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SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014
Radium found in Rembert water
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Church backs DuRant
Officials to switch supply in wake of contamination BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 Officials tried to reassure Rembert residents Thursday their water is safe to drink despite a contamination that necessitates a change in the community’s water source. About a dozen residents attended a public meeting at Rafting Creek Community Center to learn that a trace amount of radium detected in the Rembert water system has led the system’s McELVEEN administrators to decide on switching households to the High Hills water company. Sen. Thomas McElveen called the meeting to keep constituents informed on the issue. “The top priority is to provide you with safe, clean drinking water,” McElveen said. The decision was made after testing revealed the presence of radium, a chemical produced by iron stones that surround the area’s groundwater. While small amounts of the element don’t pose a health threat to Rembert residents, officials stressed, state regulators at the Department of Health and Environmental Control won’t permit the city of Sumter, which manages Rembert’s water system, to continue operations if the water contains a potentially hazardous chemical. Water technicians considered treatment options but decided it was too costly to remove the element, and the city would be required to treat the radium as a hazardous material. Instead, officials want to
SEE WATER, PAGE A7
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The Rev. Larry DuRant, pastor of World International Ministries, prays in his office on Guignard Drive. According to parishioner Arlessia Vaughn, the church’s congregation stands behind DuRant and thinks he is innocent of accusations of criminal sexual conduct with minors that have been brought against him.
Congregation speaks up for pastor charged with sex crimes BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225
‘He is not the monster he’s been painted to be.’
Nearly a year ago, the Rev. Larry DuRant, pastor of World International Ministries, was arrested and charged with several counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Since then, more charges have been filed, and while the mountain of legal turbulence ahead of the pastor might be daunting, his congregation holds true to its faith, both in God and in DuRant. “He is not the monster he’s been painted to be,” parishioner Arlessia Vaughn said. Joined by her husband, minister Elvin Vaughn, and minister Myer Whack, she said DuRant’s congregation stands behind the pastor and thinks he’s innocent of the charges levied against him. “We’re all trying to move forward,” she said. “We’re believing in God and believing in him. We support him entirely.”
ARLESSIA VAUGHN parishioner who thinks the Rev. Larry DuRant is innocent Since the indictments, the group said the congregation and its leadership have been bombarded with criticism and slanderous attacks by parties associated with the alleged victims of DuRant’s charges. Whack, who has known DuRant for more than 20 years, feels the church has dealt with enough. “If it’s about the kids, then let it be about the kids,” he said. “There’s no need for any more defamation of his character, nor the character of members of his congregation. People are going around and spreading rumors with the intent of defaming him, not
realizing they’re hurting the church, as well.” “Picture bullying. If you had a sister or brother being bullied, you’d want it to stop,” Elvin Vaughn said. “At some point, it’s got to stop.” Arlessia Vaughn said that “bullying” has extended to several families in the church who’ve been hurt in the process. Whack said it’s absolutely unnecessary, and the difficulty faced by church members to move forward also encompasses the Internet. “It’s hard to pull up stuff about our church on YouTube without bringing up something about (DuRant’s charges),” Whack said. “It’s ridiculous.” Whack said it should all be left alone for the legal system to address. “Let the system handle it,” he said. “There’s no need in bringing something up over and over again and having people relive moments they’re trying to get past. Don’t bring other families into it, tearing up families by
SEE DuRANT, PAGE A7
Sumter native helps develop new diabetic test strips Tyler Ovington and Sumter native Kayla Gainey work in the lab developing new diabetic test strips that could make the process of testing blood sugar much less expensive.
BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 Sumter’s own Kayla Gainey is one of three bioengineering students at Clemson University to come up with a new way for diabetics to test blood sugar. Officials say the new method could make the testing process for diabetics less expensive in the U.S. and other countries. Gainey, a Sumter Christian School graduate and second-year graduate student, said previous students came up with the idea that if you could print enzymes, it would make manufacturing test strips a lot cheaper. “Based off of that idea, we used a series of
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enzymes in the dye that are sensitive to glucose levels in blood, and they change color based on the amount of glucose,” Gainey said. “So the higher your blood sugar is, the darker the color changes.” With the method of printing enzymes for the testing strips, they simply used a basic inkjet printer, Gainey explained. The new way of printing enzymes developed by Gainey and her classmates, Tyler Ovington and Alex Devon, is a much cheaper way than the manufacturing for today’s test strips. Gainey and her classmates used different parts that can be found in electronics stores to
SEE TEST STRIPS, PAGE A7
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