December 1, 2016

INSIDE: Rising Nashville star John Berry to host country concert at Opera House A2 THE CLARENDON SUN

Alcolu Preservation Society to host tour of homes during holidays A6 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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Career and Technology Center creating spark Under instructor’s leadership, welding program has many bright spots

BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com It’s a local high school program of study that often goes under the radar but has achieved state and national accolades. It has been recognized with No. 1 rankings in South Carolina on several occasions and produces graduates who right out of high school can earn $15 to $20 per hour in starting pay locally and even wear jeans to work.

It includes a regular classroom setting but also a workshop area with 24 booths, cutting tables and plenty of sparks to go around.

What is it? It’s the Sumter Career and Technology Center Welding Technology program.

Led by Larry Culick — in his 23rd year of teaching at the career center, a Sumter center graduate and also a former welder — the program consis-

tently puts out quality welders for local industry, such as Thompson Construction, Interlake and Porter’s Fabrications, among numerous others.

The welding program at the center is open to juniors and seniors from the three high schools in Sumter School District — Sumter, Crestwood and Lakewood. Juniors attend for three hours in the morning before returning to their home high school for English, math and other traditional courses after lunch.

Seniors attend in the afternoon, after spending the morning hours at their home high schools. In their last semester as seniors, many have the opportunity for a paid — part-time — co-op learning experience with a local industry.

SEE SPARK, PAGE A8

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

Deobtrez Choice, a 12th-grader from Sumter High, practices his welding in a booth on Wednesday at the Sumter Career and Technology Center. The welding program is open to juniors and seniors from the three high schools in Sumter School District — Sumter, Crestwood and Lakewood.

Here comes Santa Claus Justice Finney to serve as Sumter Christmas Parade grand marshal

BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com Santa Claus is coming to town. In fact, he will be ushered in by dozens of participants in the Sumter Christmas Parade on Sunday. Doug Griffin, organizer of the parade sponsored by the Evening Optimist Club, said the parade begins at 2 p.m. at the corner of North Main and DuFINNEY bose streets, then proceed south down Main, ending at Bartlette St. This year’s parade theme is Christmas Miracles.

That means there is plenty of prime viewing space for the colorful parade that each December escorts Santa with floats, dance teams, beauty queens, marching bands, horses and many more units, Griffin said.

Leading the parade will be its grand marshal, The Honorable Ernest A. Finney Jr., former Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was born in Virginia, received his legal degree from South Carolina State University in 1954. Finney moved to Sumter, where he raised his family, in 1960.

During his early years as an attorney, Finney defended more than 6,000 clients arrested for protests and sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement. He lost almost every case at trial because the court system supported segregation, but he won all but two cases on appeal.

Judge: Roof ’s request not rashly made Defendant represents self in killing of 9 parishioners

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Santa Claus, whose appearance is always eagerly anticipated by children and adults alike, traditionally takes the last position in the Sumter Christmas Parade. This year’s colorful procession is set for 2 p.m. Sunday on Main St. Elected to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1972, Finney became the first African-American to serve on the House Judiciary Committee. He was a founder of the Legislative Black Caucus and was recognized as a leader in the civil rights movement.

During the course of his distinguished career, he was awarded many honorary doctorates. He became a judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in 1976 and as-

sociate justice of the S.C. Supreme Court in 1985. He was named Chief Justice in 1994 and served until his retirement in 2000.

Finney now lives in Columbia with his wife, Frances.

As of Tuesday, the Optimists reported more than 100 units already registered, with more than 2,600 participants. Griffin said that, as usual, thousands of spectators are expected to line Main Street.

The parade will include numerous emergency services entries from Sumter Police Department, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter Fire Department and Sumter County EMS. Many local churches and businesses will also be featured, as well as Shriner’s organizations and other local civic clubs.

SEE SANTA, PAGE A8

COLUMBIA (AP) — Dylann Roof, the white man charged with the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church, is being allowed to represent himself because he didn’t make the decision rashly and understood the consequences of his actions, a judge wrote in court documents unsealed on Wednesday.

In a 10-page order, ROOF U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel wrote that Roof met the standards required for self-representation, even though he called the defendant’s decision to act as his own lawyer “very unwise.”

Roof, 22, was “alert, focused and confident” when he asked the court to act as his own lawyer, a decision that was not “rashly made,” Gergel wrote.

“Defendant’s decision to forego (sic) the services of the nation’s foremost capital defense attorneys is, in the Court’s view, unwise, but the law does not permit the Court to reject Defendant’s assertion of his constitutional right to represent himself because it is foolhardy,” the judge wrote.

The judge ruled Monday that Roof could defend himself against dozens of federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion in the June 2015 attack at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted.

After Roof filed a motion seeking to represent himself, Gergel on Monday asked him questions in court about the charges against him, possible penalties and consequences of acting as his own lawyer.

SEE JUDGE, PAGE A8

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Informational meeting on codes next week Members of all Community Neighborhood Groups and other residents of the city and county, including Mayesville, Pinewood, Rembert, Wedgefield and other surrounding communities, are invited to attend a very important meeting at the Clyburn Transportation Center on South Harvin Street from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Codes Enforcement officers from the city and county will present valuable information that will answer any questions you have that remain unanswered or to which you have received incorrect information. John Macloskie, city Codes Manager, and a representative from the County will be there to answer questions.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information call (803) 491-4910.

Yuletide at Millford Plantation this weekend A seasonal celebration in honor of Millford Plantation’s 175th anniversary will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

The event, presented by The Azalea Garden Club of Manning, will feature festive decorations, refreshments and live music to usher in the holiday season.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit the house, explore the gardens and have a picnic on the grounds.

Admission is $15 and reservations are required. Tickets for Saturday’s event are sold out, but are still available for Sunday.

Millford will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

For reservations/more information, call (803) 452-6194.

The address is 7320 Millford Plantation Road, Pinewood.

For more information, visit the website, www.classicalamericanhomes.org.

Hunter education class to be held Dec. 17 A South Carolina Hunter Education Class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Simpson Hardware, 40 Wesmark Blvd., in Sumter.

The class is recommended for motivated students 12 years old and older with good reading and comprehension skills who have some firearm and hunting knowledge or experience. Course materials are on a sixth-grade reading level.

Course instructor will be Ken Cope. Class size is limited.

Students younger than 12 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Students are advised to bring a pencil and paper.

Registration may be completed at www.dnr.sc.gov.

For information, call 1-800277-4301.

John Berry brings country Christmas Opera House hosts rising Nashville star FROM STAFF REPORTS Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter John Berry will make only one stop in South Carolina this year, and that will be at the Sumter Opera House for a special Christmas concert. At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, S.C. native Berry brings his “O Holy Night: Celebrating 20 Years of Christmas” tour to downtown Sumter.

Known for his inspiring version of “O Holy Night,” Berry will devote the second half of his concert to Christmas music, a mix of songs from his recently released album, “Christmas,” and traditional Christmas music. He’ll begin the evening with some of his familiar hits and songs from his newest album, “What I Love the Most.”

“It’s a family-oriented show,” Berry said in a press release. “It’s very family-appropriate. It’s a very Christ-centered Christmas. I think folks will really enjoy the night.”

Even the make-up of the band reflects family. Berry’s wife Robin sings in the band, and his son Caelan is the drummer.

Berry rose to stardom as a singersongwriter during the 1990s with a string of huge hits. During the decade, Berry recorded 20 charting singles, six of them making the top 5 on the county charts. “Your Love Amazes Me” reached no. 1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records Country charts, and “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye” and “She’s Taken a Shine” reached the top spot on Radio & Records.

Among Berry’s other achievements are many Gold and Platinum records, a nomination as the ACM Top New Male Vocalist in 1994 for his participation in

PHOTO PROVIDED

Singer-songwriter and South Carolina native John Berry will bring his 20th anniversary Christmas tour to the Sumter Opera House on Friday, Dec. 9. This will be his only stop in the state this year. Tickets are now on sale.

Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel Vol. 1 and for “Your Love Amazes Me.” He was also nominated for the CMA Horizon Award and Top Male Vocalist Award in 1995. In 1997, Berry was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for Long Haired Country Boy with Charlie Daniels and Hal Ketchum.

While he was born in S.C., Berry grew up in Georgia, where he picked up a guitar at age 13 and was giving shows at 14. At 19, he was making records.

“By the time I was 17, I knew that music was what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.

“O Holy Night” is the hymn that inspired his 20-year (so far) Christmas tour.

“If ‘O Holy Night’ is all that anyone remembers of me, that’s fine with me,” Berry said. “It is a truly inspired piece of music.”

As part of his special 20th anniversary Christmas tour, audience members

can enjoy a special VIP Experience Package. The cost is $20 in addition to the cost of the concert ticket and includes early access for VIP holders at 5:30 p.m. for a 45-minute casual meet and greet with John Berry and his band, a VIP Experience souvenir laminate, a signed photo and a photo opportunity with Berry. There are only 50 VIP tickets available in order to keep it an intimate experience with the artist and band, according to Sumter Cultural Manager Seth Reimer.

Tickets for Sumter Opera House presents John Berry’s “O Holy Night: Celebrating 20 Years of Christmas” are $40, $37 and $20. The VIP Experience Package is optional for an additional $20.

For tickets or more information, call (803) 436-2616, visit the website www.

SumterOperaHouse.com, or go by Sumter Opera House box office, 21 N. Main St.

Celebrate holidays with community band FROM STAFF REPORTS Sunday’s 7 p.m. performance by the Sumter Community Concert Band will start and end with a sleigh ride. And in between, the musicians will play a variety of sacred and secular carols, most of which will be familiar and even nostalgic.

“We want to get everyone off to a good start for Christmas,” said Rick Mitchum, trumpet player and spokesman for the band.

To do that, the band has invited soprano Betsy Ridgeway to sing several selections with them, and there’s even a singalong for the audience.

But first, Director Joni Brown will lead the band in playing “Troika,” by Sergei Prokofiev. Mitchum said a troika is a Russian sled that is drawn by three horses yoked side by side. It is an iconic symbol of Russia.

Adolphe Charles Adam’s hymn, “O Holy Night” is one of the most beloved Christmas songs, celebrating as it does the significance of the night of Christ’s birth. SCCB will play the arrangement

by Calvin Custer, with a solo by trumpet player Evan

PHOTO PROVIDED

Sumter Community Concert Band, shown here during its October performance, will present its annual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Sunday in Patriot Hall. Joni Brown, a former director of SCCB, will conduct, as James H. “Jimmy” Mills is on temporary hiatus.

Thompson and also featuring a trumpet trio.

A band arrangement by Howard Cable of “A Canadian Brass Christmas” is a medley of popular tunes including “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “I Saw Three Ships A-Sailing” and others.

Ridgeway will be the featured singer for the medley of upbeat songs comprising “Together at Christmas.”

The band will play “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “A Marshmallow World.”

Several other medleys will include such tunes as “Pa-

rade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Nutcracker; “My Favorite Things” and many more.

“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is also among the secular selections.

“A Christmas Spectacular” is a medley of more sacred carols that have become a part of the Christmas catalog. Included are nine carols, among them “Angels from the Realm of Glory,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and “Once in Royal David’s City.”

Ridgeway and the band will invite the audience to join in singing Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” which is recognized by Guinness as the best-selling single of all time. Its lyrics evoke an old-fashioned Christmas, “just like the ones I used to know.”

As promised, the concert will conclude on a happy note with Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” complete with the percussion section’s sounds of horses’ hooves and jingling bells.

Admission to the 7 p.m.

Sunday concert at Patriot Hall, 135 Haynsworth St., is free, and the public is invited.

HOW TO REACH US IS YOUR PAPER MISSING? ARE YOU GOING ON VACATION? 20 N. Magnolia 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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THE SUMTER ITEM

Gatlinburg death toll at 7 after fires rage through tourist town GATLINBURG, Tenn.

(AP) — Three more bodies were found in the ruins of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains area, raising the death toll to seven, a Tennessee mayor said Wednesday.

Search-and-rescue missions continued, and Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said they had found three people who had been trapped since the fires started spreading wildly in high winds on Monday night. The mayor said the three were OK. “That is some good, positive news for a change,” he said.

The mayor said authorities are still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed. State law enforcement set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and family. Officials have not said how many people they believe are missing.

Three brothers being

treated at a Nashville hospital said they had not heard from their parents since they were separated while fleeing the fiery scene during their vacation.

Gatlinburg Police Chief Randall Brackins said they have searched about 30 percent or less of the city so far.

More than 14,000 people were evacuated from Gatlinburg on Monday night, and many of them are still nervously awaiting word of when they can get back in the city to see if they still have homes.

Buddy McLean said he watched Monday from a deserted Gatlinburg street as flames surrounded his 26-acre hotel nestled in the mountains.

His grandfather bought the land in 1945, and he developed a subdivision on part of it and built The Lodge at Buckberry Creek about 14 years ago on the mountainside to take advantage of the views of Mount LeConte.

POLICE BLOTTER from his place of work while in the 400 block of Booklyn Street between about 5:50 and 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday.

CHARGES Jalon E. Still, 38, of 2 Van Buren St., was arrested on Wednesday and charged with criminal domestic violence for allegedly slapping a woman in the face and stomping her foot during a physical altercation at their shared residence. The woman, Kimberly A. Lugo, 21, was also arrested on Wednesday and charged with second degree domestic violence for allegedly shoving Still, starting the physical altercation. According to an incident report from Sumter Police Department, five children witnessed the altercation. Both Still and Lugo were transported to Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

STOLEN PROPERTY A white 2016 Ford F150 with a diamond-plated toolbox and diamond-plated fuel tank, valued at $40,000, was reportedly stolen while it was parked at a convenience store in the 2900 block of Narrow Paved Road, Lynchburg, about 1 p.m. on Monday.

An 65-inch LG Smart TV valued at $3,000 and a 32-inch Smart TV, unknown brand, valued at $300 were reportedly stolen from a residence in the 700 Bronco Road, Wedgefield, about 9 a.m. on Monday.

Roger Richburg, 42, of 17 Pyracantha Road, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with breach of trust for allegedly attempting to take a night stand valued at $120

EVERY DAY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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Fine feathered friends

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

An egret hunts for a snack as a swan preens itself at Swan Lake on Tuesday afternoon.

A 43-inch RCA flat-screen TV valued at $800; three Samsung DVD players valued at $500; a 20-inch RCA flat-screen TV valued at $75; two 32-inch RCA flatscreen TVs valued at $400 each; three tablets, unknown brand and model, valued at $105; and a Batman comforter set valued at $50 were reportedly stolen from a residence in the 20 block of Capri Drive between 10 a.m. on Sunday and about 11:50 a.m. on Monday. Approximately $300 in damage was caused to the side door of the residence during the alleged incident.

A gray air-conditioning unit, unknown make, valued at $4,500 was reportedly stolen from a residence in the 1500 block of Pinewood Road about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday.

A black .270-caliber Remington rifle with a synthetic stock and Meopta scope, valued at $2,000, was reportedly stolen from a 2011 white Chevrolet Silverado while it was parked at a residence in the 3800 block of Oleander Drive about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

A Hoyt Reflex compound bow valued at $1,300 was reportedly stolen from a tan 2012 GMC Sierra while it was parked at a residence in the 3800 block of Vinca Street between 2:20 a.m. on Monday and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

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DAMAGED PROPERTY A silver 2002 Pontiac Grand Am sustained approximately $3,500 in damage when all four doors, the roof, hood and trunk were scratched and the sun roof was broken while it was parked on James Haskell Road, Wedgefield, about 7:45 a.m. Monday.

A 2009 Acura TL sustained approximately $1,500 in damage when it was scratched while it was parked at a residence in the 1000 block of Huddersfield Drive between 9:30 p.m.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

Cubans line streets as Castro’s ashes start journey HAVANA (AP) — To waving flags and some shouts of “Long may he live!” Fidel Castro’s ashes began a four-day journey across the island Wednesday, retracing the path of his triumphant march into Havana nearly six decades ago.

A small, Cuban-flag covered cedar coffin containing the remains of the 90-year-old leader was taken out of Cuba’s Defense Ministry just after 7 a.m. and placed into a flower-bedecked trailer pulled by a green military jeep for the more than 500-mile (800-kilometer) procession to his final resting place in the eastern city of Santiago. The ashes will be interred Sunday, ending the nine-day mourning period for the man who ruled the country for nearly 50 years.

The route traces in reverse the victory tour Castro and his bearded rebels took after overthrowing the forces of strongman Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

Carpenter Rene Mena, 58, said his mother had taken him out of their home on the capital’s seafront Malecon boulevard as a baby to see Castro arrive that year. On Wednesday he donned a Cuban flag and a military cap outside the same house where he still lives, and saluted Castro’s caravan.

“I saw him when he came, and now I’ve seen him when he left. Goodbyes are moving, difficult,” Mena said.

Outside Havana, the caravan will pass through rural communities significantly

changed by social and economic reforms he adopted.

Many residents now have access to health care and education. But many of those towns are also in a prolonged economic collapse, the country’s once-dominant sugar industry decimated, the sugar mills and plantations gone.

Thousands of Cubans lined the streets of Havana, some sleeping on sidewalks overnight, to bid goodbye to Castro. Many had attended a massive rally Tuesday night at Havana’s Revolution Plaza, where the presidents of Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa, along with leaders of a host of smaller nations, offered speeches paying tribute to Castro, who died Friday night.

The crowds at the rally and along Wednesday’s procession route were a mix of people attending on their own and groups of Cubans organized by government workplaces, where attendance was not strictly obligatory but with strong pressure to attend. Some groups of government workers slept on the streets because all public transport had been commandeered to move people to Castro-related activities.

Along the city’s historic Malecon, the funeral procession passed to near-total silence among the crowd. Peering from the sidewalk, rooftops and balconies overlooking the sea, people took cellphone video and photos as keepsakes.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Backdropped by the Hotel Nacional, people hold Cuban flags on Wednesday as they wait for the motorcade transporting the remains of Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana, Cuba.

“We love the comandante and I think it’s our obligation to be here and see him out,” said Mercedes Antunez, 59, who was bused in by the state athletics organization from her home in east Havana along with fellow employees.

Tuesday’s rally began with black-and-white revolutionera footage of Castro and other guerrillas on a big screen and the playing of the Cuban national anthem. Castro’s younger brother and successor, Raul, closed the rally with a speech thanking world leaders for their words of praise for his brother, whom he called the leader of a revolution “for the humble, and by the humble.”

South African President

Prosecutor says officer acted lawfully CHARLOTTE (AP) — A Charlotte police officer whose fatal shooting of a black man outside an apartment complex touched off several nights of unrest in the city was justified in opening fire and will not face charges, a prosecutor announced Wednesday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray spent 40 minutes during a news conference meticulously outlining the evidence that led him and a team of 15 other prosecutors to determine Officer Brentley Vinson’s actions in killing Keith Lamont Scott were justified.

He also released his report online.

Lawyers for Scott’s family say they still have questions and haven’t decided whether to file a lawsuit.

Scott’s family has said he wasn’t armed.

However, Murray displayed a nearby store’s surveillance video showing the outline of what appeared to be a holstered gun on Scott’s ankle. He said Scott’s DNA was found on a Colt .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun recovered at the scene. He shared a Facebook conversation from the man who said he sold the stolen gun to Scott and recognized him from TV

House Democrats re-elect Pelosi

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

District Attorney Andrew Murray discusses evidence as he speaks during a Wednesday news conference in Charlotte, where he announced that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Brentley Vinson acted lawfully in the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. coverage after the shooting and police radio traffic where officers talked about the gun before confronting Scott.

The prosecutor asked the public to review his findings before protesting again. Two nights of protests after the September shooting led to looted stores near the scene and in downtown Charlotte, millions of dollars of damage and more than two dozen injuries to police officers and others, including one fatal shooting.

“The community should read the report. Digest the report. Please do not act viscerally on news snippets,” Murray said.

CHURCH NEWS Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 2571 Joseph LemonDingle Road, Jordan community, Manning, announces: * Sunday, Dec. 11 — Mass choir anniversary program at 10 a.m.

Antioch United Methodist Church, 4040 Dubose Siding Road, announces: * Saturday, Dec. 10 — “Day of warmth” 11 a.m.-2 p.m. A variety of soups with cornbread will be served.

Full Proof Deliverance Ministry, 2758 S.C. 341 S., Olanta, announces: * Saturday, Dec. 10 — Community outreach. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at House of Worship, 522 W. Liberty St. High Hills Missionary Baptist Church, 6750 Meeting House Road, Dalzell, announces: * Sunday — Holy communion will be observed after the 10:15 a.m. worship. * Saturday, Dec. 17 — Christmas program and fellowship dinner at noon. * Saturday, Dec. 31 — Watch

Jacob Zuma praised Cuba under Castro for its record on education and health care and its support for African independence struggles.

Castro will be remembered as “a great fighter for the idea that the poor have a right to live with dignity,” Zuma told the crowd.

For two days, lines stretched for hours outside the Plaza of the Revolution, the heart of government power. In Havana and across the island, people signed condolence books and an oath of loyalty to Castro’s sweeping May 2000 proclamation of the Cuban revolution as an unending battle for socialism, nationalism and an outsize role for the island on the world stage.

Inside the memorial, thousands walked through three rooms with near-identical displays featuring the 1962 Alberto Korda photograph of the young Castro in the Sierra Maestra mountains, bouquets of white flowers and an array of Castro’s medals against a black backdrop, framed by honor guards of soldiers and children in school uniforms. The ashes did not appear to be on display.

Signs read: “The Cuban Communist Party is the only legitimate heir of the legacy and authority of the commander in chief of the Cuban Revolution, comrade Fidel Castro.”

The scene was played out on a smaller scale at countless places across the country as the government urged Cubans to reaffirm their belief in a socialist, single-party system that in recent years has struggled to maintain the fervor that was widespread at the triumph of the 1959 revolution.

After 10 years of leadership

by Raul Castro, a relatively camera-shy and low-key president, Cuba has found itself flooded once again by the words and images of the man who dominated the lives of generations. Since his death on Friday night, state-run newspapers, television and radio have run wall-to-wall tributes to Fidel Castro, broadcasting non-stop footage of his speeches, interviews and foreign trips, interspersed with adulatory remembrances by prominent Cubans.

Night service at 10:30 p.m.

Knitting Hearts Ministry, meets at Bethesda Church of God, 2730 Broad St., announces: * Saturday, Dec. 10 — Knitting Hearts will meet from 10 a.m. to noon. Devon Coker will speak. Light breakfast included. A love offering will be received.

Visit knittingheartsministry. wordpress.com .

Mount Sinai AME Church, 5895 Mt. Sinai Church Road, Lynchburg, announces: * Sunday — Steward’s annual day will be observed during 10 a.m. worship. * Sunday, Dec. 25 — Christmas morning worship at 9 a.m. featuring a Christmas concert. * Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017 — New Year’s worship at 9 a.m. * Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 — Gospel fest at 3 p.m. featuring the Singing Cousins and others.

Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 325 Fulton St., announces:

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their leader Wednesday, ratifying the status quo in a changing Washington despite widespread frustration over the party’s direction.

That disenchantment manifested itself in 63 lawmakers supporting Pelosi’s opponent, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, in the secret-ballot vote.

That was by far the largest defection Pelosi has suffered since she began leading House Democrats in 2002.

Still, the California lawmaker had declared PELOSI ahead of time that more than two-thirds of the caucus was supporting her, and she won almost exactly two-thirds with 134 votes. It was a testament to her votecounting skills and to her ability to hang onto power even in dark days for Democrats, as they confront a capital that will be fully controlled by the GOP next year.

Supporters said the 76-year-old Pelosi was their best bet to confront a President Donald Trump from a defensive crouch in the minority after Democrats’ picked up only a half-dozen seats in the House, far fewer than anticipated. Republicans are on track to hold at least 240 seats in the House next year, while Democrats will have 194.

Pelosi herself, appearing elated after her victory, pledged that Democrats have won elections before and would do so again, even though

* Sunday — The Rev. Ricky Syndab will speak at 6 p.m. * Sunday, Dec. 11 — The hospitality ministry’s anniversary and new members fellowship will be held at 10:45 a.m. * Sunday, Dec. 18 — Christmas program at 4 p.m. * Saturday, Dec. 31 — Joint Watch Night service with Salem Missionary Baptist Church at 10 p.m. at Mount Zion MBC. Dr. Cartrell Woods, pastor of Salem Missionary Baptist Church, will speak.

Mulberry Missionary Baptist Church, 1400 Mulberry Church Road, announces: * Sunday — Candlelight service at 5 p.m. in the Mulberry multipurpose building.

The Rev. Willie Wright Sr., of New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, will speak.

Pinewood Baptist Church, S.C. 261, Pinewood, announces: * Sunday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 18 — The Adult Choir will perform the musical “Joy! Unspeakable Joy!” at 6 p.m. (refreshments to follow) on Dec. 11 and at 11 a.m. on Dec. 18. Call (803) 452-5373 or visit www.pinewoodbaptist.org.

they’ve been in the minority in the House since 2010.

“I have a special spring in my step today because this opportunity is a special one, to lead the House Democrats, bring everyone together as we go forward,” Pelosi said.

Of Trump, she said: “Where we can engage, we will. Where we need to oppose, we will.”

For their part, Ryan and his backers insisted after the vote that they had won a victory in sending a message to Pelosi about the significant desire for change among House Democrats.

“Somebody had to do something,” said Ryan, a seven-term lawmaker who before now had been largely a back-bencher. “Our prospects have improved just because of this conversation.”

Leadership elections were originally scheduled to be held before Thanksgiving but were delayed to give Democrats more time to discuss and process the election results and consider a path forward.

Pelosi’s victory came only after she promised some changes to assuage concerns in her caucus, including adding a member of the freshmen class to her leadership team and creating a handful of other titled positions. But her proposals do little to ensure new blood at the very top or change the seniority system that has key committees led by lawmakers in their 80s at a moment when the party needs to be defending President Obama’s health care law and other initiatives.

* Sunday, Dec. 18 — Community-wide Christmas caroling at 5 p.m. * Wednesday, Dec. 21 — The Children’s Christmas Program “Don’t Be Scared” will be presented at 7 p.m. followed by the annual Christmas tree gift exchange and a visit from Santa. * Sunday, Dec. 25 — Christmas service will be held at 10:30 a.m. “Come as you are” as we worship in song and observe the Lord’s Supper.

St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, 7650 Summerton Highway, Silver community, Pinewood, announces: * Saturday — The Brotherhood will hold a talent show “Out with the Old and In with the New” at 3 p.m.

Summerton Southern Methodist Church, 1107 Felton Road, Summerton, announces: * Saturday — Barbecue pork supper 4-7 p.m. served cafeteria style or take out in the fellowship hall. $8 per plate.

Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 155 Wall St., announces: * Saturday, Dec. 17 — The drama ministry will present

“The Days of Christ — His Prophesy and Birth” (Christmas production) at 4 p.m.

Triumph Ministries, 3632 Broad St. Ext., announces: * Today — Apostle Altheresa Goode-Howard will speak at 7 p.m. * Friday — Apostle Micheal Ripley will speak at 7 p.m. during the celebration service for Prophetess Stephanie Mathis. * Friday, Dec. 9 — Men’s ministry will host “Men Conditioned for the Position (Men of Valor) at 7 p.m.

Bishop Willie Davis will speak. * Saturday, Dec. 31 — Watch night service “Stand Up, Speak Up and Move Up” at 10:30 p.m. Elder Tonya Mack, Elder Ray Mathis and Prophetess Stephanie Mathis will speak.

Willow Grove AME Church, 8105 A/B Sumter Landing Road, Horatio, announces: * Sunday — Horatio Christmas lighting at 5 p.m. at Lenoir’s Store. * Sunday, Dec. 18 — Christmas recitations and refreshments. Church school begins at 8:45 a.m. followed by 10 a.m. worship.

RELIGION

THE SUMTER ITEM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

Mirror God’s joy in gift giving

I

good presents for Christmas. Yes, there are some who are only interested in the material aspect receiving Faith Matters of gifts, but I JAMIE H. think some of WILSON us honestly want to know someone cares enough about us to give us a gift we truly need or, at least, want. No one wants the perfunctory coffee mug filled with bath salts, a gift that, at its core, says “Well, at least I got you something.” There is something about opening a gift from a loved one that speaks to you as a person that makes one feel loved.

I’ve stood in store lines before where my fellow Christmas gift purchasers vocalize their disdain for Christmas gift giving. Their chorus of commiseration is often joined by those around them, the refrain of which sounds like this: “They won’t even appreciate this” or “They’ll play with it for a while and then forget about it.”

These and those with a sim-

t’s not difficult to engage young children around Christmas time. You only have to ask one question: What are you getting for Christmas?

Without hesitation, most of the preschool kids to whom I posed that question last Sunday quickly rattled off their lists, which included video games, various figurines and something called Shopkins.

It was one little girl who misheard me. She thought I said the word giving instead of the word getting, transforming her answer into a lesson for all of us.

“I’m getting my mom new socks and my daddy, some sunglasses,” she said, eyes darting around the room as if looking for more examples. “For my Meme, I’m painting her a pot for her plants because she likes to grow plants.”

I thought about correcting her, but as she excitedly listed her plans to give to others, I couldn’t. Here was a young lady who understood Acts 20:35: “’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

As much as we decry the materialism inherent in the holiday season, I don’t think it’s greedy to want to receive

ilar attitude toward gift-giving will miss out on the biggest present of Christmas. They will miss the opportunity to celebrate the spirit of the season — the joy of commemorating the most significant gift given to believers. We should give gifts with the explicit intention of pointing our children, friends and extended family members to that singular knowledge. With purpose and excitement, we should pick out the presents we give and wait with great anticipation as those around us unwrap. Hugs and thank-yous should be exchanged.

Our gift giving should mirror the joy of our Heavenly Father, who gave Jesus Christ as our Savior.

It’s not too late to adopt this attitude. As of Thursday, you have more than three weeks to bathe your gift-giving in thoughtfulness and intention.

You have roughly 24 days to change your perspective to one of the greatest gift giver, our Almighty God, who willingly gave of himself so that, among countless other things, you could be a joyful gift-giver.

Adventist

Assembly of God

Sumter Seventh-Day Adventist 103 N Pike West 775-4455 Pastor Harry Robinson Sat. Sch: 9:15 am, Worship: 11:00 am Tues Bible Study 7 pm www.sumter22.adventistchurchconnect.org

First Assembly of God 1151 Alice Drive * 773-3817 www.sumterfirstag.org Jason Banar, Pastor Sunday School 9:30 am Sunday Worship: 10:30 am

Sun. School 9:00 am Praise Worship 9:55 am Worship 10:00 am

of Christ Baptist - Southern Church Plaza Church of Christ Grace Baptist Church 219 W Calhoun St * 778-6417 Dr. Stephen Williams S.S. 9:45 am; Worship 11:00 am Evening Worship/Bible Study 6:30 pm Wed. Prayer Meeting 6:30 pm Wed. Bible Study: 6:30 pm

African Methodist Baptist - Missionary Episcopal Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church

Hickory Road Baptist Church 1245 Cherryvale Dr 803-494-8281 Dr. Ron Taylor Pastor Sunday School 9:45 am Worship 10:55 am Evening Worship 6:00 pm

803 S Harvin St. * 775-4032 Wayman Chapel AME Church Marion H Newton, Pastor 160 N Kings Hwy • 803-494-3686 Sunday Worship: 7:45 & 10:45 am www.waymanchapelame.com Sunday Youth Service: 10:45 am Reverend Dr. Dennis W. Broughton, Jr. Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 pm Church School 9:00 am Salem Missionary Baptist Church Worship 10:15 am 320 West Fulton Street Wed. Bible Study 12:00 pm & 6:30 pm 803-775-8054

Shaw Heights Baptist Church 2030 Peach Orchard Rd. • 499-4997 Rev. Robert White, Pastor Sunday School: 9:45 am Sunday Worship:11 am & 6 pm Bible School June 20th - 25th 6:00 - 8:30 PM 4 year old & up

FELLOWSHIP

Catholic - Roman

Photo Credit CCL

I

n Isaiah 11:6 we read, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid….” Every creature is from the same Source, the Great Originator of all existence. We are all in it together in our journey through life. As we sit in God’s house, joining together in fellowship and worship, may we experience the warmth reflected in the eyes of our fellow worshipers and receive the grace of His love.

Matthew 24:1-28

Matthew 24:29-51

Daily Devotional Reading Matthew Matthew Daniel 25:1-30 25:31-46 9:1-27

Nehemiah 8:1-18

Esther 9:20-10:3

Scriptures Selected by the American Bible Society

©2016, Keister-Williams Newspaper Services, P.O. Box 8187, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.kwnews.com

(in Spanish) Confession: Sat. 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

The Catholic Community of Sumter, St. Anne Site 216 E Liberty St • 803-773-3524 Parochial Pastor Rev. Frank Palmieri, CRM Vicar Rev. Noly Berjuega, CRM Weekend Masses: Sat. 4:30 pm Sun. 8:00 and 12:00 Noon Confession: Sat. 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm The Catholic Community of Sumter, St. Jude Site 611 W. Oakland Ave • 773-9244 www.stjudesumtersc.org Pastor Rev. Frank Palmieri, CRM Parochial Vicar Rev. Noly Berjuega, CRM Saturday: 6:00 pm Sun. 9:15 - 12:00 Noon, 5:00 pm

1402 Camden Hwy. • 905-3163 Stewart Schnur cell 361-8449 Sunday School: 10 am Sunday Worship: 11 am & 6 pm Wed. Bible Class: 7 pm

Interdenominational City of Refuge Church 16 Carolina Ave 938-9066 Barbara & Johnny Davis Sun School 10:00 am Worship 11:15 am Bible Study (Wed.) 7:00 pm www.cityofrefugeministry.com Spiritual Life Christian Center 4672 Broad St. Ext • 968-5771 Pastors Randolph & Minerva Paige Sunday Worship: 11:00 am Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 pm Victory Full Gospel Interdenominational Church 601 Pitts Rd • 481-7003 Joann P. Murrill, Pastor Sunday Worship: 11:00 am Youth Bible Study 7:00 pm

Lutheran - ELCA St James Lutheran Church 1137 Alice Dr, Sumter 773-2260 / www.stjamessumter.org Pastor Keith Getz Sunday School: 9:00 am Sunday Worship: 10:00 am Wed. Bible Study 10:30 am Holy Communion: 12:00 pm

A5

Pope encourages youth working in civil service

Church Directory Email Jamie H. Wilson at faithmattersumter@gmail.com.

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pope Francis kisses a girl as he arrives for an audience with the youths working in civil services at the Vatican on Saturday.

Methodist - United Aldersgate United Methodist 211 Alice Dr • 775-1602 David W. Day, Pastor Traditional Service 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 am Contemporary Service 11:15 am Bethel United Methodist Church 5575 Lodebar Rd • 469-2452 Rev. Jeremy Howell Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 11 am Sunday School: 10 am www.yourbethel.org BMethodist@ftc-i.net St John United Methodist Church 136 Poinsett Dr * 803-773-8185 www.stjohnumcsumter.com Rev. Larry Brown Sunday School 9:45 am Worship 11:00 am Wed. Bible Study 11:00 am Trinity United Methodist Church 226 W Liberty St • 773-9393 Rev. Steve Holler Sunday School 9:30 am Worship Service 10:30 am trinityumcsumter.org

Non-Denominational Abundant Life Kingdom Ministries 301 Crosswell Drive, Sumter Pastor Dion E. Price 803-468-1567 Sunday Morning 10:00 am 1st & 3rd Wed. Bible Study 7:00 pm Sat. 9:00 am Intercessory Prayer Christ Community Church(CCC) 320 Loring Mill Rd., Sumter www.cccsumter.com 803-905-7850 Sun. Worship 10:00 am (Patriot Hall) 135 Haynsworth Street

Presbyterian PCA

First Church of God 1835 Camden Rd • 905-5234 www.sumterfcg.org Ron Bower, Pastor Sunday School: 9:30 am Sunday Worship: 10:30 am

Westminster Presbyterian Church 230 Alice Dr., Sumter • 803-773-7235 Pastor Stuart Mizelle Sunday School 9:15 am Worship Service 10:30 am

Greater St. Paul Church 200 Watkins Street • 803-778-1355 Founder Bishop W.T. English Sunday School - 10:30 am Worship - 11:30 am Evangelistic Service 6:30 pm Wed. Mid Week Service - 7:30 pm

Presbyterian USA First Presbyterian Church of Sumter 9 W Calhoun St (at Main St.) (803) 773-3814 • info@fpcsumter.org Rev. Nick Cheek Sunday School (classes for all ages) 9:30 a.m.

Hospitality & Fellowship (Fellowship Hall) 10:10 a.m.

Worship (Sanctuary) 10:30 a.m.

Sumter Bible Church 420 South Pike West, Sumter 803-773-8339 • Pastor Ron Davis Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am & 6:30 pm Wed. Bible Study & Prayer 7:00 pm

Pentecostal First United Penecostal Church 14 Plowden Mill Rd • 775-9493 Pastor Theron Smith Sunday Service: 10:00 am & 6:30 pm Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30 pm Sumter First Pentecostal Holiness Church 2609 McCrays Mill Rd • 481-8887 S. Paul Howell, Pastor Sunday School: 10:00 am Sunday Worship: 10:45 am & 6:00 pm Wed. Bible Study/Youth Group: 7:00 pm

Presbyterian - ARP Lemira Presbyterian Church 514 Boulevard Rd • 473-5024 Pastor Dan Rowton Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS To Advertise Carolina On This Page Filters, Inc. 109 EAST NEWBERRY AVENUE Call 773-6842 800-293-4709 MANAGEMENT AND STAFF

Job’s Mortuary 639 BULTMAN DRIVE Telephone: 803.938.8200 Claims: 1.800.841.3000

312 S. Main St., Sumter (803) 773-3323

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PRO GLO AUTO PAINT, BODY, GLASS & FRAME WORK, INC.

RANDY BONNER Store Manager

FRASIER TIRE SERVICE INC 310 E. Liberty Street Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-1423 Fax (803) 778-1512

216 South Pike West •775-7434 “Join us after church for dinner’’

Norman Williams & Associates Employment Services

Ingram & TAXAssoFIRM ciates

344 West Liberty Street Sumter, SC 29150

Locally Owned • Established 1966 FULL SERVICE TAX FIRM

803-775-5308

M-F 9:30-7:00 • Sat 9:30-5:00 Closed Sunday

803-469-8733 www.outletfurniture.com

3322 SS.. Main M St. • Sumter

LLet Your LLight i Shine.

2645 Warehouse Blvd., Sumter, SC

Allow Allo Al low w YYour ou Business to Glorify God!

Benton Young, Owner

803-481-8200 www.advanceheating-air.com

piggly wiggly OF SUMTER

494-8292

Discount Furniture Sumter Cut Rate Drugs Outlet 803-773-8432 2891 Broad St. • Sumter

Insurance Work Welcomed Don’t Fuss Call Us 2085 Jefferson Road, Sumter, S.C. 29153 Phone (803) 469-3895 • FAX (803) 469-2414 Billy Caples, Sr.

(803) 773-5114

“Flowers For All Occasions’’

Seven Convenient Locations

“Please worship at the Church of your choice’’

18 E. Liberty St. • 778-2330 1132 Broad Street 208 East Calhoun Bring your Church Bulletin in and receive a free small drink

To Advertise On This Page Call 800-293-4709

To view church information online go to www.theitem.com or www.sumterchurchesonline.com

A6

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

THE CLARENDON SUN Call: (803) 774-1211 | E-mail: konstantin@theitem.com

Clarendon Hall gets AdvancED accreditation

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com SUMMERTON — Clarendon Hall has been awarded accreditation from AdvancED, the parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The accreditation is for a fiveyear period.

AdvancED is a global accrediting agency that serves more than 34,000 schools throughout the world, according to its website, www.advanc-ed.org.

The resources and standards of AdvancED ensure that Clarendon Hall is committed to continuous school improvement, said Lyndi Bonnette, South Carolina Independent School Association’s activities director.

Clarendon Hall is now one of 45 SCISA schools out of 120 to be accredited through AdvancED.

Phillip Rizzo, Clarendon Hall head of school, said the process took more than a year of work, including collecting a vast amount of documentation.

The accreditation review process involved five standards. Teams of teachers and staff from Clarendon Hall were created to address each standard.

An external review team from SCISA, including three professors, a SCISA headmaster and two master teachers, conducted a two-day site visit during which they evaluated classroom instruction in all of the school’s classes.

“The process of accreditation is very involved, but it exposes our opportunities for improvement, which have already begun,” Rizzo said. “With the help of SCISA, we are developing a professional development model, which will ultimately allow us to better serve our students.”

The accreditation process involved five standards: Standard 1 — Purpose and Direction, Standard 2 — Governance and Leadership, Standard 3 — Teaching and Assessing for Learning, Standard 4 — Resources and Support Systems, and Standard 5 — Using Results for Continuous Improvement.

Purpose and Direction is focused on maintaining and communicating expectations for learning, according to AdvancED’s website, www.advanc-ed.org.

Governance and Leadership is a standard designed to make certain the school operates under leadership that promotes and supports student performance and school effectiveness.

Teaching and Assessing for Learning is focused on the school’s curriculum, instructional design and assessment practices guide to ensure teacher effectiveness and student learning.

“This is one of the most involved standards,” Bonnette said. “It’s designed to evaluate the curriculum and instructional design to see if the curriculum is an effective method of teaching.

It’s a valuable tool when it comes to finding strengths and weaknesses within a curriculum.”

The standard of Resources and Support Systems makes sure the school has the resources and provides services that support its purpose and direction.

The final standard, called Using Results for Continuous Improvement, is a way of implementing a comprehensive assessment system that generates a range of data about student learning and school effectiveness and uses the results to guide continuous improvement.

For more information on AdvancED accreditation, visit www.advanc-ed.org.

Clarendon library offers users free digital program

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com

PHOTO PROVIDED

The Mill House in Alcolu, which was built in the early 1900s, was restored in May 2015 and serves as a museum made to look like a house from when Alcolu was an operational mill town.

Alcolu Preservation Society to host Christmas Tour of Homes in May 2015 and serves as a museum made to look like a replica of a house from when Alcolu was an operational mill town. The house is filled with furniture, photographs and other memorabilia from the 1940s.

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com ALCOLU — Alcolu Preservation Society is hosting an Alcolu Christmas Tour of Homes from 1 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10.

Seven homes and two churches with construction dates ranging from 1879 to 2012 in the Alcolu area will be featured.

The event is a fundraiser for Alcolu Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the village, according to Jean Hodge, secretary of the organization.

Tickets are $10 per person.

Alcolu was at one point a prosperous mill town, founded in 1889 by the Aldermans, a family from North Carolina, according to previous articles in The Sumter Item.

From the early 1900s to the 1950s, the town included a saw mill, several stores, a school, a post office, two churches and nearly 200 homes. About 170 of those homes were provided by Alderman Co., named after the family that owned the mill and operated the town. The town grew to include logging operations, a saw mill, planing mill, hosiery mill, flooring mill and extensive farming and cattle ranching.

In 1947, the company was sold to Southern Coatings and Chemical Co. and Williams Furniture Co. Operations of

THE COMPANY STORE Main Street

PHOTO PROVIDED

A window to The Company Store in Alcolu is seen. The store will be open during the Alcolu Christmas Tour of Homes. the mill were shut down in 2000 by its last owner, Georgia Pacific Co. The homes and churches featured in Dec. 10’s tour include the following:

THE ALCOLU MILL HOUSE Alcolu Street

“The Company Store” is considered a landmark of the village with generations of history, according to previous articles in The Sumter Item. It was once a central location that featured a grocery store, a doctor’s office, a 200-seat auditorium and a post office. The building, which is more than 100 years old, has been unoccupied for more than 20 years.

MANNING — Harvin Clarendon County Library is keeping up with the latest technology.

The library now offers a digital media service called “Hoopla” that provides the opportunity for an individual to “borrow” digitally, without any fees, movies, music, audio books, e-books, comics and TV shows to be downloaded on a person’s computer, tablet, phone or TV. The only requirement is to have a library card.

Titles can be streamed instantly or downloaded to smartphones or tablets for offline enjoyment later, said Charlotte Johnston, the library’s director.

They can also be automatically returned and removed from a person’s device at the end of a lending period, she said.

The library pays a onetime annual fee for the service, and there’s no limit on how many participants use it or how often, Johnston said.

After library patrons download the app on their device, they can rent and

stream a collection of more than 300,000 digitized videos and books, according to www.hoopladigital.com.

Johnston said the library is also hosting several programs this winter for people in the community, including a book club.

The book club consists of about 10 people who meet once a month to discuss a certain book they read.

Members discuss themes and elements of the book and even make parallel connections to their own lives, she said.

Many of the book club members are also members of Friends of the Library, an organization that promotes and supports the library by creating public support for the expanding system, she said. The Friends also strive to increase community awareness and use of the library. They also work to improve library services and to provide money to meet special needs.

For more information, visit the library’s website at www.clarendoncountylibrary.com or contact the library at (803) 435-8633 or info@clarendoncountylibrary.com. The library is at 215 N. Brooks St., Manning.

Charlotte Johnston, director of Harvin Clarendon County Library in Manning, takes a book off the shelf in the library last week. The library is now offering individuals an opportunity to check out thousands of items through a digital media service.

KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY / THE SUMTER ITEM

Every Auto-owners policy comes with a local agent!

As a local independent agency, we live in your community and are here for you 24/7. Offering you more insurance choices, why would you go anywhere else?

Call or visit us today for all your Insurance needs.

THE (OLD) NEW HARMONY CHURCH AND (MODERN-DAY) NEW HARMONY CHURCH 1174 New Harmony Church Road The original New Harmony Presbyterian Church was

The Mill House was built in the early 1900s. It was restored

803-473-6205 mobile

Alfreada Pearson, Agent 803-374-9655 mobile

SEE TOUR, PAGE A7

MANNING RESTAURANT Lunch buffet served Sunday through Friday

John Mathis, Agent

Where Friends & Family Meet, Eat, & Greet

Holidays are around the corner!

Whether you need somewhere to host an event or help with cooking, call us! Please order your casseroles and desserts early.

476 N. Brooks St. • Manning, SC | 803-435-4212 Monday - Friday : 6am - 2pm | Saturday: 6am-11am | Sunday: 10:30am - 2pm

JIA

Jeffords Insurance Agency

40 N. Mill St • Manning • 803-433-0060

CLARENDON SUN

THE SUMTER ITEM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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A7

PETS OF THE WEEK Tiger, right, is a 9-month-old male, domestic medium-hair black-and-white tiger-striped cat.

He is current on his shots and has already been neutered. Tiger loves attention and loves to be held like a baby. He would make a great lap cat.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Trinity, lower right, is a 9-monthold female, domestic short-hair dark gray cat. She is current on her shots and has already been spayed. Trinity is a very sweet, loving cat and enjoys being petted. Stop by to see Trinity, Tiger and their friends on Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at A Second Chance Animal Shelter, 5079 Alex Harvin Highway (U.S. 301), which has numerous pets available for adoption. To drop off an animal, call (803) 473-7075 for an appointment. If you’ve lost a pet, check www.ccanimalcontrol.webs.com and www.ASecondChanceAnimalShelter.com.

The Company Store in Alcolu is seen. It was once a central location where customers could buy groceries, see the doctor or watch a show in a 200-seat auditorium upstairs.

TOUR FROM PAGE A6 built in 1879 and was operational for 100 years. A modern church building was constructed in 1979 and provided more space for the growing population. Both buildings are in use today, with the old church used for special events.

THE McCABE HOUSE 1977 Tearcoat Road The McCabe House was constructed in the early 1930s. It is the original Alcolu home of the Ed McCabe family and was moved from its original location on Hotel Street to Tearcoat Road, where the

PHOTOS PROVIDED

McCabe family lived until the 1960s.

Other homes on the tour include: The DuPree House, 6812 Sumter Highway; The Richburg Home, 4898 Raccoon Road; The DuBose House, 1016 Pheasant Court; The Mathis House, 5163 U.S. 301; and The Ponderosa, 3488 Tearcoat Road.

For more information, contact Jean Hodge at (803) 469-0084. Tickets can be purchased from any Alcolu Preservation Society member or at the following Manning businesses: Mariee’s Beauty Shop, 31 W. Rigby St.; Brunson’s Pharmacy, 12 N. Brooks St.; or Donna’s House, 29 W. Rigby St.

THE

Clarendon Sun CLASSIFIEDS

DEADLINE 56&4DAY 11AM

LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Sale NOTICE OF SALE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS CASE NO. 2015-CP-14-00556 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CLARENDON Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as trustee for Green Tree 2008-MH1 Plaintiff, -vsThe Estate of Carrie Wells a/k/a Carrie L. Wells, by and through its Personal Representative, whose name is unknown, and all Unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any unknown persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a case designated as John Doe; and any Unknown minors, persons under a Disability or persons incarcerated, being a class designated as Richard Roe; The Estate of Richard Canty Sr., by and through its Personal Representative, whose name is unknown, and all Unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any unknown persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a case designated as John Doe; and any Unknown minors, persons under a Disability or persons incarcerated, being a class designated as Richard Roe; Regina Wells-Colclough,Heir-at-Law Defendant(s) BY VIRTUE of a judgment heretofore granted in the case of Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as trustee for Green Tree 2008-MH1 vs. The Estate

Notice of Sale

of Carrie Wells a/k/a Carrie L. Wells, by and through its Personal Representative, whose name is unknown, and all Unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any unknown persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a case designated as John Doe; and any Unknown minors, persons under a Disability or persons incarcerated, being a class designated as Richard Roe; The Estate of Richard Canty Sr., by and through its Personal Representative, whose name is unknown, and all Unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any unknown persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a case designated as John Doe; and any Unknown minors, persons under a Disability or persons incarcerated, being a class designated as Richard Roe; Regina Wells-Colclough,Heir-a t-Law., I, Frances Ricci Land Welch, as Special Referee for Clarendon County, will sell on December 5, 2016, at 11:00 am, at the Clarendon County Courthouse, 3 West Keitt St, Manning, SC 29102, to the highest bidder: All that certain piece, parcel or lot of land, lying, being and situate in the County of Clarendon, State of South Carolina, of St. Marks Road Subdivision, Section II, and bounding, now or formerly as follows: On the North by Lot No. 5 on that plat referred to; on the East by property of Thomas Boyd Rhame; on the South by Lot No. 3 on that Plat hereinafter referred to; and on the West by St. Marks Road.

Said property being Lot No. 4 on that Plat by R.G. Mathis Land Surveying dated October 28, 1991 and recorded in Clarendon County Plat Book S-48, at Page 309.

Lisa Bair

Notice of Sale

TMS: 053-00-01-110 ALSO: All that certain piece, parcel of Lot of land lying, being and situate in the County of Clarendon, State of South Carolina and bounding now or formerly as follows: On the North by property of Thomas Boyd Rhame; On the East by property of Thomas Boyd Rhame; on the South by Lot No. 4 above described; and on the West by St. Marks Road.

Said Lot being Lot No. 5 on that Plat

by R.G. Mathis Land Surveying dated October 28, 1991 and recorded in Clarendon County Plat Book S-48 at Page 307.

TMS: 053-00-01-109 Being the same property conveyed to Richard Canty herein by deed of Emma Lee S. Rhames, dated May 13, 1996, and recorded May 14, 1996, in Book A292, Page 214, in the RMC Office for Clarendon County, SC. Also, being the same property conveyed to Richard Canty, Sr. and Carrie Wells by deed of Richard Canty, dated August 4, 1998, and recorded on 8-11-1998 in Book A353, at Page 171, in the RMC Office for Clarendon County.

Note: The lien of this mortgage shall attach to a 1986 Guerdon Mobile Home currently located on the property. Borrower and Lender intend that the mobile home lose its nature as personal property and become real property. Borrower declares that the above described mobile home will remain permanently affixed to the property and will be treated as a fixture.

Borrower also declares that the wheels, axles, and hitches have been removed and that the mobile home is connected to utilities. It is expressly agreed that the Lender reserves an interest in the mobile home both under the real property laws and the

laws relating to motor vehicles and personal property.

GDWVGA118642385A&B 1986 Guerdon Mobile Home

TMS #: 053-00-01-110 and 053-00-01-109 Physical Address: 1066 St. Marks Rd., Pinewood, SC 29125

Notice of Sale

Frances Ricci Land Welch Special Referee for Clarendon County Theodore von Keller, Esquire B. Lindsay Crawford, III, Esquire Sara Hutchins Columbia, South Carolina Attorney for Plaintiff

SUBJECT TO CLARENDON COUNTY TAXES

The successful bidder will be required to pay interest on the amount of the bid from the date of sale to date of compliance with the bid at the rate of 12.24% per annum.

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TERMS OF SALE: The successful bidder, other than the Plaintiff, will deposit with the Special Referee at conclusion of the bidding, five (5%) of his bid, in cash or equivalent, as evidence of good faith, the same to be applied to purchase price in case of compliance, but to be forfeited and applied first to costs and then to Plaintiff's debt in the case of noncompliance. Should the last and highest bidder fail or refuse to make the required deposit at the time of the bid or comply with the other terms or the bid within twenty (20) days, then the Special Referee may resell the property on the same terms and conditions on some subsequent Sales Day (at the risk of the former highest bidder). No personal or deficiency judgment being demanded, the bidding will not remain open after the date of sale, but compliance with the bid may be made immediately.

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SANTA FROM PAGE A1 Sumter, Lakewood and Crestwood high schools will each be represented by several entries, including Air Force Junior ROTC units, cheerleaders, queens and performances by all three marching bands.

Lake Marion High will also be represented by its Junior Army ROTC. Several elemen-

tary and middle schools are also participating. Dancers from Miss Libby’s School of Dance, Freed School of Performing Arts, Dreamworks Dance Academy and Caroline Mack Center for the Arts will be dancing to popular holiday music.

Griffin reminds spectators

JUDGE FROM PAGE A1 In a motion of their own, prosecutors noted Roof had the constitutional right to represent himself, “regardless of the perceived effectiveness of a capital defendant’s putative decisions.”

Noted capital defender David Bruck and several other attorneys have been allowed to stay on as Roof’s standby counsel, available to advise him on legal matters but not argue on his behalf in court.

Bruck, however, has sought ways to play more of a role in Roof’s defense. On Tuesday, the judge refused his request to communicate

THE SUMTER ITEM

to arrive early at their favorite viewing locations as all seats intersecting with Main along the parade route will close at 1:45 p.m.

He said the parade’s leading units should arrive at Sumter County Courthouse about 2:15 p.m., and the end of the parade will pass the courthouse about 3:25 p.m. and reach Bartlette St. at approximately 3:40 p.m.

with prosecutors on Roof’s behalf via email.

Lawyers have also sought permission to explain to the court and prosecutors objections made by Roof in the juror qualification process, which is ongoing this week.

Roof apparently had considered becoming his own lawyer since earlier this month, when Gergel held a closed-door hearing to determine his competency to stand trial.

At the conclusion of the two-day proceeding, according to the judge’s order, Roof asked the court if there were a way to “take away all responsibility from my lawyers, but still keep them as my lawyers and then they could do whatever I say, but they wouldn’t have any responsibility, and then I could sign it?”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, center, sits in the courtroom Wednesday during his murder trial at the Charleston County court in Charleston. A jury of 11 whites and one black man began deliberations.

Deliberations begin for ex-police officer CHARLESTON (AP) — A jury of 11 whites and one black man began deliberations Wednesday in the murder trial of Michael Slager, a fired white police officer who was videotaped killing a black motorist after a traffic stop.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman instructed the jurors on the law and told them they could acquit Slager, convict him of murder or convict him of voluntary manslaughter.

The case then went to the jury early Wednesday evening after a monthlong trial in which 55 witnesses testified. They deliberated for about an hour before going home for the night.

Slager was charged with murder, but the judge said Wednesday that the jury could also consider manslaughter in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, who died after five of the eight bullets Slager fired hit him in the back as he tried to run away.

Slager was fired from North Charleston Police Department and charged with murder shortly after the Scott family’s lawyer made the bystander’s video public. The jurors repeatedly watched the images during the trial, even stopping to analyze them frame by frame.

Solicitor Scarlett Wilson showed it one last time after her closing arguments on Wednesday, then approached the jurors and spoke in a quiet voice as

SPARK FROM PAGE A1 “I make sure all the students get paid in their co-ops,” Culick said. “The students are driving there on their own expense, and I have always believed they should get paid.”

The school’s competitive welding fabrication team, consisting annually of three students, has won four SkillsUSA state championships since 2011. The program has also produced the SkillsUSA individual state welding champion in two of the past five years, including last year.

Typically, about 25 school district career and technology centers participate in the state competition, according to Culick. Nearly every year since Culick took over the program, Sumter has finished in the top five for both the team and individual welding honors.

What does Culick attribute the program’s success to?

“We get a lot of metal donations from local industry, which helps, and the students are typically good, but I came from the industry, which I feel is important,” Culick said. “I went to school to be a welder, not a teacher. I worked in the industry and construction for about 10 years before coming back,” Culick said.

Sumter Career and Technology Center Principal Shirrie Miller gives a lot of credit to Culick for the program’s success.

“Larry is the epitome of a dedicated teacher and advocate for his students,” Miller said. “He will take the time outside of class to work with current and former students — whether it’s in the summer, after hours or on the weekends. He also helps his students find jobs,” Miller said.

According to Culick, about a third of the program’s graduates go on to the welding program at Central Carolina Technical College, a third go directly into the welding workforce and a third enter the military.

“I push them all to go to Central Carolina Tech now,” Culick said. “With the CCTC’s

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

Larry Culick, welding program instructor at the Sumter Career and Technology Center, looks on at his students Wednesday in the workshop area. Culick is in his 23rd year of teaching at the career center.

Scholars Program now, a student can go to school for free.

I tell them: ‘If someone is giving you a free associate degree, you can’t turn that down.’ These days, if you want to move up into management, you must have some sort of degree,” Culick said.

As far as the profile of a high school student that fits well in his program, Culick said, “hands-on type students, who are not afraid of getting their hands dirty.”

“Math and reading skills are also important because students must learn welding theory first,” Culick added.

“Students must also use problem-solving skills and analytical skills.”

Kameron Alston and Spencer Caples are two seniors in the

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welding program. Both enjoy working with their hands and having Culick as a teacher.

“I have always wanted a job working with my hands,” Caples said. “I started spot welding on cars when I was 15. I want to go directly into the workforce if I can, but I might go to Central Carolina if I need some more practice before entering the job market.”

Alston, who grew up on a farm in Rembert working with hand tools, plans to go directly to CCTC to get his associate degree.

“I want to eventually become a pipe welder because that’s where the money is at,” Alston said. “Mr. Culick is a great instructor and very helpful. He’s taught me everything I know.”

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the screens went black.

“Our community, our courtroom can only have one fountain for justice. It’s time for Michael Slager to take his drink,” Wilson said.

The jury must find Slager acted with malice toward Scott to convict him of murder. Manslaughter requires proof the killing was done in the heat of passion, after being provoked.

Wilson said that even if Slager felt provoked by Scott’s resistance despite being repeatedly stunned by a Taser, that didn’t justify killing him.

Slager could face 30 years to life if convicted of murder. Manslaughter is punishable by two to 30 years in prison.

Scott ran from his car into a vacant lot after Slager pulled him over for a broken taillight. Slager testified he chased him down, but Scott refused to be subdued and tried to run away again.

Defense attorney Andy Savage argued that the video doesn’t tell the whole story.

It doesn’t show Slager ordering Scott to stop before shooting him with his Taser. It shows only the very end of their struggle over the stun gun. And Slager had no way to know Scott wasn’t armed, Savage said.

The witnesses included a toxicologist who said cocaine was found in Scott’s body.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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A9

Trump rollback of climate agenda may prove difficult WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump plans to dismantle President Obama’s efforts to reduce planetwarming carbon emissions.

But delivering on his campaign pledges to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and bring back tens of thousands of long-gone coal mining jobs could prove far more difficult.

Internal documents from the president-elect’s transition team reviewed by The Associated Press show the new administration plans to stop defending the Clean Power Plan and other recent Obama-era environmental regulations that have been the subject of long-running legal challenges filed by Republican-led states and the fossil fuel industry.

Against that potential opposition, environmental groups are gearing up to defend Obama’s environmental legacy in court.

“We anticipate challenging every single attempt to roll back regulations on air, water and climate,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, who added that his group is already hiring additional lawyers. Fundraising for environmental causes also has spiked since Trump’s victory.

Though Republicans have for years blamed environmental regulations for the decline of coal, data from U.S. Department of Energy shows the primary cause is the emergence of cheaper, more abundant natural gas from hydraulic fracturing.

Another factor is the plummeting cost of solar panels and wind turbines, which now can produce emissionsfree electricity cheaper than burning coal.

Leading Trump’s transition team on the EPA is Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank that gets financial support from the fossil fuel industry and that opposes “global-warming alarmism.”

Though his academic credentials are in philosophy and political theory, Ebell is an enthusiastic denier of the voluminous scientific data that show the planet is warming and that burning fossil fuels is primarily to blame.

Trump said during the campaign he would “cancel” the Paris agreement to make

AP FILE PHOTO

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein delivers remarks on Septt. 21 at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Stein is expected to request a full hand recount of Michigan’s presidential vote.

AP FILE PHOTO

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night rally in New York. Trump will be in a strong position to dismantle some of President Obama’s efforts to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions. But delivering on campaign pledges to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and bring back long-gone coal mining jobs will likely prove more difficult for the new president. global reductions in carbon emissions that Obama signed in December.

The agreement was not a treaty and was not approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, and legal experts agree that as president Trump would have the authority to walk away. Even without a formal withdrawal, Trump could simply order EPA not to take any action toward meeting the U.S. commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26 percent below 2005 levels within the next 10 years.

Trump appeared to soften his position in a recent interview with The New York Times, saying he now has an “open mind” about the Paris agreement. He also shifted away from his year-long insistence that climate change is a “hoax,” conceding there may be “some connectivity” between human activity and the warming of the planet.

Still, Trump’s advisers have suggested he will eliminate NASA’s world-class climate research program, which tracks the warming of the planet, melting Arctic sea ice and rising oceans using an array of purpose-built satellites orbiting the globe.

However, NASA’s study of earth science is currently mandated by federal law, which means voiding the program would require congressional action. Even assuming unanimous Republican support, Senate Democrats could block such an effort through a filibuster.

As a legal matter, Trump also can’t simply get rid of the EPA. Though established in 1970 by President Richard

Nixon through an executive order, eliminating a federal Cabinet agency would require congressional approval and face a likely filibuster.

Even without a wholesale elimination, Trump and the GOP-led Congress could gut the agency’s budget — defunding core enforcement efforts enshrined under the Clean Air and Clean Water acts. During the campaign, Trump proposed slashing the EPA’s $8 billion budget as a way to offset some of the cost of his planned tax cuts.

Environmentalists and former EPA officials say decades of gains made under both Democratic and Republican administrations would potentially be lost if Trump weakens the agency. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican who served as EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, worries EPA is likely to suffer a brain drain as key regulatory staff retire or resign rather than serve under Trump.

“It would behoove Republicans to remember EPA was signed into law by a Republican president working with a Democratic Congress because the public wanted to protect the environment,” Whitman said. “They wanted clean air to breathe, they were tired of seeing rivers spontaneously combust and the land turned into a garbage dump.”

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is expected to request a full hand recount of Michigan’s presidential vote, making it the third state narrowly won by Republican Donald Trump where she’s asked for a second look.

Stein is expected to submit her request for a Michigan recount Wednesday afternoon. She has already requested recounts of the presidential votes in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

President-elect Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast in Michigan, but Stein alleges that irregularities and the potential for hacking into scanning devices call the results into question.

Michigan’s recount could start as early as Friday, though a challenge to the recount by Trump could delay it.

Trump’s victory is highly unlikely to be reversed in any of the states, but Stein has said the recount will ensure the integrity of the election.

Republicans have said a Michigan recount would

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cost taxpayers far more than the $973,000 Stein must pay when filing her recount petition.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, where Trump defeated Clinton by roughly 22,000 votes, Stein’s campaign said Wednesday that it won’t appeal a judge’s ruling that Wisconsin’s recount can be done without counting every ballot by hand.

Stein spokeswoman Margy Levinson said in an email that the decision to not appeal was made due to the time constraints for completing the Wisconsin recount, which begins Thursday.

The majority of Wisconsin counties planned to do a hand recount of ballots cast even though the judge’s ruling means they can choose to feed the ballots into tabulation machines to double check the counts.

Levinson said Stein’s focus will be on verifying the vote on the ground and she encouraged counties to voluntarily conduct a hand recount.

Trump defeated Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 71,000 votes, or about 1 percentage point.

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3 10 7:00pm Local

CABLE CHANNELS The First 48: Deadly Premonition Nightwatch: New Beginnings Gangland (:47) The First 48 (:03) The First 48: Knock Knock (:03) The First 48 Bully Caretaker shot. (HD) Woman forewarned. (N) (HD) Becoming partners. (N) (HD) Undercover (N) (HD) Dead in motel room. (HD) (HD) Back to the Future Part II (‘89, Science Fiction) aaac Michael J. Fox. A time-traveling teen Back to Future 180 Back to the Future (‘85, Science Fiction) aaaa Michael J. Fox. A time-traveling 1980s teen accidentally stops his own parents from meeting. (HD) heads into the future to save his own kids. (HD) Part III (HD) 100 Monsters Inside Me (HD) Monsters Inside Me (HD) Monsters Inside Me (N) (HD) Monsters Inside Me (N) (HD) Monsters Inside Me (HD) Monsters (HD) (:17) Ty ler Perry’s Meet the (:55) 2016 Soul Train Awards Hosted by Erykah Badu, the 2016 Soul Train Awards hon ors soul (:25) Real Gary Owen: Mar tin Law rence Live: Runteldat 162 Browns: Meet the Real Dad (HD) and R&B musicians. (HD) Husbands (HD) Serena Fever (‘02, Comedy) ac Nancy O’Dell.

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles: 181 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles: Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles: Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Top Chef: Something Old, Something (:15) What White Wedding Day Zeppo Marx the Spot (N) New (N) Happens (N) (HD) Nightmare on Altman Street 84 The Profit: Susana Monaco (HD) Shark Tank Plush slippers. (HD) Shark Tank (HD) Millionaire Inventor (N) (HD) Shark Tank Facial hair line. (HD) Shark Tank 80 Erin Burnett OutFront (HD) Anderson Cooper 360° (N) (HD) Enlighten Us: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray (‘16) (HD) Enlighten Us: James Ray (‘16) (HD) South Park: Daily Show with (:31) @midnight This Is Not 136 (:57) Futurama (:29) Futurama The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe Rob Lowe is the guest of honor Drunk History: (HD) (HD) for comic heckling from Roastmaster David Spade. (HD) Hamilton (HD) Not Funny (HD) Trevor (N) (N) (HD) Happening (N) The Great Christmas Light Fight Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! (‘11, Holiday) Bridgit Stuck in the The Lodge: The Stuck in the Liv and Maddie Austin & Ally Girl Meets World 200 Plasma icicles. (HD) Mendler. A family travels for the holidays.

Middle (HD) Choice (HD) Middle (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) 103 Street Outlaws (HD) Street Outlaws: OH-HI-NO (HD) Street Outlaws (HD) Street Outlaws (HD) Street Outlaws (HD) St Outlaws 35 Championship Drive (HD) Profile (HD) E:60 (HD) College Basketball: Cincinnati vs Iowa State z{| (HD) SportsCenter (HD) Sports (HD) 39 Wom. College Basketball: South Carolina vs Texas z{| (HD) High School Basketball z{| (HD) Sports (HD) Profile (HD) E:60 (HD) 30 for 30 (HD) 109 Chopped: Love Bites (HD) Chopped Suds and tots. (HD) Chopped (N) (HD) Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Chopped (HD) 90 Tucker Carlson Tonight (N) The O’Reilly Factor (N) (HD) The Kelly File News updates.

Hannity (N) (HD) The O’Reilly Factor (HD) The Kelly File (:05) Na tional Lam poon’s Christ mas Va ca tion (‘89, Com edy) aaa (:15) The Santa Clause (‘94, Hol i day) aac Tim Allen.

Af ter ac ci den tally (:20) The Night mare Be fore Christ mas (‘93, Holiday) 131 Chevy Chase. A klutz plans a holiday celebration. (HD) killing Santa, a divorced father turns into St. Nick. (HD) aaac Chris Sarandon. Christmas ghouls. (HD) 42 NHL Hockey: Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins from TD Garden z{| (HD) Postgame Access (HD) Game 365 World Poker Tour no} (HD) NHL Hockey Broad cast ing Christ mas (‘16, A Heav enly Christ mas (‘16, Hol i day) Kristin Da vis.

A Christ mas Fam ily for Christ mas (‘15, Ro mance) aac Lacey Chabert.

Ca reer Ice Sculpture 183 Holiday) Melissa Joan Hart. (HD) Angel-in-training is assigned a hard luck case that helps her learn. (HD) woman experiences family life. (HD) (‘15) aaa (HD) 112 Flip/Flop (HD) Flip/Flop (HD) Flip/Flop (HD) Flip/Flop (HD) Flip/Flop (N) Flip/Flop (HD) Hunters (N) Hunters (N) Hunters (HD) Hunters (HD) Flip/Flop (HD) 110 Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Blue Bloods: Rush to Judgment Blue Bloods: The Bullitt Mustang Blue Bloods: Unsung Heroes Family Blue Bloods: Hold Outs Case with Blue Bloods (HD) 160 Blue Bloods: Forgive and Forget Shunned officer. (HD) Police brutality. (HD) Missing Mustang. (HD) threatened. (HD) hung jury. (HD) Project Runway (:50) Project Project Runway: Bold Innovation (N) (HD) (:32) Project Runway: Fashion (:32) Project (:02) Project 145 Project Runway: Life is Full of Surprises $50,000 at stake. (HD) (N) (HD) Runway (N) (HD) Startup (N) (HD) Runway (HD) Runway (HD) 92 Hardball with Chris (N) (HD) All in with Chris Hayes (HD) The Rachel Maddow Show (N) Lawrence O’Donnell (HD) 11th Hour (HD) Hardball (HD) Maddow (HD) 210 Paradise Thunderman Ice Age (‘02, Comedy) aaac Ray Romano. Lost infant.

Full House Full House Friends (HD) Friends (HD) Friends (HD) 153 (6:30) The Shawshank Redemption (‘94, Drama) aaaa Tim Robbins. A man in prison. (HD) The Shawshank Redemption (‘94, Drama) aaaa Tim Robbins. A man in prison. (HD) 152 (6:00) Jurassic Park III (‘01, Science Galaxy Quest (‘99, Science Fiction) aaa Tim Allen. Washed-up actors assist a dying race of Final Destination 3 (‘06, Horror) Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Survivors of a Fiction) aac Sam Neill. aliens in their war for survival. roller-coaster accident are tracked down by death one by one.

2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls The Big Bang The Big Bang The Big Bang The Big Bang Conan Simon Helberg; Jai Courtney. Billy On 156 Seinfeld New Cadillac. (HD) (HD) Pricey fish. (HD) (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) (N) (HD) (6:15) The Ven geance of She (‘68, The Man Who Came to Din ner (‘42, Com edy) aac Bette Da vis.

A bit ter It Hap pened on 5th Av e nue (‘47, Com edy) aaa Don DeFore. A hobo O’Henry’s Full 186 Fantasy) aa John Richardson. radio celebrity is stranded in a suburban home. moves into a mansion that belongs to a tycoon who is on vacation.

House (HD) 157 My 600-lb Life (HD) My 600-lb Life: Tara’s Story (HD) My 600-lb Life: Milla’s Story (HD) Extreme Weight Loss (HD) My 600-lb Life (HD) Extreme (HD) Bones: The Doc tor in the Den NBA Bas ket ball: Los An geles Clip pers at Cleve land Cav a liers from Quicken Loans Arena z{ | NBA Bas ket ball: Hous ton Rock ets at Golden State War riors from Oracle 158 Half-eaten corpse. (HD) (HD) Arena z{| (HD) 129 Jokers (HD) Jokers (HD) Jokers (HD) Jokers (HD) Jokers (HD) Jokers (HD) Those Who Those Who Comedy (N) Comedy (N) Jokers (HD) 161 A Griffith (HD) A Griffith (HD) A Griffith (HD) (:48) Loves Raymond: Pilot (HD) Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Queens (HD) Queens (HD) Queens (HD) 132 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Falling Water: Three Half Blind Mice (:01) Law & Order: Special Victims (:01) Shooter: Home Invasions (HD) Hunting Ground (HD) Unholiest Alliance (HD) Female bonding. (N) (HD) Unit: Child’s Welfare (HD) Musa Qala (HD) 166 Growing Up Hip Hop (HD) Growing Up Hip Hop (HD) Growing Up Hip Hop (N) (HD) Growing Up Hip Hop (HD) Growing Up Hip Hop (HD) Growing Up 172 Elementary Wealthy dog. (HD) Elementary (HD) Elementary: Ready or Not (HD) Elementary: Art Imitates Art (HD) How I Met How I Met How I Met

A&E

46 130 The First 48: Bad Tempered; The

AMC

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ANPL

41

BET

61

BRAVO

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CNBC CNN

35 33

COM

57

DISN

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DSC ESPN ESPN2 FOOD FOXN

42 26 27 40 37

FREE

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FSS

31

HALL

52

HGTV HIST

39 45

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50

MSNBC NICK SPIKE

36 16 64

SYFY

58

TBS

24

TCM

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TLC

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TNT

23

TRUTV TVLAND

38 55

USA

25

WE WGN

68 8

‘Great American Baking Show’ gets the holiday spirit

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH When does a self-help guru go too far? “Enlighten Us: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray” (9 p.m. and 11 p.m., CNN) recalls the career of motivational speaker James Arthur Ray, a rising star in the $11 billion personal growth industry who would face homicide charges after three followers died during one of his retreats.

Rejecting a straight narrative, the film takes a meandering look at Ray’s life, the appeal of motivational speakers like Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra and the many people who follow them, often at great financial and personal sacrifice.

“Enlighten” includes interviews with Ray before and after his downfall and chronicles his attempts to re-enter his field after serving two years in prison. We also hear from Ray’s followers at various phases of infatuation and disenchantment.

The film’s circuitous style asks viewers to look at people and events from many different angles. It also adds up to a running time in excess of 100 minutes — a full two hours with commercials. That’s an awful long time to spend with people who talk almost exclusively about themselves and their human potential.

• The hearth and home aspects of the holiday season loom large on “The Great American Baking Show” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). Tonight, competing bakers make bundt cakes inspired by the coming winter season for judges Nia Vardalos, Ian Gomez, Mary Berry and Johnny Iuzzini.

It is the latest imitation of “The Great British Bake Off” seen frequently on PBS. If one thinks of TV as “comfort food,” these shows fit the bill.

Despite widespread affection for “Bake Off,” the series entered controversial waters earlier this year when it moved to another private channel after its contract with the BBC expired. That change saw a departure of key talent and judges, including Mary Berry.

Some worry that the show will fall flat without its original ingredients.

• Fans of TV kitchens should also note that “Top Chef” (10 p.m., Bravo, TV-14) enters its 14th season featuring eight new chefs competing in Charleston, South Carolina.

• Freeform kicks off its annual 25 Days of Christmas festival with the 1971 favorite “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (3:30 p.m.), starring Gene Wilder. The Cartoon Network offers a slate of Christmas-themed animation beginning with the revamped “Powerpuff Girls” (5 p.m.).

• A bald, depressed boy, taunted by his friends and disrespected by his own dog, pins his hopes on a sickly sapling yet learns the deeper meaning of the holidays in the beloved 1965 special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-G).

CULT CHOICE Desperate aliens mistake the cast (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman) of a “Star Trek”-like TV show for real heroes in the 1999 comedy “Galaxy Quest” (8 p.m., Syfy).

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • “Picasso: A Museum Reborn” (7 p.m., Ovation) chronicles the reopening of the Picasso Museum in Paris after five years of renovation and extension.

• The Minnesota Vikings host the

• A space station astronaut undergoes a remote surgery on “Pure Genius” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Burton learns more about the Woman in Red on “Falling Water” (10 p.m., USA, TV-14).

SERIES NOTES A study in contrasts on “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Supergirl, the Flash and Green Arrow pitch in on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) * Jack seems indifferent to Eddie’s anguish on “The Great Indoors” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Rosco’s behavior raises concerns on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Rick Springfield gueststars as Lucifer on “Supernatural” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) * Ballet and boxing on “Life in Pieces” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).

LATE NIGHT MARK BOURDILLION / ABC

Baker Jennie Dembowski works on her cake submission for tonight’s competition on “The Great American Baking Show,” airing at 9 p.m. on ABC. Dallas Cowboys in “Thursday Night Football” (8 p.m., NBC, NFL).

• An investigation leads to Cuba on “Rosewood” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

• The New Orleans EMS team opens its new headquarters as “Nightwatch” (9 p.m., A&E, TV-14) enters its third season.

• The two-hour film “Until Proven Innocent” (9 p.m., ID, TV-14) examines efforts to exonerate Hannah Overton, convicted of the 2006 salt-poisoning murder of her 4-year-old foster son.

• Rumors put Lawson on the trading block on “Pitch” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

Chelsea Handler is booked on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) * Simon Helberg, Jai Courtney and Sebastian Maniscalco appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Chelsea Handler hosts Jessica Chastain and Sally Field on “Chelsea” (streaming on Netflix) * Jimmy Fallon welcomes Emma Stone, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kacey Musgraves on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) * Jake Gyllenhaal, Hailee Steinfeld and Keith Urban are on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r) * Queen Latifah, Morris Chestnut, Tracey Ullman, Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Copyright 2016 United Feature Syndicate

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2016-17

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

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No tears to shed for Fidel Castro W

ASHINGTON — Sometimes history doesn’t have to wait to judge — and when it comes to dictators, even dead ones, we shouldn’t either.

With news of Fidel Castro’s death Friday — finalmente — world leaders began offering eulogies, some of which were so vapid or willfully ignorant that Castro might have written them himself. It would appear in any case that the 20th-century’s quintessential “Big Brother” managed to infect a few world leaders with an Orwellian strain of mushy-mouthed aphasia.

Apparently bereft of the right words, they treated Castro’s brutality as polite unmentionables, serving up platitudes as though just another important figure had passed on to his maker.

Did they miss the screams?

Growing up in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis, running bomb shelter drills and hearing the stories of refugees who became lifelong friends, I somehow managed to evade the charms of the revolutionary rogue, who merely replaced one dictatorship with another far worse.

There’s nothing sentimental about a ruthless dictator who once held the world hostage to a possible nuclear Armageddon.

It’s one thing to be respectful of the Cuban people — and I’m not suggest-

COMMENTARY

ing we celebrate anyone’s death. But it is another to sidestep the historical horrors of a murderous, 60year military regime and strike a pose of diplomatic equanimity that assuages only Kathleen gluttons of insinceriParker ty.

No wonder so many of them chose to express themselves through Twitter — a communication format well-suited to the small and shallow. Nancy Pelosi tweeted that Castro’s death “marks the end of an era.” Stalin’s death did, too, but who’s judging? Justin Trudeau, Canada’s happy-boy prime minister, called Castro a “remarkable leader,” who “made significant improvements” to Cuba, presumably by taking over all private possessions and culling the island of the middle class. Atta boy.

It’s true that Cuba boasts a high-level of literacy and a health care system free to all. Then again, you don’t see many people from industrialized nations lining up for heart surgery in Havana.

And then there’s Jimmy Carter, under whose watch Castro emptied his prisons and mental institutions, sending 125,000 inmates as well as other lesser desirables to our shores.

As a younger reporter, I spent a week in Miami’s “Tent City,” where local and state officials tried to figure out where to put hundreds of criminals and the mentally challenged. This was thanks to Carter’s telling Castro that countless Cubans wished to leave Cuba.

Although many have lauded Castro’s political acumen, I’ve yet to read about his flair for irony. Carter, for whom irony apparently is what the maid does to his dress shirts, remembered Castro “fondly.” Perhaps as one reaches the age of wisdom, one leans toward greater charity.

President Obama’s remarks, though eloquent, were carefully meaningless.

Steering clear of specifics, he noted that Cubans are filled with emotions, “recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation.”

Yes, death, torture, oppression, imprisonment, a state-controlled media and a miserable, state-run economy will flat-out alter a person’s course.

Obama then grabbed history’s tail and gave it a yank, saying, “History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him.”

Aw, come on, let’s beat history to it.

One of the worst dictators in modern history has mercifully died. It doesn’t

matter that in 2008 he ceded control of the government to his brother Raul.

Symbolically, his death liberates the psyches of at least three generations of Cubans and Cuban-Americans.

History will strain little in judging Castro or in sorting out his effect on the world. Now that Obama has eased the decades-long U.S. embargo, wisely in my view, as well as restrictions on travel, the tiny nation has a shot at reinvention. Already, Raul has made changes allowing for limited market socialism, meaning that small businesses and individuals may conduct commerce for profit. The once subterranean “dollar economy” that has kept many Cubans financially afloat thanks to Cuban-American relatives sending money, is now being openly encouraged by Raul.

President-elect Donald Trump would do well to stay in this lane rather than threaten to reinstate the embargo. He should understand that Castro loved the embargo more than anyone because, as ever, he could blame the U.S. for his failures. For Trump to fall into this same trap would be a post-mortem gift to Castro and breathe new life into cruel legacy — the dictator’s final triumph over America and the several U.S. presidents who could never quite bury him.

Kathleen Parker’s email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. © 2016, Washington Post Writers Group

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE In “The War That Dare Not Speak Its Name,” The Wall Street Journal’s William McGhurn writes, “For all his promises to get America out, Obama’s legacy is a renewed war in Iraq.”

All throughout the campaign, Mr. Trump rightly thumped both President Obama and Mrs. Clinton for their refusal to use the I-word — Islamist — when speaking of the terror threat against the American people. But when it came to the W-word — war — Mr. Trump was not much better.

In three presidential debates, neither Mr. Trump nor Mrs. Clinton used the word war to describe the fighting in Iraq in which our troops are now engaged. When they did use the word, the context was almost always frozen in 2002.

The truth today is that the Middle East Mr. Trump inherits is more violent and less stable than the one Mr. Obama inherited from George W. Bush in 2009. Perhaps the best thing Mr. Trump could do in his inaugural address would be to acknowledge the reality Mr. Obama has tried to hide: After eight years of an administration that prides itself on getting America out of wars, we are going back in.

Unfortunately, under Mr. Obama we are not doing so honestly.

Over on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, points out that the president isn’t paying for his troops either, even as he expands their mission.

Mr. Thornberry’s office reports that there are today 5,262 U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, and 8,448 in Afghanistan. For these Americans, it

doesn’t matter who was right in 2002, 2007 or even 2016.

What matters to them is whether their incoming commander in chief will acknowledge that President Obama has left them fighting a war largely hidden from public view.

And will give them the opportunity and wherewithal to win it.

••• Former President George W. Bush, speaking Tuesday in Dallas: North Korea also presents the greatest, sustained humanitarian challenge of our time. The whole country is a prison, run by a sadistic warden. The North Korean people have suffered decades of oppression, and famine, and violence. By controlling access to the broader world, the North Korean government has tried to make this nightmare seem normal to its victims.

Some argue that the spirit of the North Korean people has been beaten into submission so total that opposition is unthinkable. We don’t believe that here. The desire for freedom, like the dignity of the person, is universal. A hope placed in human hearts by God cannot be removed by Kim Jong-un. The regime attempts to control every mind, every tongue, every life. But the refugees with us today demonstrate that no oppressor can control the soul. The North Korean people are pleading in silence for their freedom. And the world needs to listen. And the world needs to respond.

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

EDITORIAL PAGE POLICIES EDITORIALS represent the views of the owners of this newspaper.

COLUMNS AND COMMENTARY are the personal opinion of the writer whose byline appears. Columns from readers should be typed, double-spaced and no more than 850 words. Send them to The Sumter Item, Opinion Pages, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, or email to hubert@theitem.com or graham@theitem.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are written by

readers of the newspaper. They should be no more than 350 words and sent via e-mail to letters@theitem.com, dropped off at The Sumter Item office, 20 N. Magnolia St. or mailed to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, along with the full name of the writer, plus an 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.

Fires can follow drought

S

umter County is currently 6-8 inches behind the average rainfall for the year. The rest of the state, for the most part, is experiencing the same or worse conditions. Extended periods of dry weather continually make more forest fuels available to be burned. For example, a fallen log or large limb would typically not be much of a concern during a prescribed burn or when fighting a wildfire.

However, these larger fuels have had ample time to dry to a point where they will readily ignite. As you can imagine this makes controlling fires much more difficult as fires will more quickly intensify and behave more erratically.

Currently, the piedmont portion of SC is still under a burning ban as a result of these dry conditions and the number of active fires. Some areas are experiencing rainfall deficits greater than 20 inches for the year which has paved the way for higher than usual fire intensity. The Pinnacle Mountain Fire in the upstate has burned in excess of 10,500 acres as of Nov. 29, 2016. Agencies providing support include the SC Forestry Commission and local fire departments as well as others from as far away as Utah. The Southern Area Coordination Center ranks the Pinnacle Mountain Fire the third-highest incident in its priority list.

What does this mean for us here in the midlands of SC? First and foremost, we should observe much greater caution when conducting outdoor burns to ensure that we do not allow our fires to escape and add to the current load of firefighters across the state. When conducting any burn outdoors SC state law requires that you notify the Forestry Commission by calling 1-800-777FIRE. This law does not apply within city or town limits. However, those local governments will have their own ordinances which govern the use of fire. In most cases,

COMMENTARY this law only applies to burning debris that you may clean up from your yard or property. Burning construction materials, trash, tires, etc. fall under the regulation of SCDHEC. It may surprise most, but it is illegal to burn trash, Ryan Bean even in a burn barrel.

CLEMSON Trash includes items made EXTENSION from plastics, rubbers, and chemicals that when burned release unfiltered and untreated toxic pollutants and particles directly into the air at ground level, where they can be easily inhaled. This type of burning also produces ash that can be toxic due to containing materials such as lead, arsenic, or even mercury. This ash is often scattered across the yard where in some cases a garden may be planted. The plants will absorb and accumulate the toxic materials. Obviously this is not a good situation and is the reason burning trash is illegal and can be punished through large fines imposed by SCDHEC. Recent rains have helped to slow the spread of active fires and reduce risk across the state, but we are still in drought conditions. This means that without continued frequent rainfall, fuels will dry out quickly and return to high-risk fire conditions.

With winter and prescribed burning season on the horizon remember to use caution.

Firebreaks should be installed and/or maintained regularly, weather conditions monitored closely, and a burn plan written and followed the day of the burn.

Ryan Bean is a Forestry and Natural Resources Agent with Clemson Cooperative Extension Service. Contact Bean at rbean@ clemson.edu.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

SUPPORT GROUPS Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m., Birnie AA, AL-ANON, ALATEEN: HOPE Center, 210 S. Purdy St. AA — Monday-Friday, noon Open to anyone who has lost and 5:30Support p.m.; Saturday, 8 Groups: Dec. 1,a 2016 loved one to murder in a vip.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and olent way.

7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775Multiple Sclerosis Support 1852.

Group — Third Tuesday, 5:30 AA Women’s Meeting — p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation Wednesdays, 7 p.m., 1 WarHospital, 121 E. Cedar St., ren St. (803) 775-1852.

Florence. Call (843) 661-3746.

AA Spanish Speaking — SunEFMP Parent Exchange Group — days, 4:30 p.m., 1 Warren St. Last Tuesday, 11 a.m.-noon, (803) 775-1852.

Airman and Family ReadiAA “How it Works” Group — ness Center. Support to serMondays and Fridays, 8 p.m., vice members who have a 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 494- dependent with a disability 5180. or illness. Call (803) 8951252/1253 or (803) 847-2377.

441 AA Support Group — Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, WEDNESDAY MEETINGS: 8:30 p.m., Hair Force, 2090-D S.C. 441.

Sickle Cell Support Group — Last Wednesday, 11 a.m.-1 AA Summerton Group — p.m., South Sumter Resource Wednesday, 8 p.m., town Center, 337 Manning Ave. hall.

Call (803) 774-6181.

Manning Al-Anon Family Group Divorce Care — Wednesdays, — Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Be6:30 p.m., Bethel Baptist havioral Health Building, 14 Church, 2401 Bethel Church Church St., Manning. Call Road. Call (803) 481-2160.

(803) 435-8085.

Grief Share — Wednesdays, C/A “Drop the Rock” Group — 6:30 p.m., Bethel Baptist Thursdays, 9:30 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 607-4543. Church, 2401 Bethel Church Road. Call (803) 481-2160.

MONDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Vitiligo Support Group — Second Monday, 5:45-6:45 p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. Call (803) 3166763. The group is also on Facebook.

TUESDAY MEETINGS: Heroin Anonymous — Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30 p.m., 4742 Broad St.. Call (803) 494-5180.

Sumter Connective Tissue Support Group — First Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November, 7 p.m., 180 Tiller Circle. Call (803) 773-0869.

Mothers of Angels (for mothers who have lost a child) — First Tuesday at noon and third Tuesday at 6 p.m., Wise Drive Baptist Church. Call (803) 469-6059, (803) 979-4498, (803) 469-4506 or (803) 938-8544.

Sumter Combat Veterans Group Peer to Peer — Tuesdays, 11 a.m., South HOPE Center, 1125 S. Lafayette Drive. Veterans helping veterans with PTSD, coping skills, claims and benefits.

“The Gathering” — Second Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. A community support group for teens and adults with special needs. Call (803) 9720051 or (803) 468-5745 or email thegathering23@aol. com.

Parkinson’s Support Group — Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital, 121 E. Cedar St., Florence. Call (843) 661-3746.

Sumter Amputee Support Group — Second Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Sumter Prosthetics & Orthotics, 259 Broad St. Call (803) 883-4356.

Sumter Chapter Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) — Third

THURSDAY MEETINGS: TOPS S.C. No. 236 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) — Thursdays, 9 a.m., Spectrum Senior Center,1989 Durant Lane.

Call (803) 775-3926 or (803) 469-4789.

Alzheimer’s Support Group through S.C. Alzheimer’s Association — First Thursday, 6-8 p.m., National Health Care, 1018 N. Guignard Drive. Call (803) 905-7720 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 636-3346.

Journey of Hope (for family members of the mentally ill), Journey to Recovery (for the mentally ill) and Survivors of Suicide Support Group — Each group meets every first Thursday, 7 p.m., St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive. Call (803) 9055620.

Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group — Fourth Thursday each month, 10-11:30 a.m., Palmetto Health Tuomey Hospice, 500 Pinewood Road, Suite 2. Call (803) 773-4663.

FRIDAY MEETINGS: Celebrate Recovery — Fridays, 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program, Salt & Light Church, Miller Road (across from Food Lion). For help with struggles of alcohol, drugs, family problems, smoking, etc.

Wateree AIDS Task Force Support Group — Third Friday, 11:30 a.m., 508 W. Liberty St. Call (803) 778-0303.

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Mostly sunny and not as warm

Clear and cooler

Mostly sunny

Some sunshine

Cloudy with spotty showers

Rain and drizzle possible

67°

38°

62° / 36°

59° / 40°

56° / 43°

59° / 43°

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 30%

W 7-14 mph

WNW 3-6 mph

WNW 4-8 mph

NE 4-8 mph

E 6-12 mph

SSW 7-14 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 62/32 Spartanburg 61/34

Greenville 62/34

Columbia 69/36

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 67/38

Aiken 63/33

ON THE COAST

Charleston 71/41

Today: Partly sunny; not as warm in southern parts. High 67 to 71.

Friday: Plenty of sunshine. High 61 to 65.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

75° 64° 62° 37° 80° in 1982 16° in 1959

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

Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

353.99 73.64 73.57 98.12

24-hr chg +0.09 +0.03 -0.02 -0.08

RIVER STAGES 0.21" 0.39" 2.91" 44.94" 57.36" 43.73"

Myrtle Beach 70/44

Manning 68/38

Today: Pleasant with plenty of sun. Winds west-southwest 6-12 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Winds west-southwest 4-8 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 68/39

Bishopville 67/37

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

NATIONAL CITIES

REGIONAL CITIES

Today Fri. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Atlanta 57/38/s 59/39/s Chicago 43/32/c 40/26/pc Dallas 66/45/s 65/48/pc Detroit 45/34/c 45/31/c Houston 67/46/s 69/53/sh Los Angeles 66/48/s 66/46/s New Orleans 63/48/s 66/52/pc New York 55/39/pc 51/39/s Orlando 85/59/c 72/53/pc Philadelphia 56/38/pc 52/38/s Phoenix 63/44/s 63/45/pc San Francisco 58/47/s 61/45/s Wash., DC 59/39/s 54/37/s

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 54/28/s 61/34/s 68/33/s 70/41/pc 67/45/pc 71/41/pc 64/33/s 63/37/s 69/36/s 68/37/s 66/38/pc 69/38/pc 69/39/pc

Flood 7 a.m. stage yest.

12 5.68 19 3.00 14 3.98 14 1.79 80 74.49 24 5.83

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 53/29/s 62/34/s 65/32/s 65/40/s 56/41/s 65/39/s 58/32/s 62/36/s 62/33/s 62/34/s 56/33/s 60/35/s 60/36/s

24-hr chg none +0.39 +0.01 +0.10 +0.10 +1.39

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 68/39/pc Gainesville 71/43/c Gastonia 64/34/s Goldsboro 69/39/pc Goose Creek 71/39/pc Greensboro 61/34/s Greenville 62/34/s Hickory 59/34/s Hilton Head 70/43/pc Jacksonville, FL 68/41/c La Grange 60/35/s Macon 64/33/s Marietta 56/34/s

Sunrise 7:09 a.m.

Moonrise 8:42 a.m.

Sunset Moonset

5:13 p.m.

7:15 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Dec. 7

Dec. 13

Dec. 20

Dec. 29

TIDES AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Fri.

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 61/35/s 69/42/s 60/32/s 59/36/s 64/37/s 55/34/s 59/35/s 57/34/s 64/43/s 67/42/s 62/38/s 65/34/s 58/36/s

High 10:01 a.m.

10:05 p.m.

10:35 a.m.

10:41 p.m.

Ht. 3.3 2.8 3.2 2.7

Low 4:11 a.m.

4:57 p.m.

4:47 a.m.

5:35 p.m.

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 58/33/s Mt. Pleasant 71/41/pc Myrtle Beach 70/44/pc Orangeburg 66/37/pc Port Royal 69/43/pc Raleigh 65/35/s Rock Hill 64/33/s Rockingham 66/34/s Savannah 69/40/pc Spartanburg 61/34/s Summerville 70/38/pc Wilmington 70/39/pc Winston-Salem 60/33/s

Ht. 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 56/32/s 64/41/s 62/41/s 62/35/s 64/42/s 57/33/s 60/32/s 59/32/s 66/40/s 58/35/s 63/37/s 60/36/s 55/33/s

Weather(W): s–sunny, pc–partly cloudy, c–cloudy, sh–showers, t–thunderstorms, r–rain, sf–snow flurries, sn–snow, i–ice

SATURDAY MEETINGS: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Support Group — Third Saturday, 1:30 p.m., 3785 Blackberry Lane, Lot 7. Call (803) 481-7521.

FREE FARE FRIDAYS ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a long, EUGENIA LAST hard look at what’s going on around you before you step into an emotional confrontation.

Consider every angle before you make a comment you cannot retract. Watch your dietary intake.

You can enjoy without being indulgent.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Greater involvement in activities or events that align with your beliefs will expand your friendship with someone who shares your concerns. Romance is on the rise.

Travel plans can be made and family gatherings or school reunions discussed.

that allows you to use your skills successfully.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Travel, meetings or educational pursuits will lead to new beginnings.

Participate in events that will bring you in contact with interesting people. A partnership looks promising. Discuss your ideas and implement the contributions into your plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dismiss what other people do. Concentrate on what you do best and how you can make the most of your attributes. Importing new ideas into an old plan will help you turn an important corner. Trust your instincts and follow through.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t let anyone toy with your GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Money emotions. Look at the big picture matters will surface. Don’t lend or and make adjustments that will borrow. Living within your means ensure you are the one to benefit. and working hard to establish a A problem with someone from secure financial future should be your main concern. Start a dialogue your past is best dealt with before it grows. with someone in a key position to help you strategize and reach your CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Emotions will rise to the surface. goals.

Whether dealing with a friend, CANCER (June 21-July 22): Delve relative or someone you’ve never into the intricacies that a met before, stay calm and reserved partnership offers. Check out how you can work with the person who regarding how much time and effort you are willing to contribute. fits your plans personally or professionally. Take the time to visit Personal gains should take top priority. a destination that can play an important role in the way your AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A plans progress. sensible attitude will help you avoid someone who is trying to LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Listen to take advantage of you. Stick to the suggestions, but don’t believe everything you hear. Someone will people and prospects that are a have ulterior motives that may not sure thing. You don’t need to take benefit you. A professional change any big risks. Show discipline and be willing to work hard. may not be physically doable, but it is worth considering for future PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your prospects. Make domestic changes. insight and ability to make a difference in others’ lives will help VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): you deal with the outcome of any Becoming a participant doesn’t situation you face. Don’t go along mean that you have to follow the with someone else’s approach if leader. Gather information and study the ins and outs of whatever their actions do not resolve the situation you face. Take the path issues you face.

Unsure how you can get around the City of Sumter or how the Commuter Route Services operate? Hop on board and ride for FREE on FRIDAYS and let us show you how.

“People

Santee Wateree RTA Operations: (803) 775-9347 or (803) 934-0396

Moving People”

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC Francis Duran shares a photo he took of a beautiful purple sunset.

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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

The big time PREP BASKETBALL

Sumter boys return lots of experience, size in quest for another title

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS justin@theitem.com

BY HANK KURZ JR. The Associated Press

SEE ACC, PAGE B5

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter’s Raymond Johnson (32) is one of the returning players for a Gamecocks team that looks to SEE BOYS, PAGE B5 use its experience and size in mounting another deep playoff run.

New faces, new coach for Lady Gamecocks Fields hopes to have positive impact on state runner-ups There is a lot of history between Sumter High School and Frances Fields.

The former standout point guard led the Lady Gamecocks to three straight region crowns from 2004-07, including a 27-3 campaign in ‘06-’07.

She was also a NorthSouth All-Star and scored more than 1,000 points in her career.

Now Fields is looking to have a similar impact from the bench as she enters her first year guiding SHS. Fields was at Darlington last season and prior to that coached at Lakewood for two seasons, leading the Lady Gators to the 3A state title game in ‘14-’15.

She in turn inherits a

Clemson, Va. Tech coaches almost worked for same team Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente will be on opposite sidelines in Saturday’s ACC Championship game, but they were almost much closer than that.

Then the offensive coordinator at TCU, Fuente was a finalist in 2011 when Swinney was looking for a young and innovative coach FUENTE to direct the Tigers’ offense.

“I really had kind of done my homework and research kind of independently, and then confirmed it with some people that I trusted, SWINNEY and I kind of got it down to three guys, and Chad Morris and Justin were the top two that I wanted to actually bring in and meet with and then kind of go from there,” Swinney recalled this week.

“I just had a lot of respect for the job he had done and watched him closely.”

Swinney eventually hired Morris, and Fuente earned his first head coaching job at Memphis, turning around a program that had gone 5-31 in the previous years. The Tigers were 7-17 in his first two seasons, but then 10-3 in 2014, including a doubleovertime victory against BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl, and 9-3 in the 2015 season.

That team also went to a bowl game, but Fuente was already on his way to replacing Frank Beamer, the winningest active coach in the game, with the Hokies. The interview process at No. 3 Clemson (11-1; No. 3 CFP) created the foundation for a friendship.

“We just got along well,” Fuente said of his day-and-ahalf in Clemson. “I mean, we certainly didn’t spend two days talking about how he runs his program.

Entering his second year as the Sumter High School boys basketball head coach, Shawn Jones is excited about his team’s experience.

He’s even more excited about its size -- and balance.

The Gamecocks followed up their 2014-15 4A state title season with a somewhat disappointing campaign in Jones’ first year. The Gamecocks went 16-7, tied for the Region VI-4A title and eventually lost in the second round of the playoffs.

SHS’ top two scorers are gone as Cedric Rembert (9.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and Charles Patton (8.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) are both playing at the next level, but the majority of the team is back.

The Gamecocks boast 13 returnees on a roster that includes nine seniors and 15 upperclassmen. They entered the year ranked fifth in the preseason South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association poll for 5A and are 1-0 entering Friday’s road test at A.C. Flora in Columbia.

“We’ve definitely got a lot more experience,” Jones said.

“I’m excited about that. We’re balanced, too. We’ve got bigs who worked really hard in the summer and enough guards to where we can two-platoon people and wear the other teams down.”

In fact, the Gamecocks have a lot of big men. Eight of SHS’ players are listed at 6-foot-3inches or taller, with four of those checking in at least at 6-6.

Sumter has three in its starting five in seniors Ahmad Peoples (6-3), Jaylenn Corbett (6-4) and Ryan Missildine (6-8).

Corbett was the second-leading scorers last year at 8.4 points per game and the third-leading rebounder with 5.5. Also in the starting five are seniors Andrew Tiller and Tylik Sibblies-Simon.

But perhaps the biggest strength for the Gamecocks lies in the fact they can go even bigger. Sophomore Calvin Felder will be used more this year, Jones said, along with junior Isaih Moore. Both are 6-7.

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS justin@theitem.com

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

team that went 25-5, won the Region Vi-4A title and played for the 4A state championship a year ago, but most of those players are gone -- leaving Fields with essentially a new team to mold.

And that’s just fine with her.

“It’s a whole new team,” Fields said. “Last year they graduated seven and even the returners didn’t play a whole lot last year, so they’re brand new and I’m brand new. It’s great in terms of how we do things because they’re really not used to anything but me.”

The Lady Gamecocks will feature pretty much all new faces this season after graduating a stellar group of seniors.

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

Alexis McLeod (20) is one of only a handful of upperclassmen on the Sumter High girls basketball team this year as first-year head coach SEE GIRLS, PAGE B5 Frances Fields looks to build the team back into a title contender.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Sumter’s Twitty signs with FDTC

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennis@theitem.com Daniel Twitty had no expectations of getting the opportunity to play baseball beyond his senior year at Sumter High School, which begins in a couple of months. And while he had always hoped for the opportunity to extend his playing days, he had no problem with it.

“I just thought I would go to the TWITTY University of South Carolina to be a student,” Twitty said.

There has been a change in plans though. Twitty recently signed to play at the junior college level with Florence-Darlington Technical College.

“I didn’t anticipate it,” said Twitty, who will be a catcher for the Stingers, who are coached by former Lakewood High and Sumter P-15’s standout Preston McDonald. “I went over there to one of the camps and they liked what they saw of me. I was then offered a chance to play there.”

SEE TWITTY, PAGE B5

B2

|

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD

PRO FOOTBALL

TV, RADIO

Atlanta at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Miami at Denver, 9 p.m.

Indiana at Portland, 10 p.m.

TODAY

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dallas’ Tyron Smith (77) defends against a rush from Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs (55) during the Cowboys’ 27-17 win over the Ravens in November in Arlington, Texas. The fuel for this dazzling season for Dallas can be found up front, with an offensive line that’s helped make this team a handful to try to stop. The Cowboys play Minnesota today.

Cowboys offensive line enough to make the Vikings envious

BY DAVE CAMPBELL The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — The fuel for this dazzling season for the Dallas Cowboys can be found up front, with an offensive line that’s helped make this team a handful to try to stop.

“They’re really, really good. They’re the best line I’ve seen in a long time in the NFL: physical, athletic, big,” said the usually understated Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who could be forgiven if he sounded envious of the group on the other side.

Just as the front five have made a significant impact on the success of the Cowboys (10-1), the ever-important position has played a major hand in the recent slide by the Vikings (6-5).

With center Joe Berger ruled out of the game on

Thursday night because of a concussion, the Vikings will use their seventh different starting lineup combination in 12 games this season; Nick Easton makes his first NFL start. That doesn’t include others who’ve subbed in for injured teammates on the fly.

“Once again we’ve got to rework the line,” left guard Alex Boone said, “and figure out what we can do best.”

The Vikings have struggled for the last three seasons to establish a reliable, stable starting five. Injuries, particularly this year with three starting tackles on injured reserve, have ravaged the position. But they’ve only invested two picks in the first three rounds of the last 10 drafts in an offensive lineman, with right tackle Phil Loadholt (No. 54 overall) in 2009 and left tackle Matt Kalil (No. 4 overall) in

2012.

Loadholt retired before training camp because of injuries. Kalil had season-ending hip surgery after playing in the first two games this season.

The Cowboys, by stark contrast, have three firstround draft picks in their starting lineup: left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin.

There’s no mystery why the rookie tandem of running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott have been able to thrive so swiftly or why the Cowboys have won 10 straight games.

“There’s a selfless nature to them that I think is really good, and it’s one of the best offensive lines I’ve ever been around,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “They really set the tone for our football team.”

PRO FOOTBALL

Woods returns amid varied expectations, high interest

BY DOUG FERGUSON The Associated Press

NASSAU, Bahamas — Everyone is watching, everyone is curious, and Jordan Spieth had the perfect view of Tiger Woods for his return to golf.

Spieth was on the 17th green and looked across a narrow pond to the ninth tee at Albany Golf Club where Woods stood over his tee shot during the Wednesday pro-am. He saw the swing, but he lost sight of the ball in the glare of the tropical sun.

“Where did it go?” Spieth said as he tried to gauge where the ball might land.

“Not in the fairway.”

He looked again.

“Whoa! There it is — WAY down there,” he said.

“Damn.”

The shots and the score don’t count until Thursday at the Hero World Challenge with an 18-man field, small but strong. Woods is playing for the first time in 465 days.

The expectations have rarely been this varied. The interest is as high as ever.

“He’s the only person ... in the last 30 years in golf that any expectation you set, he’ll somehow prove to you that he can do better,” Spieth said. “But I think with this, I just hope that everyone gives him time. I hope he has the time to fall into a rhythm and just get enough tournaments where he can kind of build up that seeing the shots under competition, under the gun.

“You can look back 10

7:30 a.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour/Sunshine Tour Alfred Dunhill Championship First Round from Malelane, South Africa (GOLF).

1:30 p.m. – PGA Golf: Hero World Challenge First Round from Albany, N.Y. (GOLF).

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

6:30 p.m. – College Hockey: Michigan at Penn State (ESPNU).

6:30 p.m. – College Basketball: Vermont at South Carolina (WDXY-FM 105.9, WNKT-FM 107.5, WDXY-AM 1240).

7 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: SEC/Big 12 Women’s Challenge -South Carolina at Texas (ESPN2).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Columbia at Seton Hall (FOX SPORTS 1).

7 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Dallas at Charlotte (FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST).

7 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Carolina at Boston (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. – Amateur Swimming: Winter National Championships from Atlanta (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

7 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: SEC/Big 12 Women’s Challenge -- Oklahoma at Kentucky (SEC NETWORK).

8 p.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour/PGA Tour of Australasia Australian PGA Championship Second Round from Queensland, Australia (GOLF).

8 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland (TNT).

8:20 p.m. – NFL Football: Dallas at Minnesota (WIS 10, NFL NETWORK, WWFNFM 100.1, WNKT-FM 107.5).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: Cincinnati at Iowa State (ESPN).

9 p.m. – High School Basketball: Hamilton Heights vs. Memphis East (ESPN2).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: Oregon State at Mississippi State (ESPNU).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: Stephen F. Austin at Arkansas (SEC NETWORK).

10:30 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Houston at Golden State (TNT).

3:30 a.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour/Sunshine Tour Alfred Dunhill Championship Second Round from Malelane, South Africa (GOLF).

NFL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

AMERICAN CONFERENCE EAST

New England Miami Buffalo N.Y. Jets SOUTH

Houston Tennessee Indianapolis Jacksonville NORTH

Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati Cleveland WEST

Oakland Kansas City Denver San Diego

W 9 7 6 3

L T Pct PF PA 2 0 .818 293 197 4 0 .636 249 240 5 0 .545 281 236 8 0 .273 196 266

W 6 6 5 2

L T Pct PF PA 5 0 .545 194 236 6 0 .500 308 296 6 0 .455 270 301 9 0 .182 214 293

W L T Pct PF PA 6 5 0 .545 218 201 6 5 0 .545 266 222 3 7 1 .318 213 245 0 12 0 .000 197 352 W 9 8 7 5

L T Pct PF PA 2 0 .818 307 275 3 0 .727 252 214 4 0 .636 266 219 6 0 .455 313 291

NATIONAL CONFERENCE EAST

W L T Pct PF PA Dallas 10 1 0 .909 316 213 N.Y. Giants 8 3 0 .727 231 213 Washington 6 4 1 .591 280 264 Philadelphia 5 6 0 .455 254 213 SOUTH

W L T Pct PF PA Atlanta 7 4 0 .636 358 302 Tampa Bay 6 5 0 .545 249 264 New Orleans 5 6 0 .455 334 307 Carolina 4 7 0 .364 276 281 NORTH

W L T Pct PF PA Detroit 7 4 0 .636 247 238 Minnesota 6 5 0 .545 218 192 Green Bay 5 6 0 .455 274 289 Chicago 2 9 0 .182 178 264 WEST

W L T Pct PF PA Seattle 7 3 1 .682 224 187 Arizona 4 6 1 .409 245 228 Los Angeles 4 7 0 .364 170 236 San Francisco 1 10 0 .091 228 344

THURSDAY’S GAMES

be over until I play with Tiger Woods.”

It was only three years ago that Woods won five times and was PGA Tour player of the year. That still wasn’t the dominance he once had over the game, for he finished in the top 10 only 53 percent of the time, his lowest rate in a dozen years.

Woods had five or more victories 11 times in a span of 13 seasons.

“The better he plays, the better it is for golf,” Rickie Fowler said. “Whether he gets back to the way he did in the early 2000s — from what I’ve heard, it was arguably the best anyone has ever played — that might be tough because of injuries, and he’s at a different age.

It’s not like he’s been away that long. It just seems longer because of how dominant he was.”

TUESDAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Rangers 3, Carolina 2 Columbus 5, Tampa Bay 1 Detroit 3, Dallas 1 Philadelphia 3, Boston 2, SO Buffalo 5, Ottawa 4 Winnipeg 3, New Jersey 2 Chicago 2, Florida 1, SO Toronto 4, Edmonton 2 Nashville 5, Colorado 3 San Jose 2, Arizona 1, OT Anaheim 2, Montreal 1 Vancouver 5, Minnesota 4

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 8 p.m.

Toronto at Calgary, 8:30 p.m.

San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

NCAA FCS PLAYOFFS

By The Associated Press

SECOND ROUND

Saturday’s Games New Hampshire (8-4) at James Madison (10-1), 2 p.m.

Youngstown State (9-3) at Jacksonville State (10-1), 2 p.m.

Villanova (9-3) at South Dakota State (8-3), 3 p.m.

Chattanooga (9-3) at Sam Houston State (11-0), 3 p.m.

San Diego (10-1) at North Dakota State (10-1), 3:30 p.m.

Central Arkansas (10-2) at Eastern Washington (10-1), 4 p.m.

Wofford (9-3) at The Citadel (10-1), 6 p.m.

Richmond (9-3) at North Dakota (9-2), 6 p.m.

NCAA DII PLAYOFFS

By The Associated Press

QUARTERFINALS

Saturday’s Games Shepherd (12-0) at California (Pa.) (11-0), 1 p.m.

Ferris State (11-2) at Grand Valley State (12-0), 1 p.m.

Harding (13-0) at Northwest Missouri State (12-0), 2 p.m.

North Greenville (9-4) at North Alabama (9-1), 2 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

By The Associated Press

TUESDAY SCORES

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Kansas City at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Los Angeles at New England, 1 p.m.

Philadelphia at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Miami at Baltimore, 1 p.m.

Denver at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.

Detroit at New Orleans, 1 p.m.

San Francisco at Chicago, 1 p.m.

Houston at Green Bay, 1 p.m.

Buffalo at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.

Washington at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.

Tampa Bay at San Diego, 4:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m.

Carolina at Seattle, 8:30 p.m.

Open: Tennessee, Cleveland

EASTERN CONFERENCE

years at shots you hit. It’s not the same as looking back the week before on a positive swing.”

Woods last played on Aug. 23, 2015, when he closed with a 70 at the Wyndham Championship to fall out of contention and tie for 10th.

Two back surgeries followed, leaving him so debilitated at times that he wondered if he would ever play.

He tees off at high noon in the Bahamas with Patrick Reed, who idolized his golf so much as a teenager that he wears black pants and a red shirt on Sunday.

Reed is but one example of the golf landscape to which Woods returns, one of seven players in the 18man field who were not even on tour when Woods last won a major at the 2008 U.S. Open. Another is Russell Knox, who said recently, “My short career will never

WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts G F GAChicago 24 15 6 3 33 68 60 St. Louis 23 13 7 3 29 62 63 Nashville 22 11 8 3 25 65 57 Minnesota 22 11 8 3 25 62 47 Dallas 24 9 9 6 24 61 79 Winnipeg 25 11 12 2 24 66 72 Colorado 21 9 11 1 19 47 63 PACIFIC DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts G F GASan Jose 23 13 9 1 27 54 49 Anaheim 23 11 8 4 26 59 55 Edmonton 24 12 10 2 26 70 63 Los Angeles 22 12 9 1 25 57 54 Vancouver 23 10 11 2 22 54 70 Calgary 25 10 13 2 22 57 77 Arizona 21 8 10 3 19 51 65 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

EAST Albertus Magnus 83, Old Westbury 71 American U. 57, W. Illinois 50 Baruch 85, York (NY) 56 Colgate 91, Union (NY) 68 Delaware St. 79, St. John’s 72 George Washington 77, Harvard 74 Hofstra 88, Columbia 86 Kutztown 70, Philadelphia 67 Marist 81, Mass.-Lowell 69 Penn St. 67, Georgia Tech 60 Sage 130, Mass. College 98 Villanova 82, Penn 57 William Smith 71, St. John Fisher 59 SOUTH Alabama 76, Charleston Southern 46 Auburn 90, SC-Upstate 83 Belmont 64, Lipscomb 62 Bethel (Minn.) 67, St. Olaf 59 Calvin 88, Carthage 83 Campbellsville 92, Midway 62 Chattanooga 68, Coastal Carolina 52 Davidson 78, Mercer 57 Duke 78, Michigan St. 69 East Carolina 68, Hampton 48 Emmanuel (Ga.) 74, Lees-McRae 73 Florida Gulf Coast 120, Ave Maria 60 Gardner-Webb 102, Coker 54 Jacksonville St. 72, Alabama St. 69 LSU 84, Houston 65 LSU-Alexandria 77, Xavier (NO) 62 Liberty 62, Central Penn 48 Limestone 63, North Greenville 41 New Orleans 74, Tulane 59 Pfeiffer 125, Mount Olive 81 Pittsburgh 73, Maryland 59 Sewanee 62, Covenant 60 Southern U. 91, Paul Quinn 79 UAB 75, Alabama A&M 45 UNC Asheville 68, Brevard 48 UNC Greensboro 86, NC A&T 66 UT Martin 82, Furman 81 VCU 81, Princeton 70 Vanderbilt 83, Tennessee St. 59 Wilberforce 79, Brescia 77 Wis.-Whitewater 82, Beloit 70 Wofford 79, Mars Hill 76 MIDWEST Ball St. 92, Indiana-Kokomo 52 Bemidji St. 101, Northland 58 Bowling Green 86, Notre Dame (Ohio) 60 Bradley 87, E. Illinois 83 Cent. Michigan 91, William & Mary 81 Creighton 93, Buffalo 72 Illinois 88, NC State 74 Kansas 91, Long Beach St. 61 Notre Dame 92, Iowa 78 S. Illinois 89, Murray St. 85, OT Samford 68, Saint Louis 64 Taylor 68, Spring Arbor 66 Valparaiso 65, Rhode Island 62 Wichita St. 87, S. Nazarene 57 Wisconsin 77, Syracuse 60 Xavier 85, N. Dakota St. 55 SOUTHWEST Oklahoma 87, N. Colorado 66 Texas A&M-CC 84, Texas Rio Grande Valley 68 Texas A&M-Kingsville 79, St. Mary’s (Texas) 64 Texas St. 80, McNeese St. 68 Texas-Arlington 72, Texas 61 U. of the Ozarks 104, Mary HardinBaylor 92 UALR 89, Cent. Arkansas 87 FAR WEST Idaho St. 77, Lamar 60 Nevada 77, Pacific 67 San Jose St. 58, Idaho 49

NBA STANDINGS

THE ASSOCIATED PRES

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 23 16 5 2 34 68 50 Ottawa 23 14 8 1 29 55 56 Tampa Bay 24 13 10 1 27 71 65 Boston 23 12 10 1 25 55 53 Toronto 22 10 8 4 24 70 71 Florida 23 11 10 2 24 58 60 Detroit 23 11 10 2 24 57 59 Buffalo 22 8 9 5 21 44 57 METROPOLITAN DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts G F GAN.Y. Rangers 24 16 7 1 33 88 59 Pittsburgh 22 13 6 3 29 66 65 Washington 21 13 6 2 28 57 48 Columbus 21 12 5 4 28 67 48 New Jersey 22 10 7 5 25 55 58 Philadelphia 24 11 10 3 25 77 80 Carolina 22 9 9 4 22 54 59 N.Y. Islanders 21 7 10 4 18 51 64

Dallas at Minnesota, 8:25 p.m.

By The Associated Press

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot from the fourth hole on Wednesday during the Pro-Am at the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

ATLANTIC DIVISION

W L Pct GB Toronto 11 6 .647 — Boston 10 7 .588 1 New York 8 9 .471 3 Brooklyn 5 12 .294 6 Philadelphia 4 14 .222 7½ Southeast Division W L Pct GB Charlotte 10 8 .556 — Atlanta 10 8 .556 — Orlando 7 11 .389 3 Washington 6 10 .375 3 Miami 5 12 .294 4½ Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 13 3 .813 — Chicago 10 6 .625 3 Milwaukee 8 8 .500 5 Indiana 9 9 .500 5 Detroit 9 10 .474 5½ WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB San Antonio 14 4 .778 — Memphis 11 7 .611 3 Houston 11 7 .611 3 New Orleans 7 12 .368 7½ Dallas 3 13 .188 10 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Oklahoma City 11 8 .579 — Utah 11 8 .579 — Portland 9 10 .474 2 Denver 7 10 .412 3 Minnesota 5 12 .294 5 Pacific Division W L Pct GB Golden State 16 2 .889 — L.A. Clippers 14 5 .737 2½ L.A. Lakers 9 10 .474 7½ Sacramento 7 11 .389 9 Phoenix 5 13 .278 11

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Detroit 112, Charlotte 89 Brooklyn 127, L.A. Clippers 122, 2OT Milwaukee 118, Cleveland 101 New Orleans 105, L.A. Lakers 88 Orlando 95, San Antonio 83 Utah 120, Houston 101

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Sacramento at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

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

New York at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Washington at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

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

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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B3

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

Defense key for both Gators, Tide in quest for SEC title

BY JOHN ZENOR The Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference’s two stingiest defenses will take the field in the league championship game.

That’s no coincidence.

No. 1 Alabama has kept its end zone off-limits for more than a month and been practically impenetrable to running backs. No. 15 Florida has only given up a few more points per game and flummoxed opposing quarterbacks.

With defenses like that, it doesn’t matter so much that neither team so far has a 1,000yard rusher and their passing games have been statistically middle-of-the-pack. Both defenses feature highly rated NFL prospects like the Tide’s Jonathan Allen and the Gators’ Jalen Tabor.

“It’s kind of like a minor league NFL game,” Florida quarterback Austin Appleby

ACC

FROM PAGE B1 “I mean, we talked a little bit about offensive football, but I just enjoyed being around him, enjoyed having conversations about different ways to do things.”

The coaches now exchange occasional text messages and spend time together at ACC coaches’ meetings.

“I would shoot him just an encouragement text from time to time or he might send me one and then we talked a little bit about some recruiting,” Swinney said. “I had a couple players that had an opportunity that we had recruited here and for whatever reason was looking for another place to go, so I reached out to him a couple different times on a couple different players that had opportunities to go and play for him.”

On Saturday night, Swinney’s Tigers will be looking to not only claim their second consecutive ACC championship, but preserve their spot in the College Football Playoff against a four-time ACC champion back on the rise.

The Hokies (9-3; No. 23 CFP) had to win their final game three times in Beamer’s last four seasons to achieve the six victories needed to ensure an bowl opportunity, but they had no such concerns with Fuente taking over this season, installing his up-tempo offense and retaining longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster to guide the defense.

“For them to be back in the championship game, I think, is just an incredible accomplishment,” Swinney said, “and I knew when they hired him that it wouldn’t take long for him to get them back to this point.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Friday MIDWEST MAC Championship: Ohio (8-4) vs. W. Michigan (12-0) at Detroit, 7 p.m.

FAR WEST Pac-12 Championship: Colorado (10-2) vs. Washington (11-1) at Santa Clara, Calif., 9 p.m.

Saturday EAST AAC Championship: Temple (9-3) at Navy (9-2), Noon Baylor (6-5) at West Virginia (92), 3:30 p.m.

SOUTH Conference USA Championship: Louisiana Tech (8-4) at W. Kentucky (9-3), Noon Troy (9-2) at Georgia Southern (4-7), Noon New Mexico St. (3-8) at South Alabama (5-6), 1 p.m.

Louisiana-Lafayette (5-6) at Louisiana-Monroe (4-7), 3 p.m.

SEC Championship: Florida (8-3) vs. Alabama (12-0) at Atlanta, 4 p.m.

ACC Championship: Virginia Tech (9-3) at Clemson (11-1) at Orlando, Fla., 8 p.m.

MIDWEST Big Ten Championship: Penn St. (10-2) vs. Wisconsin (10-2) at Indianapolis, 8:17 p.m.

SOUTHWEST Kansas St. (7-4) at TCU (6-5), Noon Oklahoma St. (9-2) at Oklahoma (9-2), 12:30 p.m.

SWAC Championship: Alcorn St. (5-5) at Grambling St. (10-1) at Houston, 4 p.m.

Arkansas St. (6-5) at Texas St. (2-9), 7:30 p.m.

FAR WEST Georgia St. (3-8) at Idaho (7-4), 5 p.m.

MWC Championship: San Diego St. (9-3), at Wyoming (8-4), 7:45 p.m.

said. “There’s going to be firstrounders and NFL players all over the field. This is what it’s all about in the SEC.” The Tide hasn’t allowed a touchdown in 13-plus quarters, dating all the way back to October 22 against Texas A&M. A star-studded group led by defensive end Allen, linebacker Reuben Foster and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick leads the nation in limiting scoring (11.4 points per game), rushing (68.7 yards) and total defense (246.8 yards). Alabama’s numbers in all three categories are significantly better than last season’s national championship team.

It’s certainly the most opportunistic defense nationally, having allowed 12 touchdowns and scored nine .

“I feel like we’re the best, but we have to go out there and prove it every week,” Allen said. “We have the mentality we have to go out there and suffocate and dominate the offense we go against.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Florida defensive back Jalen Tabor, left, and Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, right, will take the field for their respective teams on Saturday when the 15th-ranked Gators face the top-ranked Crimson Tide for the SEC title.

It’s worked well so far.

Allen and Foster are two of five finalists for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy given to the nation’s top defensive player.

Allen has even drawn some buzz as a Heisman Trophy contender with two defensive touchdowns and seven sacks.

Hamilton said.

Florida’s defense has been afflicted with injuries to key players, including defensive linemen Bryan Cox Jr. and Jordan Sherit, safety Marcus Maye and linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jarrad Davis — all expected to miss the game.

Linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton’s response when asked which Tide defender he’d nominate for such an award: “The defense.”

“I would take all 11 guys because, I mean, when all 11 guys do their job and get a win that’s what matters the most,”

AREA ROUNDUP

Whitfield’s triple-double powers Lady Knights to another win Jah’Che Whitfield posted a tripledouble of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals as the Crestwood varsity girls basketball team rolled past C.E. Murray 70-23 on Wednesday at The Castle.

Tyana Saunders finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds while Destinee Jamison added 15 points.

The Lady Knights, who improved to 5-0, will host Lee Central on Saturday.

EAST CLARENDON 52

61-60 on Wednesday at Edens Gymnasium.

Caetlyn Martin added nine points for the Lady Generals followed by Sydney Daniel with seven and Taja Hunley with six. Logan Morris wound up with five points, six assists and seven rebounds.

TSA, which fell to 1-1, will host Wilson Hall on Monday.

PORTER-GAUD 52 LAURENCE MANNING 37

SCOTT’S BRANCH 43 TURBEVILLE — Grace Watts scored a game-high 20 points to lead East Clarendon to a 52-43 victory over Scott’s Branch on Tuesday at the ECHS gymnasium.

Caitlin Timmons also added 12 points for the Lady Wolverines, who improved to 1-1 and will host Lake City on Friday.

MANNING -- Laurence Manning Academy fell to Porter-Gaud 52-37 on Tuesday at Bubba Davis Gymnasium.

Brooke Ward led the Lady Swampcats with 13 points followed by Cora Downer with 11.

GIRLS JV BASKETBALL

for WH while Gracyn Coker and Becca Cromer each finished with six.

The Lady Barons are now 4-0 and will travel to Thomas Sumter Academy on Monday.

BOYS JV BASKETBALL WILSON HALL 53 CALHOUN ACADEMY 30 Nathan Harris scored 12 points and Wise Segars added 10 as Wilson Hall topped Calhoun Academy 53-30 on Wednesday at Nash Student Center.

The Barons improved to 3-1 and will travel to Thomas Sumter Academy on Monday.

B TEAM BASKETBALL HAMMOND 53

WILSON HALL 33

WILSON HALL 19

HAMMOND 61

CALHOUN ACADEMY 16

THOMAS SUMTER 60

DuBose Alderman scored 10 points to help lead the JV Lady Barons past Calhoun Academy 33-16 on Wednesday at Nash Student Center.

Emily Reynolds added nine points

Wilson Hall fell to Hammond 53-19 on Tuesday at Nash Student Center.

Heath Watson led the Barons with nine points and 12 rebounds. Wade Payne and Tyler Jones had four points each. WH will host Northside Christian on Friday.

DALZELL -- Bree Stoddard had 27 points and 10 rebounds, but Thomas Sumter Academy fell to Hammond

SPORTS ITEMS

Louisville’s Jackson, FSU’s Walker earn ACC awards GREENSBORO, N.C. — Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the Atlantic Coast Conference’s player of the year and Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker is the league’s defensive player of the year.

The ACC on Wednesday announced its player-of-the-year results following a vote of 48 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Jackson received 36 votes for both the overall and offensive awards after setting a school record with 4,928 total yards while also accounting for an ACC-record 51 touchdowns — 30 passing and 21 rushing. He’s also set a league record for quarterbacks with 1,538 yards rushing.

Walker shared the FBS lead with 15 sacks, matching Boston College’s Harold Landry. He had 17½ tackles for losses and a team-best 64 total tackles.

OREGON FIRES MARK HELFRICH AFTER 4-8 SEASON Oregon has fired coach Mark Helfrich after a disappointing 4-8 season, and just two years after getting the Ducks within a victory of the pro-

TWITTY

FROM PAGE B1

Twitty was the regular catcher for the Gamecocks last season. He didn’t have a great offensive season, batting just .179 with seven hits in 39 at-bats. However, three of those hits went for extra bases – a double and two home runs. He drove in seven runs, walked six times and had three sacrifice bunts as well.

gram’s first national championship.

Helfrich was head coach of the Ducks for four seasons, leading the team to the first College Football Playoff championship game after the 2014 season. But Oregon faltered this year with a five-game losing streak, and finished at the bottom of the Pac-12 North with just two conference wins.

After taking over when Chip Kelly left in 2013, Helfrich went 37-16. He had an $11.6 million buyout on his contract with the Ducks.

Helfrich met with athletic director Rob Mullens on Tuesday night and was told was being dismissed. Helfrich issued a statement saying he was honored to have served at Oregon.

“It is with respect and disappointment that we receive this decision,” Helfrich said. “Plain and simple — we didn’t win enough games this season.”

At a news conference following the announcement, Mullens said that Oregon will look outside the program for candidates, and the new coach will make decisions about the current staff.

There is no timeline for a decision, but recruiting adds urgency to the process.

“Daniel is a big, strong kid,” said SHS head coach Brooks Shumake. “He’s got a lot of power potential.

“I think Daniel has a big upside. There is a lot of potential for him to improve as a player.”

Twitty had a much better season at the American Legion level with the P-15’s. He batted .393, going 11-for-28, with four doubles, a homer and nine RBI. Twitty said he is excited for the opportunity to

Mullens said he informed the players of his decision earlier in the evening.

AP SOURCE: MLB PLAYERS, OWNERS HAVE VERBAL LABOR DEAL IRVING, Texas — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press negotiators for baseball players and owners have a verbal agreement on a five-year labor contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the sides were still putting the deal in writing. They hoped to have a signed memorandum of understanding later Wednesday.

The deal extends the sport’s labor peace to 26 years since 1995 and was reached about 3 1/2 hours before the expiration of the current agreement.

As part of the deal, the luxury tax threshold rises from $189 million to $195 million next year and to $210 million in 2021, the person said. There will also be a new draft-pick drop for teams exceeding the threshold by $40 million or more.

From waire reports

play at FDTC, a member of Region X like the University of South Carolina Sumter.

Manly man food and samples from

“I’m hoping I’ll get seen by a 4-year school (at FDTC) and go from there,” he said.

14th Annual

Men’s

Night OUt TONIGHT

6-9:30pm

40 W Wesmark Blvd location only

B4

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

RECRUITING

Coaches hit road looking for prospects

W

ith the college football regular season complete, coaches have hit the road once again looking for those players they hope who will keep them winners or make them winners in the future.

A new contact period commenced on Sunday and will run through Jan. 28, 2017, except for the holiday dead period of Dec. 12 through Jan. 11. Schools are allowed six in-person, offcampus contacts with a prospect during this period, but no more than one per week.

Clemson, of course, hosted a slew of prospects from the state and the region on Saturday in its 56-7 victory over South Carolina. All had to be impressed with the atmosphere and the Tigers’ performance. For those leaning Clemson’s way, the game was more of a reason to join one of the nation’s elite programs.

For those thinking more about USC, the game was more of a reason to join a program with a lot of needs and ample opportunity for early playing time.

Among the top players in the 2018 recruiting class at Clemson on Saturday were defensive end Xavier Thomas of Wilson High School in Florence, defensive lineman Josh Belk of Lewisville High and wide receiverf Jordyn Adams of Blythewood High.

DE Malik Herring of Forsyth, Ga., is one of the top uncommitted players in the ‘17 class. Right now Clemson, Georgia and Alabama sit atop his list with no one school having an edge, according to Herring. He was at Clemson for the Syracuse game and was at Alabama on Saturday.

He’s also been to UGA and Tennessee this season.

Herring said his plan is to take his official visits later

this winter and make his decision after those are completed. “I’m pretty close, but it probably will come down to my official visits,” Herring said.

He is going to UGA on Dec. 9 and to Clemson in January.

The date has not been set.

He’s also looking at Alabama, Southern California and Louisiana State for official visits.

Clemson defensive back target Xavier Phil Kornblut McKinney of Roswell, Ga., RECRUITING made an CORNER official visit to Ohio State over the weekend. He’s also been officially to Clemson and Alabama.

Verone McKinley III, an ’18 DB from Plano, Texas, ‘19 DB Jeremiah Gray of Charlotte and ‘19 DL Jadacus Logan of Wake Forest, N.C., planned to be at Clemson for the USC game.

USC Former USC DE commitment Javon Kinlaw of Jones County Junior College in Mississippi never got the chance to take official visits while at Goose Creek High, and that’s one of the reasons he reopened his recruiting. He’s going to take advantage of that opportunity now and is in the process of lining up official visits for the winter.

Kinlaw said he has official visits set right now with Mississippi for Jan. 20 and Alabama for Jan. 27, but he said he might change that one to USC and go to Alabama another time. Right now he does not have a firm date set with USC. He’s not sure on his other official

AREA SCOREBOARD BASEBALL P-15’S BRICKS The Sumter P-15’s American Legion baseball program will be placing bricks for former players at the front of Riley Park in January.

The cost is $50 per brick.

For more information, contact Post 15 athletic director Billy Lyons at (803) 968-5115.

USCS LEGENDS DINNER & SILENT AUCTION Tickets available for USC Sumter ‘Legends Dinner & Silent Auction’ Tickets for the second annual University of South Carolina Sumter “Legends Dinner & Silent Auction” baseball fundraiser are available now.

The cost is $100 per person and no charge for children 12 & under.

The dinner will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Nettles Auditorium.

Interested parties should contact USCS head coach Tim Medlin at (803) 938-3904 or (803) 944-0612.

There will be five big cash door prizes -- one for $1,000 and four for $500 each. There will also be a meal provided by the Bar-B-Que Hut, a cornhole tournament and a silent auction featuring local items as well as other sportsrelated memorabilia.

Sumter native, former University of South Carolina head coach and New York Yankee great Bobby Richardson will be the keynote speaker.

Other guests include Chicago Cubs pitcher and World Series champion Carl Edwards Jr. as well as Clemson All-Americans Billy O’Dell and Billy McMillon.

U.S BASEBALL ACADEMY SPRING TRAINING U.S. Baseball Academy’s

Spring Training 2017 will be held at the University of South Carolina Sumter’s Nettles Gymnasium beginning in January.

The camps, which are open to children in grades 1-12, will be held on Jan. 7, Jan. 14, Jan. 21 and Jan. 28. USC Sumter head coach Tim Medlin will be the program director.

With the player-to-coach ratio at 7 to 1, space is limited. Students can register at www.

USBaseballAcademy.com or by calling (866) 622-4487.

For more information, contact Medlin at (803) 9383904 or (803) 944-0612.

UMPIRES NEEDED The Sumter County Recreation Department is in search of umpires for its spring youth league baseball season.

For more information, contact Glenn Button at (803) 983-9934.

BOWLING GAMECOCK LANES SCORES

Industrial Mixed: Moses Jackson 277-746; Lee Taylor 531.

Friday Night Mixed: Keith Pandorf 265-662; Romero B Davis 247-595; Chris Armstrong 270-643; George Russ 234-569; Curtis Anderson 278694; Romero D Davis 217-569; Tim Hudnall 280-669; Jeffrey Scott 219597; Paul McClam 451; Gene Jenkins 601; Aaron Green 505; Kenny Smith 682; Wardell Stevenson 577; Joann Goins 658.

Sunday Night Mixed: Daniel Bochette 165-368; Kris Hackett 212529; Tom Teigue 187; Todd Haviland 563.

Hot Shots: Nancy Champion 201503.

Tuesday Night Mixed: Daniel Brown 235-611; Steve Shirley 264; Harold Allen 255-637; Marc Harton 253; Ricky Grimmett 234; Dustin Hodge 267; Emily Batey 221-550; Leslie Bruner 215-551; Greg Jones 762; Byron Phillips 701; Nick Pipkin 611; John Faragi 462; Richard Roarick 607; Joe Blake 531; Tim Hudnall 683; Marc Harton 635; Lenny Girdvainis 584; Terence Williams 632; Cheryl Benton 517; Don Infelise 656; Sue Bailey 669; Rosemary Smith 530; Eva Jackson 521; Marie Anderson 461; Joann Goins 635.

Afternoon Delight: Lynn Lynn 186500; Chuck Scott 598; Thomas Jackson 671.

Capt. & Crew: Lenny Girdvainis 230609; Jerry Coker Sr. 206-516; Bobby Holladay 257-735; Daniel Brown 235; Judy McDonald 586.

visits, but he’s been hearing from Mississippi State, LSU and several others.

When he broke up with USC, Kinlaw said he was unhappy with what he fell was undue pressure from the coaches as well as others wanting him to go to USC. However, he’s been talking with USC head coach Will Muschamp and others and things have been smoothed over.

Kinlaw said he does not have a favorite at this point and will wait until after his official visits to make his final decision.

USC offensive lineman target Jerry Drake Jr. of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., picked up offers from Michigan State and UCLA. USC DB targer Keisean Nixon of Arizona Western JC visited Oregon State over the weekend. He visited USC for the Western Carolina game.

He picked up an offer from UCLA last week.

DB Naytron Culpepper of Miami, who took an official visit to USC last weekend, said he’s not heard much from USC since then, but he still considers it his favorite.

His team is still playing and he’s not set up any other visits.

DE Sean McGonical of Myrtle Beach High was at USC for the WCU game.

McGonical has not been offered by any schools, but is drawing interest from several.

“Since I’m a late recruit I primarily have been recruited by the Ivy League teams, Cornell, Penn(sylvania), Princeton, and Bucknell. However, (USC assistant) Coach (Lance) Thompson got a hold of my midseason highlight clip and really liked it. I’m an undersized defensive end right now, but I run 4.6 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), so I think they see me at

outside linebacker.”

McGonical had 17 ½ quarterback sacks this season.

USC is one of the early, strong suitors for ‘18 running back Master Teague III (5-feet-11-inches, 194 pounds) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the early work has paid off with strong interest from him. Teague was in Columbia for the WCU game. “(Assistant) Coach (Bobby) Bentley told me that I was his guy for 2018 and Coach Muschamp said that God has blessed me with talent and he would love for me to be a part of their program,” Teague said. “They believe that I would fit perfectly in their offense.”

Teague also has visited Tennessee, Louisville, Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State. Teague also has offers from Tennessee, Duke, Georgia Tech, MTSU, Louisville, Memphis and GT. Brayden Hawkins, an ’18 QB from Dillon High, visited Virginia Tech on Saturday.

He’s expecting USC to visit him this week.

USC offered ‘19 DE Ani Izuchukwu of Nashville, Tenn. Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are some of the other early offers.

Akele Pauling, a ’19 DB from Cardinal Newman in Columbia, attended USC’s game against WCU. He was at Northwestern on Saturday and also has been to Tennessee, GT, The Citadel and South Carolina State.

CLEMSON AND USC Belk, the DL from Lewisville, has worn out the interstates to USC and Clemson this season. He’s been to both for game multiple times, including Clemson on Saturday.

Belk said he won’t make his decision until after his official visits next year and he is planning to graduate

early. Right now it’s the two locals making the most noise with him.

“Clemson and USC (are recruiting the hardest),” Belk said. “They are coming at me pretty hard.” Belk said there is no overall favorite and he likes all the schools recruiting him.

Channing Tindall, an ’18 LB from Spring Valley High in Columbia, picked up offers recently from Auburn and Appalachian State. He was at on UGA on Saturday and has also been to USC, Clemson, GT, Coastal Carolina and App State. Tennessee also has been in touch recently and has invited him for a visit.

Tindall holds offers from USC, Auburn, Coastal, Mercer and App State. He’s also drawing interest from Purdue, North Carolina State, Colorado State and California.

USC and Clemson ‘18 DE target KJ Henry of Clemmons, N.C., went to Ohio State on Saturday.

Maddox Tavernier, a ’21 QB – that’s eighth grade – from Indianapolis already has drawn the attention of Clemson and USC along with several other major programs even though he’s only in junior high.

“I train and have the same quarterback coach as (Clemson commitment) Hunter Johnson and plan on attending South Carolina’s elite camp in early June. So far most of my interest is from the Big Ten (Conference) and Ole Miss.”

BASKETBALL Sharone Wright Jr. , a 6-4 ’18 recruit from West Florence High, includes Clemson and USC in his final 12. The others are Wake Forest, UGA, Virginia Commonwealth, GT, Charlotte, Kansas State, Auburn, Arkansas, Central Florida and Florida State.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Cleared for takeoff: Badgers getting lift from jet sweep

BY GENARO C. ARMAS The Associated Press MADISON, WIS. — The first key to executing a successful jet sweep at No. 6 Wisconsin can be summarized in two words by receivers coach Ted Gilmore.

“Run scared,” Gilmore said Wednesday.

Speed to beat defenders to the edge and vision to find the right hole help, too. The eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2, No. 7 CFP) will be watching for the sweep when they face the Badgers (10-2, No. 6 CFP) on Saturday night in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship game.

“The first thing that goes through my head is get up field and get whatever you can,” Wisconsin receiver Jazz Peavy said. “When you see a lot of green grass like that it’s just run, run, run.”

Just like last week in the 31-17 win over Minnesota .

Peavy went 71 yards down the right sideline to the Gophers 11. Two plays later, tailback Corey Clement barreled into the end zone from 2 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:42 left.

“It happens so fast you can’t really think about it,” Peavy said.

The jet sweep has been a tool at Wisconsin in the past, spanning coaching staffs. But it was really dusted off this year on Oct. 15 in the 30-23 loss in overtime to No. 2 Ohio State. Peavy, a junior who has emerged as a key offensive weapon, gashed the Buckeyes for 70 yards rushing on six carries.

Peavy has reached “a

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

No. 6 Wisconsin dusted off the jet sweep to rousing success against Ohio State, part of a series of tweaks since midseason that has helped the running game become more productive. point where he belongs and he can make those plays,” Gilmore said. “I tell him all the time to trust himself.”

The receiver has left such an impression that the play has a new nickname: the “Jazz sweep.”

Whatever it’s called, the Nittany Lions want to put a stop to it.

A defense reinforced by the midseason returns of linebackers Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda from injuries has helped hold opponents to less than 47 yards rushing in three of the last five games. But the Nittany Lions got gashed by sweeps, shovel passes and play-action in a 42-39 loss to Pittsburgh in September.

Cabinda, the starting middle linebacker, didn’t play in that game.

“It’s something we kind of plan on happening,” cornerback John Reid said Wednesday when asked if Penn State would be brushing up on defending

the sweep.

The sweep is just one of a series of tweaks that coach Paul Chryst — a former Wisconsin offensive coordinator — has made since midseason, when the running game became more productive.

With Wisconsin coming off a bye week, Ohio State didn’t look prepared for Peavy running the sweep.

The next week, Chryst started using senior Bart Houston again at quarterback. The former starter began taking a few series each game, alternating with Alex Hornibrook, the redshirt freshman who took his job.

Houston has embraced his role, often giving the offense a spark. A former option quarterback in high school, the right-handed senior has more mobility and presents defenses a different look from Hornibrook, a left-handed pocket passer.

SPORTS SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM THE SUMTER ITEM

BOYS

PREP TODAY SCHEDULE

FROM PAGE B1 “It allows us to have a couple different looks,” Jones said. “My second group might not be experienced, but they have a little more length. Last night (a 51-37 win over Lakewood on Monday), I tried something where I had Ryan, Calvin, Isaih, Jaylenn and Darius (Williams) at the point, which makes us really long. That’s something that could give a lot of people fits this year as well.”

Davontay Singleton will play an important role on defense along with Ronald McGee, Raymond Johnson and Zykiem Jackson among others as Jones plans to have a deep bench this year, much as he did last year.

“I think the biggest thing for us is just to be unselfish,” Jones said. “I think we have a lot of talent. If everybody understands their roles and plays together, it’s going to be very exciting.”

Varsity Basketball Laurence Manning in Trinity-Byrnes Tournament, 4 p.m.

Lee Central at Lamar, 6 p.m.

Varsity and JV Basketball Lakewood at Manning, 4 p.m.

B Team Boys Basketball Sumter at A.C. Flora, 6 p.m.

Middle School Basketball Alice Drive at Manning, 5 p.m.

Hillcrest at Bates, 5 p.m.

Chestnut Oaks at Ebenezer, 5 p.m.

Mayewood at Furman, 5 p.m.

Varsity Bowling Wilson Hall, Laurence Manning at Cardinal Newman (at Royal Z Lanes in Columbia), 4 p.m.

FRIDAY Varsity Basketball Sumter at A.C. Flora, 6 p.m.

Lake City at East Clarendon, 6 p.m.

Scott’s Branch at Governor’s S&M, 6 p.m.

Laurence Manning in Trinity-Byrnes Tournament, 4 p.m.

Pee Dee at Robert E. Lee, 4 p.m.

Varsity and JV Basketball C.E. Murray at Manning, 4 p.m.

Sumter Christian at Grace Christian (No JV Girls), 4 p.m.

B Team and Varsity Basketball Northside Christian at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY Varsity Basketball Laurence Manning in Trinity-Byrnes Tournament, 4 p.m.

Varsity and JV Basketball Sumter at Lakewood, 3 p.m.

Lee Central at Crestwood, 3 p.m.

OBITUARIES ELIZABETH H. GRUBB Elizabeth “Betty” Mary Holleran Grubb, age 79, beloved wife of Grady C. Grubb, died peacefully on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at her residence.

Born on March 21, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York, she was a daughter of the late John and Loretta Holleran.

She received her GRUBB education in the Catholic school system in Brooklyn. Being a military wife for 22 years, Elizabeth lived on many Air Force bases in the United States and a tour in England.

She was a Sunday school teacher, “Welcome to Our Base” hostess, and a Cub Scout Den Mother. She made many friends at all the bases but the bad thing about that was she always had to pack up and leave or her friends had to pack up and leave. But she made sure to keep in touch with many of them. She worked in various sales positions at K-Mart in Louisiana and Sumter.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by three sons, Thomas John Grubb and his wife, Colleen, the Rev. James Alan Grubb and his wife, Claire, and Michael Edward Grubb and his wife, Karen; five grandchildren, Samantha Grubb, Erin Grubb, Josiah Grubb, Catlyn Paye and Logan Grubb; three greatgrandchildren; one brother, Martin Holleran and his wife, Martha; one sister, Loretta Campbell and her husband, John; and one sister-in-law, Pauline Holleran.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Linda Marion Grubb; and a brother, Thomas John Holleran.

A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Bullock Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Anthony Thomas officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Friday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Bullock Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Duke University Medical Center Lung Transplant Program, 710 W. Main St., Suite 200, Durham, NC 27701.

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

The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.

PEACHES B. ROBINSON Peaches Elizabeth Bragg Robinson, 40, died on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born in Chelyan, West Virginia, she was a daughter of Freddie Lee Bragg and the late Brenda Starr Bragg. Ms. Robinson was a participant in Sumter County Disabilities and Special Needs Board services and a resident of one of the assisted living homes they provide.

Survivors include her father, Freddie Lee Bragg of West Virginia; one sister, Marie Heaton (Ted) of Sumter; one niece and nephew, Brittany Marie Heaton and Brandon Heaton, both of Sumter; and two aunts, Kathy Bragg of Cabin Creek, P. ROBINSON West Virginia, and Judy Grounds of Canawah City, West Virginia.

Funeral services will be private.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the Sumter County Disabilities and Special Needs Board and the ICU Department staff of Palmetto Health Tuomey for the special care they provided.

Memorials may be made to the Sumter County Disabilities and Special Needs Board, P.O. Box 2847, Sumter, SC 29151.

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

REBECCA DUKES OLIVER PINEWOOD — Rebecca Dukes Oliver died on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016.

She was a daughter of the late John Wesley Dukes and Rebecca Canty Dukes.

Funeral services will be held at noon on Friday at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, U.S. OLIVER 15 North, Pinewood, with the Rev. Willie Chandler, pastor, officiating.

The family is receiving friends at her residence, 1240 Garlie Circle, Pinewood.

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

ANNA ROBINSON MANNING — Anna Patricia “Peachie” Ratliff Robinson, 80, wife of David M. Robinson, died on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at her residence.

Born on April 30, 1936, in Pikeville, Kentucky, she was a daughter of the late James Victor and Anna BeaA. ROBINSON trice Ford Ratliff.

She was a retired bookkeeper. She loved her cats, Elvis, Clemson football, traveling and shopping.

She is survived by her husband of 25 years; two sons, Homer Thomas Cecil Jr. (Sandee) of Lexington, Kentucky, and James Kendall Cecil (Paula) of Pikeville; a daughter, Susan Robinson Drose (Richard) of Manning; seven grandchildren, David Thomas Cecil (Erica), James Andrew Cecil (Kelly), Taryn Hope Cecil, Erica Paige Cecil, Layne Kendall Cecil, Richard Francis Drose III and Laura Elizabeth Drose; and one great-grandchild, Anne Katherine Cecil.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home with the Rev. Patrick Goodwin officiating.

Memorials may be made to

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 |

GIRLS

FROM PAGE B1 That list was led by Jessica Harris who averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 assists while being chosen for the Carolina All-Star Classic team and winning MVP honors in the game.

She was followed closely by Kyra Wilson, a North-South selection, who averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

The rest of that main group -- Cy Cooper, Kiara Jones, Tiarra Abram, Bre Tyler and Anna McBride -- are gone as well.

In its season-opening 72-27 victory against Lakewood on Monday, Sumter started two juniors, a senior and two freshmen. Taylor Myles is one of four seniors in the group while Anya Bethea and transfer Latrice Lyons are two of the four juniors. The rest of the team is comprised of freshmen, including Tamerah Brown and Nina Edlow,

A Second Chance Animal Shelter, 5079 Alex Harvin Highway, Manning, SC 29102.

Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org

HENRY FURMAN JR. Henry Furman Jr., 70, husband of Emma E. Smith Furman, departed this life on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia.

He was born on Oct. 11, 1946, in Sumter County, a son of the late Henry Sr. and Viola Choice Furman.

The family will receive friends at the home, 4000 McCrays Mill Road.

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

JEANETTE M. SIGLER Funeral services for Jeanette Manning Sigler, who died on Nov. 25, 2016, will he held at 2:30 p.m. today at Westend Community Church, 101 S. Salem Ave., Sumter.

Job’s Mortuary Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

SONIE S. WALKER Sonie Selisa Walker was born on Feb. 4, 1981, a daughter of the Rev. Michael C. and Minister Eleanora S. Walker.

She departed this earthly journey on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

She was educated in the public schools of Sumter County, where she was a graduate of Sumter High School Class of 1999. She continued her education at DeVry University in Atlanta, where she obtained her bachelor’s in accounting in 2002. She was employed with Wachovia Bank in Atlanta for approximately two years before relocating back to Sumter. After her relocation, she became employed with DHL in Columbia. Her entrepreneurial spirit drove her to start her own cleaning business called “S & J Spotless Cleaning Service,” which she named after her and her daughter “Jayla.”

She accepted Christ as her personal Savior and was a member of The Brook in Columbia.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories: her parents, the Rev. Michael C. Walker and Minister Eleanora S. Walker of Sumter; one daughter, Jayla “Bear” Briona Walker of Sumter; two sisters, Falecia W. Mcknight and Eleanora S. Walker, both of Sumter; godsister, Javon S. White; two nieces, Ahlecea L. Mcknight and Natasha A. Mcknight, both of Sumter; one nephew, Adam M. Mcknight; two very special boys who were like nephews, Jalen and Jordan White; aunts and uncles, William Simmons, Sylvester (Alethia) Simmons, Lawrence (Blondie) Simmons, Pastor Sammie (Shirby) Simmons, Lucretia (O’neal) Houck, Sonya (Dwayne) Mickens, Elke Simmons, Hardy B. Walker Jr., Robert Walker, Kevin (Deana) Walker, Brian Walker and Westley Walker; three greataunts, Iris Singleton, Cora Lee Pack and Elouise Scott; and, last but not least, the “crew,” Jessica Splawn, Shantel Moses, Angel Richburg and Cristina Vernon.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandpar-

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who wound up being two of the top three scorers for the Lady Gamecocks along with Carnasia Wells -- another freshman. Nykiah Cooper, Alexis McLeod and Dynasia Jackson also got into the scoring act and provide some more options off the bench for Fields along with others.

“We have the talent that anyone could lead us on any night,” she said. “Monday it happened to be Tamerah Brown. But those starting five spots are earned, not given.

There might be times where it changes up or times when it stays the same depending on what they show me in practice.”

With such a young and inexperienced team, the biggest goal is just getting them to buy in and getting maximum effort, Fields added.

“Everybody has talent, but as talented as you are, you can be outworked,” she said. “I’m just trying to make sure we put in the work every day to make us better.”

ents, William and Loris Simmons; paternal grandparents, Hardy and Minnie Walker; and an aunt, Dorothy Ricks.

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

Ms. Walker will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. on Friday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Mark Four Bridges Baptist Church, 2280 Four Bridges Road, Sumter, SC, 29153, with Pastor Sammie D. Simmons officiating and Pastor Simeon Moultrie, eulogist, pastor of The Brook Church, Columbia.

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

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

JAMES ANTHONY James Anthony, 68, died on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, at Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia.

Born in Sumter County, he was a son of Martin and Jessie Anthony Burrough.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 518 Clyde St., Apartment B, Florence.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc.

CHARLES G. EVANS JR. Charles G. “Chucky” Evans Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey, a son of Charlie G. and Helen Ragin Evans. He departed his earthly journey on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

There are many fond memories shared by his survivors: sister, Dr. Cynthia A. Evans of Rahway, New Jersey; aunt, Susan M. Hickson of Rahway; cousins, the Rev. John G. Ragin of Newark; South Carolina caregivers and cousins, Anna Sumter Boulware of Chester and Sharon and Tim Bradford of Hopkins; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Public viewing will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. today at Job’s Mortuary.

Mr. Evans will be placed in the church at 2:30 p.m. on Friday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday at Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church, 805 S. Harvin St., Sumter.

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

Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S.

Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements.

DOSHIA P. HAMMETT Doshia P. Hammett departed this life on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Homegoing services will be held at noon on Friday at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, 510 Manville-St. Charles Road, Bishopville, with Pastor Cedric C. Maddox, of Refreshing Word Church, Fort Mill, officiating.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home of her son, Leroy (Mazielle) Hammett, 2312 Orvis St., Sumter.

The remains will be placed in the church at 11 a.m.

The procession will leave at 11:15 a.m. from the home.

Burial will be in St. Mark Missionary Baptist Churchyard cemetery.

Services directed by 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.

JOYCE S. CARTER MANNING — Joyce Spigner Carter, 84, died on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Born on Dec. 14, 1931, she was a daughter of the late Henry Haskell Spigner and Virgie Blackwell Spigner. She was a member of Solid Rock Baptist Church. She was a good mother and grandmother who served her Lord faithfully to the end.

She is survived by two sons, Jessie “Jay” Carter III (Susan) of Florence and Robert Haskett “Bob” Carter (Marsha) of Manning; and three grandchildren, R.H. Carter, Erin Carter Oliver (Patrick) and Caroline Carter.

She was preceded in death by her son, Mark Carter; one brother; and four sisters.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory with the Rev. Larry Hummel officiating.

A visitation will take place one hour prior to the service on Friday.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to The Solid Rock Baptist Church, 185 Lakewood Drive, Sumter, SC 29150, or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105.

Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org

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COMICS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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

Wife’s job at the gym has husband in a sweat DEAR ABBY — My wife and I have been married for almost 11 years and have three children.

About four Dear Abby years ago my wife cheated ABIGAIL on me and VAN BUREN left. After a six-week split, we decided we wanted to work things out. Everything was great -- until recently, when she got a job working at a busy gym.

Several of the guys from the gym have added her on Facebook and send her messages.

They like all her posts and pictures. I work out there and when I go in, I see her laugh-

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

ing and joking with them. This has all started to bring me flashbacks to when she cheated.

I tried talking to her about how I feel, but she just says they are my insecurity issues and I need to deal with them.

At this point, I'm contemplating divorce so I won't go through the same pain I went through last time. I check her Facebook page constantly to see if she has added any new guys and see what comments they are leaving. I know it's not healthy, and it makes me constantly depressed.

My wife has no interest in marriage counseling, but tells me I should seek professional help for my issues. Is there any saving this marriage, or is it time to move on?

Threatened in Texas

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

DEAR THREATENED — Part of your wife's job is to be friendly to the members of that gym. It doesn't mean that she's involved with any of them outside of work. The problem with jealousy and insecurity is that unless they are managed, they tend to feed on each other and grow. While I can't banish the suspicions from your mind, some sessions with a licensed mental health professional might help you to put them into perspective. It may save your marriage. However, if it doesn't ease your mind, you can always talk to a lawyer.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.

DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

By Bruce Haight

ACROSS 1 Asset for Sherlock 6 Fast 11 Additional information?

14 Important period 15 Eat into 16 What makes a deal ideal?

17 Elaborate costume parties 19 Pickle 20 “Zip it!”

21 Prosperity 22 “Blah, blah, blah,” for short 24 Golden __ 25 “I used to be Snow White, but I __”: Mae West 26 Part of the pelvis 29 In essence 30 “Bor-r-ring” 31 LPGA great Lopez 32 Green shade 35 Rare blood type, briefly 36 Shakespearean barmaid 37 Picky details 38 “But __ got high hopes ... “: song lyric 39 Neutral tone 40 Prefix with -gram 41 Like angel food cake

12/1/16 43 Curry favor with, with “to” 44 Ill-mannered 46 Veers suddenly 47 Distance runners 48 First name in folk 49 How it’s always done, initially 52 Heat meas.

53 Places for seeing stars?

56 CSA soldier 57 Green shade 58 Fragrances 59 Pack animal 60 Snooped (around) 61 “Check” DOWN 1 NASA vehicles 2 Fish with vermilion fins 3 “Jeepers!”

4 “Ugh!” 5 Enjoy Orbit 6 Masonryreinforcing rod 7 Inland Asian sea 8 D.C. player 9 Set-for-life set 10 Lot 11 What can help you avoid getting stuck changing diapers?

12 Form a coalition

13 Personalized collection of love songs, say 18 Consider 23 Toronto Argonauts’ org.

24 “... bug in __” 25 Hustle or shuffle 26 Former Mideast ruler 27 Tops 28 Groups with a piece-keeping strategy?

29 Like many a stray dog 31 Bay sound 33 Incredulous dying words 34 “Hurry!” letters 36 Tried to make it on one’s own 37 Storied loch 39 New Orleans’ __ Street

40 Crude smelting product 42 “Once upon a midnight dreary” poet 43 Two-checker piece 44 Eclipse shadow 45 Times in ads 46 Daydreamed, with “out” 48 Nonsense talk, whose circled letter is the start of what might be done with items in the four longest puzzle answers 49 Stuffed shirt 50 Brutish one 51 “You there!”

54 Ones following the nus?

55 Court promise

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

12/1/16

CLASSIFIEDS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2016

THE ITEM

B7

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS SERVICES Business Services Burch's Landscaping Call now for a one on one meet and greet, and plan your outside property enhancement projects for 2017.

Gutters•Drains•Topsoil• Grading•Rocks•Sod•Concrete• Call Burch 803-720-4129

Child Care Open your heart and home.

Become a foster parent. Foster parents have the opportunity to enhance skills and access to resources 24/7. To learn more contact Lakeisha at 803-237-8153

Home Improvements SBC Construction of Sumter Plan now for your 2017 Property Enhancement Porches •Windows • Concrete• Doors•Water Problems Call BURCH 803-720-4129 H.L. Boone, Contractor: Remodel paint roofs gutters drywall blown ceilings ect. 773-9904

803-774-1234

OR TO PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE GO TO WWW.THE ITEM.COM/PLACEMYAD For Sale or Trade

Trucking Opportunities

Mobile Home Rentals

TRANSPORTATION

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net

Heaven on a Hill PECANS (Paper Shell)$7.50 per lb shelled, $2.50 per lb unshelled, Johnny Hilton 803-468-4054 2691 Wedgefield Rd.

Scenic Lake MHP 2 Bedroom 2 bath , No pets.

Call between 9am - 5 pm 803-499-1500

Autos For Sale

A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721

Golden Kernel Pecan Co. 1200 C Pocalla Rd 968-9432 We buy pecans, sell Pecan halves, Chocolate & all flavors. Gift Pkgs avail. M-F 9-5 Sat 9-1

Immediate Opening THE ITEM is in need of a part time truck driver / dock worker. Exp. preferred. Must have clean driving record & dependable. Apply in person to: The Item 20 N Magnolia St Sumter SC

NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal, trimming & stump grinding. Lic/Ins 803-316-0128

For Sale Tons of fire wood premium seasoned oak. u haul $50 per pick up load, delivered 1 cord $130. Call Collins Tree Service 803-499-2136

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales 307 Rogers Ave. Sat. 7-1. Handicap items, antiques, tools, old coins, old guns, electrical supplies.

Will buy furniture by piece or bulk, tools, trailers, lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, or almost anything of value. Call 803-983-5364

Attorney Timothy L. Griffith 803-607-9087, 360 W. Wesmark.

Criminal, Family, Accident, Injury

2320 Lloyd Dr. Huge household garage sale, something for everyone! Many Christmas decorations.

Fri & Sat. 7 am - ?

Roofing

Warehouse Sale! Sat. Dec. 3rd 7-12 at 2520 Tahoe Dr. (off Wilson Hall Rd.) Furniture, household, toys, small appliances and a lot of other great things. No early sales!

Fri. & Sat. 1840 Lirope Way. Christmas, furniture, jazzy wh. chair, household, toys, and linens, 320 Planters Dr Fri. & Sat 7-12.

Kids & adult clothes, household & all occasion items.

4310 Muriel St. Fri. & Sat. 8-3.

Horse stuff, pet cages & supplies, homemade jam, lots of misc. Priced to sell.

Septic Tank Cleaning Call the pros for all of your septic pumping needs. 803-316-0429 Proline Utilities, LLC

RENTALS

For Sale or Trade New & used Heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364

Help Wanted Full-Time

Maintenance Worker/ Meter Reader Local company seeks full time individual to perform outside maintenance duties to include meter reading. Company will provide training to qualified individuals. Company provides paid employee benefits, holidays. All applicants considered but must have valid driver's license and be able to pass background check. Salary commensurate with experience. Send resume and past salary history to Box 456 c//o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151 SEEKING A HIGHLY MOTIVATED RESIDENTIAL PLUMBER WITH A STRONG PROFESSIONAL WORK HABIT. Must have at least 5 years of experience and a valid driver's license. HILL PLUMBING offers competitive pay, incentives and health insurance. Come join Sumter's leading plumbing contractor by filling out an application at: 438 N. Main St., Sumter SC EOE

3BR, 2BA, all appliances, Sumter area. Section 8 accepted. 469-6978.

Huntington Place Apartments Rents from $625 per month 1/2 Month free* *13 Month lease required Powers Properties 595 Ashton Mill Drive 803-773-3600 Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5

Seeking an Exp HVAC installer.

Needs to be experienced with duct fabrication and installation of duct work with residential and some light commercial equipment.

Salary based upon experience, up to $20/hour. Paid vacation and benefits. Call Lowery Heating and Air 803-778-2942 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm.

2 & 3 Br, Sec. 8 803-494-4015 Nice 3BR 2BA SW on 1 acre. 5 min. to Shaw. Priv lot. $650mo. + dep.

803-983-0371

Unfurnished Apartments

EMPLOYMENT Firewood

Near Shaw-Small MH 2BR 1BA unfurnished w/lrg porch $325mo 840-3371 or 494-3573

STATEBURG COURTYARD

Split Oak Firewood, $55/fullsize truckload delivered/stacked.

843-536-6050

MERCHANDISE

Legal Service

Septic Tank Cleaning

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.

Tree Service

10845 Lynches River Rd Lynchburg Sat 7-12 clothes, toys, furniture & more

Robert's Metal Roofing 35 Yrs exp. 45 yr warranty. Financing avail. Expert installation. Long list of satisfied customers. 803-837-1549.

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

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

2, 3 & 4 Bedroom for rent, Cherryvale & Dogwood Area $250 & up. (803) 651-9926 Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water//sewer//garbage pk-up incl'd.

RV parking avail. Call 803-494-8350

Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette.

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO

REAL ESTATE Manufactured Housing

Unfurnished Homes Beautiful 3BR 2BA Home, Large lot with fenced yards, Carport attached, 4246 Whitney St. $600 + Dep. Call 843-645-9400 3BR 2BA Lrg Sunroom, 30ft Garage with elec., boathouse, Nice fnced yard, Very close to Oakland school & Shaw AFB. $850 Mo. + $850 Dep Call 803-494-5009 or 803-236-2094

M & M Mobile Homes, Inc. Now selling New Wind Zone II Champion and Clayton Homes. Lots of floor plans available to custom design your home. Nice used refurbished homes still available also. Bank and Owner financing with ALL CREDIT SCORES accepted.

Call 1-843-389-4215 Like us on Facebook M & M Mobile Homes.

Mobile Home with Lots

1919 W. Oakland Ave. 3BR/1.5BA for rent Appl's included, $800/mo + $800/dep. 803-651-8198.

Help Wanted Part-Time

2BR 2BA in Tudor Place. Nice screened in porch & garage. $800 /mo + dep. Call 775-1580

LPN/RN Partime 7a-7p. Please apply in person at: NHC HealthCare Sumter, 1018 North Guignard Dr., Sumter, SC. EOE

3BR 2BA Rent to Own, Dwn pymt required, Avail. Immediately. Call 803-229-2814 or 803-507-9414

The Perfect Housewarming Gift The Sumter Item is locally owned and run.

We’re part of this community and we believe in Sumter.

MUST SELL! 5 Coulter Dr. Wedgefield, Fleetwood 3br 2ba, den w/ fireplace, completely remodeled. like new, on 0.45 ac lot in cozy neighborhood. Only $47,500.

Please call (803) 468-6029.

2003 Pontiac Sunfire, very good condition, excellent on gas, clean inside & out, 130k. Asking $2800 OBO Call 803-486-9254

LEGAL NOTICES Summons & Notice IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS DOCKET NO. 2016CP4302028 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER American Advisors Group, Plaintiff, v.

Hulene Pendergrass, Heir-At-Law; Emerald Lake Subdivision Homeowners Association, Inc.; Any Heirs-At-Law or Devisees of Lee Ernest Dingle, Deceased, their heirs, Personal Representatives, Administrators, Successors and Assigns, and all other persons entitled to claim through them; all unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe; and any unknown minors or persons under a disability being a class designated as Richard Roe; The United States of America acting by and through its agency The Department of Housing and Urban Development; First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc.; Defendant(s). (017108-00247)

SUMMONS Deficiency Judgment Waived TO THE DEFENDANT(S): Any Heirs-At-Law or Devisees of Lee Ernest Dingle, Deceased, their heirs, Personal Representatives, Administrators, Successors and Assigns, and all other persons entitled to claim through them; all unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe; and any unknown minors or persons under a disability being a class designated as Richard Roe: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED

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Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

and required to appear and defend by answering the Complaint in this foreclosure action on property located at 595 W Emerald Lake Drive, Sumter, SC 29153, being designated in the County tax records as TMS# 243-00-04-006, of which a copy is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their offices, 100 Executive Center Drive, Suite 201, Post Office Box 100200, Columbia, South Carolina, 29202-3200, within thirty (30) days after the 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 do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

Administrators, Successors and Assigns, and all other persons entitled to claim through them; all unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe; and any unknown minors or persons under a disability being a class designated as Richard Roe; The United States of America acting by and through its agency The Department of Housing and Urban Development; First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc.; Defendant(s). (017108-00247)

Homeowners Association, Inc.; Any Heirs-At-Law or Devisees of Lee Ernest Dingle, Deceased, their heirs, Personal Representatives, Administrators, Successors and Assigns, and all other persons entitled to claim through them; all unknown persons with any right, title or interest in the real estate described herein; also any persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe; and any unknown minors or persons under a disability being a class designated as Richard Roe; The United States of America acting by and through its agency The Department of Housing and Urban Development; First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc.; Defendant(s). (017108-00247)

have or may claim to have some interest in or claim to the real property commonly known as 595 W Emerald Lake Drive, Sumter, SC 29153; that Anne Bell Fant is empowered and directed to appear on behalf of and represent said Defendant(s), unless the said Defendant(s), or someone on their behalf, shall within thirty (30) days after service of a copy hereof as directed, procure the appointment of a Guardian or Guardians Ad Litem for the said Defendant(s), and it is

TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND/OR 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 service of this Summons upon you. If you fail to do so, Plaintiff will apply to have the appointment of the Guardian ad Litem Nisi, Anne Bell Fant, made absolute. Columbia, South Carolina 11-16-16 NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANTS: YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Summons and Complaint, of which the foregoing is a copy of the Summons, were filed with the Clerk of Court for Sumter County, South Carolina on October 27, 2016.

Columbia, South Carolina 11-16-16

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the South Carolina Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, 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, Rogers Townsend and Thomas, PC.Rogers Townsend and Thomas, PC represents the Plaintiff in this action. Our law firm 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 you are served with this Notice.

IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION, THE FORECLOSURE ACTION MAY PROCEED. Columbia, South Carolina 11-16-16

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS DOCKET NO. 2016CP4302028

LIS PENDENS Deficiency Judgment Waived NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT an action has been or will be commenced in this Court upon complaint of the above-named Plaintiff against the above-named Defendant(s) for the foreclosure of a certain Home Equity Conversion Mortgage of real estate given by Lee E. Dingle to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for American Advisors Group, its successors and assigns dated September 17, 2015, and recorded in the Office of the RMC/ROD for Sumter County on October 8, 2015, in Mortgage Book 1215 at Page 3783. This Mortgage was assigned to American Advisors Group by assignment dated July 6, 2016 and recorded July 7, 2016 in Book 1223 at Page 2313. The premises covered and affected by the said mortgage and by the foreclosure thereof were, at the time of the making thereof and at the time of the filing of this notice, described as follows: ALL THAT certain piece, parcel or lot of land with the improvements thereon, if any, situate. lying, and being in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, being shown and delineated as Lot No. 112 of "Emerald Lakes" Subdivision, as shown on that certain Plat of Edwards Land Surveyors, Inc. dated October 13, 2004 and recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Sumter County in Plat Book 2004 at Page 569, and having such boundaries, metes, courses and distances as are shown on said plat, reference to which is hereby made pursuant to authority contained in 30-50-250 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, as amended.

This being the same subject property conveyed to Lee E. Dingle and Glorena Dingle with an indestructible right of survivorship by deed of William Bode and Mary B. Bode, dated December 28, 2004 and recorded December 29, 2004 in Deed Book 964 at Page 761; Subsequently, Glorena Dingle died on or about November 8, 2011 leaving her interest in the subject property to the sole survivor Lee E. Dingle; Subsequently, Lee Ernest Dingle died on June 9, 2016 leaving his interest in the subject property to his heir, Hulene Pendergrass, Heir-At-Law. Property Address: 595 W Emerald Lake Drive Sumter, SC 29153 TMS# 243-00-04-006 Columbia, South Carolina October 27, 2016 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS DOCKET NO. 2016CP4302028

American Advisors Group, Plaintiff, v.

Hulene Pendergrass, Heir-At-Law; Emerald Lake Subdivision Homeowners Association, Inc.; Any Heirs-At-Law or Devisees of Lee Ernest Dingle, Deceased, their heirs, Personal Representatives,

American Advisors Group,

ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI Deficiency Judgment Waived It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, upon reading the Motion for the appointment of Anne Bell Fant as Guardian Ad Litem Nisi for any unknown minors and persons who may be under a disability, it is ORDERED that, pursuant to Rule 17, SCRCP, Anne Bell Fant, be and hereby is appointed Guardian Ad Litem Nisi on behalf of all unknown minors and all unknown persons under a disability, all of whom may

FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this Order shall forthwith be served upon the said Defendant(s) by publication thereof in the The Item, a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, together with the Summons in the above entitled actions.

James C. Campbell Clerk of Court for Sumter County Sumter, South (017108-00247)

Summons & Notice Kevin T. Brown (SC Bar # 064236), Kevin.Brown@rtt-law.com Jason D. Wyman (SC Bar # 100271), Jason.Wyman@rtt-law.com Andrew M. Wilson (SC Bar# 72553), Andrew.Wilson@rtt-law.com 100 Executive Center Drive, Suite 201 Post Office Box 100200(29202) Columbia, SC 29210 (803) 744-4444 11/21/2016 A-4600117 12/01/2016, 12/08/2016, 12/15/2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS Lost & Found

Carolina

Andrew M. Wilson Rogers Townsend and Thomas, PC ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF Robert P. Davis (SC Bar #74030), Robert.Davis@rtt-law.com Andrew W. Montgomery (SC Bar #79893), Andrew.Montgomery@rtt-law.com John J. Hearn (SC Bar # 6635), John.Hearn@rtt-law.com

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