INSIDE: Republican frustration with Trump growing
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016
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Summer’s over The Sumter Item’s guide to bus routes, orientations, schedules and more C1
2016-17 7
Sumter embraces police
Farmers finally get good news 2016 could turn out to be the Year of Corn BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM
Emma Elliott, foreground right, sings “God Bless America” at a community forum at Sumter Opera House on Thursday meant to bring the public and law enforcement officers together to head off the kinds of problems seen in other communities. Julia Sims-Owens, foreground left, with the help of her son, Sims, 3, direct the performance of the Bethesda Church of God Children’s Choir.
Officers using proactive approach to community relations BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis and Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark III emphasized their proactive approach to community relations during a forum Thursday evening in the Sumter Opera House. Dennis said his department especially reaches out to young people to help build a positive image of uniformed police officers. “We bring in kids and teach them character, and we have seen a reduction in juvenile crime,” he said. He said Sumter County officers are trained to try to resolve situations before they escalate. “I hope that the training we instill goes home with them,” he said.
Roark said his department tries to remain “laser focused” on improving the quality of life in Sumter. He said law enforcement is an important part of the city’s economic development. “People look at crime numbers,” he said. “It’s important.” He said many of the incidents that have happened around the nation did not happen overnight. “Those situations built up after years of negative interaction,” he said. Roark said he has adopted a “cradle-to-the-grave” approach to building good will with the people of Sumter from an adopt-a-school program to dedicating an officer to check on senior citizens who have no family to rely on.
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Alfrita Brown thanks deputies Relson Rosaro, Shantell Ward and Cynthia Gonzalez for their service after the Sumter United Law Enforcement and Community meeting at the Sumter Opera House on Thursday. He said the Sumter Police now have a Community Services Division which includes Neighborhood Watch and downtown patrols.
“We want to develop a relationship at a grass-roots level,” Roark said.
“It’s been a long nine months,” said Jeremy Cannon, a farmer in the Turbeville area. “It feels good to harvest something after putting in the work,” he said. After a disastrous year for farming in the area last year, farmers are liking what they are seeing so far this year. “Corn harvest started last week,” Clemson Extension Associate Agent David DeWitt said. “Most people will be harvesting next week.” It may turn out to be a banner year for corn. “Right now, some dryland corn and even some irrigated corn has been cut, and I have heard numbers near 200 bushel acres in most cases, even some dryland pushing 200 bushels,” he said. “For dryland corn, anything over 170 or 180 (bushels per acre) is an exceptional year.” Hot, dry weather last week didn’t hurt the corn crop much because most of the crop is ready for harvest, DeWitt said. The worst of the drought is north and west of this area, he said. “We've had the heat, but we've had a few showers.” Jay Willard, who farms near Gable, said his corn looks good, but he doesn’t want to estimate how good it will be. “It will be good, but I don't want to jinx myself,” he said. He said it gives him some peace of mind to know he is going to be able to harvest a much better crop than last year. “It comes in cycles,” he said. Willard said that it was dry in his area last week, but some light showers have helped.
SEE FORUM, PAGE A3
SEE HEAT, PAGE A3
Fears about Rio Games? Don’t forget Brazilian party skills BY PETER PRENGAMAN The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO — For months, fears about the Rio de Janeiro Olympics have been hogging the spotlight. There are concerns about safety amid a surge of murders in Rio and extremist attacks in Europe and the United States. Polluted beaches and other waterways could make athletes and visitors ill, and the Zika virus has scared some competitors away. If all that wasn't enough, the state of Rio is so broke that months ago it stopped paying thousands of public employees; angry police have periodically been greeting tourists in the international airport with signs that say, "Welcome to hell!" If history is a guide, however, a focus on the problems is all part of the script in the run up to the games. Once the
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A rowing team practices in Lagoa ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday. The 2016 Olympic Games come at a dire time for Brazil. The country is enduring myriad calamities: The deepest recession in memory, a political crisis, violent street protests and a public health emergency caused by the Zika virus.
competitions start, most if not all of the problems fade into the background — at least for the athletes, tourists and millions watching around the world. Such negative coverage has a "very simple explanation," says Michael Heine, director of the Center for Olympic Studies at Western University. "The event is about sports, but you can't find sporting material because the whistle hasn't gone yet," Heine said. "So what else do you write about?" Coverage ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London included stories about terrorism fears and concerns about civil liberties in light of increased military and police presence. The runup to the 2008 Games in Beijing put a spotlight on authoritarianism and extreme air pollution in China. In Athens in 2004, there were myriad questions about whether
SEE RIO, PAGE A6
DEATHS, B7 Easton Oliver Branham Robert S. Hedstrom Harold F. Keels Diane Cooper Tracy Witherspoon Martha L. Stukes-Stokes
Yvette F. Clark Levern McDonald Willie Heriot Katie Cunningham Edna B. Ford John P. Britton
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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3 SECTIONS, 44 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 246
Another not-so-hot day with strong chance of storms into early evening. Mild temperatures overnight. HIGH 87, LOW 73
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