August 29, 2015

Page 1

INSIDE: Medicare overhaul may deny amputees advanced prosthetic limbs A3 REVIEW

Samsung stays at forefront of Android tech A5 SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2015

| Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894

75 cents

‘A country of opportunity’ Chinese-born airman draws on family for motivation to succeed BY SENIOR AIRMAN DIANA M. COSSABOOM 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Special to The Sumter Item

PHOTO PROVIDED

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Bin Ma, 20th Comptroller Squadron financial services technician, holds his letter from President Obama congratulating him on becoming a citizen of the United States.

Many words are used to describe the United States of America — some call it the land of plenty, freedom or equality — but at least one airman regards it as the land of opportunity. Airman 1st Class Bin Ma, 20th Comptroller Squadron financial services technician, departed Wuhan, China, in 2008 to start his adventure in America and fulfill his dream of a better life. Coming to America to further his

education, Ma quickly fell in love with the country that he now serves and calls his adopted home. “In China, people say America is a country of gold and if you come here you will be rich,” Ma said. “After several years of living here I don’t think America is a country of gold; it is a country of opportunity. If you try hard, are well educated and have a strong drive and motivation, you can succeed. America will give you the opportunity.” In 2014, having gotten his green card while at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, where he earned a master’s in ministry and a

master’s in business administration, Ma enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. “I am so tied to this country now,” Ma said. “I want people to know that even though I wasn’t born in the United States of America, I love this country as much as anybody else, and I am willing to use my knowledge and capabilities to protect it.” Ma’s love for America has spilled into everything he does for the Air Force. “When he talks, you definitely feel that passion that he has,” said Lt. Col. Jorge Jimenez, 20th CPTS

SEE AIRMAN, PAGE A7

Guard your YETI coolers

Friday night lights are back

Police warn of rash of thefts BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Don’t let your prized possessions melt away. Sumter Police Department Public Information Officer Tonyia M. McGirt has chilling news for Sumterites who have a taste for highend coolers — don’t leave your YETI at the mercy of sticky-fingered neighbors itching for the latest in upscale outdoor accessories. “A popular brand of coolers has been a favorite commodity in thefts reported throughout the city over the summer,” McGirt said. She said many YETI owners leave them on the backs of pickup trucks, SUVs or under their garages and carports. Perhaps the owners have a brain freeze and it slips their minds that the coolers can cost more than $500. “This leaves this enjoyable investment more prone to becoming a target,” she said. In other words, the coolers are hot with coldhearted thieves. The department advises that owners of YETI coolers take the time to keep them and other valuables secure and out of sight to give bandits

SEE YETI, PAGE A6

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter High School running back Quentin Anderson breaks through the line of scrimmage carrying the ball during the Gamecocks’ varsity football game against district rival Crestwood on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. Check out all The Sumter Item’s scores and stories from the first full week of football on B1 and at www.theitem.com.

Victims of Columbia retirement home fire meet with rescuers BY SARAH ELLIS The State

Former Pinewood landfill trustee steps away BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Bill Stephens, former principal managing partner of Kestrel Horizons LLC, the company which was the trustee of the Pinewood Site industrial waste facility for more than a decade, has announced his intention to cease working as a consultant in connection with the site. “The well-documented actions of former Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Catherine Templeton and other DHEC managers, past and present, ended the viability of my firm, Kestrel Horizons LLC and my own career,” Stephens said in an email received by The Sumter Item.

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

.com

Stephens promised to release more documentation regarding the Pinewood Site, but he said he thinks he has brought his ethical and moral responsibilities and those of Kestrel Horizons LLC as trustee of the Pinewood Site Custodial Trust to “a closure.” Stephen’s company, Kestrel Horizons, acted as trustee for the site from 2003 to 2014, when he resigned from being trustee amid ongoing disputes with DHEC about the safety of the site and funding issues. Stephens has been critical of operations at the site, and has maintained the waste dump contains inadequate protection from potential spills into nearby Lake Marion, South Carolina’s

largest lake and a critical resource for water and recreation. Stephens has also been critical of Templeton but urged interested parties to “allow her some time to get her arms around the issues of the Pinewood Site and the performance of DHEC.” Jim Beasley, a spokesman for DHEC Media Relations, said the agency is aware of Stephens’ plans. “We respect his decision,” Beasley said. “We appreciate his past service at the Pinewood Site and wish him well in the future.” Stephens said he will continue to serve as an expert in litigation and will work as a writer

COLUMBIA — Christine Moore met her hero Monday morning. Two months ago, Columbia firefighter Ethan Tucker forced in the door to 91-year-old Moore’s apartment on the third floor of the Forest Pines retirement community. A three-alarm fire was blazing, and Moore could not walk. “She was just laying in the bed looking at us,” Tucker remembered. He scooped her up from her bed and carried her over his shoulder to safety. On Monday, they reunited at a thank-you breakfast at the Comfort Inn hotel on Bush River Road, where Tucker and other first responders were invited to reconnect with the Forest Pines residents they helped save. “He’s good looking,” Moore said after Tucker had put his arm around her. Tucker was one of some 60 members of the Columbia fire department who responded to the blaze at Forest Pines in the early morning hours of June 17. They helped pull many of the community’s 110 residents from the burning building, working through the night until

SEE PINEWOOD, PAGE A6

SEE BLAZE, PAGE A6

CONTACT US

DEATHS, A7

Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1237 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News and Sports: 774-1226

Solomon I. Till III John E. Stephens Michael A. Spann Perry Van Johnson Sr.

WEATHER, A8

INSIDE

STORMY SATURDAY

2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES VOL. 120, NO. 266

Mostly cloudy today with afternoon and early evening thunderstorms likely. HIGH 89, LOW 70

Classifieds B7 Comics B6 Lotteries A8 Television A4


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.