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4 Sumter residents die in wrecks BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Two fatal wrecks in different cities claimed the lives of four Sumter residents during the weekend. One of the wrecks occurred in Sumter early Sunday morning, while the other took place in Rocky Mount,
North Carolina, early Saturday morning. Sumter Police Department officers are investigating a single-vehicle wreck that resulted in the death of two people and left another person injured early Sunday, according to Tonyia McGirt, spokeswoman for the department.
Police and Sumter Fire Department personnel responded to the crash at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday on Guignard Drive, just south of Liberty Street, McGirt said. The crash involved a 1995 Nissan Maxima. Calvin Leneau, 34, of Sumter, the driver of the vehicle, died on the scene from multiple blunt-force trauma, ac-
cording to Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock. Darius Jaquez Leroy Ford, 22, one of the passengers, also died on the scene from multiple bluntforce trauma, smoke inhalation and thermal burns, Bullock said. A third passenger, Terence J. King,
SEE WRECKS, PAGE A9
Nearly 300 kids given bicycles for holiday
McMaster or Haley could call for election for Mulvaney’s seat
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
Representative could be confirmed as budget director under Trump
Evening Optimist Club of Sumter gave bicycles to 290 children during the 20th Cycles for Christmas project at Westside Baptist Church on Saturday. Les Perkins, a member of Evening Optimist Club of Sumter, said he and his wife have been volunteering for the project for the 10 years they have been members of the club. Community service aside, it’s nice to give to children who may not get anything else for Christmas, he said. Perkins said he does not need to know the children personally to know that they are happy to receive the bikes. He said the program not only acknowledges the excellence of kids, but also reaches out to needy children to let them know they are also important. “Every child is important,” he said. It’s a pleasure to be able to do this, Perkins said. This is something they’ll never forget and something the club will never forget, he said. The children are nominated
BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com An election to replace South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-Rock Hill, who has reportedly been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, will be called by whoever is governor of South Carolina if Mulvaney’s nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Mulvaney represents South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes the eastern half of Sumter County and parts MULVANEY of the City of Sumter. According to the U.S. Constitution, empty seats in the House of Representatives must be filled by a special election called by the governor. Whether that will be current Gov. Nikki Haley, who Trump reportedly will nominate as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, or current Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, will apparently depend on the order in which nominations are confirmed. “I think it will be an interesting election,” South Carolina state Rep. Murrell Smith, RSumter, said Monday. Smith said he did not know of anyone from the Sumter area interested in running for the seat. “I know one thing — it won’t be me,” he said. Smith noted the population of the district is primarily in the York-Lancaster area. “It is a very expensive seat to run for
Volunteer Fred Marshall helps Isaiah Nelson, 5, adjust his new bike to fit him during the Evening Optimist Club of Sumter’s Cycles for Christmas at Westside Baptist Church on Saturday. The club, along with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office’s C.O.P.S. program, sponsored the event during which nearly 300 bikes were given to children in the community.
SEE BIKES, PAGE A8
SEE MULVANEY, PAGE A9
PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Woman risks life by using oven to try to stay warm BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Sumter philanthropist Phil Edwards, in whose honor this year’s Fireside Fund is dedicated, established the Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust along with his wife, Flora McLeod Edwards, ensuring that his generosity would continue after his passing. During his life, his philanthropy
ranged from scholarships to the enlargement of Carolina Stadium of University of South Carolina. He also was involved in supporting numerous local institutions, such as Sumter
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County Library and the former Tuomey Regional Medical Center. Indeed, his philanthropy does live on, as a $10,000 donation from the Williams-Brice Edwards Charitable Trust was received this week to support Fireside’s “program of aid for the needy.” According to Sumter United Ministries Crisis Relief Director Kevin Howell, clients at the ministry will sometimes use drastic methods to heat
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their homes, especially those who live in older, drafty houses. “A 60-year-old disabled lady came to our Crisis Relief Ministry this week for kerosene,” Howell said. “She was using the electric oven to heat her home, a dangerous and inefficient practice that is very common among our clients.” She had also overloaded an outlet
SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A8
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