August 2, 2015

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Grown preemies praise sideshow doctor

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Myrtle Beach bee minister When preaching didn’t stick, man took alternative path D3 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

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IN PANORAMA:

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Expanding options for minorities Locals to participate in statewide minority entrepreneurship initiative in Columbia BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Two individuals will represent Sumter and surrounding areas when they join several others in Columbia on Tuesday to help develop a statewide action plan to encourage inclusive entrepreneurship in the state in conjunction with the White House’s national

initiative with the same purpose. On Tuesday, President Obama will host the first-ever White House Demo Day, a day celebrating minority entrepreneurs across the nation and encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs to make their vision become a reality. Anyone who is interested in the White House event can watch the event online at WH.gov/demo-day. A start time

for the event has not yet been listed. Rick Jones, chair of Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce’s Minority Business Outreach Council, said many of the minority-owned business that are registered with the Chamber are owned by women. According to information from about three months ago, of the 1,075 businesses registered with the cham-

ber, 43 are owned by minorities and 61 are owned by women, he said. “Women are kind of ruling in the minority category,” said Jones, who will be attending Tuesday’s meeting. Women and minority-owned business make up nearly 10 percent of the Chamber’s members, he said.

SEE ENTREPRENEURS, PAGE A11

Kids and Cops event builds relationships Games, treats help officers connect BY COLLYN TAYLOR intern@theitem.com Every now and again it can be beneficial to let your inner child out: Eat some popcorn, play on the playground and enjoy a scavenger hunt or a few competitive games. Maybe top it off with a cool, sugary snow cone. That’s what some Sumter Police Department officers got to do Friday morning as they hosted Kids and Cops at the Swan Lake-Iris Gardens playground. The event was one of the department’s community outreach programs and involved officers interacting with children from local day cares. More than 40 children from Aunt Susan’s Play School and Bethesda Learning Center flocked to the playground to participate in the scavenger hunt and games officers had set up. After an hour of running around, the children were able to cool off with juice, popcorn and a snow cone of their choice before scampering off

COLLYN TAYLOR / THE SUMTER ITEM

Staff Sgt. Tony Rivers with Sumter Police Department hands a child a snow cone Friday at the Sumter Police Department’s Kids and Cops outSEE OUTREACH, PAGE A11 ing. Rivers said getting to watch the children eat the frozen treat was his favorite part of the day.

Want to be a firefighter? Sumter Fire Department to host recruit school BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Sumter County Fire Department will hold an orientation for its Firefighter Recruit School on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Sumter Fire Department Training Facility, 470 McCrays Mill Road. Joey Duggan, battalion chief of training, said the department tries to hold two school sessions a year. The course will feature online reading materials and hands-on learning sessions at no charge. Duggan said the department covers payment for the online materials and any gear needed during training. “The only thing it will cost them is their time,” he said. A small portion of the hands-on training sessions will consist of ladder

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skills, search and rescue skills, selfcontained breathing apparatus skills and rope and knots skills. During the course participants will have to show what they have learned during a “live burn” where they will have to use those skills and put out a real fire, Duggan said. He said the same program is taught at the Sumter Career and Technology Center for high school juniors and seniors. He said students will be able to go straight into the workforce with a certification right after graduating. Once the course has been completed and all requirements have been met, participants will receive a National Fire Protection Association certification and can become volunteer

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Participants in Sumter Fire Department’s Firefighter Recruit School respond to a staged SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A11 emergency during a training session. The department will host an orientation Tuesday.

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An afternoon thunderstorm is likely, but it should be mainly clear tonight. HIGH 95, LOW 71

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