September 15, 2017

Page 1

CLARENDON SUN

Area remembers ‘Mr. Americanism’ Plowden known for helping vets A7

Officials: Be proactive after Equifax security breach A2

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

75 CENTS

District program misused $177K Audit: Early Childhood Program employees bought adult tricycles, more BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com The state Department of Education released this week to the public its audit findings of Sumter School District’s Early Childhood Education Program, which it previously provided to the State Law Enforcement Division as part of an ongo-

ing criminal investigation into financial improprieties in the district’s program. The investigations stem from an anonymous letter received by the department and the district earlier this year. The department released the audit findings to The Sumter Item after the district submitted a corrective action plan Tuesday to

Man’s bond will likely not change in shooting

the department. In that audit report, the department’s Office of Auditing Services asserts the district’s 4-year-old kindergarten program administrators misused about $177,000 in state funding in recent years, and the state department says it wants that money back. The district said in a public statement

Thursday that it’s cooperating with authorities and has already implemented safeguards and more stringent fiscal policies to correct the outlined issues. A finalized 11-page report from the department’s Office of Auditing Services details “unreasonable” and “excessive” program training fees paid by the district

to two district employees totaling $163,157.21 and several “unallowable, unreasonable and unnecessary” programmatic expenditures incurred by the district for supplies totaling $13,765.58. Items purchased include adult tricycles, hammocks, patio furniture and small

SEE AUDIT, PAGE A3

Grandparents join students for lunch

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Andrew Tiller, an 18-year-old Sumter resident, is accused of shooting and seriously injuring two men Sept. 8 near Harmony Court Apartments in what police said was a scheme to frame one of Tiller’s acquaintances. Tiller was arrested later that weekend and was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of attempted armed robbery and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. By Monday, Tiller was released on bond, having been ordered to pay a $37,500 surety bond and to wear an TILLER ankle monitor as conditions for his release. That seemingly quick exit from custody has some questioning why Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding allowed Tiller to bond out, despite the serious nature of the charges. Blanding has not responded to requests for comment.

SEE SHOOTING SUSPECT, PAGE A11

Farmers mostly unscathed by Hurricane Irma

Cafeteria workers at Pocalla Springs Elementary School, 2060 Bethel Church Road, served some special guests Wednesday as the school welcomed grandparents for lunch. Children led grandparents through the lunch line, and grandparents took trays with fish nuggets or ham sandwiches, rice and fruit. And the stereotypical tough “lunch lady” the grandparents probably remember from their youth is long gone because these cafeteria workers served up meals with a smile, all while urging small kids to eat their veggies.

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

PHOTOS BY JESSICA STEPHENS / THE SUMTER ITEM

Local farmers were lucky during Hurricane Irma, according to Clemson Extension Agent Dave DeWitt. “We we’re rather unscathed in our area,” he said. “Some places got a little wind and some rain, but I haven’t heard any reports of anything too bad.” There may have been some damage to the cotton crop, DeWitt said, but the cotton hasn’t been defoliated to remove the leaves yet, so it should have been well protected. DeWitt said most of the corn has been harvested, and soybeans and cotton and

SEE FARMERS, PAGE A11

See more photos from Grandparents Day at Pocalla Springs Elementary on page A6.

DEATHS, B5

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

.com

Johnny Heyward Elizabeth B. Hammett Carrie Mae B. Parker Ralph Dawson Annie Lee P. Richardson Moses Richburg Sr.

Alice Louise Young Betty Ann B. Lucas Willie J. Cooper Robert Mack Jr. Edith Mae Edwards William McBride Jr.

Terry A. Smith Delciene S. Johnson Amy D. Butler Mary J. Windham Lizan H. Duncan David Conyers Jr.

WEATHER, A12

INSIDE

FOGGY MORNING

3 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES VOL. 122, NO. 239

Fog in the a.m. and partly sunny today and tonight HIGH 88, LOW 67

Clarendon Sun A7 Opinion A4 Classifieds B6 Television C4 Comics C6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.