Charity’s plea for turkeys leads to record donations Food collection is most received in short time for United Ministries TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 24 PAGES | VOL. 122, NO. 30
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BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com The turkeys are nearly overflowing from Sumter United Ministries’ headquarters now after a simple
email last week caused an unprecedented outpouring of community support. Six days ago — with today’s Thanksgiving food box giveaway fast approaching — United Ministries had collected only 41 turkeys or hams for 150 designated families it had committed to provide meals for. “I just didn’t get a sense this year that people knew about it,” said Executive Director Mark Cham-
pagne, who sent out an urgent email newsletter for help at the close of business on Wednesday to supporters and others in the Sumter community. Fast-forward two days, and by Friday afternoon, every refrigerator and cooler that could be found were filled with frozen turkeys and hams at United Ministries’ facility
SEE CHARITY, PAGE A11
2,000 barbecue lovers take part in event
Fall Harvest Parade returns See photos from the Morris College event A3 STATE
Burn ban issued for entire state A2 DEATHS, B4 and B5 John F. Thames C. Warren Prescott Sammie Lee Dingle Joe House Lottie R. McClary Eartha R. Thompson Maebell R. Jones
PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
John H. Jackson Jr. Bessie M. Lewis Mary Lucia E. Lee Richard Newman Joe Williams Dontrell Carter Arlen W. Rohl
Firefighters Jason Dollard and Troy Lamontagne portion out barbecue for the Graham station entry at the Capt. Tom Garrity Firefighters BBQ Challenge on Saturday at Sumter County Fairgrounds. Below, the grand champion trophy is ready to be awarded.
7th-annual challenge is fundraiser for Red Cross, honors former firefighter BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
WEATHER, A12 PRETTY NICE Partly sunny today and partly cloudy tonight HIGH 59, LOW 34
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Fire and rescue volunteers, employees and enthusiasts from Sumter and nearby municipalities enjoyed four hours of everything firefighter as they tasted barbecue and other treats during the seventh-annual Capt. Tom Garrity Firefighters BBQ Challenge on Saturday. Twenty-one teams — 13 firefighter teams and eight professional teams — competed in the challenge this year. When the smoke cleared, the winners were announced and the trophies awarded; it was Wedgefield Fire Department that won the judges’ Pitmaster Award, and Beech Creek Fire Department received the Peoples’ Choice award, both in the firefighters competition. In the professional, or non-firefighter, competition, Carter-Queing was grand champion, with Ultimate Tailgaters taking second and Razorback third. John Kendall of
Manning won for best ribs. Each person who purchased a ticket for the challenge was entered into a drawing for a stainless steel grill made by Fort Roofing Co. Joey Duggan took home this prize. Nancy Cataldo, American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces director, said Saturday was the larg-
S.C. releases state report cards for school districts BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com The South Carolina Department of Education released statewide report cards on Tuesday for all school districts containing results from various assessments in spring 2016, including district high school graduation rates, the new South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments, ACT WorkKeys, the SC Palmetto Assessment of State
est the competition has ever been with the addition of more events such as the second-annual Fire Apparatus Show and the first Firefighter Muster Skills Competition. More than 2,000 people attended the event, she said. All money collected during the challenge will go to the local Red Cross office. Saturday’s event was a cause to celebrate many things, including the life of Capt. Tom Garrity, who spearheaded the idea for the barbecue challenge. Garrity died in 2012. Garrity was a firefighter and the owner and president of G&G Metal Fabrication and Fire Equipment Services in Sumter. He is also known for his efforts in restoring the 1920s firetruck that is installed in the playground at Swan LakeIris Gardens. This competition keeps Tom’s memory alive, said Laurine Garrity, Capt. Garrity’s wife. “We are just honored to see all of this,” she said. Garrity said the fire service was her husband’s second family, and for them to honor him like
SEE CHALLENGE, PAGE A9
Man charged in animal abuse case
Standards and the End-ofCourse Examination Program.
Nonprofit supporting investigation
DISTRICT GRADUATION RATES
BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
The Sumter School District graduation rate is the percentage of first-time ninth-graders who graduate from high school with a diploma within four years. Sumter School District’s four-year, on-time graduation rate for the Class of
SEE REPORT CARDS, PAGE A11
A Sumter man has been charged after members of the Sumter Police Department Organized Crime and Vice Control Unit found eviPHOTO PROVIDED dence stemming from a Volunteers from Valiant Animal Rescue search warrant on Benand Relief handle a dog recovered from an ton Court on Friday that alleged animal abuser Friday in Sumter. three pit bull dogs had
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their ears cut off. Jamie Shaw, 36, of 528 Benton Court, was arrested and booked into Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center on three counts of ill treatment of animals, according to a police department news release.
SEE ABUSE, PAGE A9