December 4, 2013

‘ ... I thought we could do it’ Gamecock players reflect on year’s success, look toward Saturday’s game

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VOL. 119, NO. 43 WWW.THEITEM.COM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

60 CENTS

Landscaping ordinance on the fence

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com During a public hearing, residents are asked to speak in favor of a proposal before city council or against it.

But those who addressed the revised landscaping ordinance at Sumter City Council

on Tuesday often sounded like they didn’t want to take sides.

While some city residents were critical of a proposal to tighten standards on the appearance and layout of new developments, “I’m not really for it or against it” was a common preface to any

comment from “Local govmembers of the READ MORE ernment public. should give What many Current ordinances consideration did say was before City Council to the small that specific are listed in more businessman provisions of detail on page A6. and the propthe ordinance erty owner,” could be too Mike Blanding burdensome for the told council members. business community to The proposed comply with. change, which council

gave initial approval at its meeting two weeks ago, will set specific standards, in many cases for the first time, for the number of trees and shrubs a developer must plant around a new business or housing subdivision, require buffer zones between different properties and

Neurosurgeon, author Carson speaks to crowd at Wilson Hall

Ethics, infrastructure, crime in spotlight for 2014 General Assembly

BY TYLER SIMPSON tyler@theitem.com

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com

S

itting in the Nash Student Center on Tuesday during his speech, one couldn’t help but notice people within the 2,000 attendees saying “that’s right” to themselves as Dr. Ben Carson spoke his thoughts about education and the current state of the nation.

Carson, a motivational speaker, author, retired neurosurgeon and recipient of the 2008 Presidential Medal of Freedom, was booked in May to speak at Wilson Hall as part of the school’s Mission Series. Wilson Hall Headmaster Fred Moulton said Carson was brought in to speak because of his inspirational life story as well as his love for education and this country.

Though hundreds of people from Sumter and across the Midlands attended to listen to Carson’s

South Carolina General Assembly is scheduled to start Jan. 14, 2014, and although that may seem to be a long time from now, local legislators are busy preparing to prefile bills to present during the last portion of the two-year General Assembly session.

As of the end of the business day Tuesday, the South Carolina House of Representa- JOHNSON tives’ clerk’s office received 53 bills during the first prefile date for the entire state.

Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, said first and foremost they need to pass a budget McELVEEN during the upcoming session to move forward.

Johnson said passing a state budget is “a given and needs to be done.”

SMITH He also said he hopes to address two big issues that he said his constituents have shown concern about.

“A lot of people have come to me about Medicaid expansion and doing something about our roads, highways and bridges. I’ve heard more of that from people in the area than anything,” Johnson said.

Throughout the session, Johnson said legislators will also definitely

SEE CARSON, PAGE A8

MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

SEE ORDINANCE, PAGE A6

Local leaders get jump on next session

Politics, dreams and our future

Dr. Ben Carson speaks to students and an audience of more than 2,000 at Wilson Hall on Tuesday afternoon. Watch his speech in full online with this story at theitem.com.

set other requirements for the city’s appearance.

When his turn to speak came, Planning Director George McGregor tried to allay some fears by stressing the standards will include flexibility built

SEE SESSION, PAGE A6

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Graham’s opponents meet at forum luncheon WEST COLUMBIA (AP) — Three of the four candidates trying to defeat Lindsey Graham next year in the Republican primary in South Carolina gathered in the same place Tuesday to talk to GOP stalwarts as they try to differentiate themselves from the U.S. senator seeking a third term.

Lowcountry businesswoman Nancy Mace and the newest entry into the race, Orangeburg attorney Bill Connor, took some time to introduce themselves, while Anderson businessman Richard Cash spoke about how he thinks Republicans must defend Christian moral

absolutes to save the country.

Graham didn’t accept an invitation to come from the First Tuesday Republican Club in Lexington County.

He sent a picture of himself eating a hot dog in Clemson over Twitter later in the day.

State Sen. Lee Bright also wasn’t at the luncheon but did have a surrogate give a speech.

The candidates didn’t attack each other, saving their criticism for Graham. The senator’s goal is to get a majority of votes and avoid a runoff. The four candidates want to elbow their way to the front to get in a runoff if

Graham falls below 50 percent.

Connor touted his military service and promised to strictly follow the U.S. Constitution, waving a copy he keeps in his pocket in front of the two dozen Republicans at the lunch.

He promised if elected to only deal with the powers directly given to senators in the Constitution.

“Education, health care and other things that are not enumerated can be pushed back to the states,” Connor said.

Mace spoke about how Republicans need to find unity if they want to take

back the U.S. Senate and the White House and said a big part of the problem are career politicians such as Graham who don’t want to give up power.

“The folks in D.C. think they know better than you and I do. The game is rigged against ordinary Americans,” Mace said.

Anderson businessman Richard Cash made sure everyone in the room got a flyer with a picture of him, his wife and their eight children, telling the audience he obviously has a big stake in the country’s future. He then told the crowd the U.S. will not continue to get God’s re-

wards if it continues to allow sins such as abortion and gay marriage to be legalized.

“If we believe in God and want God’s blessings on America, there are moral absolutes we don’t get to vote on,” Cash said.

Bright’s surrogate, Talbert Black Jr., said Bright holds all those conservative positions but also is the only challenger to Graham with a record through his four years in the South Carolina Senate.

Black said Bright has shown he will stand up not just to Democrats, but also to “those who wear his colors and proclaim to be his allies but cross to the other side.”

LOCAL BRIEFS | FROM STAFF REPORTS

JUST JAMMIN’

Clarendon 2 to focus on audit, bus cameras The Clarendon School District 2 Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at noon today to receive their audit for the 2013 fiscal year.

During the meeting, board members will also discuss recommendations for security cameras on the district’s school buses.

The meeting will take place in the board room at the district offices at 15 Major Drive in Manning.

The meeting is open to the public.

ROTC cadet will be commissioned Friday DeKendrick G. Summerson, a cadet with ROTC at Morris College, will be commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Quartermaster Corps of the Army National Guard at 1 p.m. Friday SUMMERSON at O.R. Reuben Chapel on the college campus.

The senior from Mullins who enrolled at Morris College in 2010 completed the Leadership Development Assessment course at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash., in August 2012.

Summerson has served as color guard commander of the local ROTC, as liaison between University of South Carolina and the Morris College ROTC programs, president of Delta Mu Delta International Business Honor Society and vice president of Iota Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Summerson is expected to graduate with honors in May 2014 with a degree in business administration.

MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

Joe Sanford jams to an original tune at the acoustic open mic night at Angel’s Mexican Restaurant on Main Street in Sumter. The open mic night takes place every Tuesday from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

Air Force approves 18 F-35 fighter planes in Vermont SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday announced it will base 18 new F-35 fighter planes at the Burlington International Airport despite complaints that the planes would be too noisy and pose a risk to the community.

The ruling follows a lengthy and heated debate in Vermont over the plane, which is designed to replace the aging F-16.

“Today is a historic day for the U.S. Air Force, for the National Guard and certainly for the Vermont Air National Guard,” Vermont Adjutant Gen. Steven Cray said Tuesday while announcing the decision to a hangar full of airmen and women. The first F-35s are due to arrive in Vermont in 2020.

Opponents worry about noise and possible accidents from the untried aircraft. They have

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vowed to sue to block the F-35 basing in Vermont.

Also Tuesday, the Air Force decided to base 72 F-35s at the active-duty Hill Air Force Base in northern Utah.

The Vermont Air Guard Base and Hill were the Air Force’s preferred alternatives for the rollout of the planes, which are designed to be the U.S. military’s main fighter aircraft for decades to come.

Vermont was chosen over Jacksonville Air Guard Station in Florida and McEntire Joint National Guard Base in South Carolina, while Hill was chosen over Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Air Force Civilian spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Tuesday the next round of F-35 basing decisions would focus on overseas locations. There

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will be additional F-35 bases chosen in the continental United States, and she didn’t know when that will happen, but the bases not chosen Tuesday can be considered in the next round.

“They are all very good candidates,” she said of the bases not chosen Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called the decision disappointing.

“There will be more opportunities for Shaw, McEntire and South Carolina as the Air Force carries out its beddown process,” Scott said. “Shaw AFB and McEntire JNGB are first-class bases and will continue to operate their missions with success. Though we face many challenges, I believe South Carolina’s military installations will remain a cornerstone of our national defense efforts in the future.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, announces Tuesday that the U.S. Air Force has decided to base the F-35 fighter jet at the Burlington Air National Guard base in South Burlington, Vt.

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LOCAL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM

A3

ANNUAL TURKEY SHOOT

PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

ABOVE RIGHT: Derrell Coleman teaches his son Austin Oswalt how to shoot a shotgun at the Sumter Elks Lodge 855 32nd Annual Turkey Shoot. The Turkey Shoot will be held each Sunday through Dec. 29 from 1 p.m. until sundown at 1100 W. Liberty St. ABOVE LEFT: A shooter walks away from the day’s event with a turkey he won.

RIGHT: Shooters take their places during the annual event.

POLICE BLOTTER CHARGES:

Lisa Michele Kinard, 47, of 200 Woodbury Court, West Columbia, was arrested at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday for driving under suspension and possession of marijuana.

An officer pulled over a dark blue Nissan Versa on Myrtle Street that matched the description of a reported breach of trust vehicle. While the officer was questioning the suspect, she said her license was suspended.

The officer searched the vehicle to find three glass crack pipes and a metal screw used as a push rod. The officer also found a visible open

Bud Light beer can.

Brandon Reynardo Glover, 28, of 220 Patton Drive, was arrested Monday and charged with criminal domestic violence. At 5:15 p.m., Glover reportedly argued with a 27-year-old woman on the phone, then met her in a parking lot in the first block of Alice Drive, struck and choked her. The woman declined medical attention.

Tarus Leroy Bradley, 39, of 26 Rast St., Apt. 18, was arrested Monday and charged with shoplifting, possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug par-

| aphernalia. At 7:15 p.m., Bradley reportedly put on a pair of brown coveralls in a store in the 1200 block of Broad Street and attempted to leave without paying for the item.

In his pockets were reportedly found a small piece of crack cocaine, three packs of burnable DVDs and two packs of socks, as well as a wad of copper wool, a piece of black rubber tubing, two cigarette lighters and a razor blade. The value of the stolen items is listed as $141.

Devin Rodriguez, 23, of 425 Havenwood

Drive, Sumter, was charged with possession of crack cocaine, second offense, after an incident that reportedly occurred about 4 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Artesian Drive and Country Springs Road. According to the report, law enforcement noticed a quantity of suspected crack cocaine between the suspect and a 31-year-old man. Both denied ownership.

nue about 3:39 p.m. Friday.

Two pool tables, 24 pool cues and a Ms. PacMan gaming machine were reportedly taken from a business in the 400 block of Broad Street at 1 p.m. Monday.

The items are valued at $5,560.

EMS:

On Monday, Sumter County Emergency Medical Services responded to 44 calls. Of those, 39 were medical calls, three were motor-vehicle wrecks, one was a fire stand-by, and one was “other trauma.�

he Sumter County Delinquent Tax Sale A white 2006 Chevrolet Impala valued at has been postponed $5,000 was reportedly stolen from the 900 until block of Manning AveFebruary 12, 2014.

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NATION

THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

NYC train derailment fuels questions about technology YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — The revelation that a New York City commuter train derailed while barreling around a sharp curve at nearly three times the speed limit is fueling questions about whether automated crash-avoidance technology could have prevented the carnage.

Safety officials for decades have championed what’s known as positive train control technology, which uses GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor trains and stop them from colliding, derailing or going the wrong way. But the railroad industry has sought to postpone having to install the systems because of the high cost and technological issues.

Investigators haven’t yet determined whether the weekend wreck, which killed four people and injured more than 60 others, was the result of human error or mechanical trouble. But some safety experts said the tragedy might not have happened if MetroNorth Railroad had the

A train passes by the scene of repair efforts at the site of a train derailment in the Bronx borough of New York on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board said as of Tuesday it doesn’t know whether faulty brakes or human error caused Sunday’s derailment.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

technology, and a lawmaker said the derailment underscored the need for it. “This incident, if anything, heightens the importance of additional safety measures, like that one,� said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, which also is served by Metro-North. “I’d be very loath to be more flexible or grant more time.�

The train was going 82 mph as it entered a 30 mph turn Sunday morning and ran off the track, National Transportation Safety Board member

Earl Weener said Monday. He cited information extracted from the train’s two data recorders; investigators also began interviewing the train’s crew.

The speed stunned officials — “I gulped,�

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said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. “Certainly we want to

make sure that that operator is disciplined in an appropriate way.

There’s such a gross deviation from the norm that there may be other agencies that also want to take a look at his behavior in operating the train,� Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. “That amount of speed is certainly unjustifiable.�

Union leader Anthony Bottalico said he was confident the investigation would reveal there was no criminal intent. “At this point in time, we can’t tell� whether the answer is faulty brakes or a human mistake, Weener said.

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THE ITEM

A5

Fertility doctors aim to lower rate of twin births

BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer BOSTON — In the five years since the “Octomom� case, big multiple births have gone way down, but the twin rate has barely budged. Now fertility experts are pushing a new goal: One. A growing number of couples are attempting pregnancy with just a single embryo, helped by new ways to pick the ones most likely to succeed. New guidelines urge doctors to stress this approach.

Twins aren’t always twice as nice; they have much higher risks of prematurity and serious health problems.

Nearly half of all babies born with advanced fertility help are multiple births, new federal numbers show.

Abigail and Ken Ernst of Oldwick, N.J., used the one-embryo approach to conceive Lucy, a daughter born in September. It “just seemed the most normal, the most natural way� to conceive and avoid a high-risk twin pregnancy, the new mom said.

Not all couples feel that way, though. Some can only afford one try with in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, so they insist that at least two embryos be used to boost their odds, and they view twins as two for the price of one.

Many patients “are telling their physicians

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ken Ernst and his wife, Abigail Ernst, are seen with their 2-month-old daughter, Lucy, in their Oldwick, N.J., home on Nov. 21. The couple conceived Lucy by using only one embryo through in-vitro fertilization. With nearly half of all babies born using advanced fertility help being multiple births, doctors are now urging more couples to attempt pregnancy with just a single embryo.

‘I want twins,’� said Barbara Collura, president of Resolve, a support and advocacy group. “We as a society think twins are healthy and always come out great. There’s very little reality� about the increased medical risks for babies and moms, she said.

The 2009 case of a California woman who had octuplets using IVF focused attention on the issue of big multiple births, and the numbers have dropped, except for twins.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent numbers show that 46 percent of IVF babies are multiples — mostly

twins — and 37 percent are born premature. By comparison, only 3 percent of babies born without fertility help are twins, and about 12 percent are preterm.

It’s mostly an American problem — some European countries that pay for fertility treatments require using one embryo at a time.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is trying to make it the norm in the U.S., too. Its guidelines, updated earlier this year, say that for women with reasonable medical odds of success, those under 35 should be offered single-embryo transfer

and no more than two at a time. The number rises with age, to two or three embryos for women up to 40, since older women have more trouble conceiving.

To add heft to the advice, the guidelines say women should be counseled on the risks of multiple births and embryo transfers and that this discussion should be noted in their medical records. “In 2014, our goal is really to minimize twins,� said Dr. Alan Copperman, medical director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, a Manhattan fertility clinic. “This year I’m talking about two versus one. Several years ago I was talking about three versus two� embryos.

The one-at-a-time idea is catching on.

Only 4 percent of women under 35 used single embryos in 2007, but nearly 12 percent did in 2011. It’s less common among older women, who account for fewer IVF pregnancies, but it is gaining among them, too. “Patients don’t real-

ly want multiples.

What they want is high delivery rates,� said Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr., scientific director for Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, which has seven clinics in that state.

Better ways to screen embryos can make success rates for single embryos nearly as good as when two or more are used, he contends. The new techniques include maturing the embryos a few days longer. That im-

proves viability and allows cells to be sampled for chromosome screening. Embryos can be frozen to allow test results to come back and more precisely time the transfer to the womb.

Taking these steps with single embryos results in fewer miscarriages and tubal pregnancies, healthier babies with fewer genetic defects and lower hospital bills from birth complications, many fertility specialists say.

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A6

LOCAL

THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

ORDINANCE from Page A1 into the ordinance. A developer can apply for a waiver, for example, that will meet the same ends without strictly following the ordinance’s standards.

“We want to have a minimum standard, but if someone has a good idea, we want to be able to react to it,” he said.

He also stressed the new standards will only apply to new developments or businesses renovating long-vacant structures, not existing businesses or individual residences.

“But I don’t want to gloss over it,” McGregor said.

“For some developers, it will cost more.”

While the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce doesn’t take a position on the ordinance, president Grier Blackwelder spoke about the impact he worries it could have on economic development.

“Is now the time to enact something like this, when the economy has not yet fully recovered?” he said.

McGregor did say the proposal uses a “sliding scale” approach to businesses moving into currently vacant structures, so the amount of money they are

SESSION from Page A1 address ethics reform — a bill for which Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said he would also like to see a resolution during General Assembly.

“The ethics bill was passed by the House and is now in the Senate,” Smith said. “I know the governor’s office is pushing really hard, and we’d like to see completion to the ethics reform bill.”

Smith also prefiled Tuesday for different issues people have brought to his attention as well.

Some of those concerns include moped operation in speed limits more than 45 mph (H. 4389), 4 percent tax exemption by reason of criminal or domestic violence or legal separation from a

Sumter City Council Ordinance Status

spouse (H. 4363) and sending tax bills by Oct. 15 each year as opposed to receiving them in the mail in mid-November (H. 4381).

State Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter said he is currently working on a bill that concerns individuals who commit crimes while out on bond for other charges.

McElveen said he thinks he’ll receive a lot of support for the bill during General Assembly.

“What I’m hoping it’ll do is address folks getting out on bond and committing major crime while they’re out,” McElveen explained. “The bill would be an enhancement that would enforce additional

Ordinance

1st Reading

;

PD-06-10 (rev. 4): Request to revise the established townhouse development standards for the Pocalla Springs Planned Development

Nov. 19: Approved unanimously

2479: Adoption of the CDBG Entitlement Budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15

Nov. 19: Approved unanimously

; ;

OA-12-13: Amendments to portions of the Nov. 19: Approved Sumter Zoning and Development Standards unanimously pertaining to landscaping.

required to spend on landscaping is proportional to what they spend on the rest of the building.

That would hopefully

charges if a crime is committed while on bond.”

Along with these issues, Johnson, Smith and McElveen said they expect to see many other bills proposed by their colleagues and also plan to address a few other concerns of their own.

Smith is looking for a bill concerning mili-

Public Hearing

Held at the Nov. 19 Dec. 3: Approved meeting unanimously

Not necessary

Held at the Dec. 3 meeting.

prevent the standards from being a drag on new businesses.

Council took no action on the proposed ordinance

tary members who are away and can’t sell their homes to pass through the Senate pretty quickly, he said.

The next day for the House to prefile legislation is Dec. 10, and prefiling dates for the Senate are scheduled for Dec. 10 and 17.

Reach Raytevia Evans at (803) 7741214.

2nd Reading

Dec. 3: Approved unanimously

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Tuesday. Second and final reading is expected at its Dec. 17 meeting.

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OPINION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM

A7

To submit a letter to the editor, e-mail letters@theitem.com COMMENTARY

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Blacks and Obama

I

n a March 2008 column, I criticized pundits’ concerns about whether America was ready for Barack Obama, suggesting that the more important issue was whether black people could afford Obama. I proposed that we look at it in the context of a historical tidbit.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson, after signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization, broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. He encountered open racist taunts and slurs from fans, opposing team players and even some members of his own team. Despite that, his batting average was nearly .300 in his first year. He led the National League in Walter stolen WILLIAMS bases and won the first Rookie of the Year award.

There’s no sense of justice that requires a player be as good as Robinson in order to have a chance in the major leagues, but the hard fact of the matter is that as the first black player, he had to be.

In 1947, black people could not afford an incompetent black baseball player. Today we can. The simple reason is that as a result of the excellence of Robinson — and many others who followed him, such as Satchel Paige, Don Newcombe, Larry Doby and Roy Campanella — today no one in his right mind, watching the incompetence of a particular black player, could say, “Those blacks can’t play baseball.”

In that March 2008 column, I argued that for the nation — but more importantly, for black people — the first black president should be the caliber of a Jackie Robinson, and Barack Obama is not.

Obama has charisma and charm, but in terms of character, values, experience and understanding, he is no Jackie Robinson. In addition to those deficiencies, Obama became the first person in U.S. history to be elected to the highest office in the land while having a long history of associations with people who hate our nation, such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s pastor for 20 years, who preached that blacks should sing not “God bless America” but “God damn America.” Then there’s Obama’s association

with William Ayers, formerly a member of the Weather Underground, an anti-U.S. group that bombed the Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and other government buildings.

Ayers, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, told a New York Times reporter, “I don’t regret setting bombs. ...

I feel we didn’t do enough.”

Obama’s electoral success is truly a remarkable commentary on the goodness of the American people. A 2008 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reported “that 17 percent were enthusiastic about Obama being the first African American President, 70 percent were comfortable or indifferent, and 13 percent had reservations or were uncomfortable.” I’m 77 years old.

For almost all of my life, a black’s becoming the president of the United States was at best a pipe dream.

Obama’s electoral success further confirms what I’ve often held: The civil rights struggle in America is over, and it’s won. At one time, black Americans did not have the constitutional guarantees enjoyed by white Americans; now we do. The fact that the civil rights struggle is over and won does not mean that there are not major problems confronting many members of the black community, but they are not civil rights problems and have little or nothing to do with racial discrimination.

There is every indication to suggest that Obama’s presidency will be seen as a failure similar to that of Jimmy Carter’s. That’s bad news for the nation but especially bad news for black Americans. No white presidential candidate had to live down the disgraced presidency of Carter, but I’m all too fearful that a future black presidential candidate will find himself carrying the heavy baggage of a failed black president.

That’s not a problem for white liberals who voted for Obama — they received their one-time guilt-relieving dose from voting for a black man to be president — but it is a problem for future generations of black Americans. But there’s one excuse black people can make; we can claim that Obama is not an authentic black person but, as The New York Times might call him, a white black person.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR There is still a reason for the season Well, it’s Christmas time children and I understand the stores around this old town are having a blowout sale tomorrow. So I did some checking and the rumors I heard were true; seems like every store in town is offering a bargain. My goodness, the store on Main Street is offering a 50 percent-off sale, and the store on Yonder Street is offering a discount on everything in the store, and then there’s old Mr. Brundy’s store, he is offering free eats for anyone shopping there. Pig picking is what I heard. Sure does sound good.

Yes sir, sounds like there are a lot of good bargains to be had out there if one dares to wander outside and fight the crowds. I heard it might even snow tomorrow. Now you talk about throwing a kink into things; I almost burst into laughter just imagining such a sight. Snow and crowds and cars on the slick streets this far south, what a mess. Well, think I’ll just sit here by the old fireplace and finish carving out these last few presents for the young folks in the family.

The way I see it, not much of a sale anyway unless it’s free. Now I know most people just view me as an old man without a whole lot to offer. And 99 percent of those proclaim there is nothing free in this old world anymore (like they ever thought there was). And I would agree except for one thing, I still believe there is a reason for the season. Just today I saw a group of kids singing carols at a nursing home.

Seems to me that the love

shown by those kids didn’t cost those elderly folks a dime.

And believe it or not, this evening, Mrs. Grady came by the apartment building and brought several pies over for the minister to take to the church for dinner tomorrow.

Guessing the minister was sure thankful for those free pies. I happened to pass the minister as he was thanking her for the pies and apologizing for being in a hurry.

WINFRED WILLIAMS Dalzell

Editor’s note: Because this letter exceeded the 350-word length as stated in our Editorial Page Policies which appears regularly on this page, it can be read in its entirety under Opinion on The Item’s website, www. theitem.com.

‘Dream Snatcher’ spoils hopes of football teams What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore — and then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over — like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or, does it explode?

These famous words were written by the great Mr. Langston Hughes. We have all dreamt of different things in our lives and some of them, if not most of them, have never come to pass. We dream of fame and fortune, world peace according to all of the Ms. America contestants, and even something as simple as a new bicycle under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. When most of our dreams don’t come true, we usually just dismiss it as something that

just wasn’t meant to be.

Sometimes however, we literally get our dreams snatched away from us right before our very eyes.

In my opinion, that is exactly what happened when “The Dream Snatcher” himself showed up in Sumter this school year. I refer to him as the “Dream Snatcher” because this man had spoiled the hopes and dreams of several highly reputable football coaches and teams throughout the state of South Carolina. The man in which I am referring to is none other than Coach Reginald Kennedy, head coach of the South Carolina 4A state bound Sumter Gamecocks.

It all started back on Nov. 15 when a high scoring, super-fast, quarterback of the century team paid him a visit at Memorial Stadium, Freddie Solomon field. This team was highly favored (even by some Sumter residents) to march into Sumter and put up the same amount of points against the Gamecocks as they had the previous week against Boiling Springs in a 81-70 victory.

Apparently no one ever questioned why it was that the Mauldin Mavericks were in Sumter as opposed to us visiting their turf. It was because we were a higher seed than them in spite of their outstanding quarterback Dre Massey.

MARK OUSLEY Sumter

Editor’s note: Because this letter exceeded the 350-word length as stated in our Editorial Page Policies which appears regularly on this page, it can be read in its entirety under Opinion on The Item’s website, www. theitem.com.

EDITORIAL PAGE POLICIES EDITORIALS represent the views of the owners of this newspaper.

COLUMNS AND COMMENTARY are the personal opinion of the writer whose byline appears. Columns from readers should be typed, double-spaced and no more than 850 words. Send them to The Item, Opinion Pages, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, or email to hubert@theitem.com or graham@theitem.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are written by readers of the newspaper. They should be no more than 350 words and sent via e-mail to letters@theitem.com, dropped of at The Item oice, 20 N. Magnolia St. or mailed to The Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, along with the full name of the writer, plus an address and telephone number for veriication purposes only. Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety online at http://www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor.

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HUBERT D. OSTEEN JR. | EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

Founded October 15, 1894 20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150

|

N.G. OSTEEN 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

H.G. OSTEEN 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. OSTEEN 1904-1987 The Item

MARGARET W. OSTEEN 1908-1996 The Item

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THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

CARSON from Page A1 words, Carson spoke as son said that he chooses if directly to the students to simply ignore them of Wilson Hall, expressbecause he “does not reing the importance of spect them.” education and how they But Carson gained should gain perspective plenty of attention beof the world. fore all the political criti“So many people gain cism, because of his their perspective of the well-known life story on world through televihow he dealt with povsion,” Carson said. “Peo- erty, the divorce of his ple who are not well inparents, his devastating formed and well educat- temper and loss of his ed are people who are dream. Still, he, with the easily led, and television help of his mother, estakes advantage of that caped poverty and soon in many different ways performed the first surin terms of creating apgical separation of conpetites for things you re- joined twins. ally don’t need.”

“I remember as a Most of Carson’s nine-year-old looking to speech revolved around the building across the his ideas about what street of which all the could help create a betwindows were broken as ter future for the counthe sun streamed try, ideas expressed in through,” Carson said. his latest book “America “It was the sunbeam the Beautiful: Discoverthat made me think ing What Made This Na- about my future, thinktion Great.” In the book, ing that it would be unhe expresses concern likely to live to be 25 about how the country years of age because seems to be heading tothat’s what I saw around ward what it once stood me.” against, a nation where In preparation for the government is in conspeech, Wilson Hall stutrol. dents watched “Gifted “A lot of people came Hands,” a biographical to this country from film about Carson’s life other places because based on the book of the they were trying to essame name. During the cape from people who speech, Moulton stated told them what they the students applauded could say, three ‘The only times what they could do,” during barrier between certain Carson said. “The moments a free people and of the only barrier befilm. a tyrannical “His tween a free peospeech society is courage.’ was very ple and a tyrannical enjoysociety is able,” said courage.”

Wilson Dr. Ben Carson Hall seCarson has been nior Wila person liam Kinof interest among politi- ney. “I’ve read his book, cal conservatives since and it’s definitely one of his criticism of President my favorites.”

Obama’s health care “He is really inspirapolicies during the National,” said Wilson Hall tional Prayer Breakfast senior Hazel Gray Hudearlier this year. Since son. “I want to be a docthen, Carson has not tor, but I’m insecure been shy about express- about whether I’ll be ing his political opingood or not. I wanted to ions, openly acknowllisten to what he had to edging that he’s politisay and find inspiration cally incorrect. In fact, to follow my dream.” he stated during his Hundreds of attendspeech that political ees lined up outside the correctness is a problem Nash Student Center for in the nation and adCarson to sign copies of dressed how secular his books. Carson will progressives are “trying release a new book titled to drive God out of our “One Nation” in May country.”

2014.

“You always see secuNow retired, Carson lar progressives call peo- said he plans on conple names and try to tinuing to travel the create all the hatred, country to spread his and they don’t want a messages and his hope. civil discussion,” Carson Before ending his said. “That’s how imma- speech, one of Carson’s ture people deal with final pieces of advice for things.” the students was that His political views “now is the time to prehave no doubt drawn pare for the future.” criticism from the liberal Reach Tyler Simpson side of politics, but Carat (803) 774-1295.

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TODAY

TONIGHT

70°

THURSDAY 74°

795-4257

FRIDAY

SATURDAY 73°

77°

56° 60°

63°

48°

Mainly clear

Partly sunny and pleasant

Mostly cloudy and very warm

Mainly cloudy with showers

A couple of afternoon showers possible

Winds: SSW 4-8 mph

Winds: SSW 4-8 mph

Winds: SSW 7-14 mph

Winds: SSW 8-16 mph

Winds: WSW 7-14 mph

Winds: ENE 4-8 mph

Chance of rain: 15%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 85%

Chance of rain: 55%

Sumter through 4 p.m. yesterday

Temperature High ............................................... 63° Low ................................................ 48° Normal high ................................... 60° Normal low ..................................... 36° Record high ....................... 80° in 1991 Record low ......................... 15° in 1960

Greenville 64/58

Gaffney 64/55 Spartanburg 65/58

Precipitation

Bishopville 70/56

24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest. ............ trace Month to date ............................... trace Normal month to date ................. 0.30" Year to date ............................... 45.64" Normal year to date .................. 43.90"

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

Full 7 a.m. 24-hr pool yest. chg 360 350.13 +0.04 76.8 74.27 +0.02 75.5 73.29 -0.01 100 96.97 -0.05

River Black River Congaree River Lynches River Saluda River Up. Santee River Wateree River

Full pool 12 19 14 14 80 24

City Aiken Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia

Today Hi/Lo/W 72/56/pc 62/52/pc 68/58/c 73/56/pc 75/58/pc 65/59/pc 75/59/pc 64/57/pc 66/58/c 72/57/pc

7 a.m. yest.

4.68 5.60 4.49 5.88 80.12 9.30

24-hr chg +0.10 -0.20 +0.08 -1.42 -0.48 none

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 75/58/pc 68/58/pc 70/61/pc 76/59/pc 77/61/pc 68/60/pc 77/62/pc 71/60/pc 71/62/pc 74/59/pc

Columbia 72/57 Today: More clouds than sun.

Thursday: Some sun with a shower possible.

Dec. 9 Last

Dec. 17 New

Dec. 25

Jan. 1

Myrtle Beach 71/59

Manning 73/57

Shown is today’s weather.

Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Aiken 72/56 Charleston 75/59

The following tide table lists times for Myrtle Beach.

Wed.

Forecasts and graphics provided

by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2013 Today Hi/Lo/W 69/56/pc 63/54/pc 70/56/pc 70/56/pc 70/58/pc 79/59/pc 65/55/pc 67/56/pc 74/59/pc 61/55/pc

Full

Florence 70/58

Sumter 70/56

Today: Partly sunny with a stray shower.

High 68 to 74.

Thursday: Partly sunny and nice. High 72 to 77.

City Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville Florence Gainesville Gastonia Goldsboro Goose Creek Greensboro

First Sunrise today .......................... 7:11 a.m.

Sunset tonight ......................... 5:12 p.m.

Moonrise today ....................... 8:39 a.m.

Moonset today ........................ 7:18 p.m.

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 74/60/pc 72/59/pc 76/61/pc 75/61/pc 76/62/pc 81/62/pc 71/61/pc 76/61/pc 77/63/pc 69/59/pc

Thu.

City Greenville Hickory Hilton Head Jacksonville, FL La Grange Macon Marietta Marion Mount Pleasant Myrtle Beach

Today Hi/Lo/W 64/58/pc 61/54/pc 70/57/pc 77/58/pc 72/59/c 75/60/pc 68/60/c 63/52/pc 74/60/pc 71/59/pc

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 70/59/pc 68/59/pc 72/62/pc 80/59/pc 73/64/pc 75/59/pc 72/63/pc 70/59/pc 76/64/pc 73/61/pc

High Ht. 9:46 a.m.....3.8 9:58 p.m.....3.2 10:40 a.m.....3.8 10:53 p.m.....3.1

City Orangeburg Port Royal Raleigh Rock Hill Rockingham Savannah Spartanburg Summerville Wilmington Winston-Salem

Low Ht. 3:57 a.m....-0.8 4:45 p.m....-0.5 4:49 a.m....-0.7 5:37 p.m....-0.5

Today Hi/Lo/W 73/57/pc 73/58/pc 64/55/pc 65/55/pc 67/55/pc 75/58/pc 65/58/pc 71/56/pc 71/57/pc 61/55/pc

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 75/60/pc 75/61/pc 73/61/pc 72/59/pc 74/59/pc 78/60/pc 71/61/pc 73/62/pc 77/61/pc 71/61/pc

Shown are today’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Stationary front

Cold front Showers Rain T-storms Snow Flurries

Ice

Warm front

Today Thu. Today Thu. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Albuquerque 59/35/pc 41/25/sh Las Vegas 47/32/c 42/30/pc Anchorage 25/20/pc 32/28/c Los Angeles 62/44/pc 58/42/pc Atlanta 70/61/c 73/63/pc Miami 81/70/s 82/72/pc Baltimore 54/47/c 65/50/sh Minneapolis 31/11/sn 16/-1/c Boston 46/40/pc 56/43/c New Orleans 77/68/pc 78/69/c Charleston, WV 66/54/c 67/45/r New York 52/49/pc 62/51/c Charlotte 64/57/pc 71/60/pc Oklahoma City 49/27/pc 33/18/sn Chicago 54/29/c 34/20/c Omaha 29/12/sf 20/3/pc Cincinnati 64/51/c 55/35/r Philadelphia 55/48/pc 65/50/sh Dallas 72/42/pc 44/28/r Phoenix 65/46/pc 58/35/c Denver 13/-5/sn 13/-14/c Pittsburgh 57/52/c 59/38/sh Des Moines 35/17/c 22/7/pc St. Louis 59/31/c 35/21/sn Detroit 53/41/c 45/28/c Salt Lake City 24/10/sn 22/10/pc Helena 4/-13/pc 2/-14/pc San Francisco 52/37/pc 50/39/pc Honolulu 82/65/s 82/66/s Seattle 37/24/pc 35/26/pc Indianapolis 61/40/c 44/27/r Topeka 37/18/c 25/12/pc Kansas City 37/19/c 25/12/pc Washington, DC 57/52/c 67/50/sh Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice

others do and say. Avoid ARIES (March 21-April 19): the last word in astrology being pulled into Clear your head regarding something you don’t want situations that are costing eugenia LAST to be part of. Change can you. Re-address whatever be good, but must be situation you face so you based on your needs, not can make a change that what everyone else wants. will help distance you from anyone causing you grief.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Organization will lead to victory. An opportunity to work TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Love, family and alongside someone you admire will help you gatherings will lift your spirits. Make romantic grow personally, and raise your interest in plans or focus on a creative endeavor that following through with your own goals. excites you. Travel plans can be made.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Check out the GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make changes that possibilities and consider ways to advance, but will help a friend or support an organization don’t step on someone’s toes. You’re likely to you believe in. Trust in what you know and can get into a debate if you haven’t been mindful of do, not in what someone else promises you. others.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Set goals and head to CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Step into the the finish line. This can turn out to be a highly spotlight and make alterations that will ensure auspicious period for you with regard to love, your success. Your ability to get things done will money and contracts if you make decisions encourage others to step up and lend you a based on your needs. hand.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let personal matters AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): False information is stand between you and professional apparent. Speak on your own behalf. Don’t let responsibilities. Get down to business and anyone take advantage of you. Use charm and consider offers that have the potential to intelligence to get out of a sticky situation. change your course in life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Deals can be made VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Socializing and and financial benefits put into place. Let networking in order to get what you want intuition lead you to new and exciting ventures should highlight your day. Do research and that are based on knowledge and know-how make your choices based on facts and figures. you’ve acquired in the past.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Sit back, watch what

PICK 3 TUESDAY: 3-9-0 AND 0-1-9 PICK 4 TUESDAY: 5-0-0-2 AND 0-1-9-0 PALMETTO CASH 5 TUESDAY: 3-5-25-30-35 POWERUP: 3 MEGAMILLIONS NUMBERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME

FOR SATURDAY: 5-26-44-45-57 POWERBALL: 29

pictures from the public

Thomas Lighty, 6, reads his autographed copy of “Gifted Hands” while waiting for the book’s author, Dr. Ben Carson, to speak to a full house at Wilson Hall on Tuesday.

TOWN OF LYNCHBURG PLANNING COMMISSION Today, 4 p.m., town hall

56°

Partly sunny and warm

MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

PUBLIC AGENDA

SUNDAY

62°

| Norm Nichol took this picture of an indigo bunting as it was eating from a feeder in his yard.

Have you visited someplace interesting, exciting, beautiful or historical that you’ve taken some pictures of?

Would you like to share those images with your fellow Item readers?

E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandrah@ theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150.

Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include selfaddressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only.

SPORTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM To contact the Sports Department, call (803) 774-1241 or e-mail sports@theitem.com

Coleman’s career-high lifts Clemson past S.C. State

A matter of opinion Talk of competing for state title now reality for Sumter

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com When Reggie Kennedy started working with his first Sumter High School football team in the spring of this year, he told his players the ultimate goal was to win the state championship.

That, of course, is a KENNEDY goal set by every team at the start of the season, but for some it is more realistic than DUBOSE others.

While SHS has a rich tradition in football, he was inheriting a program that had suffered three straight losing seasons.

“During the spring I thought we could do it,” said center Tee Dubose.

“Then when we won all of our preseason scrim-

Rivals left wanting more from season

W

hat a good, but very, very odd, time it is for the football programs at South Carolina and Clemson.

For USC, the success it is enjoying right now is unprecedented. The Gamecocks are a bowl victory away from a third straight 11win season, Dennis and the BRUNSON year before that run started, they won nine game and the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division championship.

As for Clemson, the only thing that trumps the stretch it is going through now is when some guy named Danny Ford was SEE RIVALS, PAGE B7

mages I felt even better about our chances. I thought we could come out and have a real strong season.”

Then the regular season started with a fifth straight loss to Crestwood After a win over Lakewood, three straight losses followed seven games into the season, Sumter was 2-5 overall, 0-1 in Region VI-4A, and the idea of making the 4A Division I state playoffs was questionable and playing for the state title was a pipe dream.

“At that point, I thought we weren’t going to make it,” said senior defensive end Ramero Rock.

Yet seven straight victories and three playoff wins that each included a rally from at least a 14point deficit later, and the Gamecocks are playing Dutch Fork for the state title on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

SEE SHS, PAGE B3

B1

BY GREG WALLACE The Associated Press

GWIN DAVIS / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM

Sumter quarterback James Barnes (10) has helped lead the Gamecocks to the 4A Division I state championship game against Dutch Fork on Saturday at WilliamsBrice Stadium in Columbia. First-year head coach Reggie Kennedy came in talking about winning a state title, but a 2-5 start dimmed those aspirations. However, SHS has reeled off seven straight victories to reach the title game.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE Tickets for the 4A Division I state championship football game between Sumter High School and Dutch Fork and seats on a bus going to the game are currently on sale at Sumter High.

The game will be played on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia beginning at 6 p.m.

Tickets for the game are $10 per person. Seats on the bus are $15 per person and that includes a game ticket.

Game tickets can be purchased at the school’s main office. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

CLEMSON — Devin Coleman made the most of his first career start Tuesday night, and Clemson was better for it.

The sophomore guard scored a career-high 16 points, and Clemson overcame early sluggishness for a 65-49 win over South Carolina State at Littlejohn COLEMAN Coliseum.

Clemson improved to 7-1, while South Carolina State fell to 2-6. Sophomore forward Landry Nnoko had his second career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. S.C. State was led by junior guard Devin Joint’s nine points.

The Tigers travel to Arkansas Saturday, while S.C. State hosts Georgia Southern.

Clemson fought through some early offensive struggles to take a 34-31 halftime lead on junior guard Rod Hall’s

To purchase bus seats, call the athletic office at (803) 481-4480 or at (803) 406-0548.

SEE CLEMSON, PAGE B2

Tigers, Swinney looking ahead to postseason

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press CLEMSON— Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is focused on getting his 13th-ranked Tigers ready for the postseason after another disappointing end to the regular season — something he’s SWINNEY knows all too well with his team’s fivegame losing streak to No. South Carolina in season finales.

Swinney has had some solid results picking up his team in recent years.

In 2011, the Tigers followed a loss to the Gamecocks with a victory over Virginia Tech to win the school’s first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 20 years. A season ago, Clemson rebounded from a South Carolina loss with a memora-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, center, is tackled by South Carolina’s T. J. Holloman (11) during the Gamecocks’ 31-17 victory on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The 10-2 Tigers are now turning their focus to their potential BCS bowl game.

ble, 25-24 comeback to topple LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

Swinney expects his players’ pride t once again to rise to the forefront this postseason following Saturday night’s 31-17 defeat in the rivalry game.

“This football team is about the right

things,” Swinney said.

“We’re building a great football team one season at a time and we’ve got to keep grinding, keep growing, keep believing.”

That might be hard for some outside observes and even Clemson fans after the latest meltdown against

the Gamecocks. The Tigers had six turnovers, four of them in the final quarter after the team had rallied from 10-points down to tie the game at 17all.

The game was seen as a way for Clemson to regain some swagger and confidence

after the mid-season debacle where No. 1 Florida State put up the most points an opponent has ever scored at Death Valley in a 5-14 beatdown that cost them a chance at another ACC title.

“Got two painful losses and we can’t ignore that,” Swinney said. “We can’t make it feel like we’re a bunch of failures either. It’s hard to win and as we catch our breath and step back, we’ve got to celebrate the success that we had and not dwell on and magnify the couple of failures.”

Swinney his team’s mood was understandably down when he met with them Sunday. He urged them to take the time away from the field — Clemson won’t find out its bowl destination or opponent until Sunday — to shore up academics, watch the SEE TIGERS, PAGE B7

Ellington back with USC after football

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina head coach Frank Martin, left, will have Bruce Ellington available for the Gamecocks’ game against No. 9 Oklahoma State on Friday. Ellington returned to the team on Tuesday with the football team now taking a break as it awaits its bowl destination. When Ellington is finished with his wide receiver duties, he will be with the basketball team full time.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina leading receiver Bruce Ellington returned to basketball practice and is expected to play when the Gamecocks travel to No. 9 Oklahoma State Friday night.

“Bruce is off the charts,” South CaroELLINGTON lina coach Frank Martin said Tuesday.

“Just him being at practice made our team better.”

Ellington has shuttled between

the football and basketball teams for the past three seasons. He had four catches for 51 yards last Saturday night as South Carolina closed its regular season with a 31-17 victory over rival Clemson.

Rarely one to sit still, Ellington called Martin Monday night and said he was ready to get back on the court. Ellington is a needed jolt of experience on a team that features eight new faces — seven of them freshmen.

And Martin said Ellington quickly showed the time away at football hadn’t dented his basketball savvy.

“Twenty minutes in, he al-

ready understood some of the things we’re doing differently better than some of the guys who’ve been here eight weeks,” Martin said.

Martin plans to call on Ellington’s leadership against the Cowboys.

The game is part of the Big 12SEC Challenge that continues this week. It’s only the second game South Carolina has played since Nov. 17 as Martin backloaded his schedule because of youth and his belief Villanova transfer Tyrone Johnson wouldn’t SEE ELLINGTON, PAGE B3

B2

SPORTS

THE ITEM

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO TODAY 1 p.m. -- NHL Hockey: Vancouver at Nashville (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

2:55 p.m. -- International Soccer: Barclays Premier League Match -- Everton vs. Manchester United (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

3 p.m. -- Women’s Professional Golf: Ladies European Tour Dubai Ladies Masters First Round from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (GOLF).

6:05 p.m. -- Talk Show: Sports Talk (WPUBFM 102.7, WDXY-FM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240).

7 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Maryland at Ohio State (ESPN).

7 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Wisconsin at Virginia (ESPN2).

7:30 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Northwestern at North Carolina State (ESPNU).

8 p.m. -- College Basketball: St. Joseph’s at Temple (ESPNEWS).

8 p.m. -- College Basketball: Pittsburgh at Villanova (FOX SPORTS 1).

8 p.m. -- NHL Hockey: Houston at Texas A&M (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

8 p.m. -- NHL Hockey: Philadelphia at Detroit (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

9 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- North Carolina at Michigan State (ESPN).

9 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Boston College at Purdue (ESPN2).

9:30 p.m. -- College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Miami at Nebraska (ESPNU).

9:30 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: San Antonio vs.

Minnesota from Mexico City (NBA TV).

Midnight -- Professional Golf: European PGA Tour/Asian Tour Hong Kong Open First Round from Fanling, China (GOLF).

4 a.m. -- Professional Golf: European PGA Tour/Sunshine Tour Nedbank Challenge First Round from Sun City, South Africa (GOLF).

PREP SCHEDULE TODAY Varsity and JV Basketball Hammond at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

Junior Varsity Basketball Lake City at Crestwood (Girls Only), 6 p.m.

B Team Basketball Lake City at Crestwood (Boys Only), 5 p.m.

Wilson Hall at Heathwood Hall, 5 p.m.

Varsity Bowling Laurence Manning at Thomas Sumter (at Gamecock Lanes), 5 p.m.

Varsity Wrestling Sumter, Swansea, Goose Creek at Summerville, TBA THURSDAY Varsity Basketball Thomas Sumter in Garden City Classic (in Augusta, Ga.), TBA Junior Varsity Basketball Crestwood at Sumter, 6 p.m.

Eau Claire at Lakewood, 6 p.m.

Timmonsville at Lee Central, 6 p.m.

B Team Basketball Crestwood at Sumter (Boys Only), 5 p.m.

Camden Military at Wilson Hall (Boys Only), 4:30 p.m.

Varsity Bowling Wilson Hall at Heathwood Hall (Royal Z Lanes), 5 p.m.

FRIDAY Varsity Basketball Sumter at Crestwood, 6 p.m.

Eau Claire at Lakewood, 6 p.m.

Manning at C.E. Murray, 6:30 p.m.

Lee Central at Timmonsville, 6 p.m.

Lake City at East Clarendon, 6:30 p.m.

Laurence Manning at Hilton Head Christian, TBA Thomas Sumter in Garden City Classic (in Augusta, Ga.), TBA B Team Basketball Cardinal Newman at Wilson Hall, 5 p.m.

St. John’s Christian at Clarendon Hall (Girls Only), 6 p.m.

Varsity Wrestling Sumter in Southern Slam (at Eastside High), TBA SATURDAY Varsity Basketball Lee Central at Lakewood, 6 p.m.

Laurence Manning at Hilton Hread Prep, TBA Manning at Scott’s Branch, 6:30 p.m.

Thomas Sumter in Garden City Classic (in Augusta, Ga.), TBA Varsity and JV Basketball Clarendon Hall at Covenant Christian, 2 p.m.

Sumter Christian at North Myrtle Beach Christian (No JV Girls), 1 p.m.

Varsity Wrestling Sumter in Southern Slam (at Eastside High), TBA

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Toronto 6 10 .375 – Boston 7 12 .368 1/2 Philadelphia 6 12 .333 1 Brooklyn 5 12 .294 11/2 New York 3 13 .188 3 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Miami 14 3 .824 – Washington 9 9 .500 51/2 Atlanta 9 10 .474 6 Charlotte 8 10 .444 61/2 Orlando 6 11 .353 8 Central Division W L Pct GB Indiana 16 2 .889 – Chicago 7 9 .438 8 Detroit 7 10 .412 81/2 Cleveland 5 12 .294 101/2 Milwaukee 3 13 .188 12 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB San Antonio 15 3 .833 – Houston 13 6 .684 21/2 Dallas 10 8 .556 5 New Orleans 9 8 .529 51/2 Memphis 8 8 .500 6 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Portland 15 3 .833 – Oklahoma City 12 3 .800 11/2 Denver 10 6 .625 4 Minnesota 9 10 .474 61/2 Utah 4 15 .211 111/2 Pacific Division W L Pct GB L.A. Clippers 12 6 .667 – Golden State 10 8 .556 2 Phoenix 9 8 .529 21/2 L.A. Lakers 9 9 .500 3 Sacramento 4 11 .267 61/2 Monday’s Games Washington 98, Orlando 80 New Orleans 131, Chicago 128,3OT San Antonio 102, Atlanta 100 Utah 109, Houston 103 Portland 106, Indiana 102 Tuesday’s Games Orlando at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Denver at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Milwaukee at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Detroit at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Charlotte at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Toronto at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

Today’s Games Denver at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Houston, 8 p.m.

Detroit at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Dallas at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Indiana at Utah, 9 p.m.

San Antonio vs. Minnesota at Mexico City, Mexico, 9:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Portland, 10 p.m.

| Thursday’s Games New York at Brooklyn, 7 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Miami at Chicago, 9:30 p.m.

NFL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA New England 9 3 0 .750 322 261 Miami 6 6 0 .500 252 248 N.Y. Jets 5 7 0 .417 189 310 Buffalo 4 8 0 .333 267 307 South W L T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 8 4 0 .667 285 274 Tennessee 5 7 0 .417 264 267 Jacksonville 3 9 0 .250 174 352 Houston 2 10 0 .167 230 323 North W L T Pct PF PA Cincinnati 8 4 0 .667 292 216 Baltimore 6 6 0 .500 249 235 Pittsburgh 5 7 0 .417 263 278 Cleveland 4 8 0 .333 231 297 West W L T Pct PF PA Denver 10 2 0 .833 464 317 Kansas City 9 3 0 .750 298 214 San Diego 5 7 0 .417 279 277 Oakland 4 8 0 .333 237 300 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA Dallas 7 5 0 .583 329 303 Philadelphia 7 5 0 .583 300 281 N.Y. Giants 5 7 0 .417 237 297 Washington 3 9 0 .250 269 362 South W L T Pct PF PA New Orleans 9 3 0 .750 312 230 Carolina 9 3 0 .750 285 157 Tampa Bay 3 9 0 .250 217 285 Atlanta 3 9 0 .250 261 340 North W L T Pct PF PA Detroit 7 5 0 .583 326 287 Chicago 6 6 0 .500 323 332 Green Bay 5 6 1 .458 294 305 Minnesota 3 8 1 .292 289 366 West W L T Pct PF PA x-Seattle 11 1 0 .917 340 186 San Francisco 8 4 0 .667 297 197 Arizona 7 5 0 .583 275 247 St. Louis 5 7 0 .417 279 278 x-clinched playoff spot Thursday’s Games Detroit 40, Green Bay 10 Dallas 31, Oakland 24 Baltimore 22, Pittsburgh 20 Sunday’s Games Minnesota 23, Chicago 20, OT New England 34, Houston 31 Indianapolis 22, Tennessee 14 Jacksonville 32, Cleveland 28 Carolina 27, Tampa Bay 6 Philadelphia 24, Arizona 21 Miami 23, N.Y. Jets 3 San Francisco 23, St. Louis 13 Atlanta 34, Buffalo 31, OT Cincinnati 17, San Diego 10 Denver 35, Kansas City 28 N.Y. Giants 24, Washington 17 Monday’s Game Seattle 34, New Orleans 7 Thursday, Dec. 5 Houston at Jacksonville, 8:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 8 Atlanta at Green Bay, 1 p.m.

Minnesota at Baltimore, 1 p.m.

Kansas City at Washington, 1 p.m.

Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Miami at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.

Detroit at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Cleveland at New England, 1 p.m.

Oakland at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.

Tennessee at Denver, 4:05 p.m.

Seattle at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at San Diego, 4:25 p.m.

St. Louis at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.

Carolina at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 9 Dallas at Chicago, 8:40 p.m.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 27 18 7 2 38 75 55 Montreal 28 16 9 3 35 76 59 Detroit 28 14 7 7 35 78 73 Tampa Bay 26 16 9 1 33 76 66 Toronto 27 14 10 3 31 75 73 Ottawa 27 10 13 4 24 78 90 Florida 27 7 15 5 19 59 91 Buffalo 28 6 20 2 14 48 85 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 28 18 9 1 37 86 64 Washington 27 14 11 2 30 82 78 N.Y. Rangers 28 14 14 0 28 62 71 New Jersey 28 11 12 5 27 61 67 Philadelphia 27 12 13 2 26 57 65 Carolina 27 10 12 5 25 57 78 Columbus 27 10 14 3 23 67 80 N.Y. Islanders 27 8 15 4 20 72 93 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 28 20 4 4 44 102 76 St. Louis 26 18 5 3 39 91 60 Colorado 25 19 6 0 38 76 52 Minnesota 29 16 8 5 37 70 67 Winnipeg 29 13 12 4 30 78 82 Nashville 27 13 11 3 29 62 75 Dallas 25 12 9 4 28 70 73 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA San Jose 26 18 3 5 41 92 60 Anaheim 29 18 7 4 40 91 77 Los Angeles 28 17 7 4 38 73 60 Phoenix 26 15 7 4 34 85 84 Vancouver 29 14 10 5 33 77 77 Calgary 26 9 13 4 22 70 93 Edmonton 28 9 17 2 20 73 95 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Monday’s Games Winnipeg 5, N.Y. Rangers 2 Montreal 3, New Jersey 2 Minnesota 2, Philadelphia 0 Los Angeles 3, St. Louis 2 Tuesday’s Games San Jose at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.

Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

Today’s Games Montreal at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Calgary, 10 p.m.

Thursday’s Games N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Toronto, 7 p.m.

San Jose at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Boston at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Carolina at Nashville, 8 p.m.

Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Colorado at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press BASEBALL Major League Baseball Players Association MLBPA EXECUTIVE BOARD — Named Tony Clark executive director.

American League CLEVELAND INDIANS — Promoted Lonnie Soloff to senior director of medical services.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

Lady Knights open season with big win BISHOPVILLE – The Crestwood High varsity girls basketball team opened its season with a 61-35 victory over Lee Central on Tuesday at the LCHS gymnasium.

Keanua Williams led the Lady Knights with 21 points and eight rebounds. Tyana Saunders added eight points followed by Ladazha Coles with seven.

Crestwood hosts Sumter on Friday.

CRESTWOOD Williams 21, Saunders 8, Coles 7, Pressley 6, McCray 6, Kelley 4, Murphy 4, Jenkins 2, Caesar 2, Wilson 1.

MANNING EAST CLARENDON

44 20

MANNING – Mahogany Green led all scorers with 12 points as Manning earned a 44-20 victory over East Clarendon on Tuesday at the John Thames Gymnasium.

Lanisha Brown added 10 points for the

GIRLS AREA ROUNDUP Lady Monarchs along with seven steals and five assists. Makeba Harvin had 10 rebounds and Kareena Hilton pulled down eight.

Quanisa Rhodes, Leslie Altman and Ty’Quasha Kennedy each led ECHS with five points.

MANNING Green 12, Brown 10, Walker 8, Harvin 6, Brunson 4, Canty 3, Manning 3.

EAST CLARENDON Rhodes 5, Altman 5, Kennedy 5, Barnes 3, Ricketts 2.

WILSON HALL CAROLINA ACADEMY

39 32

Hannah Jordan had 15 points to help lead Wilson Hall to a 39-32 victory over Carolina Academy on Tuesday at Nash Student Center.

Hayley Smoak added nine points for the Lady Barons, who improved to 3-0 and will host Hammond today.

WILSON HALL

|

Jordan 15, Smoak 9, L. Goodson 7, Zilch 6, Alderman 1, Belk 1.

CAROLINA ACADEMY H. Matthews 8, T. Gaskins 8, Morris 6, A. Gaskins 4, M. Matthews 4, Weaver 2.

JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL WILSON HALL 49 CAROLINA ACADEMY 7

Cori Moore scored 11 points as the Lady Barons improved to 3-0 on the season with a 49-7 victory over Carolina Academy on Tuesday at Nash Student Center.

Courtney Clark added eight points for Wilson Hall, who will host Hammond today.

SUMTER CHRISTIAN NEW PROSPECT

35 20

PAMPLICO – Susanna Hutson scored 11 points as the Sumter Christian School JV girls opened their season with a 35-20 victory over New Prospect on Monday at the New Prospect gymnasium.

Bailey Jackson added eight points for the Lady Bears while Madison Haselden led all scorers with 18 for New Prospect.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL HILLCREST 28 BATES 21

Jayla Bolden scored nine points and had 13 rebounds to help lead Hillcrest Middle School to a 28-21 victory over Bates on Monday at the Bates gymnasium.

Chazen Regalado and Elizabeth Johnson each had eight points for Hillcrest.

Kiara Jones led Bates with nine points and nine rebounds.

Alexis McCleod had five points and eight rebounds while Anya Bethea had three points and five rebounds.

BOYS AREA ROUNDUP

|

Bochette leads Barons past Carolina Blake Bochette scored 15 points and William Kinney added 10 as the Wilson Hall varsity boys basketball team defeated Carolina Academy 55-39 on Tuesday at Nash Student Center.

The Barons improved to 3-0 on the season and will host Hammond today.

WILSON HALL Bochette 15, Kinney 10, Carraway 7, Talley 5, Schwartz 5, Spittle 4, Ballard 4, Lowder 3.

CAROLINA ACADEMY Parker 12, Weaver 12, Floyd 6, Hill 4, Blue 2, Hill 2.

THOMAS SUMTER RICHARD WINN

57 51

WINNSBORO – Tanner Brunson scored 10 points as Thomas Sumter Academy earned a 57-51 victory over Richard Winn Academy on Tuesday at the Richard Winn gymnasium.

The Generals also earned a 51-44 overtime victory over Carolina Academy last week as TSA improved to 2-0. Jordan Smith had 23 points in that game followed by Brunson with 20.

TSA will compete in the Garden City Classic Tournament in Augusta, Ga., beginning Thursday against Augusta Prep.

THOMAS SUMTER Brunson 10, Smith 9, Single 9, Hoge 7, N. White 6, White 4, Drolls 4, Radle 2.

RICHARD WINN Pope 13, Cooper 13, Coleman 8, Gibbons 6, Golden 3, Pauley 2, Branham 2.

SUMTER CHRISTIAN NEW PROSPECT

86 30

PAMPLICO – TJ Barron had a game-high 20 points as Sumter Christian School earned an 86-30 victory over New Prospect on Monday at the New Prospect gymnasium.

Saquon Cole added 10 points for the Bears, who improved to 3-2. Jay Bailey led New Prospect with nine points.

JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL WILSON HALL CAROLINA ACADEMY

21 20

Jay Barnes had seven points and Chandler Stone added five as the JV Barons nipped Carolina Academy 21-20 on Tuesday at Nash Student Center to improve to 3-0.

Josh Weaver led the Bobcats with 14 points.

WH hosts Hammond today.

CRESTWOOD LEE CENTRAL

60 20

Tyquan Logan had 16 points to help led the Crestwood JV squad to a 60-20 victory over Lee Central on Monday at The Castle.

Ja Morant added 12 points for the Knights, who improved to 1-0 and will travel to Sumter on Thursday.

SUMTER CHRISTIAN NEW PROSPECT

54 37

PAMPLICO – Saquon Cole

scored a game-high 24 points as the Sumter Christian School JV squad earned a 54-37 victory over New Prospect on Monday at the New Prospect gymnasium.

Desmond Sigler added 12 points for the Bears, who improved to 3-1. Zachary Cagle led New Prospect with 17 points followed by Joby Cooper with 14.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHESTNUT OAKS LUGOFF-ELGIN

52 48

Cody McCoy scored 19 points as Chestnut Oaks Middle School earned a 52-48 season-opening victory over Lugoff-Elgin on Monday at the Chestnut Oaks gymnasium.

Dajon Butts added 15 points for Chestnut Oaks followed by Shannon Isaac with 10 and Javonte Singletary with five.

LEE CENTRAL WILLIAMS

60 35

FLORENCE – Torian WilsonBolden led three Lee Central Middle School players in double figures with 18 points in a 60-35 victory over Williams Middle on Monday at the Williams gymnasium.

Dayrice Boston had 15 points for Lee Central followed by Demarcus Smith with 11. Daequan Thomas added five steals and eight assists.

BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

|

Orangemen beat Hoosiers 69-52 SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Trevor Cooney scored 21 points, Tyler Ennis added 17 points and eight assists, and No. 4 Syracuse beat Indiana 69-52 in the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge on Tuesday.

scored 15 points and No. 21 Massachusetts won its first game in 15 years as a ranked team, a 69-57 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday.

(21) UMASS EASTERN MICHIGAN

CINCINNATI — Sean Kilpatrick scored 22 points on Tuesday and Ge’Lawn Guyn

YPSILANTI, Mich.

— Raphiel Putney

69 57

CINCINNATI USC UPSTATE

86 50

CLEMSON from Page B1 3-point play with 44 seconds left. The Tigers trailed 20-11 with 8:39 to play and got no production from leading scorer K.J. McDaniels.

But they finished the half on a 23-11 run, with nine points coming from Coleman.

Clemson started the second half on a 13-6 run to push the lead to double figures and kept it there the rest of the way.

Clemson built on its lead after halftime, using improved defense and solid post play from sophomore forwards Nnoko and Josh Smith. When the Bulldogs called for a timeout with 15:02 left, the Tigers led 44-37, with Nnoko scoring five of his team’s 10 points.

McDaniels’ first points of the game - a 3-pointer from the left wing - gave Clemson its first doubledigit lead of the game, at 47-37.

Six consecutive points from Smith and Nnoko extended the lead to 53-41 with 7:59 to play.

After shooting 45.2 percent in the first half, S.C. State made only five of its first 21 shots from the field after halftime, a 23.8 percent clip. The Bulldogs finished with just seven field goals for the second half,

had a career-high 15, leading Cincinnati to a 86-50 victory over USC Upstate.

VIRGINIA TECH WINTHROP

81 63

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Jarell Eddie scored a career-high 34 points and Virginia Tech outlasted Winthrop 81-63 Tuesday.

NBA

PISTONS HEAT

107 97

MIAMI — Kyle Singler scored 18 points to lead Detroit in double figures and the Pistons beat the Miami Heat 107-97 on Tuesday to snap the NBA champions’ 10-game winning streak.

From wire reports

CLEMSON 65, S.C. STATE 49 SC STATE (2-6) Hezekiah 3-11 1-2 7, Palmer 4-16 0-0 8, White 2-9 0-0 4, Smith 2-5 0-0 5, Joint 4-4 1-1 9, Kirksey 3-4 0-1 6, Adams 1-4 0-0 3, Myers 0-1 2-2 2, Wright 2-7 0-1 5, Radovic 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 4-7 49.

CLEMSON (7-1) Blossomgame 3-9 0-0 7, McDaniels 3-10 0-0 7, Nnoko 5-6 3-4 13, Hall 3-7 3-3 9, Coleman 5-11 3-4 16, Filer 0-0 0-0 0, Roper 1-5 0-0 3, Harrison 1-4 0-0 2, Smith 3-5 0-0 6, Djambo 0-0 0-0 0, Djitte 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 25-59 9-11 65.

Halftime_Clemson 34-31. 3-Point Goals_SC State 3-15 (Adams 1-2, Smith 1-4, Wright 1-5, Myers 0-1, White 0-1, Palmer 0-2), Clemson 6-19 (Coleman 3-7, Blossomgame 1-3, Roper 1-4, McDaniels 1-5). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_SC State 34 (Joint 7), Clemson 44 (Nnoko 13). Assists_SC State 6 (Joint 3), Clemson 12 (Hall, Roper 4). Total Fouls_SC State 10, Clemson 12. A_5,000.

shooting 23.3 percent for the half and 34 percent for the game.

The Tigers survived despite an off night from McDaniels, their leading scorer. The junior forward entered averaging 18.6 points per game and had scored at least 20 in five of Clemson’s seven games.

But he never got on track Tuesday, finishing with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds.

Coleman enjoyed his third consecutive doublefigure scoring night. After failing to score in Clemson’s first five games, he has become an important part of the Tigers’ guard rotation, scoring 10, 14 and 16 points in Clemson’s last three outings.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM

B3

ELLINGTON from Page B1 be allowed to play until mid-December.

The NCAA ruled Johnson eligible for the season the night before South Carolina’s opener on Nov. 9.

While Martin’s glad to have Ellington back, the coach’s is uncertain how long the point guard would be able to go at Oklahoma State.

Ellington wrapped up a football regular season where he topped the Gamecocks with 43 catches for 635 yards and six touchdowns. He had a 29-yard catch in the second quarter down to the Clemson 9 that led to a field goal and a 17-7 lead.

“What he does is pretty much not normal for most athletes, playing two sports the way he does with little time off before he goes back to the next one,” said Brenton Williams, third on the Gamecocks with 10.5 points a game. “He just has unlimited energy.”

Ellington starred at both sports at Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner. He started his South Carolina career just with the basketball team before deciding before his sophomore season that he’d go out for football, too.

Ever since, it’s been a whirlwind of practices and meetings between two of the university’s most high-profile sports.

Although statistically, Ellington’s production has dropped each season in basketball while rising in football.

Ellington averaged 12.8 points a game his freshman season on the court. That dropped to 11 points a game as a sophomore and 9.9 points a game last win-

ter, his first playing in Martin’s system.

On the football field, Ellington caught 17 passes his first season in 2011 and improved that to 40 catches for 600 yards a year later.

Martin said Ellington’s got a relentless will to improve and that should set a positive example for younger teammates. For instance, Martin said Ellington saw the defense change during one set at practice and called his own play on the fly, something the coach had been pushing junior point guard Johnson since October to do.

The next drill, it was Johnson in that situation and Johnson who called his own play, Martin said.

“Just that moment with Bruce made Ty do his job,” the coach explained. “That’s the dynamic he brings that’s demanded of him in football.”

Martin said he hadn’t yet talked with football coach Steve Spurrier about when Ellington might be needed back for bowl practice. Last season, Ellington played four games between the Clemson football game and the bowl game. He was back on the court a few days after he caught the winning TD pass in a 33-28 victory over Michigan at the Outback Bowl.

Ellington has said throughout the fall he wants to help make basketball as successful as Gamecock football has been.

“Coach came here to try and change the program,” Ellington said of the basketball team last month. “They’re all working very hard at it.”

KATHRYN PURINTON / GREENVILLE NEWS

Sumter’s Charlie Miranda (3) runs as Hillcrest’s Jacquavis Ballenger (7) attempts to make a tackle in the Gamecocks’ 31-28 victory in the quarterfinals of the 4A Division I state playoffs.

ITEM FILE PHOTO

First-year head coach Reggie Kennedy has led the Sumter High football team to Saturday’s 4A Division I state championship game against Dutch Fork at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

SHS from Page B1 Kennedy admits his state title proclamation was based more on hope, and he too had some doubts when the Gamecocks struggled through the first half of the season.

“I was really looking toward next year (in regards to a state title),” Kennedy said. “I just wanted us to do well in the region so we could get in the playoffs. Then anything could happen from there.”

And what happened for No. 7 seed SHS was a 42-28 home victory over No. 10 Maudlin, rallying from a 14-0 deficit, a week after the Mavericks had scored 83 points. It then went on the road to face No. 2 seed and once beaten Hillcrest 31-28 on a 42yard field goal by Vincent Watkins on the last play of the game.

Sumter rallied from a 21-0 firstquarter deficit in that contest.

Last Friday in the state semifinals, the Gamecocks rallied from not one, but two, 2-touchdown deficits to win 28-27.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia 4A Division I Sumter vs. Dutch Fork, 6 p.m.

4A Division II Stratford vs. Northwestern, noon 3A Myrtle Beach vs. Daniel, 3 p.m.

Friday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia 2A Division I Fairfield Central vs. Dillon, 8:30 p.m.

2A Division II Batesburg-Leesville vs. Silver Bluff, 5:30 p.m.

They trailed 14-0 before going into halftime in a 14-14 tie. The third-seeded Green Wave then took a 27-14 lead into the fourth quarter only to see SHS score twice, the final time coming on a 95-yard drive, to rally again, this time for the victory.

Senior cornerback Erick

Wright said it took him and his teammates some time to adjust to what Kennedy and his staff wanted from them.

“Once we got a little more settled in, we started playing better football,” said Wright, who has been selected to play in the North-South All-Star Football Game and has 10 interceptions on the season. “We started making plays at the end of the game.

We weren’t doing that before.”

The Gamecocks know they have one more hurdle to get over in 11-3 Dutch Fork, the No. 5 season which was the state runner-up last season.

They are looking forward to the opportunity though.

“It feels great to know we’re going out there to play at Williams-Brice Stadium,” Rock said. “Playing for a state championship is something people hope they get a chance to do.”

“We’re looking forward to going down there and seeing who is the best,” Dubose said. “I have great confidence in the way we’re playing and that we can go over there and win.”

Eddie C. Durant, Jr., D.D.S. Gregory A. Wheeler, D.M.D.

DENTAL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTER

Fill your holiday with smiles..

South Carolina forward Michael Carrera (24) and the rest of the Gamecocks will welcome Bruce Ellington back from the football team when they take on No. 9 Oklahoma State on Friday.

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B4

RECRUITING

THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

USC, Clemson awaiting word from 2014 prospects licly since his official visit, but Clemson has always been strong with him.

“I’ve liked Clemson for a long time,” McMillan said last month. “I know everything about Clemson. And I like the way (defensive coordinator) Coach (Brent) Venables attacks with the linebackers and blitzes off the edge.”

Defensive end Dante Sawyer of Suwanee, Ga., will make his college decision known on his birthday, Dec. 17.

Sawyer has had USC, Auburn, Tennessee and Missouri as his favorites.

Sawyer has been to games this season at USC, Auburn, Tennessee and UGA. Sawyer said last month that USC was “up there” with him as recruiter Deke Adams is selling him on the fact the Gamecocks are losing both of their starting DEs. Sawyer has never publicly stated a favorite.

Offensive lineman Kareem Are of Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas made his official visit to USC over the weekend and found himself caught up in the Gamecock fever.

“It was the loudest stadium I’ve been in yet,” Are said. “It was a real good visit. I met with the offensive line coach (Shawn Elliott) and met most of the offensive lineman. He (Elliott) showed me how I could compete and fit in and that’s what I want. And they have great facilities.”

Are also has taken official visits to FSU and Penn State. He is considering a visit to Mississippi and his Ole Miss recruiter was supposed to visit with him on Tuesday. He’ll decide after that if he’ll visit Oxford.

“I’ve just got a lot of school work to take care and I need to focus on that,” Are said. USC recruiter Grady Brown planned to visit with Are and his teammate, Gamecock commitment DL Abu Lamin, on Tuesday. Are said he is looking at making his decision on or by Dec. 9.

Among the three schools he’s visited, Are said there is no favorite at this point.

LB Richard Yeargin III of Hollywood, Fla., made his official visit to Clemson for The Citadel weekend and the Notre Dame commitment is giving the Tigers strong consideration though he remains committed to the Irish his father said.

“He enjoyed himself,” Richard Yeargin Jr. said. “He got a taste of the game day experience and they got a chance to look at him as well. He took a look around campus and got a feel for the players. I think he liked the atmosphere at Death Valley.”

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Yeargin III also took an official visit to ND and his father said he won’t take any others.

From over 50 offers, his final decision is between the Irish and the Tigers.

“At this time he’s still committed to Notre Dame,” his father said.

“I didn’t want him to make a hasty decision.

We’re just trying to figure out which university will provide the best options and best opportunities for him moving forward.”

The father said there is no timeline for a final decision, but he said the process won’t drag out to National Signing Day in February of ‘14. “It will be a few weeks to sit back and relax and enjoy the off season. I want him to make sure.

We’re going to pray about it. I do like Notre Dame, I’m not going to lie about it. I want to make sure all coaches are in place. Coaches get happy during bowl season and start switching and takPhil ing jobs KORNBLUT elsewhere, so that’s one reason I want to be slow about this.”

Yeargin III had about 15 quarterback sacks, over 100 total tackles and 25 tackles for loss this season according to his father, who played his college football at South Carolina State for head coach Buddy Pough. The Yeargins have family in Greenville, Spartanburg and Florence.

Defensive back Wesley Green of Lithonia, Ga., a former USC commitment, was in for the Clemson game as he continues to weigh his options. Green had an in-home visit with UGA on Sunday. He will set up official visits with USC, UGA, Tennessee and Ole Miss and won’t make a decision until January. He’s not claiming a favorite.

Shrine Bowl DL prospects Dexter Wideman of Saluda High and Naquez Pringle of Carvers Bay in Georgetown planned to be at USC on Saturday. Wideman has been committed to FSU and his head coach said on Friday that Wideman has not told him anything differently, but USC is still recruiting corner

S

outh Carolina and Clemson could add talented wide receivers to their 2014 commitment classes very soon. USC is waiting on the call from Tyshun Samuel of Chapman High School in Inman while Clemson will learn today if it is getting Josh Malone of Gallatin, Tenn.

Samuel picked up an offer from the Gamecocks two Saturdays ago while visiting for the Coastal Carolina game.

He was not able to make it in for the Clemson game.

“I just loved everything about it,” Samuel said last week after receiving his offer. “I loved the whole football side of things with the way they do things, to the locker room... and the academics were really nice.”

Right now, Samuel plans to make a commitment announcement on Dec. 14 though that date is not set in stone.

“I know he’s super excited,” Chapman head coach Mark Hodge said.

“He was flattered. It’s a top 10 school, you can’t do much better than that. He knows some kids down there and the coaches have treated him real nice.”

USC WR coach Steve Spurrier Jr. recently scouted Samuel and once the Panther standout received a qualifying test score, USC decided to make the offer. “His test score is fine and he’ll be core eligible,” Hodge said. “His grades are good.”

And so are his receiving skills. In Friday’s loss to Daniel in the 3A upper state title game, Samuel had nine catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns and scored another on the ground. For the season, he had 61 catches for 1,184 yards and scored a total of 30 touchdowns.

Malone seems to be down to Clemson and Tennessee. He visited both officially along with Ohio State, Georgia and Florida State. Tennessee coaches were in to see him last week and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was scheduled for an inhome visit on Monday as were coaches from Tennessee. Malone is set to make his announcement today at 1 p.m. during a ceremony at his school.

Linebacker Raekwon McMillan of Hinesville, Ga., has set his announcement date for Dec. 16. He took an official visit to Clemson for The Citadel weekend and made his last official visit over the weekend to Auburn, switching that visit from Florida. He’s also been to Ohio State, UGA and Alabama. McMillan also visited Clemson for the UGA and FSU games.

He has not talked pub-

a player.

“His head is spinning,” Saluda head coach Doug Painter said. “He goes back and forth.” USC recruiter GA Mangus and FSU recruiter Jay Graham were in to see Wideman late last month. Painter said Wideman has not indicated to him when he’ll finalize a decision. After the Shrine Bowl ,Wideman will play in the Under Armour All American Game. Wideman finished the season with 71 tackles and six sacks with 11 tackles for loss.

Pringle played on Friday in the 1A Division 1 state title game. He said earlier in the week he has offers from USC, Clemson and North Carolina State. He’s also gotten interest from Tennessee. He finished the season with 76 tackles and six sacks.

DE Andrew Williams of McDonough, Ga., was at the Clemson-USC game. Both teams are high on his list and he plans to take official visits to both. He also plans to set official visits with Auburn and Ole Miss.

ND, Auburn and Tennessee also are on his short list. Williams also has visited Clemson, Tennessee and Georgia Tech for games this season. He does not claim a leader at this point.

DE Michael Barnett of Woodland High in Dorchester announced a commitment to Virginia Tech last week.

Barnett had long been favoring the Hokies to the point where he really didn’t strongly consider any other team.

Florida and FSU were the other teams on his short list. Clemson was one of his offers, and while USC showed interest, the Gamecocks never offered.

According to SouthernConferenceRecruiting.com, Furman has a commitment from tight end Kedar Bryant (6-feet-5-inches, 230 pounds) of Jacksonville, Fla., and The Citadel has a commitment from LB Russell Hubbs (6-1, 220) of Northwestern High in Rock Hill.

Juniors: Running back Bryce Love of Wake Forest, N.C., planned to be at USC again on Saturday with his parents, both USC graduates. Love also visited Clemson during the season and is considering the Tigers. His offers include USC,

Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio State, PSU, GT, Northwestern, Stanford, NCSU, Duke, Arkansas, East Carolina and VT. He does not have any favorites.

RB Nyheim Hines of Garner, N.C., had hoped to get to USC for the Clemson game, but couldn’t make it. He has visited Tennessee and Duke recently. His offers include USC, Clemson, NCSU, UNC, ECU, Duke, Wake Forest, VT, Tennessee and Connecticut. Hines said he’s in touch with Clemson recruiter Robbie Caldwell and USC assistants Spurrier Jr. and Joe Robinson. Hines said he has not formulated a favorites list and all the schools which have offered are under consideration. He plans to graduate early and wants to make his commitment around next October.

As for Clemson and USC, Hines said his interest level is high. “I’ve been a Clemson fan since I was in the second or third grade,” he said. “I love Clemson.

South Carolina, I’ve been a fan of them too, but you know you can’t really be both, so I’m just really neutral.”

As for who he was going to root for on Saturday, Hines said, “I don’t know. I’m pulling for a good game. If they score 40 points and win by 3, I like that. A highscoring, close game, that’s what I’m pulling for. I just want to see a good game from both sides of the offense.”

USC and Clemson like Hines as a slot WR. Going into his game on Friday, Hines had rushed for around 2,700 yards and had scored 51 TDs this season.

USC and Miami are the current favorites of junior DB Rashard Causey of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who planned to fly to Columbia on Friday and stay for the weekend. “I have the same feeling between the two,” Causey said, “but if I had to choose, I would choose South Carolina. I like their defensive style and one of my best friends, Skai Moore, plays for them and it would be nice to play with him again.”

Causey plans to make a decision before his senior season. This will be his second trip to USC. He stopped by in July while making a tour of

several schools. USC recruiter Brown was down to check on Causey recently and Causey said the two talk every day, as he does with his Miami recruiter.

“He (Brown) tells me about the defense and where I would fit in. I play corner(back) and they are not taking that may corners.”

Pittsburgh and PSU are Causey’s most recent offers. Some of his others are UCLA, Florida, FSU, NCCU, WF, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, ND, West Virginia and Arkansas. This season, Causey had 40 solo tackles, three interceptions and two sacks.

Junior DL Albert Huggins of OrangeburgWilkinson High made his first appearance at a USC game this season on Saturday. The only other game he made it to this season was the FSU-Clemson contest.

Huggins holds offers from USC, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisville, UGA, NCSU, UNC, Auburn and S.C. State.

Huggins said that Clemson, USC, UNC, UGA and FSU appear to be showing the most interest in him. He does not have any favorites.

DB Terry Godwin of Hogansville, Ga., is feeling good about Clemson at this point in his recruiting, though he’s not claiming any favorites.

He was at Clemson for the FSU game and is in regular contact with secondary coach Mike Reed.

“He tells me they really want me and he likes my technique and how I go up and high point the ball on defense,” Godwin said.

“He was telling me how much he likes my film.

Just good things.” Godwin also has been to Auburn, UGA, Ole Miss and UNC for games. He plans to get back to Clemson next summer, and he wants to make his decision around the end of the school year.

USC also is an offer,but Godwin said he doesn’t hear from the Gamecocks. Some of his other offers are Alabama, Auburn, Florida, FSU, Louisville, Ole Miss, UNC, Tennessee and Vandy.

Clemson offensive coordinator and QB coach Chad Morris flew to Texas recently to scout junior QB Chason Virgil of Mesquite and remains strongly interested.

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

Tomlin sorry for on-field incident THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is tackled by New Orleans’ David Hawthorne during the Seahawks’ 34-7 victory on Monday in Seattle. Despite the win and clinching the NFL’s first playoff spot, the Seahawks have higher aspirations like winning the Super Bowl.

Seahawks not satisfied with just being in playoffs

BY TIM BOOTH The Associated Press

SEATTLE 34, NEW ORLEANS 7

SEATTLE — Pete Carroll gathered his team in the locker room and finally offered some congratulations.

For the first time all season, Carroll felt he could acknowledge the Seattle Seahawks earning something tangible when they routed New Orleans 34-7 on Monday night to become the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot.

And as Carroll described on his weekly radio show Tuesday morning, the accomplishment was met with a collective “golf clap.�

Even at 11-1, with the best record in the NFL and a 14-game home winning streak, the Seahawks remain unsatisfied, at least until they have clinched what’s most important to them: Homefield advantage in the playoffs.

The blowout of the Saints — behind 310 yards passing and three touchdowns from Russell Wilson and a defense that flustered Drew Brees into one of his worst games with New Orleans — gave Seattle a two-game lead in the home-field race with tiebreakers in hand. “We accomplished something; we’re a playoff team, which is great to know that,� Carroll said. “But that’s not our goal, and we don’t talk that way.

You never hear these guys say, oh boy, we want to get into the playoffs. That’s not the goal we set. We want to win this division, and that division gets us a chance to play at home, and that’s what we’re after. And then we’ll talk about what comes next.�

Seattle has almost assured itself home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. A win over San Francisco on Sunday will clinch the NFC West and a first-round bye. The Seahawks just need to go 2-2 over their last four games to wrap up home-field and help from others could make the task easier.

Will home-field advantage equate to a Super Bowl trip? Not necessarily.

The NFC playoffs have been rife with upsets in recent seasons. Only twice since the Seahawks’ lone Super Bowl trip in 2005 has the No. 1 seed in the NFC reached the Super Bowl — the 2009 Saints and 2006 Bears.

History may not be on Seattle’s side, but then few teams have the kind of home-field advantage the Seahawks enjoy.

They’ve learned how to thrive in the cacophony created by fans at Century-

New Orleans Seattle

0 17

7 0 0— 7 10 7 0—34 First Quarter Sea_FG Hauschka 26, 7:47.

Sea_Bennett 22 fumble return (Hauschka kick), 6:27.

Sea_Miller 2 pass from Wilson (Hauschka kick), 1:55.

Second Quarter NO_Graham 2 pass from Brees (Hartley kick), 8:45.

Sea_FG Hauschka 20, 3:41.

Sea_Baldwin 4 pass from Wilson (Hauschka kick), :13.

Third Quarter Sea_Coleman 8 pass from Wilson (Hauschka kick), 7:07.

A_68,387.

NO Sea First downs 12 23 Total Net Yards 188 429 Rushes-yards 17-44 38-127 Passing 144 302 Punt Returns 1-0 5-17 Kickoff Returns 3-54 2-40 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 23-38-0 22-30-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-3 1-8 Punts 6-49.0 3-40.0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 7-52 8-66 Time of Possession 26:22 33:38 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_New Orleans, Ingram 8-22, Collins 1-12, Sproles 3-11, Thomas 4-0, Brees 1-(minus 1). Seattle, Wilson 8-47, Lynch 16-45, Turbin 11-34, Coleman 2-3, Lockette 1-(minus 2).

PASSING_New Orleans, Brees 23-38-0-147. Seattle, Wilson 22-30-0-310.

RECEIVING_New Orleans, Sproles 7-32, Colston 4-27, Thomas 4-21, Graham 3-42, Moore 2-12, Meachem 1-7, Collins 1-3, Stills 1-3. Seattle, Miller 5-86, Baldwin 4-77, Tate 4-45, Lynch 3-12, Kearse 2-26, Lockette 1-33, Robinson 1-21, Coleman 1-8, Willson 1-2.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

Link Field, which set yet another record for loudest outdoor sports stadium on Monday night.

And while there wasn’t another “Beast Quake,� officials with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Center said Seahawks fans rocked the stadium so hard against the Saints that seismic instruments registered small tremors at various points in the game.

A magnitude 1 or 2 quake was recorded during Michael Bennett’s 22yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter. The game registered on seismic instruments several other times. “It’s great. They bring the noise every week. You can’t ask any more of our fan base. They’re great,� Seattle safety Earl Thomas said. “We love what they bring to the table because it definitely helps us.�

The Seahawks aren’t just winning at home, they are dominating opponents during their franchise-record win streak. Over the past two seasons, the Seahawks have a plus-260 point differential at home, an average of more than 18 points per game.

Since beating New England 24-23 in Week 6 last season, Seattle has won by less than seven points at home only once — its 27-24 overtime comeback against Tampa Bay in early November.

PITTSBURGH— Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has plenty of words to describe his ill-timed foray onto the field last week against Baltimore.

Intentional is not one of them.

Tomlin apologized at length Tuesday for nearly interfering with Ravens kick returner Jacoby Jones in the third quarter of a 22-20 Baltimore victory on Thanksgiving night, calling it “embarrassing, inexcusable, illegal, a blunder.�

One that is likely to haunt the 41-year-old for the remainder of his career and take a pretty decent bite out of his wallet and perhaps even his reputation.

Tomlin was standing at the Pittsburgh 35, as is his custom, when the Steelers kicked off after a touchdown that drew them within six points of the Ravens. As the ball settled into Jones’ hands, Tomlin turned his attention to one of the videoboards at M&T Stadium to get a better perspective of the play as it unfolded.

He stepped onto a strip of turf painted white that is meant to serve as a barrier between the field of play and the sideline.

Jones raced through a hole and down the Steelers sideline while Pittsburgh’s Cortez Allen gave chase. Tomlin didn’t move even as Jones closed in — mostly, he said, because he was “mesmerized� by what was happening on the screen.

CLARK TO RUN PLAYERS’ UNION

SAN DIEGO — Tony Clark said he’s “blown away� that he is the first former major leaguer to become head of the baseball players’ union.

The executive board of the Major League Baseball Players Association voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Clark to replace Michael Weiner, who died Nov. 21 of brain cancer. The decision is pending a vote of the general membership.

Clark was an All-Star in 2001 and played for

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he’s embarrassed about his unintentional but inexcusable foray onto the field in last Thursday night’s loss to Baltimore.

15 seasons with Detroit, Arizona, the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston and San Diego. The 41-year-old was appointed deputy executive director in July and had been acting executive director since Weiner’s death.

5 FORMER CHIEFS SUE TEAM

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— A former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker says he was never told that he would have severe disabilities later in life for continuing to play in games after sustaining a concussion.

Chris Martin is one of five former Chiefs players who filed a lawsuit in Jackson County on Tuesday against the Chiefs organization for failing to disclose the dangers of competing after suffering head injuries.

Suburban Kansas City attorney Ken McClain is representing the players.

McClain says a proposed $765 million settlement by the NFL to compensate former players with brain injuries is insufficient and doesn’t cover any of his clients in their case against the Chiefs.

The team has refused to comment on the lawsuit.

MCCANN, YANKS COMPLETE DEAL

NEW YORK — AllStar catcher Brian McCann has completed his $85 million, fiveyear contract with the New York Yankees and is to be introduced at a news conference on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

McCann receives $17 million in each of the next five seasons, and the Yankees have a $15 million option for 2019 with no buyout.

The option becomes a

player option if McCann has at least 1,000 plate appearances combined in 2017 and 2018, has at least 90 starts at catcher in 2018 and does not end the 2018 season on the disabled list.

A’S TRADE WITH RANGERS

OAKLAND, Calif. — Craig Gentry is committed to doing what he can to help the Athletics win another division crown in 2014.

The A’s added outfield depth Tuesday by acquiring Gentry along with right-hander Josh Lindblom from the division rival Texas Rangers for outfielder Michael Choice and minor league infielder Chris Bostick.

The teams announced the deal Tuesday, a day after Oakland traded for AL saves leader Jim Johnson in a swap with Baltimore and also reached agreement on a $22 million, two-year contract with lefthanded starter Scott Kazmir.

RAYS DEAL IN 3-TEAM TRADE

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired catcher Ryan Hanigan from the Cincinnati Reds and reliever Heath Bell from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade.

The deal was announced Monday after Hanigan agreed to a $10.75 million, threeyear contract that runs through 2016 an includes a club option for 2017.

Tampa Bay sent minor league pitcher Justin Choate and a player to be named to the Diamondbacks. Arizona dealt left-hander David Holmberg to Cincinnati.

From wire reports

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THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

Duke relishes worst-to-first ride

BY JOEDY MCCREARY The Associated Press DURHAM, N.C. — Nobody’s laughing at Duke’s football program anymore.

The 20th-ranked Blue Devils are playing No. 1 Florida State Saturday for an ACC championship and an Orange Bowl berth.

Still, it wasn’t that long ago when Duke defensive tackle Sydney Sarmiento heard somebody wondering why the perpetually putrid program even bothered to field a football team. “Not the butt of everybody’s joke anymore,� Sarmiento said Tuesday.

The Blue Devils have made believers out of the Seminoles, who routed Duke 48-7 last year in Tallahassee, Fla. “Just as Florida State has bought into coach (Jimbo) Fisher’s coaching, I think those guys have bought into their team,� Seminoles safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “You just see a group of guys that believe in each other, and when you have a belief you can do a lot of wonders. ... I just see a team that be-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Duke quarterback Brandon Connette (18) and the rest of the 10-2 Blue Devils are enjoying gridiron success this season after earning a division title and a spot in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against top-ranked Florida State.

lieves in each other and has a great coach and some smart players. “They’re on a roll.�

Now they have to find a way to beat a Seminoles team that’s a 29-point favorite and on track to play for the BCS championship. They also must figure out how to deal with quarterback

UCF focusing on SMU

Jameis Winston — the ACC’s rookie of the year, a leading Heisman Trophy candidate and the subject of an ongoing investigation into sexual assault allegations. “Our entire season has been based on people telling us what we can’t do,� tight end Braxton Deaver said. “’You’re last in the

Š 2013 by Vicki Whiting, Editor

ACC’ — oh, that’s funny, now we’re first in the Coastal (Division).�

But what looks from the outside like an out-of-nowhere rise actually has been the product of coach David Cutcliffe’s patient reconstruction project. “It’s not an accident. It’s a process,� Cutcliffe said. “Those

Jeff Schinkel, Graphics

young men on the 2008 team, ‘09 team, ‘10 team all took part in the development of these seniors and upperclassmen. ... It’s not just a year. “It’s not just an event that happened this year.�

Picked in the preseason to finish last in the division, Duke (10-2, 6-2) has already set a school record for victories, captured its first division title and sewn up the first consecutive bowl berths in school history.

That’s quite a turnaround for a program that went winless four times from 1996-2007 with two other one-win seasons while setting the standard for football futility among powerconference schools during what defensive end Kenny Anunike called “the dark years.�

Deaver said when he arrived in 2010, some longgone veterans from the previous regime carried an attitude of “I’m going to get my degree and get out of here.�

And according to Anunike, some of those ex-teammates didn’t believe they could win games and instead went into them hoping merely to keep it close.

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Vol. 29, No. 51

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER The Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF has two chances this week to punch it’s ticket to a BCS bowl.

Either a Cincinnati loss to No. 19 Louisville on Thursday night or victory by the 15th-ranked Knights in their finale against SMU on Saturday will give UCF (10-1, 7-0) the American Athletic Conference title and the BCS berth that goes with it.

Coach George O’Leary prefers his team gets there on its own. “Whatever happens on Thursday night, I don’t want to back into anything,�

O’Leary said. “I think you want to win it if you have a chance to be undefeatO’LEARY ed in conference play. How many teams in the country can do that this year? ... Our concern is playing SMU and winning the game.

That’s why we’re playing.

Whatever happens could be great for us or it doesn’t change anything. “ For a team that entered the season in the shadow of American-favorite Louisville, the Knights have fared well in the national spotlight late in the season while surviving in a series close games.

The Knights have posted six wins by seven or fewer points this season, including five in conference play.

The most recent was 23-20 win last week over rival South Florida.

O’Leary described the performance of his team’s usually dependable offense “awful� in a game that featured five UCF turnovers.

It’s underlined his call for extra focus this week. “We’re very fortunate to win a game with five turnovers,� O’Leary said. “I’ve been in football a long time. I’ve had four and scraped by. Five?

That’s a lot.

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Deadline: December 29 Published: Week of Jan. 26, 2014

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OBITUARIES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

FAITH NOEL SNYDER CHARLESTON — Faith Noel Snyder, 22, of Charleston, entered into eternal rest Monday, Dec. 2, 2013.

Her funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday SNYDER at J. Henry Stuhr, West Ashley Chapel, 3360 Glenn McConnell Parkway. Interment will be at Live Oak Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Faith was born Dec. 16, 1990, in Mount Pleasant, a daughter of Kevin George Snyder and Mary Smith Snyder.

She was an assembly line worker with the Disabilities Board of Charleston County. She participated in the West Ashley High School Special Needs Choir and Special Olympics.

Faith is survived by her father, Kevin George Snyder and mother, Mary Carol Snyder; brother, Kevin G. Snyder Jr. (Amanda), all of Charleston; sister, Sarah

Elizabeth Harshberger (Frank) of Summerville; paternal grandmother, Eleanor Baden Wolfe of Charleston; maternal grandfather, Charles Leonard Smith and his wife, Ann, of Charleston; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephew.

We know that heaven is a better place with her presence. Faith brought so much love to all who knew her; she taught us the meaning of unconditional love. She will be dearly missed but not forgotten. Faith had always asked to go “home,� she had seen heaven and now is with her precious Lord and Savior.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Disabilities Foundation of Charleston County, 995 Morrison Drive, Suite 100, Charleston, SC 29403.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.

WILLIAM L. NIMMONS BISHOPVILLE — William “Bill� Lewis Nimmons, 68, widower of Claudia Hoover Sulli-

van Nimmons, died Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, at his residence.

Born in Bishopville, he was a son of the late Dr. Lewis A. and Ruby Johnson Nimmons. He worked in electronics at Logan’s Appliance Center for many years.

He was a very loving, devoted grandfather to seven grandchildren, Jon Michael Sullivan, Krysten Nicole Sullivan, Kacie Elizabeth Sullivan, Christopher William Sullivan Jr., Sean Lee Sullivan, Jackson Hoover Sullivan and Ryan Patrick Sullivan.

Bill was a loving and compassionate husband, father and grandfather, who bestowed his qualities of positivity, selflessness and humility to everyone he came into contact with.

Special thanks to his caregiver, Judy Davis.

Survivors include sons, Michael Walter Sullivan and wife, Debbie, of Lake City, Christopher William Sullivan and wife, Charlotte, of Myrtle Beach and Kelly Patrick Sullivan and wife, Lyn, of Lake City.

Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m.

Thursday at Piedmont Cemetery with the Rev. Larry Watson officiating.

The family will receive friends after the service.

Hancock-Elmore-Hill Funeral Home of Bishopville is in charge of the arrangements.

EDWARD C. SNOW Edward Clinton Snow, 93, husband of Janet Elizabeth Marsh Snow, died Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, at his home.

Born in Wilkes Barre, Pa., he was a son of the late Jesse and Agnes Walker Snow. Mr. Snow was a member of Alice Drive Baptist Church and American Legion Post 15. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was a retired master chef at the Bank of New Jersey and was also retired from Sunset Country Club.

Surviving are his wife of 70 years of Sumter; four sons, Ralph Edward Snow of New Jersey, Ronald William Snow (Jo Ann) of Evington, Va., Robert Henry Snow Sr. (Marion) of Hopkins and Richard

THE ITEM

Marion Snow Sr. (Cathryn) of Pinewood; one daughter, Cheryllyn Danks (Ernest Sr.) of Sumter; 26 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; six greatgreat-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and one sister, Marion Mezian of Elmwood Park, N.J. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in the chapel of Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. Jock Hendricks officiating. Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers will be members of American Legion Post 15.

The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the general fund of Alice Drive Baptist Church, 1305 Loring Mill Road, Sumter, SC 29150.

Online condolences may be sent to www. sumterfunerals.com.

Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home

B7

& Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.

FULLARD ISAAC BISHOPVILLE — Fullard Isaac entered eternal rest on Dec. 1, 2013, at McCoy Memorial Nursing Center, Bishopville.

The family is receiving friends at 145 Jefferson St., Lynchburg.

Visitations will be held from 12:30 to 7 p.m. today at the mortuary.

Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Mt. Pleasant AME Church, Lynchburg, with the pastor, the Rev. Ernest Brown, officiating. Burial will follow in the churchyard cemetery.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at wilsonfuneralhome@sc.rr.com.

Wilson Funeral Home, 403 S. Main St., Bishopville, is in charge of arrangements.

SPORTS

|

TIGERS from Page B1 sun come up and realize they put up a very special regular season.

Clemson reached double-digit victories for a third straight season, something last accomplished when the Tigers put up four straight from 1987 through 1990.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd set ACC career records with 102 touchdown passes and became only the third league QB to surpass 10,000 yards. “It’s still a great season. We just didn’t accomplish what we needed to accomplish as far as this game goes,� Boyd said. “There is life after this. There are bigger things at stake.�

Finishing strongly in

the postseason is at the top of Boyd’s list. He played two of the best games of his career following South Carolina defeats in 2011 and 2012, accounting for 600 yards and seven touchdowns in defeating Virginia Tech in 2011 and LSU a season ago.

Boyd looked poised for similar heroics last Saturday night, guiding the Tigers deep in South Carolina territory when down by a score midway through the final period. But Boyd had the ball ripped from his arms by defensive end Chaz Sutton for a fumble to end the threat.

Boyd threw two interceptions down the stretch and Clemson could not come back.

RIVALS from Page B1 the head coach back in the 1980s. For the first time in school history, the Tigers have posted three straight 10-win seasons.

Yet with both programs there is an anxiousness, an unsatisfaction, among the fan base for something more.

For Clemson, the problem couldn’t be more obvious than an open-hand slap across the face. Hey, that’s one finger for the Tigers’ five straight losses to Carolina.

Such a losing streak is hard to swallow for the Tiger faithful, but it is indeed a reality that was thrust upon them on Saturday. While Clemson wallowed in mediocrity under Tommy Bowden, it dominated South Carolina during his tenure, no doubt keeping him around Death Valley for as long as he was there.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has cut out those unexplainable losses to the likes of Maryland and Wake Forest that would pop up each year under Bowden, but the Tigers have had a hard time getting the wins that can help set the program on a higher plateau.

Clemson has won one Atlantic Coast Conference title under Swinney and played for another, but the ACC title was followed by an embarrassing showing against West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

After the Tigers opened this season with an exciting home victory against Georgia, Swinney proclaimed his team had won consecutive games after top 10 SEC programs. That was true since Clemson had beaten Louisiana State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl to end the pre-

“We almost overcame the turnovers,� Swinney said. “There were just too many.�

The coach also knows the bowl could be the final time for playmakers like Boyd and perhaps junior receiver Sammy Watkins and defensive end Vic Beasley, each expected to consider jumping into the NFL draft.

Swinney said a few weeks ago he’d be surprised if Watkins, considered a first-round NFL talent, returned for his senior season. Watkins has set career highs of 85 catches for 1,237 yards.

Beasley is tied for the ACC lead and stands fourth nationally with 12 sacks. Both Watkins and Beasley were allACC first-team selections Tuesday.

vious season, but what he failed to point out was he had a month to prepare for LSU and an entire offseason to get ready for the Bulldogs.

Because of playing in the ACC, Clemson needs to win more of the “big� games on its schedule. Going 1-2 — against Georgia, Florida State and USC — isn’t going to cut it.

USC has moved into that realm of being a very good program under head coach Steve Spurrier and the days of being happy to go to a bowl game and beating Clemson are long gone. Sure, the fans want to win the bowl game and are certainly enjoying the unprecedented dominance over the Tigers, but they realize there is more out there and they want their team to grab out.

USC has been a part of the conversation when it comes to winning the East and playing in the SEC championship game, but they want to be the topic of conversation. The fact that USC has handed the East champion its only loss the last three seasons grates on the nerves, and the reason it happened this year is because Carolina lost to Tennessee.

The 23-21 victory was played up as the Volunteers’ signature victory in Butch Jones’ first year as head coach, but they struggled before and after that game. The fact of the matter is South Carolina lost to a far inferior team. They played just one good quarter of football and it still took a miracle catch and some questionable coaching moves for Tennessee to win, but win it did.

It can be said the price of success for both programs is raised expectations. It beats the alternative though, doesn’t it?

Cotton Bowl would be first for Spurrier, Gamecocks

BY RYAN WOOD Post and Courier COLUMBIA — The Cotton Bowl’s sincere interest in South Carolina is a mutual feeling, coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday.

The Gamecocks will fall short of making their first BCS bowl bid, despite a 10-2 record and No. 8 ranking in the BCS standings. However, a third straight 10SPURRIER win season has them in line for one of the SEC’s premier January bowl games.

South Carolina will travel to an attractive location over the holidays.

Spurrier told The Post and Courier his preference is the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. “That would be a trip that would probably be at the top of our list, if we had a choice,� Spurrier said. “The Capital One Bowl is an excellent bowl, there’s no question about that.

If they send us there, that would be fine also. But, because I’ve never coached it — and I’ve coached about all the rest of them — certainly if I had my choice that would be where I think our team would like to go. And I think most of our fans would like to go to the Cotton Bowl. So we’ll see where it plays out, I guess.�

South Carolina will either play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., or the Cotton Bowl Classic, The Post and Courier has learned. The Gamecocks are unlikely to be invited by the Outback Bowl, where they have played four times since 2001.

The Capital One Bowl gets first pick of SEC teams after the BCS process is complete. The Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., then gets first pick among SEC East teams, while the

Cotton Bowl gets first pick among SEC West teams.

One potential scenario is a trade, sending an SEC West team to the Outback and an SEC East team to the Cotton.

South Carolina is among four realistic possibilities for the Cotton Bowl, CEO Rick Baker told The Post and Courier on Tuesday. Baker said there is also interest in the SEC championship game loser — Auburn and Missouri play Saturday in Atlanta — as well as LSU. Baker has long wanted to invite South Carolina to the Cotton Bowl, but by the time the Cotton could choose an SEC East team, the Gamecocks were no longer available. Baker said he believes there could be a “legitimate opportunity� this year.

The Cotton Bowl had its first team selection meeting Tuesday, and South Carolina was discussed. However, Baker said he’s unsure if South Carolina will be available. “We try not to get emotionally invested in any particular team or matchup or scenario because we know it’s probably going to change after this weekend,� Baker said. “Our position has always been, and certainly was proven today, that we were really just looking at what options we might have and what we might do if certain things happen. We’re very much aware that a lot of what we do is dependent on a stream of what others may or may not do or whatever teams may or may not be picked ahead of us. We’re pretty much just in a wait mode.�

Baker said he expects the SEC bowl picture to starting clearing up Saturday night following the conclusion of the SEC championship game.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2013 DEADLINES 11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday.

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

9:30 a.m. Friday for Saturday’s edition.

11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

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NOTICE OF ADOPTION AFFECTING MEMBERS OF THE KERSHAW COUNTY AND LEE COUNTY REGIONAL WATER COMPANY, INC. (d/b/a CASSATT WATER COMPANY) Pursuant to Section 33-36-1315(C) of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, as amended (the "SC Code"), this Notice of Adoption is being given to the members of the Kershaw County and Lee County Regional Water Company, Inc. (d/b/a Cassatt Water Company) (the "Water Company").

On Monday, November 18, 2013, the Board of Directors of the Water Company, the governing body of the Water Company (the "Board"), held a meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Pine Tree Hill Elementary School (938 Bishopville Highway, Camden, South Carolina 29020). All members of the Water Company were informed of the meeting and invited to attend. At the meeting, the Board, after affording any and all members in attendance an opportunity to speak, adopted a resolution dated November 18, 2013 entitled, "A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AND IMPLEMENTING THE CONVERSION OF THE KERSHAW COUNTY AND LEE COUNTY REGIONAL WATER COMPANY, INC. (d/b/a CASSATT WATER COMPANY), FROM A CORPORATION NOT FOR PROFIT TO A PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICT, A PUBLIC BODY POLITIC AND CORPORATE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO" (the "Resolution"). By the terms of the Resolution, the Board has authorized that the Water Company be converted from its current status as a not-for-profit corporation into a public service district, a public body politic and corporate of the State of South Carolina.

The Resolution and the conversion of the Water Company to a public service district authorized by the provisions thereof shall become effective and not subject to further review or challenge unless a petition, signed by not less than fifteen (15) percent of the membership of the Water Company, is filed in accordance with the provisions of Section 33-36-1315(C) of the SC Code.

Charles Litchfield, CEO Kershaw County and Lee County Regional Water Company, Inc.

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EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted Full-Time Handyman/Serviceman Contractor Wanted. Email resume to r339@claytonhomes.com or drop off at 2735 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29150 Assistant Manager needed at People's Finance Company. Valid drivers license and auto required.

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PANORAMA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM

C1

Contact Ivy Moore at (803) 774-1221 or e-mail ivym@theitem.com

What is essential?

Theatre presents beloved

‘Little Prince’

BY IVY MOORE ivym@theitem.com

I

IVY MOORE/THE ITEM

Greg White as the aviator holds the little prince, played by Sarah Louise McInnis, after an encounter with the snake. All three are characters in the Sumter Little Theatre’s production of “The Little Prince,” opening Thursday.

LITTLE PRINCE CAST The Aviator - Gregory White The Little Prince - Sarah Louise McInnis The Rose - Brianna Butler The Snake - Christy Smith The Fox -Tristan Pack The King - Jody Osborne The Geographer - Eric Reisenauer The Lamplighter - Sumer Jarvis The Businessman - Drake Shadwell The Conceited Man - Matthew Lawrence Artist - Kendall Jones Van Sickle Director - Heather Turner Stage Manager - Ann Beaty Sound - Michael Bacon Lights -Taylor Mitchum Costumes - Marge Cowles Props - Sylvia Pickell Set design and construction - Randy Abbott, Michael Duffy, Carmela Bryan

t’s December, when the Sumter Little Theatre traditionally presents its Christmas production. The play based on Antoine de St. If you can identify this drawing made by the aviator in his Exupery’s children’s book, “The childhood, perhaps you have not lost your childlike Little Prince,” is not actually imagination. See the play “The Little Prince” at Sumter about Christmas; however, its themes reLittle Theatre to see more of his drawings. Kendall Jones flect the spirit of the season.

Van Sickle will serve as the illustrator for the play, draw“The whole play is about youth and in- ing the aviator’s pictures live as the play progresses. nocence and love and how through life live in the adult world,” Turner said. that is corrupted by ‘matters of conse“So many times when we’re rehearsing, we have quence,’” Director Heather Turner said. to ask ourselves ‘Is there really a little prince there, “When you read it, you see things like or is the aviator hallucinating?’” greed and responsibility and how all that Smith said, “Given a choice, I’d contaminates love at the like to think the little prince is there. purest and caring for one “THE LITTLE PRINCE”” I’d like to believe in the magic.” another at a pure level.”

Sumter Little Theatre Her snake is a complex character, The story, she said, has The 14 Mood Avenue she said, whose relationship with the “ ... so many things that Dec. 5-8 and 12-15. 7:30 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday; 3 p.m. Sundays little prince is tenuous. relate to the Christmas Tickets: $10 adults, $8 student/senior/ “You can take it a lot of different spirit. I think a lot of it is military, $6 children under 6 ways,” Smith said. “I think you can symbolic of the ChristSunday performances will be interpreted for the deaf and hearing impaired. take the snake as either a hero or a mas story: Giving (803) 775-2150 villain. I don’t think she’s the antagowith no strings atnist of the show, and yet you can see tached, like the litshades of that. tle prince does for “The play remains true to the book — the good his rose. He loves her so genuinely. The and the bad, it’s there.” friendship between the fox and the little McInnis, 15, plays the little prince, whom she prince ... .” described as “so innocent and full of wonder, so Not only is “The Little Prince” a good story, wise for how young he is.”

Turner said, it’s full of innocent wisdom.

“I think children will see it and they’ll take the As the play opens we see the aviator, who is magic from it. This little boy has traveled across stranded in the Sahara Desert without food or the universe ... . water. Just as he feels his situation reaching its dir“I most definitely think it will stimulate converest point, he hears a small voice and sees the little sations between parents and children. I’ve talked prince, who is asking him to draw a sheep. The about it with my family.” story of the relationship between the aviator and White’s aviator is also the narrator. the prince is at the crux of the play, and the little He thinks the theme of the loss and regaining of prince has many other important relationships, as the aviator’s childhood creativity is important. well.

“The story is filled with imagination,” he said. ‘I The prince’s home is a tiny planet far from think as we grow up, in some instances, we lose Earth, where he loves and protects a rose, who is our imaginations. The little prince helps the aviavery vain. A disagreement between them causes tor find what’s most important, learn not to take the little prince to leave the planet, and he stops life so seriously and enjoy the moment. on several small asteroids, meeting a series of un“The aviator, when he was young, had a wild usual people, before coming to Earth, where he imagination, and the grown-ups took that away. meets the aviator, the snake and the fox.

The little prince helps him find it again. And the While “The Little Prince” is praised as a children’s story, Turner said, “I think that on one level, aviator helps the little prince through his drawings.

“When I first read the script, I realized this is the story is for children, but on many other levels very deep. There’s a lot of meaning. ... It has some it’s for adults. The children will get something completely different out of it. I don’t know that the very good life lessons. The children will enjoy the children will see the layers, but that doesn’t matter. characters. I think some parents will see themselves in the aviator and realize the things they’ve They’ll get its magical quality.”

Aviator Greg White, little prince Sarah Louise lost, and they may look at their children and say McInnis, and the snake, Christy Smith, also have ‘I’m not going to deny them their imaginations found the magic in the play and the book before it, and their creativity.” they said.

Smith added, “Learning how to care about the The aviator “was very artistic and creative as a people in your life is really a type of Christmas child, then after being told so many times: ‘I don’t theme. The little prince learns how to be in a relaget that drawing, put that away, worry about imtionship with his flower; I guess that’s a type of givportant things’ he kind of closed off and began to ing of yourself.”

19th-century Kensington Mansion open for tours FROM STAFF REPORTS The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation and International Paper will present the annual Christmas at Kensington program beginning Thursday and continuing through Jan. 11, 2014. For almost 30 years, Kensington Mansion has been decorated for the holidays and ready to greet visitors to the 19thcentury home.

Kensington Mansion an Italianate Revival style house built in 1854, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Considered an architectural gem, the mansion is owned by International

PHOTO PROVIDED

Kensington Mansion, an Italianate Revival home built in 1854, will be open for scheduled tours through Jan. 11 with special holiday decorations and events.

Paper, Eastover Mill. Kensington is furnished with the

Scarborough-Hamer Collection of Victorian decorative

arts.This year’s kick-off Christmas festivities will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Volunteers will greet visitors in each room of the grand old home as they relate the history of the families who lived, worked, and played at Kensington Mansion. On this day, the mansion will also feature carriage rides, period music and refreshments.

The mansion will be open for holiday-themed tours each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through Jan. 11, 2014. These guided tours will begin at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Groups of 10 or more are asked to make reservations.

Admission to Kensington Mansion is $7 for ages 13-59, $6 for ages 60+ and active duty military, and $5 for ages 6-12. The foundation accepts cash, checks and major credit cards. Kensington Mansion is located at 4101 McCords Ferry Road / Highway 601 approximately 6 miles south of U.S. Highway 76/378. Take U.S. Highway 76/378 to Highway 601 at the bridge, exit and follow signs.

For more information, contact Rickie Good at rickie@kensingtonmansion.org or visit the website at www. kensingtonmanson.org.

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FOOD

THE ITEM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Juicy Dreams, Bourbon Orchard and Rooted and Brewed cocktails are all made with bourbon.

Turn to bourbon for warming holiday cocktails

BY J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor My definition of the ideal summer cocktail? Easy to make, refreshing to drink.

Come the winter holidays, I make only one change: Easy to make, comforting to drink.

Because while I’m looking for bright and fruity in the heat of summer, at Thanksgiving and Christmas and the onslaught of holiday gatherings in between, I want whatever is in my cup to put me at ease, leave me feeling warm and play nicely with whatever food is on the

table. But I’m not willing to work all that hard for it.

Hence the “easy to make” part never changes, no matter what the season.

For cold weather holidays, I gravitate to bourbon. It has all the qualities I’m looking for — warming, festive, affordable and compatible.

And because of those qualities, you don’t need to do much to it to create a terrific cocktail you’ll want to nurse your way through during the party.

So here’s a trio of holidayfriendly bourbon cocktails to get you started. The root

beer in the rooted and brewed cocktail may seem unusual, but it is quite delicious and does not impart an overly sweet flavor.

BOURBON ORCHARD Start to finish: 5 minutes Servings: 1 Ice 2 ounces bourbon 4 ounces apple cider 1 teaspoon agave nectar In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients. Shake well for 30 seconds, then strain into a tumbler.

ROOTED AND BREWED Start to finish: 5 minutes Servings: 1 Ice 2 ounces bourbon 1 ounce coffee liqueur Root beer Fill an 8-ounce drinking glass with ice. Add the bourbon and coffee liqueur. Stir, then slowly pour in enough root beer to top off the glass.

Gently stir again.

JUICY DREAMS Start to finish: 5 minutes Servings: 1

Ice 2 ounce bourbon 1 ounce Lillet 1/2 ounce lemon juice 2 ounces pomegranate juice In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine the bourbon, Lillet, lemon juice and pomegranate juice. Shake, then strain into an ice-filled tumbler.

J.M. Hirsch is the food editor for The Associated Press.

He blogs at http://www.

LunchBoxBlues.com and tweets at http://twitter.com/ JM_Hirsch . Email him at jhirsch@ap.org

Ice wines are a cool favorite

BY MICHELLE LOCKE Associated Press Writer Leaving grapes to freeze on the vine seems like a recipe for stone cold failure. But under the right conditions, the grapes that come in from the (extreme) cold can produce delicious dessert wines that are a cool favorite for holiday pairings.

What to call it? It depends on where you are.

It’s called eiswein in Austria and Germany, where it began; icewine, one word, in Canada, where it’s become something of a signature wine; and ice wine, two words, in the United States, where vintners in New York state and few other regions are experimenting with the hard-to-make, easyto-drink product.

Whatever you call it, interest in the wine is heating up as producers experiment with new grapes and new winemaking styles — how about some sparkling ice wine with those gingerbread men?

“The icewine category in Canada is continuing to evolve with new and innovative products entering the market each vintage,” says Franco Timpano, director of marketing for Inniskillin, a leading producer of ice wine, sell-

ON THE NET For additional information on ice wines, visit: Inniskillin: http://www.iniskillin.com Knapp: http://www.knappwine.com Cappiello: http://www.pearlandash.com/

ing roughly 5,000 9-liter cases annually in Canada and about the same amount in the United States. “We’re seeing icewines made from varieties that we haven’t typically seen.”

Typically, ice wines are made from riesling and cabernet franc, as well as Vidal, a winterhardy French-American white hybrid grape developed by Jean Louis Vidal in the 1930s. But lately, Timpano’s been seeing ice wines made from merlot, sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. Inniskillin has made a sparkling Vidal icewine and this year came out with a sparkling cabernet franc icewine available mostly in Canada and at duty-free stores.

Making ice wine is not for the faint of heart, points out Steve DiFrancesco, winemaker at Glenora Wine Cellars and Knapp Winery and Vineyards in New York’s Finger Lakes winegrowing region.

First, the grapes are left on the vine for months after regular harvest is over. The leaves are gone and

vines are dormant, providing little protection, and though the grapes are bundled in netting to ward off the advances of nature winged and clawed, they are still vulnerable. The benefit to all this grape hardship is that the sugars and other dissolved solids don’t freeze, but the water in the grape does, which means when the frozen grapes are pressed they produce a more concentrated, sweeter juice.

DiFrancesco likes to pick at around a chilly 13 degrees Fahrenheit.

He’s also made wines with grapes frozen postharvest. Wines made that way can’t be labeled as “ice wine” in the U.S. or Canada; though they may have the word “iced” on the label. DiFrancesco labels his as frozen postharvest to make things clear. Wines from artificially frozen grapes are a technically sound product, while naturally frozen wines have more richness and depth, but possibly more funkiness, too, he says, which he doesn’t see as a bad thing. “It’s like people, if

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Leaving grapes to freeze on the vine seems like a recipe for stone cold failure but under the right conditions, the grapes that come in from the cold can produce delicious dessert wines that are a cool favorite for holiday pairings.

they’re too perfect, they’re not interesting.”

In terms of holiday dessert pairings, texture’s important, says Patrick Cappiello, partner and beverage director of Pearl & Ash, a Bowery hotspot in New

York. Something firm is required to balance the syrupy nature of the wines. Gingerbread is “kind of a no-brainer,” and another choice might be crisp oatmeal raisin cookies.

“The thing that’s cool

about ice wine is there’s a textural difference that you don’t see with other wines, and you see the care — the fact that there’s so many steps, there’s so much effort that goes into making it,” says Cappiello.

FOOD

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM

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Crisp, sweet holiday cookies that are just a bit healthy

BY SARA MOULTON Associated Press Writer I was a happy little butterball when I was a kid. Sweets were my thing, desserts in particular. And chocolate desserts most of all.

The one exception to the rule? My grandmother’s oatmeal cookies.

They were sweet, of course, but also lacy and crispy. Back then I didn’t know or care that oatmeal cookies were a healthier choice than most other treats (thanks to the oats, which are a concentrated source of fiber and nutrients). But healthfulness alone has never done it for me.

During my hippy days, I was well aware of the nutritional benefits of granola cookies — which are, in essence, soft oatmeal cookies stuffed with dried fruit and nuts — but they struck me as more like medicine than dessert. Besides, I missed the crispiness of my grandmother’s version.

This is an embellished rendition of Grandma Ruth’s cookies. We start with a pure base: oatmeal, butter, white sugar, a whole egg and vanilla extract.

No low-fat ingredients.

I firmly believe that a modest serving of a

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chocolate Orange Lace Cookies are made with oatmeal, butter, white sugar, a whole egg and vanilla extract.

full-fat, full-sugar dessert is more enjoyable than a larger serving of something with no fat or fake sugar.

In a festive nod to the holidays, I’ve spruced up the basic recipe with chocolate and orange, a combination that plays beautifully together. Bittersweet chocolate chips are my chocolate of choice, but you’re welcome to substitute chopped bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips,

if you prefer.

If you’re not the most accomplished baker, but like the idea of whipping up a homemade treat for family and friends during the holidays, these are the cookies for you.

They’re so easy that even my husband could make them. And yet they come off more like a specialty item from a fancy bakery than a prosaic little oatmeal cookie.

Also, they’ll stay fresh for several weeks

in an airtight container at room temperature, which allows you to keep eating when your guests and the holidays are gone, but your cravings remain!

CHOCOLATE ORANGE LACE COOKIES Start to finish: 50 minutes (30 minutes active) Yield: 2 dozen cookies 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup plus 3 table-

spoons sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (about 1 orange) 1 1/4 cups rolled oats 1 teaspoon doubleacting baking powder 1/8 teaspoon table salt 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips Heat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and orange zest, then beat until light and fluffy, about another 4 minutes. In another medium bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop the dough a tablespoon at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, arranging them about 2 inches apart and about 12 per baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to lightly press down on each mound to slightly flatten it. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, on the oven’s center rack until the edges are browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack immediately and let them cool completely.

Nutrition information per serving: 50 calories; 25 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 3 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 1 g protein; 40 mg sodium.

Pair shrimp, sausage for quick, easy holiday party food

BY SARA MOULTON Associated Press Writer With the holidays getting into full swing, life for most of us is getting hectic. Between all the big meals, the parties, the kids needing treats for their classes, never mind our day jobs...! Who has time for it all?

Well, this dish — my Italian take on surf and turf — will come to your rescue. It is ridiculously easy to make (especially if you use jarred roasted red peppers) and involves just seven ingredients (not counting salt and pepper). But I’ll confess that I stole the basic premise — the shrimp and sausage part — from my friend, and one of my favorite cookbook authors, Bruce Aidells.

Wrapping shrimp around a nugget of sausage was an idea he talked about in his book, “Bruce Aidells’ Complete Sausage Book.” I was amazed the first time I made his recipe. The two proteins meld wonderfully when baked. This is such an impressive trick and looks so clever, it makes the perfect appetizer or hors d’oeuvres for a holiday party.

I used large shrimp and fresh Italian turkey sausage, but if you can only find smaller shrimp or another variety of turkey sausage, go for it. However, you will need to use fresh (not dried, cured or cooked) sausage for the shrimp and sausage to stick together.

I gilded this Italian surf and turf with a red pepper sauce. Pureed roasted red peppers make a thick, rich sauce all by themselves; I just intensified the flavor with a bit of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. There are excellent brands of jarred roasted peppers at the supermarket, but avoid any packed in oil.

If you want to roast your own peppers, you can do so by holding the fresh peppers with tongs over a gas burner on the stove or broiling them on a sheet pan, set about 4 inches from the heat source. Either way, turn them until they are charred on all sides. You then transfer the blackened peppers to a

bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let them stand for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the skin will easily peel off and the core and seeds can be removed without trouble.

By the way, this red pepper sauce has many applications of its own.

You could use it as a dip for raw vegetables or a sauce for roasted vegetables, pasta, sauteed mushrooms, polenta, steak, chicken or fish.

When the holidays are long gone and you have finally caught your breath, I am hoping you will remember this little dish and make it part of your weekly dinner line up.

ITALIAN SURF AND TURF WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE Start to finish: 30 minutes Yield: 16 shrimp 16 peeled and deveined large raw shrimp (about 8 to 10 ounces) 6 ounces hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage meat (about 2 links) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano Kosher salt and ground black pepper 1 cup roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment.

Arrange the shrimp on the prepared baking sheet with all of the shrimp facing the same direction to form a series of C’s. Remove the casings from the sausage, place a small mound of the sausage in the center of each shrimp and press down so that the shrimp and sausage filling make a solid round.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with half the garlic and all of the oregano. Sprinkle the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper, then brush the oil mixture over the shrimp and sausage. Bake the stuffed shrimp until they are

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

When time is something you are short of, Italian Surf and Turf with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce will come to your rescue as the perfect appetizer or hors d’oeuvres for a holiday party.

cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender combine the red peppers, the remaining tablespoon of oil, the remaining garlic, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.

Transfer to a small saucepan and heat just until hot.

To serve, arrange the shrimp on

a serving platter, then drizzle each with some of the sauce.

Nutrition information per shrimp: 170 calories; 50 calories from fat (29 percent of total calories); 5 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 130 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 22 g protein; 710 mg sodium.

THE ITEM

COMICS

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

DOG EAT DOUG

GARFIELD

ZITS

BEETLE BAILEY

BLONDIE

ANDY CAPP

DILBERT

BORN LOSER

MOTHER GOOSE

Jeff MacNelly’s SHOE

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

33-year-old should cut losses and leave fiance

D

SUDOKU

ing with MS. EAR ABBY —I He does help somehave been with what, but it would be my fiance since better if he would get a 2006. We expected to be job. My mother watches married in 2008, but my my kids while I am workgrandmother died a ing and after they get out month before my wedof school. He claims beding, and then he was cause he doesn’t have a arrested because of driver’s license he charges stemcan’t get a job. Reming from a sexally? How many ual relationship people in this he’d had with a world don’t drive 17-year-old girl and still have a he had been job? Please give counseling. me some advice. I Since then, Abigail have reached my we have had a VAN BUREN breaking point. daughter, but DOING THE through it all BEST I CAN there has been cheating, drugs, jail, no job, and DEAR DOING THE constant excuses about BEST YOU CAN — You why our sex life no lonsay you are willing to ger exists. We have also sacrifice your happiness had physical altercawith this loser for your tions, which he was archildren.

Why? You are rested for. not married to him, and I am no longer happy he is emotionally newith this relationship. glectful, physically abuThe only reason I stay is sive and contributes because of our children. nothing financially.

I’m only 33 and don’t Admit to yourself that want to live my life in the “romance” has been misery anymore, but I a mistake, and as soon as will sacrifice my happiit’s safe, get away from ness for my children. I him. If he ever finds a am confused and don’t know what to do. I’m just job, the state will help you collect child supgoing through the moport, but if he doesn’t, tions in life. I work full you’ll have one less time, coach my son’s mouth to feed. soccer team and am livdear abby

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TELEVISION

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

AROUND TOWN

7 PM

TW FT

|

The Transatlantic Brides and Parents Association (British Wives) will meet at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Spectrum Senior Center, Pinewood Road. All British expats are invited to join. Call Josie at (803) 775-8052.

The Campbell Soup friends lunch group will meet at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Golden Corral.

The Evening Optimist Club Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, on Main Street. The parade will feature marching bands, beauty queens, festive holiday floats and more. The theme is “Christmas Around the World.”

8:30

9 PM 9:30 LOCAL CHANNELS

10 PM

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11 PM

11:30

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12 AM

(:35) The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Leading celebrities and new talent chat. (HD) (:35) Late Show with David Letterman Scheduled: Woody Harrelson.

(HD) (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live Scheduled: actor Benedict Cumberbatch. (N) (HD) Protect Your Memory with Dr. Neal Barnard Host discusses ways to counteract the risks for Alzheimer’s disease and more. (HD) Two and a Half Two and a Half The Middle: The Men Jake moves Men Love stories. Map Eaten proout. (HD) (HD) ject. (HD) The Arsenio Hall Show Late night Dish Nation (N) variety/talk show. (HD) WIS News 10 at 11:00pm News and weather.

News 19 @ 11pm The news of the day.

ABC Columbia News at 11 (HD)

CABLE CHANNELS Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty: Till Duck Do Us Part Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty (:01) Duck Dy- (:31) Duck Dy- (:01) Duck Dy(HD) (HD) Surprise wedding. (HD) (HD) (HD) nasty (HD) nasty (HD) nasty (HD) Shooter (‘07, Thriller) aaa Mark Wahlberg. A former Marine sniper is recruited to prevent the assassination of (:01) Four Brothers (‘05, Action) aac Mark the president and is framed for the assassination of an Ethiopian dignitary. (HD) Wahlberg. Four men avenge their mother’s death. (HD) Finding Bigfoot: Further (HD) Finding Bigfoot (HD) Finding Bigfoot (HD) Finding Bigfoot: Further (HD) Bigfoot (HD) Husbands: Doing Husbands: Scat- Scandal: Everything’s Coming Up Scandal: Vermont Is For Lovers, Too The Game (HD) The Game (HD) Wendy Williams The Bump tered Mellie Mellie’s interview. (HD) Cyrus finishes plan. (HD) Show (N) The Real Housewives of Beverly Top Chef: Piggin’ Out Hot sauce; Top Chef: Restaurant Wars Setting What Happens Top Chef: Restaurant Wars Setting Hills: Star of the Family whole hog. up pop-up restaurants. (N) (N) up pop-up restaurants.

Crime Inc.: Art for the Taking Car Chaser Car Chaser Greed: Sexual Performance Pill Mad Money Investing advice.

Car Chaser Anderson Cooper 360° (N) (HD) Piers Morgan LIVE (N) (HD) Anderson Cooper 360° Later Erin Burnett OutFront P. Morgan (:59) Key & Peele South Park: South Park (HD) South Park (HD) South Park (N) Key & Peele (N) Daily Show (N) The Colbert Re- (:01) South Park (HD) Towelie (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) port (N) (HD) (HD) Disney’s A Christmas Carol (‘09, Holiday) aaa Jim (:45) Phineas and A.N.T. Farm (HD) Good Luck Char- Blog: Good Girl Jessie Love song. Stevens: Heck of Carrey. Mean old miser changes his life.

Ferb (HD) lie (HD) Gone Bad (HD) a Hanukkah Yukon Men: River Rising (HD) Yukon Men: Aftermath (HD) Yukon Men: Revealed (N) Bear Grylls: Escape (N) (HD) Yukon Men: Season of Change Bear (HD) College Basketball: Teams TBA z{| (HD) College Basketball: North Carolina vs Michigan State z{| (HD) SportsCenter (HD) SportsCenter College Basketball: Teams TBA z{| (HD) College Basketball: Boston College vs Purdue z{| (HD) Olbermann (HD) Olbermann (6:00) Scrooged (‘88, Comedy) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (‘89, Comedy) aaa Chevy Deck the Halls (‘06, Holiday) aa Danny DeVito. Two neighbors get into a A Very Brady aaa Bill Murray.

Chase. A klutz plans a holiday celebration. (HD) Christmas lights war that could be seen from space.

Christmas (‘88) Restaurant: Impossible (HD) Restaurant: Impossible (HD) Restaurant Stakeout (N) (HD) Restaurant: Impossible (N) On the Rocks San Diego. (N) Restaurant On the Record with Greta (N) The O’Reilly Factor (N) (HD) The Kelly File News updates.

Hannity Conservative news. (HD) The O’Reilly Factor (HD) The Kelly File The Best of Pride (HD) College Basketball: Houston vs Texas A&M z{| SEC Gridiron Live (HD) World Poker Tour no} (HD) Basketball All I Want for Christmas (‘07, Holi- Snow Bride (‘13, Holiday) Katrina Law. A tabloid journalist spends the holi- Fir Crazy (‘13, Holiday) Sarah Lancaster. After a woman loses her job, she Once Upon a day) Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak. (HD) days with a member of a political family. (HD) must work at her family’s Christmas tree lot. (HD) Christmas (‘00) Buying and Selling (HD) Property Brothers (HD) Buying and Selling (N) (HD) Hunters (N) Hunters (N) Property Brothers (HD) Buying (HD) American Pickers (HD) American Pickers (HD) American Pickers (N) (HD) Bible Secrets Revealed (N) (HD) (:02) America Unearthed (HD) American (HD) Law & Order: Criminal Intent: WWE Main Event (N) Flashpoint: Sons of the Father Nurse Flashpoint: A World of Their Own Flashpoint: Below The Surface Rival Flashpoint (HD) Rispetto Partying designer. (HD) abducted. (HD) Desperate man. (HD) biker gangs. (HD) (6:00) A Dad for Christmas (‘06, Hol- Kristin’s Christmas Past (‘13, Holiday) Shiri Appleby. Woman wakes up to All About Christmas Eve (‘12, Holiday) aac Haylie Duff. Party planner (:02) Kristin’s iday) aac Louise Fletcher. (HD) Christmas past. (HD) faces big decision. (HD) (‘13) (HD) Sam & Cat Sam & Cat Full House Full House Full House Full House Full House Full House Friends (:33) Friends (:06) Friends Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) (:05) Jail (HD) Ghost Hunters: Haunted Home for Haunted Highway: Island of Lost Haunted Highway: Manchac Killer Contact: Jack the Ripper Jack Haunted Highway: Manchac Killer: Jack the the Holidays (HD) Souls Dry Tortugas.

Swamp; Moonville Tunnel (N) the Ripper. (N) Swamp; Moonville Tunnel Ripper The Big Bang The Big Bang The Big Bang Conan (N) (HD) The Pete Holmes Family Guy: Pe- Family Casting The Big Bang Seinfeld: The Family: Exproblems.

Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Show (N) tra-Large Medium ter-assment Note (HD) (6:15) The Princess and the Pirate Flying Down to Rio (‘33, Musical) aac Dolores del Carson on TCM: The Gay Divorcee (‘34, Musical) aaa Fred Astaire. A woman refuses a Roberta (‘35) (‘44, Comedy) aa Bob Hope.

Río. A bandleader courts an engaged heiress.

Fred Astaire man’s romantic advances due to mistaken identity. aaa My 600-lb Life Challenges. (HD) Half-Ton Killer? (HD) Half-Ton Killer? (N) (HD) Hoarding: Buried Alive (N) (HD) Half-Ton Killer? (HD) Hoarding (HD) Red (‘10, Action) aaac Bruce Willis. A retired black-ops CIA agent who Mob City: A Guy Walks Into a Bar/Reason to Kill a Man Detective works to (:06) Mob City: A Guy Walks Into a Bar/Reason to Kill a is marked for assassination looks for answers. (HD) stop mob boss. (N) (HD) Man Detective works to stop mob boss. (HD) S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach (N) S. Beach (:01) Repo (:31) Repo (:02) S. Beach Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Kirstie (N) (HD) Kirstie: Pilot; Arlo Moves In (HD) Queens (HD) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Painless (HD) Vanity’s Bonfire (HD) Lessons Learned (HD) Beautiful Frame (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) Will Grace Will Grace Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton (HD) Funniest Home Videos (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) WGN News at Nine (HD) How I Met Rules (HD) Rules (HD)

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The Kudlow Report (N) Erin Burnett OutFront (N) (:58) The Colbert (:28) Daily Show Report (HD) (HD) A.N.T. Farm (HD) A.N.T. Farm (HD)

The Chestnut Oaks Middle School Honors Choir will hold a “Cookies and Story Time with Santa” fundraiser at 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 6, in the school gymnasium.

Santa Claus will read “The Night Before Christmas” while the choir sings Christmas songs. The audience will be served cookies and hot chocolate.

Tickets are $3 for district employees or students; $6 for anyone age 5 and up; and $2 for age 4 and under.

The Town of Mayesville Christmas Parade will be held Dec. 7 in downtown Mayesville. Line-up will begin at 10 a.m. and the parade will leave at 11 a.m. from Mayesville School.

Lakewood High School and Wilson High School bands will perform.

8 PM

WIS News 10 at Entertainment Christmas in Rockefeller Center Saturday Night Live: Saturday Night Live Christmas A compilation of the 7:00pm Local Tonight (N) (HD) The 81st annual Christmas tree light- most memorable holiday themed sketches from “Saturday Night Live.” (N) news update. ing. (HD) (HD) News 19 @ 7pm Inside Edition (N) Survivor: Blood vs. Water (N) (HD) Criminal Minds: Restoration Morgan Criminal Minds: The Fallen Homeforced to face his painful past. (HD) less people burned to death. (HD) Evening news up- (HD) date.

Modern Family: (:31) Super Fun Nashville: I’m Tired Of Pretending Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! (N) The Middle: The Back in the (N) (HD) (HD) Kiss Housesitting. Game: Massive The Big Game (N) Night: Pilot (N) Teddy is feeling replaced by Deacon.

(N) (HD) (HD) Election (N) (HD) (HD) (N) (HD) Elton John in Concert Music legend Elton John perRick Steves’ Deli- Expeditions with Earthflight, A Nature Special Presentation: North forms his greatest hits including “Rocket Man.” (HD) Patrick McMillan America Pelicans, eagles and geese fly over Alaska, cious Europe Great Plains, Grand Canyon and more. (HD) (N) (HD) The Big Bang The Big Bang The X Factor: Top 7 Perform (N) (HD) WACH FOX News at 10 Local news Theory (HD) Theory Howard report and weather forecast. hazed. (HD) King of the Hill: The Cleveland Family Feud Fam- Family Feud Fam- Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Best Law & Order: Criminal Intent: ilies compete.

Defense A respected ADA kills a hit Anti-Thesis University president is As Old as the Hills Show Rallo’s ilies compete. man. (HD) murdered. (HD) prank. (HD)

The Sumter Elks Lodge 855 32nd Annual Turkey Shoot will be held each Sunday through Dec. 29 from 1 p.m. until sundown at 1100 W. Liberty St.

The Third Annual Silver Bells Arts & Craft Show will be held 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at 30 Artillery Drive.

Santa will be onsite 1-4 p.m. Saturday.

Bring a nonperishable food item for food drive. Unwrapped toys are needed for Toys for Tots. Vendors include: Beaded Snowflakes; The Up-Cycling Junkie; Just Kiln’ Time Ceramics; Pretty Is You ... Avon by Vi; Tastefully Simple; Parker’s Artistic Scrollwork; and many more.

7:30

THE ITEM

‘Mob City’ moves forward like a locomotive

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH The ambitious new miniseries “Mob City” (9 p.m., TNT, TV-MA) returns to a doomed City of Angels. Created by Frank Darabont (“The Walking Dead”), it’s set in the glamorous yet corrupt world of postWorld War II Los Angeles, a place where cops, chorus girls and gangsters might mingle to hear some adventurous jazz as that art form migrated from swing to bebop and beyond.

An impressive cast includes Jon Bernthal as detective Joe Teague, a decorated ex-Marine with a killer reputation that earns him the attention of folks on both sides of the law. Neal McDonough plays a crusading police captain so squeakyclean that even his own men call him “the Boy Scout.” On the other side of the ledger, Ed Burns plays gangster Ben “Bugsy” Siegel, and Jeremy Luke is Mickey Cohen.

When a shady character approaches Joe in a blackmail scheme, he brings it to the attention of his superior, detective Hal Morrison (Jeffrey DeMunn). Not to give too much away, but the unfolding of this sting, or rather a sting within a setup within a double-cross, pretty much establishes the moral tone, character hierarchy and plot trajectory for this sixhour story.

“Mob City” has its moments, many of them. But I couldn’t

help feeling that most of its creative energy was expended on costumes and set design — or the digital fabrication of set design. Still, the music is impressive, the acting capable, and the story moves forward like a locomotive.

Too many of our better series, “Boardwalk Empire” and “Homeland” included, have become languid and meditative to a fault. Perhaps that’s why so many viewers have grown to like miniseries and series with short seasons that unfold in novelistic fashion.

This has been a good year for that television format; 2013 has brought us “Top of the Lake,” “Broadchurch,” “Sherlock,” “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “The Returned.” Not to mention “The Vikings” on History.

Cable networks and streaming services are keen to compete for smart, demanding viewers.

I’d call that a welcome trend.

“Mob City” will air in twohour installments over three Wednesday nights.

• “Kirstie” (10 p.m., TV Land, TV-PG) gets where it’s going in record time.

Within 60 seconds, we discover that vain, aging Broadway star Madison Banks (Kirstie Alley) gave up a child for adoption when she was an ambitious and evidently promiscuous starlet. And that grown-up child, Arlo (Eric Petersen), a lumpy nerd from

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Rhea Perlman plays her personal assistant and Michael Richards stars as her seedy chauffeur. That puts two “Cheers” regulars and a “Seinfeld” star in the cast. What more do you need? Not terribly much. And the story unfolds in that spirit. After several hugs and too many forced Viagra jokes, a lifetime of regret and neglect are forgotten and forgiven. Let the punch lines begin.

Tonight’s Other Highlights • The “Today” gang hosts “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (8 p.m., NBC).

• The top seven perform on “The X Factor” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

• “Saturday Night Live” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) recalls Christmas sketches.

• Cameron coaches on “Modern Family” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• The new documentary series “State of Play” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-PG) begins with a look at parents’ role in athletics.

• A forest becomes a crime scene on “CSI” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

• Teddy resents Deacon, again, on “Nashville” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• Cordelia rallies the coven against Fiona on “American Horror Story: Coven” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

• Investigators review famous murder cases on “Killer Contact” (10 p.m., Syfy, TV14).

Series Notes Tribal altercations on “Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * A romantic getaway on hold on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Sin needs help on “Arrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) * Political intrigue on “Back in the Game” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * A killer targets the AARP set on “Criminal Minds” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * Stephen schemes on “The Tomorrow People” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) * Kimmie reflects on her good fortune on “Super Fun Night” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

Late Night Ben Stiller, Evangeline Lilly and the Naked and Famous appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Jay Leno welcomes Melissa McCarthy, Andy Cohen and Empire of the Sun on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) * Benedict Cumberbatch and R. Kelly appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC) * Orlando Bloom and Elvis Costello visit “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r).

Copyright 2013, United Feature Syndicate

C8

FOOD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013

THE ITEM Contact Rhonda Barrick at 803-774-1264 or e-mail rhondab@theitem.com

A MODERN SPIN ON

Holiday Classics

BY FAMILY FEATURES

T

raditional goodies always add a touch of sweetness to the holidays.

Updates to some of your favorite holiday classics help keep family traditions alive while incorporating creative and on-trend ingredients. Everyone knows fruitcakes have long been a holiday tradition, and new and improved versions of this timeless treat are making a festive comeback, causing many holiday guests to go back for seconds.

Fresh and festive flavors of the season To add a spark of creativity to your

kitchen, Betty Crocker is pleased to release their Red Hot Holiday Trends.

With exciting flavor innovations that range from sweet and savory cookies to caramel popcorn adorned with dulce de leche, this list includes global culinary trends that will liven up any holiday spread. Why not try this refreshed take on fruitcake to make people wonder why they ever discounted this holiday dessert?

The new fruitcake A modern take on a Christmastime classic, this luscious two-layer upsidedown apple cake, studded with whiskey-soaked fruits and filled with sweetened mascarpone, will be the belle of any holiday ball.

UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE CAKE WITH WHISKEY-SOAKED FRUIT Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes Start to finish: 4 hours Yield: 16 servings Fruit Cake 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 3 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon 3 red apples, unpeeled, quartered, cored, very thinly (1/4 inch) sliced 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix 1 cup water 3/4 cup slivered almonds, finely ground 1/3 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger Toppings 1/4 cup apple jelly 2 ounces (from 8-ounce container) mascarpone cheese, softened 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon sugar Fresh cranberries and orange slices, if desired In medium bowl, mix dried cranberries, apricots, orange peel and bourbon. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease bottom and sides of two 8-inch

round cake pans with shortening. Line bottom of each pan with cooking parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with shortening.

Line bottom and side of each pan with overlapping apple slices, cutting slices as necessary to line side of each pan.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, ground almonds, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in soaked dried fruit and ginger. Gently pour into pans over apple slices.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately turn pans upside down to release cakes onto cooling racks.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave apple jelly uncovered on High 15 to 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until hot. Brush over apples on top and side of each cake to make shiny. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat mascarpone cheese, whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. On serving plate, place one cake, apple side up. Top with whipped cream mixture. Gently place remaining cake layer on top of cream, apple side up. Garnish with fresh cranberries and orange slices. Cut into slices with serrated knife. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

One serving: Calories 300 (calories from fat 120); total fat 14g (saturated fat 4.5g, trans fat 0g); cholesterol 60mg; sodium 220mg; potassium 150mg; total carbohydrate 39g (dietary fiber 2g); protein 3g

Tips: Grind the slivered almonds in small food processor, or very finely chop with knife.

Garnish with toasted, sliced almonds, if desired.

Make it ahead and save some time! Prepare the dried fruit the night before, or bake the cake layers, and whip up (and refrigerate) the topping a day early. Put the cake together the day you serve it for best results.

This layered cake can also be made as two single layer cakes for smaller gatherings. Skip the stacking of the layers and place a single cake layer, apple side up, on a cake stand.

Top the cake with a dollop of the sweet cream topping, and garnish with cranberries and orange slices.

Put a twist on holiday fare with delectable treats that offer sweetness along with an unexpected, savory twist.

When the holidays roll around, everyone wants to get their hands on seasonal goodies adorned with the usual ingredients of chocolate, powdered sugar, hard candy and other traditional confections. But this year, along with your holiday favorites, why not serve up some unexpected recipes? We know that sweet and salty combinations are always a dessert favorite, but we’re bringing new ingredients to this delectable combination beyond chocolate covered pretzels.

Bake up a unique take on shortbread cookies that will have everyone asking for the recipe. These treats offer a saltysweet flavor contrast, with an unusual savory addition of Kalamata olives, pistachios and dark chocolate chips. The result is mind-blowing, melt-in-your mouth goodness.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED OLIVE SABLÉS Prep Time: 45 minutes Start to Finish: 1 hour 15 minutes Yield: 4 dozen cookies Cookies 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/2 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives, drained, patted dry with a paper towel 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts 1/2 cup finely chopped dark chocolate chips

Topping 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir 3/4 cup of the butter and the sugar until well mixed. Stir in flour (if dough is crumbly, mix in up to 2 additional tablespoons softened butter). Stir in remaining cookie ingredients.

On work surface lightly sprinkled with flour, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2-inch round cutter. On ungreased cookie sheets, place 1/2 inch apart.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 cup chocolate chips and the oil uncovered on High 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate; wipe excess on edge of bowl. Sprinkle edge of dipped half with finely chopped pistachio nuts. Place on waxed paper to set, about 1 hour.

Nutritional information for one cookies: Calories 100 (calories from fat 60); total fat 6g (saturated tat 3.5g, trans fat 0g); cholesterol 10mg; sodium 40mg; potassium 60mg; total carbohydrate 9g (dietary fiber 0g); protein 1g Tips: Dipping the cookie in chocolate gives it Make ahead — stir up the batter, wrap it To check out all of the Red Hot Holiday a finished look, but if you’re short on time, sim- tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to Trends, for information on Betty’s Holiday ply drizzle the melted chocolate over the 2 days before baking. Allow the dough to come Helpline and for more great recipes, visit www. cooled cookies. to room temperature before rolling it out.

BettyCrocker.com/redhot.

Source: Betty Crocker