December 4, 2015

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INSIDE: High school diploma petitions deadline nears

A2

Forget about fresh lobster Seaweed is Maine’s new hot product A4

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

75 CENTS

All combat jobs open to women?

Don’t give pets as presents

Defense secretary gives order that removes final barriers WASHINGTON (AP) — After three years of study and debate, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military Thursday to open all military jobs to women, removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts. His landmark decision rebuffed requests by the Marine Corps to exclude women from certain infantry and combat jobs and signaled a formal recognition that thousands of women served, and many were wounded or killed, in the last 14 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We are a joint force, and I have decided to make a

decision which applies to the entire force,” Carter told a news conference. But he acknowledged some concerns. “Implementation won’t happen overnight,” Carter said. “And while at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force, there still will be problems to fix and challenges to overcome. We shouldn’t diminish that.” Carter said the military can no longer afford to exclude half the population from high-risk military posts. He said that any man or woman who meets the standards should be able to serve, and he gave the

SEE WOMEN, PAGE A3

Police: Couple had enough bullets, bombs to slaughter hundreds of people

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Experts recommend against giving animals for holiday presents. Many “gifted” animals end up in shelters. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook had been in contact with known extremists on social media, a U.S. intelligence official said Thursday, and police said he and his wife had enough bullets and bombs to slaughter hundreds when they launched their deadly attack on a holiday party. The details came to light as investigators tried to determine whether the rampage that left 14 people dead was terrorism, a workplace grudge or some combination. The husbandand-wife killers were not on the FBI’s radar before the massacre, said a second U.S. official, who likewise spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss

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Learn more about the suspects on page A5

Animal experts say after the holidays may be better BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com

the investigation. Wearing black tactical gear and wielding assault rifles, Farook, a 28-year-old county restaurant inspector, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 27, sprayed as many as 75 rounds into a room at a social service center for the disabled, where Farook’s co-workers had gathered for a holiday banquet Wednesday. Farook had attended the event but slipped out at some point, then returned in battle dress. Four hours later and two miles away, the couple died in a furious gunbattle in which they fired 76 rounds,

Receiving a pet on Christmas day may seem like a great gift, but unlike a toy, a puppy

said it would be better to give someone a gift certificate to adopt a pet so the person can bring home the animal when

or kitten requires much more than the initial five minutes of undivided attention. Cindy Cook, manager of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Sumter,

SEE PETS, PAGE A7

Weekend brings Sumter Christmas events BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com Sumter is well into its celebration of the Christmas season. The Fantasy of Lights at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens has been lighting up the skies on West Liberty Street since

SEE CALIFORNIA, PAGE A3

DEATHS, B5 Richard A. Wells Corine N. Baxter Emma Mae Spencer James F. Hampton Pauline V. Ford Bennie McCray Tyrone McKnight

Profit Herring Janie Lee Welch Jolany J. Holloman John E. Johnson Harold K. DuRant Roosevelt Seabrooks Sammy Bud Reynolds

Monday evening and will continue to do so through New Year’s Eve, and this weekend holds many events to help keep everyone in the Christmas spirit. Today at 4:30 p.m., Sumter County lights its Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn with a ceremony featuring local

school choruses singing songs of the season. Following the official ceremony, children and their parents are invited to take the annual Walk with Saint Nick is a short stroll from the courthouse to the Sumter County

WEATHER, A12

INSIDE

A TAD BIT COOLER

3 SECTIONS, 30 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 43

Sunshine today and clear tonight.

SEE EVENTS, PAGE A7

Classifieds B6 Comics A10 Lotteries A12

HIGH 58, LOW 35

WE CARRY A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF WATCHES

For Men & Women

Jewelry Wholesale 30% 41 E. Wesmark Blvd. • Sumter, SC 778-1031

OFF

Fine Jewelry for 35 years

Opinion A11 Television A9


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