December 27, 2016

S.C. in top half of states for public health preparedness Emergency planning earns state score of 7 out of 10 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

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BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com South Carolina scored a 7 on a report issued by the Trust for America’s Health titled “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterror-

ism,” placing it into the top half of states according to 10 indicators of public health preparedness.

The authors found “the nation is often caught off guard when a new threat arises, such as Zika or the Ebola outbreak or bioterrorist threat, which then requires diverting attention and resources away from other priorities.”

In the report, Alaska and Idaho scored lowest at 3 out of 10, and

Massachusetts scored the highest at 10 out of 10, with North Carolina and Washington State scoring 9s.

“Health emergencies can quickly disrupt, derail and divert resources from other ongoing priorities and efforts from across the government,” said Rich Hamburg, Trust for America’s Health interim president and CEO.

SEE HEALTH, PAGE A5

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An Australian black swan tries to chomp water droplets from the fountain in Swan Lake-Iris Gardens recently.

Heaters give comfort to an elderly couple

Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina nominates Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for president during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 19.

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

AP FILE PHOTO

The past few weeks in Sumter have brought some chilly weather, and it’s times like these when some of our neighbors need the assistance of Fireside Fund the most.

This year, the fund is dedicated to Sumter philanthropist Phil Edwards, whose generosity has continued after his passing through the Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust, a generous contributor to Fireside Fund and other worthy charities in the area.

Sumter United Ministries Crisis Relief Director Kevin Howell said

the ministry continues to interview and assist clients with a wide variety of heating needs, such as kerosene, propane and natural gas.

Recently, a 70-year-old man who was on crutches because of hip pain requested help from Fireside Fund, Howell said. Earlier this year, he was assisted

SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A5

If governor becomes ambassador, a Trump supporter succeeds Haley COLUMBIA (AP) — If South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador, her successor will be an entrenched veteran of the state’s GOP who as attorney general decided not to prosecute thenGov. Mark Sanford for his spending

after his disappearance to rendezvous with his mistress.

Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, a 69-yearold known for his ability to disagree affably, would get the job he’s long wanted in the governorship. His leadership

SEE McMASTER, PAGE A5

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

Best time to buy a pet: After Christmas

BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com

D

id someone make a mistake and give you a dog or cat for Christmas?

According to Cindy Cook, manager of the Sumter Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, many factors should go into giving a pet as a gift to someone — the responsibility of having the animal spayed or neutered, food and grooming costs, allergies, temperament and the list goes on.

Maybe a friend or family member didn't think out the process of the lifelong commitment to the pet for you.

Several local organizations in the Sumter area will take in surrendered animals after Christmas, including the SPCA on Guignard Drive, Carolina Helping Paws Rescue, Freedom Rings and Pawsitive Direction.

"We see it a lot at Christmastime," said Janet Derrick, president of Carolina Paws Rescue. "Many shelters might just sell someone a pet for $100. That's why we don't do secondparty selling. It's a commitment to a

living soul."

Derrick's organization will try to find a foster family for surrendered dogs.

Derrick and Cook said they wish more people would give gift certificates for pets at Christmas, instead of randomly buying a pet for someone.

"You want to benefit both sides — the family and the pet," Cook said.

"The person needs to bond with a pet first."

If, however, someone is ready to buy a pet, after Christmas can be a perfect time, according to Cook of the SPCA. "Once the busyness of the Christmas season is over, people can devote more time and concentrate on a puppy or kitten," Cook said. "That new puppy or kitten will be scared in a new environment and have to get used to the family. In my opinion, it's better to wait until after Christmas."

For more information on the Sumter SPCA, visit its website at www. sumterscspca.com. For more information on Carolina Helping Paws Rescue, you can visit the group's Facebook page or its website, www.carolinahelpingpawsrescue.org.

BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM

A pair of tabby cats wait to be adopted at the Sumter SPCA last week.

MOISE WILLIS • 1959 - 2016

Former U.S. Navy captain remembered for his passion for family, work and military Moise Willis, a retired captain in the U.S. Navy who valued his relationships and military service, passed away after an extended illness on Dec. 11.

Willis, who was born Aug. 12, 1959, in Sumter, enlisted into the U.S. Navy in December 1977 and became a commissioned officer in 1991 after years of service and earning bachelor's and master's degrees from Hampton University and Howard University, respectively.

He went on to serve the Navy in the medical field in Jacksonville, Florida; Guam; Beaufort; Washington, D.C.; and Japan.

Willis' wife, Olivia, said traveling was one of the activities she enjoyed most with her husband.

He was passionate for his family, his work and the military, she said.

He was sweet-hearted to a fault, she said.

Olivia Willis said she will remember her husband's patience, calmness and forgiving spirit.

During his time in the Navy, Moise Willis made contacts who helped him along the way and did the same for those who came after him.

Moise's brother, Dr. Emanuel Willis, said he had a personal rule of never burning bridges because you never know when you'd need to cross them again.

Moise believed in giving a hand up, not a hand down, he said.

He never met a stranger, and he believed in everybody, Emanuel said.

Moise touched many lives during his 38 years in the military, he said.

That was evident at his funeral, he said.

Moise was blessed to be put in

PHOTO PROVIDED

Sumter native and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Moise Willis died Dec. 11, 2016. contact with people who helped him, and he helped others when he became successful, said Janice Willis, Moise Willis' sister-in-law.

He was a mentor to every young person in the family, she said.

Moise would talk to anybody and he never forgot a name, Janice Willis said. When he made friends, he always stayed in contact, she added.

She said Moise's family did not just include blood relatives. He had a way of making everyone feel important to him, and you were, she said.

Moise was a best friend and a brother, said retired Rear Adm. Earl

Gay, one of Willis' longtime friends.

"We lost a great American, and we're still aching from this loss," he said.

Most of all he was just a man who gave his all, he said. He lived for all of us, he said.

Moise loved Sumter and always talked about growing up there, Gay said.

He was one of the great sons of Sumter, he said.

A funeral service for the late retired Capt. Moise Willis was held at St. James United Methodist Church on Dec. 17.

— Adrienne Sarvis

Man arrested in Christmas Eve stabbing

BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Sumter County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a man just after noon Sunday and charged him with a stabbing incident that happened Saturday night.

According to a news release from the sheriff's office, Kevin Boyd Johnson II, 24, of 40 Jed Court, was also charged Monday JOHNSON with armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

The release stated authorities responded to a call Saturday night and found a man who had been stabbed covered in blood. The victim was airlifted to a Columbia hospital where he was treated for several stab wounds to his arm and upper body. He has since been released.

The victim told investigators he was at a mutual friend’s house when Johnson allegedly asked him for a ride home. Along the way, the report states that Johnson asked the victim to turn onto a road off Rogers Avenue, but the victim refused. The victim said that’s when Johnson allegedly attacked him and told him to empty his pockets. The victim said he was unaware, at first, that he had been stabbed. The victim fled, taking his car keys with him as he sought help.

Authorities found the vehicle and sought Johnson for questioning Saturday night. He was discovered at a relative’s home about midday Sunday where he was arrested.

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

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A3

Fort Jackson’s Memorial Chapel faces possible demolition

BY JEFF WILKINSON The State FORT JACKSON — For more than 30 years, Kathryn Woodward has attended an interdenominational worship service each week at the World War II-era Memorial Chapel on Fort Jackson.

Today, the chapel, along with all other World War II-era wooden buildings on Army installations across the country, is slated for demolition. They are inefficient, expensive to heat, cool and maintain, and they don't fit the needs of the modern workplace, the Army says.

But Woodward, 92, thinks the chapel should stay because in 1983 it was dedicated by thenFort Jackson commander Maj. Gen. Albert Akers to all the soldiers who trained at Fort Jackson for service in World War II. Woodward's late husband, Arthur, was also a World War II veteran.

The chapel — along with 16 others constructed at the fort during the buildup to World War II — was initially dedicated 75 years ago Wednesday.

"We're trying to get an exception," said Woodward, who is joined in the effort by many of her fellow 40 or so congregants, along with a Jewish congregation that also worships there.

The wooden barracks on Tank Hill (named for a water tank, not an armored vehicle), so familiar to soldiers who trained there from World War II through Vietnam, came down years ago. And the post headquarters located catty-cornered from the chapel on Jackson Boulevard was razed earlier this year to make way for a new Centennial Park.

"You can build another post headquarters," Woodward said.

"But you can't replace Memorial Chapel."

But the Army is the Army, and orders are orders. And in this era of deep budget cuts to the military, money for renovations would be hard to come by.

"It's the cost of maintaining these old buildings," Fort Jackson spokesman Pat Jones said of the Army's motivation for the edict, noting that Pentagon chiefs are struggling to save vital personnel, weapons systems and facilities in the face of deep cuts.

To get an exception, the chapel would have to qualify for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, Jones said. But in a 1995 review by the S.C. Department of History and Archives — the state's body for recommendations to

THE STATE

Kathryn Woodward, 92, has started a one-woman campaign to save the old World War II- era chapel at Fort Jackson. All wooden structures on the fort from that era have been torn down or are slated for demolition. the National Register — Memorial Chapel didn't pass muster.

"The chief knock on it is the cumulative effect of modifications," said Brad Sauls, supervisor of the agency's National Register program.

The chapel was completed in 1941 as part of the World War II mobilization effort. There were 17 identical chapels built on the post at the same time during the rapid World War II buildup, when the fort was bursting at

the seams with recruits bound for battlefields in Europe and the Pacific.

Memorial Chapel at the time was named Chapel No. 1 because of its prominent location near Post Headquarters and the Fort Jackson Museum.

Then the modifications began, according to the 1995 archives report: • A marbilized wallboard altar was installed in 1958 but was later removed and re-

placed with the present altar; • Air conditioning was installed in 1956; • Other alterations were made in 1967; • In the most drastic modification, synthetic siding was applied to the building about l985; • Sometime after the 1995 report, the choir loft was enclosed and turned into offices, and then storage; and • It's not known if the building contains asbestos.

But while the report notes that the small, 400-seat chapel contains beautiful features such as a soaring vaulted ceiling and some rich detail, it is not unique, and the modifications further erode its historical value.

"The Chapel preserves a high degree of architectural integrity, however, it is a common building type from the World War II period that exists on many military installations across the country and does not posseses sufficient architectural or historical signifi-

cance to be considered eligible as an individual building," the report states. "Nevertheless, it does possess sufficient architectural and historical significance to be recommended a contributing building in the Fort Jackson Historic District."

But Sauls noted that, especially with the razing of Post Headquarters, "there is no Fort Jackson Historic District."

Another chapel supporter, retired Command Sgt. Major A.B. Heidel, said the chapel's significance should override any architectural modifications, National Register or not.

"We have old soldiers come in here with tears in their eyes saying it's the only thing left from when they were stationed here," he said. "And it's a house of God. And I think God has other purposes for it."

Fort Jackson spokesman Pat Jones said there is no timeline set for razing the chapel. And at present there is no budget for the demolition.

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Scholars fret about fate of ‘holy grail’ German abbey books ALTOMUENSTER, Germany (AP) — It was filthy, cramped and in major disarray, but when art historian Eva Lindqvist Sandgren entered the library in Altomuenster Abbey, off limits to all but the German monastery’s nuns for more than five centuries, she immediately knew she was looking at a major treasure.

The dusty shelves held at least 500 books, by her estimate, including precious illuminated manuscripts from the 16th century, chants used by the uniquely women-led Bridgettine Order and processionals bursting with colorful religious and ornamental decoration in their margins.

Unlike most Bridgettine libraries, the tomes had survived the Protestant Reformation, the 30 Years War and Germany’s “secularization,” when the state took most church property. It represents the most complete collection of the order known today.

“I had entered a time capsule,” said Sandgren, a senior lecturer at Sweden’s Uppsala University.

Surprised by the spontaneous decision by Altomuenster’s last remaining nun, Sister Apollonia Buchinger, to open the library, 20 scholars including Sandgren made plans to return and meticulously catalog the remarkable collection. But before they could, the Vatican ordered the abbey in the Bavarian town of 7,500 closed and locked up the library, which also contains some 2,300 statues, paintings and other works of art.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Postulant Claudia Schwarz holds an old photograph of Bridgettine nuns Dec. 6 in the abbey in Altomuenster, Germany. The impending dissolution of a 15th-century monastery in Bavaria is pitting scholars against Catholic church officials.

If plans go ahead to close it down, all of the abbey’s property — the books, the artworks, the city block-sized abbey and the acres of forests and fields that make up the monastery grounds — would be turned over to the dioceses of Munich and Freising.

Altomuenster is at the end of a subway line from Munich, one of Germany’s most expensive cities, and its land alone is thought to be worth tens of millions of dollars — assets that Sister Apollonia thinks the dioceses are eager to get their hands on.

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Since 1496, the former Benedictine abbey in Altomuenster has housed a female religious order founded by Saint Bridget in Sweden in the 14th century.

It is one of three monasteries of the original branch of the scholarly, monastic order operating today. But with its numbers in decline, Sister Apollonia now lives there alone. The Vatican requires at least three nuns to train novices to become nuns, prompting the decision to shut the abbey down.

The Franciscan nun the Vatican put in charge of the ab-

EVERY DAY

bey’s closure, Sister Gabriele Konrad, says the library’s collection is just being kept safe, but she’s refused to grant the scholars or anyone else access to the books.

“The value of the library is the ensemble because it’s never been taken apart,” said Corine Schlief, an art historian at Arizona State University who visited the library with

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Sandgren. “If this should be taken apart and divided up between books that collectors would give tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for and those only of interest to scholars, it would lose a lot of its value.”

Schlief, Sandgren and other academics have written an open letter to the Vatican, Sister Gabriele and the Munich dioceses urging that the library be kept together and made available to the public and offering to catalog it.

Sister Gabriele and the Munich dioceses insist there is no plan to sell the books and that their experts are perfectly qualified to handle them. Munich-Freising Vicar General Msgr. Peter Beer dismissed speculation of any land-andtreasures grab by the dioceses.

“There’s a false impression that we’re taking in riches and gems and gold and everything imaginable — that’s nonsense,” he told the AP at his office in Munich. “We are taking on costs more than anything.”

His office also downplayed the library’s potential value or historical significance, telling the AP it includes “a large number of antiphonaries from the 18th century, most in very used and some in damaged condition,” and that six antiphonaries — books containing religious chants — from the Middle Ages have “already been studied by scholars.”

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said. “A lot of states don’t have rules and regulations and laws that encourage that, but South Carolina having them means they don’t have to create them in a disaster, and that’s a big deal.”

Hamburg said many areas of progress that Some key findings of the study include: 26 were made after the terrorist attacks of 2001 to states increased or maintained funding for pubimprove health security have been undercut by lic health from fiscal year budget reductions.

2014-15 to fiscal year 2015-16; “We aren’t adequately just 10 states vaccinated at maintaining a strong and SCORE SUMMARY least half of their population steady defense, leaving us unA full list of all of the indicators and (ages 6 months and older) necessarily vulnerable when scores and the full report are available on against the seasonal flu from new threats arise,” he said.

Trust for America’s Health’s website: www.

July 2015 to May 2016; and 10 South Carolina’s score of 7 healthyamericans.org. For the state-bystates (including South Carois a pretty strong score, said state scoring, states received one point lina) have a formal access Albert Lang, senior commufor achieving certain indicators or zero program or a program in nications manager for the points if they did not achieve the progress for getting privatehealth group, and he said the indicator. Zero is the lowest possible sector health-care staff and state does well as far as preoverall score, and 10 is the highest. The supplies into restricted areas paring for climate change data for the indicators are from publicly during a disaster. and adopting new technoloavailable sources or were provided from A troubling trend identified gies. public officials. in the report is that health Lang said South Carolina emergency preparedness is among only 10 states to get funding for states has been cut from $940 million a positive rating in emergency health care acin fiscal year 2002 to $660 million in fiscal year cess.

2016, and health care system preparedness fund“That’s ensuring that doctors and nurses and ing for states has been cut by more than half responders can get into an area that is deemed since fiscal year 2005 — down to $255 million. an emergency zone and can provide care,” he

HEALTH FROM PAGE A1

FIRESIDE FROM PAGE A1 with firewood from a contact associated with the ministry.

“Afterward, he visited the Red Cross about his need for heat, and they called us,” Howell said.

After explaining to the man that firewood was not readily available, Howell said the man was encouraged to interview for an evaluation of his heating needs.

It was determined the HVAC system in his home has been malfunctioning since the flood in October 2015.

“With a traditional fireplace in the home, using firewood for heat seemed like a natural alternative,” Howell said. “However, his physical condition brought into question whether or not firewood would be a reasonable option.”

The constant hauling and carrying of fuel back and forth would only worsen his pain, or he would need to rely on his wife to do it for him. Kerosene would be a similar scenario.

After exploring the options, Howell said it was determined the best scenario for reliable heat was electric, and Sumter United Ministries provided several electric floor heaters to adequately provide consistent heat.

“SUM was able to purchase several ‘large room’ electric heaters for such requests due to Fireside Fund donations,” Howell said.

In the meantime, the client was encouraged to contact the ministry at a later date for additional firewood as a supplemental heat source.

The man also received food and referrals to other community resources.

“A thorough approach to ministry requires evaluating

all options versus the primary request,” Howell said.

“Sumter United Ministries attempts to be comprehensive in our interviews in order to offer the best and most beneficial assistance.”

When you make contributions to Fireside Fund, you allow these needs to be met.

“It is an honor to serve Sumter County,” Howell said. “Thank you.”

Fireside Fund was established in 1969 to help needy families and individuals pay heating bills, buy firewood or heating fuels and stay warm during the winter months.

Since its founding, Fireside Fund has brought in more than $1.5 million in donations from generous readers.

Anyone in need of assistance with heating costs may call Sumter United Ministries at (803) 775-0757.

Donations can be mailed to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151 or dropped off at the office, 36

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

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A5

MCMASTER FROM PAGE A1 offers a sharp contrast in style if not in substance from Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants and the nation’s youngest governor at 44, who hasn’t hesitated to publicly bash legislators who differed with her.

McMaster also was the nation’s first statewide officeholder to back Trump for president in an endorsement before the state’s first-in-theSouth presidential primary.

The move stunned political observers, but McMaster’s support never wavered, despite Democrats’ calls to withdraw it.

He told The Associated Press last month he never

W. Liberty St. Names, including groups, should be spelled completely. When making a donation in someone’s honor, the names will be printed as given.

From Dec. 19-22, the Sumter United Ministries Crisis Relief Ministry financially assisted 21 clients with utilities and heating for total of $1,723.

Donations ending the week of Monday, Dec. 19: In memory of Rusty Weinberg by Mary Weinberg, $500; Mike and Ginger Cox, $500; in memory of Donald Wand by Clair Black, $500; in memory of Mildred Black by Powell Black, $500; Men’s Bible Class at Graham Baptist Church, $100; Charles Sikora, $100; Unity Class at Crosswell Bap-

regretted the endorsement.

“The more it went on, the more confident I was he was the man for the job,” he said in his characteristic, genteel drawl.

He’s revealed little about what he would do as governor, and his office said he wasn’t available for an interview.

But as a savvy political insider, McMaster has forged strong relationships statewide.

He’s “a commonsense conservative — very reasonable, never abrasive,” said House Judiciary Chairman Greg Delleney, R-Chester. “He’s a realist, and he’s a gentleman, and I think he’s going to work with the General Assembly to get things done.”

tist Church, $100; Paul and Monica Gober, $100; Stateburg Literary and Musical Society, $100; in memory of James L. Maclin by Maureen Maclin, $100; Church Women United in the Greater Sumter Area, $100; Engadine and Valerie Johnson, $50; Fancy Lady Belles Red Hat Group of Sumter, $50; in memory of Richard M. Ellis by Berthella S. Ellis, $50; in memory of Dr. Ken Johnson by Rosanne Jackson, $50; Carol Seech, $30; in memory of Willis Ardis by Bobby Sigley, $5.

Total combined anonymous: $150 Total this week: $3,085 Total this year: $35,313.18 Total last year: $52,959.60 Total since 1969: $1,528,301.24

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A6

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

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NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

|

A7

As Obama accomplished policy goals, his party floundered party stalwart.

Obama and his aides came into office neither beholden to his party's establishment, nor particularly interested in reinforcing his party's weak spots.

He electrified the 2004 Democratic National Convention with a speech seeking common cause about party differences.

Four years later, he defeated Hillary Clinton, the pick of the party insiders, to win the Democratic presidential nomination.

In the White House, Obama's AP FILE PHOTO failure to do the typical WashPresident Obama smiles as he listens to a question during a news con- ington schmoozing was a conference June 23, 2009, at the White House in Washington. stant source of complaint among congressional Demoterm elections. But, say experts, Obama has only been willing to crats, as was his reluctance to endorse down-ballot candidates Obama's tenure has marked the acknowledge publicly after his and inability to parlay Organizparty's devastating November greatest number of losses under any president in decades. losses. He's admitted he failed to ing for Action, his grassroots organization, into a significant create "a sustaining organiza"Obama just figured his imforce. tion" around the political force portant actions on policies like State parties languished and that twice elected him to office. immigration and health care the Democratic National Com"That's something I would would solidify support, but that hasn't really materialized," said have liked to have done more of, mittee struggled with dysfuncbut it's kind of hard to do when tion and debt.

Daniel Galvin, a political sci"We built this beautiful ence professor at Northwestern you're also dealing with a whole house, but the foundation is rotbunch of issues here in the University and the author of a ten," said South Carolina DemoWhite House," he said at his book on presidential party cratic Chairman Jaime Harriyear-end press conference. building. "He's done basically It is perhaps not surprising son, a candidate to lead the the minimal amount of party Democratic National Committhat Obama — a politician building, and it's been insuffitee. "In hindsight we should who promised a post-party cient to help the party." have looked at this and said, era — turned out not to be a It's a political reality that

Protect your world

'Maybe the state parties should be strong.'"

Toward the end of his presidency, Obama began doing more, stepping in to assist more than 150 state legislative candidates in October and campaigning across the country for Clinton.

He's indicated he intends to make partisan politics a bigger piece of his post-presidential life. Aides say Obama will be closely involved in an effort to focus on drawing district lines more in the favor of Democrats.

The president's advisers blame the losses on such structural trends. They point to a flood of Republican super PAC dollars and a resurgence of Republican political power in statehouses. That state-level dominance has given Republicans the ability to redraw district lines and created voting rules that could benefit their party for years to come.

The refusal by many Democrats to accept help from Obama in the 2010 and 2014 midterms was also a strategic mistake, they argue.

"Frankly, when people have asked, the president has been more than willing to engage," said David Simas, Obama's political director.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — In boasting about his tenure in the White House, President Obama often cites numbers like these: 15 million new jobs, a 4.9 percent unemployment rate and 74 months of consecutive job growth.

There's one number you will almost never hear: More than 1,030 seats.

That's the number of spots in state legislatures, governor's mansions and Congress lost by Democrats during Obama's presidency.

It's a statistic that reveals an unexpected twist of the Obama years: The leadership of the one-time community organizer and champion of ground-up politics was rough on the grassroots of his own party. When Obama exits the White House, he'll leave behind a Democratic Party that languished in his shadow for years and is searching for itself.

"What's happened on the ground is that voters have been punishing Democrats for eight solid years — it's been exhausting," said South Carolina state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, who lost two gubernatorial campaigns to Nikki Haley, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to the U.N. "If I was talking about a local or state issue, voters would always lapse back into a national topic: Barack Obama."

When Obama won the presidency, his election was heralded as a moment of Democratic dominance — the crashing of a conservative wave that had swept the country since the dawn of the Reagan era.

Democrats thought that the coalition of young, minority and female voters who swept Obama into the White House would usher in something new: an ascendant Democratic majority that would ensure party gains for decades to come.

The coalition, it turns out, was Obama's alone.

After this year's elections, Democrats hold the governor's office and both legislative chambers in just five coastal states: Oregon, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware. Republicans have the trifecta in 25, giving them control of a broad swath of the middle of the country.

The defeats have all but wiped out a generation of young Democrats, leaving the party with limited power in statehouses and a thin bench to challenge an ascendant GOP majority eager to undo many of the president's policies. To be sure, the president's party almost always loses seats in mid-

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N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

THE SUMTER ITEM H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

COMMENTARY

’Twas the night before Christmas, and all hell broke loose

I

was like most kids on Christmas Eve: I couldn’t go to sleep as I awaited the arrival of Old Saint Nick. Suddenly I heard noises in the yard. My bedroom was on the second floor, and I had left my window open because it was hot in the house. I heard my father’s voice in the yard as well as other voices, such as next-door neighbor Hugh Stoddard The Elder’s voice.

There were others talking loudly, such as future mayors Hubert D. Beau Graham Osteen Jr. and Clifton G. Brown. Dr. Harry Harvin might have been in the mix, as well as Joe Ed Davis, my father’s partner in the Osteen-Davis office supply and commercial printing business, a building which our company now occupies, beginning two weeks ago.

I was no more than 10 or 11 years old, if that old. The voices got louder down below as the men seemed to be working on a project in the yard. I ran to the window, and what did I see down below? It was the aforementioned men struggling with trying to erect a tent. I realized then it was the tent I had written Santa Claus to bring me for Christmas.

Obviously they were filling in for

Santa Claus and were having a devil of a time erecting the tent and were distressed at their failure to complete the project. My young ears heard words that were unknown to me at the time.

I would later learn they were curse words. One voice also sounded familiar as it might have been that of Bill Boyle, since the person talking was giving the cursing men instructions on how to erect a tent, and I knew from what my father had told me many times that Mr. Boyle had answers for everything and advice for anyone. It sounded to me as though the other men in the yard were not taking kindly to the advice and started repeating those words which I was not able to understand. I did recognize my father’s voice when he said “shut up.”

At any rate, I fell asleep, and when I awakened I checked on the tent down below and saw that it had been completed, albeit sloppily.

Years later, after I had reached adulthood and was in the company of some of the tent erecters, we’d reminisce about that Christmas Eve night.

Unlike that night, there was no cursing but plenty of laughter about the Christmas Eve when all hell broke loose out in the backyard of 201 Hasell St. Reach Hubert D. Osteen Jr., chairman of Osteen Publishing Co., at hubert@theitem.com.

GUEST COMMENTARY

What message did you emphasize?

BY BEVERLY FRIERSON Special to The Sumter Item

A

long with a poster board and art supplies, I placed colorful Christmas cards on the table.

“OK boys, make your parents a Christmas card.”

Would they select snowmen, reindeer, and Santa, or would the Christ child be chosen as the star of Christmas?

Those of us in the Christian community are often frustrated in December because we have intermingled the secular and the religious meaning of Christmas so much, we end up with a perversion of Christmas.

I am looking at two Christmas cards that illustrate my point.

One depicts a bearded man in a red suit, perched in a sleigh stuffed with toys. A poem by Clement Clark Moore accompanies the card. It reads: Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

You, like I, memorized portions of that story as a child, and it still makes you smile, for it encapsulates the meaning of Christmas.

Right?

But wait, I mentioned that I’m looking at two Christmas cards.

The other card depicts a wooden trough, the feeding station for cattle, but no cattle are seen. Instead there is a baby resting on some hay in that trough, and

there is a halo over the baby’s head. The poem that accompanies the second Christmas card, written by Max Lucado, reads: It all happened in a most remarkable moment … a moment like no other … God became a man.

Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb …

God had come near.

There is a major difference between these two Christmas stories. Which story should I teach my neighbors’ sons?

When Dec. 25 fell on a Sunday some years ago, some churches cancelled worship service. Their rationale? Because Christmas is all about children, it would be unrealistic to expect for parents to keep children from opening their presents and playing with their toys. By the time families finished their Christmas traditions, it would be much too late for worship; therefore, no Christmas on Christmas Day. My family knows how to address this opportunity. Which story will you emphasize in your home? And in your church, will there be time for Christ this Christmas?

May the hope, joy, love and peace of Christmas abide in your heart, compelling you to become a light of goodwill throughout the coming year.

Editor’s note: Sumter native Beverly Frierson is an occasional contributor to The Sumter Item. She can be reached at beverlyfrierson@ hotmail.com.

CORRECTION Sunday’s opinion page should have stated Harvey Ehrlich wrote “A politically correct ‘Night Before Christmas.’”

EDITORIAL ROUNDUP Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:

The Post and Courier Dec. 18

PASCOE SHOULDN’T LEAVE A STONE UNTURNED While it is distressing to think South Carolina might have unethical or even criminal legislators, it’s a relief to know the process of ferreting out such behavior is underway using the state grand jury — the best vehicle for producing results.

And it’s good to know that First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe won’t be deterred from investigating legislative activities, despite intense pressure applied from a most unlikely source — State Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Two years after Mr. Pascoe began his investigation into reports of ethical lapses in the Legislature, a grand jury indicted Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Daniel Island, on 30 counts of ethics violations alleging he or his company took in more than $1 million by soliciting or accepting cash from groups with Statehouse legislation at stake. As required by state law, House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, has suspended Mr. Merrill from office.

And Mr. Merrill might not be the only one who will face indictments in the near term. Mr. Pascoe should leave no stone unturned.

After House Speaker Bobby Harrell was forced to retire in 2014 because of unethical behavior, the question has been what other malfeasance might be occurring. Wilson only fueled the flames when he did his best to discredit Mr. Pascoe and limit his ability to conduct a thorough, meaningful investigation. Mr. Wilson lined up support from former attorneys general in trying to force Mr. Pascoe off the case.

Mr. Pascoe thankfully was not intimidated and persevered as far as the S.C. Supreme Court, which took his side and allowed him to present his work to the grand jury, so far resulting in Mr. Merrill’s indictments.

However that case proceeds, the air needs to be cleared, and Mr. Wilson owes Mr. Pascoe an apology.

Additionally, the grand jury’s action offers more evidence underscoring the need to reform the state’s ethics laws. The Post and Courier’s “Capitol Gains” series last year revealed that the state’s Ethics, Government Accountability and Campaign Reform Act of 1991 hasn’t stopped lawmakers from using their campaign war chests like personal ATMs. Mr. Merrill hasn’t responded to the charges, but his lawyers contend that Mr. Merrill’s activities are legal.

If indeed that is the case, it should spur additional ethics reform.

For example, the indictment says Mr. Merrill’s advertising, direct mail and public relations business, Geechie Communications, received $35,000 from InfiLaw and that he tried to use his influence on behalf of the company’s proposed purchase of the Charleston School of Law. He was chairing a House higher education budget panel at the time in 2014.

The indictment further contends that in the years from 2008 to 2012, his business received $391,175 from the S.C. Association of Realtors and that he sponsored two association-supported property tax bills during that period.

And from 2012 to 2016, Geechie is alleged to have received $283,700 from the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau while Mr. Merrill chaired a budget panel overseeing state tourism funding. The indictment contends it was “laundered” because half of it was first sent through his brother’s business.

Mr. Merrill also is charged with failing to report work done by his company as the state requires. The grand jury’s findings contend that Mr. Merrill has been operating similarly almost from the time he took office in 2001.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pascoe has said the investigation is ongoing. And so it should be if there is an inkling that any elected officials are using their public offices illegally for personal gain.

The Island Packet Dec. 18

ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOGS ARE NEEDED “We have seen the enemy,” goes a favorite saying, “and he is us.”

That is the burden of Beaufort County and its fastgrowing number of residents, businesses, roads and flyovers.

It wasn’t always this way.

In 1970, the enemy was much clearer.

As we recount in today’s newspaper and websites, the enemy at that pivotal time was a single behemoth — a petrochemical plant proposed for the banks of the Colleton River near Bluffton, and Hilton Head Island’s nascent development.

The proposed BASF industrial complex that would have taken Beaufort County down an entirely different economic path was seen as the saving grace for a poor county by many people, especially the political hierarchy here and in Columbia.

But we can look at it today

and say we dodged a bullet when a small cadre of determined and smart people beat Goliath and fended off that intense industrial development. Without question, the environment that sets us apart would have been ruined. Our birthright would have been sold down a nonflushing river that would have been dredged to death and choked with 2.5 million gallons a day of who-knowswhat because no one would ever really say.

The company line was parroted by the county and state leadership: Don’t worry. It’s all OK. We won’t do any harm. Trust us.

Thank goodness there were skeptics willing to fight back.

Retired journalist and Lowcountry native Charles Seabrook reported in his 2012 book, “The World of the Sea Marsh”: “Later, a BASF executive reportedly acknowledged that pollution from the plant could indeed have done considerable damage to the surrounding estuary and marshes. The author of ‘German Industry and Global Enterprise, BASF: The History of the Company’ (2004) cited the minutes from an April 1970 company board meeting in which company officials acknowledged that it would be impossible to overcome pollution problems at Victoria Bluff because the plant would have to dispose of 80,000 tons of neutral salts a year, ‘a level beyond the carrying capacity of the Colleton River.’”

When BASF, to its credit, backed off, the die was cast for a deeply divided Beaufort County.

The industry that transformed the county from deep poverty to an enviable prosperity and quality of life would have fewer smokestacks and infinitely more rooftops.

And therein lies today’s problem. We are the heavy industry. And we can sell that same birthright down the river with much subtler pollution.

Through the ensuing decades of breakneck resort and residential development, the public has heard a familiar line with each new project: Don’t worry. It’s all OK. We won’t do any harm.

Trust us.

Today, the cumulative effect of all this development in such a watery county exceeds what science says the rivers can handle.

Much has been done to mitigate the damage, thanks in large part to generation after generation of smart and determined activists, God bless them all.

But the environment remains in peril and the need for activists, and responsible corporate and individual citizens, is as great as ever.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your letter to letters@theitem.com, drop it off at The Sumter Item office, 36 W. Liberty St., or mail it to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151, along with the writer’s full name, 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.

NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

|

A9

GOP on taxes: Cut rates, brackets, but what about the deficit?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans are planning a massive overhaul of the nation's tax system next year, a heavy political lift that could ultimately affect families at every income level and businesses of every size.

Their goal is to simplify a complicated tax code that rewards wealthy people with smart accountants and corporations that can easily shift profits — and jobs — overseas.

It won't be easy. The last time it was done was 30 years ago.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have vowed to pass a tax package that would not add to the budget. The Washington term is "revenue neutral."

It means that for every tax cut there has to be a tax increase, creating winners and losers. Lawmakers would get some leeway if non-partisan congressional analysts project that a tax cut would increase economic growth, raising revenue without increasing taxes.

Nevertheless, passing a massive tax package will require some tough votes, politically.

Some key Republican senators want to share the political risk with Democrats. They argue that a tax overhaul must be bipartisan to be fully embraced by the public. They cite President Obama's health law — which passed in 2010 without any Republican votes — as a major policy initiative that remains divisive.

Congressional Democrats say they are eager to have a say in overhauling the tax code.

But McConnell, who faulted Democrats for acting unilaterally on health care, is laying the groundwork to pass a purely partisan bill.

Both McConnell and Ryan said they plan to use a legislative maneuver that would prevent Senate Democrats from using the filibuster to block a tax bill. Things to know about Republican efforts to overhaul the tax code:

$200,000 a year. It would also tax carried interest, which are fees charged by investment fund managers, as regular income instead of capital gains.

CORPORATE TAXES The top corporate income tax rate in the U.S. is 35 percent, the highest in the industrialized world. However, the tax is riddled with so many exemptions, deductions and credits that most corporations pay much less.

Both Trump and House Republicans want to lower the rate and pay for it by scaling back tax breaks.

Trump wants to lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. Ryan says 20 percent is more realistic to avoid increasing the budget deficit.

BORDER ADJUSTMENT TAX This is one of the most con-

troversial parts of the House Republicans' tax plan. It is also key to making it work.

Under current law, the United States taxes the profits of U.S.-based companies, even if the money is made overseas.

However, taxes on foreign income are deferred until a company either reinvests the profits in the U.S. or distributes them to shareholders.

Critics say the system encourages U.S.-based corporations to invest profits overseas or, more dramatically, to shift operations and jobs abroad to avoid U.S. taxes.

House Republicans want to scrap America's worldwide tax system and replace it with a tax that is based on where a firm's products are consumed, rather than where they are produced.

Under the system, American companies that produce and sell their products in the U.S.

would pay the new 20 percent corporate tax rate on profits from these sales. However, if a company exports a product abroad, the profits from that sale would not be taxed by

the U.S. There's more: Foreign companies that import goods to the U.S. would have to pay the tax, increasing the cost of imports.

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THE HOUSE PLAN House Republicans have released the outline of a tax plan that would lower the top individual income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 33 percent and reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three.

The gist of the plan is to lower tax rates for just about everyone and make up the lost revenue by scaling back exemptions, deductions and credits.

The plan, however, retains some of the most popular tax breaks, including those for paying a mortgage, going to college, making charitable contributions and having children.

The standard deduction would be increased, giving taxpayers less incentive to itemize their deductions.

The non-partisan Tax Policy Center says the plan would reduce revenues by $3 trillion during the first decade, with most of the savings going to the highest-income households.

That's not revenue neutral.

Small business owners would get a special top tax rate of 25 percent.

Investment income would be taxed like wages, but investors would only have to pay taxes on half of this income.

SENATE PLAN Senate Republicans have yet to coalesce around a comprehensive plan, or even an outline.

TRUMP'S PLAN Trump's plan has fewer details. He promises a tax cut for every income level with more low-income families paying no income tax at all.

The Tax Policy Center says Trump's plan would reduce revenues by a whopping $9.5 trillion during the first decade, with most of the tax benefits going to the wealthiest taxpayers. Trump has disputed the analysis.

Like the House plan, Trump would reduce the top income tax rate for individuals to 33 percent, and he would reduce the number of tax brackets to three. He would also increase the standard deduction.

Trump has embraced two ideas championed by Obama but repeatedly rejected by Republicans during the past eight years. Trump's plan would cap itemized deductions for married couples making more than

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE BANKS — All area banks and credit unions will be Dec. 27, 2016 closed on Holiday Monday,Schedule: Jan. 2, 2017.

GOVERNMENT — The following will be closed today: state government offices; City of Sumter offices; Sumter County offices; Clarendon County offices; City of Manning offices; Lee County offices; and City of Bishopville offices.

SCHOOLS — The following will be closed through Friday, Dec. 30, with students returning on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017: Sumter School District; Clarendon School District 3; Lee County Public Schools; Robert E. Lee Academy; and St. Anne & St. Jude Catholic School.

The following will be closed through Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, with students returning on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017: Clarendon School Districts 1 and 2; Thomas Sumter Academy; Wilson Hall; St. Francis Xavier High School; Laurence Manning Academy; Clarendon Hall; and Sumter Christian School.

UTILITIES — Black River Electric Coop. and Farmers Telephone Coop. will be closed on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017.

OTHER — The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce will be closed through Friday, Dec. 30.

Clemson Extension Service will be closed through Friday, Dec. 30.

The Harvin Clarendon County Library will be closed today.

SUPPORT GROUPS Baptist Church. Call (803) 469-6059, (803) 979-4498, (803) AA — Monday-Friday, noon 469-4506 or (803) 938-8544.

Groups: and 5:30Support p.m.; Saturday, 8 Dec. 27, 2016 Sumter Combat Veterans Group p.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and Peer to Peer — Tuesdays, 11 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775a.m., South HOPE Center, 1852.

1125 S. Lafayette Drive. VetAA Women’s Meeting — erans helping veterans with Wednesdays, 7 p.m., 1 WarPTSD, coping skills, claims ren St. (803) 775-1852. and benefits.

AA Spanish Speaking — Sun“The Gathering” — Second days, 4:30 p.m., 1 Warren St. Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., North (803) 775-1852.

HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. AA “How it Works” Group — A community support group Mondays and Fridays, 8 p.m., for teens and adults with 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 494special needs. Call Joan Bell 5180. at (803) 972-0051 or Carrie Jodoin at (803) 468-5745 or 441 AA Support Group — Monemail thegathering23@aol. days, Tuesdays and Fridays, com.

8:30 p.m., Hair Force, 2090-D S.C. 441.

Parkinson’s Support Group — Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., AA Summerton Group — Carolinas Rehabilitation HosWednesday, 8 p.m., town pital, 121 E. Cedar St., Florhall. ence. Call (843) 661-3746.

Manning Al-Anon Family Group Sumter Amputee Support Group — Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Be— Second Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., havioral Health Building, 14 Sumter Prosthetics & OrthotChurch St., Manning. Call ics, 259 Broad St. Call (803) Angie Johnson at (803) 435883-4356.

8085.

Sumter Chapter Parents of MurC/A “Drop the Rock” Group — dered Children (POMC) — Third Thursdays, 9:30 p.m., 1154 Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m., Birnie Ronda St. Call Elizabeth HOPE Center, 210 S. Purdy St. Owens at (803) 607-4543.

Open to all families or friends who have lost a loved MONDAY MEETINGS: one to murder in a violent Sumter Vitiligo Support Group way.

— Second Monday, 5:45-6:45 Multiple Sclerosis Support p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 Group — Third Tuesday, 5:30 N. Main St. Call Tiffany at p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation (803) 316-6763. Find the Hospital, 121 E. Cedar St., group on Facebook at SumFlorence. Call (843) 661-3746. ter Vitiligo Support.

Amputee Support Group — TUESDAY MEETINGS: Fourth Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation HosHeroin Anonymous — Tuespital, 121 E. Cedar St., Flordays, 9:30-10:30 p.m., 4742 ence. Call (843) 661-3746.

Broad St.. Call (803) 494-5180.

EFMP Parent Exchange Group — Sumter Connective Tissue SupLast Tuesday, 11 a.m.-noon, port Group — First Tuesday of Airman and Family ReadiJanuary, March, May, July, ness Center. Support to serSeptember and November, 7 vice members who have a p.m., 180 Tiller Circle. Call dependent with a disability (803) 773-0869. or illness. Call Dorcus Haney Mothers of Angels (for mothers at (803) 895-1252/1253 or Sue who have lost a child) — First Zimmerman at (803) 847Tuesday at noon and third 2377.

Tuesday at 6 p.m., Wise Drive

AA, AL-ANON, ALATEEN:

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Warm with clouds and sun

Mainly cloudy and mild

Mostly cloudy

Mostly cloudy, a shower or two

Mostly sunny and cooler

Partly sunny

74°

56°

66° / 51°

70° / 37°

53° / 30°

55° / 41°

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 5%

WSW 7-14 mph

W 4-8 mph

ENE 4-8 mph

WSW 10-20 mph

WNW 10-20 mph

SW 4-8 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 69/42 Spartanburg 69/44

Greenville 68/45

Columbia 73/55

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

Sumter 74/56

IN THE MOUNTAINS Aiken 70/54

ON THE COAST

Charleston 74/58

Today: Warm with clouds and sun; pleasant in southern parts. High 67 to 72.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy; a passing shower in central parts. High 62 to 72.

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

55° 48° 55° 33° 76° in 1971 9° in 1983

LAKE LEVELS Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

354.23 74.02 74.05 98.05

24-hr chg -0.01 +0.01 +0.04 -0.16

Sunrise 7:26 a.m.

Moonrise 5:46 a.m.

RIVER STAGES

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

0.01" 3.88" 2.75" 49.13" 60.74" 46.48"

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

NATIONAL CITIES

REGIONAL CITIES

Today City Hi/Lo/W Atlanta 72/49/t Chicago 34/24/c Dallas 63/53/pc Detroit 35/28/sf Houston 76/65/pc Los Angeles 69/48/s New Orleans 75/62/pc New York 59/34/sh Orlando 83/62/pc Philadelphia 61/34/pc Phoenix 69/46/s San Francisco 56/42/s Wash., DC 64/37/pc

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

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 66/57/r 42/29/pc 72/46/c 37/31/c 78/66/c 74/50/s 74/63/c 42/34/s 82/61/pc 44/30/pc 69/49/pc 58/44/s 49/36/s

Myrtle Beach 70/55

Manning 73/57

Today: Cooler with showers around. Winds east-northeast 4-8 mph.

Wednesday: Cloudy and warmer. Winds southwest 6-12 mph.

LOCAL ALMANAC

Florence 74/55

Bishopville 72/55

Today Hi/Lo/W 66/38/c 70/49/c 76/57/pc 72/58/pc 67/53/c 74/58/pc 69/45/c 70/48/c 73/55/pc 73/55/pc 69/43/pc 71/52/pc 72/50/pc

5:20 p.m.

4:25 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Dec. 29

Jan. 5

Jan. 12

Jan. 19

TIDES

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 9.68 +0.06 19 3.30 +0.30 14 8.50 -0.47 14 2.31 -0.01 80 75.24 -0.08 24 4.17 none

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 60/47/pc 67/54/sh 71/58/c 72/57/c 54/47/pc 70/57/c 62/48/pc 65/52/c 68/54/c 63/49/c 55/39/pc 61/45/c 63/46/pc

Sunset Moonset

AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Wed.

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 74/55/pc Gainesville 82/57/pc Gastonia 71/44/c Goldsboro 71/49/pc Goose Creek 73/60/pc Greensboro 69/41/c Greenville 68/45/c Hickory 69/40/c Hilton Head 68/60/pc Jacksonville, FL 80/57/pc La Grange 72/55/pc Macon 76/57/pc Marietta 69/44/sh

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 65/51/c 80/57/pc 62/46/pc 62/43/pc 69/57/c 59/43/pc 64/49/c 60/44/pc 67/58/c 78/57/c 69/60/r 72/60/c 64/55/r

High 7:45 a.m.

7:48 p.m.

8:25 a.m.

8:29 p.m.

Ht. 3.2 2.7 3.2 2.7

Low 1:52 a.m.

2:35 p.m.

2:32 a.m.

3:16 p.m.

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 69/37/c Mt. Pleasant 71/60/pc Myrtle Beach 70/55/pc Orangeburg 72/58/pc Port Royal 69/59/pc Raleigh 72/45/c Rock Hill 70/46/c Rockingham 72/50/pc Savannah 75/58/pc Spartanburg 69/44/c Summerville 73/59/pc Wilmington 71/54/pc Winston-Salem 68/41/c

Ht. 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 60/42/pc 68/57/sh 63/53/c 66/55/c 69/58/c 61/42/pc 62/47/c 62/43/c 75/57/c 63/47/pc 68/56/c 62/47/c 58/44/pc

BATHROOMS • WINDSHIELDS • DOORS • Insulated Glass/ Fogged Units • Window/Patio Doors Repair • Shower/Bath Enclosures • Tabletops/Mirrors

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www.GlassDoctor.com/sumter-sc Independently Owned & Operated Franchise

ARIES (March 21-April 19): A short trip will EUGENIA LAST change the way you see others or the beliefs you have lived by for so long. A personal change may come as a surprise, but it could also be something that eventually turns out in your favor.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Bargain shop or make vacation plans. The incentive to match your purchases with discipline and hard work will pay off. Personal gains can be made if you remain dedicated to your beliefs as well as to your promises.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you want to make an impression or professional gain, put in overtime or update your resume and send it out to interesting online job postings. A partnership will have an impact on the choices you make.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Reach out to the people you have worked with through volunteer service, past employment or someone you met during your school days. A favor will be offered that can help you change direction or get ahead in the new year.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do things with the younger people in your life and the rewards will be fulfilling. Playing games or helping put things together for someone who can’t will put you in the spotlight and boost your popularity. Romance is highlighted.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When faced with change, embrace the inevitable and use your intelligence to navigate your way through any situation that requires your undivided attention. A social event or shopping spree will not solve a

problem you face. Don’t overspend.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Short trips, visiting people you love and doing things with family members will enhance your day. Don’t let situations going on at home or work create a problem for you.

Assess the situation and strategize about how you will handle matters.

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Tune out if someone is using emotional blackmail to sway you. Stay fixed on what’s important and what you enjoy doing the most. A creative outlet will help you bring about a positive change at home. Take care of your health.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Consider what will make you happy and do whatever it takes to turn your dreams into a reality. Changes can be made if you don’t evade the issues that need to be faced in order to move forward.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Rely on your intuition to help you make the best choice. Check the background of anyone offering a deal that is too good to be true.

Don’t feel the need to follow what others do. Make your own plans and carry on.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Make a difference and lend a helping hand. What you do for others will turn into a rewarding experience for you. A contract, settlement or investment is favored. Plan something romantic for you and that special person in your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Tie up loose ends to ensure you head into the new year free of worry. Getting together with peers outside of work or the classroom will give you a chance to build a stronger alliance that can help you in the future.

Debra Riles shares a photo she took of a beautiful monarch butterfly at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens.

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

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

Rivalry rout CLEMSON-USC FOOTBALL

Clemson blasts South Carolina 56-7

USC BASKETBALL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell, left, grabs a rebound against Syracuse’s Taurean Thompson in USC’s 64-50 victory on Saturday in Brooklyn, N.Y. Thornwell scored 16 points.

Defense keys USC victory over No. 18 Syracuse

BY LARRY FLEISHER The Associated Press NEW YORK — South Carolina coach Frank Martin savored his team’s victory over No. 25 Michigan and then went straight to the videotape.

While his team enjoyed a flight to New York, Martin watched film of his last game at Kansas State — a loss to Syracuse in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. He discovered everything his former team did wrong against the Orange’s zone defense and vowed the Gamecocks would not repeat those miscues.

They didn’t and sprinkled in some dominating defense.

Sindarius Thornwell scored 16 points as South Carolina had enough offense to go along with its defense and never trailed in its 64-50 victory over No. 18 Syracuse on Saturday in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center.

“I slept on it and I said ‘I’ve got to change what I did’ and you saw we ran the bigs kind of up to the elbows,” Martin said. “We needed to lift the big up to the zone rather than try

SEE USC, PAGE B3

COLUMN

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson celebrates one of his six touchdown passes in the Tigers’ 56-7 shellacking of South Carolina on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.

From staff reports CLEMSON — The recordbreaking era of quarterback Deshaun Watson at Clemson has one more superlative to add to the list – most touchdown passes ever against rival South Carolina.

Watson finished 26 of 32 through the air for 347 yards and six TDs – including three to wide receiver Mike Williams in the first half – as the Tigers built a 3-score lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a dominant 56-7 victory over

the Gamecocks on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

With the win, fourthranked Clemson improved to 11-1 and likely just needs one more W against Virginia Tech in next Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game to se-

cure its second straight berth in the College Football Playoff.

South Carolina fell to 6-6 overall and will now await to see if it is selected for a bowl game.

SEE CLEMSON, PAGE B6

PREP BASKETBALL

High school basketball season kicks into high gear this week

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennis@theitem.com While a few teams played regular-season games and preseason tournaments last week, the high school basketball season begins in earnest this week, starting on Monday with a big Sumter School District matchup between Sumter and Lakewood.

The varsity boys and girls teams will play at the Sumter gymnasium beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday. The boys contest will pit the Gamecocks, ranked No. 5 in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s preseason 5A poll, while LHS is ranked No. 5 in the 4A poll.

Neither of the girls teams are ranked even though SHS played in the 4A state championship game last year.

The schools will meet again on Saturday at Lakewood’s The Swamp beginning with the junior varsity girls game at 3 p.m.

Sumter’s boys will have another big game between the two Lakewood matchups as they travel to Columbia on Friday for a matchup against 4A preseason No. 1 and defending 3A state champion A.C. Flora.

Crestwood and Lee Central will have their respectively ranked boys and girls teams face each other twice this week. The teams will play in Bishopville on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. while there will be four games on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. at Crestwood’s The Castle.

The CHS boys are ranked

THE SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Sumter’s Calvin Felder (34) and Jaylenn Corbett (22) defend a shot by Lakewood’s Davonte Pack during a game last season.

The Gamecocks and the Gators face off on Monday at the SHS SEE SEASON, PAGE B5 gymnasium.

Thames was a legendary coach, but a better man Editor’s Note: Manning and Clarendon County lost a tremendous man on Nov. 18 when former Manning High School girls head coach John Franklin Thames passed away at the age of 82. Upon looking back on a couple of columns I wrote Dennis on Thames Brunson during milestones in his COLUMNIST career, the theme was not only about his coaching ability, but his way with people. Instead of reiterating all of that again in another column, here is a column that ran on March 16, 2014, following the announcement of his retirement.

Thank you, Coach Thames.

The first time I met John Franklin Thames was in the early 1980s.

I don’t remember the exact year, but it was in the early 1980s when I was a wet-eared — not wet behind the ears — stringer for The Sumter Daily Item. I was in my early 20s, while Thames was in his mid 40s, already in his second decade as the varsity girls basketball head coach at Manning High School.

SEE THAMES, PAGE B2

B2

|

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2016

SPORTS

PRO FOOTBALL

Bit of a role reversal for Panthers, Raiders JOSH DUBOW The Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — The Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders have undergone a bit of a role reversal the past 10 months.

The Panthers (4-6) have gone from a team that played in the Super Bowl behind MVP quarterback Cam Newton in February to one struggling to reach .500, much less the playoffs.

Oakland (8-2) has moved in the opposite direction.

After missing the postseason for a 13th straight year in 2015, the Raiders have ridden the play of MVP candidate quarterback Derek Carr to first place in the AFC West heading into Sunday’s game against Carolina.

With four straight wins for the first time since 2002 and a tie for the best record in the AFC, Oakland has an opportunity to do far more than just end the playoff drought.

“Our focus is strictly on beating Carolina,” Carr said.

“It’s going to be a tough task because they are 10 months out from playing in the Super Bowl, or however long it was. This team coming in is such a good football team.

Their record doesn’t show how good they are.”

The Panthers just haven’t played that way this season.

They followed up the Super Bowl loss to Denver by starting this season 1-5.

They have rebounded to win

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Carolina star linebacker Luke Kuechly will likely miss today’s game at Oakland after suffering a concussion against New Orleans on Nov. 17. three of the past four games, but have little margin for error if they want to get back to the playoffs.

How they play on a twogame West Coast swing will be a big part of determining if that will happen. The Panthers will stay in the Bay Area after the game to prepare for next week’s trip to Seattle.

They will even practice at the same field at San Jose State that they used in preparation for the Super Bowl.

“This is a very important stretch,” safety Kurt Coleman said. “We’ve got to go in with the right mindset.

Even though it’s going to be in California when we’re getting ready for Seattle, we have to treat it just the

same. We can’t enjoy the beaches. ... We have to approach it the right way.”

Meanwhile, all signs point to 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly missing this game with a concussion after a disturbing scene on Nov. 17. The middle linebacker was shown on TV replays weeping uncontrollably and staring blankly ahead as he left the field on a cart.

Last year Kuechly missed three games with a concussion, so there is concern about how his second head injury will affect him long term. The Panthers are hoping A.J. Klein will be able to step in and start, but he, too, is coming off a concussion.

SPORTS ITEMS

Texas hires Herman after firing Strong AUSTIN, Texas — Tom Herman now gets his chance for a Texas takeover.

Herman, who coached Houston to national prominence the last two seasons, was announced as the new Texas coach Saturday, replacing Charlie Strong, who was fired in the morning after HERMAN three consecutive losing seasons.

“Longhorn football has been — and always will be — a national power, winning and playing for national championships with great pride and passion, supported by an unbelievable fan base,” Herman said in statement released by Texas.

Contract details were not immediately released, and must still be approved by Texas’ Board of Regents.

Texas still owes Strong nearly $11 million on his original five-year guaran-

THAMES

FROM PAGE B1

Manning played its games at the old Manning Junior High School gymnasium. I interviewed Coach Thames in an old science room, which is where the team went to for halftime and after the game. He obviously didn’t know me from Adam, just some wannabe sports writer who didn’t know what he was doing.

Yet Thames treated me like an old friend, answering my questions, however inane they might have been.

That’s something that has stuck with me over the years.

While I never really considered it, it makes sense if I made this my profession and stuck around for a few years, that I would see Thames retire. I would have never expected, however, that I would have passed him in age by a few years when he finally did step

teed contract.

Texas acted quickly to snag Herman, who has only two years of experience as a head coach but is 22-4 with the Cougars, with a 9-3 mark this season after Friday’s loss to Memphis. Herman’s name had emerged as a top target for Texas officials as Strong’s final season started 2-0 but faded to a 5-7 finish.

Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will be Houston’s interim head coach for its upcoming bowl game.

ORGERON NAMED LSU COACH Ed Orgeron, the burly, boisterous Cajun who energized LSU’s football program in the wake of coach Les Miles’ dismissal, briefly and uncharacteristically struggled to speak.

The 55-year-old from the small bayou town of Larose, Louisiana, was trying to publicly thank his mother and late father when his distinctive, raspy, baritone

down.

Of course, Thames announced his retirement last week, just a couple of months shy of his 80th birthday. He is retiring from 55 years of teaching and 46 years as the girls head coach at Manning.

He retired having coached in an even 1,200 games; his record though was far from equal. Thames won 869 games, the most ever by a girls coach in South Carolina high school history, against just 331 losses.

There were two state titles, three runner-up finishes and 27 girls who went on to play at the collegiate level.

Thames has been inducted into several halls of fame and has received awards from the state for his service.

While all of the records, numbers and accolades are worthy of praise and speak highly of Thames, what I think he will be remembered for is the man he is and the way he worked and

voice fell silent and he paused to keep from sobbing. The significance of the moment had fully set in.

On Saturday, LSU formally named Orgeron the permanent head coach of the flagship college football program in the state.

“Growing up in the state of Louisiana, watching the Tigers play, we get it,” said Orgeron, who is only the third Louisiana native to coach the Tigers since LSU joined the Southeastern Conference in 1933. “We understand what you gave to us and the accountability that we have to the people of the state of Louisiana, to LSU, and everybody that played here.”

The announcement by athletic director Joe Alleva came two days after the No. 25 Tigers defeated No. 22 Texas A&M 54-39.

Orgeron has gone 5-2 since taking over for Miles, who was fired Sept. 26.

From wire reports

dealt with his players over almost five decades.

In all of my meetings with Thames over these 30-plus years, he has always been the same: friendly and engaging. I know there had to be some bad days in there, but it was never evident to me.

As far as his dealings with his players, Thames always has had their respect, whether it was when he was old enough to be their older brother, father, grandfather or - for the last two or three years - great grandfather.

Yet he has always had the same respect for his players.

Sure, he got on his players when necessary, and I’m sure he read them the riot act a few times over the decades. Still, I never saw him show up a player or a team.

It showed in the way his teams handled themselves on the floor.

There’s no doubt Thames was a great coach; there’s also no doubt he is a great man.

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO

SUNDAY’S GAMES

TODAY

7 a.m. – International Soccer: English Premier League Match – Stoke City vs. Watford (CNBC).

7:30 a.m. – Formula One Racing: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

8 a.m. – International Tennis: Davis Cup Final Day Three from Zagreb, Croatia – Argentina vs. Croatia (TENNIS).

9:15 a.m. – International Soccer: English Premier League Match – Bournemouth vs. Arsenal (CNBC).

9:30 a.m. – International Soccer: Bundesliga League Match – Darmstadt 98 vs. Schalke 04 (FOX SPORTS 1).

11 a.m. – College Basketball: AdvoCare Invitational Seventh-Place Game from Orlando, Fla. (ESPN2).

11:25 a.m. – International Soccer: English Premier League Match – West Ham vs. Manchester United (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

11:30 a.m. – International Soccer: English Premier League Match – Everton vs. Southampton (CNBC).

11:30 a.m. – International Soccer: Bundesliga League Match – Mainz vs.

Hertha Berlin (FOX SPORTS 1).

1 p.m. – NFL Football: Cincinnati at Baltimore (WLTX 19).

1 p.m. – NFL Football: Arizona at Atlanta (WACH 57).

1 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Hall of Fame Challenge from Springfield, Mass. – South Carolina vs. Louisville (ESPN2, WNKT-FM 107.5).

1 p.m. – Professional Basketball: NBA Development League Game – Teams To Be Announced (NBA TV).

1:30 p.m. – College Basketball: AdvoCare Invitational Championship Game from Orlando, Fla. (ESPN).

1:30 p.m. – College Basketball: Howard at Georgetown (FOX SPORTS 1).

2 p.m. – College Basketball: Wooden Legacy Fifth-Place Game from Anaheim, Calif. (ESPNU).

2 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Indiana at Auburn (SEC NETWORK).

3 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Colorado State at Oklahoma (FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST).

3 p.m. – Professional Basketball: Euroleague Game – Teams To Be Announced (NBA TV).

4 p.m. – Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix Series NHK Trophy from Sapporo, Japan – Men’s and Ladies Free Skate (WIS 10).

4 p.m. – Major League Soccer: Western Conference Playoffs Championship Leg 2 – Seattle at Colorado (ESPN).

4 p.m. – College Basketball: Wooden Legacy Third-Place Game from Anaheim, Calif. (ESPNU).

4:25 p.m. – NFL Football: Carolina at Oakland (WLTX 19, WWFN-FM 100.1, WNKT-FM 107.5).

4:30 p.m. – College Basketball: AdvoCare Invitational Third-Place Game from Orlando, Fla. (ESPN2).

6 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Florida at Carolina (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

6:30 p.m. – CFL Football: Grey Cup from Toronto – Calgary vs. Ottawa (ESPN2).

6:30 p.m. – International Soccer: Mexican League Match – America vs.

Guadalajara (UNIVISION).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: AdvoCare Invitational Fifth-Place Game from Orlando, Fla. (ESPNU).

8 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: XFINITY Series Awards Show from Miami (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

8:20 p.m. – NFL Football: Kansas City at Denver (WIS 10, WWFN-FM 100.1, WNKT-FM 107.5).

8:30 p.m. – College Basketball: Wooden Legacy Championship Game from Anaheim, Calif. (ESPN).

9 p.m. – Women’s College Volleyball: NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament Selection Show (ESPNU)/ 11 p.m. – College Basketball: Wooden Legacy Seventh-Place Game from Anaheim, Calif. (ESPNU).

MONDAY

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

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Atlantis Showcase from Nassau, Bahamas – Kentucky vs. Arizona State (ESPN2).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: ACC/Big 10 Challenge Game – Minnesota at Florida State (ESPNU).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Northwestern State at Mississippi State (SEC NETWORK).

7:30 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Boston at Miami (NBA TV).

8 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Charlotte at Memphis (FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST).

8:15 p.m. – NFL Football: Green Bay at Philadelphia (ESPN, WWFN-FM 100.1, WNKT-FM 107.5).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: ACC/Big Ten 10 Challenge Game -- Wake Forest at Northwestern (ESPNU).

12:55 a.m. – International Soccer: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Semifinal Match from Port Moresy, Papua New Guinea – North Korea vs. United States (FOX SPORTS 1).

4:25 a.m. – International Soccer: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Semifinal Match from Port Moresy, Papua New Guinea – Japan vs. France (FOX SPORTS 1).

NFL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

AMERICAN CONFERENCE EAST

New England Miami Buffalo N.Y. Jets SOUTH

Houston Indianapolis Tennessee Jacksonville NORTH

Pittsburgh Baltimore Cincinnati Cleveland WEST

Oakland Kansas City Denver San Diego

W 8 6 5 3

L T Pct PF PA 2 0 .800 271 180 4 0 .600 218 216 5 0 .500 253 215 7 0 .300 179 244

W 6 5 5 2

L T Pct PF PA 4 0 .600 181 215 6 0 .455 270 301 6 0 .455 281 275 8 0 .200 193 265

W L T Pct PF PA 6 5 0 .545 266 222 5 5 0 .500 199 187 3 6 1 .350 199 226 0 11 0 .000 184 325 W 8 7 7 4

L T Pct PF PA 2 0 .800 272 243 3 0 .700 222 187 3 0 .700 239 189 6 0 .400 292 278

NATIONAL CONFERENCE EAST

W L T Pct PF PA Dallas 10 1 0 .909 316 213 N.Y. Giants 7 3 0 .700 204 200 Washington 6 4 1 .591 280 264 Philadelphia 5 5 0 .500 241 186 SOUTH

W L T Pct PF PA Atlanta 6 4 0 .600 320 283 Tampa Bay 5 5 0 .500 235 259 New Orleans 4 6 0 .400 285 286 Carolina 4 6 0 .400 244 246 NORTH

W L T Pct PF PA Detroit 7 4 0 .636 247 238 Minnesota 6 5 0 .545 218 192 Green Bay 4 6 0 .400 247 276 Chicago 2 8 0 .200 157 237 WEST

W L T Pct PF PA Seattle 7 2 1 .750 219 173 Arizona 4 5 1 .450 226 190 Los Angeles 4 6 0 .400 149 187 San Francisco 1 9 0 .100 204 313

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Detroit 16, Minnesota 13 Dallas 31, Washington 26 Pittsburgh 28, Indianapolis 7

San Diego at Houston, 1 p.m.

Arizona at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1 p.m.

San Francisco at Miami, 1 p.m.

Jacksonville at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

Tennessee at Chicago, 1 p.m.

Los Angeles at New Orleans, 1 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

Seattle at Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m.

Carolina at Oakland, 4:25 p.m.

New England at N.Y. Jets, 4:25 p.m.

Kansas City at Denver, 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY’S GAME

Green Bay at Philadelphia, 8:30 p.m.

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION

W L Pct GB Toronto 10 6 .625 — Boston 9 7 .563 1 New York 8 7 .533 1½ Brooklyn 4 11 .267 5½ Philadelphia 4 12 .250 6 SOUTHEAST DIVISION

W L Pct GB Atlanta 10 6 .625 — Charlotte 8 7 .533 1½ Orlando 6 10 .375 4 Washington 5 9 .357 4 Miami 5 10 .333 4½ CENTRAL DIVISION

W L Pct GB Cleveland 12 2 .857 — Chicago 10 6 .625 3 Detroit 8 9 .471 5½ Indiana 8 9 .471 5½ Milwaukee 6 8 .429 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST DIVISION

W L Pct GB San Antonio 13 3 .813 — Memphis 10 6 .625 3 Houston 10 6 .625 3 New Orleans 6 11 .353 7½ Dallas 2 13 .133 10½ NORTHWEST DIVISION

W L Pct GB Oklahoma City 9 8 .529 — Utah 9 8 .529 — Portland 9 9 .500 ½ Denver 6 10 .375 2½ Minnesota 5 10 .333 3 PACIFIC DIVISION

W L Pct GB Golden State 14 2 .875 — L.A. Clippers 14 3 .824 ½ L.A. Lakers 8 9 .471 6½ Sacramento 6 10 .375 8 Phoenix 5 12 .294 9½

FRIDAY’S GAMES

San Antonio 109, Boston 103 Washington 94, Orlando 91 Chicago 105, Philadelphia 89 Cleveland 128, Dallas 90 Detroit 108, L.A. Clippers 97 New York 113, Charlotte 111, OT Indiana 118, Brooklyn 97 Miami 90, Memphis 81 Toronto 105, Milwaukee 99 Utah 95, Atlanta 68 Minnesota 98, Phoenix 85 Oklahoma City 132, Denver 129, OT Portland 119, New Orleans 104 Golden State 109, L.A. Lakers 85 Houston 117, Sacramento 104

SATURDAY’S GAMES

New York at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

San Antonio at Washington, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Memphis at Miami, 8 p.m.

Minnesota at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Cleveland at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Denver at Phoenix, 3:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Milwaukee at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Sacramento at Brooklyn, 6 p.m.

New Orleans at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Houston at Portland, 9 p.m.

Atlanta at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

MONDAY’S GAMES

Sacramento at Washington, 7 p.m.

Boston at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Utah at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Atlanta at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 21 15 4 2 32 65 47 Tampa Bay 22 13 8 1 27 69 56 Ottawa 20 12 7 1 25 47 50 Boston 21 11 10 0 22 49 49 Florida 20 10 9 1 21 53 54 Detroit 21 10 10 1 21 53 56 Toronto 20 8 8 4 20 62 67 Buffalo 21 7 9 5 19 39 53 METROPOLITAN DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts GF GA N.Y. Rangers 22 15 6 1 31 85 55 Washington 20 13 5 2 28 55 44 Pittsburgh 21 12 6 3 27 62 62 Columbus 19 11 5 3 25 61 45 New Jersey 20 10 6 4 24 50 51 Philadelphia 22 9 10 3 21 69 75 Carolina 19 8 7 4 20 48 52 N.Y. Islanders 20 6 10 4 16 49 63 WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 22 14 6 2 30 65 57 St. Louis 21 11 7 3 25 54 57 Minnesota 20 11 7 2 24 55 38 Nashville 20 10 7 3 23 60 51 Dallas 22 9 8 5 23 57 72 Winnipeg 23 9 12 2 20 60 70 Colorado 19 9 10 0 18 42 55 PACIFIC DIVISION

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Edmonton 22 12 8 2 26 67 57 San Jose 21 12 8 1 25 50 45 Los Angeles 21 11 9 1 23 55 53 Anaheim 21 9 8 4 22 54 52 Calgary 23 10 12 1 21 53 70 Vancouver 21 8 11 2 18 46 64 Arizona 19 7 10 2 16 48 62 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Rangers 3, Philadelphia 2 San Jose 3, N.Y. Islanders 2 Chicago 3, Anaheim 2 Minnesota 6, Pittsburgh 2 Washington 3, Buffalo 1 Nashville 5, Winnipeg 1 Detroit 5, New Jersey 4, OT Columbus 5, Tampa Bay 3 Calgary 2, Boston 1 Dallas 2, Vancouver 1 Arizona 3, Edmonton 2, SO

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Carolina at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Columbus at Florida, 7 p.m.

Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Montreal at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Vancouver at Colorado, 10 p.m.

Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Tampa Bay at Boston, 1 p.m.

Nashville at Winnipeg, 1 p.m.

Arizona at Edmonton, 3 p.m.

Florida at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Ottawa at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY’S GAMES

Calgary at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2016

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B3

USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 3 USC women take on No. 4 Louisville

BY DAVID CLONINGER dcloninger@thestate.com South Carolina roared out of the locker room, pasting Saint Peter’s from the tip and playing its most complete game of the season. The No. 3 Gamecocks expected it and it was expected by the rest of the country — the Peacocks had lost 18 in a row before that game.

Yet, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was

pleased. That kind of start let her know her team won’t take any team lightly.

That comes in handy with the STALEY next game.

Fourth-ranked Louisville waits today to start a stretch of three games away from home, the first two against top-25 teams.

“It feels like a game,” Staley said. “If we can get off to

great starts, I think it can put people back on their heels.”

Perhaps the quick start will carry over, although the Cardinals (6-0) are one of the country’s best teams. They feature the kind of height that can match up with USC’s Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson.

Louisville’s also dangerous from the outside. Guard Asia Durr’s capable of taking a game over, much like USC’s Kaela Davis did in the season

opener at Ohio State. Sunday’s game might wind up going to the team with the most weapons.

Through four games, the Gamecocks have proven to be that. Their preferred offense comes from the “big girls,” but Davis and Allisha Gray have shown they can light it up inside and out.

With point guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore coming off her best game of the season and freshman Mikiah Herbert

Harrigan jumping into the fray, USC looks to end the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge on a great note.

“It’s a challenge against a top-5 team in the country.

We’ve been there,” Staley said. “It’s a great way to test where we are. It’s a good way to see where we match up with other great teams across the country.”

And a good way for Louisville to do the same.

CLEMSON BASKETBALL

Clemson gets past High Point 83-74 The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Syracuse’s DaJuan Coleman (32) has his shot blocked by South Carolina’s Maik Kotsar (21) and Khadim Gueye (12) during the Gamecocks’ 64-50 victory on Saturday in Brooklyn, N.Y.

USC

FROM PAGE B1 behind it. Once we lift the zone then find the cracks behind it so we can have space to shoot.

“Credit our guys. I don’t claim to be Einstein. I just try to do my job. They listened, they were in tune (and) they executed.”

South Carolina shot 45 percent and scored 30 points in the paint. The Gamecocks scored most of their points after frequently getting defensive stops via 12 steals and 17 Syracuse turnovers.

“Every game we come out and guard, that’s what our coaching staff and our team prides itself on, defense,” South Carolina guard PJ Dozier said. “We make our offense out of our defense.”

The Gamecocks’ effectiveness at getting through Syracuse’s zone and forcing turnovers resulted in their second win in three seasons against a Top 25 team in Brooklyn. On Jan. 2, 2014, South Carolina had a 64-60 victory over No. 9 Iowa State.

Thornwell made 9 of 10 free throws. He also had six rebounds, five assists, three steals and was named the MVP of the Invitational.

Maik Kotsar also had 16 points for South Carolina (6-0) while Dozier added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who gave up 12 of the first 18 rebounds but fin-

ished with a 37-30 margin on the glass.

Tyler Lydon led the Orange (4-1) with a season-high 18 points. Andrew White III and Frank Howard added 10 points apiece as Syracuse shot 31.8 percent.

“They were just really good defensively,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “They pressured you, they got in the lane. They just really are a good defensive team. We knew that because we saw the Michigan game and Michigan is probably as good an offensive movement team as anybody against man-to-man in the country and they couldn’t get anything.”

Lydon hit a 3-pointer with 17:05 remaining to get Syracuse within 40-32. Following a defensive stop, Lydon had another basket forcing South Carolina to call time out.

Two free throws by White cut the deficit to 47-43 with 11:39 remaining but the Orange went nearly 5 minutes without a point while Howard missed four free throws and Lydon missed an open 3-pointer.

The drought ended when White hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-46 with about 6 1/2 minutes left.

Following White’s 3-pointer, the Gamecocks gradually restored the double-digit lead they held late in the first half.

South Carolina took a 57-47 lead on a basket by Kotsar with about 3 minutes left and finished off the win at the free

throw line.

South Carolina next hosts Vermont on Thursday.

BIG PICTURE South Carolina: South Carolina’s defense continued to hold teams to low shooting percentages and it could make the Gamecocks difficult to play against for other SEC teams. The Gamecocks have held teams under 40 percent in each of their six games.

Syracuse: Lydon can take over at times and did not disappoint for at least the two NBA scouts in attendance to watch him.

OFFENSIVE WOES How bad was Syracuse’s offense? The Orange were outscored by their football counterparts who lost 76-61 to Pittsburgh on Saturday.

POLL IMPLICATIONS The Gamecocks were not one of 16 teams to receive any Top 25 votes last week. That should change after South Carolina remained unbeaten with wins over No. 25 Michigan and No. 18 Syracuse.

Syracuse will likely stay in the poll though it is unlikely the Orange will remain at No. 18.

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BIG PICTURE High Point: The Panthers created some momentum after winning two of three games at the HPU Classic last week, but after a fourday layoff, High Point lost to an ACC squad for the second time this season.

Virginia Tech thumped the Panthers 99-73 in Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 15.

Clemson: Shelton Mitchell, who was expected to be the starting point guard before a Nov. 8 knee surgery to repair torn meniscus sidelined him, made his season debut off the bench Friday. The Vanderbilt transfer had two assists, zero turnovers and no points on two shot attempts in 11 minutes of action.

STAT OF THE NIGHT Blossomgame has yet to find his long-range game, making just three of his 16 3-point attempts this season, but he’s now scored 20 points or more in consecutive games by making 18 combined field goals.

HE SAID IT “We have some warts that need attention,” Brownell said. “We also have some things that we do pretty well. The teams out there that are 5-0 or 5-1, maybe haven’t been exposed to some of the things that they’re going to be exposed to here the next month. We’ve got a chance to rectify those problems.”

TIP-INS High Point never led and the game was only tied for 15 seconds … Sidy Djitte grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for the Tigers …

Clemson blocked a seasonhigh six shots.

HONORING WASHINGTON Before the national anthem, there was a moment of silence of former Syracuse guard Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, who died of brain cancer on April 20.

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CLEMSON — Jaron Blossomgame scored a season-high 27 points, four other Clemson players scored in double figures and the Tigers held off High Point 83-74 on Friday night.

Donte Grantham and Avry Holmes added 13 points each to help Clemson (3-2) end a two-game losing skid.

“A little harder fought win than we would’ve liked down the stretch,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said, “but I thought our guys played with really good offensive confidence.”

After coming up short against No. 9 Xavier and Oklahoma in last week’s Tire Pros Invitational, the Tigers shot 48 percent from the field and made 22 of their 24 free throws Friday.

The Panthers (3-3) got 22 points from leading scorer Andre Fox. “He’s a confident kid,” High Point head coach Scott Cherry said. “These games are only going to help him get better as the year goes on.”

Anthony Lindauer added 16 points for the Panthers, who trailed by 13 at halftime and as many as 16 in the second half.

High Point would get to within four points on Lindauer’s layup with 6:17 to play, but a jumper by Marcquise Reed and a steal and dunk by Blossomgame pushed Clemson’s lead up to eight points with 5:22 to play.

“Blossomgame, he’s a problem and a heck of a player,” Cherry said.

Reed and Gabe DeVoe scored 11 points each for the Tigers.

“We dropped two games in Orlando, but we’re still a

good team,” Blossomgame said.

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B4

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2016

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

THE SUMTER ITEM

Palmetto Health Tuomey Community Calendar The Tuomey Foundation sponsors several local classes and events such as Joint Camp, CareReach, Safe Kids, car seat installations, Touching Hearts and various Cancer Support efforts. If you would like to help support these initiatives, consider a donation to The Foundation.

TuomeyFoundation. org

Women and Children

Please call 774-BABY (2229) to register for any of the classes listed below. Fees are waived for moms who deliver at Palmetto Health Tuomey. All baby classes are held in the Women and Infants Pavilion classroom.

Baby Basics Learn all the basics of caring for your newborn before you deliver.

CLASS DATE Thursday, Dec. 15 CLASS TIME 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 6-8 p.m.

COST $15

Breastfeeding Class Informal class offers instruction and discussion time for breastfeeding for expectant mothers.

Babies and dads welcome, too.

CLASS DATE Monday, Dec. 12 CLASS TIME 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

COST $15

Women and Infants Pavilion Tour Tours are by appointment only. Come let us show you our Birthplace. Call 774-BABY (2229).

Car Seat Installation Learn how to properly install your child’s car seat for maximum safety. The Tuomey Foundation, working with Safe Kids Sumter County, makes car seats available for pregnant women who attend this free class and deliver at Palmetto Health Tuomey. Discounted car seats available.

CLASS DATE Monday, Dec. 19 CLASS TIME 6-8 p.m.

COST free

Infant CPR

Circle of Lights

Dedication Ceremony Please ease join LM PALMETTO HEALTH TUOMEY HOS O HOSPICE SERVICES and HE TUOMEY UO THE FOUNDATION ono on orin friends, family and ori in honoring t holiday season. loved ones this C CLE o The CIRCLE of LIGHTS tree in the alm t Health Tuomey lobbyy of Palmetto ill be dedicated on will

Thursday, day Dec. 1, 2016 at at 5:30 p.m.

Festival of Trees

Dedication Ceremony Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Thompson Courtyard on Main Street Trees will stay lit for the entire month of December.

December 2016

Support Groups Breastfeeding Support Group ”La Leche League of Sumter” Women and Infants Pavilion Classroom.

All breastfeeding mothers are welcome to join us.

Class is led by a local mom who is also a La Leche League leader. She will be sharing her experience in breastfeeding. Group meets on the first Monday of each month. Call 774-BABY. GROUP MEETS Monday, Dec. 5 TIME 10 a.m.

LOCATION Women and Infants Pavilion Classroom

Cancer Support Sponsored by Women’s Imaging and the Education departments at Palmetto Health Tuomey to provide educational and emotional support to individuals and their families dealing with cancer. Call Phyllis Buckner at 774-8678 or Susan Parnell at 774-9047 GROUP MEETS Monday, Dec. 19 TIME 6-7:30 p.m.

LOCATION Hospital Conference Room One

Families Fighting Prostate Cancer A community support group for individuals and their families. For information about our next support group meeting, call 775-1324.

GriefShare Palmetto Health Tuomey Hospice Services offers this support group for widows or widowers who have recently lost their spouse. For information or to set up an appointment, call Linda Windley at 773-4663.

Sponsored Spo on ed b by: y:

BENEFITTING PHT HOSPICE SERVICES TuomeyFoundation.org

American Heart Association’s Friends & Family course for expectant parents. Does not offer CPR certification.

CLASS DATE Monday, Dec. 26 CLASS TIME 6-8 p.m.

COST free

Labor and Delivery Learn what to expect during the labor and delivery process. Includes a tour of the Birthplace.

CLASS DATE Thursday, Dec. 8 CLASS TIME 6-8 p.m.

COST $15

Education

Pumping Class Class is offered to mothers returning to work and planning to continue breastfeeding. You will learn about the different kinds of pumps and how and when to pump, as well as storage guidelines. You will also learn how to teach your caregivers to gently bottlefeed your baby while you are away. It is best to wait until your baby is 4 weeks old to come to this class. All nursing babies are welcome to come along.

CLASS DATE Wednesday, Dec. 7 & 21 CLASS TIME 3-4 p.m.

COST free

Joint Camp For information about our Pet Therapy Program, call the Palmetto Health Tuomey Volunteer Services at 774-8658 / 774-8660 or Lois McCracken at 774-8874

Therapy

Sibling Class This class is designed for children ages 4 to 11 who will soon become brothers and sisters. They are welcome to ask questions about the expected newborn. This valuable time will help them with changes that will take place at home when baby arrives. Class includes a mini tour of our Birthplace/ Women’s Center and Nurseries. For December classes, please contact Anna Elmore at 774-2229.

Like us on

Facebook Palmetto Health Tuomey

Joint Camp is designed for patients who are scheduled to undergo knee or hip replacement surgery. The camp educates patients on their surgery and expectations after surgery. The camp is run by our Care Management, Rehabilitation and Respiratory Therapy departments. For more information, call Lori Horton at 774-8661 or Ty Collier 774-9174.

CLASS DATE Wednesdays, Dec. 14, 21, 28 CLASS TIME 1 p.m.

COST Free

Look Good, Feel Better An American Cancer Society program. Helps women during cancer treatment with makeup, turbans, skin/nail care, scarves, wigs and hats.

To register, call the ACS at 1-800-227-2345. For upcoming dates or further information, call Phyllis Buckner at 774-8678

Diabetes Management Series Take control of your diabetes. Course offers general information for diabetics and their families to simplify diabetes management and control. Each course consists of 2 two hour sessions. Call 774-8680 or 774-8678 for more infor-mation or to register for upcoming dates.

FREE.

PalmettoHealth.org/Tuomey 803-296-CARE (2273)

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39 45

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36 16 64

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68 8

LEGO master builders show work at White House

BY MICHAEL MELIA The Associated Press ENFIELD, Conn. — The assignment for this year’s White House holiday display came with a tight deadline. A team of LEGO master builders, within 2 1/2 weeks, had to create 56 unique gingerbread houses out of the toy bricks, one for each state and U.S. territory.

For this group, it was child’s play. The seven masters at the U.S. headquarters of Lego Systems in Enfield had them designed, built from more than 200,000 LEGO pieces and in a van to Washington in time for the unveiling.

“We had an all-hands-ondeck kind of thing,” said Paul Chrzan, one of the master builders. “We basically gave ourselves a day for each house. And we just built like crazy.”

The team prides itself on building just about anything out of LEGO bricks, including, among other recent projects, scenes for “The Lego Movie,” a replica of Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics, and a life-size statue of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Promoted to the highest ranks for their skills, the master builders fulfill a marketing role for the Denmark-based company, but also see themselves as inspiring young builders.

The team of seven — in-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This LEGO model of the White House is one of 56 LEGO gingerbread houses, one for each state and territory, that were created by LEGO’s master builders to be on display at the White House. cluding a former pastry chef, a retail worker and an actor — works in the model shop, a building down a slight hill from the administrative offices that features a LEGO Christmas wreath on the walls, designers at computers and the sounds of builders tinkering with the latest structures.

Some, like Chrzan, 55, had

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a LEGO affinity from childhood, when his Danish mother was among the first in his neighborhood to buy the sets.

Others did not play with LEGO as much as kids but studied sculpture or fine arts in school. All see the toy brick as a medium for artistic expression.

Master builder Pete Donner got his start as a model gluer

out of high school in 1997. As a child, he said he was awful at building LEGO sets, preferring to set aside the instructions. He said that helped him win the job he has now.

“For each one of us it’s a unique journey,” he said.

“The secret to my success is I drew a lot and I built a lot.”

While children and adults

alike are awed to hear about his work, he said it is a job, with real deadlines and customer expectations. He said he keeps the stress in perspective by remembering a zinger from a retired colleague’s wife who told him after a rough day: “Oh, Steve, what’s the matter, did you run out of yellow brick today?”

Advances in technology over the past 20 years have dramatically changed the job, with proprietary LEGO software churning out rough blueprints that once had to be etched by hand on graph paper. Still, a life-size model of a character can take 70 to 150 hours to design and 350 hours to build.

The models go on display at fairs and retail stores or are commissioned by promotional partners. One master builder, Erik Varszegi, said the deadline pressure sometimes leaves him feeling jealous of the amateur builders outside the company who sometimes spend a year or longer on projects of their own design.

Donner said he builds with LEGO even after finishing his day’s work. In addition to building with his two daughters, he has his own side projects.

“I have access to the biggest LEGO collection in the world,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I utilize that?”

2016-17

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Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Estate:/Susie Mae Porter #2016ES4300685

Estate:/Willy Lucious Tyler #2016ES430071

Personal Representative Suzette Annette Porter 1039 Wellington Road Sumter, SC 29153

Personal Representative Randy Jean Tyler 2550 Tyler Ln Sumter, SC 29153

Estate:/Thomas In Loving Memory of Herbert "Pipe Man" Pearson 10/14/1929 - 12/27/2001 We miss you so very much. I miss the smile on your face. Every step I make I think of you. We love and miss you so much. Your Wife, Children, Grands, Great Grands, Family and Friends.

LEGAL NOTICES Public Hearing NOTICE OF SUMTER BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING The Sumter City-County Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located on the Fourth Floor of the Opera House (21 North Main Street, Sumter, South Carolina). The following request is scheduled for public hearing: BOA-16-18, 820 Breezy Bay Lane (City) The applicant is requesting a variance from Article 4, Section 4.g.2.b.5 to reduce the required 5 foot side yard setback to 3 feet in order to construct a detached garage.

Property is located 820 Breezy Bay Lane and is represented by Tax Map # 184-11-03-001 and is zoned PD. Documents pertaining to the proposed request(s) are on file in the Office of the Sumter City-County Planning Department and are available to be inspected and studied by interested citizens.

Joseph T. McElveen, Jr. Mayor

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

Linwood Davison Jr #2016ES430565

Personal Representative Lynn D Lawton 8408 Baileycroft Dr Raleigh, NC 27615

Estate:/Larry Darnell English #2016ES430072 Personal Representative Brittany M English 6760 Springhill Rd Rembert, SC 29128

Estate:/Fred Davis #2016ES4300681 Personal Representative Margaret Ingram 6340 Rhodes Drive Rembert, SC 29128

Estate:/David Douglas Hickman #2016ES4300706 Personal Representative Gayle O. Hickman 1370 Pudding Swamp Rd. Lynchburg, SC 29080

Estate:/Angela Edwards #2016ES4300696 Personal Representative Michael A. Conyers 870 Manchester Road Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Gennie Kennedy #2016ES4300679 Personal Representative Shelina Price 775 Radical Road Sumter, SC 29153

Estate:/Joshua Neal, Jr. #2016ES4300702 Personal Representative Eula Mae Neal 4680 Highway 15 South Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Willie Nathan Mcbride #2016ES430077 Personal Representative Vernal Mcbride 12 W Williams St. Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Cecil Warren Prescott #2016ES430078 Personal Representative Judy A prescott 1053 Briar Bend St. Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Angela Edwards #2016ES4300696 Personal Representative Michael A. Conyers 870 Manchester Road Sumter, SC 29154

Estate:/Emmy M Palka #2016ES4300690 Personal Representative Michael Palka C/O John Keffer 10 Law Range Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/William D. McJunkin #2016ES4300701 Personal Representative Kelly McJunkin 1590 Judy Drive Wedgefield, SC 29168

Personal Representative Glenn F. Reese 2079 Gion Street Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:/Joan Mathis Shirley #2016ES4300687 Personal Representative John C Shirley 245 John Linder Road Chapin, SC 29036

Estate:/Phillip James Simmons #2016ES430069 Personal Representative Cleophues Powell Jr 4884 Cotton Acres Rd Sumter, SC 29153

Estate:/Charles Roswell Bovee #2016ES4300700 Personal Representative Michael J. Riddick 4365 Brabham Drive Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/James Rea Harris #2016ES430076 Personal Representative Marie Harris 4575 Camden Hwy Dalzell, SC 29040

Estate:/Robert Frank D'Amato #2016ES4300682 Personal Representative John B Duffie Jr C/O J Cabot Seth PO Box 1268 Sumter, SC 29151

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THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

IN MONEY

IN LIFE

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C1

IN MOVIES Who is that soulful gorilla in ‘Sing’?

12.27.16 How will stocks fare in 2017?

Talking animals: A movie trend that did well in ’16

DREW ANGERER, GETTY IMAGES

‘ZOOTOPIA’ BY DISNEY, AP

Obama, Abe to visit Pearl Harbor David Jackson @djusatoday USA TODAY

CHRIS RATCLIFFE, GETTY IMAGES

A new London tax hike on business that takes effect next year will rise from an average of about 10% to more than 12%, boosting the price of a pint by more than 40% in some pubs, challenging owners and customers.

BRITS BITTER OVER RISING BEER TAX Pubs struggle to stay afloat as patrons work up a froth Benjamin Plackett l Special for USA TODAY LONDON

This is an edition of USA TODAY provided for your local newspaper. An expanded version of USA TODAY is available at newsstands or by subscription, and at usatoday.com.

For the latest national sports coverage, go to sports.usatoday.com

USA SNAPSHOTS©

Not the real thing

23%

of consumers have unwillingly bought a fake product online.

SOURCE MarkMonitor survey of 3,432 from nine countries MICHAEL B. SMITH AND KARL GELLES, USA TODAY

Beer-loving Brits are heading to their local pubs for festive tipples as part of the holidays, even as many Londoners fume that their already pricey pint will cost still more in 2017.

A new city tax hike on business that takes effect next year will rise from an average of about 10% to more than 12%, boosting the price of a pint by more than 40% in some pubs, according to business tax research firm CVS. “It does outrage me — the premium on a pint in London compared to buying it in a supermarket is already too high,” said Farhud Manzoori, 29, a trader for Nobel Group, as he sipped ale at the Roebuck pub in South London. “It means you have to use a £20 bill (about $25) to pay for two pints. It’s already too expensive.”

According to the Good Pub Guide, the average cost of a pint in the United Kingdom tops $4, but in central London, the price can creep past $6. Average prices in the USA are about the same, according to the website pintprice.com.

Manzoori and his friend Alex

$4 Average cost of a pint in the United Kingdom

$6 Average cost of a pint in central London

Hitter, 24, a graduate student, are tavern regulars and fear that the rising cost of a pint is another financial squeeze in one of Europe’s most expensive places to live. They call it an attack on a great institution.

“The pub is the chief arena for socializing in the U.K.,” Hitter said. “It’s casual fun, but it still feels like you’re doing something despite basically sitting in a living room.”

Making ends meet is increasingly tough for owners of pubs, which are closing at a rate of 27 a week nationwide. London alone loses about 500 a year, as they fail to compete with trendy cocktail bars and cheap booze offers from supermarket chains, according to the Campaign for Real Ale. At the same time, the United Kingdom has among the highSTORY CONTINUES ON C2

v STORY CONTINUES ON 2B

More than 75 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, remembrance and reconciliation are the themes Tuesday as Japan’s prime minister makes the first formal visit by a Japanese leader to the site where the world changed forever.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama will speak at the commemoration of the Japanese air attack in 1941 that drew the United States into the Second World War. Abe landed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for the historic visit Monday.

Obama and Abe will meet privately to discuss the state of the U.S.-Japanese alliance, one that could undergo stark changes after Donald Trump becomes president next month.

“The two leaders’ visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies,” the White House said in announcing the visit this month.

Obama and Abe plan to make remarks at the memorial built atop the bombed-out hull of the USS Arizona, which sank to the bottom of the harbor Dec. 7, 1941. The attack, on what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called “a date which will live in infamy,” killed more than 2,400 Americans. Abe probably won’t apologize for the Pearl Harbor attack, but he is likely to express sympathy for the victims.

In announcing his visit this month, the Japanese prime minister said, “We must never repeat the horror of war. ... I want to express that determination as we look to the future and at the same time send a message about the value of U.S.Japanese reconciliation.”

The Obama-Abe meeting takes place less than a month before Obama will leave the White House and Trump will enter it, a development that will probably affect U.S.-Japanese relations.

During the presidential campaign, Trump talked about changing trade policies worldwide and requiring Japan and other allies to pay more for security assistance. Abe met with the president-elect face to face

Prime minister’s trip is first formal visit by Japanese leader to American sacred place

“The two leaders’ visit will showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies.”

The White House

STORY CONTINUES ON C2

v STORY CONTINUES ON 2B

Blizzard, freezing rain trip up post-holiday travelers For many, warmth is on the way Tuesday Doyle Rice @usatodayweather USA TODAY

Wintry weather caused travel trouble across the nation’s northern tier for folks returning home from holiday celebrations Monday.

A blizzard buried the northern Plains under as much as 16 inches of snow, which was blown around

by winds of up to 50 mph. Nearly every highway across North Dakota and the western half of South Dakota was shut down Monday, the National Weather Service said.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol warned that motorists who venture out in areas under notravel advisories go at their own risk and “may become stranded, and emergency responders may not be able to reach them safely,” the Associated Press said. The storm caused widespread power outages in the Dakotas, Nebraska and western Iowa, AP reported.

The Minot (N.D.) International

Airport closed Monday because of low visibility and will remain closed until early Wednesday, the Minot Daily News said.

Though the worst of the snow fell to the west of Minneapolis, dozens of flights were delayed Monday at the city’s airport, FlightAware said.

Travel hazards will persist across the region into Tuesday, despite the storm winding down, AccuWeather said.

Elsewhere, portions of New England and New York state saw freezing rain Monday, which was forecast to persist into early Tuesday, the weather service said.

TOM STROMME, AP

Chris Barrett walks in lowvisibility conditions in Mandan, N.D., on Christmas.

In the western USA, a new storm Tuesday will spread snow eastward into interior Washington and Oregon and the northern Rockies, the weather service said.

For the central, eastern and southern USA, winter will take a vacation Tuesday as above-average temperatures take hold. The East Coast will be particularly warm.

Afternoon high temperatures were forecast to be 10 to 25 degrees above average, the weather service reported.

A few locations in Florida, including Miami, are seeing their warmest December on record.

C2

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

· THE SUMTER ITEM

Concerned Muslim women think twice about the hijab Uptick in assault, intimidation cases during election season has many feeling targeted Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

Melissa Grajek was subjected to all kinds of taunts for wearing the hijab, but an incident at Discovery Lake in San Marcos, Calif., sealed the deal.

Her 1-year-old son was playing with another boy when an irate father saw her and whisked his son away, telling Grajek, “I can’t wait until Trump is president because he’ll send you back to where you came from.”

The man then scooped up a handful of wood chips and threw them at Grajek’s son.

At that moment, Grajek said, enough was enough. She decided to take off her head covering.

“I had been on the fence regarding hijab, but that incident made it clear my religious choices could be putting my son at risk,” she said.

Grajek’s decision to doff the hijab follows reports of assaults against Muslim women.

Last week, Ilhan Omar, a newly elected Minneapolis state representative, was leaving the White House, where she discussed policy initiatives, when a cab driver threatened to yank her hijab while shouting expletives and calling her “ISIS.” A day earlier, a man pushed a New York City transit worker down a staircase at Grand Central Terminal, yelling, “You’re a terrorist, go back to your own country!”

Two weeks ago in Brooklyn, a man threatened an off-duty po-

lice officer with his pit bull, telling her and her son to “go back to your country.”

All three women were wearing hijabs.

Assaults or intimidation of Muslims had been steadily rising well before the election, but they became more common during the divisive campaign of President-elect Donald Trump, who called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants and proposed a registry for U.S. Muslims.

A Pew Research Center analysis of hate crimes statistics from the FBI shows that the number of physical assaults against Muslims reached 9/11-era levels last year.

The number of anti-Muslim intimidation crimes — defined as threatening bodily harm — also rose.

Some imams across the country say it’s OK to take the hijab off, at least temporarily.

Imam Abdullah Antepli recently asked a group of women at the Islamic Association of Raleigh (N.C.) how many of them felt unsafe in public.

Dozens of hands shot up.

He told them the extraordinary circumstances under which Muslim Americans live may require extraordinary measures — including taking off the hijab, at least for a while.

“I’m not trying to be alarmist,” said Antepli, the chief representative of Muslim affairs at Duke University. “But the nation is being sucked into a combustible mix. We have to think unconventionally.”

Antepli’s call to remove the hijab, which he repeated at a

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

Women participate in a self-defense class at the Muslim Community Network in New York on Dec. 3. Physical assaults against Muslims reached 9/11-era levels last year, statistics show.

“I’m not trying to be alarmist.

But the nation is being sucked into a combustible mix.”

Imam Abdullah Antepli, chief representative of Muslim affairs at Duke University

mosque in Cary and in home gatherings of Muslims in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, is rare but not unheard of.

In Texas, Imam Omar Suleiman, president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and resident scholar at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, said women’s fears should be taken seriously.

“It’s important to give our women support and validate the fear they’re feeling,” Suleiman said. “Fear isn’t quantifiable; it’s to the person’s own experience.”

Though Suleiman doesn’t foresee a blanket call to abandon the head scarf, he advises women to consider practical measures, such

as wearing a hoodie instead of a hijab if they feel like they may be in danger.

For many Muslim women, the head covering is a quintessential mark of their identity — much as the kippa or yarmulke is a customary requirement for Orthodox and some Conservative Jewish men.

Though often understood as a symbol of modesty and privacy, the hijab is much more for those Muslim women who choose to wear it.

They view it alternately as a sign of religious devotion, discipline, freedom from Western expectations or simply a way to be in a continuous state of prayer.

Many Muslim women would never think of giving it up, even if it means being targeted.

“This is a difficult time,” acknowledged Khalilah Sabra, a Raleigh Muslim activist who works for the Muslim American Society’s Immigrant Justice Center.

Last month, a man spit in her face as she descended the stairs of the Garfield, N.J., Municipal Court, where she was testifying in a domestic violence dispute. “I

had to pause and decide do I fight or let it go?”

Sabra decided to buck up and carry on.

“We have to stand up for our religious rights and encourage women to stand their ground,” she said.

Others are taking security measures.

On Nov. 9, when New York’s Muslim Community Network posted a notice on Facebook about a self-defense workshop, leaders expected 50 or 60 women would respond. Within hours, 2,700 women had signed up.

Some Muslim women buy pepper spray, take firearms training or apply for concealed-carry permits.

And quietly, some Muslim women are uncovering their hair.

“One of the reasons women are encouraged to dress modestly is for their protection,” said Engy Abdelkader, senior fellow and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. “Once that purpose is no longer served, there’s an argument that it becomes a matter of necessity to remove it.”

Pints get pricier at British pubs v CONTINUED FROM CONTINUED FROM C1 1B

est beer taxes in Europe, about 63 cents a pint.

Brigid Simmonds, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the higher tax could force even more pubs to shutter their doors. “Independent pubs are going to find it difficult,” she said.

Simmonds pushes for the government to soften the blow by reducing the beer tax rate from what it is now, along with a rebate on business taxes for all pubs.

“Pubs are important to local communities,” she said, “We think pubs should be treated differently.”

Some pubs that have been serving pints for centuries are at risk for the greatest tax increases because of their central locations, popularity and high sales. The revered, centuries-old Anchor, for example, has been a brothel, a tavern and a chapel. It sits on the south bank of the River Thames, just around the corner from the Globe Theatre, where William Shakespeare’s plays were per-

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a conference in May in Japan. They will meet again at Pearl Harbor on Tuesday.

“The pub is the chief arena for socializing in the U.K. It’s casual fun, but it still feels like you’re doing something.”

Alex Hitter, a graduate student in London

formed. The bard himself was a regular drinker there, according to lore. The pub will have to cough up an extra $182,000 a year when the new taxes begin.

Simmonds said the increase also will hit tourists, who love going to British pubs. “We want you to keep on visiting, but you may have to pay a bit for your pint,” she said.

Leah Hardiker, 26, an accountant and a regular at the Anchor, isn’t prepared to accept that. “I come here quite a lot,” she said, “so it’s not good news.”

BENJAMIN PLACKETT FOR USA TODAY

London’s Anchor pub, where Shakespeare allegedly drank.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Obama visited Hiroshima in May v CONTINUED FROM 1B

CONTINUED FROM C1 last month at Trump Tower.

The Obama-Abe meeting in Hawaii is designed “to review our joint efforts over the past four years to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, including our close cooperation on a number of security, economic and global challenges,” according to the White House statement.

In many ways, Abe’s visit reciprocates Obama’s trip this year to Hiroshima, site of the first U.S. atomic attack on Japan that ended the war in 1945.

Trump weighed in on the trip in May, tweeting at the time, “Does President Obama ever discuss the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor while he’s in Japan? Thousands of American lives lost.”

Japanese public opinion has opposed the prospect of a formal government visit to Pearl Harbor.

To many in Japan, the air attack of 1941 was a response to a U.S.-led oil embargo. But Abe’s plans for this year have won good reviews in the national media.

Technically, Abe will not be the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor. In 1951, Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida went to the site during a stopover in Hawaii after an international conference in San Francisco.

Abe is the first to make an official trip to Pearl Harbor and to speak publicly about what happened there.

During a joint address to the U.S. Congress in 2015, Abe noted that he had paid a visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington.

“History is harsh — what is done cannot be undone,” Abe said at the time. “I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II.”

The Obama-Abe meeting in Hawaii is designed “to review our joint efforts over the past four years to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance.”

The White House

Corrections & Clarifications USA TODAY is committed to accuracy. To reach us, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones at 800-8727073 or e-mail accuracy@usatoday.com.

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PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

John Zidich EDITOR IN CHIEF

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THE SUMTER ITEM ·

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

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C3

MOVIES

Who is that soulful gorilla in ‘Sing’?

LARRY HORRICKS

years that I ever considered the possibility I might be in a movie called Sing,” Egerton says.

HIS DIRECTOR WAS SURPRISED

Director Garth Jennings said he wasn’t aware of Egerton’s vocal skills, so he had him audition.

Instead of choosing from a list of suggested songs, Egerton selected a favorite.

“I had Otis Redding’s Pain in My Heart playing kind of on repeat. So I went in and did These Arms of Mine, one of my favorite songs,” Egerton says. Jennings was blown away: “It was so moving and brilliant that I thought, even if a shred of that comes through in the movie, we have got to go with this.”

Eddie (Taron Egerton) and his coach, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), rejoice in Eddie the Eagle.

HE LOVES THE MUSIC

5 things to know about actor Taron Egerton Bryan Alexander @BryAlexand USA TODAY

Stars like Matthew McConaughey voicing the koala bear Buster Moon and Reese Witherspoon as the hardworking mother pig Rosita are easily recognizable in the animated hit Sing, now in theaters. But who voices the mysteriously soulful gorilla Johnny, singing to stay out of his family’s crime business?

That’s Taron Egerton, better known as the toughie-turned-spy Eggsy from 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. Egerton does all of the singing in his new voice role.

“I’ve had more disbelief than I was expecting. I’ve had people saying ‘That’s not you, is it?’ ...

I guess that’s a compliment,” Egerton says.

Five things to know about the 27-year-old star: HE TRANSFORMS IN MOVIES

Egerton went from the slick Eggsy with a six-pack stomach in his breakout Kingsman role to the portly British underdog ski-jumper in January’s Eddie the Eagle.

Eddie co-star Hugh Jackman said his “jaw hit the ground” when he saw the transformation.

“I kept saying on set, the fact

that this young man can go from Kingsman, playing a superspy, to Eddie the Eagle is astonishing,” Jackman told USA TODAY. “I cannot think of anyone else in Hollywood who could do them both.”

HE’S FROM A LAND OF SONG

Egerton hails from Wales, United Kingdom, which has a proud singing tradition.

“It’s singing and rugby. And I don’t do the rugby,” Egerton says.

“I always sang in school choirs and went on tours to other countries. I have always loved it. It’s a very communal thing.”

He continued singing while studying acting at Britain’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. “But it’s only been recent

ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT

Taron Egerton is Johnny, a gangster gorilla trying to break free of his family in Sing.

Egerton hit Sam Smith’s Stay With Me and Elton’s John’s I’m Still Standing in Sing. He calls the songs “beautiful bits of soul.”

He has a special connection with Sir Elton: They both star in the 2017 sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

But Egerton hasn’t discussed his Sing performance with John. “I hope he likes it. I’m sure he’ll let me know.”

HE HAS MANY TALENTS

Johnny struggles with the piano in Sing. Egerton knows the feeling. “I cannot do it. I wish,” he says. But he has fallen for the Hawaiian ukulele.

“I can play Can’t Help Falling in Love. That’s the thing I have mastered,” he says.

He learned to ski for Eddie the Eagle but never tried an Olympic ski jump. “I did set off from the top of one hill. But there was a net to catch me,” Egerton says.

“It’s really, really scary.”

TELEVISION

Streaming highlights in January ‘Path,’ ‘Pope’ and ‘Unfortunate Events’ top the major streaming and cable on-demand services Jayme Deerwester @jaymedeerwester USA TODAY

JAN. 5

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Crackle). Christoph Waltz, Cedric the Entertainer, Kristen Wiig and Lewis Black will all ride shotgun in Season 9 of Jerry Seinfeld’s online ode to classic cars and caffeine.

CRACKLE

JAN. 6

One Day at a Time (Netflix). The 1970s single-mom sitcom gets a demographic update in this reboot, which stars Justina Machado (Queen of the South, Six Feet Under) as a newly separated ex-military Cuban-American mom with two teens. And yes, of course, there’s a Schneider (Todd Grinnell, Grace and Frankie). Whether his massive keychain made it into the new show remains to be seen.

JAN. 13

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix). Neil Patrick Harris put in considerable time in the makeup chair to play Count Olaf, the greedy villain out to steal the inheritance of the Baudelaire children in this eight-episode adaptation of the children’s book series by Lemony Snicket. We’re not sure what Barney Stinson would think of his new look, though.

Sneaky Pete (Amazon). Remember Sommersby, that 1993 movie where Richard Gere plays a Civil War veteran who pretends to be a fallen comrade and goes home

to that man’s family? This is kind of like that, only with Giovanni Ribisi as a con man assuming the identity of his former cellmate.

JAN. 15 JOE LEDERER, NETFLIX

What would Barney Stinson say about Neil Patrick Harris’ Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events?

The Young Pope (HBO Now, HBO Go, Amazon with add-on subscription). In this miniseries, New York archbishop Lenny Belrado (Jude Law) learns to navigate the Vatican power structure after being elected the first American-born pontiff, Pius XIII. JAN. 17

The Girl on the Train (On Demand). Emily Blunt earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her role as Rachel, a lonely, alcoholic divorcée who becomes mixed up in the investigation of her ex-husband’s missing neighbor in this adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ best-seller.

JAN. 25

The Path (Hulu). As Season 2 begins, apostate Eddie (Aaron Paul) tries to build a life for himself outside the Meyerist Movement cult while continuing

GREG LEWIS, HULU

Kristen Wiig and Jerry Seinfeld ride on for Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, top; Aaron Paul and Keir Dullea take The Path. to meet with his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and children in secret.

JAN. 27

Z: The Beginning of Everything (Amazon). Based on Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, this period drama examines the writer’s life, starting with her single days and continuing through her relationship and 1920 marriage to literary icon F. Scott Fitzgerald (David Hoflin).

JAN. 30

Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution (Acorn).

A murder suspect’s wife (Andrea Riseborough) agrees to testify for the prosecution in the murder of a wealthy older woman (Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall) as part of a plan to exonerate him.

JAN. 31

Queen of Katwe (OnDemand).

After learning chess from a missionary (David Oyelowo), Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) uses the game to see the world outside her native Uganda and help her widowed mother (Lupita Nyong’o) and sisters escape poverty.

C4

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COMICS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 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 feels betrayed over theft of prized possessions DEAR ABBY: I recently realized that my motherin-law stole several of my prized possessions. It seems that Dear Abby my husband’s brothABIGAIL ers, who VAN BUREN helped us move when we lost our home, took the items (obviously at her request and with her approval) instead of placing them in the storage unit as instructed.

I am furious at her and my husband’s brothers. How should I deal with this? I want to confront her and let her know that I am aware of her betrayal, but my husband is a

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

great man, and I hate to hurt him in this process.

When I told him I was aware that his mother had stolen from us, he said he would make it up to me and that his mother is old (she’s 81) and I should let it go. However, every time I visit her home and see my things it hurts. How should I deal with this? I feel raped.

Furious in Tennessee

the funeral home, I saw a computer-generated sign stating, “Please understand that we (mom, dad, brother and daughter) just couldn’t be here.”

Abby, I wasn’t there to see the deceased; I was there to express my sympathy to the family. Why bother to have a viewing? All I wanted to say was how sorry I am for their loss.

Karen in Pennsylvania

DEAR FURIOUS: If the items are replaceable, let your husband do as he promised. If they are heirlooms, you will either have to wait until she dies to reclaim them or go over there and demand that she give them back.

DEAR KAREN: Please have a little less judgment and a little more compassion. Remember that not everyone deals with death in the same way. The viewing was for family members, friends and acquaintances of the deceased who COULD bear to be there. You can still express your sympathy to the grieving family by writing them a condolence letter.

DEAR ABBY: I recently went to a funeral viewing for a friend’s adult child whom I had never met. After entering

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

By Bruce Haight

ACROSS 1 Pilgrim to Mecca 6 Give and take 10 Bay Area airport letters 13 Hang trimmings on 14 Folded Mexican fare 15 Head, slangily 16 Shellfish dish in a cream sauce 19 WWII spy gp.

20 Feature of some sweatshirts 21 Poetic tribute 22 Subtle facial signal 23 Ready for ice skating 24 Drivers’ ID figures 28 Convention clip-on 29 Genetic material 30 Fringe benefit 31 Swiss currency 33 Clotheshorse 36 “My gal” of song 37 Visibly nervous 38 Exhort 39 Prefix with cycle 40 Irritant “in your side” 41 Chemical used for quick freezing 47 Stores, as ashes 48 Ark builder

12/27/16 49 Rub off the board 50 “Will you let me?”

51 Texter’s “Wow!” 54 The Times in Los Angeles, e.g.

57 Acorn tree 58 Moon goddess 59 Eastern guru 60 Part of wpm: Abbr.

61 Capp of comics 62 Popular afternoon talk show, familiarly, and a homophonic hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers DOWN 1 Saintly glow 2 Big fusses 3 Steve who co-founded Apple 4 Some sons: Abbr.

5 Latest fad 6 Scoring unit, in golf 7 Tool needed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 8 Expert 9 Apple computer discontinued in 2006 10 Hay fever symptom

11 Painter of fakes 12 MDs that bring out the kid in you?

17 Ages 18 Oozy gunk 22 Watered down 23 __ bone (no laughing matter, really) 24 ChapStick targets 25 Creative process output 26 PC key 27 Minn. neighbor 31 “Slush” moneys 32 Word with drop or fall 33 Kissable fairy tale figure 34 Less kissable fairy tale figure

35 State founder William 37 Exacta relative 38 “I was afraid of this” 40 Walk aimlessly 41 Stay under the radar 42 Bit of progress 43 Duck calls 44 __ Major: Big Dipper constellation 45 More or less 46 Mattel specialty 50 Fix 51 October birthstone 52 Viral internet phenomenon 53 Put on a happy face 55 Religious sister 56 Leatherwork tool

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

12/27/16