ON TV:
AMC’s miniseries ‘Night Manager’ continues
A9
ENTERTAINMENT
Don’t miss Shenandoah Head to Sumter Opera House on Friday night A2
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TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016
Girl in abuse case may lose foot 7-year-old’s grandmother arrested Friday, charged BY JIM HILLEY The Sumter Item A 7-year-old girl taken to a Camden hospital Thursday may lose her foot, Sumter
County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Ken Bell said Sunday. The woman who took her to the hospital and said she was the girl’s grandmother was
Pentagon, Congress at odds about closing bases WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon thinks it has a winning argument for why Congress should allow a new round of military base closings. The case goes like this: The Army and Air Force have vastly more space for training and basing troops than they need, and trimming the surplus would save money better used to strengthen the military. Congress, however, has its own logic: Closing bases can hurt local economies, which can cost votes in the next election. Besides, some lawmakers say, the Pentagon has cooked the books to justify its conclusions or at least has not finished doing the math. Lawmakers are fiercely protective of bases in their district or state and generally prefer to ignore or dismiss any Pentagon push to close them. Nearly every year the Pentagon asks Congress for authority to convene a base-closing commission. The answer is always the same: Not this year. And probably not any time soon, either. In a little-noticed report to congressional leaders this month, the Pentagon offered a detailed analysis — the first of its kind in 12 years — that concludes the military will have an overall 22 percent excess of base capacity in 2019. The Army will have 33 percent surplus, the Air Force 32 percent and the Navy and Marine Corps a combined 7 percent, the report says. Base capacity is the total amount of acreage or work space available to support military forces at places such as a training range, an air base, a weapons storage site or an office building. “Spending resources on excess infrastructure does not make sense,” Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work wrote to leaders of the relevant congressional
SEE BASES, PAGE A7
arrested Friday by sheriff’s office deputies and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. Medical personRAYSOR nel told investigators the girl’s burn injury happened before Tuesday, when the woman, the girl and a 9-year-old boy
PHOTOS BY RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Annual event attracts about 20K BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com
M
Festival attracted
more than 20,000 people to the weekend festivities, according to organizers.
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SEE ABUSE, PAGE A7
Tori Beth Weeks, left, and another jumper flip over a trampoline at the amusement park area of the Striped Bass Festival on Saturday. While it may appear they would collide, they were each jumping within separate areas of the ride which had a trampoline on the ground and suspended bungee cords and straps to keep them within their areas. See more photos of the festival on page A3 and online at www.theitem.com.
Annual Striped Bass
AP FILE PHOTO
clude an “immerse burn” to the girl’s foot, such as would be suffered from having it immersed in scalding water, the sheriff’s office reported. The child also reportedly showed signs of having been beaten, with various bruises and other marks on her body. She was listed in “guarded”
ANNUAL STRIPED BASS FESTIVAL
ANNING — The 37th
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work speaks at the Pentagon in 2014. “Spending resources on excess infrastructure does not make sense,” Work wrote to leaders of the relevant congressional committees on April 12.
arrived in the Sumter area. Investigators have since learned that Jaqueline Raysor, 55, who moved here with the children from Louisiana, has previously faced child abuse charges in both Louisiana and Mississippi. The injured girl is being treated at Palmetto Children’s Hospital in Columbia for her injuries, which are said to in-
An opening ceremony was held Friday night. Saturday morning began with a parade featuring local school bands, beauty queens, government officials, political candidates and many floats. The event included a truck and car show, a boat show, music and dancing groups, a children’s art show, food and craft vendors as well as amusement rides. The festival is the largest fundraiser for Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, said Pro Prothro, 2016 Chamber president. Numerous food and information
vendors came out Saturday for the festivities. Vendors included local businesses, churches, schools, organizations and political candidates. Sumter residents Carnell and Betty Dukes, of Dukes Peanuts and Variety, were selling boiled peanuts, pork rinds and pork skins and other homemade foods. This was their fourth year at the festival. “It’s a great event; I love it and look forward to it every year,” Betty Dukes said. “I enjoy meeting new people from all over this area and the country.” Jeff Martin, of Orangeburg, owner of Chandler’s Novelties, was selling everything from bubble blowers to lasers, necklaces, watches, sunglasses and more. Martin has been coming to the festival for a dozen years. “It’s an excellent event for the community,” he said.
DEATHS, B5 Isabelle R. Graham Broadus Fulks Sr. Joline H. Warr Gail T. Browder Geraldine Hickman
Calvin Oaks Jeremy G. Johnson Barbara Ingram Mary Harvin-White Willie Pearson Jr.
SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE A7
Members of Fresh Fire Christian Life Center dance and jump to music during the Striped Bass Festival Parade on Saturday in Manning.
WEATHER, A10
INSIDE
PLENTY OF SUN
2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 162
Mostly sunny today; clear and mild tonight HIGH 84, LOW 63
Classifieds B7 Comics B6
Opinion A8 Television A9