IN SPORTS: Gamecocks open first-ever 5A state playoffs playing host to Lexington B1 SCIENCE
Does Pluto’s ice hide a slushy ocean of water? A5 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016
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United Ministries needs turkeys and hams Charity needs help feeding 150 families BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Sumter United Ministries is asking the community to help meet its commitment to provide 150 families with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner. Businesses, churches, social groups
and individuals are encouraged to donate frozen turkeys or hams between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. today at Sumter United Ministries, 36 S. Artillery Drive or Bynum Insurance, 1170 Wilson Hall Road. About 150 families will come to the ministry on Tuesday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. for project “Giving Thanks,” to pick up their dinner boxes. As of Thursday afternoon, the organization was still in need of 50 hams or turkeys to fulfill their com-
mitment, said Mark Champagne, executive director. The families have been identified for the need through either receiving assistance from the organization before or making contact with the organization otherwise. Each box includes a turkey or ham, dinner rolls, sweet potatoes, stuffing and other food items. Champagne said volunteers are invited to attend to help distribute the food boxes.
“This is a fun event that provides an opportunity for families and volunteers to socialize together and for the families to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving,” he said. The organization is also planning on adopting about 90 families for Christmas, providing the families with Christmas gifts. For more information on assisting with the projects, contact the ministry at (803) 775-0757 or email kathy@sumterunitedministries.org.
Hundreds turn out for Sumter County Museum’s oyster roast
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Oyster lovers dig in during the Sumter County Museum’s annual oyster roast on Thursday night on the museum grounds. The event is a fundraiser for the museum.
Vaccinations best way to ward off flu BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Through the first two weeks of November, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is reporting “sporadic” flu activity. “That is pretty low,” said Dr. Melissa Overman, assistant epidemiologist for DHEC. “There are some cases coming in but nothing to put people on high alert.” When higher levels of flu could spread across the country is difficult to tell, she said. “It varies so much from year to year; it can be as early as October and it could be as late as December or January,” she said. “Traditionally, we think of the flu season as December and January, but it extends before that and after that. Influenza is a year-round illness despite what most people think.”
BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com
Overman said the single best way to prevent influenza is to be vaccinated. “The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and DHEC still recommend that anybody six months of age and older, who can medically receive an influenza shot, go ahead and do so,” she said. There are four types of vac-
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cines available this year, she said. She explained that each year during the Northern Hemisphere summer, the World Health Organization and CDC work to identify what strains of the flu virus are circulating in the Southern Hemisphere
SEE FLU, PAGE A7
Sumter School District hopes to increase academic achievement by enhancing student-centered learning technology. According to district Director of Instructional Technology David Laws, by using classroom instruction time to increase student engagement, depth of knowledge and technical skills, the program transforms classrooms to the 21st century. Laws, three members of his instructional and technology team and several classroom teachers from the district made presentations at Monday night’s school board meeting at High
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District has high hopes for technology in the classroom
Willie Henry Bey Henry M. Hodge Jacob Wilson James H. Brabham Jr. Mary McFadden
Hewey H. Timmons Janice R. Benjamin Mark Robinson Jerome Solomon Cleveland Frierson Jr. Sammy Lee Robinson Sr.
Bessie Mae B. Lewis Mary Hines Dorentha Ann Burgess Hermon M. McCoy Abe McCain Jr.
Hills Elementary, showcasing the increased use of technology from the school perspective. Laws explained that in the past 18 months, the district has purchased more than 12,500 Google Chromebooks to equip all third through ninth graders with the latest in classroom technology. In addition, some touchscreen Chromebooks are used by kindergarten through second-grade students and plenty are also on hand at the district’s three high schools for 10th- through 12th-grade students. The district’s total enrollment is about 17,000. “The end result is we
SEE TECH, PAGE A7
WEATHER, A12
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A PERFECT FALL DAY
2 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES VOL. 122, NO. 28
Sunny, clear and warm today with no chance of rain; tonight, clear and not quite as chilly. HIGH 76, LOW 49
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