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IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
S.C. POLITICS
Swan Lake display sets our city aglow
What can you expect in the next session? Legislative breakfast gives you chance to ask delegation questions BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
PHOTOS BY RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
The City of Sumter’s Fantasy of Lights opened Monday night. See more photos from the event on page A3.
Fantasy of Lights means holiday season is here BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Christmas season is in full swing in Sumter after the lighting ceremony for Fantasy of Lights at Swan LakeIris Gardens on Monday evening. Mayor Joe McElveen said about 100,000 people drive through the park every year to see the lights. He said it was tough for city employees to set up the lights this year because of
storm damage. Much of the garden has been wiped out by the flood, but public works employees have done a great job working around the problems, McElveen said. City Public Works Director Al Harris said it was a bit difficult for the department to complete the lighting displays while also working on other projects across the city. “I applaud them for their
Mayor Joe McElveen’s granddaughter, Adelaide, 2, crawled up on the stage to be with him during the SEE LIGHTS, PAGE A3 Fantasy of Lights official opening.
After a year of unexpected turbulence in the Palmetto State, the next session of the South Carolina General Assembly will begin Jan. 12, and members of Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce can get an early look at what local legislators are expecting from the session at the Chamber’s annual Legislative Breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Central Carolina Technical College Health Sciences Building, 111 S. Main St. HARDY The General Assembly will have a lot on its plate when it returns to Columbia. The last session ended in June with many issues unresolved, including how to pay to maintain the state’s crumbling road system and comply with an S.C. Supreme Court order to improve funding for poor, rural school districts. Since the assembly adjourned, South Carolina has seen the death of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, one of nine church members gunned down in Charleston on June 17; the removal of the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds; a summer of drought; and a 1,000-year flood. Legislators will also reportedly attempt to wrangle up a plan on whether to spend an expected $1.2 billion surplus or refund it to taxpayers. Chamber President Chris Hardy said all of the area’s legislators are expected to attend. “There will be a panel discussion as well as a question-and-answer period for attendees,” he said. “Obviously they will be talking about some of the successes
SEE LAWMAKERS, PAGE A6
DONATIONS HELP NEEDY FAMILIES
Annual fundraiser begins season with strong start BY JACK OSTEEN jack@theitem.com Salvation Army Social Worker Christy Lamb started off her Monday morning after the Thanksgiving weekend with a “ton of phone calls.” Lamb said she’s been inundated with phone calls from folks wanting to know when they can go to see about assistance.
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Now that she has a number of how much is in the fund, she should be able to start seeing clients this week. This year’s Fireside Fund, in honor of Charles R. “Pap” Propst, is official-
ly underway and off to an excellent start thanks to $3,300 already given this year. With near-freezing temperatures expected by the end of the week, the donations will be a huge help to many families. Dr. Charles “Pap” Propst died on May 20, 2015, at the age of 90. He founded Sumter Pediatrics with Dr. Ted Young in 1954, where he practiced until 1986. Propst became a prominent
DEATHS, B6 Caroline Harrington Herbert S. Brown Peter T. Haley Emma Mae Spencer John Johnson Rachel Keels
Edith Pressley Moses Green Jr. Anne Connelly Joseph L. Wilson Orilee Turner William O. Atkinson
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member of the Sumter community, serving on the former Sumter School District 17 school board, taking part in local clubs and affecting several generations of Sumterites. Started in 1969, Fireside Fund is a partnership between The Sumter Item and The Salvation Army. The newspaper collects the money and gives it to
SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A6
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Warm with sun and clouds today; cloudy with a few showers tonight HIGH 70, LOW 58
Classifieds B8 Comics B7 Lotteries A10
Opinion A7 Sports B1 Television A9