August 8, 2015

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IN TODAY’S SPECIAL SECTION:

See local bus routes C1 NATION

To bee or not to bee Volunteers in Maine conduct audits of the insects A4 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

75 CENTS

U.S. economy adds 215K jobs WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. job market just demonstrated that it may be nearing full health more than six years after the Great Recession — and showed why the Federal Reserve may be about to raise interest rates from record lows. July marked the latest month in a

streak of solid hiring with employers adding 215,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding at a relatively low 5.3 percent, the government said Friday. Monthly job growth has averaged 211,286 so far this year, a level suggesting that employers are confident the

the economy is gaining strength and keeps the Fed on track to raise rates as early as the next meeting,” in September, Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a research note.

economy will continue to expand and require more workers in the coming months and years. The government also said employers added a total of 14,000 more jobs in May and June than previously estimated. “Another solid jobs report suggests

SEE JOBS, PAGE A6

Rain doesn’t drown spirit Bike riders peddle on to honor first responders who recently died BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com A brief downpour that drenched riders from the Carolina Brotherhood as they passed down Main Street in Sumter must have been a nice relief for the more than two dozen riders bicycling from Burlington, North Carolina, to Charleston. The Carolina Brotherhood, comprised of firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel, is raising money for survivors of their comrades who died in the line of duty in the Carolinas in 2014. The cyclists were rowdy and appeared refreshed as they paused briefly at the Manning Road Fire Station to dry off and enjoy some snacks. Earlier in the day, they logged more than 85 miles as they rode from Monroe, North Carolina, where they spent last night. “This is a mutual bicycleride fundraiser honoring the line-of-duty deaths in North and South Carolina in 2014,” said Mark Jameson, spokesKEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM man for the group. “We had 12 line-of-duty deaths plus one caFirst responders from across South Carolina bike in the 600-mile Carolina Brotherhood ride down Main Street in Sumter on Thursday. The ride honors first responders who died in the last year, and money raised nine line-of-duty death,” he said. goes to help the families.

The ride will finish in Charleston on Saturday, he said. Jameson said the group has about 25 bikers and 25 support personnel. “They have all donated their time and effort to this cause,” he said. He said it was a good group and things have been going smoothly, though one rider reportedly suffered a broken collarbone in a spill — but continued on — and another was said to have suffered some road rash after finding a submerged pothole on Manning Avenue. “We get a ton of positive feedback from the communities and local law enforcement as we ride along,” he said. He was thankful for the local support. “This fire department has dedicated their time; they supplied food for us,” he said. Jameson said the group plans the ride so that they stay each night in the hometown of one of the fallen firefighters, police officers or emergency personnel. With the brief shower having passed, the riders did not

SEE RIDE, PAGE A6

Let the stars get in your eyes GOP candidates veer from truth in 1st debate WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans seeking their party’s 2016 presidential nomination have the challenging task of trying to stand out among the 17 candidates in the race, and Thursday’s televised debate was the first opportunity for the party to start whittling down its choices. So it’s no surprise that the candidates had a vested interest in puffing up their own records as governors, senators and public figures. And some of them just got the facts wrong. DONALD TRUMP: “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be talking about illegal immigration.” THE FACTS: Republicans have been talking about immigration for at least 30 years, including former President George W. Bush and the Republican field in the 2008 and

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2012 presidential elections. In 2013, an immigration overhaul seeking to address illegal immigration passed the Senate with strong Republican support, although the House never took it up. And Republican debate about immigration has only intensified in the wake of President Obama’s sweeping executive action shielding from deportation millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally. JEB BUSH, on his goal of 4 percent economic growth: “We can do this.” THE FACTS: Most economists say the U.S. under any president is unlikely to grow consistently at even close to 4 percent, largely because of the difficulty of overcoming decades-long trends. Forecasts put growth averaging

SEE FACT CHECK, PAGE A6

Stargazers can expect to see 50 to 60 meteors an hour during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, according to astronomers. PHOTO PROVIDED

Perseid meteor shower should be spectacular Tuesday BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com It’s a great year for viewing the Perseid meteor shower, astronomers agree. Even the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that the peak hours for viewing, after midnight on Aug. 11 through 13, will be perfect, barring bad weather. Bruce McClure of EarthSky magazine, referring to the Perseids as “the

DEATHS, A7 Lawrence McKnight John Joe Wilson Jonathan Scott Fred D. McFadden Bob Miller

Luther Liston Truesdale George E. Tucker Clarence Wilson Evelyn Sluss

all-time favorite meteor shower of the year,” predicts we’ll see “about 50 meteors per hour. … No matter where you live worldwide, the 2015 Perseid meteor shower will probably be fine on the mornings of Aug. 11, 12, 13 and 14, with the nod going to Aug. 13.” Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky and Telescope magazine, is more precise: “This year the Perseids peak

SEE STARS, PAGE A6

WEATHER, A8

INSIDE

NOT AS HOT AND DRY

3 SECTIONS, 30 PAGES VOL. 120, NO. 248

Partly sunny today, and clear to partly cloudy tonight. HIGH 90, LOW 71

Classifieds B7 Comics B6 Lotteries A8

Reviews A5 Television B5


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