Gamecocks kick off football season against Texas A&M
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SCIENCE
UN panel says global warming is human-caused risk FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014
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Housing market interest surges
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75 cents
20 ounces of meat, 3 buns, 5 cheese slices
Ant Attack burger challenge accepted
BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 “The Realtors feel like they are busier than they have been in the last four years,” Darlene Hebert, executive director of the Sumter Board of Realtors, said Thursday. “Just talking to the Realtors, they are very busy showing properties and getting calls,” she said. “The only complaint is the fact that getting a loan is a little more difficult, and getting people qualified, but that is not the fault of the banks — it’s just that
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2 local reps will review abuse laws Weeks, Ridgeway appointed to study domestic violence BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bristow@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 More than four months before the General Assembly returns for next year’s session, legislators are already looking for ways to improve the state’s abysmal record on domestic violence. Two members of the Sumter County delegation were named this week to an ad-hoc House committee to review the state’s laws on criminal domestic violence and WEEKS hopefully have a legislative proposal ready by the time the Legislature reconvenes in January. David Weeks, D-Sumter, and Robert Ridgeway, DManning, were appointed by Speaker Bobby Harrell RIDGEWAY to the special 10-member committee, which held its
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Chris Thomas takes a bite during the Ant Attack Ultimate Burger Challenge at USC Sumter on Thursday. The burger has 20 ounces of meat, three buns and five pieces of cheese, two of which are a hot ghost pepper cheese. The contest was sponsored by the university’s Student Life department and held at the Fire Ant Café on the campus.
1 walks away victorious after eating contest at USC Sumter café BY RAYTEVIA EVANS ray@theitem.com (803) 774-1214
T
haddeus Stout, weighing in at about 248 pounds, showed USC Sumter’s giant Ant Attack Ultimate Burger who’s boss Thursday afternoon when the school’s Student Life department sponsored a challenge at the Fire Ant Café on campus. The burger includes five all-beef patties, three slices of American cheese and two slices of fiery hot ghost pepper cheese on a three-part bun with the option of lettuce, onions and tomatoes. Before attacking the monstrous meal, Stout said his only plan in successfully completing the challenge was to split the burger in half and go at it. “I’m going to go half and half, just split it up,” Stout said. “Mind
over matter.” Kris Weissmann, director of Student Life, explained that the challenge was to complete the full burger and fries in seven minutes. Student Life purchased the meals for the first 10 people willing to participate. One of Stout’s four other challengers, Marquis Washington, had a similar strategy to complete the challenge, which was to break the burger into parts to make it easier to consume. Before Weissmann officially started the timer, the other challengers, Lee Anderson, Chris Thomas and Bryce Williams, said they only planned to take the burger head on in an effort to complete it in the allotted time. “It’s a free lunch! Even if I lose, I’m a winner,” Thomas said. Once the challenge began, Stout simply paced himself, completing the burger in parts and eating fries and taking drinks of water. About two minutes in with a crowd of students,
DEATHS, B5 and B6 Hoyt T. Fulton James G. Pearson Edgar McDonald Marion Stephens Sr. Thomas R. McAllister Sr. Annie Bell Matthews Abraham Rock Jr.
Ruth J. Houck Terry M. Arrants Ramah Redel Lorraine K. Homeyer Deacon Junior A. Washington Katherine A. Hillman Helen H. Propst
faculty and staff rooting them all on, half of Stout’s burger was almost gone. And with about 10 seconds left on the clock, Stout ate and swallowed the last of his free meal with USC Sumter Dean Michael Sonntag, the crowd of students and even his competitors watching and cheering him on. On a normal day, Stout — who works at a local gym — said he would just have a sandwich for lunch. The Ant Attack Ultimate Burger is much more than he would normally consume in the middle of the day, and he and a few of his competitors joked about going into a diabetic coma right after the challenge. After completing the meal, Stout said at one point he thought it was going to come back up, but he managed to keep it down and take home the prize. Weissmann said Stout’s
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WEATHER, A10
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2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 270
Mostly sunny and hot today; mainly clear tonight HIGH 93, LOW 69
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