December 2, 2016

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Lt. Gov. position up for grabs No one’s grabbing BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES | VOL. 122, NO. 36

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South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to take over the governor’s office if Nikki Haley is confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations early next year. That opens the question that is perplexing members of the South Carolina Senate: Who wishes to give up his or her four-year term in the Senate to fill a position that will last only two years?

According to the South Carolina Constitution, a vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office is supposed to be filled by the president pro tem of the Senate. But the man in that position, Sen. Hugh Leatherman, has made it clear he doesn’t want the job. “I want my neighLEATHERMAN bors who elected me as well as my colleagues in the Senate and all the people of South Carolina to know that I will not leave my Senate seat to serve as lieutenant

governor,” Leatherman said in a written statement. “For me, there is no greater honor than serving in the South Carolina Senate.” The Senate will have an organizational session Tuesday in Columbia, and a vote will be taken then on who will be president pro tem. Some say it’s easy to understand why Leatherman, who is also chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, would not want to take the lieutenant governor’s position.

SEE JOB, PAGE A6

Wilson Hall wins share of state title in SCISA Battle of the Books

2016

The Sumter Item’s annual look at life’s larger questions C1 SPORTS

Clemson set to play for ACC Championship B1 SCIENCE

Researchers looking for cause of caribou decline in Arctic Alaska A11 DEATHS, B5 and B6 Loman Brooks Jr. Mary B. Johnson James E. Fulton Sr. Annie J. Shannon Lubertha Barr Gladys C. Clark Leroy Stuckey Hannah G. Ballard Gloria Glisson

Stephen R. Kalish Pearl L. Parrott Henry Furman Jr. Ferdinand Burns Jr. Bernard Magazine Ilean L. House James A. Thompson Mary R. Tindal James P. Mallard Jr.

KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY / THE SUMTER ITEM

Wilson Hall’s middle-school team is seen after winning a share of the state championship, together with Five Oaks Academy of Simpsonville, at the 2017 South Carolina Independent School Association Battle of the Books state competition held at Thomas Sumter Academy on Wednesday.

Barons split championship with upstate’s Five Oaks Academy BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Wilson Hall took the top prize in the two divisions at the 2017 South Carolina Independent School Association Battle of the Books state competition held at Thomas Sumter Academy on Wednesday. In a nail-biting final, Wilson Hall and Five Oaks Academy of Simpsonville tied for first place in the middle-school competition, while Wilson Hall also claimed the lower school title for the third year in a row. Six teams participated in each division of SCISA schools from throughout the state. The top six schools qualified for the event after several regional competitions held

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“We’ve been working hard for this competition from the beginning of the school year.” McDuffie served as co-adviser of the middle school team with Susan Chavey, the school’s academic dean. Each school that participates is given the same list of 20 books to read the summer before the regional and state competitions. Some students read all 20 books, while others divide the books to read among themselves. The students practiced on a daily basis during the past month by holding mock competitions in which McDuffie would ask them questions on details of the book. “We would come up with as

SEE BOOKS, PAGE A6

Two churches vandalized on Nov. 25 FROM STAFF REPORTS

WEATHER, A8

in early November. Battle of the Books is an adaptation of the national reading incentive program, America’s Battle of the Books. Students read books and come together to demonstrate their abilities and test their knowledge of the material in a timed competition. Students are given specific questions relevant to the contents of the book. The questions come from America’s Battle of the Books program. In the middle-school division, Wilson Hall and Five Oaks each finished the competition with 56 points. The students were comprised of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. “We’re very excited with the results,” said Mollie McDuffie, Wilson Hall middle school adviser.

Two churches on Nazarene Church Road sustained damage when the buildings and a vehicle were spray painted the morning of Nov. 25. According to an incident report from Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the front of Lakewood Baptist Church, 3140 Nazarene Church Road, was painted with the words “I am your God.” The reporting officer also stated in the report that other words were painted on the building, but he could not recognize them. The damage was estimated at $1,000. The Rev. Sammy Thompson of Lakewood

Baptist said everything had been taken care of since Nov. 25. A second church, Calvary Church of the Nazarene at 4265 Nazarene Church Road, was also damaged when profanity and symbols were spray painted on the church’s van and the rear of the building. Both the building and the van sustained about $1,000 in damage each, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office. The Rev. Frank Sharpe, pastor of Calvary Church of the Nazarene, said he and the church members were

SEE VANDALISM, PAGE A7

PHOTO PROVIDED

A van and gym at Calvary Church of the Nazarene on Nazarene Church Road were spray painted with anti-Christian messages and symbols on Nov. 25. The Rev. Frank Sharpe, pastor of Calvary Church of the Nazarene, said youth members of the church have since cleaned the paint from the van and gym.

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