NATION:
Cruz will be in spotlight at tonight’s debate
A8
Not your average Christmas gifts Holiday bazaar sells animal skulls, medical instruments, other morbid items A6
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
75 CENTS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015
Charity stays strong despite recent thefts
Don’t rule out mold inside your home yet
Salvation Army kettle drive, other donations helping flood victims during holiday season
Experts say growth can occur even if you had no damage from flood BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com
BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com When burglars hit The Salvation Army office at 16 Kendrick St. last week, they may have stolen food that was meant for the needy, but they didn’t take away the heart of the organization. And, just as important, they didn’t get any of the money collected by bellringers during the annual Christmas drive. Nor did they get money donated to Fireside Fund in which The Sumter Item and The Salvation Army partner to provide heating assistance to needy individuals. Burglars reportedly used a tire iron to break into the main office overnight Dec. 7, possibly looking for cash lying around. They ended up causing about $1,000 in structural damage to the buildings and an outside trailer. And they took more than $3,500 in food items the charity had planned to give away to needy families during Christmastime. The Salvation Army raises money through local donations including people who throw money into the kettles at bellringing stations, church services and thrift stores in town. Maj. Robbie Robbins, commander of the Sumter office of The Salvation Army, said the bellringing kettle drive has a $125,000 goal this year, a 25 percent increase over last year. Robbins’ territory includes Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties. He said the burglary comes at a time when the community needs its help the most after the October flood.
Some residents are concerned about indoor mold developing in their homes as a result of October rains and flooding throughout the state. After a flood, excess moisture and standing water can contribute to the growth of mold in buildings, according to a South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control news release. Often mold can be recognized by sight or smell, but sometimes it presents no signs at all, being hidden behind walls or underneath floors, said Betty Evans, vice president of ServiceMaster Of Mid Carolina in Columbia, a cleaning and disaster restoration company. Even if a house was not
SEE MOLD, PAGE A7
RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Bellringer Shadenna Anderson, left, says “Merry Christmas” to donors as they fill the kettle at Simpson Ace Hardware on Monday afternoon. He’s hoping people will dig a little deeper in their pockets for both the kettle drive and Fireside Fund. Indeed, at Simpson Ace Hardware on Monday, bellringer Shadenna Anderson of Sumter said donations
were coming in at a steady rate. More than half the people who walked by dropped money into the kettle. Robbins said the donations mean so much more this year because the organization put out so much money
in the community because of the flood. He estimates The Salvation Army has given more than $50,000 to help flood victims with food and hotel
heater, and Fireside Fund is helping them out with a voucher for the kerosene. “Each family has their own ‘story’ in which they need a little helping hand, and the Fireside Fund is that helping hand,” Lamb said. This year’s Fireside Fund is in honor of Dr. Charles “Pap” Propst, who died on May 20 at the age of 90. He founded
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s crunch time to sign up for coverage under President Obama’s health care law. The website works much better now, but rising premiums and shaken faith among insurers have cast new shadows. Today is the deadline for millions of uninsured procrastinators to sign up in time for coverage to begin Jan. 1. As the health insurance expansion enters its third year, their decisions are critical to its economic viability. A surge of younger, healthier customers could hold down premiums in a market that’s struggling to grow. “Medical costs of enrollees have been higher than expected, and total enrollment remains low,” said Caroline
SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A9
SEE CARE, PAGE A9
SEE DONATIONS, PAGE A9
Fund helps families despite warm weather BY JACK OSTEEN jack@theitem.com Despite unseasonably warmer temperatures for this time of year, Fireside Fund continues to help families with a variety of needs. Salvation Army Social Worker Christy Lamb assisted a family of five that just went through a complete burnout of their home last month. The father has kidney failure and is
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on dialysis but lost the hospital bed, breathing machine and everything else in the fire. The family just relocated to a new residence but has no source of heat. A friend helped them out with a kerosene
DEATHS, B5 Cecil James Poss Albert Mouzone Keahn L. Wade James L. McMillian Alvin Cantey John Henry Ardis Mary Davis
Today is last day to sign up for health insurance
Louvenia McDonald Jamal L. Pendergrass Isaac House Jr. Ruth B. Williams James Law Dorothy Ann Mitchell Annie Mae F. Ridgill
WEATHER, A12
INSIDE
IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS IS COMING
2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 52
Plenty of sunshine with clear skies tonight HIGH 75, LOW 45
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