be in writing, and should include the following information: (1) the name, address and telephone number of the person filing the protest; (2) the specific reasons why the application should be denied; (3) that the person protesting is willing to attend a hearing (if one is requested by the applicant); (4) that the person protesting resides in the same county where the proposed place of business is located or within five miles of the business; and (5) the name of the applicant and the address of the premises to be licensed. Protests must be mailed to: S.C. Department of Revenue, ATTN: ABL, P.O. Box 125, Columbia, South Carolina 29214; or Faxed to: (803) 896-0110.

Summons & Notice NOTICE OF FILING IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CASE N0.: 2017-CP-43-00111 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

AMENDED SUMMONS (Jury Trial Requested)

THE DEAS LAW FIRM Garryl L. Deas, Esquire 109 North Main Street Post Office Box 1211 Sumter, South Carolina 29151 (803) 775-7004 Attorney for Plaintiff

TO: THE DEFENDANT(S) ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED AND REQUIRED to answer the Complaint in this matter, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscriber at his office, Land, Parker & Welch, P.A., Post Office Box 138, Manning, South Carolina, 29102, within THIRTY (30) days from the service thereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

SUMMONS AND NOTICES IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO: 2017CP4300005 (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE) STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

ORDER FOR SERVICE

BY PUBLICATION

Nationstar Mortgage LLC, PLAINTIFF, vs.

Dorothy Robertson; Willie Mae Scott; and any other heirs or devisees of Cassie S. Slater, deceased, including all other Heirs, Personal Representatives, Successors, Assigns, Spouses, Creditors, and all others claiming any right, title or interest in the real estate known as 450 Deschamps Road, Sumter, SC 29154, any adults or persons in the Military Service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe, and any minors or persons under legal disability, being a class designated as Richard Roe, DEFENDANT(S).

This matter is before the Court on Petition of Nelson R. Parker, attorney for the Plaintiff. It appears to my satisfaction that the above entitled action has been commenced and is now pending in the Court of Common Pleas for Sumter County in favor of the above-named Plaintiff and against the above-named Defendants as set forth in said Complaint, and that it is necessary to make service of the Summons in the said action upon the Defendant John Doe, representing an unknown individual, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Based on the foregoing, it is

TO THE NAMED:

ORDERED, that service of the Summons in said action upon the Defendant John Doe be made by publication thereof in a newspaper of general circulation in Sumter County once a week for a period of three weeks.

James C. Campbell Sumter County Clerk of Court LAND, PARKER & WELCH, P.A. Nelson R. Parker 29 South Mill Street Post Office Box 138 Manning, South Carolina 29102 (803) 435-8894 Attorney for the Plaintiff nelson @lowlawfirm.com www.l pwlawfirm.com

SUMMONS IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO.: 2017-DR-43-159

TO THE MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY:

CAROLINA

YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff.

Curtis Hilton, Plaintiff,

Theresa D. Manning.

Plaintiff, vs.

Wal-Mart Stores, East, LP d/b/a Wal-Mart Supercenter #0511 and John Doe, an unknown individual, Defendants.

TO THE DEFENDANTS, WAL-MART STORES, EAST, LP D/B/A WAL-MART SUPERCENTER #0511 AND JOHN DOE, AN UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL, ABOVE− NAMED:

vs.

Barbara Jenkins and Omie Jean Jenkins, Defendant.

TO: THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED:

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for a general Order of Reference to the Master in Equity for Sumter, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53(b) of the South

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, of which a copy is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint on the subscribed,

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ABOVE

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Amended Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or to otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscribers at their office, P.O. Box 71727, North Charleston, South Carolina, 29415, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, or otherwise appear and defend, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

AND IT IS SO ORDERED.

STATE OF SOUTH COUNTY OF SUMTER

DEFENDANTS

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Summons & Notice

Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this action.

DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT (15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.): This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information you provide will be used for that purpose. However, if you have previously received a discharge from bankruptcy, this message is not and should be construed as an attempt to collect a debt, but only as a requirement pursuant to the administrative order.

NOTICE OF FILING AMENDED COMPLAINT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Amended Complaint in the above entitled action, together with the Summons, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on February 13, 2017 at 1:35 p.m.

ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, upon reading and filing of the Petition of the Plaintiff for the appointment of Kelley Y Woody, attorney in Columbia, South Carolina, as Guardian ad Litem Nisi for all unknown minors, and for all persons who may be under a legal disability, it is ORDERED that Kelley Y Woody, Attorney at Law, be and she is hereby appointed Guardian ad Litem Nisi on behalf of unknown minors or persons under a legal disability, all of whom may have an interest in or claim to have some interest in the real property known as 450 Deschamps Road, Sumter, SC 29154; that she is empowered and directed to appear on behalf of and represent said Defendants, unless the said Defendants, or someone on their behalf, shall within thirty (30) days after service of a copy hereof as directed, procure the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem for the said Defendants; AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this Order shall forthwith be served upon the said Defendants by publication thereof in The Item, a newspaper of general circulation published in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, once a week for three consecutive weeks, together with the Summons in the above entitled action.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the Supreme Court of South Carolina Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may be eligible for foreclosure intervention programs for the purpose of resolving the above-referenced foreclosure action.

If you wish to be considered for a foreclosure intervention program, you must contact Finkel Law Firm LLC, 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450 (29405), P.O. Box 71727 (29415), North Charleston, SC 29405, or call (843) 577-5460 within thirty (30) days from the date of this notice.

Finkel Law Firm LLC represents the Plaintiff in this action. Our law firm does not represent you and is not authorized to provide you any legal advice.

IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION PROCESS, THE FORECLOSURE MAY PROCEED. NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE FAIR

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James C. Campbell Clerk of Court for Sumter County Sumter, South Carolina February 28, 2017 FINKEL LAW FIRM LLC Thomas A. Shook P.O. Box 71727 North Charleston, SC 29415 (843) 577-5460 Attorney for Plaintiff

Estate Notice Sumter County

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Estate:/Cassie S. Slater #2017ES4300135 Personal Representative Willie Mae Scott 3205 Tamarah Way Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Alton

Emerson Truesdale #2017ES4300115

Personal Representative Pamela E. Ey C/O William Johnson Attorney at Law PO Box 137 Manning, SC 29102

Estate:/Robet J. Artus #2017ES4300130 Personal Representative Jane C. Smetts 3045 Tindal Road Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Victoria Blair Regensburg #2017ES4300052 Personal Representative Charles R. Staggs, Jr. C/O Kenneth R. Young, Jr. Attorney at Law 23 West Calhoun Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate Notice Sumter County

Estate Notice Sumter County

Estate Notice Sumter County

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Estate:/Sara D. Parnell #2017ES4300097 Personal Representative Archie Parnell, Jr. 403 West Calhoun Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Emily K. Jackson #2017ES4300178 Personal Representative Wilson Macewen Carrie Warner Attorney at Law PO Box 6306 Columbia, SC 29260

Estate:/Tracy Marino Morales #2017ES4300110 Personal Representative Patricia A. Morales C/O Ricci Land Welch Attorneys at Law PO Box 138 Manning, SC 29102

Estate:/Jackson Miles #2017ES4300113 Personal Representative June Miles C/O J. Cabot Seth Attorney at Law PO Box 1268 Sumter, SC 29151

Estate:/Joyce Frazier #2017ES4300093 Personal Representative Cedric Frazier 6770 Fish Road Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/Miyoko Tedder #2017ES4300128 Personal Representative George W. Tedder 3000 Aaron Road Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/Kenneth H. Horne #2017ES4300101 Personal Representative Kenneth H. Horne, II 652 W. Bear Grass Rd. Longs, SC 29568

Estate:/Cherie

Danielle Wingate #2017ES4300125

Personal Representative Rodney Wingate C/O Michael R. Jeffcoat Attorney at Law PO Box 1860 Lexington, SC 29071

Estate:/Titus Rembert, Sr. #2017ES4300094

Estate:/Mildred L. Moser #2017ES4300098 Personal Representative Randolph T. Minter C/O Glenn F. Givens Attorney at Law 107 North Main Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/James P. Mallard, Jr. #2017ES4300112

Personal Representative Roberta Rembert 1620 Hidden Oak Dr. Wedgefield, SC 29168

Personal Representative James P. Mallard, III 5 Garrett St. Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Louise Sheridan #2017ES4300109

Estate:/Miriam Annette Evans #2017ES4300099

Personal Representative Carol A. Cummings C/O Thomas E. Player, Jr. Attorney at Law PO Box 3690 Sumter, SC 29151

Personal Representative James H. Huntley II 6 Warren Court Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Carrie Mae Smith Scott #2017ES4300092 Personal Representative George P. Scott, Jr. 4255 McCrays Mill Rd. Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Aline McIntosh #2017ES4300100 Personal Representative Elizabeth M. Durant 221 Idle Lake Court Sumter, SC 29150

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Estate:/ Robert A. Smith #2017ES4300107 Personal Representative Loretta Smith 3460 Deer Track Circle Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/Mary Tennant #2017ES4300104 Personal Representative Jerry Edward Tennant, Sr. 1160 Habitat Dr. Sumter, SC 29153

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EM A IL

SEM

THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

|

C1

IN MONEY

IN LIFE

Bear market warnings signs

Russians have long been a staple for American films, TV

03.07.17 DAVID GRUBBS, AP

ERIC LIEBOWITZ, FX

GOP unveils health care bill

REVISED TRAVEL BAN TREADS MORE LIGHTLY KEY CHANGES Effective date The new order takes effect in 10 days. The original ban took effect immediately, causing chaos at airports.

COUNTRIES AFFECTED

Iraq excluded Iraq, which is working with the U.S. military to defeat the Islamic State, is not on the new list

LIBYA

Syria ban eased

Maureen Groppe

Syrians, who faced an indefinite ban, will now be subject to the same temporary limits as those from five other majority-Muslim nations.

@mgroppe USA TODAY Arabian Sea

House Republicans released draft legislation Monday to replace former president Barack Obama’s signature health care law, proposing to phase out the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and change the law’s subsidies for private insurance.

The bill’s details released Monday do not say how many people would have coverage compared with Obamacare.

Federal support would be reduced to allow Republicans to repeal the law’s tax increases on the wealthy, insurance companies, drugmakers and others.

The bill would repeal the requirements that most people buy insurance and larger employers provide it.

It would not repeal the popular provision barring insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health problems. To keep people from buying coverage only when they need it, insurers could raise premiums 30% for those jumping back into the market.

The legislation is under attack, not only from Democrats but from some Republicans who raised concerns about eliminating coverage for millions of people under the bill’s expanded Medicaid eligibility. Some of the most conservative Republicans warned that the replacement tax credits the bill would provide to help people buy insurance would be just another entitlement program.

House committees are likely to take up the legislation this week.

“Our legislation transfers power from Washington back to the American people,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee. “We dismantle Obamacare’s damaging taxes and mandates, so states can deliver quality, affordable options based on what their patient populations need, and workers and families can have the freedom and flexibility to make their own health care choices.”

SOMALIA

Visas honored Citizens of the banned countries with legal permanent residence in the U.S. (green cards) and those with valid visas as of Monday are unaffected.

No religious preferences “Religious minorities,” such as Christians, are no longer given preferred entry status.

SOURCE USA TODAY research S GRAPHIC: RAMON PADILLA, USA TODAY; PHOTO: AFP

Trump’s new executive order aims to survive court challenges This is an edition of USA TODAY provided for your local newspaper.

An expanded version of USA TODAY is available at newsstands or by subscription, and at usatoday.com.

For the latest national sports coverage, go to sports.usatoday.com

USA SNAPSHOTS©

Talent shortage

54%

of hiring professionals say it’s harder to find qualified talent now vs. one year ago.

SOURCE Korn Ferry Futurestep survey of 1,100 hiring professionals MICHAEL B. SMITH AND KARL GELLES, USA TODAY

Alan Gomez @alangomez USA TODAY

President Trump is taking a second swing at his temporary travel ban by targeting travelers from six majority-Muslim countries and making other changes aimed at surviving challenges in U.S. courts.

The new ban issued Monday, which takes effect March 16, no longer restricts travel from Iraq, one of seven countries listed in the original order. The 90day ban now is limited to Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

As before, the order shuts down the U.S. refugee program for 120 days to give the federal government time to develop “extreme vetting” procedures to prevent terrorists from entering the country. But Syrians are no longer subject to an indefinite ban, as they were under the first order.

The White House spent weeks drafting the revised ban, coordinating with the departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security to avoid the chaos that followed the Jan. 27 order. That one took immediate effect, snarling travel for thousands of people around the world and at U.S. airports. This time, federal agencies will have 10 days to prepare before the

KARIN LAUB, AP

“It is the president’s solemn duty to protect the American people. ... President Trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe.”

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in announcing the new order

order takes effect.

Trump signed his first order in a highly publicized signing ceremony at the Pentagon. This time, he signed the order in private and sent Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to issue

Syrian refugee Mahmoud Mansour, 43, and his daughters, Ruba, 9, and Sahar in Amman, Jordan, have been in limbo for a year. He wonders how the new order might affect their hopes to enter the United States.

CONTINUES v STORYSTORY CONTINUES ON 2BON C2

Measure to replace ACA would remove insurance mandate, expanded Medicaid

AP

“Our legislation transfers power from Washington back to the American people.”

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas

CONTINUES v STORY STORY CONTINUES ON 2B ON C2

Audit odds plummet to 1-in-143 amid IRS staff cutbacks But stay scrupulous, it still could happen Kevin McCoy @kmccoynyc USA TODAY

The risk of facing an IRS audit fell to a 14-year low in 2016.

The audit rate, the percentage of individuals’ tax returns IRS agents examined either face-toface or via correspondence dropped to 0.7% in federal fiscal year 2016, the lowest since 2003, updated data from the nation’s

tax agency shows.

The continued decline coincides with reductions of IRS personnel who conduct audits and comes amid preliminary Trump administration budget plans that could further cut the enforcement staffing.

Mathematically, the audit rate “means that it’s not too likely,” said Sylvain Cappell, a New York University mathematics professor who calculated the probability at 1-in-143 at the request of USA TODAY. Although higher-income earners generally face relatively higher audit percentages, those rates also have dropped to more-than-

decade-long lows. For those whose annual income is $200,000 or more, the 2016 audit rate was 1.7%. Taxpayers whose income totaled $1 million or more faced a comparable rate of 5.8%.

Business filers face declining chances of being audited. In all, 0.49% of federal tax returns filed by small and large corporations, partnerships and “subchapter S” returns were audited last year, the IRS data show. That represents the lowest rate since the 0.36% rate in 2004.

“Despite these declines, taxpayers should keep in mind the IRS still audited more than 1 mil-

FEWER IRS AUDITS Audit rate percentages, by fiscal year: 1.2%

1.03%

1.11%

1.0%

0.70%

0.8% 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% 0% ’07

’11

SOURCE Internal Revenue Service GEORGE PETRAS, USA TODAY

’16

lion tax returns last year,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a statement Monday.

However, a tax expert who regularly represents clients on IRSrelated issues offered a decidedly different perspective.

“The significance is it’s a good time to be a tax cheat in this country,” said Robert McKenzie, an Arnstein & Lehr law firm partner in Chicago.

The combined number of revenue officers, revenue agents and special agents fell to 15,914 last year, continuing a now sevenyear decline. The total represents a 30% drop from 2010, the last time the audit staffing increased.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

· THE SUMTER ITEM

USA TODAY EXCLUSIVE

Most Americans support Russia inquiry Almost 60% say an independent investigation is necessary

MOSCOW’S MEDDLING Should there be an outside, independent investigation into allegations of contacts between Russia and Trump associates?

Susan Page Yes

@susanpage USA TODAY

58% No

A majority of Americans believe an outside, independent investigation is needed into the escalating controversy over alleged contacts between Russia and associates of Donald Trump during last year’s presidential campaign, a USA TODAY/ Suffolk University Poll finds.

By 58%-35%, those surveyed beginning last week support an independent inquiry, an idea backed

by Democratic leaders and a handful of congressional Republicans who argue that a special prosecutor or bipartisan commission should be appointed. White House officials and leaders of the GOP-controlled House and Senate say an ongoing FBI investigation and oversight by congressional committees are sufficient.

The flap already has forced White House national security adviser Michael Flynn to resign, prompted Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from investigations related to the 2016 campaign, and overshadowed White House efforts to focus on policy initiatives and capitalize on good economic news. Positive headlines about President

WASHINGTON

35% Undecided

7% POOL PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

Persistent reports about possible ties to Russia have dogged President Trump’s first six weeks in the White House.

Trump’s first speech to Congress on Tuesday were replaced a day later by reports that Sessions had sat down with the Russian ambassador in September although he had testified during his confirmation hearings he met with no Russian officials during the campaign.

The telephone poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken Wednesday through Sunday, has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

By 2-1, 63%-31%, Americans see the issue of Moscow’s meddling in the presidential election as a serious issue. Close to half call it “very serious;” just one in five dismiss it as “not at all serious.”

Views differ significantly based on which TV news outlet the respondent trusts most, notes David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk

Democratic leaders and a handful of congressional Republicans have backed the idea of an independent investigation.

University Political Research Center. “Among those voters who trust CNN, 89% said Russian meddling is serious and 94% of viewers want an independent investigation. Among voters trusting FOX News, 60% said it wasn’t very or not at all serious and 67% said there shouldn’t be an outside investigation.”

Democrats are united: Three-

SOURCE USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll of 1,000 registered voters surveyed by phone Wednesday through Sunday.

Margin of error +/-3 percentage points.

JIM SERGENT, USA TODAY

fourths call Russia meddling a “very serious” issue, and by an overwhelming 9-1 they endorse the idea of an outside, independent investigation.

Republicans are divided, a finding that could encourage GOP lawmakers such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and Michigan Rep. Justin Amash who have pushed for more aggressive investigations. While a 55% majority of Republicans describe the issue as not particularly serious, four in 10 say it is serious. And 29% support an outside, independent investigation.

Among Trump’s most fervent backers, those who strongly approve of the job he’s doing as president, 21% back an outside investigation; 71% oppose it.

Both House Speaker Paul Ryan

and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have rejected the need to establish any sort of independent panel, noting that the House and Senate intelligence committees have launched investigations.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on ABC’s This Week accused reporters of unfair coverage of the Russian controversy, comparing it to Trump’s new allegation that President Obama had tapped his phones in Trump Tower during the campaign by saying officials who deny there was a wiretap “also said there’s no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Trump administration or the Trump campaign in coordination, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the media. That point gets continued to be ignored over and over again.”

Democrats say crucial questions remain as the issues is a challenge to American democracy.

“Look, this is about did people in the Trump campaign or his business associates, the whole world surrounding Trump, did they collude with the Russians to attack our democracy?” Minnesota Sen. Al Franken said on ABC’s This Week. “That is an enormous, an enormous issue. That’s something we need to get to the bottom of. We need a special prosecutor.”

Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer questioned whether Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., would be willing to pursue an aggressive investigation. “If we have a special prosecutor, they will get to the bottom of all of this,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press, “and that’s what we need.”

6 COUNTRIES’ TERROR TIES ARE DETAILED CONTINUED FROM C11B v CONTINUED FROM

brief statements.

“It is the president’s solemn duty to protect the American people, and with this order, President Trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe,” Tillerson said. “As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country.”

The Justice Department also filed a letter with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, explaining that Trump’s new order “revokes” the first one. That means the 9th Circuit may now drop the case against the first ban, leaving Justice to focus on deCorrections & Clarifications USA TODAY is committed to accuracy. To reach us, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones at 800-8727073 or e-mail accuracy@usatoday.com.

Please indicate whether you’re responding to content online or in the newspaper.

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

John Zidich EDITOR IN CHIEF

Patty Michalski CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Kevin Gentzel 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22108, 703-854-3400 Published by Gannett The local edition of USA TODAY is published daily in partnership with Gannett Newspapers Advertising: All advertising published in USA TODAY is subject to the current rate card; copies available from the advertising department. USA TODAY may in its sole discretion edit, classify, reject or cancel at any time any advertising submitted.

National, Regional: 703-854-3400 Reprint permission, copies of articles, glossy reprints: www.GannettReprints.com or call 212-221-9595 USA TODAY is a member of The Associated Press and subscribes to other news services. USA TODAY, its logo and associated graphics are registered trademarks. All rights reserved.

fending expected legal challenges against the new order.

Although the goal of the executive order remains the same — keeping terrorists out — the administration made several other big changes to avoid being struck down in court.

Nationals of the six countries with legal permanent residence in the U.S. (known as green card holders) are not affected. People with valid visas as of Monday also are exempt. And the order no longer gives immigration preference to “religious minorities,” such as Christians who claim they are persecuted in mostly Muslim countries.

Iraq was dropped from the ban after negotiations with the Iraqi government, which vowed to improve the security of its travel documents, share more information on its citizens with the U.S. government and agreed to accept Iraqi nationals who have been ordered deported from the U.S., according to a senior Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to fully discuss the new order ahead of the president’s signing.

A federal judge in Seattle issued a nationwide hold on the original order after lawyers for travelers detained at U.S. airports filed lawsuits. His ruling was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Federal judges who blocked Trump’s first executive order cited the lack of a national security justification throughout their opinions. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in particular, pressed

SUSAN WALSH, AP

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, left, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were on hand to announce President Trump’s revised travel order. government lawyers to provide any examples of terrorist acts committed by immigrants from the banned countries to justify the ban.

The government lawyers could not provide any examples then, but Monday’s new executive order tries to fix that.

The new order explains the extensive ties each of the six countries has with terrorist organizations, including Iran’s support of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, ISIS activities in Libya and an al-Qaeda offshoot operating in Yemen. The summaries also highlight the combat in Syria and Libya to make the case that immigrants from those countries cannot be properly vetted.

“In light of the conditions in these six countries ... the risk of erroneously permitting entry of a national of one of these countries who intends to commit terrorist

acts or otherwise harm the national security of the United States is unacceptably high,” the order reads.

But the order provides few details about terrorist acts refugees and immigrants from those countries carried out in the U.S. It mentions the arrest of a Yemeni man who was convicted in 2014 of planning a Christmastime bombing in Portland. But it also mentions the arrest of two Iraqi refugees convicted of “terrorismrelated offenses” even though Iraq is no longer included by the executive order.

The order sums up the danger posed by immigrants from those countries by citing an estimate by the FBI, which states that 300 people who entered the U.S. as refugees are now being investigated by the bureau on suspicion of terrorism. But a Department of Justice official who briefed re-

porters earlier in the day could not estimate how many of those refugees were admitted from the six countries listed in the ban.

Civil rights and immigration advocacy groups vowed to challenge Trump’s order in court, arguing that the changes made by the White House don’t change the underlying problems facing the travel ban.

Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said the new order amounts to “the same hate and fear with new packaging.” And Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said the only way to fix the “Muslim ban” is to not have one at all.

“President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination,” Jadwat said, “and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people.”

Some Republicans concerned health bill lacks stability CONTINUED FROM C11B v CONTINUED FROM

States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to people earning up to 138% of poverty could still get federal funding for those enrolled before January 2020. If those beneficiaries left the program, the federal funding would disappear.

States would no longer receive an open-ended federal match on the amount they spend on all Medicaid beneficiaries. Instead, they would be given a set amount based on the number of enrollees.

Four Republican senators — Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — said Monday they were concerned that an early draft of the bill did not provide enough “stability and certainty” for families covered by the Medicaid expansion. They said any replacement plan should offer a “stable transition period and the opportunity to gradually phase in their populations to any new Medicaid financing structure.”

It was not immediately clear

whether the bill unveiled Monday night would put those concerns to rest.

Some conservative Republicans have complained about the subsidies that would replace the tax credits the ACA provides to help people earning up to 400% of poverty buy private insurance.

The GOP alternative offers refundable credits, which would become more generous with age.

Unlike an earlier draft, the credits would phase out at higher income levels. At lower income levels, recipients could receive a larger

credit than the amount of taxes they owe, which has raised concerns among some Republicans.

The tax credits would range from $2,000 to $14,000 a year.

Those receiving tax credits could use them to purchase any insurance plans, not just those sold on the exchanges created by the ACA. That would include purchasing “catastrophic” plans, which offer limited coverage.

Democrats across the board promised to fight any changes to the law that would scale back health care coverage.

THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

LIFE LIFELINE

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The Americans works to cast real Russians, such as Costa Ronin.

ERIC LIEBOWITZ, FX

TELEVISION

TV, movies hack into Russian tropes

MAKING WAVES

DALE ROBINETTE

‘La La Land’ is singing at a concert stage near you. ‘La La Land in Concert: A Live-to-Film Celebration’ will bring the music of the awards darling starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling to Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl May 26 and 27 before traveling to Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, San Antonio, Dallas, Indianapolis, Nashville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver and Washington. Tickets go on sale Friday at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT at Ticketmaster.com.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT Salma Hayek is ‘Living It Up’ at Paris Fashion Week. The actress/producer was front row at Stella McCartney's fall/winter 2017 presentation Monday, where she stunned in a sleeveless black dress embellished with silver hoops.

PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN, GETTY IMAGES

THEY SAID WHAT? THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES “It can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone. I also don’t want to pretend like I know everything about postpartum depression, because it can be different for everybody. But one thing I do know is that, for me, just merely being open about it helps.” — Chrissy Teigen to ‘Glamour’ about her struggles since the birth of her daughter in April.

CHRIS PIZZELLO, INVISION/AP

IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY?

Evolution from Boris & Natasha to ‘Americans’ Bill Keveney and Jayme Deerwester USA TODAY

The Russians are here! Actually, the Russians have always been here!

Russians have long been near the top of the list of foreign characters in American TV and film, thanks to the longstanding rivalry between the nations.

Many were of the stock variety: villains and foils that seemed to come out of central casting.

Some are cartoonish (Ivan Drago, Rocky IV) and some are cartoons (Boris and Natasha, regularly outwitted by a squirrel).

But lately, nuanced characterizations have become more common, as films and TV shows try to avoid stereotypes.

FX’s The Americans, returning for its fifth season Tuesday (10 ET/PT), depicts the Americanization of its undercover Soviet spy couple and seeks authenticity by casting real Russians, such as Costa Ronin and Lev Gorn, as operatives often seen speaking the mother tongue.

“The Americans is a huge step forward in term of depicting (Russians) as three-dimensional characters who love their families and their country,” says David Bushman, curator of the Paley Center for Media. “Are they that different from Americans? It’s just a different set of loyalties.”

Bushman says Russians have always been reliable bad guys.

They even came back into vogue as villains in the 2000s when shows such as 24 were taking heat for their negative depictions of Arabs. “I don’t think anyone’s going to say, ‘How can you do that to the Russians?’ It’s not like they’re a popular minority in this country. (But) It’s interesting how we’ve evolved from the Cold War to this place where they sort of took a back seat to Mexican drug dealers and Arab terrorists” as the go-to villains.

“Now I think we’re entering a new stage in terms of what’s going on with (presidents) Putin and Trump. We should all keep our eyes on where it goes from here. What you might see now is a throwback to Russians being seen as villains, but maybe more as cyberterrorists,” rather than more conventional spies.

A dossier of familiar Russian archetypes in TV and film:

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

TOM CLANCY RUSSIANS

Sean Connery, left, plays a Soviet submarine commander who defects with his vessel in The Hunt for Red October.

The late spy novelist merits his own category.

EXAMPLES: Submarine commander Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), The Hunt for Red October (1990); Russian tycoon Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014).

BORIS BAD ENOUGH

Unlike pint-size “no-goodnik” Boris from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, who’s technically from Pottsylvania, these Russian bad guys actually draw blood.

EXAMPLES: Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), Air Force One (1997); Lt. Col. Podovsky (Steven Berkoff), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985); Vladimir Bierko (Julian Sands), Season 5 of 24 (2006).

VILLAIN-OVA

James Bond may be sexist, but killing is an equal-opportunity job in the famed film franchise.

EXAMPLES: Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), From Russia With Love (1964); Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), GoldenEye (1995).

FISH ROE OUT OF WATER

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

When East meets West, cultural misunderstandings can make for great comic fodder.

EXAMPLES: Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams), Moscow on the Hudson (1984); Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Red Heat (1988).

Walter Koenig, right, was Star Trek’s original Chekov.

EARLY DÉTENTE

Can’t we all get along, Comrade?

These characters reflect hope for reconciliation.

EXAMPLES: Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig/Anton Yelchin), Star Trek TV series and films (1967-2016); Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum/ Armie Hammer), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV (1964-68) and film (2015); Lt. Yuri Rozanov (Alan Arkin), The Russians Are Coming!

The Russians Are Coming! (1966)

GRIZZLY BEARS

Russian toughness is a media staple.

EXAMPLES: Galina “Red” Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew), Orange Is the New Black; Valery (Vitali Baganov), the Russian in the “Pine Barrens” episode of The Sopranos (2001); Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).

DANA EDELSON, NBC

Beck Bennett’s SNL Putin is perpetually shirtless.

VLAD TO MEET YA

Russian President Vladimir Putin can choose a thinly veiled dramatic alter ego or an explicit bare-chested, comedic one.

EXAMPLES: Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen), House of Cards (2015-16); Putin (Beck Bennett), Saturday Night Live.

A revealing peek into Didion’s psyche INVISION/AP; GETTY IMAGES

Bryan Cranston is 61. Jenna Fischer is 43. Laura Prepon is 37.

Compiled by Jaleesa M. Jones

©

Rise of the home office

43% of American employees work remotely.

That’s up 4% from 2012.

SOURCE Gallup - State of the American Workforce SARA WISE AND PAUL TRAP, USA TODAY

She opens her ’70s notebooks in ‘South and West’ In the 1970s, “New Journalism” was still new, and Joan Didion had announced herself as an acclaimed practitioner of the form BOOK in her now-classic REVIEW JOCELYN 1968 essay collecMCCLURG tion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

In 2017, it’s perhaps a bit disorienting to get Didion’s South and West: From a Notebook (Knopf, 125 pp., eeeE out of four), drafts of two never-before-seen pieces from the ’70s.

And yet, in many ways, these sketches are vintage Didion, idiosyncratic and tantalizingly self-revealing. As a journalist, she coolly lets readers draw their own conclusions from her stark observations. These pages seem haunted; their bleakness and torpor reminded me of the lonely photographs in Ed Rushca’s 1968 book Nine Swimming Pools (and a Broken Glass).

South and West is a slim, slight book: unfinished, equivocal, yet filled with piercing, star-

BRIGITTE LANCOMBE

Author Joan Didion.

tling sentences.

The first essay, and by far the longest, is “Notes On the South,” from a road trip Didion made in summer 1970 with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, through cities and small towns in sweltering Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. (Dunne died in 2003; Didion’s memoir of grief, 2005’s The Year of Magical Thinking, won the National Book Award.)

At the end of the pair’s Southern sojourn, Didion declares fail-

ure: “All the reporting tricks I had ever known atrophied in the South. There were things I should do, I knew it; but I never did them.”

Should we believe her? Didion’s method is a detached melancholy that encourages her subjects to say things they shouldn’t. Her interview with Stan Torgerson, a white man who bought a black radio station in Mississippi, provides a snapshot, it seems at first, of a new South.

“We are in a transitional phase.

There’s a tremendous push to education on the part of young

blacks. The schools here are completely integrated … the key is racial harmony,” he says.

And then: “I’m not saying I’m going to have a colored minister come to dinner tonight, ’cause I’m not. But things are changing.”

If Didion’s attempt as a Californian to “understand” the South here is (at best) sketchy, her glimpses into her own psyche are fascinating. She recalls, as a child, missing her father with “an egocentricity which then approached autism, and which afflicts me still in dreams and fevers and marriage.”

The brief second section, “California Notes,” began as an assignment for Rolling Stone in 1976 to cover the trial of kidnapped heiress-turned-bank robber Patty Hearst.

Didion never wrote the piece, and these notes are far less cohesive than those in “Notes On the South.” But back in California, she is more relaxed, or so she says: “I am at home in the West. …

I am easy here in a way that I am not easy in other places.”

Joan Didion never seems easy.

She keeps us off balance, in a way that’s cryptic and seductive and has lured in readers for more than 50 years.

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COMICS

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Face-to-face meeting might ruin new romance DEAR ABBY — I recently enrolled in an internet dating site, and have been cyberchatting with a very Dear Abby sweet gentleman. I am ABIGAIL also 62 years VAN BUREN young. My problem is I’m borderline obese, have gray hair, a few wrinkles and some dental problems. It’s the reason I don’t post photos of myself.

Someday, he may want to meet face-to-face, and I am more petrified than 2,000-year-old wood! He sounds and speaks so well — soft and gentle. My heart has butterfly-wing feelings, not

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

the head-over-heels emotions I had when I first met my late husband. Should I keep texting this gentleman, or just fade away from him?

Is beauty more than skin deep?

DEAR SKIN DEEP — Keep texting him, of course! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That said, if your weight and dental problems are affecting your self-esteem, perhaps it’s time you dealt with them rather than use them as an excuse to cut and run.

DEAR ABBY — I have been in a relationship with a wonderful man for the last year and a half. He is good to me and good to my 11-year-old daughter.

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Recently, a man I have known for 40 years — but have been in and out of touch with — appeared back in my life. He was my first kiss at 6, and there were many unresolved feelings that I felt needed exploring. My daughter caught on and told me if I gave up my current relationship she would never forgive me, so I ended the relationship with my old friend, which left him with bitter feelings. Did I do the right thing?

Bitter feelings DEAR BITTER — Because you felt it was appropriate to allow an 11-year-old to dictate your future, then yes, I suppose you did the right thing. In any case, it’s a little late to second guess yourself now.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

By Ray Hedrick and Mark McClain

ACROSS 1 Concrete support rod 6 Aptly named Olympic sprinter Usain __ 10 1980s model that saved Chrysler from financial ruin 14 Outwit, as a police tail 15 Slushy drink brand 16 “Here comes trouble!”

17 *Source of money for Medicare 19 Garden tool 20 River to the Seine 21 Five-spots 22 Pull a fast one on 23 Cut with scissors 24 *Serving-mombreakfast-in-bed occasion 28 Tied up in knots 30 Land bordering Suisse 31 Rodeo skill 36 Exited, with “out” 37 *Asian plant named for the shape of its pink and white flowers 41 Tragic fate

42 Signify 43 Ready if needed 45 Rises dramatically 50 *Local hoosegow 55 Russian river 56 Wee bit 57 This, in Tijuana 58 Fey of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 59 Fishing supply 61 Rest .. or, literally, what the last word of the answers to starred clues can do 63 Ice formation 64 E pluribus __ 65 Archery practice facility 66 Snorkeling gear 67 Dosage amts.

68 Joins a poker game DOWN 1 Share on Facebook, as a friend’s picture 2 “Seinfeld” regular 3 Joins a poker game 4 TV spot sellers 5 Old Olds creation 6 “The Hobbit” hero

3/7/17 7 Four pairs 8 Dog lead 9 __-Mex cuisine 10 “Seven Samurai” director Akira 11 L.A. Times publishing family name 12 Just fine 13 Baseball scoreboard letters 18 Flee 22 Dated PC monitor 25 Four pairs 26 “It __ over till it’s over”: Berra 27 Up to now 29 Before, in odes 32 “Hard to believe, but ... “ 33 Baked dessert 34 Homey lodging

35 Park __: airport facility 37 U2 lead singer 38 Phrasing style 39 Issues (from) 40 Sushi fish 41 Medic 44 Inc., in the U.K. 46 Beat to the finish line 47 “Murder on the __ Express” 48 Get by 49 Quenches 51 Denim trousers 52 Invite to the penthouse 53 To-do list bullets 54 Mauna __ 59 Favorite pal, in texts 60 __ Baba 61 Preteen king 62 Bikini half

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

3/7/17