March 14, 2017

Former mayor tells board to get its ‘affairs in order’ Comments highlight the trustees’ Monday meeting TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

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BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 A callout from a former Sumter mayor for the school board to get its affairs in order and more possible confusion on a financial report that was being presented for a sec-

3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES | VOL. 122, NO. 107

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52M may be uninsured after ACA is repealed C1

ond time highlighted Monday’s Sumter School Board of Trustees’ meeting.

Former Sumter Mayor Steve Creech was one of seven inCREECH dividuals who spoke during the public participation portion of Monday’s board meeting at Mayewood Middle School, 4300 E.

Brewington Road.

As chair of the military affairs committee of the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce for the last 15 years, Creech reminded the board of trustees of the importance of public education in military-base closure decision-making. The base closure process is often referred to as Base Realignment and Closure,

SEE BOARD, PAGE A8

Snowbirds see winter weather after all

NATION

It’s sweater weather still Retirement group knits warm clothes for estate’s chickens A6

DEATHS, B5 Sylvia Jackson Samuel D. Baker Jeffery W. Scruggs James Deas DesJuan M. Lemon Alfred Singleton Christopher A. Bailey M. Earlyne Reese Gloria Jean Rouse

Jacqueline Jenkins Bridgett R. Nero Lorenzo Fullard Para Lee Nixon Stewart W. Strothers Isabella F. Miller Willie Walker Sr. Ashton Q. Benbow Sr.

WEATHER, A10 FINALLY WARMER Clearing and warmer; patchy clouds and cold late HIGH 59, LOW 27

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A pair of swans and a Canada goose swim at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens on Sunday morning in Sumter during a cold snap which brought a little snow to the area.

The birds at the gardens were feeding and enjoying the lake as usual and seemed ambivalent about the wintry weather.

At left, a swan goose takes a snooze as snow continues to fall Sunday, and a Canada goose takes a walk as snow accumulates on its back.

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PHOTOS BY MELANIE SMITH / THE SUMTER ITEM

S.C. starts 2017 with job growth

BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com After state employment reports were scattered in the final quarter of 2016 in part because of Hurricane Matthew, South Carolina experienced a return to normal in January with solid job growth, according to employment data released Monday.

Picking back up on trends

from the first three quarters of 2016, federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed non-farm payroll employment increased in the Palmetto State by a net 5,300 new jobs from December to January to a total of 2.076 million employees. Year-over-year payroll employment has risen by 40,500 jobs since January 2016.

SEE GROWTH, PAGE A7

Litter cleanup program seeks new volunteers

BY JIM HILLEY and KASEY MEREDITH jim@theitem.com, intern@theitem.com

KASEY MEREDITH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members Willana Robinson Green and Melissa Epps pick up litter as part of the South Carolina Department of Transportation Adopt-a-Highway Program. The Morris College sorority has adopted a portion of Pike Road.

Scott Burkett, a member of Sertoma Club, said you wouldn’t think that cleaning up roads would lead to fellowship, but Saturday, Burkett found himself doing just that.

“We’re out there chattin’ about life, helping out a good cause,” Burkett said.

SEE LITTER, PAGE A8

Fireside Fund donors help make a lasting difference

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Sumter United Ministries Executive Director Mark Champagne said having the additional resources made available through Fireside Fund has helped the ministry make a lasting difference in the Sumter community.

“On behalf of Sumter United Minis-

tries, I would like to convey our thanks to The Sumter Item and their leadership for choosing us to receive

the proceeds of the Fireside Fund,” he said. “We are also thankful for the number of people who gave in memory of Phil Edwards, a caring man that so many people in our community loved and respected.”

The additional money provided through Fireside Fund was challenging and thought-provoking for the ministry when deciding how to best

help its clients, he said.

“Surprisingly — this may sound unusual to hear from a ministry that has been involved in heating assistance for 23 years — but Sumter United Ministries has never been about just spending money. We hope to invoke lasting change whenever possible.”

SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A8

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

Film, speaker examine extraordinary family FROM STAFF REPORTS Arthuree Brazilia Howard Loney Ricks will be the speaker at the Monday, March 20, meeting of the Sumter County Genealogical Society at Swan Lake Presbyterian Church on the corner of Haynsworth Street and Bland Avenue. Ricks' topic, "Hill-Howard-Diggs: RICKS The Legacy Lives," concerns her family from rural Sumter County and their extraordinary achievements.

The public is invited to the 7:30 p.m. meeting at which Ricks will also show a documentary with the same title.

The film depicts the story of three families united through marriage and their achievements in civic, economic and educational arenas, made all the more significant because of the times during which they were accomplished. Racial segregation and rampant racism did not deter early family members, who began their

lives as slaves.

Ricks' film and talk will show how these matriarchs and patriarchs vowed that their descendants would exert profound influence on the world.

Among their current descendants are ministers, federal judges, military officers, actors, noted educators and professional baseball players.

Ricks said "Hill-Howard-Diggs: The Legacy Lives" cannot be defined solely by race or color but has "a universal pulse, appeal and worth."

A retired educator and military spouse, Ricks was married more than 60 years ago in the little Friendship Chapel at Shaw Air Force Base. Growing up on Catchall Road in Dalzell, she heard family lore and stories, which led her to produce the documentary.

Educated in Sumter's CatchallSpann, High Hills and Lincoln High schools, Ricks later received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French-SpanishEnglish and graduated magna cum laude from Benedict College and earned a Master of Arts in French and a postgraduate certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Lan-

guage from the University of South Carolina.

Ricks did additional studies at the University of Vermont at a National Defense Education Act French Institute; New Mexico State University; the University of the Philippines; Columbia College; the Université de Dijon, France, in a stage de perfectionnement d’enseignement; the University of Georgia at Athens in a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute in Spanish; and Indiana State University in a Haitian Creole Institute.

Ricks taught English, French, Spanish and English for Speakers of Other Languages in the U.S. and abroad and taught for 29 of her 42-year teaching career in S.C., Massachusetts, Vermont, France, England, New Mexico and The Philippines.

In 1990, Ricks was selected as one of 16 educators from a pool of 179 applicants nationwide to participate in a Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program to study the history and culture of Liberia, Ghana and Senegal. That program evolved into the Richland One Student Exchange to Africa.

Eventually, she led 10 groups of teachers, students, family and friends to numerous countries in West Africa and was instrumental in obtaining the first Fulbright Scholar program for her alma mater, Benedict College.

Since retiring Ricks has been a faithful member of the Sumter County Genealogical Society and has been a voracious collector of community and family history and memorabilia. She describes herself as "an insatiable researcher at the Sumter Archives and the State Archives in Columbia."

The society meets monthly from September through May. Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Admission is free to the public, and refreshments will be served following the presentation. Interested persons can join the society. Membership includes nine monthly newsletters during the year and free use of the Sumter County Genealogical Society Research Center. Annual dues are $30 for an individual membership and $35 for family. Call the society’s research center for more information at (803) 7743901.

fore the vehicle turned over. Nero was wearing a seat belt, according to Southern.

Hayes said Nero died of blunt-force trauma.

on Wednesday morning.

Jones was relieved of his position as 20th Fighter Wing vice commander and reassigned to the Ninth Air Force in February 2016. Charges were preferred against him on June 29.

The Sumter Item will cover the court martial trial.

of a request by the court clerk to use Court Services, as well as council consideration of water department policy.

Council will also get a report from Mayor Mac Bagnal and updates from staff as well as public participation.

Council may hold an executive session, if needed.

For more information, call (803) 4852525.

Pain management?

Linemen from Sumter Utilities were working on both sides of a utility pole on Broad Street on Thursday afternoon, but it wasn’t clear whether they might need to visit a local neurology and pain management center.

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

New Zion woman killed in one-vehicle crash A New Zion woman was killed Friday in a one-vehicle crash six miles south of Turbeville.

Clarendon County Coroner Samuel Hayes identified the victim as Bridgett Rene Nero, 42, of New Zion.

According to Lance Cpl. Matt Southern of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Nero was driving a 1998 Cadillac east on Old Manning Road (Secondary 36) when she veered off the road to the right, struck a ditch and several trees be-

Trial to begin Wednesday of former Shaw vice commander The first day of trial for former Shaw Air Force Base 20th Fighter Wing Vice Commander William R. Jones, charged with wrongful possession of images and videos of child porJONES nography in violation of Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 134, will begin

Summerton Town Council rescheduled for March 21 A Summerton Town Council meeting originally scheduled for 6 p.m. today has been rescheduled for 6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 21.

The meeting will be at Summerton Town Hall, 10 Main St., Summerton.

The agenda includes consideration

Clarendon School District 2 board to meet today Clarendon School District 2 Board of Trustees will have a work session at 5:30 p.m. today at the District Office, 15 Major Drive, Manning.

For more information, call (808) 435-4435.

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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POLICE BLOTTER Drive on Aug. 1, 2012, states the release.

Darryl D. Hamm, 52, of 4100 Broad St., Lot 61, was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree burglary for allegedly taking a 32-inch TV valued at $135 from a location in the 4100 block of Broad Street on March 2.

STOLEN PROPERTY A black Mercury 25-horsepower outboard motor valued at $5,000 was reportedly stolen from a business in the 3900 block of McCrays Mill Road on Friday.

A green 2015 TaoTao scooter valued at approximately $1,000 was reportedly stolen while it was parked at a residence in the 40 block of Murphy Street on Friday.

Approximately $500 in prescription pills were reportedly stolen from a residence in the 500 block of Bell Road on Saturday.

CHARGES Alex GuillermoVillatora Escobedo aka Vilatoro Alex Escobedo, 35, was arrested on Thursday and charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and domestic violence for crimes that he allegedly committed in 2012. According to a news release from Sumter County Sheriff's Office, two addresses are listed for Escobedo, 4722 Thoroughbred Drive, North Charleston, and 306 Picardy Drive, Sumter. The release states that Escobedo allegedly committed criminal sexual conduct with a 10-year-old minor while in the 1900 block of Mason Road sometime in 2012. Escobedo also allegedly slammed a victim to the floor and punched her continuously on her forehead with a closed fist while threatening to kill her while in the 300 block of Picardy

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

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Judge nixes stiffer sentence for Dylann Roof ’s friend COLUMBIA (AP) — Dylann Roof’s friend should not get an unusually tough prison sentence for failing to warn police about Roof’s plans to kill black worshippers at a Charleston church, a judge ruled on Monday.

Prosecutors had argued that Joey Meek, 22, knew about Roof’s desire to start a race war by killing black people inside a church. In court papers filed earlier this year, they argued that Meek’s failure to report his friend’s plans beforehand prevented authorities from possibly thwarting the massacre.

Sentencing for Meek, who pleaded guilty last year, was postponed last month after prosecutors said that he needs a harsher punishment than the 27 to 33 months contained in federal guidelines to fully account for the horrible nature of Roof’s crime.

Meek’s attorneys are seeking a shorter sentence. The maximum is eight years.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ruled that Meek can only be sentenced for what he did after the slayings, not for any inaction beforehand.

Meek’s “failure to make an earlier report is tragic

and deeply regrettable, but his failure to report was not a violation of federal criminal law,” the judge wrote.

Meek agreed to cooperate fully with prosecutors when he pleaded guilty to failing to report Roof’s plans and lying to federal authorities. Prosecutors in turn said his help would be noted when he was sentenced.

But Roof put up only a minimum defense during his trial, and Meek was never mentioned. Roof was convicted on 33 federal charges including hate crimes and sentenced to death.

Safe Kids offers tips on how to keep children safe from brain injuries

Take me back

BY KATIE GEER Palmetto Health Tuomey

PHOTO BY AMY VAUGHN

Take me back to the Revolutionary times. Tanner loves history.

Beatrice and the orangutan

March is brain injury awareness month, and Safe Kids of Sumter County wants to make sure you have the tools you need to keep your child safe from brain injuries.

Traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death in children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among children ages birth to 14, there are an estimated 2,685 deaths each year resulting from injuries to the brain, The Brain Injury Association of America states; and nearly “62,000 children sustain brain injuries requiring hospitalization” every year from car accidents, falls, sporting injuries and other causes.

Not only is it important to protect your child from a traumatic brain injury that could result in death, but it is also important to protect his or her brain for future health.

“Research shows that a person’s brain doesn’t stop forming until the mid-20s,” Cheryl Jackson, the coordinator for Sumter’s Safe Kids Coalition, said. “So if the brain is injured in those adolescent or young adult years, it can greatly impact the person that the child becomes.”

Jackson suggests that parents start taking

precautions as early as that first ride home from the hospital after a baby is born.

“Proper car seat installation and use is very important to keeping the child’s brain safe in the event of a car accident,” Jackson said.

“Impact can cause a lot of harm and damage brain formation.”

Other ways to protect your child from brain injuries: • Make sure they wear a helmet while riding a bike or any other fast outdoor vehicle; • When playing contact sports, make sure the proper head gear is worn at all times; • Avoid activities where the head in particular is at risk, like head-butting a ball during a soccer game; and • Know the signs of a concussion so you can seek medical help right away for your child.

Safe Kids offers a wide variety of classes on how to keep your child safe from brain injuries. Car seat safety classes meet Mondays at 6 p.m. at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Mothers giving birth at Palmetto Health Tuomey can receive a discount on the purchase of a car seat. Biking safety classes are held regularly, and for participation, a child can receive a free bike helmet.

For more information on free classes, connect with Safe Kids Sumter County on Facebook.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

PHOTO BY WILLIAM FERRELL

Sale off

Beatrice Jones looks like she is getting a hug from the orangutan at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia.

Amy’s and William’s photos are part of The Sumter Item’s “Every Picture Tells A Story” contest. Enter online at www.theitem.com for a chance to win $100 each month. Shed light on an important issue in Sumter; share a photo of an interesting person, place or event; show us where you’ve been in the world; or maybe just share an old photo. It’s anything you want it to be, so go for it and have fun. Tell us a story.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

Woman throws science, passion at cold cases

BY TAMARA LUSH The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Erin Kimmerle stands at the head of an open, watery grave and peers down. It’s a sweltering fall day in Tampa, and here’s what she knows about what’s below: It’s the grave of a victim of a killing.

The woman’s body was found in a patch of scrub brush used as an unauthorized trash dump in 1985 just outside downtown Tampa. Detectives never discovered her name.

DNA wasn’t analyzed at the time. They weren’t sure how she was slain, when or why.

Back then, there was little hope of solving the case. Heavy caseloads, a lack of money and no relatives coming forward all meant that police moved on to the next corpse. The woman lay in this pauper’s grave in a city cemetery for more than 30 years.

Now, Kimmerle — a former investigator for the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, an anthropology professor and a 44-year-old married mother of two — might be the woman’s only chance for justice.

••• Two dozen detectives, students and researchers gather around as Kimmerle stares into the void, then crouches down. Her hands — doublewrapped in latex gloves — brace her body as she eases into the hole. Stepping nearly all the way in, she leans over and peels away dirty white plastic.

“It’s a grave liner,” she says, squinting into the sun. She and her team remove it and hit a muddy brown body bag. The corpse had been buried in a cardboard casket. That’s long since dissolved, but the bag stayed intact. Kimmerle’s team hoists it out of the grave. She climbs out, kneels at the side of the bag and gingerly unzips it.

There’s a full skeleton inside, and the bones are small.

Sweating, Kimmerle looks up and nods.

It’s her cold-case homicide victim, and the skeleton is in excellent shape.

Still, Kimmerle doesn’t make any predictions about finding answers. “This is a long process,” she says.

Her plan: “throwing science” at the case. She’ll use state-ofthe-art DNA testing. Then, a chemical isotope test — her lab at the University of South Florida is one of a handful in the country to use this advanced study of minerals and geography to narrow down where a person is from or has visited through tooth, hair and nail analysis.

She can spend the time on this case thanks to a $385,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice to review 50 unsolved and unidentified-person deaths. Most are in Florida, but some are from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; because Kimmerle’s considered one of the country’s best forensic anthropologists, her lab often takes

EVERY DAY

Erin Kimmerle begins to open the grave liner covering the remains of an unidentified 1985 female homicide victim Sept. 15 before the body was exhumed from a unmarked grave in Tampa, Florida.

Kimmerle is a former United Nations International Criminal Tribunal investigator and an anthropology professor.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

cases from states with fewer resources.

A week after the skeleton’s exhumation in Tampa, the bones are at the medical examiner’s office on a steel gurney. Kimmerle walks in. She no longer notices the earthy smell of death. She pays no mind to a nearby body, its chest open for an autopsy. Instead, she slips on a white lab coat and beams at one of the coroners.

“Happy birthday!” she says, smiling.

She’s positive and bubbly, with a high-pitched voice — unexpected from someone who jumps in graves and scrubs bones with a toothbrush. And that’s exactly what she does this day at the morgue: polishes bones.

Most of the skeleton is still in the brown bag, mixed with mud, twigs and leaves.

Kimmerle uses cooking strainers when scrubbing and washing the bones; she wants to inspect every fragment. Because the woman was autopsied at the time she was discovered, a few other items were tossed into the body bag — vials that once contained blood and tissues and a zip-top bag holding a brownish liquid.

Probably the organs, Kimmerle says.

“Ziplocs hold up pretty good,” she says, reaching over a tray of scissors, scalpels and forceps.

Already, Kimmerle sees promise. The skull and jaw have nicely preserved teeth, and those hold a wealth of DNA and isotope information.

Some molars are missing. By the looks of the jaw and a missing tooth socket, the woman had untreated cavities. Perhaps she lacked money for dental care, Kimmerle muses.

“Teeth tell us a story about a person’s station in life,” Kimmerle says.

She cradles the skull in her hand. “Now we’re going to try to put together that story.”

••• Days later, at Kimmerle’s USF lab, the bones are laid out neatly on a table. The skull has “very feminine features,” Kimmerle says. The clavicles are tiny, meaning the woman was small in stature. Her ribs are like two rainbows around the spine.

Kimmerle will slide the bones into a machine to take Xrays, snap photos and get the skull laser scanned. She’ll use a saw to take a femur sample, and she’ll scrape a molar’s surface.

Those shards will be used for the isotope analysis, a detailed look at environment and diet.

Kimmerle will send the samples to University of Florida geochemist George Kamenov, who analyzes chemical traces in the shavings for lead, carbon and other elements. While Kimmerle waits for the DNA and isotope tests to return — it can take eight months or more — she orders a 3-D printed cast of the skull. Actually, she orders skulls in about a dozen cases all at once and assembles folders for each.

When the 3-D skulls come in, the files are handed out to a group of forensic sculptors from around the world visiting USF for training. For a week, they work with blocks of clay, picks and rasps to make the dead come alive, using the skel-

etal anatomy of the face and details such as race and ethnicity to create the busts.

“They started with the muscle structure, and they are moving into different features and characteristics of the face, then they’ll add hair and all the things that make a person look unique,” said Kimmerle, who teaches part of the training. “I help and guide in terms of anatomy and how that informs the soft tissue. Those are those subtle differences in how somebody looks.”

From the skull’s bone structure and earlier autopsy reports, Kimmerle has determined the Tampa victim was black. Tatiana der Parthogh, a forensic-imaging consultant in London who’s taking the training, is working on the case. She smooths her fingertips over the jaw and brushes the cheekbones. Soon she’ll create hair out of clay.

“You can really see that it was someone who was alive at one point,” der Parthogh says.

Another detail makes the woman even more real. Isotope results based on diet and water have returned, and Kimmerle reaches a conclusion: The woman was local to the Tampa area.

••• Kimmerle heads to a podium, TV news crews following

her. She’s not in her usual work clothes of a T-shirt and jeans; instead it’s a smart black suit. She thanks the 100-person crowd for their work on the hardest mysteries of all: cold cases.

It’s October, and her stage is at the Tampa Bay History Center, an airy, open space along the water. Detectives, researchers and prosecutors are gathered for The Art of Forensics.

Kimmerle helped organize the event and brought along the busts from the training session.

The Tampa woman’s sculpted face sits on a stand closest to the audience. In the event brochure, she’s Case 5: “The remains are believed to be those of a young black female, approximately 5’2” to 5’9” tall.

She was found nude and her death was ruled a homicide.”

Kimmerle tells the crowd, “Time is against us. But there is a reason there is no statute of limitations on murder. Stripping someone of their life is the ultimate crime. The years may pass, but it’s not a pass to get away with murder.”

Kimmerle finishes her presentation, and other speeches begin. But there’s a commotion near the busts, and the cameras cluster around two women standing before Case 5. They saw a TV clip about the event and decided to show up; their sister has been missing for decades.

Could this be her?

One sister holds a faded, photocopied picture up to the sculpture and weeps. It looks eerily similar to the sculpture, a young black woman with haunted big eyes and closecropped hair. The women mention that their sister was missing molars.

A detective whisks the women away for interviews and DNA swabs.

Kimmerle knows it will take months to try to match the DNA of the sisters to the young woman. Sure, a long slog is ahead. But it’s the best chance for justice the woman in the pauper’s grave has had for more than 30 years.

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Large Alabama church eyes its own police force BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Briarwood Presbyterian Church already has more than 4,000 members, two private schools and its own radio station. And if administrators have their way, the wealthy congregation could soon add something that no other American church has: its own police force.

With a membership larger than many small towns, Briarwood has asked the state Legislature for permission to set up a private law enforcement department to watch over its flock and schools. The bill comes at a time when places of worship across the country are stepping up security, but a church-only police force raises constitutional questions that are ripe for a legal challenge.

And opponents worry crimes could be covered up by the church.

Experts think a church with its own police department would be unprecedented in the U.S. "I've never even heard of this," said Heath Grant, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. "From the perspective of security, churches usually have relationships with the local police departments. I don't know why that wouldn't be sufficient."

The Birmingham church hires off-duty police officers from nearby jurisdictions to cover its events, but it says there often are not enough officers available to help. Church officials also worry about mass shootings, such as the attacks at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Arnold Mooney, whose wife and daughter work at Briarwood Christian School. All three of his children graduated from Briarwood schools.

"Officer presence is the No. 1 line of defense," he said in an email.

Twenty-one of Mooney's colleagues in the Republican-controlled House support his bill, which passed the Legislature last year but was not signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley. The governor did not give a reason for not acting on the proposal in 2016 and has given no indication what he will do this year.

Debate in the House is expected before the session ends in May. In Alabama, a state where religion permeates nearly every aspect of social and political life, Briarwood's presence looms large. In addition to the huge membership and the radio station, the church's schools have nearly 2,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Their teams, particularly football, soccer and tennis, are known for athletic success. Briarwood also sends missionaries abroad to Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Opponents of the bill worry that forming a church-only police department may lead to crimes being covered up.

There are also doubts about the department's potential power, how closely it would

‘It’s making the church take the role of the government.’

RICHARD E. LEVY A constitutional law professor at Kansas University work with neighboring police and who it would ultimately answer to.

"It's making the church take the role of the government," said Richard E. Levy, a constitutional law professor at Kansas University. "I would expect that if the law is enacted it would not be very long before it is challenged."

The bill was first proposed after students at Briarwood's high school were arrested in a drug bust in early 2015, which made a splash in Birminghamarea media. While church administrators deny the raid was a catalyst for the bill, critics worry that similar instances could go unreported if the church had its own police.

"A church structure creates a hierarchy of who answers to whom," said Rep. Chris England, a Tuscaloosa Democrat.

The church says the department would mirror those that already exist at many colleges and universities. It would not have a jail or dispatch center and would instead cooperate with surrounding police agencies if someone needs to be detained, according to documents church administrator Matt Moore provided.

"The sole purpose of this proposed legislation is to provide a safe environment for the church, its members, students and guests," the church said in a statement.

Church officers would be trained to state policing standards and have all the duties and powers as other law enforcement, but they will be confined to the church's sprawling grounds in the sub-

urb of Vestavia Hills, plus the church's secondary school in nearby Shelby County. The bill would allow Briarwood to hire as many officers as it wants.

Co-sponsor Rep. Allen Treadaway, a Birmingham police captain, said if a wealthy church can attract and retain officers, let it do so.

"They're struggling to have enough security on that campus," said Treadaway, a Republican.

Nationwide, many places of worship have added cameras and security guards, but a church with its own sworn-in police department would be unique, said Carl Chinn, who authored a book titled "Evil Invades Sanctuary: The Case for Security in Faith-Based Organizations."

Chinn compiles instances on violence in religious centers through news reports. Last year, he found 246 violent incidents — a 141 percent increase from 2010. Attackers used firearms in more than half of all 1,457 incidents since he started putting the figures together in 1999. About 3 percent of all the attacks Chinn counted occurred at Presbyterian churches.

At a recent Sunday morning service, some of the faithful said they would welcome the added security, especially because state laws do not forbid people from carrying guns in churches.

"You've got to have some presence here," said Jeff Siren, 61, who has worshiped at Briarwood since 1998. "Anyone can wander in here unchallenged at any time."

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A5

Visitors can follow Tubman’s footsteps CHURCH CREEK, Md. (AP) — A new visitors' center on the Eastern Shore explores the history of one of Maryland's most famous figures, the Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist and Civil War spy Harriet Tubman.

The $21 million Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is in Church Creek, about a two-hour drive from Baltimore. It opened Saturday to the public, four years after its groundbreaking.

HISTORY Visitors can see a short video introduction to Tubman's life and her formative years in Maryland. A permanent exhibit focuses on Tubman and the Underground Railroad resistance movement in Maryland, including Tubman's brutal treatment at the hands of slave owners, her escape to freedom and her later rescues of hundreds of slaves.

The center also has a shop and a research library.

WHAT SHE SAW The visitor center is on a 17-acre site next to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. It includes sweeping views of the marshy refuge and paths through a landscape that has changed little since Tubman's time in the early to mid-1800s. It preserves routes she likely would

Get Ready for

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS VIA AP

This photograph released by the Library of Congress shows Harriet Tubman in a photograph dating from about 186075. have navigated as an adult leading other slaves to freedom.

JOURNEYS, OLD AND NEW The visitor center is a gateway to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a selfguided driving tour. The route includes 125 miles of countryside and shoreline in Maryland's Dorchester and Caroline counties. It offers 36 points of interest, including places where Tubman lived and historically significant sites related to the Underground Railroad.

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A6

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NATION

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

Push to avert battery fires on planes stalls

BY JOAN LOWY The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A year ago, the U.S. government was campaigning for an international ban on shipments of rechargeable batteries on passenger planes because the batteries can selfignite, creating intense fires capable of destroying an airliner.

"The risk is immediate and urgent," Angela Stubblefield, a U.S. aviation official, declared then.

Today, that urgency has evaporated as safety regulations stall under President Donald Trump's push to ease what he sees as red tape holding back the economy.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency that sets

The Obama administration had considered the change so urgent that it was fast-tracked in the rulemaking process. Trump's executive order says urgent safety rules can be exempted from the freeze, but the new administration isn't invoking that exemption for battery shipments.

"This is part of our ongoing regulatory review," the Transportation Department said in a statement. "The safe movement of hazardous materials remains a priority. We will provide updates as soon as decisions are made with regard to these and other issues at hand." No time frame was provided.

Rechargeable batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars.

global aviation safety standards, decided last year to ban bulk shipments of lithium-ion batteries on international passenger flights. On cargo flights, the batteries can be charged to no more than 30 percent, a level that may reduce the likelihood of fires.

As a result, countries around the world have been adopting the new international standard for domestic flights as well. The Obama administration also looked to do so, submitting rules for publication that makes them binding. But after Trump took office on Jan. 20, he signed an executive order freezing the publication of new regulations. That means airlines and cargo operators remain free to ignore the standard for domestic flights.

Manufacturers like them because they pack more energy into smaller packages, but the batteries can self-ignite if they have a manufacturing flaw, are damaged, exposed to excessive heat, overcharged or packed too closely together. The fires can burn up to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, close to the melting point of the aluminum used in aircraft construction.

Since 2006, three cargo jets have been destroyed and four pilots killed by in-flight fires that investigators say were either started by batteries or made more severe by their proximity.

Most passenger carriers and some cargo operators are voluntarily abiding by the international standard for their domestic operations for the time being.

Barn yarn: Massachusetts retirees knit sweaters for chickens “Prince Peep,” a rooster native to Malaysia, wears a sweater at Fuller Village retirement home in Milton, Massachusetts.

BY RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press MILTON, Massachusetts — Sweaters for chickens? It sounds like a joke, but a plucky group of retirees in suburban Boston has hatched a plan to keep poultry warm during the New England winter.

The unusual project began after members of a knitting club at Fuller Village, a retirement home in Milton, Massachusetts, heard about the hardships that some chickens suffer this time of year.

Certain breeds shed their feathers and grow new plumage in the winter months.

Others imported from tropi-

cal climates just aren't suited for the wintry conditions.

Organizer Nancy Kearns said the project benefits birds kept on a neighboring estate known as the Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust.

"I don't think in my wildest

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

dreams I ever thought anybody made sweaters for chickens," said Barbara Widmayer, 76, who started knitting when she was 15 years old.

Among the sweaters Widmayer crafted by hand was one for Prince Peep, a

warm, friendly atmosphere • painless experience • family oriented

rooster native to Malaysia.

"There's so much going on these days that's kind of contentious in the world," she said. "It was actually very calming to me to work on this."

Another knitter, 76-yearold Libby Kaplan, said the experience has helped her to overcome her fear of birds.

"One person I heard say there were more important things to do in this world.

'Make things for people that need it.' I think animals need to be warm, too, and I'm so

glad we did it," Kaplan said.

The chickens seem to like their sweaters: Estate spokeswoman Erica Max says egg production has jumped noticeably since the birds began wearing them.

It's got some members of the club wondering what exotic project to take on next.

Kearns said someone gave her an article about a need for blankets at an elephant refuge in India. Making something pachyderm-sized, she joked, might be a little too ambitious.

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A7

UNICEF: 2016 was worst year yet for Syria’s children BEIRUT (AP) — In Syria, last year was the worst yet for the country's rising generation, with at least 652 children killed in 2016, the United Nations' child relief agency said Monday.

There was no letup to attacks on schools, hospitals, playgrounds, parks and homes as the Syrian government, its opponents and the allies of both sides showed callous disregard for the laws of war.

UNICEF said at least 255 children were killed in or near schools last year and 1.7 million youngsters are out of school. One of every three schools in Syria is unusable, some because armed groups occupy them. An additional 2.3 million Syrian children are refugees elsewhere in the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A 6-year-old Syrian boy, Ahmed, sits in a damaged classroom at the school in Idlib, north Syria. UNICEF says schools, hospitals, playgrounds, parks and homes across the country are unsafe for children and come frequently under attack.

Middle East.

The figures came in a UNICEF report released ahead of the sixth anniversary later this week of the 2011 popular

uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule. The uprising, which was part of the Arab Spring movements across the Mideast, quickly

escalated into full-blown civil war.

Children were among the first victims of the government's brutal crackdown.

On March 15, 2011, a small demonstration broke out in the capital of Damascus, and three days later, residents in the southern Syrian city of Daraa marched to demand the release of teenage students arrested for writing anti-government slogans on their school's walls. They were tortured in detention.

The UNICEF report warns that for Syria's young generation, coping mechanisms and medical care are eroding quickly, driving children into child labor, early marriage and combat. Dozens of children are also dying from preventable diseases.

A report released a week ago by the international charity Save the Children said Syrian youngsters are showing signs of "toxic stress" that can lead to lifelong health problems, struggles with addiction and mental disorders lasting into adulthood.

The use of child soldiers is on the rise in Syria, UNICEF also said. At least 851 children were recruited by armed factions last year — more than twice compared to the year before.

Children across the country are at risk of severe injury while playing around land mines and cluster munitions.

Demining operations in opposition-held areas have been severely hampered by inaccessibility to outside experts.

GROWTH FROM PAGE A1 The 2 percent annual growth rate for the state during the time frame is above the U.S. average of 1.6 percent, according to Rick Kaglic, senior regional economist for the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

“The January reading of 5,300 net new jobs for the month is a resumption to normal here in South Carolina,” Kaglic said Monday.

Locally, Sumter County saw an increase of 300 new jobs for the month and 600 new jobs since January 2016. Payroll employment data is only tracked down to the metropolitan statistical area; Clarendon and Lee counties are not included in a metropolitan statistical area.

The state’s payroll employment gains for the month were concentrated in the financial activities sector — with 2,800 new jobs in January — and the professional and business services sector, which increased by 4,000 jobs for the month. The financial activities sector includes finance, insurance and real estate. The professional and business services sector involves many subcategories, including professional, scientific and technical services, management of companies and enterprises and temporary employment agencies among others.

According to the report, there were decreases in jobs in the leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; government; manufacturing; and construction sectors.

Year-over-year manufacturing payroll employment in the state has increased by 1.9 percent, which is on par with the state’s overall 2 percent growth rate. Kaglic said that was a good sign for South Carolina, and many other states can’t boast that their manufacturing growth has been similar to overall job growth rates.

In a separate BLS report with a much smaller sample size, county unemployment statistics for South Carolina were also released Monday.

Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties all saw increases in their January unemployment rates from December; however, year over year each county has seen its unemployment rate dip. Sumter’s unemployment rate for January was 5.9 percent, while Clarendon was at 6.6 percent and Lee registered 6.7 percent.

The state’s unemployment rate for January was 4.4 percent, and the U.S. rate was 4.8 percent.

In his work with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Kaglic travels and speaks throughout the Carolinas.

Regarding manufacturers’ perspectives on potential changes to foreign trade policies by President Trump and subsequent effects on U.S. exports, Kaglic said he hasn’t heard much at all.

“I think the reason I haven’t heard much is because there aren’t really specific policy proposals out there right now,” Kaglic said. “So yeah there’s talk of something on foreign trade, but until somebody writes something down, industries are really withholding comments on that.”

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LOCAL

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

LITTER FROM PAGE A1

Green said.

Bags are provided by DOT, but the grabbers and gloves aren’t. According to Green, however, they can be purchased inexpensively at local The event was the second time that Sertoma stores.

Club went out to clean up a portion of Lewis The groups found a variety of trash along Road, he said. He said there were about 13 memtheir sections of road including straws, cigarette bers and about four children in the group pickpacks, lottery tickets and food. Both groups ing up litter on Saturday. found syringes, but Green said they aren’t al“(Littering is) definitely a cultural problem,” lowed to pick those items up because of safety Burkett said. “You would think you would want measures. Bottles containing liquids and batterto take pride in the city, but some bad apples are ies are other items that volunteers are instructed ruining this town.” not to pick up, Green said.

Burkett said the club collectNot all of what they find is ed 50 bags of trash both times ordinary litter. Burkett’s group it has done cleanups. found a boar skull.

Paula Cearley, Sumter coor“We didn’t know what it was, dinator for the South Carolina but then we saw the tusks,” he Department of Transportasaid. tion’s Adopt-a-Highway Pro“I said (to the DOT) give us a gram, said she is seeking new dirty section; we have enthusigroups and organizations to astic members,” Burkett said. adopt state highways in SumOnce a group has picked up ter County. litter in its area, members fill “I have 31 active groups and KASEY MEREDITH / THE SUMTER ITEM out a report card detailing how more than 2,000 miles of roadNot even an hour into the cleanup, many people participated in way in Sumter County,” she the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority of picking up the litter and how said. long it took.

Groups are asked to commit Sumter picked up enough trash for three bags in only one section of its “They have to let me know to picking up litter on 2 miles where the bags are by email or of highway four times a year designated area on Pike Road. by calling me the next morning for two years, she said. Some or the next Monday morning,” Cearley said. groups commit to an area instead of a 2-mile She said volunteers must watch a video about stretch of highway, she said, which may include collecting trash safely, and all group leaders are more than 2 miles. given guidelines and safety information. Groups SCDOT provides the bags and will lend the wishing to volunteer must submit an application group 10 safety vests if they are available. If a and inform the department what areas they group has more than 10 volunteers, it is suggested they stagger the work time so all can wear the would be interested in adopting.

“If you put them 18 miles away from the area vests, Cearley said.

Willana Robinson Green, chairman of the Acts they want, it is less likely they will put their time in,” Cearley said. of Green committee for the Eta Zeta Omega She said the road signs listing the groups reChapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at sponsible for an area come from the DOT and Morris College, was out with other members of are usually in place within a couple of months her group Saturday cleaning up a portion of of being requested. She said a lot of groups, Pike Road. particularly school groups, change member“Seeing what we’ve collected so far, we should ship often and do not continue the cleanups be more conscious of littering,” Green said. “Litafter a while. ter less, but definitely (do) not litter at all.”

“There are lots of signs out where the groups Green said that as a student, members of her are no longer active,” she said. group will only be here temporarily, but that Cearley said she is willing to give a presentadoesn’t mean they can’t take care of the area. tion to groups interested in the program.

“While we’re here, we should take care of it,” For more information, call Cearley at (803) 778she said.

5466 or email cearleypl@scdot.org or email cear“My mother always said you should leave a leypl@scdot.org. place cleaner than when you arrived at it,”

FIRESIDE

BOARD FROM PAGE A1 or BRAC, and has had multiple rounds in the last few decades.

“If you will think back with me for a moment to the 1991, ’93, ’95 BRAC and the one we had in 2005 — every BRAC report that comes out, the No. 1 issue is community public education,” Creech said. “I’m here to ask you to please get your affairs in order.

You are killing us at Shaw Air Force Base.”

Creech referred to board member Karen Michalik’s prepared statement at the last board meeting Feb. 27 in response to detractors.

In that statement — the video of which was posted online — Michalik said the only favor she has ever received from Sumter School District Superintendent Frank Baker were a few chickens that he gave her when she lost her flock several years ago.

“The difference between 2005 and today is social media,” Creech said.

“When they get on social media and watch a video of someone talking about chickens in the school district, it should be embar-

rassing to you folks.

Please get your affairs in order.”

At the outset of Monday’s board meeting, an updated quarterly capital projects report by Baker resulted in more questions than answers for some board members. The original report had been presented at the last board meeting two weeks ago but was tabled because of missing project information. Board members had received Baker’s updated version in advance of Monday’s meeting.

Board member Johnny Hilton noted numerous numerical changes that had been made in the updated report, which was only supposed to add two cafeteria projects that were not included previously.

Baker said that in the report update process, he and staff had discovered some miscodings that had to be corrected. Hilton was not happy with all the changes.

“Accounting mistakes are getting us into a lot of trouble,” Hilton said.

“This mismanagement and confusion has got to stop.”

We Care Every Day in Every Way®

FROM PAGE A1 Champagne said team members discussed the best way to use the money to continue to be good stewards and keep in line with the ministry’s mission. He said the money allowed the ministry to assist more people with heat for a longer period.

“It also allowed us to make commonsense assistance to some elderly folks who were struggling needlessly with kerosene and large propane tanks when they had heating systems that simply needed some attention,” he said.

These effects may never be able to be truly measured, he said.

“Who knows what fires, falling injuries and other serious problems may have been prevented?” he said. “And who will measure the impact of the Fireside Fund from its inception in 1969? Only God knows how He multiplied over $1.5 million in donations by blessing and preventing hardships to our neighbors in Sumter.”

“Thanks again to The Sumter Item’s Fireside Fund and the generous donations from our great people of Sumter,” Champagne said.

This winter’s Fireside Fund was 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 Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, the Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust, set up by Edwards and his wife, Flora, continues to enhance our community.

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.

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

For the week ending March 6, the Crisis Relief Fund financially assisted six families with utilities or heating, for a total of $1,607.77.

Final numbers for Fireside Fund 2016-17 ending on Monday.

Total combined anonymous: $200 Total this week: $200 Total this year: $48,601.18 Total last year: $52,959.60 Total since 1969: $1,540,589.24

THE SUMTER ITEM

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THE SUMTER ITEM N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

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A9

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DEMOCRATS ARE SCARED THEIR PARTY IS DYING It is absolutely without precedent, the way the Democrats are trying to slow down the Trump administration’s ability to govern. I don’t ever remember the opposing party ever slowing things down the way the current group is doing. I think they are scared to death that the Democratic party is on its way to oblivion, as it should be, after their backing of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Eric Holder, not to mention the lady that occupied the Attorney General slot for a few months, along with Harry Reid and the Democrats, have set this country back, and it will take some hard work to set things right again.

It is interesting that President Trump came out with some tweets indicating that he knows that Barack Obama and his minions were involved in some illegal activities preceding the election. I do not doubt this for one moment.

Barack Obama, in my estimation, has spent eight years doing his best to damage this country. For some time, I thought it was just because he was too ignorant to know better.

Now, after seeing what happened during the last days of his presidency, I think a lot of it was planned to disrupt the standing of the U.S. in the world.

Now that we have an honest attorney general in the office, I hope that Jeff Sessions will pursue the law in finding out to what extent Barack Obama broke the laws of the United States, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a prosecution before Donald Trump leaves office.

WARREN C. FORDHAM Manning

YOU WON’T DIE IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND I see my buddy (William Q. Brunson) from New York City (Hillary country) is at it again.

I hope, someday, he might realize that it’s always better to wait to say something until you know the truth then to open your mouth and be wrong.

Matthew 12:34-37 says much, but for those who won’t look these verses up, it says in part, “you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” Then Matthew 15:11 says, “You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do.”

If you want to know the truth, you need to start paying attention to what people like Mr. Buchanan says and not what Obama/ Hillary people say.

You have a lot of nerve to condemn “D” “T” for golfing. Where would you have him live, and how much “rent” would you have him pay to live in the White House? He owns nicer homes in New York City and Palm Beach. I know another person who lived in the White House for eight years and golfed while doing little to help our country. At least “D” “T” is working when he is golfing.

I have been waiting for the perfect time to write

the following. My buddy’s letter gives me that chance now. I wonder, way too much, how people like my buddy can see a supposed fault in one person but can’t see that supposed fault in themselves or in the people they idolize.

Hypocrite just isn’t good enough for them. I wondered and wondered what word could correctly describe them. I finally came up with it. That word is “supercrite.” Now I know that you don’t know that word because I made it up.

The definition is “a hypocrite on steroids”!

Need I say more? Yes I do! Before you talk about someone, first find out if your thinking is wrong.

Lightning won’t strike and you won’t die if you change your mind.

JACQUELINE K. HUGHES Sumter

MANY CONGRESSMEN HAVE MET WITH RUSSIANS President Donald Trump has called the partisan attack on Attorney General Jeff Sessions a witch hunt.

As many Democrats and some Republicans try to smear the attorney general with charges of perjury in questions related to Russia, they ignore that many members of Congress have met with Russian officials, to include Democratic Sens. Schumer, McCaskill, Cantwell, Reed and Casey among others. (http://bit. ly/2mjWbVD). They also never discuss a memorandum unearthed by London Times reporter Tim Sebastian which documented Sen. Ted Kennedy’s attempt to work with the Soviet Union to undermine Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection bid (http://bit. ly/198TpfV). In their attempt to undermine President Trump and his cabinet, Democrats, and some Republicans such as John McCain, endeavor to make an enemy out of Russia and hinder attempts to cooperate with Russia in order to defeat ISIS. ISIS and Al Qaeda have declared war on the United States. Russia has not. Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11, and ISIS has claimed responsibility for many attacks on American soil.

In addition to the Democratic-led witch hunt against Attorney General Sessions, there is a hunt by witches against President Donald Trump. The New York Post (http://nyp. st/2lDVt6R) describes in detail spell-casting rituals, first held on Feb. 24. It goes on to state that “other spell-casting rituals are slated to be performed on March 26, April 24, May 23 and June 21.

But to counter the witches, some Christian groups are calling for a day of prayer. Kevin Ambrose of the Christian Nationalist Alliance said, “This is a declaration of spiritual war and it requires a response. As such, the Christian Nationalist Alliance is announcing a Day of Prayer on each of these days. We beseech all Christian soldiers to answer this call to action by reading from Psalm 23’ ...We ask you to join us in praying for the strength of our nation, our elected representatives and for the souls of the lost who would take up Satanic arms against us.”

BRYAN GROVES Sumter

COMMENTARY

Public records can be used by everyone, not just journalists Editor’s note: Kenneth Kramer is a private investigator and public records expert. He can be reached at pi@datasearch.pro.

H

appy Sunshine Week! (March 12 - 18) This week newspapers across the country will publish stories about the importance of public records and measure how well their local governments allow access to information.

Public records are very serious business for newspapers because they form the backbone of most newspaper stories.

Newspapers are the loudest ones screaming Kenneth when legislaKramer tors have the gall to attempt limiting public records. A reporter’s paycheck may depend on how well he can dig up stories using public records.

Although governments usually give special treatment to journalists, you, as a citizen, have just as much right to access these records. If you don’t know whether a record is public or not, just ask for it. It is the responsibility of the government to respond with the exact statute if they deny you.

This makes it easy for you to look up the law.

When you’re reading this newspaper today, I bet you can find at least one piece of information a reporter got from a government agency.

The term FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) is an acronym commonly used when describing the activity of accessing records from government agencies. But each state has a name for its own public records law.

“Public records” generally are defined as records, regardless of their physical form, made or received in connection with official government business. “Regardless of physical form” means that public records come in various forms, not just paper records. They can also be electronic, such as e-mail or data stored on government computers. They can also be photos, video or audio.

So, the e-mails of your mayor, a mugshot, video from a police dashcam, audio from a court hearing, the deed on your neighbor’s property and their water usage may all be public records. Using your public records law, you can check out a health care provider. Just go to the medical licensing board and request discipline reports on a doctor.

You can find out if a psychiatrist was ever disciplined for sexual misconduct, substance abuse or has a record of overdrugging children. You can find out if a doctor has done any wrong-side surgery or a dentist has improperly done an extraction which resulted

in complications.

If you request enough public records, you will see the free flow of information from government agencies. You get into a rhythm — you ask, you receive, back and forth, on and on and things are sailing along smoothly and then “Clunk!”, the machine stops. Some attorney, trained to stop the flow and prevent access to records, or some recalcitrant government worker or some state statute or agency “policy” slams the door shut. “Request Denied! “ But don’t let that stop you.

Just Google the statute they gave you in denying the records. Are they right or not? If not, ask them once again for the record, and quote the statute.

There is a wide variation in public record laws since each state has its own statutes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill last year allowing criminal records to be sealed if an ex-offender stayed out of trouble for 10 years. New York divorce records are closed — but California’s are open. Florida prohibited autopsy photos following the NASCAR crash death of Dale Earnhardt. The FBI won’t release a record unless the subject of the records request has filled out a form or if the subject has died. (Plus they take forever in responding.)

Public records are your records. They are public. Governments are simply the custodians of the records.

Good luck on your search of public records.

Happy Sunshine Week!

WHO REPRESENTS YOU SUMTER COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 Christopher F. Sumpter II 1200 Broad St., PMB 180 Sumter, SC 29154 (803) 305-9375 (cell) csumpter@sumtercountysc.org DISTRICT 2 Artie Baker 3680 Bakersfield Lane Dalzell, SC 29040 803-469-3638 (home) DISTRICT 3 James Byrd Jr. PO Box 1913 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 468-1719 (cell) (803) 436-2108 (fax) jbyrd@sumtercountysc.org DISTRICT 4 Charles T. Edens 3250 Home Place Road Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 775-0044 (home) (803) 236-5759 (cell) cedens@sumtercountysc.org DISTRICT 5 Vivian Fleming-McGhaney 9770 Lynches River Road Lynchburg, SC 29080 (803) 437-2797 (home) (803) 495-3247 (office) vmcghaney@sumtercountysc.org DISTRICT 6 James T. McCain Jr.

317 W. Bartlette St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-2353 (home) (803) 607-2777 (cell) DISTRICT 7 Eugene Baten PO Box 3193 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 773-0815 (home) council@sumtercountysc.org SUMTER CITY COUNCIL MAYOR Joseph T. McElveen Jr. 20 Buford St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-0382 jmcelveen@sumter-sc.com WARD 1 Thomas J. Lowery 829 Legare St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-9298 tlowery@sumter-sc.com WARD 2 Ione Dwyer PO Box 1492 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 481-4284 idwyer@sumter-sc.com WARD 3 Calvin K. Hastie Sr. 810 S. Main St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 774-7776 chastie@sumter-sc.com

WARD 4 Steven Corley 115 Radcliff Drive Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 305-1566 scorley@sumter-sc.com WARD 5 Robert Galiano 608 Antlers Drive Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 469-0005 bgaliano@sumter-sc.com WARD 6 David Merchant 26 Paisley Park Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-1086 dmerchant@sumter-sc.com STATE LAWMAKERS Rep. Will Wheeler, D-Bishopville District 50 (803) 484-5454 (office, Bishopville) (803) 212-6958 (office, Columbia) (803) 428-3161 (home) (803) 229-2407 (cell) Rep. Joe Neal, D-Hopkins District 70 PO Box 5 Hopkins, SC 29061 (803) 776-0353 (home) (803) 734-9142 (fax) (803) 734-2804 (Columbia) jn@schouse.org Rep. Dr. Robert L. Ridgeway III, D-Clarendon

District 64 117 N. Brooks St. Manning, SC 29102 (803) 938-3087(home) (803) 212-6929 (Columbia) Rep. Murrell Smith Jr., R-Sumter District 67 PO Box 580 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 778-2471 (business) (803) 778-1643 (fax) (803) 734-3042 (Columbia) murrellsmith@schouse.gov Rep. J. David Weeks, D-Sumter District 51 2 Marlborough Court Sumter, SC 29154 (803) 775-5856 (business) (803) 734-3102 (Columbia)

NATIONAL LAWMAKERS Rep. Mick Mulvaney — 5th District 1207 Longworth HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-5501 531-A Oxford Drive Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 327-1114 Rep. Jim Clyburn — 6th District 319 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3315 1703 Gervais St. Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 799-1100 jclyburn@hr.house.gov

Sen. Lindsey Graham 290 Russell Senate Office Building Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5972 District 29 Midlands Regional Office 1216 Salem Road 508 Hampton Street, Suite 202 Hartsville, SC 29550 Columbia, SC 29201 (843) 339-3000 (803) 933-0112 (main) (803) 212-6148 (Columbia) Sen. Kevin L. Johnson, D-Manning District 36 PO Box 156, Manning, 29102 (803) 435-8117 (home) (803) 212-6108 (Columbia) Sen. J. Thomas McElveen III, D-Sumter District 35 PO Box 57, Sumter, 29151 (803) 775-1263 (business) (803) 212-6132 (Columbia)

Sen. Tim Scott 167 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-6121 (202) 228-5143 (fax) 1301 Gervais St., Suite 825 Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 771-6112 (803) 771-6455 (fax)

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 14, 2017

AROUND TOWN South Carolina will meet at 7 Did you know that March is recp.m. today at Shiloh-Ranognized as Red Cross Month in Color for a Cause event to be held at dolph Manor, 125 W. Bartlette celebration of the volunteers Sumter St. Mary Junous will speak. who help thoseMall in need by Transportation provided giving their time, money or within their coverage area. blood? Blood donation is Contact Debra Canty at (803) now easier than ever with 775-5792 or debra.canty@ the Blood Donor App and frontier.com .

RapidPass. With this free app, donors can schedule The Sumter County Chapter of and manage donation apAARP will meet at 2:30 p.m. pointments, access their on Thursday, March 16, at donor card, earn rewards Sumter Senior Services Cenand more. You can help save ter, 119 S. Sumter St. All pera life by becoming a blood sons age 55 years old or donor during one of the fololder are invited to attend. lowing blood donation opCall Johnny Jones at (803) portunities: Tuesday, March 773-9681.

28, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Central Clarendon School District 2’s anCarolina Technical College, nual fine arts extravaganza will 506 N. Guignard Drive; be held at 6 p.m. on ThursWednesday, March 29, 10 day, March 16, at Weldon Aua.m.-3 p.m., USC Sumter, 200 ditorium, 7 Maple St., ManMiller Road; and Thursday, ning. This program will feaMarch 30, 2-7 p.m., Grace ture a display of artwork and Baptist Church, 219 W. Calperformances by students in houn St. grades K-12. Billie Jean Shaw, Volunteers from AARP will offer WIS-TV reporter and a 2009 free tax preparation from 9 graduate of Manning High a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays School, will serve as mistress and Wednesdays through of ceremonies.

April 12 at the Shepherd’s The General George L. Mabry Jr. Center, 24 Council St. AppliChapter 817, Military Order of cants are advised to bring the Purple Heart will meet at 6 the following with them: p.m. on Thursday, March 16, photo ID; Social Security cards for all household mem- at the Sumter Combat Veterans Group building, 529 N. bers being claimed; tax docWise Drive. All Purple Heart uments — W-2 forms, 1099R, 1099SSA, interest income and recipients and those interested in association memall other income statements; bership are invited. Call (803) 2015 tax returns and power 773-0658. of attorney forms if filing for The Lincoln High School Presersomeone other than yourvation Alumni Association will self. Call (803) 499-4990 or sponsor a dinner fundraiser (803) 316-0772. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on FriThe Sumter Mall will hold a day, March 17, at the Lincoln Color for a Cause event from 5 High School cafeteria, Counto 7 p.m. today. This is a live cil Street. Cost is $9 per percoloring competition and son and the menu will conshopping event to raise sist of turkey wing, seasoned funds and awareness for rice, string beans, dessert, local organizations. Representatives from the following roll and a drink. Dine in or take out. Call (803) 968-4173. organizations will be in atThe 17th Annual Cavalier Pride tendance: United Way of Auction will be held on SaturSumter, Clarendon and Lee day, March 18, at Robert E. counties; Sumter County DisLee Academy in Bishopville. abilities and Special Needs; Food will be served from 5 to Sumter County Library; 7 p.m. Bidding will begin at American Red Cross; Pawsi5:30 p.m. with the first table tive Direction Rescue; and closing at 7 p.m. Tickets are KAT’s Special Kneads. $15 in advance or $20 at the The Sumter Chapter of the Nadoor. Call (803) 484-5532 for tional Federation of the Blind of more information.

PUBLIC AGENDA LEE COUNTY COUNCIL Today, 9 a.m., council chambers

TURBEVILLE TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6:30 p.m., town hall

SUMTER HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Today, noon, Sunset Country Club

MAYESVILLE TOWN COUNCIL Today, 7 p.m., town hall

LYNCHBURG TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., Teen Center on Magnolia Street, Lynchburg SUMMERTON TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., town hall SUMTER COUNTY COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., Sumter County Council Chambers

CENTRAL CAROLINA TECHNICAL COLLEGE AREA COMMISSION Thursday, 5:30 p.m., 506 N. Guignard Drive, building M500, second floor, President’s Conference Room CLARENDON SCHOOL DISTRICT 3 Thursday, 7:30 p.m., district office, Turbeville

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Open your EUGENIA LAST heart to someone you love and share your thoughts, ideas and plans for the future.

Partnerships are built through communication and having a greater understanding of what is best for everyone involved. Selfimprovements will turn out well.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Think matters through. Take your time to assess what’s going on around you.

Ask questions and remain calm regardless of the response you get.

Control whatever situation you face by using facts and expressing your willingness to compromise.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Get along with your fellow co-workers.

Disputes will only weaken the process of getting ahead. Problems while traveling will be costly if you don’t put cautionary measures in place. You’ll have to think and act with precision and courage.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Think twice before you jump into a debate with someone. Get your facts straight and have suggestions and solutions ready to share when the time is appropriate. Choose intelligence over aggression and you will overcome negativity and criticism.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Make the most of the environments you live and work in. Positive changes will foster good results. Refuse to let someone inhibit your way of thinking. Being true to yourself and the way you do your job will bring satisfaction.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll be limited if you haven’t been paying enough attention to your bills, banking charges or personal possessions and affairs. Don’t risk making a mistake due to someone else’s assessment of your situation.

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Clearing and warmer

Patchy clouds and colder

Mostly sunny; breezy, colder

Cool with plenty of sunshine

Plenty of sun

Sunny intervals

59°

27°

50° / 23°

54° / 27°

65° / 45°

71° / 39°

Chance of rain: 20%

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 20%

WNW 10-20 mph

NW 10-20 mph

NW 10-20 mph

WNW 6-12 mph

SW 4-8 mph

WNW 8-16 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 54/23 Spartanburg 54/24

Greenville 53/22

Columbia 59/30

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 59/27

Aiken 58/27

ON THE COAST

Charleston 63/34

Today: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High 60 to 65.

Wednesday: Colder; partly sunny, but sunnier in southern parts. High 46 to 53.

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

43° 27° 65° 40° 87° in 1955 22° in 1998

LAKE LEVELS Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

356.83 74.73 74.71 97.82

24-hr chg +0.04 +0.01 -0.11 +0.02

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

0.01" 0.50" 1.71" 6.08" 10.22" 9.13"

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

NATIONAL CITIES

REGIONAL CITIES

Today City Hi/Lo/W Atlanta 50/28/pc Chicago 27/14/sf Dallas 65/46/s Detroit 28/13/sf Houston 68/46/s Los Angeles 85/59/s New Orleans 62/46/s New York 33/21/sn Orlando 71/45/pc Philadelphia 35/21/sn Phoenix 92/63/s San Francisco 70/52/s Wash., DC 40/22/sn

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

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 47/27/s 32/14/s 70/55/pc 32/17/pc 71/56/pc 82/57/pc 61/48/s 30/20/sf 63/39/s 30/19/sf 92/63/s 65/53/c 32/21/sf

Myrtle Beach 60/34

Manning 61/30

Today: Cloudy, then some sun this afternoon; breezy and warmer.

Wednesday: Partly sunny. Winds northwest 6-12 mph.

LOCAL ALMANAC

Florence 59/28

Bishopville 59/27

Today Hi/Lo/W 42/19/c 54/25/pc 61/29/pc 63/35/pc 57/33/c 63/34/pc 55/23/pc 57/27/pc 59/30/pc 59/27/pc 52/27/r 58/29/pc 58/27/pc

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 6.46 -0.07 19 3.62 +0.33 14 4.54 none 14 1.99 +0.04 80 75.92 none 24 5.63 +0.31

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 34/17/sf 48/22/s 53/22/s 53/30/s 43/33/sf 51/27/pc 44/20/pc 49/23/pc 50/24/pc 47/22/pc 41/23/pc 45/23/pc 47/24/pc

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 59/28/pc Gainesville 64/35/pc Gastonia 54/23/pc Goldsboro 57/27/r Goose Creek 62/34/pc Greensboro 51/21/c Greenville 53/22/pc Hickory 51/21/c Hilton Head 63/37/pc Jacksonville, FL 60/35/pc La Grange 51/29/pc Macon 55/29/pc Marietta 48/26/pc

Sunrise 7:34 a.m.

Moonrise 9:37 p.m.

Sunset Moonset

7:29 p.m.

8:50 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

Mar. 20

Mar. 27

Apr. 3

Apr. 11

TIDES AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Wed.

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 48/22/pc 59/29/s 44/19/pc 45/23/pc 50/27/pc 40/21/pc 45/21/pc 40/21/pc 51/32/pc 57/29/s 49/26/s 52/23/s 44/24/s

High 11:10 a.m.

11:36 p.m.

11:47 a.m.

---

Ht. 3.1 3.1 2.9 ---

Low Ht. 5:45 a.m. -0.4 6:00 p.m. -0.2 6:26 a.m. -0.2 6:36 p.m. 0.0

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 49/22/c Mt. Pleasant 63/37/pc Myrtle Beach 60/34/pc Orangeburg 60/31/pc Port Royal 63/36/pc Raleigh 55/23/r Rock Hill 55/24/pc Rockingham 58/26/pc Savannah 63/34/pc Spartanburg 54/24/pc Summerville 62/33/pc Wilmington 58/29/pc Winston-Salem 51/22/c

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 39/19/pc 51/31/pc 48/28/pc 49/23/pc 52/32/s 44/21/pc 44/20/pc 45/20/pc 53/28/s 44/21/pc 50/26/pc 46/23/pc 40/22/pc

Look no further than your local newspaper for

The right advertising opportunity!

PINEWOOD TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6:30 p.m., town hall

The last word in astrology

DAILY PLANNER

Take control and avoid being disappointed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It will be too easy to get the wrong impression, blow situations out of proportion or end up in a precarious position if you are too quick to act. Choose to work alone and to focus on productivity.

Personal growth is encouraged.

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

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Impulsiveness can be damaging.

Slow down and consider where your information is coming from.

Trust in yourself and you will discover a way to avoid facing unwanted trouble with the powers that be. Express caution when dealing with institutions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Positive changes to your residence, love life or your overall position should be implemented. Take responsibility for your happiness and do what works best for you.

You’ll be respected for your honesty, not for evasiveness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stick to what’s doable. Be realistic when taking on physical challenges.

Reconsider your approach when dealing with emotional matters.

Offering constructive suggestions is preferable to making a big fuss.

Be cautious while traveling.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An opportunity is heading in your direction. Winnings, settlements and rewards look promising.

Personal adjustments will prove to be fruitful and could give you the boost you need to improve your life and your future.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take time to assess matters. It’s important to have a plan before you take action, making changes that will have long-term effects.

Treat personal and professional partnerships with respect and the hopes of achieving equality.

Joel Singletary shares a photo he took at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens of a great white egret in flight.

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 14, 2017 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

COMMENTARY South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson (22) will lead the Gamecocks as they try again to bring home a national championship when the NCAA Women’s tournament starts on Friday. They’ll play host to UNC Asheville in the tournament’s opening round in Columbia.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

USC must make best of good fortune

S

Heading west?

No. 1 seed Gamecocks may go far from home once again

BY PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA (AP) — This is one trip West that South Carolina coach Dawn Staley believes her top-seeded Gamecocks should not have to make.

South Carolina earned its fourth straight No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Monday night, topping the regional in Stockton, Cali-

fornia. Staley thinks her four-time defending Southeastern Conference champions should’ve been located closer to home instead of three time zones away.

“I don’t know what more we can do,” Staley said shortly after the brackets were announced.

The Gamecocks (27-4) open play Friday against 16th-seeded UNC Asheville (19-14), the Big South Con-

ference Tournament champion.

It’s the second time in a row that top-seeded South Carolina was sent out of its comfy Eastern time zone.

Last year, it was Syracuse who ended South Carolina’s run in the Sweet 16 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Gamecocks also lost in the round of 16 to North Carolina in 2014, playing at Stanford.

South Carolina would have preferred to land in the Lexington Regional in place of top seed Notre Dame. The Gamecocks even thought Baylor’s loss in the Big 12 Tournament might open the spot in Oklahoma City over that No. 1 seed. Instead, it was the latest Western swing for South Carolina.

SEE USC, PAGE B4

AUTO RACING

Truex Jr. wins at Las Vegas; Kyle Busch bloodied in brawl LAS VEGAS (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. finished speaking to reporters after winning the NASCAR Cup race Sunday and retreated into a corner of the media center where a tablet awaited with the video cued up.

Truex had to see the Kyle Busch-Joey Logano brawl, too.

“I’m sure NASCAR is going to love that one,” Truex said.

Truex passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go and avoided a last-lap wreck and ensuing fight that left Busch’s forehead bloodied in a wild finish.

An aggressive Joey Logano got into Busch as they raced for third, sending Busch spinning down pit road at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“It was nothing intentional,” Logano said. “But obviously he thinks that.”

As Truex headed toward victory circle, Busch walked down pit road, turned right and threw a right hook at Logano’s face. Logano’s crew members brought Busch to the ground as NASCAR officials yelled for them to stop.

When they were separated and Busch got to his feet, he had a bloody gash above his right eye.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kyle Busch (18) climbs out of his smoking car in pit lane at the end of the Monster Energy Cup Series Kobalt 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday in Las Vegas.

“There wasn’t much talking, just a lot of swinging,” said Logano, who said he was unhurt. “I was racing hard

there at end.”

CLEMSON MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tigers relish chances in postseason

BY SCOTT KEEPFER The Greenville News CLEMSON — Shelton Mitchell was the least nervous man in the room on Sunday night as he waited to hear Clemson’s name announced for inclusion in this year’s National Invitation Tournament.

First of all, he’d been in a similar setting a few years ago while a freshman at Vanderbilt, when the Commodores were the final team announced for the NCAA Tournament.

Secondly, his coaches didn’t appear to be too concerned.

“I looked over at them and they looked comfortable and were laughing, so I figured I shouldn’t be worried,” Mitchell said. “I also found it hard to think that we could go from being on the bubble (for the NCAA Tournament) to not making the NIT.” With their season extended, courtesy of a No. 2 seed in this year’s NIT and a first-round game at 8 p.m. today against Oakland, the Tigers intend to make the most of the opportu-

nity – not unlike Mitchell has done over the final portion of the season.

Mitchell has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games, averaging 15.6 points during that span and shooting at a 57.7 percent success rate from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-3-inch redshirt sophomore, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Vanderbilt, has been driving to the basket effectively, putting even more pressure

SEE CLEMSON, PAGE B3

SEE NASCAR, PAGE B2

urprise, surprise, surprise!

OK, maybe the first surprise wasn’t really much of one. The general consensus was the University of South Carolina men’s basketball team was a shoe-in for the NCAA tournament.

Even one pessimistic naysayer –ahem – was pretty sure the Gamecocks had their first Big Dance invitation since 2004.

Now, the other two surprises were big Dennis ones. USC Brunson being a No. 7 seed couldn’t have been anticipated, especially after its poor stretch run. Being an 8, 9 or 10 seed had to be in the thoughts of most observers; perhaps even a No. 11 seed entered the minds of some – ahem – after the loss to Alabama on Friday in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

However, what had to make Carolina fans rub their eyes in amazement though was when they saw the venue would be Bons Secour Wellness Arena in Greenville. While it’s not Colonial Life Arena, Greenville is just a hop and a skip up the interstate.

Now it’s up to South Carolina to take advantage of the good fortune that has come its way. The Gamecocks need to find a way to shake off the doldrums they’ve been in the last few games.

USC has been a tentative team in all facets of the game during its 4-6 stretch run.

Still, it has been in the vast majority of those contests, which has led to much of the angst for fans.

Of the four No. 10 seeds, Carolina got the best matchup for its style of play in Marquette. While Marquette is a high-scoring team, it gambles a lot on defense and that could play in South Carolina’s favor.

The Gamecocks could benefit offensively facing a team that is not a lockdown defense. Now USC is going to have to find its defensive stride again because the Golden Eagles are shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. Carolina will have to be on point defensively.

South Carolina needs to find a way to pick up a victory in this game. Getting to the NCAAs is a good thing for a program that does it about once a decade.

One-and-done will be very disappointing, to say the least.

Clemson guard Shelton Mitchell, right, and the rest of the Tigers will try go on a run in the National Invitation Tournament beginning today. Clemson will play host to Oakland today at 8 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPNU. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

B2

|

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

SCOREBOARD TV SPORTS TODAY 6 a.m. — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic Second-Round Game from Tokyo — Cuba vs. Japan (MLB NETWORK).

11 a.m. — Professional Golf: New Zealand Open Final Round from Queensland (GOLF).

1 p.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: Atlanta vs. Philadelphia from Clearwater, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

2 p.m. — Professional Tennis: BNP Paribas Open Women’s Round-of-16 Matches and Men’s Third-Round Matches from Indian Wells, Calif. (TENNIS).

3:30 p.m. — International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match — Sevilla vs. Leicester City (FOX SPORTS 1).

3:30 p.m. — International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match — Juventus vs. Porto (FOX SPORTS 2).

4 p.m. — Major League Exhibition Baseball: San Francisco vs. Cleveland from Goodyear Ariz. (MLB NETWORK).

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

7 p.m. — NHL Hockey: New York Islanders at Carolina (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. — NBA Basketball: Detroit at Cleveland (NBA TV).

7 p.m. — College Baseball: Murray State at Kentucky (SEC NETWORK).

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

7:30 p.m. — NHL Hockey: Chicago at Montreal (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

8 p.m. — College Baseball: New Mexico State at Brigham Young (BYUTV).

8 p.m. — College Basketball: National Invitation Tournament First-Round Game — Oakland at Clemson (ESPNU, WWBD-FM 94.7).

8 p.m. — Professional Tennis: BNP Paribas Open Women’s Round-of-16 Matches and Men’s Third-Round Matches from Indian Wells, Calif. (TENNIS).

8 p.m. — College Baseball: Texas A&M at Texas (TIME WARNER 1250).

8:55 p.m. — International Soccer: Mexican League Match — Cruz Azul vs. Santos (UNIVISION).

9 p.m. — Professional Boxing: Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. Kemahl Russell in a Middleweight Bout from Tunica, Miss. (FOX SPORTS 1).

9 p.m. — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic Second-Round Game from San Diego — Dominican Republic vs.

Puerto Rico (MLB NETWORK).

10:30 p.m. — NBA Basketball: Philadelphia at Golden State (NBA TV).

10:55 p.m. — International Soccer: Mexican League Match — Monarcas Morella vs.

Tijuana (UNIVISION).

Midnight — International Baseball: World Baseball Classic Second-Round Game from Tokyo — Netherlands vs. Cuba (Joined In Progress) (MLB NETWORK).

Richmond (20-12) at Alabama (19-14), 9:15 p.m.

Boise St. (19-11) at Utah (20-11), 10 p.m.

CS Bakersfield (22-9) at California (21-12), 11:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY South Dakota (22-11) at Iowa (18-14), 7 p.m.

Belmont (22-6) at Georgia (19-14), 7 p.m.

Colorado (19-14) at UCF (21-11), 7 p.m.

Akron (26-8) at Houston (21-10), 7:30 p.m.

Fresno St. (20-12) at TCU (19-15), 8 p.m.

Texas-Arlington (25-8) at BYU (22-11), 9 p.m.

UC Irvine (21-14) at Illinois State (27-6), 9:30 p.m.

TODAY VARSITY BASEBALL

Sumter at Carolina Forest, 6:30 p.m.

Camden Military at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

Lakewood at Hartsville, 6:30 p.m.

Manning at Lake Marion, 6 p.m.

Easts Clarendon at Green Sea-Floyds, 5:30 p.m.

Sumter Christian at North Walterboro Christian, 4 p.m.

UNC-Greensboro-Syracuse winner vs.

Mississippi-Monmouth winner Indiana-Georgia Tech winner vs. BelmontGeorgia winner CS Bakersfield-California winner vs.

College of Charleston-Colorado State winner Texas-Arlington-BYU winner vs. AkronHouston winner UC Irvine-Illinois State winner vs.

Colorado-UCF winner Boise St.-Utah winner vs. ValparaisoIllinois winner South Dakota-Iowa winner vs. Fresno St.TCU winner Richmond-Alabama winner vs. OaklandClemson winner

QUARTERFINALS

March 21-22

SEMIFINALS

At Madison Square Garden New York Tuesday, March 28 Semifinal, 7 p.m.

Semifinal 9:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday, March 29 Semifinal winners, 8 p.m.

NBA STANDINGS Boston Toronto New York Philadelphia Brooklyn

W 42 38 26 24 12

L 25 28 41 42 53

Pct .627 .576 .388 .364 .185

GB — 3½ 16 17½ 29

W 41 37 32 29 24

L 24 29 35 37 43

Pct .631 .561 .478 .439 .358

GB — 4½ 10 12½ 18

W 43 34 33 32 31

L 22 32 33 33 35

Pct .662 .515 .500 .492 .470

GB — 9½ 10½ 11 12½

SOUTHEAST DIVISION Washington Atlanta Miami Charlotte Orlando

Cleveland Indiana Detroit Milwaukee Chicago

WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST DIVISION W 51 46 36 28 26

L 14 21 30 37 40

Pct .785 .687 .545 .431 .394

GB — 6 15½ 23 25½

W 41 37 31 29 27

L 25 29 35 36 38

Pct .621 .561 .470 .446 .415

GB — 4 10 11½ 13½

W x-Golden State 52 L.A. Clippers 40 Sacramento 25 Phoenix 22 L.A. Lakers 20 x-clinched playoff spot

L 14 26 41 45 46

Pct .788 .606 .379 .328 .303

GB — 12 27 30½ 32

x-San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

NORTHWEST DIVISION

B TEAM BASEBALL

Utah Oklahoma City Denver Portland Minnesota

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

VARSITY BOYS GOLF

Sumter, Wilson Hall in Magnolia Invitational (at Beech Creek Golf Club), TBA Lee Central at Cheraw, 4:30 p.m.

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

Darlington at Crestwood, 7:30 p.m.

Manning at Bishop England, 7 p.m.

Thomas Sumter at Calhoun Academy, 6 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV BOYS SOCCER

Carolina Forest at Sumter, 6 p.m.

Lakewood at Lugoff-Elgin, 6 p.m.

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

Darlington at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV GIRLS SOCCER

Sumter at Socastee, 6 p.m.

Lugoff-Elgin at Lakewood, 6 p.m.

VARSITY SOFTBALL

Sumter at Carolina Forest, 6:30 p.m.

East Clarendon at Green Sea-Floyds, 5:30 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Thomas Sumter, 4 p.m.

Sumter Christian at North Walterboro Christian, 4 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV SOFTBALL

Lakewood at Darlington, 5:30 p.m.

Manning at Lake Marion, 5 p.m.

Carolina Academy at Laurence Manning, 4 p.m.

Robert E. Lee at Williamsburg, 4 p.m.

Holly Hill at Clarendon Hall, 5 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY SOFTBALL

East Clarendon at Andrews (DH), 5:30 p.m.

VARSITY BOYS TENNIS

Carolina Forest at Sumter, 5 p.m.

Camden Military at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD

Lee Central at Hannah-Pamplico, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY VARSITY BASEBALL

Manning at Crestwood, 6:30 p.m.

North Central at Lee Central, 6 p.m.

McBee at Robert E. Lee, 6 p.m.

Junior Varsity Baseball Johnsonville at East Clarendon, 6 p.m.

B TEAM BASEBALL

Wilson Hall at Laurence Manning (at J.C. Britton Park), 4:30 p.m.

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

Lower Richland at Crestwood, 7:30 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ final 2016-17 women’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 12, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking: Record Pts Prv 1. UConn (33) 32-0 825 1 2. Notre Dame 30-3 787 3 3. South Carolina 27-4 729 4 4. Maryland 30-2 725 5 5. Baylor 30-3 719 2 6. Stanford 28-5 649 6 7. Mississippi State 29-4 619 7 8. Oregon State 29-4 593 8 9. Duke 27-5 525 9 10. Florida State 25-6 498 10 11. Ohio State 26-6 485 11 12. Washington 27-5 473 12 13. Louisville 27-7 439 13 14. Texas 23-8 408 14 15. UCLA 23-8 365 15 16. Miami 23-8 353 16 17. N.C. State 22-8 267 18 18. Kentucky 21-10 230 19 19. DePaul 26-7 193 17 20. Drake 28-4 186 20 21. Syracuse 21-10 149 21 22. West Virginia 23-10 131 — 23. Oklahoma 22-9 126 22 24. Kansas State 22-10 59 24 25. Missouri 21-10 47 25 Others receiving votes: Marquette 34, Creighton 32, Belmont 23, South Florida 14, Temple 13, Texas A&M 6, Green Bay 5, Purdue 5, Dayton 4, Tennessee 3, UALR 3, Western Kentucky 2, Arizona State 1.

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION

VARSITY AND JV BASEBALL

Robert E. Lee at Williamsburg, 4 p.m.

Holly Hill at Clarendon Hall, 4 p.m.

13. West Virginia 26-8 842 11 14. Notre Dame 25-9 682 22 15. Purdue 25-7 652 13 16. Florida State 25-8 568 16 17. Iowa State 23-10 560 23 18. Cincinnati 29-5 520 15 19. Wichita State 30-4 436 20 20. Florida 24-8 388 17 21. Butler 23-8 359 18 22. Saint Mary’s 28-4 304 19 23. Michigan 24-11 252 — 24. Virginia 22-10 238 21 25. Wisconsin 25-9 151 24 Others receiving votes: Middle Tennessee 35, Minnesota 20, Rhode Island 13, Creighton 10, Iowa 8, Oklahoma State 8, Nevada 5, Princeton 5, Vermont 4, Virginia Tech 3, Seton Hall 2, Arkansas 1, Northwestern 1, VCU 1.

WOMEN’S TOP 25 POLL

SECOND ROUND

March 16-20

CENTRAL DIVISION

PREP SCHEDULE

THE SUMTER ITEM

PACIFIC DIVISION

SUNDAY’S GAMES Boston 100, Chicago 80 Brooklyn 120, New York 112 Indiana 102, Miami 98 Houston 117, Cleveland 112 Portland 110, Phoenix 101 Philadelphia 118, L.A. Lakers 116

MONDAY’S GAMES Chicago at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Atlanta at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Milwaukee at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Washington at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Utah, 9 p.m.

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

Orlando at Sacramento, 10:30 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES Detroit at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Indiana at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Portland at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

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

COLLEGE BASEBALL BASEBALL AMERICA POLL DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — The top 25 teams in the Baseball America poll through March 12 (selected by the staff of Baseball America): Record Prv 1. Louisville 15-0 4 2. Florida State 13-3 2 3. Texas Christian 12-3 1 4. Oregon State 14-1 5 5. Florida 12-5 3 6. Louisiana State 12-4 6 7. Cal State Fullerton 9-5 7 8. East Carolina 12-4 8 9. Clemson 12-3 9 10. South Carolina 11-5 10 11. Texas Tech 14-3 14 12. Arizona 13-2 11 13. North Carolina 12-4 17 14. Louisiana-Lafayette 9-4 15 15. Virginia 13-3 13 16. Baylor 14-2 24 17. Stanford 11-5 16 18. Mississippi 11-5 21 19. St. John’s 12-2 22 20. Coastal Carolina 11-7 18 21. Florida Gulf Coast 14-3 NR 22. Texas A&M 14-3 25 23. Oklahoma State 9-6 23 24. Michigan 12-3 NR 25. Washington 9-6 12 BC-BBC--Collegiate Baseball Poll 03/13/2017 2:42PM - 227 words

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL POLL TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The Collegiate Baseball poll with records through March 12. Voting is done by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors: Record Pts Prv 1. Oregon St. 14-1 495 3 2. Louisville 15-0 494 5 3. Texas Christian 12-3 492 1 4. Texas Tech 14-3 489 12 5. Arizona 13-2 486 4 6. Florida St. 13-3 485 8 7. Louisiana St. 12-4 483 6 8. Florida 12-5 480 2 9. St. John’s 12-2 478 9 10. Baylor 14-2 476 10 11. Texas A&M 14-3 474 11 12. Oklahoma 17-2 473 13 13. North Carolina 12-4 470 14 14. Clemson 12-3 469 15 15. Virginia 13-3 465 7 16. South Carolina 11-5 462 18 17. Michigan 12-3 459 19 18. East Carolina 12-4 456 20 19. Vanderbilt 11-6 453 21 20. Stanford 11-5 450 17 21. Cal St. Fullerton 9-5 446 22 22. Florida Gulf Coast 14-3 444 24 23. Missouri 15-1 443 26 24. Tennessee 11-2 440 25 25. U.C. Irvine 9-5 437 NR 26. San Diego 10-3 434 NR 27. Texas 12-6 433 NR 28. Louisiana-Lafayette 9-4 430 28 29. Oregon 11-4 426 NR 30. Mississippi 11-5 424 30

PGA TOUR

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Charlotte at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Utah at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Houston, 8 p.m.

Memphis at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Portland at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Sacramento at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

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

COLLEGE BASKETBALL MEN’S TOP 25 POLL The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ final 2016-17 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 12, total points based on 25 points for a firstplace vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking: Record Pts Prv 1. Villanova (59) 31-3 1619 2 2. Gonzaga (6) 32-1 1520 4 3. Kansas 28-4 1478 1 4. Arizona 30-4 1427 7 5. North Carolina 27-7 1278 6 6. Kentucky 29-5 1275 8 7. Duke 27-8 1250 14 8. UCLA 29-4 1207 3 9. Oregon 29-5 1194 5 10. Louisville 24-8 981 10 11. SMU 30-4 951 12 12. Baylor 25-7 877 9

Valspar Championship Scores Sunday At Innisbrook Golf Resort (Copperhead Course) Palm Harbor, Fla. Purse: $6.3 million Yardage: 7,340; Par: 71 Final Adam Hadwin (500), $1,134,000 68-64-6771—270 Patrick Cantlay (300), $680,400 71-66-6668—271 Dominic Bozzelli (163), $365,400 67-68-7067—272 Jim Herman (163), $365,400 62-71-7168—272 Tony Finau (110), $252,000 67-72-7064—273 Charl Schwartzel (100), $226,800 70-70-6768—275 Wesley Bryan (88), $203,175 68-68-7268—276 Henrik Stenson (88), $203,175 64-71-7170—276 Russell Henley (78), $176,400 64-71-7567—277 John Huh (78), $176,400 69-70-69-69—277 Chad Campbell (65), $144,900 71-69-6969—278 Jason Dufner (65), $144,900 68-71-7267—278 Keith Mitchell, $144,900 69-70-71-68—278 Alex Cejka (54), $110,250 68-70-72-69—279 Graeme McDowell (54), $110,250 75-67-7067—279

NASCAR FROM PAGE B1 Busch, who had recovered from a speeding penalty that left him a lap down to get into contention, was escorted to the infield care center and quickly released as the track buzzed.

“I got dumped. He flat out just drove straight in the corner and wrecked me,” Busch said. “That’s how Joey races, so he’s going to get it.”

The fight overshadowed a dominating day for Truex and a tough-luck finish for Keselowski, who appeared to be pulling away after a restart and on his way to his second win in as many weeks when he ran into mechanical problems.

“I just know it was something major,” he said. “It wouldn’t turn and I lost brakes.”

Truex passed him and held on to become the first driver to win all three segments in NASCAR Cup’s new stage racing.

Kyle Larson was second, followed by Chase Elliott, Logano and Keselowski.

Truex won the first two race stages and took retook the lead with 39 laps to go after a lengthy cycle of green-flag pit stops.

After a hard-charging Keselowski went in front, Danica Patrick blew an engine, bringing out a caution.

Keselowski, who started from the pole, just beat Truex out of pit road road after their four-tire stops. He chose the outside lane on the restart and shot ahead until his car slowed at the end of the 267-lap race.

That gave Toyota a win after Ford victories in the season’s first two races.

“I’ve been on the other side of those things plenty of times, so it definitely feels good to take advantage of somebody else’s issue for once,” Truex said.

Denny Hamlin was sixth, followed by Ryan Blaney, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.

Jimmie Johnson was 11th, marking the first time since he became a full-time driver in 2002 that he has failed to have a top-10 finish in the first three races.

As Dale Earnhardt Jr.

finished 16th, Kevin Harvick’s hope of bouncing back from a disappointing finish at Atlanta lasted only 68 laps. He crashed hard into the wall when his right front tire exploded.

“It started vibrating four or five laps before it blew out,” Harvick said. “I was trying to ride it to the end of the stage.”

Harvick was credited with a 38th-place finish a week after leading 292 laps a week earlier only to be caught seeding on pit road.

He surrendered the points lead to Keselowski.

The 1.5-mile track was slick with the temperature in the 80s in the desert.

And it was a rough homecoming for Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch.

Shortly after venting his frustration over the radio, he had to come in for a new battery with 66 laps to go and finished 30th. NASCAR will review the fight and issue any penalties in the coming week.

SPEEDING Kyle Busch was one of three drivers to get caught speeding on pit road, with the pass-through penalty leaving him a lap down.

Speeding has been a hot issue this season as NASCAR has gone to more precise timing lines.

LONG WAIT TIMES Harvick was annoyed at how long it took the medical crew to get to his car and transport him to the infield care center. NASCAR for the first time this season is using a traveling set of doctors and paramedics in hopes of better consistency.

“I thought we made that better, but obviously we haven’t,” Harvick said.

TROUBLE Patrick (rear gear change) had to start from the rear, fell a lap down in the first stage and ended up 36h after the dead engine. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 33rd in a backup car after an axle shaft poked out of wheel.

UP NEXT The middle race of the Western swing is next Sunday on the mile track at Phoenix.

MONSTER ENERGY CUP KOBALT 400 RESULTS At Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nev. Lap length: 1.50 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (2) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 267 laps, 0 rating, 60 points.

2. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 52.

3. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 47.

4. (6) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 0, 39.

5. (1) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, 0, 48.

6. (15) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 0, 31.

7. (3) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267, 0, 43.

8. (10) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 37.

9. (4) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, 0, 30.

10. (13) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 267, 0, 27.

11. (16) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 31.

12. (7) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 25.

13. (20) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 267, 0, 24.

14. (30) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267, 0, 23.

15. (8) Erik Jones, Toyota, 267, 0, 22.

16. (18) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 26.

17. (21) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 22.

18. (26) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 19.

19. (14) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 18.

20. (11) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 267, 0, 17.

21. (24) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 267, 0, 16.

22. (9) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267, 0, 18.

23. (25) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 266, 0, 14.

24. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266, 0, 13.

25. (22) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 266, 0, 12.

26. (31) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 265, 0, 11.

27. (27) Landon Cassill, Ford, 264, 0, 10.

28. (33) Cole Whitt, Ford, 264, 0, 9.

29. (32) David Ragan, Ford, 264, 0, 8.

30. (17) Kurt Busch, Ford, 263, 0, 7.

31. (37) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 262, 0, 6.

32. (36) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 261, 0, 5.

33. (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 261, 0, 4.

34. (35) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 260, 0, 3.

35. (38) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 254, 0, 2.

36. (28) Danica Patrick, Ford, engine, 246, 0, 1.

37. (39) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, suspension, 135, 0, 0.

38. (19) Kevin Harvick, Ford, accident, 68, 0, 1.

39. (34) Corey Lajoie, Toyota, accident, 16, 0, 1.

Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.034 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 56 minutes, 39 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.495 seconds.

Caution Flags: 6 for 34 laps.

Lead Changes: 14 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: B.Keselowski 1-19; M. Truex 20-24; B.Keselowski 25-70; J.Logano 71-75; M.Truex 76-124; B.Keselowski 125-126; T.Dillon 127-128; M.McDowell 129-130; M.Truex 131-153; J. Johnson 154-156; M.Truex 157-211; J. Johnson 212-227; M.Truex 228-243; B. Keselowski 244-265; M.Truex 266-267 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): M.Truex, 6 times for 144 laps; B.Keselowski, 4 times for 85 laps; J.Johnson, 2 times for 17 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 4 laps; T.Dillon, 1 time for 1 lap; M.McDowell, 1 time for 1 lap.

Wins: Ku.Busch, 1; B.Keselowski, 1; M.Truex, 1.

Top 16 in Points: 1. B.Keselowski, 132; 2. K.Larson, 131; 3. C.Elliott, 129; 4.

M.Truex, 127; 5. J.Logano, 119; 6. R. Blaney, 106; 7. Ku.Busch, 93; 8. K. Harvick, 91; 9. K.Kahne, 88; 10. J.McMurray, 86; 11. T.Bayne, 82; 12. C. Bowyer, 73; 13. M.Kenseth, 71; 14. A. Almirola, 70; 15. D.Hamlin, 68; 16.

P.Menard, 62.

Pee Dee at Wilson Hall, 5 p.m.

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

FRANK’S

Lower Richland at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

VARSITY SOFTBALL

North Central at Lee Central, 6 p.m.

Florence Christian at Thomas Sumter, 5 p.m.

VARSITY AND JV SOFTBALL

Manning at Waccamaw, 5 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY SOFTBALL

Johnsonville at East Clarendon, 6 p.m.

VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD

Thomas Sumter at Wilson Hall, 3:45 p.m.

Laurence Manning at Orangeburg Prep, 4 p.m.

Scott’s Branch in Home Meet, 5 p.m.

NIT SCHEDULE FIRST ROUND TODAY Mississippi (20-13) at Monmouth (27-6), 7 p.m.

UNC-Greensboro (25-9) at Syracuse (1814), 7 p.m.

Valparaiso (24-8) at Illinois (18-14), 7:15 p.m.

Oakland (24-8) at Clemson (17-15), 8 p.m.

Indiana (18-15) at Georgia Tech (17-15), 9 p.m.

College of Charleston (25-9) at Colorado State (23-11), 9 p.m.

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SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

Tues. 6:40 p.m.

16 New Orleans (20-11)

11 Wake Forest (19-13)

2017

11 Kansas St. (20-13)

First Round March 16-17

Second Round March 18-19

Thurs. 7:10 p.m.

Orlando, Fla. Tulsa, Okla.

11 USC (24-9)

NCAA TOURNAMENT

First Round Second Round March 18-19

Sweet 16

Sweet 16

March 23-24

March 23-24

8 Wisconsin (25-9)

Mar. 18

Thurs. 9:40 p.m.

9 Virginia Tech (22-10)

Mar. 19

Elite 8

Elite 8

March 25-26

March 25-26

Fri. 9:20 p.m

5 Iowa St. (23-10) Thurs. 9:57 p.m.

12 Nevada (28-6)

FINAL FOUR

Mar. 18

Mar. 18

Phoenix

Thurs. 3:10 p.m.

April 1

EAST

6 SMU (29-4)

New York

Kansas City, Mo.

Mar. 26

Mar. 25

Fri. 3:10 p.m.

4 Purdue (25-7) Thurs. 7:27 p.m.

13 East Tenn. St. (27-7)

13 Vermont (29-5)

MIDWEST

6 Creighton (25-9) Fri. 4:30 p.m.

11 Providence/USC

11 Rhode Island (24-9) Mar. 19

Mar. 19

3 Oregon (29-5) Fri. 2 p.m.

Fri. 12:40 p.m.

14 New Mex. St. (28-5)

14 Iona (22-12) Mar. 23

Mar. 24

Fri. 9:50 p.m.

7 Michigan (24-11) Fri. 12:15 p.m.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

10 Marquette (19-12) Mar. 19

10 Oklahoma St. (20-12) Mar. 19

April 3

Fri. 7:20 p.m.

2 Louisville (24-8) Fri. 2:45 p.m.

Indianapolis

7 South Carolina (22-10)

2 Duke (27-8)

8 Miami (21-11) 9 Michigan St. (19-14)

Mar. 23

Mar. 24

12 UNC Wilmington (29-5)

3 Baylor (25-7)

1 Kansas (28-4) Fri. 6:50 p.m.

Thurs. 12:40 p.m.

4 Florida (24-8)

March 16-17

Sacramento, Calif.

Greenville, S.C.

16 UC Davis (22-12)

Milwaukee

15 Troy (22-14)

15 Jacksonville St. (20-14)

1 Gonzaga (32-1)

1 North Carolina (27-7) Fri. 4 p.m.

Thurs. 2 p.m.

16 Texas So. (23-11)

16 So. Dakota St. (18-16) 8 Northwestern (23-11)

Mar. 19

Mar. 18

9 Seton Hall (21-11)

9 Vanderbilt (19-15) Mar. 24

Mar. 23

5 Minnesota (24-9) 12 Middle Tenn. (30-4)

12 Princeton (23-6) Mar. 18

Mar. 18

13 Bucknell (26-8)

6 Cincinnati (29-4)

Mar. 26

Mar. 25

Fri. 7:27 p.m.

11 Kan. St./Wake Forest

11 Xavier (21-13) Mar. 18

Mar. 19

All times EDT

Thurs. 9:20 p.m.

3 UCLA (29-4) Fri. 9:57 p.m.

14 Kent St. (22-13)

14 FGCU (26-7) Mar. 24

Mar. 23

7 Saint Mary’s (28-4)

Sacramento, Calif.

Memphis, Tenn.

San Jose, Calif.

Thurs. 6:50 p.m.

13 Winthrop (26-6)

SOUTH

WEST

6 Maryland (24-8)

7 Dayton (24-7)

10 VCU (26-8)

Indianapolis

Fri. 7:10 p.m.

Thurs. 7:20 p.m.

2 Arizona (30-4)

4 Butler (23-8) Thurs. 1:30 p.m.

Thurs. 2:45 p.m.

3 Florida St. (25-8)

Milwaukee

Thurs. 4 p.m.

Thurs. 2:45 p.m.

4 West Virginia (26-8)

8 Arkansas (25-9) Fri. 1:30 p.m.

Thurs. 4:30 p.m.

Greenville, S.C.

Salt Lake City

Wed. 9:10 p.m.

11 Providence (20-12)

16 NC Central/UC Davis

5 Notre Dame (25-9)

Orlando, Fla.

March 14-15 Dayton, Ohio

Wed. 6:40 p.m.

16 N.C. Central (25-8)

16 Mt St. Mary’s/NO

5 Virginia (22-10)

Salt Lake City

First Four

B3

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Tulsa, Okla.

Buffalo, N.Y.

1 Villanova (31-3)

Buffalo, N.Y.

Tues. 9:10 p.m.

16 Mt St. Mary’s (19-15)

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

10 Wichita St. (30-4) Mar. 19

Mar. 18

2 Kentucky (29-5) Fri. 9:40 p.m.

Thurs. 9:50 p.m.

15 N. Kentucky (24-10)

15 North Dakota (22-9)

AP

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UConn No. 1 again in rebuilding season

BY PAT EATON-ROBB The Associated Press STORRS, Conn. — UConn’s players heard all the talk. Following four straight national championships, this would be a rebuilding season.

After Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck went 1-3 in the WNBA draft, even coach Geno Auriemma suggested this year’s Huskies could lose six games during a tough non-conference schedule.

Instead, UConn (32-0) enters the NCAA Tournament undefeated for the eighth time, on a 107-game winning streak and as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed.

“I think the chip on our shoulder helped,” said guard Katie Lou Samuelson. “We always heard how we lost Stewie, Tuck and Mo. We heard about that every single day and that kind of motivated us and pushed us forward.”

TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE TODAY NCAA First Four TRUTV 6:30 p.m. – Mount St. Mary’s vs.

New Orleans 9 p.m. – Kent State vs. Wake Forest

NIT First Round ESPN 7 p.m. – North Carolina-Greensboro at Syracuse 9 p.m. – Indiana at Georgia Tech ESPN2 7:15 p.m. – Valparaiso at Illinois 9:15 p.m. – Richmond at Alabama 11:15 p.m. – Cal State Bakersfield at California ESPNU 8 p.m. – Oakland at Clemson 10 p.m. – Boise State at Utah

UConn will host the first two rounds on campus, about 80 miles north of the regional site in Bridgeport.

The Huskies face 16th-seed Albany (21-11), the champions of the America East conference, in the opening round.

No. 9 Duke, No. 4 Maryland

CLEMSON FROM PAGE B1 on opposing defenses.

“I’m definitely driving a lot more than I did at Vanderbilt,” Mitchell said. “Our offense now is a lot more about spacing, which allows you to drive more.”

Mitchell’s improved play is the result of two things. Clemson head

and No. 15 UCLA, are the region’s other top seeds.

Despite recent success, Auriemma still worries about how this group, most of whom did not play a big role a year ago, will handle the pressure of tournament games against that kind of competition.

“How will this team react in a big, big, big situation, when it’s their first time facing elimination?” Auriemma said.

“Now, everything is riding on them. But it’s been like that all year, so maybe they’ve gotten accustomed to it.”

Some other things to watch for in the Bridgeport Regional:

TITLE GAME REMATCH UConn beat Syracuse in last year’s national championship game. If the schools meet again in this year’s NCAA Tournament, it will be on the Huskies’ home court.

Syracuse (21-10) will head to Storrs as an eighth seed. The

coach Brad Brownell said: Confidence in his knee and his ability.

Mitchell suffered a torn meniscus in a knee during a non-contact drill three days before the Tigers’ season opener last November and underwent arthroscopic surgery. He was sidelined for several games, but was hindered throughout the non-conference portion of the schedule before gaining confidence later in the season.

“I think for him it’s having played in enough games now and having

Orange have a first-round matchup against Iowa State (18-12), with a chance for a title-game rematch in the second round.

“For us, it’s a big opportunity,” said Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman. “We were in the Big East, so we know what it’s like to play in Storrs.”

SURPRISE SEEDING Duke (27-5) comes into the tournament ranked No. 9.

Maryland (30-2) comes in ranked No. 4.

But the Blue Devils received the second seed and Maryland was given a somewhat surprising third seed.

Maryland won the Big Ten title but was hurt by its strength of schedule.

“At this point, it really doesn’t matter,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese.

“You put your head down and you’re given the bracket that you have. And this is the next

played well in enough games that he truly believes in his abilities,” Brownell said. “There’s a lot more doubt in young people’s minds than most people realize. Kids can be fragile and there’s a lot more weight on their shoulders than most people realize, too – some internal, but a lot external.

“He had to get past the point of worrying about the knee. He’s had a couple of hiccups along the way and that kind of scared him a little bit,

opportunity. And this is what we’ve been working so hard for in our season is to be the most prepared team coming into the tournament.”

Duke will host 15th-seeded Hampton (20-12). The Blue Devils are led, coincidently, by guard Lexie Brown, who transferred from Maryland.

The Terps host 14th-seeded Bucknell (27-5) in the first round. The winner will face either West Virginia (23-10) or Elon (27-6) in Round 2.

GOING EAST The Bridgeport Region includes five teams from west of the Mississippi — UCLA, Boise State, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Oregon.

The fourth-seeded Bruins (23-8) host No. 13-seed Boise State (25-7), the Mountain West champions, in the first round.

Fifth-seeded Texas A&M (21-11) also plays in Los Angeles against Ivy League cham-

but he’s more comfortable now. He’s a guy who has had some success. We believe in him and I think he knows that.”

And Mitchell believes in his team, which he believes is poised for an extended run in the NIT. “Nine ACC teams got in (the NCAA Tournament) and just about all of those teams we played real close,” Mitchell said. “We have a chip on our shoulder. We want to show people that we could have won a lot of those

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B4

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

THE SUMTER ITEM

SPORTS ITEMS

Hadwin rallies to gain win in Valspar Championship PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Adam Hadwin only wants a chance to win when he tees it up on the PGA Tour, and he’s never had a chance like this one.

Birdie putts from 35 feet and 55 feet on the back nine Saturday at the Valspar Championship stretched his lead to four shots. Equally important to him was the slick, bending 6-foot par putt on the final hole.

“Three shots is much easier to come back from than four shots is,” Hadwin said after a clean card of 4-under 67.

“That extra shot could be everything tomorrow. That was a big putt for me, I think, mentally going into tomorrow.”

U.S. BOUNCES BACK IN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

MIAMI (AP) — The United States bounced back to move on.

Nolan Arenado and Buster Posey homered and drove in three runs apiece to help Team USA shake off a deflating defeat and earn a berth in the second round of the World Baseball Classic by beating Canada 8-0 on Sunday night.

The Americans finished 2-1 in pool play and rebounded after blowing a five-run lead Saturday and losing to the Dominican Republic 7-5.

The U.S. is trying for a WBC breakthrough after failing to reach the final in the three previous events.

The Dominicans also advanced to the second round in San Diego by beating Colom-

USC FROM PAGE B1 Staley said she’s talked with members of the selection committee during the offseason to find out why her team that led the country in attendance the past three years is sent so far from home. “They give me what took place in the room,” she said. “I’m looking forward to those conversations.”

The Gamecock players are looking forward to the tournament no matter where they play. Two-time SEC player of the year A’ja Wilson thinks she might just put her arm around her coach to calm her down.

“Just breath, coach,” Wilson joked.

The only time the fourtime Southeastern Conference champions advanced to the Final Four was when they headed up a regional in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2015.

Things to watch for in the Stockton Regional:

COATES CONDITION SEC leading rebounder Alaina Coates has not practiced for South Carolina since missing the league tournament’s title game with an injured right ankle.

Coates, a 6-foot-4 senior, has missed three of the past five games since initially hurting herself at Missouri on Feb. 19.

SUNSHINE STATE Two of Florida’s rising women’s programs in No. 3 seed Florida State and No. 4 seed Miami are both in the regional and would join the East Coast Gamecocks on the trip West should the seedings hold through the first two rounds. The Seminoles and Hurricanes both open at home.

SOARING EAGLES Marquette made its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and earned the highest-ever seed at No. 5. The Golden Eagles will open against 12th-seeded Quinnipiac in Coral Gables, Florida. Speaking of Quinnipiac, the Bobcats are among 24 teams nationally with six straight seasons of 20 or more victories.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN There are nine teams from the Eastern time zone in the 16-team Stockton Regional, including three of the top

bia 10-3 in 11 innings Sunday.

The Dominicans, who won the 2013 tournament, finished 3-0 in the first round.

Canada went 0-3 and has never advanced beyond the opening round.

CLEMSON 4 NOTRE DAME 0

CLEMSON — Alex Eubanks pitched seven scoreless innings to lead Clemson to a 4-0 victory over Notre Dame on Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers, who swept the series 3-0 and won their 11th game in a row against an Atlantic Coast Conference team dating to 2016, improved to 12-3 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. The Fighting Irish fell to 3-11 overall and 0-3 in ACC play.

Eubanks, improved to 2-1 by allowing just four hits, no runs and two walks with seven strikeouts.

VARSITY SOFTBALL CRESTWOOD 24 LOWER RICHLAND 22

Crestwood High School evened its record at 1-1 with a 24-22 victory over Lower Richland on Friday at the CHS field.

Brittany Epps led the Lady Knights, going 5-for-6 with six runs batted in. She also scored three runs.

Jada Thompson and Samantha Stone had four hits apiece. Lindsey Rogers drove in three runs.

JV SOFTBALL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Adam Hadwin tees off on the second hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship on Sunday at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Florida. Hadwin went on to win the tournament.

CLARENDON HALL FINISHES THIRD

Clarendon Hall finished third in the South Carolina Independent School Association tournament on Saturday at Patriot Park SportsPlex on Saturday.

The Lady Saints went 2-2, beating Carolina Academy and Robert E. Lee. The losses came against tournament champion Marlboro Academy and runner-up Colleton Prep.

NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT STOCKTON REGIONAL

OKLAHOMA CITY REGIONAL

First Round Friday, March 17 At Columbia, S.C. South Carolina (27-4) vs. UNC-Asheville (19-14), 5 p.m.

Arizona State (19-12) vs. Michigan State (21-11), 7:30 p.m.

At Tallahassee, Fla. Missouri (21-10) vs. South Florida (24-8), 5 p.m.

Florida State (25-6) vs. Western Illinois (26-6), 7:30 p.m.

At Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State (29-4) vs. Long Beach State (23-10), 5 p.m.

Creighton (23-7) vs. Toledo (25-8), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 18 At Coral Gables, Fla. Marquette (25-7) vs. Quinnipiac (276), 1:30 p.m.

Miami (23-8) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (26-8), 4 p.m.

First Round Friday, March 17 At Starkville, Miss.

DePaul (26-7) vs. Northern Iowa (248), Noon Mississippi (29-4) vs. Troy (22-10), 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 18 At Waco, Texas Baylor (30-3) vs. Texas Southern (23-9), 6:30 p.m.

LSU (20-11) vs. California (19-13), 9 p.m.

At Louisville, Ky. Louisville (27-7) vs. Chattanooga (21-10), 1:30 p.m.

Tennessee (19-11) vs. Dayton (22-9), 4 p.m.

At Seattle Oklahoma (22-9) vs. Gonzaga (26-6), 6:30 p.m.

Washington (27-5) vs. Montana State (25-6), 9 p.m.

BRIDGEPORT REGIONAL

First Round Friday, March 17 At South Bend, Ind. Green Bay (27-5) vs. Purdue (22-12), 5 p.m.

Notre Dame (30-3) vs. Robert Morris (22-10), 7:30 p.m.

At Lexington, Ky. Kentucky (21-10) vs. Belmont (27-5), Noon Ohio State (26-6) vs. Western Kentucky (27-6), 2:30 p.m.

At Austin, Texas NC State (22-8) vs. Auburn (17-14), Noon Texas (23-8) vs. Central Arkansas (26-4), 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 18 At Manhattan, Kan. Stanford (28-5) vs. New Mexico State (24-6), 1:30 p.m.

Kansas State (22-10) vs. Drake (284), 4 p.m.

First Round Friday, March 17 At College Park, Md. Maryland (30-2) vs. Bucknell (27-5), Noon West Virginia (23-10) vs. Elon (27-6), 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 18 At Storrs, Conn.

UConn (32-0) vs. Albany (NY) (2110), 11 a.m.

Syracuse (21-1) vs. Iowa State (1812), 1:30 p.m.

At Los Angeles UCLA (23-8) vs. Boise State (25-7), 6:30 p.m.

Texas A&M (21-11) vs. Penn (22-7), 9 p.m.

At Durham, N.C. Temple (24-7) vs. Oregon (20-13), 6:30 p.m.

Duke (27-5) vs. Hampton (20-12), 9 p.m.

four seeds. There are just three teams from the Pacific time zone in No. 2 seed Ore-

LEXINGTON REGIONAL

gon State, No. 8 seed Arizona State and No. 15 seed Long Beach State.

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Amberly Way went 6-for-8 with five runs batted in to lead CH. Hadleigh McIntosh was 5-for-9 with three RBI, while Sarah Henning was 4-for-8 with six RBI. Bailey Corbett was also 4-for-8.

On Friday in Walterboro, Clarendon Hall defeated Colleton Prep 16-6. Henning was 4-for-5 with three RBI. McKenzie Bagnal was 3-for-4 with three RBI and Corbett had

two hits.

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER SOCASTEE 7 SUMTER 0

MYRTLE BEACH – Sumter High School dropped its Region VI-5A opener to Socastee on Friday, falling to 7-0 at the Socastee field.

Sumter plays at Carolina Forest today.

Keeping Sumter Beautiful

By Katie Altman-Goff, Water Resources Extention Agent Workshop: build your own rain barrel

ture rainwater in a rain barrel or cistern. Rain barrels are usually around 60 gallons. Are you wondering how much rain it takes to Stormwater pollution is the greatest threat to our nation’s sur- fill a 60 gallon barrel? If you have a 1,000 square foot roof with rain face waters according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. gutters, it only takes a 0.4 inch rain So, what is stormwater pollution? event to fill your barrel! Rain barrels can be purchased in some We humans create a lot of impervious surfaces like rooftops, roads, stores and online at a range of driveways, and parking lots. When prices from $50 to $320. rainwater lands on these surfaces, Not ready to spend up to $320? it cannot flow through them into the ground. Instead, that rainwater How about $30? must flow over the impervious You can sign up for the Build You surface, picking up pollutants like Own Rain Barrel Workshop that oils, litter, and other debris along will be held on Thursday, March the way. Those pollutants get washed, untreated, into local rivers 30th and go home with a rain barand streams where we swim, fish, rel that you built! During the workshop, you will learn about the and get our drinking water. benefits of rainwater harvesting, What can you do about stormwa- how to install your rain barrel, and ter pollution? You can reduce the how to use the water you capture. amount of stormwater running off Then, we’ll build rain barrels from recycled syrup barrels donated by your property by capturing it for Coca-Cola. To get more informause in your yard. Rainwater harvesting is the practice of capturing tion on this event visit Sumter and storing rainwater for later use. Stormwater Solutions Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sumYou can use it for watering your plants, washing your car, washing terstormwatersolutions or contact your dog, or other outdoor activi- Katie Altman-Goff at klaltma@ clemson.edu or 803-773-5561. ties. This practice will also save you money by reducing your Clemson University Cooperative Extension water bill and may even improve Service offers its programs to people of all the health of the plants you water ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, with rainwater. Treated water typi- national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is cally contains chlorine byprodan equal opportunity employer. ucts, which some plants would rather not encounter. You can capXEROX SOLID INK PRINTER

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OBITUARIES

THE SUMTER ITEM

SYLVIA JACKSON Sylvia Jackson, 62, died on Wednesday, March 8, 2017.

She was born on July 3, 1954, in Sumter, a daughter of the late James McBride and Mary Ruth Swinton.

She was a graduate of the 1972 JACKSON class of Bay Ridge High School.

Survivors include her husband, Len Eric Jackson Sr.; sons, Len Eric Jackson Jr., Garon Jackson and Brandon Jackson; daughter, Mangon Jackson; brother, Willis Pringle; sister, Peggy Pringle Quick; and a special uncle, Willie Wright.

Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. today at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.

The family is receiving friends at the home, 335A Picardy Drive, Sumter.

JP Holley Funeral Home of Columbia is in charge of arrangements. www.jpholley. com

SAMUEL D. BAKER Samuel Dwight Baker, 89, widower of Catherine Olivia Shaw Baker, passed away on Friday, March 10, 2016, at his residence.

Born in Lynchburg to the late Joseph and Vista Wilson Baker, BAKER Dwight retired from Campbell Soup after 30 years of service. He later worked with Murrays Auto Parts and Piggly Wiggly. He was a member of Westside Baptist Church.

He is survived by four daughters, Cathy B. Weathers (John) of Sumter, Debbie Bass of Georgia, Tammey B. Cundiff of Georgia and Sandy B. Mauricio of Sumter; nine grandchildren, Amanda Conover, Wes Weathers, Kimberly Thames, Danielle Wright, Nikki Pritchard, Ashley Kummer, Jeffrey Mauricio, Jeremey Mauricio and Jessika Mauricio; and 17 great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and other times at the home, 2028 Greenville Circle, Sumter.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the chapel of Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. Harley Case and Allen Jones officiating.

Burial will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

Memorials may be made to St. John United Methodist Church Missions, 136 Poinsett Drive, Sumter, SC 29150 or to a charity of one’s choice.

Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals. com.

Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 775-9386.

JEFFERY W. SCRUGGS Jeffery Wayne “Jeff” Scruggs, 53, husband of Barbara Cochran Scruggs, died on March 12, 2017, after an extended battle with an aggressive type of nonHodgkin’s lymphoma.

Born on Sept.

SCRUGGS 21, 1963, in Anderson, he was a son of Wayne C. and Margaret Henderson Scruggs. He moved to Sumter with his family in 1972. He graduated from Furman High School. He drove a school bus and worked for Shoney’s during his high school years, then worked for 18 years at Becton Dickinson in Sumter, where he and Barbara met. Jeff left BD to pursue the dream of owning his own business. He graduated from the University of South Carolina, Aiken, with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial management. He didn’t get to see his

online business, Market Street Cargo, make it to its fullest potential.

At the time of his death, Jeff was an active member of Crosswell Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and the praise team drummer. He also was the drummer for Trinity United Methodist Church’s early service praise team. During the past two years as Jeff fought his cancer, he always tried to conserve as much energy each week so he could play drums on Sunday. Playing drums with the praise team was what he enjoyed the most.

He also served as the director of the multimedia committee at Crosswell with a passion to find ways to reduce distractions during the worship service through procuring new equipment. He also added lighting effects for special holiday programs.

Jeff and Barbara loved to work together on many of his projects and he will be sorely missed as her helpmate with the choir. Jeff had a servant’s heart and served wherever needed when called, helping with building and grounds projects, keenager events, weddings, funerals and, in earlier years, he served as a youth Sunday school teacher. He loved photographing the children and their families at the annual fall festival.

Jeff is survived by his wife of 26 years, Barbara Cochran Scruggs; his parents, Wayne C. Scruggs and Margaret Henderson Scruggs of Sumter; his sister, Kim Scruggs Barnhill and her husband, Lacy Barnhill Jr.; his other family-in-love members, George F. Coble and Deborah Cochran Coble, Alan W. Cochran and Norene Shipley Cochran, Norman David Brown and Constance Cochran Brown; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Crosswell Baptist Church with the Rev. Charles Owens officiating. Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home.

Memorials may be made to Crosswell Baptist Church, 604 Mathis St., Sumter, SC 29150.

The family would like to thank South Carolina Oncology Associates and Duke University Cancer Center for all their efforts to fight this horrible disease.

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

JAMES DEAS James “JB” Deas departed this life on March 10, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born on July 18, 1934, in Sumter County, he was a son of the late Eddie Dees Sr. and Lillian Frierson Dees.

DEAS “JB” attended the public schools of Sumter County.

He was employed by Georgia-Pacific until he retired.

After retiring, he returned to work and was employed by Blanding Iron Works, where he was passionate as a skilled welder. As a lifelong member of Grant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, he served as an usher and was a faithful member of the church Sunday school. In 1943, “JB” married the love of his life, the late Annie Bell Nickens Deas. To this union of 53 years, seven children were born.

Precious memories will be shared by his loving daughter, Jacqueline (Jeffery) Jackson; six supportive sons, James (Carol) Deas, Jimmie (Altoya) Deas, Anthony (Sheron) Deas, Donald Deas, Dwayne (Vivian) Deas and Sidney Deas, all of Sumter; a granddaughter he reared, Sharnetta (Corey) Mack; 19 additional grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Diane (Harold) Jefferson of Newark, New Jersey, and Mary S. (Henry) Dennis of New York, New York; four brothers, Louis Dees of New

York, New York, Roosevelt “Ray” (Selena) Dees of Ocala, Florida, Boston (Claudette) Dees of Hampton, Virginia, and Johnnie (Deandrus) Dees of Irvington, New Jersey; seven sisters-in-law; one aunt, Naomi Swinton; a niece that grew up in the home, Marilyn (Kerry) Drayton; and a host of other special nieces, nephews, relatives and close friends.

Homegoing celebration will be held at noon on Wednesday at Grant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 5401 Black River Road, Rembert, with the Rev. Clifton N. Witherspoon, pastor, eulogist.

The family is receiving family and friends at the home, 230 Alexander Place, Sumter.

The procession will leave at 11:20 a.m. from the home.

Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Dalzell.

These services have been entrusted to the management and staff of Williams Funeral Home Inc., 821 N. Main St., Sumter.

Online memorial messages may be sent to the family at williamsfuneralhome@sc.rr. com.

Visit us on the web at www.williamsfuneralhomeinc.com.

DESJUAN M. LEMON DesJuan Martise Lemon, son of Cynthia Lemon, died on March 10, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Sumter Funeral Service Inc. The family will receive friends at the home of his aunt, Tiara Queen, 4635 Wrangler Trail.

ALFRED SINGLETON Alfred Singleton, son of the late Paul and Ethel Lee Huggins Singleton, died on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at his residence, 1422 Olanta Highway, Effingham.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Sumter Funeral Service Inc. The family will receive friends at the home of his sister, Barbara Singleton (George) Smith, 4685 Bum Hill Lane.

CHRISTOPHER A. BAILEY Christopher Allen Bailey, son of the late Charles and Viola Brown Bailey, died on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Sumter Funeral Service Inc. The family will receive friends at his residence, 823 Webb St.

M. EARLYNE REESE Mamie Earlyne Reese, 91, passed away on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born in Sumter to the late Joseph Earle and Lucia Dona Black Reese, Earlyne was an Edmunds High School graduate from the Class of 1942. She went on to graduate from Queens College in Charlotte, where she studied music and accounting. Earlyne was a former employee of the John Marshall Agency, where she was an executive secretary and treasurer. She was a former choir director and organist for Central United Methodist Church in Charlotte; a former organist for Trinity United Methodist Church in Sumter; and a lifelong member of Beta Sigma Phi. She is survived by two sisters, Rowena Reese Pratt and Rhidona Reese Woodward, both of Sumter; and two sisters-in-law, Carol T. Reese of Sumter and Jackie Reese of Greenwood.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by four brothers, Joseph Kenneth Reese, Richard Black Reese, Travis Harold Reese and Thomas Edgar Reese; and a sister, Lela Iantha Reese.

Funeral services will be held at noon today in the chapel of Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. Steve Holler officiating. Burial will follow in Sumter Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until noon today prior to the service at the funeral home and

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 other times at the home of her sister, Rhidona Woodward.

Memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 226 W. Liberty St., Sumter, SC 29150; Central United Methodist Church, 6030 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC 28212; or to the charity of one’s choice.

The family would like extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Covenant Place and to Dr. Mayes Dubose for the many years of compassionate service.

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.

GLORIA JEAN ROUSE LYNCHBURG — Gloria Jean Rouse, wife of Larry Rouse Sr., entered eternal rest on March 10, 2017, at her residence, 77 Cowboy Lane, Lynchburg.

The family is receiving friends at the residence.

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

JACQUELINE JENKINS BISHOPVILLE — Jacqueline Jenkins entered eternal rest on March 11, 2017, at her residence, 29 Bluebird Lane, Bishopville.

The family is receiving friends at the residence.

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

BRIDGETT R. NERO NEW ZION — Bridgett Renee Nero, 42, companion of Lee Miller, died on Friday, March 10, 2017, as the result of an automobile accident.

She was born on Sept. 8, 1974, in Lamar, a daughter of Janette Anderson Nero and the late Sammie Nero.

The family is receiving friends at the home of Mildred Miller, 961 Utah Circle.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

LORENZO FULLARD LYNCHBURG — Lorenzo Fullard died on Sunday, March 12, 2017.

Arrangements will be announced by Bacote-Eaddy Funeral Home of Timmonsville.

The family is receiving friends at 2357 S.C. 341 South, Lynchburg.

PARA LEE NIXON Para Lee Nixon, 75, widow of Phillip Nixon, died on Sunday, March 12, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born in Sumter County, she was a daughter of the late George and Mary Shannon Weathers.

The family will receive friends at the home, 3260 Merlene Nixon Road, Rembert, SC 29128.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Palmer Memorial Chapel Inc.

STEWART W. STROTHERS MYRTLE BEACH — Stewart Washington Strothers, 88, husband of Doris Mae Fisher Strothers, died on Monday, March 13, 2017, at his residence, 112 Brookgate Drive, Myrtle Beach.

He was born on July 30, 1928, in Pittsburgh, a son of the late Stewart and Mary Ethel Graves Strothers.

The family is receiving friends at his residence.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

ISABELLA F. MILLER MANNING — Isabella Frazier Miller, 85, widow of Robert Miller, died on Monday, March 13, 2017, at her residence, 3595 Mallett Road, Manning.

She was born on Oct. 22, 1931, in the Sugar Hill community of Manning, a

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daughter of the late Johnny Ragin and Ethel Frazier White.

The family is receiving friends at the residence.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

WILLIE WALKER SR. Willie Walker Sr.’s life’s journey ended early Wednesday morning, March 8, 2017, at McLeod Regional Medical Center, Florence.

He was born on May 25, 1943, in Sumter, to the late Jerry and Mary Walker. Willie was educated in the Sumter County public school system. He graduated from Ebenezer High School in 1963.

Early on, accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior, he joined Orangehill Independent Church of Wedgefield.

After moving to New York, he joined Mount Zion Baptist Church of Port Chester, New York. Willie believed in working hard and supporting his family. He was employed by Empirebrush in Port Chester, New York, Electrolux in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, United Hospital in Port Chester, New York, and the sanitation department of Largemount in Mamaroneck, New York. He was a member of Elks Lodge 155 of Standford, Connecticut.

After all his years of working multiple jobs at a time, he decided to retire in June of 2006 and purchase their dream home in Sumter.

After returning home, he became a member of the Sumterite group. Willie was a family man and enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren.

He leaves to cherish precious memories with his wife of 54 years, Fannie G Walker; his children, Willie Walker Jr. (Essie) of Wedgefield, Simone Williams (Renard) of Columbia, Crystal Morris-Robinson of Powhatan, Virginia, and Wade Morris of Powhatan; nine grandchildren, Shakemia (Trennis), Willie III, Tiffany, Reniya-Symone, Realyn, Malik, Kayla, Travis and Derrick; 12 great-grandchildren; three brothers, Lewis Walker (Connie) of Sumter, Jesse Walker of Wedgefield and Earl Walker (Valerie) of Perry, Georgia; two sisters, Mary McCants (Therin) of Columbia and Jeannette English (Norman) of Mount Vernon, New York; goddaughter, Iesha Lefever of New Fairfield, Connecticut; special aunt, Gurtrude Smith of Philadelphia; many aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Willie was preceded in death by his parents, Jerry and Mary Walker; two brothers; one sister; two aunts; one brother-in-law; two sisters-in-law; and one goddaughter.

Public viewing will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. today at Job’s Mortuary.

Mr. Williams will be placed in the church at 1 p.m. on Wednesday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at High Hills Baptist Church, 6750 Meeting House Road, Dalzell, SC 29040 with the Rev. L.W. Walker Jr. officiating. Interment will follow in High Hills Baptist Church cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the home, 685 W. Emerald Lake Drive, Sumter, SC 29153.

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

Online memorials may be sent to the family at jobsmortuary@sc.rr.com or visit us on the web at www.jobsmortuary.net.

ASHTON Q. BENBOW SR. Ashton Quincy Benbow Sr., 90, husband of Rever Ford Benbow, entered into eternal rest on Monday, March 13, 2016, at his residence, 1640 Poole Road.

Born on Aug. 31, 1926, in Clarendon County, he was a son of late Sadie Black Rose and Ernest Benbow.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the residence, 1640 Poole Road.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Ephriam D. Stephens Funeral Home of Sumter. “Where Dignity is the Watch Word.”

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Lithgow show ‘Trial & Error’ spoofs crime docu-series

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH NBC returns to familiar territory with “Trial & Error” (10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., TV-PG). A spoof of the true crime non-fiction genre, “Trial” features documentary elements of “The Office,” the civil service humor of “Parks & Recreation” and the silliness of “Community.”

The knob on the absurdity amplifier is always dialed up to 11.

For those in search of at least one sympathetic character, this gets old very quickly.

John Lithgow, fresh from an outstanding turn as Winston Churchill in Netflix’s “The Crown,” stars here as Larry.

He’s the hapless man accused of murdering his beloved wife in their South Carolina home.

He claimed to be “rollercizing” at the time, and his skate wheels “contaminate” the crime scene. This is the least of his “colorful” problems.

Larry puts Lithgow back in “3rd Rock” territory, simultaneously unflappable and obtuse.

The South Carolina setting inspires the writers to people the cast with imbeciles, crackpots, bigots and a tobacco executive. Larry’s friends hire a New York lawyer, Josh Simon (Nicholas D’Agosto). They call him “Northeastern,” but clearly mean “Jewish,” a recurring gag that gets no funnier with repetition.

Not unlike Liz Lemon of “30 Rock,” Josh is supposed to be the sane center of this cartoon, but he’s just as deluded as the rest of the gang.

Sherri Shepherd makes the most of a supporting role as Josh’s assistant, a woman afflicted with a peculiar assortment of tics, from dyslexia to “face blindness.” Her character’s ability to cope with these unusual traits, while still trying to follow an increasingly bizarre client and his hopeless case, are rather impressive. At the same time, they seem like

murder in the 1986 drama “River’s Edge” (10 p.m., TMC).

SERIES NOTES

TYLER GOLDEN / NBC

From left, Nicholas D’Agosto stars as Josh, John Lithgow as Larry and Krysta Rodriguez as Summer in “Trial & Error,” premiering at 10 p.m. today on NBC. the contrived situations that might arise in an actor’s workshop or comedy improv exercise.

Like CBS’s recent offering “Doubt,” this comedy exudes a certain contempt for anyone who doesn’t live in New York or Los Angeles. “Doubt” aired but twice. “Trial” may limp along a little longer, but it has the smell of something dead on arrival.

• The 2017 documentary “Water & Power: A California Heist” (9 p.m., National Geographic) explores how farmers and citizens have coped with recent drought and how some have made enormous private gains at the expense of a public water supply.

• The first guest on “Adam Carolla and Friends Build Stuff Live” (10 p.m., Spike, TV-14) is Jimmy Kimmel. Both men starred on Comedy Central’s

The T he

SHRIMPER S HRIIM MPE ER R OF SUMTER

Serving Calabash Style Seafood in Sumter for Over 40 Years.

Monday - Saturday 10:30 AM - 9:00 PM Sunday 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

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“The Man Show” from 1999 to 2003. In 2004, “Man” was hosted by Joe Rogan, another face from the Y2K era who never seems to disappear.

• Jack goes to Cleveland on the season finale of “This Is Us” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14), renewed for a second season.

• Eileen and Kenny counsel Allison on the season finale of “The Real O’Neals” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14). The website TV By the Numbers considers “Real” as likely to be canceled.

TV ON DVD TV-themed DVDs available today include the History

Channel series “Six.”

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • Betty White guest-stars on “Bones” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

• G’Win may be a goner on “Outsiders” (9 p.m., ABC, TVMA).

• Stan and Oleg assess their history on “The Americans” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE Teenagers (Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye Leitch) react with chilling indifference to their classmate’s

A cold case congeals on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Jess recalibrates on “New Girl” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) * Axl ponders fate on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * A need for speed on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) * Ben is overlooked on “The Mick” (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * Viv bolts on “American Housewife” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * On two helpings of “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS, TV-14), an unlikely suspect (9 p.m.), other people’s money (10 p.m.) * More toxic than intoxicating on “Fresh Off the Boat” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * Back to the Space Race on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) * Lara Spencer hosts “People Icons” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

LATE NIGHT Valerie Jarrett is booked on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) * Aubrey Plaza, Darren Criss and Old 97’s appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Jimmy Fallon welcomes Adam Levine, Josh Gad and Maroon 5 on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) * Ewan McGregor, Zoe Kravitz, Jon Pardi and Nicko McBrain visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) * Gillian Jacobs, Jerrod Carmichael and Lea Michele appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Copyright 2017 United Feature Syndicate

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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

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IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT AND NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE) C/A NO: 2017-CP-43-00099 DEFICIENCY WAIVED

11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

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.

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, PLAINTIFF, vs.

James S. Matthews, Jr.; DEFENDANT(S) TO THE DEFENDANTS, ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscriber at his office, Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, except as to the United States of America, which shall have sixty (60) days, 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 the relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to Answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference of this case to the Master in Equity for Sumter County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this case with appeal only to the South Carolina Court of Appeals pursuant to Rule 203(d)(1) of the SCAR, effective June 1, 1999.

TO 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: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem

Going on

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 immediately and separately and such application will be deemed absolute and total in the absence of your application for such an appointment within thirty (30) days after the service of the Summons and Complaint upon you.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to Answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference of this case to the Master in Equity in/for this County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this case with appeal only to the South Carolina Court of Appeals pursuant to Rule 203(d)(1) of the SCAR, effective June 1, 1999.

NOTICE OF FILING OF SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANTS

ABOVE

YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the foregoing Summons, along with the Complaint, was filed with the Clerk of Court for Sumter County, South Carolina, on January 19, 2017.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the South Carolina Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, (hereinafter "Order"), you may have a right to Foreclosure Intervention.

To be considered for any available Foreclosure Intervention, you may communicate with and otherwise deal with the Plaintiff through its law firm, Hutchens Law Firm, P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202 or call 803-726-2700. Hutchens Law Firm, represents the Plaintiff in this action

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

The Freedom Auto Group Adds Mike Boan as Used Car Manager We’re excited to have Mike join us here at Freedom. Mike brings over 3 decades of automotive experience right here in the Sumter community. Mike has a reputation for finding the right car for the right person.

It’s great to join Tim and Beauford here at Freedom. Stop by and see just how easy it is to do business at Freedom. See you soon, Mike 2700 BROAD ST., SUMTER, SC | 803-469-2595 FREEDOMHONDASUMTER.COM

Mike Boan Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

and does not represent you. Under our ethical rules, we are prohibited from giving you any legal advice.

You must submit any requests for Foreclosure Intervention consideration within 30 days from the date of this Notice.

IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION, YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY/AGENT MAY PROCEED WITH A FORECLOSURE ACTION. If you have already pursued loss mitigation with the Plaintiff, this Notice does not guarantee the availability of loss mitigation options or further review of your qualifications.

THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THE P U R P O S E O F T H I S COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection.

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY.

SUMMONS AND NOTICES IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO: 2017CP4300005 (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE) STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER 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).

TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANTS

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.

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: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the

Summons & Notice Clerk of Court for Sumter County Sumter, South Carolina February 28, 2017

service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff.

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 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.

NOTICE OF FILING AMENDED COMPLAINT

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

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CASE N0.: 2017-CP-43-00111

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

Theresa D. Manning.

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.

Plaintiff, vs.

Wal-Mart Stores, East, LP d/b/a Wal-Mart Supercenter #0511 and John Doe, an unknown individual, Defendants.

ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI

TO THE DEFENDANTS, WAL-MART STORES, EAST, LP D/B/A WAL-MART SUPERCENTER #0511 AND JOHN DOE, AN UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL, ABOVE− NAMED:

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.

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

NOTICE OF FILING

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

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.

AMENDED SUMMONS (Jury Trial Requested) 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.

ORDER FOR SERVICE

BY PUBLICATION 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 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.

AND IT IS SO ORDERED. James C. Campbell Sumter County Clerk of Court

Estate Notice Sumter County

Estate Notice Sumter County

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.

Summons & Notice

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:/Willene M. Sherer #2017ES4300145 Personal Representative Lisa S. Avins 97 Paisley Park Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Jackson Miles #2017ES4300113 Personal Representative June Miles C/O J. Cabot Seth Attorney at Law PO Box 1268 Sumter, SC 29151

Estate:/Miyoko Tedder #2017ES4300128 Personal Representative George W. Tedder 3000 Aaron Road Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/Cherie

Danielle Wingate #2017ES4300125

Personal Representative Rodney Wingate C/O Michael R. Jeffcoat Attorney at Law PO Box 1860 Lexington, SC 29071

Estate:/ Hermon M. McCoy #2017ES4300108 Personal Representative Nasbia Martin Miller 50 Genevia Lane Rembert, SC 29128

Estate:/Marianne M. Beasley #2017ES4300144 Personal Representative Lisa S. Avins 97 Paisley Park Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Louise Sheridan #2017ES4300109 Personal Representative Carol A. Cummings C/O Thomas E. Player, Jr. Attorney at Law PO Box 3690 Sumter, SC 29151

Estate:/Cleo C. Rowell #2017ES4300138

Personal Representative Charles R. Staggs, Jr. C/O Kenneth R. Young, Jr. Attorney at Law 23 West Calhoun Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Joseph Vernon Brown #2017ES4300142

Personal Representative James P. Mallard, III 5 Garrett St. Sumter, SC 29150

Personal Representative Linda S. Bostanche C/O Kenneth R. Young, Jr. Attorney at Law 23 West Calhoun Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Claire Petit #2017ES4300150

Estate:/Emily K. Jackson #2017ES4300178

Estate:/James P. Mallard, Jr. #2017ES4300112

Personal Representative Katie J. Moore 2154 Mallard Road Camden, SC 29020

Estate:/Bonnie G. McLeod #2017ES4300132 Personal Representative Mark A. McLeod 3605 Cody Road Pinewood, SC 29125

Estate:/ Robert A. Smith #2017ES4300107 Personal Representative Loretta Smith 3460 Deer Track Circle Dalzell, SC 29040

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:/Cassie S. Slater #2017ES4300135 Personal Representative Willie Mae Scott 3205 Tamarah Way Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/George A. Waninger #2017ES4300141 Personal Representative George F. Waninger C/O Kenneth Hamilton Attorney at Law PO Box 52359 Sumter, SC 29152

Estate:/Victoria Blair Regensburg #2017ES4300052

Estate:/Freddie H. Francis #2017ES4300149 Personal Representative Michael F. Francis 445 Appleyard Dr. B3-7 Tallahasse, FL 32304

Estate:/Maggie

McDonald Ellison #2017ES4300148

ANNOUNCEMENTS Lost & Found Found Medium Size Dog In dalzell.

Must describe to claim. 968-2671 (Near Rabons)

Personal Representative Carla Faye Ellison 820 Bay Springs Drive Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Alton

Emerson Truesdale #2017ES4300115

Personal Representative Cynthia Rennick 148 Wall Street Apt. 116 Camden, SC 29020

Personal Representative Pamela E. Ey C/O William Johnson Attorney at Law PO Box 137 Manning, SC 29102

Estate:/John Ivey Brown #2017ES4300134

Estate:/Robet J. Artus #2017ES4300130

Personal Representative John Ivey Brown Jr. 2157 Elderberry Dr. Florence, SC 29505

Personal Representative Jane C. Smetts 3045 Tindal Road Sumter, SC 29150

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NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE FAIR 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.

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THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

IN MONEY

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IN LIFE

03.14.17 Will the Fed hike interest rates?

Jack’s life celebrated on NBC’s drama ‘This Is Us’

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

MILO VENTIMIGLIA BY DAN MACMEDAN, USA TODAY

52M may be uninsured after ACA is repealed Erin Kelly USA TODAY

sylvania, northern New Jersey and the Lower Hudson River Valley in New York, which could see 18 inches.

New England was also a target: The forecast in Boston called for 10 to 16 inches.

President Trump weighed in on Twitter: “Everyone along the east coast be safe and listen to local officials as a major winter storm approaches. @NWS http://weather.gov.” The U.S. House canceled votes Tuesday and won’t reconvene until late Wednesday.

Hayes said strong winds, with possible gusts of 60 mph, could lead to outages because the heavy, wet snow will cling to power lines.

“This will easily be the most

WASHINGTON A Republican bill to replace Obamacare would lead to 14 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2018 and 24 million by 2026, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said Monday in an analysis that could make the controversial legislation even tougher for GOP leaders to push through Congress.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said the projections of uninsured were too high and called them “just not believable.”

Most of the initial increase in uninsured people in 2018 would come from consumers deciding not to buy insurance because they would no longer have to pay a penalty for failing to do so, the CBO said in analysis done with the Joint Committee on Taxation. Others would stop buying insurance because premiums will go up over the next two years, the report said.

The bill is expected to raise the average premiums that Americans would have to pay before 2020, then lower them after that, the CBO projected.

In 2018 and 2019, the average premiums for single policyholders who do not get insurance from their employers would be 15% to 20% higher than under Obamacare, the analysis said.

Starting in 2020, those premiums would begin to go down.

By 2026, average premiums would be roughly 10% lower than under the Affordable Care Act, the CBO projected.

The number of uninsured Americans would rise dramatically during that same period as the replacement plan phased out Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, the CBO said.

“In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law,” the analysis said.

The Republican bill would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the 2017-2026 period, according to the CBO. The biggest savings would come from reductions in outlays for Medicaid and from the elimina-

STORY CONTINUES ON C2 v STORY CONTINUES ON 2B

STORY CONTINUES ON C2 v STORY CONTINUES ON 2B

TIM HYNDS, AP

A weakening late-winter storm that moved through Sioux City and the Midwest late Sunday into Monday, leaving up to a foot of snow, was poised to fuel the nor’easter expected to barrel across the coast.

Millions in the Northeast bracing for the worst Major winter storm expected to unleash wind, snow and chaos across 1,000 miles 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©

Hedge fund

47% of Americans plan to pay someone to help with lawn and yard work in 2017.

SOURCE Angie’s List survey of 1,012 homeowners MICHAEL B. SMITH AND VERONICA BRAVO, USA TODAY

Doyle Rice, John Bacon and Jueun Choi USA TODAY

Travel chaos was expected to reach a peak Tuesday as a potentially devastating storm bore down along a swath of the East Coast from the mountains of North Carolina to Maine. Thousands of flights were canceled, and authorities feared heavy snow would cause power outages and major traffic disruptions.

Almost 20 million people in parts of eight states — including New York City — were under a blizzard warning. Winter storm watches and warnings were in effect all along the coast, a distance of more than 1,000 miles.

The nor’easter was forecast to rage up the East Coast into the overnight hours Monday and through most of Tuesday, slamming some areas with more than a foot of snow and wind gusts of 60 mph or more. Much of the storm’s energy will be transferred from a weakening storm that pasted the Midwest with snow Sunday and Monday.

“A fairly large area of the Northeast should see a foot or more of snow,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Hayes told USA TODAY. He said the bulls-eye for the most snow continues to be southeastern Penn-

TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Temperatures cold enough to freeze the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in New York’s Bryant Park could mean a slow recovery for parts of the Northeast in the path of the storm.

Analysis

by CBO predicts many will opt out of buying coverage; Health secretary disputes numbers

The bill is expected to raise average premiums Americans would have to pay before 2020, then lower them, the CBO projects.

SXSW robots are clunky, but watch out for AI advances Researchers warn of tech in wrong hands Marco della Cava @marcodellacava USA TODAY AUSTIN Here’s the bottom line on robots and artificial intelligence.

Don’t be too concerned about the rise of humanoid robots, because they’re not ready for prime time. But you might want to keep a wary eye on the machine-learning systems that power them. Re-

searchers are concerned that in the wrong hands, AI could ease the return of fascism.

SXSW Interactive spotlighted AI as the technology’s presence is increasingly noticed in smartphones, cars and home devices.

Attendees at the Texas tech confab — which runs through Sunday — got a close look at how hard it is to program a sentient robot and how dangerous it may be to trust them.

Osaka University roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro brought two robots, one that looked like C-3PO on an extreme diet and a female android whose unyielding creepiness couldn’t be erased if she had

MARCO DELLA CAVA, USA TODAY

belted out a Lady Gaga tune.

The two robots were supposed to enter into a dialogue, but minutes of dead air passed. A dozen men with laptops frantically worked to get the system online.

A robot conversation started

Japanese robotics experts Hiroshi Ishiguro, left, and Ryuichiro Higashinaka bring their recalcitrant robots to SXSW Interactive to debate sushi vs. ramen.

about whether sushi is better than ramen. Creepy android robot said, “Sushi is better for dating,” presumably because the diner is not rudely slurping. The other robot wondered whether ramen is healthy.

Another AI-related lecture suggested the power of machines could be something to fear — because they’re run by humans.

In her talk, “Dark Days: AI and the Rise of Fascism,” Microsoft Research scholar Kate Crawford detailed how data have been misused by the powerful through history. Crawford said revelations in health and science could come from AI, but she worries about the human biases inherent in such machines.

“What these dark days do is challenge us to be prepared,” she said. “Done right, AI can be used to keep power structures in check. But in the wrong hands…”

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

· THE SUMTER ITEM

King defends controversial tweet Culture comments spark a nerve about USA inclusiveness Jason Noble and William Petroski Des Moines Register

Rep. Steve King on Monday doubled down on a controversial tweet while Republican leaders condemned the statement.

The Iowa Republican tweeted on Sunday a suggestion that Muslim children are preventing “our civilization” from being restored.

The tweet was intended as a gesture of support to Geert Wilders, a far-right candidate for prime minister in the Netherlands widely interpreted as racist.

King’s tweet said: “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”

The message drew criticism from across the political spec-

trum Sunday, although it was praised by white supremacist Louisiana politician David Duke.

Early Monday, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann released a statement disagreeing with King and condemning Duke.

“First of all, I do not agree with Congressman King’s statement.

We are a nation of immigrants, and diversity is the strength of any nation and any community,” Kaufmann said. “Regarding David Duke, his words and sentiments are absolute garbage. He is not welcome in our wonderful state.”

King, though, on Monday said he “meant exactly what I said” in an interview with CNN. “You cannot rebuild your civilization with somebody else’s babies,” King said. “You’ve got to keep your birth rate up, and that you need to teach your children your values. In doing so, you can grow your population, you can strengthen your culture, and you can strengthen your way of life.”

Kaufmann wasn’t the only one to distance himself from Sunday’s comment.

On Monday morning, Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, tweeted messages that seemed to rebut King.

“America is not about any one color, or one ethnicity, or one faith,” Young wrote. “America is about self-government, the rule of law, freedom, and the liberties and rights given in our Constitution.”

When asked about the statement during his weekly news conference Monday, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad condemned King’s tweet as “totally inappropriate” and said he believed “it has no place” in political discourse. “I disagree with what Steve King had to say and we certainly don’t want David Duke or his kind to come to Iowa,” Branstad said.

Additionally, House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office said he did not agree with King’s comments.

“The speaker clearly disagrees and believes America’s long history of inclusiveness is one of its greatest strengths,” spokesperson AshLee Strong said in a statement.

“You cannot rebuild your civilization with somebody else’s babies. You’ve got to keep your birth rate up.”

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa

BRYON HOULGRAVE, THE REGISTER

Rep. Steve King’s suggestion that Muslim children are stifling American culture drew no support from other Republicans.

Contributing: Jessica Estepa, USA TODAY

Lawmakers on both sides resist health bill CONTINUED FROM C11B v CONTINUED FROM

PAT CHRISTMAN, AP

Jeremiah Luntsford digs out his car Monday in Mankato, Minn., after a storm spread snow through the much of the Midwest.

20 million under blizzard warnings Corrections & Clarifications

A story in some editions Saturday about the impact of General Motor’s decision to sell its European operations carried the wrong byline. The reporting came from Detroit Free Press staff writer Mark Phelan, who is part of the USA TODAY Network.

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.

CONTINUED FROM C11B v CONTINUED FROM

widespread winter event of the season for the northeastern part of the country,” weather service meteorologist Michael Musher noted in an online forecast.

More than 350,000 airline passengers will be affected by cancellations this week from snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast, according to the tracking service FlightAware.com.

“The storm will cripple air travel in the Northeast” on Tuesday with 4,611 cancellations, including nearly half of those scheduled for Washington’s National and Dulles airports, twothirds of the flights involving Boston and more than 80% of the flights involving Baltimore-Washington and Newark airports, according to FlightAware.

In New York, a coastal flood warning for the bays of western Long Island and the Atlantic beachfront takes effect Tuesday morning. New York was among cities that took a pre-emptive strike by announcing Monday that public schools will be closed for the city’s 900,000 students.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority anticipates “substantial” service changes across the New York City subway and bus systems, as well as for the commuter rail systems serving the city and its northern and Long Island suburbs.

Once the snow ends, it probably will stick around for awhile.

Temperatures are forecast to remain chilly through the end of the week.

“Besides the snow, it will be cold,” Mayor Bill de Blasio warned. “We urge you to avoid unnecessary travel and help keep roads clear for sanitation crews and first responders.”

Nelson Rodriguez, who manages the Associated Supermarket on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, said the rush for staples such as bread, milk and toilet paper hasn’t been too crazy yet.

MARCH STORMS AMONG FIERCEST

tion of the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies for low-income Americans to purchase insurance.

Administration officials said the CBO overestimated the number of people who would lose insurance and did not take into account future phases of the Republican proposal. Unlike the GOP bill under consideration, any subsequent legislation would have to attract support from Democratic senators, who are unlikely to provide it.

The CBO report came as Republican leaders in Congress scrambled to keep their fractious caucus together on the bill. Some conservatives have denounced the plan as “Obamacare lite,” arguing that it does not go far enough in scrapping the ACA and would create entitlements by replacing the law’s federal subsidies for low-income people with tax credits. Some moderate Republicans in the Senate fear their lowincome constituents would lose coverage because the legislation would phase out the expansion of Medicaid that Obamacare helped fund in many states.

Two of the top five storms since 1956, as ranked by the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS), occurred in March: AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE The Congressional Budget Office estimates millions of additional people will not have insurance in 2026 if the Republican plan were enacted:

RANK

1 2 3 4 5

DATE

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION

March 12-14, 1993

5

Extreme

Jan. 6-8, 1996

5

Extreme

March 2-5, 1960

4

Crippling

Jan. 22-24, 2016

4

Crippling

Feb. 15-18, 2003

4

Crippling

NOTE NESIS is an index which ranks high-impact Northeast storms based on snowfall amounts and the number of people living in the path of the storm.

KARL GELLES, USA TODAY

Better safe than sorry: Carol Sullivan shops for a snow shovel Monday in Stephens City, Va.

JEFF TAYLOR, AP

And he said he hopes to be open Tuesday, when the storm will be at its worst.

“We’re going to try,” he said.

“Some people probably won’t make it, but some people are still going to come and do some shopping.”

Contributing: Kevin McCoy; Bart Jansen; Ben Mutzabaugh

More than 4,500 flight cancellations have been predicted, two-thirds of them involving Boston.

House Republican plan

52 million Obamacare

28 million SOURCE Congressional Budget Office JIM SERGENT, USA TODAY

Democrats are fiercely opposed to the legislation, which they said would reduce coverage and cost patients more money.

They argued that the tax cuts in the bill would benefit the wealthy at the expense of middle-class and working-class families.

“The CBO score shows just how empty the president’s promises that everyone will be covered and costs will go down have been,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “This should be a looming stop sign for the Republicans’ repeal effort.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan, RWis., leads the push for the bill.

“This report confirms that the American Health Care Act will lower premiums and improve access to quality, affordable care,” Ryan said. “CBO also finds that this legislation will provide massive tax relief, dramatically reduce the deficit and make the most fundamental entitlement reform in more than a generation. These are things we are achieving in just the first of a three-pronged approach.”

Contributing: David Jackson

THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

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LIFE LIFELINE

TELEVISION

MAKING WAVES ‘Anything’s Possible’ — at least for Lea Michele, who released a soaring new song Monday exclusively with USA TODAY. The singer-actress premiered her track, ‘Anything’s Possible,’ a nearly-four-minute song about “having faith through whatever life brings your way.”

Michele also shared that her sophomore album, ‘Places,’ will be out April 28, with a tour scheduled to follow in May. Fans can stream ‘Anything’s Possible’ at life .usatoday .com.

DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS, GETTY IMAGES, FOR EJAF

HOW WAS YOUR DAY? GOOD DAY BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA The Obamas’ book releases are shaping up to be a global event. Penguin Random House said Monday it has lined up publishers from Ireland to South Africa for the as-yetuntitled books, which will be published in the U.S. and Canada under the Crown imprint.

The release dates are forthcoming.

PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS, AP

GOOD DAY TYRA BANKS Banks is the fierce new face of ‘America’s Got Talent.’ After long-standing host Nick Cannon resigned from the show, ‘AGT’ veteran judge Howie Mandel broke the news via Twitter Monday that Banks would replace FILMMAGIC Cannon. The supermodel-turnedmogul acknowledged Mandel’s reveal with a tweet of her own, expressing her excitement to work with her new TV family.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT Forget ‘Mad’ — Charlize Theron has gone ‘Atomic.’ The actress blew photographers away during the Sunday premiere of her new Cold War-era film, ‘Atomic Blonde,’ at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin.

MILO VENTIMIGLIA CELEBRATING JACK’S LIFE ON ‘THIS IS US’ Season finale, death don’t mean an end for show or character Bill Keveney @billkev USA TODAY LOS ANGELES This Is Us fans want to learn the details of Jack Pearson’s death, but Milo Ventimiglia, who plays the husband and father of three, has a different perspective.

Last week, NBC’s hit drama, which shows the Pearson family at various stages of life, hinted at Jack’s demise in a scene from the 1990s. In Tuesday’s first-season finale (9 ET/PT), he and wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore), get the spotlight “Everyone, particularly now, is so focused on when he dies, how he dies, why he dies. I think the opposite. I think you focus on how he lives, why he lives,” Ventimiglia says. “None of us know when we’ll meet our ends. You just have to appreciate life and move positively through life.”

As Ventimiglia, 39, absorbs Jack’s unusual status as a central character who’s long deceased in the present day, the Heroes and Gilmore Girls alum understands the special nature of the critically acclaimed Us. The series, which has brought many viewers to tears, received a rare two-season renewal, reflecting its status as TV’s No. 1 new series among young adults.

“With Heroes, it felt like we were there to entertain, whereas This Is Us feels like we’re doing important work,” he says.

“When someone approaches me just to talk about how one moment in one episode got them to reach out to their adopted father or connect with their sibling, I feel like we are getting (people) to face themselves and then reflect a little differently.”

Ventimiglia praises Moore for helping to make the Pearsons’ marriage feel real. “Any of the struggle I’ve ever had with (interpreting) Jack, the second I look in Mandy’s eyes, I’m right there with her and I’m him,” he says. “The nice part has just been having Mandy to partner with, shoulder to shoulder, the whole time.”

Executive producer Ken Olin credits Ventimiglia for providing early insight about “salt of the earth” Jack, who’s less lyri-

DAN MACMEDAN, USA TODAY

Milo Ventimiglia is a devoted husband and father in This Is Us.

RON BATZDORFF, NBC

Jack (Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) enjoy a happy moment. cal and expressive emotionally than some other Us characters.

“For Jack, Rebecca was enough, but that’s not who Re-

becca is. Rebecca is unsettled and Jack has a certainty. Milo found that in the pilot,” says Olin. “This character is so important to the show because he’s different.”

Although Jack is a decent man, whom Ventimiglia modeled on his own father, his family focus squelches his wife’s dream of being a singer. He is hardly supportive when she goes on tour, leaving him to care for their teens.

Frustration leads to heavy drinking, a dangerous prelude when Jack decides to drive to his wife’s first tour stop at the end of

last week’s episode.

To avoid spoiling the finale, Ventimiglia gets philosophical when discussing Jack’s fate and future on a show where characters, including Randall’s biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones), can die but continue to be seen in another era.

“I always go back to: The answer is going to reveal itself when it’s supposed to,” he says. “Even when we discover how Jack died, it doesn’t mean his story is ending, which is a nice thing about the show. There is no real end.”

TELEVISION

John Lithgow makes ‘Trial & Error’ a win Nutty professor may have killed his wife in comedy mystery

SUZANNE CORDEIRO, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Compiled by Jaleesa M. Jones

USA SNAPSHOTS©

Spring break or Shark Week?

Florida had the most shark attacks in the world between 2007 and 2016.

244

SOURCE The University of Florida, Florida Museum SARA WISE AND VERONICA BRAVO, USA TODAY

If ever a series needed to send a thank-you note to its star, it’s Trial & Error.

Granted, this new NBC sitcom is more than just a oneman show. It PREVIEW boasts a clever ROBERT concept — a trueBIANCO crime mockumentary about a murder trial — and it has some strong supporting performances from Nicholas D’Agosto, Jayma Mays, Sherri Shepherd and Steven Boyer.

Still, even more than most sitcoms, the comedic success of Trial (Tuesday, 10 ET/PT, then 9 ET/PT, eeeE out of four) rises and falls on its big-name star: John Lithgow as accused murderer Larry Henderson.

This comedy mystery from Jeff Astrof, Matt Miller and Jeffrey Blitz requires a tough balancing act: Lithgow has to keep us in doubt over Larry’s guilt or innocence while keeping us interested and amused. Luckily, that’s an act Lithgow handles with seeming ease. Something about the hangdog, somehow

TYLER GOLDEN, NBC

Josh Segal (Nicholas D’Agosto) works with Larry Henderson (John Lithgow) and his daughter, Summer (Krysta Rodriguez). unbalanced look Lithgow uses here so often and effectively just makes you want to both comfort Larry and run from him in terror — sorry that he’s sad; worried that he’s crazy.

Imagine a blend of Dexter’s serial killer with 3rd Rock From the Sun’s fish-out-of-water commander, and you have some idea of where Lithgow is going. And then throw in The Crown’s Winston Churchill — not because it

has anything in particular to do with Trial, but because it will remind you that Lithgow can do almost anything.

Tuesday’s double episode introduces us to Larry, a “rollercizing” (not, he continually constantly insists, roller skating) poetry professor in a small Southern town who’s arrested for killing his wife. Convinced Larry is innocent, his brother-in-law hires attorney Josh Segal (D’Agosto), a

“Northeasterner,” to defend him. (“They just seem to be slyer than the rest of us.”)

What Josh finds is a town filled to excess with Southern eccentrics and, well, idiots. His assistant, Anne (a very funny Shepherd), has a host of rare medical maladies that cause her to forget faces, laugh at inappropriate times, and faint in the presence of beauty. His lead investigator, Dwayne (Boyer), has a brother who also is his cousin, which should clue you into the bumpkin stereotype he embodies.

And his opponent on the other side of the case, Carol Anne Keane (Mays), is both overly ambitious and sexually aggressive.

All told, it’s extremely silly stuff, heavily reliant on running jokes (including Anne’s facial recognition problems), sight gags and Josh’s double-takes at Larry’s outlandish comments.

Still, a good percentage of the show’s jokes land, and the show’s structure (it’s effectively a 13-episode miniseries, with each episode ending with a trial-specific cliffhanger) is a welcome variation on the conventional sitcom form. Plus you have Lithgow, giving another master class in comedy.

Thank you.

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COMICS

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 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

Girl’s efforts are never good enough for her family DEAR ABBY — I’m a 15-year-old girl, and I’m struggling with abuse.

I’m mentally and physically abused by my family Dear Abby constantly, ABIGAIL yet they VAN BUREN make me out to be the abusive one. I could do amazing on a test, and they yell at me for something that happened on the last one. They’re always pushing me so hard to do better that it’s making me do worse.

How can I make my family see that I’m not them, and I can do good if they just give me the chance to learn from my mistakes?

Struggling in Wisconsin

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

DEAR STRUGGLING — Parents always want their children to perform to their level of capacity. Because you say you are being abused physically and emotionally for your inability to live up to your family’s expectations, discuss what’s going on with a counselor at your school. It’s possible there needs to be an intervention by someone they will listen to. Please don’t wait to do it.

DEAR ABBY — My husband of three years has visits with his son every Tuesday and Thursday evening. My mother-in-law picks up her grandson, takes him to her home and makes dinner for the three of them. I work 10-hour days Monday through Friday and am not able to attend these dinners.

My question is, isn’t it

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

proper etiquette that my mother-in-law should send a plate of food home for me with my husband? She never has, and I think this is rude and inconsiderate of her.

What is your opinion?

Hungry in El Paso DEAR HUNGRY — Although brief, your letter speaks volumes about your relationship with your mother-in-law, which it appears could be better. No rule of etiquette dictates that she is obligated to send a plate of her food home with her son for you. Perhaps if your relationship with her was warmer, or your husband was thoughtful enough to suggest it, she would. However, since you asked, my opinion is that rather than complain, you should pick up some take-out on your way home from work.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

By Roger and Kathy Wienberg

ACROSS 1 Past due 5 Place for a safe 9 Connery and McCartney 13 “Don’t rub __” 14 Geometry calculations 16 Cool one’s heels 17 *Performer’s exit direction 19 Award for “Game of Thrones” 20 Dangerous Amazon fish 21 “Scotch” sealers 23 See 47-Down 24 *Immediately 27 Handed out cards 29 Oakland Coliseum player 30 *High stadium tier 34 Start of a choosing rhyme 35 Step on it, quaintly 36 Form 1099 ID 37 President pro __ 40 Stretchy bandage brand 41 Damage 43 *Sports bet based on total points scored 46 Vote out of office

49 Totally thrill 50 *Like most TV dramas 52 Speaks, biblically 55 Texas shrine 56 Almond or cashew 58 Luke Skywalker, for one 60 In advance, and where you might find both parts of the answers to starred clues 62 “Absolutely!”

63 Schussing spot 64 Novelist Ferber 65 Starts to blossom 66 Watches 67 Paper quantity DOWN 1 Speak like Sylvester 2 Storage space accessed via the ceiling 3 Pageant accessory 4 “Prepare to duel!”

5 “Sour to the People” extreme candy brand 6 “Carmen” highlight

3/14/17 7 A joker might pull yours 8 Christine of “The Blacklist” 9 Honey 10 “My parents are gonna kill me!”

11 Glass edge 12 Mess of a room 15 Drummer Ringo 18 Joins 22 Free TV spot 24 Fraud watchdog org.

25 Stolen jewelry seller 26 Onion ring maker 28 Jay with jokes 30 “Yup” 31 Steinway, for one 32 Convinced 33 “Hooked on Classics” co.

38 Crossword solver’s smudges 39 Change genetically 42 Small falcons 44 Really relax, with “out” 45 Reply to bad alternatives 47 With 23-Across, priced separately, on menus 48 Crypts, e.g.

51 December songs 53 Swap 54 Reddish-orange dye 56 “Don’t think so” 57 Red-coated cheese 58 Fast punch 59 Australian bird 61 Nemesis

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

3/14/17