February 12, 2016

IN SPORTS: Sumter Middle School Conference basketball titles decided B1 SCIENCE

Einstein-predicted ripples detected in outer space A5 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

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$120K seized in traffic stops

75 cents

Bush woos Sumter

Clarendon Sheriff ’s Office says money tied to drugs

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com During a two-week time frame, Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office deputies have located and seized more than $120,000 in illegal drug proceeds on Interstate 95 in Clarendon County from two separate incidents.

The money from both incidents was turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who will investigate both cases, said Maj. Kipp Coker, spokesman for the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office.

In the first incident, on Feb. 1, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle headed south on I-95 for a traffic violation.

Deputies observed signs of criminal activity and requested a consent to search, Coker said.

Deputies discovered an aftermarket made compartment inside the dashboard, with a large amount of cash inside, Coker said.

These types of compartments are used by drug cartels and other organizations that attempt to smuggle illegal contraband, he said.

The U.S. currency that was found in the traffic stop was going to be used to further a large drug organization, Coker said.

No charges were made in that incident.

A separate traffic stop

SEE SEIZED, PAGE A6

S.C. Attorney General addresses sex crimes, domestic violence

BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson shared the state’s newest efforts and focuses to members of Sumter Palmetto Rotary Club during the group’s Law Enforcement Day Luncheon at Sunset Country Club on Thursday.

The attorney general was honest in his speech about sex trafficking, domestic violence and internet crimes against children in the state.

Wilson said he, along with others in the state, was ignorant to sex trafficking years ago but has since learned more about the issue.

It is easy to think sex trafficking only happens abroad or to a certain group of people because of Hollywood movies, but trafficking is very prevalent in the state, he said.

“Half the battle is recognizing the problem,” Wilson said.

South Carolina used to be one of the worst states when it came to sex trafficking laws, he said.

Slavery is very much alive in South Carolina in 2016, as well as other plac-

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es in the country, he said, referring to sex and labor trafficking.

Wilson said sex trafficking is a $150 billion industry and there are approximately 21 million victims each year.

He said sex trafficking is second to arms and drug trafficking but will become the number one crime because people can be sold multiple times while guns and drugs need to continually be manufactured and acquired.

And, not all victims of sex trafficking are kidnapped, he said.

Wilson shared the story of Theresa Flores who was trafficked for two years, starting at age 15, by several of her male classmates.

He said the boys forced Flores into sex trafficking after they threatened to spread photos of her being raped.

Wilson said Flores, who grew up in a religious household, was afraid to tell her family about what happened because her parents disapproved of sex before marriage. The family may not have contemplated rape, he said.

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

Charlie Herrera, 2, climbed up on Jeb Bush’s lap as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made statements about why he has thrown his support behind Bush in the presidential race. Charlie’s father is deployed overseas.

More than 200 people packed USC Sumter building

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com A last-minute move from Baker’s Sweets to the Arts and Letters building at University of South Carolina Sumter didn’t prevent Gov. Jeb Bush’s meet and greet in Sumter from being a standing-room-only event.

More than 200 people crowded into the room to hear the former Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate make his case for why he is the best choice to “sit behind the big desk” — as he called it — in the White House next January.

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM While the older, mostly Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduces presidential candidate Jeb white crowd fit Bush’s target

Bush at University of South Carolina Sumter on Thursday. See more SEE BUSH, PAGE A6 photos online at theitem.com.

SEE WILSON, PAGE A6

DEATHS, B7 Earline Dow Canty Gregory L. Williams Charlie L. Wells William K. Player Sr. Alberetta M. Golden George Hampton

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Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: pressrelease@theitem.com

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Jehovah to host discussion about religion, race Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church invites community members to an open discussion event, “We are 1 in the Kingdom: Tearing Down the Walls,” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in the main sanctuary, 803 S. Harvin St. The Rev. Napoleon Bradford said the event will give members of different religious denominations and races a chance to speak freely about things that separate the groups and discuss ways to unite as one through the word of Christ.

Religious leaders from churches around Sumter — including Trinity UME Church, Church of the Holy Comforter and Shaw Air Force Base — will serve as panel guests for the discussion.

Sumter man faces child pornography charges South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Thursday that a Sumter-area man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the sexual exploitation of minors and now faces four charges.

According to a news release from the attorney general’s office, Malcolm Rainey, 46, was reportedly involved in exchanging files containing child pornography via peer-topeer file sharing.

Rainey is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, a felony offense punishable by no more than 10 years imprisonment for each count.

Officers with South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Sumter County Sheriff ’s Office, both members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, arrested Rainey on Wednesday.

Several pieces of electronic equipment were seized for forensic examination, states the release.

In the release, Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of South Carolina.

Sumter man killed by falling limb while cutting down tree A Sumter man was killed Thursday morning by a falling tree limb while cutting down a tree on Bayview Drive in Clarendon County.

Terry Wayne Edwards, 53, of Pinewood Road, Sumter, was killed instantly after being struck by a limb, according to the Clarendon County Coroner’s Office.

Edwards’ body will be sent to Medical University of South Carolina for an autopsy today to determine the cause of death.

Clarendon County Fire Department responded to the call about 9:30 a.m., said Chief Frances Richbourg.

Richbourg said the victim was working on the tree when a large piece of a limb he had cut down broke off and fell on top of him.

Richbourg said Edwards had harness equipment on and was about 30 feet up in the tree.

A tree service truck was used to remove the victim’s body from the tree, Richbourg said.

Christ Community Church breaks ground on new home

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com About 100 people brought their shovels Wednesday to ceremonially break ground on a building for Christ Community Church at 320 Loring Mill Road.

The church will finally have a permanent home after 14 years of existence at various temporary locations.

Construction of the 23,000-squarefoot facility is scheduled to begin this month. The building will include a worship area and auditorium that could seat up to 500 people and a 10,000-square-foot children’s ministry area with classrooms.

“This is a special evening for everyone involved in this dream, and it wouldn’t be coming true without everyone of you,” said Pastor Mark Yoder to the crowd gathered at the event.

Yoder said the total construction cost is about $4 million and came from the church’s capital campaign.

The nondenominational church has more than 250 members.

The church began in February 2001 when a group of individuals began meeting for fellowship and prayer in a living room of a house, said John Knight, one of the founding members. By summer 2001, a Sunday morning Bible study began, meeting first in a home and then moving to Sumter Family YMCA. In August 2003, the church moved to University of South Carolina Sumter’s Nettles Auditorium.

The future site for a permanent facility became a reality in September 2007 with the purchase of 75 acres on Loring Mill Road. Since November 2008, members have met weekly for service at Sumter’s Patriot Hall.

Missy Reese, the church’s children’s director, said it was a dream come true.

“We’ve prayed about it for a long time,” Reese said. “Being a mobile church, we’ve had to set up table and chairs every Sunday morning.

It’s exciting to finally have a permanent place.”

Dennis Gregg, who’s been a church member for five years, said he joined the church after its members helped him during a crisis he was going through.

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Cobern Epting and his wife, Sydney, say a prayer over the ground they dug for Christ Community Chuch’s new location on Loring Mill Road on Wednesday evening.

“This is a blessing to have this building finally manifest itself,” Gregg said.

“It’s incredible,” said Bud Reynolds, worship and creative arts leader, who’s been a member for more than 10 years. “I’m really looking

forward to not having to set up and tear down every Sunday morning.”

Alice Drive Baptist Church members served chili to Christ Community Church members at the groundbreaking ceremony to welcome them to the neighborhood.

Lee County sheriff files for re-election FROM STAFF REPORTS Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon has announced he will seek his second four-year term in office.

Simon, 50, won a special election in 2010 to fill the seat after former Sheriff E.J. Melvin was indicted and later convicted on drug conspiracy and racketeering charges.

Simon began his law enforcement career with the Bishopville Police Department where he served from December 1987 until June 1995. He then transferred to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Simon was promoted to the investigative division, and reached the

rank of major, before being elected sheriff in July 2010.

Under his leadership, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made significant strides, he said.

“We are one of the few law enforcement agencies in the state to have Rapid ID, a fingerprint scanning system that lets officers know if someone is wanted SIMON or has outstanding warrants,” Simon said.

Simon said all of his uniformed deputies are now equipped with body cameras. The department has also received 10 in-car video camer-

as from S.C. Department of Public Safety, Simon said.

“This is another tool to assure our citizens that the sheriff’s office is transparent in our day-to-day operations,” he said.

Simon said under his leadership, there has been a reduction in violent crimes and burglaries.

His office has also teamed up with the faith-based community in offering church security and safety awareness seminars in the wake of the June 2015 shootings at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

If re-elected, Simon said he will continue the fight on illegal drugs.

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NATION | WORLD

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52 dead, 12 injured in riot at northern Mexico prison controlled the area around Monterrey, and Zaldivar Farias was a suspect in the 2010 shooting death of American David Hartley on Falcon Lake, which makes up part of the border between Mexico and Texas.

Hartley was reportedly shot while touring the reservoir with his wife on jet skis.

The governor said the fight broke out between supporters of Zaldivar Farias and Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu, who has been identified by local news media as a member of the rival Gulf cartel. A war between the two cartels bloodied Nuevo Leon state and neighboring Tamaulipas between 2010 and 2012.

Images broadcast by Milenio Television showed flames leaping from the prison as a crowd of people bundled against the cold gathered outside. Some shook and kicked at the gates, demanding to be allowed in. Rescue workers could be seen bringing in-

BY PORFIRIO IBARRA AND MARK STEVENSON The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three SUVs proceed through the Narrows roadblock near Burns, Oregon, as FBI agents surrounded the remaining four occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday.

Last occupiers of Oregon wildlife refuge surrender payments toward a $1.1 million grazing fee and penalty bill.

The holdouts and 12 others connected with the occupation have been charged with conspiracy to interfere with federal workers.

A live stream of a telephone call indicated that the last four occupiers had surrendered Thursday morning.

The occupiers were 27-yearold David Fry of Blanchester, Ohio; Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada; and married couple Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho.

In the live stream, Fry said the three others had surrendered but he refused to. He later said he was giving up.

The FBI did not immediately confirm that the three surrendered.

The FBI began moving in on the holdouts Wednesday evening, surrounding their encampment with armored vehicles.

During the next several hours, the occupiers’ panic and their negotiation with FBI agents could be heard live on the Internet, broadcast by a sympathizer of the occupiers who established phone contact with them.

Fry, an Ohio resident, said he was declaring war against the federal government. “Liberty or death, I take that stance,� he declared and later said he was pointing a gun at his head.

Fry could be heard yelling at an FBI negotiator: “You’re going to hell. Kill me. Get it over with.�

The occupiers calmed down after a while, and arrangements were made for them to surrender at an FBI checkpoint on Thursday.

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — Surrounded by FBI agents in armored vehicles, the last four occupiers of a national wildlife refuge surrendered Thursday, and the leader of a 2014 standoff with federal authorities was criminally charged in federal court.

The holdouts were the last remnants of the group that seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2 and demanded that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires.

Meanwhile, Cliven Bundy, who was at the center of a 2014 standoff at his ranch in Nevada, was arrested late Wednesday in Portland after encouraging the Oregon occupiers not to give up. Bundy is the father of Ammon Bundy, the jailed leader of the most recent occupation.

On Thursday, the elder Bundy was charged in the 2014 standoff. Federal authorities may have feared Bundy’s presence would draw sympathizers to defend the holdouts.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas charged the 69-year-old Bundy with conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, obstruction, weapons charges and other crimes.

He’s accused of leading supporters who pointed military-style weapons at federal agents trying to enforce a court order to round up Bundy cattle from federal rangeland.

It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to represent him ahead of a court appearance in federal court in Portland.

Federal authorities say the Bundy family has not made

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — A brutal fight between rival factions killed 52 inmates and injured 12 at a prison in northern Mexico on Thursday, the state governor said.

Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez said there were no reported escapes and the battle, which sent flames billowing into the pre-dawn sky, didn’t involve guns.

The country’s deadliest prison riot in many years broke out just six days before Pope Francis is scheduled to visit another Mexican prison in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua state.

Rodriguez said at a news conference that the clash involved a faction led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel, Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias, also known as Z-27.

The Zetas once nearly

k n i p tag

jured inmates from the facility, at least some with burns. “They haven’t told us anything,� said Ernestina, who added that she was the mother of an inmate. She declined to give her full name for fear of reprisals. “They said that until there is order they won’t let us in Everything is in disorder, and nobody is telling us anything.�

Rodriguez said the fight broke out around midnight and inmates set fire to a storage area, causing a thick cloud of smoke.

The deadliest earlier prison riot in recent memory also occurred in Nuevo Leon, in February 2012, when members of the Zetas murdered 44 members of the Gulf cartel at the overcrowded Apodaca federal lockup. One month earlier, 31 inmates died in a brawl in Tamaulipas state. That riot involved fighting with makeshift knives, clubs and stones.

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Surprise insurance Twitter tweaks its timeline fees often come after in pursuit of more users medical emergencies

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer

BY MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON — Recovering from a medical procedure is always a challenge, but getting hit with unexpected insurance fees can add financial hardship to the process.

As health insurance plans become increasingly complicated, more patients are facing unexpected fees when they step outside their plan’s coverage network. In many cases, patients don’t realize they’ve received out-of-network care until they’re slapped with a bill for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Nearly a third of insured Americans who have financial problems tied to medical bills faced charges that their insurance would not cover, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

These out-of-network charges were a surprise to nearly 70 percent of patients, who did not know the services were not covered, according to the non-partisan policy group.

Here are some key questions and answers about out-of-network charges and potential steps for protecting yourself.

Q: HOW DOES THIS OCCUR? It usually happens when people need to be hospitalized for medical care. Even though services from their primary physician may be covered by their innetwork insurance coverage, services provided by other professionals, such as anesthesiologists, radiologists and emergency doctors often aren’t. In those cases, the patient will be billed at out-of-network rates.

The often-hefty bills leave many consumers angry and confused. Determining whether various specialists are in your network can be difficult, sometimes impossible, particularly during emergency situations.

“You can’t wake up from a heart attack and say to the ambulance provider, ‘Excuse me, are you in my network?’” says Karen Pollitz, who has studied the issue for the Kaiser Family Foundation.

insurance company and let them know what happened.

Some employer-sponsored health plans have policies where patients are not responsible for out-of-network charges, especially if they occur during an emergency. Even if your plan doesn’t have such a benefit, insurance companies can try and work with the hospital to negotiate lower fees.

You can also check if your state has a consumer assistance program to help patients with health insurance problems.

Currently, 10 states run such programs, including California, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland.

Q: IS ANYONE WORKING ON A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS? Most experts who have studied the issue say legal changes are needed to protect consumers for surprise medical fees. In most cases that means new laws at the state level.

New York recently implemented a law that relieves patients from out-of-network expenses that arise from emergencies or certain other circumstances. The law does not eliminate the fees, but instead requires insurance companies and hospitals to begin negotiations to resolve the charges.

“The consumer is out of the process at that point,” says Pollitz. “They pay what they would have paid if they were in-network, and then they’re done.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is tweaking the way that tweets appear in its users’ timelines in its latest attempt to broaden the appeal of its messaging service.

The change announced Wednesday moves Twitter closer to a formula that Facebook uses to determine the order of posts appearing in its users’ news feeds.

It’s a risky move for Twitter because it threatens to infuriate many of its 320 million users who like things the way they are. But the company can’t afford to stand put with its user growth slowing dramatically and its stock price plummeting by more than 50 percent since co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as CEO last summer.

Investors initially applauded Twitter for shaking things up: Its stock gained 58 cents, or 4 percent, to close at $14.98. But it then shed 13 cents in extended trading after the company released a fourth-quarter report that showed its service didn’t add any users during the final three months of last year.

Like Facebook, Twitter is shifting to a sorting system that relies on algorithms to track which tweets seem to matter most to individual users. Based on that analysis, Twitter will begin featuring tweets that it thinks will be most likely to capture a user’s interest at the top of the timeline.

That is a departure from the traditional presentation of Twitter’s timeline, which has always shown tweets in reverse chronological order so the most recent messages appear at the top of a user’s feed. The real-time feed will now appear below the tweets picked out by Twitter.

Users initially will have the option to turn on the algorithmic system by going into their settings and choosing “Show me the best Tweets first.” That choice began to slowly roll out to Twitter accounts Wednesday.

Twitter plans to automatically convert users’ timelines to the new system, allowing them to turn it off if they want. The revised

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

A Twitter app is displayed on an iPhone screen.

The social media site will now let people turn on a setting that lets popular tweets related to people you follow show up first in your timeline. presentation is a spin-off of a feature called “while you were away” that Twitter introduced about a year ago.

“We think this is a great way to get even more out of Twitter,” Mike Jahr, senior engineering manager for the company, wrote in a blog post.

Although Twitter has built one of the Internet’s best-known communication networks, it has been struggling to attract new users, and those who have signed up haven’t stuck around for long because they found it too difficult to find content they like.

During the first nine months of 2015, for instance, Twitter added 28 million users while Instagram, a photo- and video-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc., picked up more than 100 million users. Instagram now has more than 400 million users, making it larger than Twitter even though it is four years younger.

Dorsey, who helped start Twitter Inc. nearly 10 years ago, is hoping the revised presentation of tweets will prove more engaging to newcomers without alienating the messaging service’s most loyal users. He already had to quell an uprising last weekend after news of revised timeline leaked out and triggered an avalanche of posts with the tag “RIPTwitter.”

FEBRUARY 3 - FEBRUARY 16

Q: HOW MUCH DO THESE FEES COST CONSUMERS? Experts say there is little hard data on the cost of out-ofnetwork charges or how frequently they occur. But a 2011 study by the state of New York found that the average out-ofnetwork emergency bill was about $7,000. After assistance from insurance and other services, most consumers still had to pay roughly $3,780.

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Q: IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO PROTECT MYSELF? If you have a scheduled surgical procedure coming up, experts say there are certain precautions you can take to insulate yourself from surprise fees.

But they warn that even these will not guarantee you won’t be touched by out-of-network providers.

If possible, call the hospital in advance and make sure the surgeon and assistants handling the procedure are part of your insurance network. You can also talk to the hospital and request that any tests are sent to in-network laboratories for processing. Surprise fees often arise when hospitals send blood samples or medical scans to outside facilities for development.

Even in these situations, however, hospitals often cannot tell you which radiologist or anesthesiologist will be handling your procedure. That means even if you’ve tried to pre-manage the process, you may receive care from an out-of-network provider.

“This is one of these situations that I think is very challenging for consumers. Consumers just don’t have any control,” says Georgetown University professor Kevin Lucia, an attorney who has studied the problem.

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Breakthrough: Einstein-predicted ripples detected WASHINGTON (AP) — In an announcement that electrified the world of astronomy, scientists said Thursday that they have finally detected gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space-time that Einstein predicted a century ago.

Scientists likened the breakthrough to the moment Galileo took up a telescope to look at the planets.

The discovery of these waves, created by violent collisions in the universe, excites astronomers because it opens the door to a new way of observing the cosmos. For them, it’s like turning a silent movie into a talkie because these waves are the soundtrack of the cosmos.

“Until this moment we had our eyes on the sky and we couldn’t hear the music,” said Columbia University astrophysicist Szabolcs Marka, a member of the discovery team. “The skies will never be the same.”

An all-star international team of astrophysicists used a newly upgraded and excruciatingly sensitive $1.1 billion instrument known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, to detect a gravitational wave from the distant crash of two

Scientists study blue chunk that killed man

black holes, one of the ways these ripples are created.

Some physicists said this is as big a deal as the 2012 discovery of the subatomic Higgs boson, sometimes called the “God particle.” Some said this is bigger.

“It’s really comparable only to Galileo taking up the telescope and looking at the planets,” said Penn State physics theorist Abhay Ashtekar, who wasn’t part of the discovery team. “Our understanding of the heavens changed dramatically.”

Gravitational waves, first theorized by Albert Einstein in 1916 as part of his theory of general relativity, are extraordinarily faint ripples in space-time, the hard-to-fathom fourth dimension that combines time with the familiar up, down, left and right. When massive but compact objects like black holes or neutron stars collide, their gravity sends ripples across the universe.

Scientists found indirect proof of the existence of the gravitational waves in the 1970s — computations that showed they ever so slightly changed the orbits of two colliding stars — and the work was honored as part of the 1993 Nobel

Prize in physics. But Thursday’s announcement was a direct detection of a gravitational wave.

And that’s considered a big difference.

“It’s one thing to know soundwaves exist, but it’s another to actually hear Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony,” said Marc Kamionkowsi, a physicist at Johns Hopkins University who wasn’t part of the discovery team. “In this case we’re actually getting to hear black holes merging.”

Gravitational waves are the “soundtrack of the universe,” said team member Chad Hanna of Pennsylvania State University.

Detecting gravitational waves is so difficult that when Einstein first theorized about them, he figured scientists would never be able to hear them. Einstein later doubted himself and even questioned in the 1930s whether they really do exist, but by the 1960s scientists had concluded they probably do, Ashtekar said.

In 1979, the National Science Foundation decided to give money to the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to come up with a way to

detect the waves.

Twenty years later, they started building two LIGO detectors in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana, and they were turned on in 2001. But after years with no luck, scientists realized they had to build a more advanced detection system, which was turned on last September.

The new LIGO in some frequencies is three times more sensitive than the old one and is able to detect ripples at lower frequencies that the old one couldn’t.

And more upgrades are planned.

Sensitivity is crucial because the stretching and squeezing of space-time by these gravitational waves is incredibly tiny. Essentially, LIGO detects waves that stretch and squeeze the entire Milky Way galaxy “by the width of your thumb,” Hanna said.

Each LIGO has two giant perpendicular arms more than two miles long. A laser beam is split and travels both arms, bouncing off mirrors to return to the arms’ intersection. Gravitational waves stretch the arms to create an incredibly tiny mismatch — smaller than a subatomic particle — and LIGO detects that.

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BY NIRMALA GEORGE The Associated Press NEW DELHI — Scientists are analyzing a small blue object that plummeted from the sky and killed a man in southern India, after authorities said it was a meteorite.

The object slammed into the ground at an engineering college during the weekend, shattering a water cooler and sending splinters and shards flying. Police said a bus driver standing nearby was hit by the debris and died while being taken to a hospital.

College principal G. Bhaskar said he heard a loud thud from his office, where several window panes shattered when the object hit the ground.

Local officials and scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics on Tuesday examined the 5-foot-wide impact crater at the college near Vellore city but said they had yet to determine whether the object was from outer space or possibly a passing airplane or manmade satellite.

College officials said window panes of the building shattered with the impact of the loud explosion. Several buses parked nearby were also damaged, and bits of glass from broken windows were scattered in the buses.

The hard, jagged object is dark blue and small enough to be held in a closed hand.

The scientists used metal detectors to check the crater for the presence of metals and dug up the soil.

“The object that police have recovered from the site would have to undergo chemical analysis” to confirm its origin, said the dean of the institute, Professor G.C. Anupama. She said that while it was rare for meteors to reach the ground before burning up in the atmosphere, it happens.

In February 2013, a meteor blazed across southern Urals that scientists said was the largest recorded strike in more than a century. More than 1,600 people were injured by the shock wave, and property damage was widespread in the Siberian city of Chelyabinsk.

Tamil Nadu’s top elected official J. Jayalalithaa said Sunday the bus driver had been killed by a meteorite and offered compensation to his family.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

WILSON FROM PAGE A1

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson gives a presentation to Sumter Palmetto Rotary Club on Thursday during the club’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

BUSH FROM PAGE A1 demographic, several in attendance said they had not yet decided on a candidate.

Robin and David O’Brien of Sumter said they had come to listen to what he had to say.

“We’re not thrilled with any of the candidates,” Robin O’Brien said.

Debbie Brown, from Manning, said she hasn’t decided either but thought seeing Bush would be fun.

“I have tickets to see Trump also,” she said. “Just for the entertainment value.”

Buck Mozinga, however, said Bush was his candidate.

“I liked Senior, and I like Junior,” he said, referring to presidents George H.W. Bush, Jeb Bush’s father, and George W. Bush, Jeb Bush’s brother.

As the candidate sat entertaining a toddler on his lap, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., gave Bush a folksy and lighthearted introduction, but he also hit hard on the theme that Bush is the most experienced candidate for the Republican nomination.

“It was easy for me to decide to support Jeb Bush,” Graham said. “Let’s send him out of South Carolina with the wind at his back.”

vate matter, but really its a cancer on the building blocks of society, the family.

The laws are backwards, he said.

Someone can get 37 days for beating their spouse but 5 years for beating a dog, Wilson said.

Now, charges of assault can be upgraded if the crime is committed in front of a child, he said.

He said children are adversely affected when they see their fathers beat their mothers.

Wilson said some children will grow up thinking domestic violence is a normal part of life but that cycle of abuse needs to be broken.

Flores was sold for sex while she continued to go to school and church, he said.

Another issue plaguing some youths’ lives are Internet crimes.

Wilson said his main focus in this area is to protect children from predators and other children.

The Internet is a new frontier just like the wild west was centuries ago, and it will take time to figure out, he said.

Wilson also said South Carolina has made great strides to better tackle domestic violence, something that has had the state ranked highly on some bad lists for years.

He said domestic violence used to be viewed as a pri-

As Graham introduced Bush, one man at the back of the room began yelling, apparently at Jeb Bush. Many in the crowd began chanting “USA, USA,” to drown him out.

“Thank you for coming,” Graham quipped as the man was escorted out. “Goodbye.”

Bush, seemed confident and invigorated, perhaps because he polled well enough in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Primary to keep his campaign’s hopes alive. Those in attendance responded enthusiastically to his talking points.

He called on South Carolinians to “change the context of the election to make it about leadership.

“We need a steady hand with a backbone,” he said.

Bush said he wanted a fair system where people can pursue their dreams, not a get-inline system where people wait to be taken care of.

He cited his record as governor of Florida from 1999-2007, saying he battled public employee unions, reduced government and balanced the budget. He said he supports a balanced budget amendment and a line-item veto in Washington.

“Pundits talk about there being an election of lanes,”

SEIZED FROM PAGE 1 was made on a vehicle for a traffic violation on Feb. 9.

Deputies observed similar signs of criminal activity in that incident, and requested consent to search the vehicle for illegal contraband, Coker said.

A computer was found in the trunk of the vehicle.

After removing the side panel of the computer, deputies discovered four large vacuumed sealed bags of U.S. currency.

Marijuana was also found in the vehicle, and the driver, Brandon Darnell Beverley, 30, of Gainesville, Florida, was charged with simple possession of marijuana, Coker said.

No other charges were made. Drivers in both incidents were issued citations for the traffic stop.

Neither of the drivers claimed the money and stated they did not know the money was hidden in the vehicles, Coker said.

Coker said in these types of incidents, the case is turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who investigates further.

An unidentified man is escorted out of the Jeb Bush presentation while U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was introducing Gov. Jeb Bush.

RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM

ing Republicans are her enemy in response to a debate question and denounced the agreement the Obama administration signed with Iran.

He also lambasted the candidate with “no plans, no sense, no talent,” running an “It’s all about me” platform, an apparent shot at Republican frontrunner Trump.

Bush contrasted his 32 years as a successful businessman in

Bush said. “The establishment lane, the outsider’s lane — I am in the lane of solving problems; let’s fix things that are right in front of us.”

Bush took shots at Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Obama and billionaire Donald Trump, but made no direct mention of rival candidates U.S. senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

He blasted Clinton for say-

Florida with Trump’s record.

“I did not go bankrupt four times and call that success,” he said.

Turning to foreign policy, he criticized the administration’s “containment” policy toward ISIS. “It is our responsibility that ISIS exists,” he said. “They are creating risks all around the world, and we need a strategy to destroy ISIS and defeat them there.”

He said Trump’s initial policy in the Middle East was “we have no dog in the fight,” but after the ISIS-linked shooting in San Bernardino, California, his response was to “use an obscenity.”

“That sends a message that the U.S. is not serious,” he said. “If Trump wins, it would be a disaster.”

Citing recent testimony that ISIS is determined to strike inside the U.S., Bush said the U.S. needs to take on ISIS and destroy it.

“We must rebuild the military so we don’t have to use it,” he said.

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(N) (HD) Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! (N) 5 12 (N) (HD) (HD)

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Caught On Camera with Nick Cannon: High Energy Video clips. (N) (HD) The Amazing Race: I Should’ve Been a Boy Scout Teams receive first clue in Mexico. (N) (HD) Be My Valentine, A Charlie Brown Charlie Brown Valentine Valentine dance.

Washington Charlie Rose: Travels with Painting the 11 14 Darley Farmers Town with Eric Week (N) (HD) The Week (N) Dowdle (HD) (HD) market. (N) The Big Bang The Big Bang Sleepy Hollow: Incident at Stone 6 6 Theory Wine Theory Friends no Manor Crane, Sophie fight supernatucountry. (HD) more. (HD) ral force. (N) (HD) Anger Manage- Anger Manage- The Vampire Diaries: Postcards 4 22 ment Eccentric ment Eccentric from the Edge Damon is dragged therapist. (HD) therapist. (HD) along by Julian. (N) (HD) 3 10 7:00pm Local

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(:35) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Comedic skits and celebrity interviews. (HD) Hawaii Five-0: Hoa ‘inea Affair reBlue Bloods: The Road to Hell Sev(:35) The Late Show with Stephen sults in double homicide. (N) (HD) eral women admit to murder. (N) Colbert Patricia Heaton; Quincy (HD) Jones. (HD) Shark Tank Chris Sacca rejoins the (:01) 20/20: Silence Broken: A (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live Actor Shark panel; follow-up on Ilumi. (N) Mother’s Reckoning Mother of ColGeorge Clooney; celebrity animal (HD) umbine shooter interview. (N) (HD) trainer Dave Salmoni. (HD) American Masters: B.B. King (N) David Bowie: Five Years David Tavis Smiley Ben BBC World News Charlie Rose (N) (HD) International (HD) Bowie onstage in the early 1980s. (N) Ratliff; Stanley news.

Nelson. (HD) (:01) Second Chance: Scratch That WACH FOX News at 10 Local news TMZ (N) 2 Broke Girls: Mike & Molly: Glitch Dead pool predicts Mary’s report and weather forecast.

And the Broken First Valentine’s death. (N) (HD) Hearts (HD) Day (HD) The Originals: Dead Angels Klaus Bones: The Killer in the Crosshairs Bones: The Blackout in the Blizzard Hot in Cleveland faces off with unlikely foe. (N) (HD) Sniper strikes again; Angela’s father Blackout causes issues; bad news.

Friends share visits with a request. (HD) (HD) home. (HD) Grimm: Star-Crossed Nick, Hank and Dateline NBC (N) (HD) Wu search for killer. (N) (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 Duck Dynasty: Jep & Jessica: Jep & Jessica: (:05) Duck Dy(:35) Duck Dy(:04) Duck Dyplans. (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) Pie Hard (HD) Growing (HD) Growing (HD) nasty (HD) nasty (HD) nasty (HD) The Walking Dead: Clear Rick The Walking Dead: Arrow on the 180 (6:30) The Walk- The Walking Dead: The Suicide King The Walking Dead: Home A debate The Walking Dead: I Ain’t a Judas ing Dead (HD) Rescue mission. (HD) arises within the prison. (HD) Security threatened. (HD) searches for more weapons. (HD) Doorpost Hopes for peace. (HD) 100 To Be Announced Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Masters (N) (HD) Treehouse Masters: Builds (N) (:02) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Lip Sync Battle Daily Show with Wendy Williams 162 Criminals at Work: Desperate Mea- Martin: The Cabin (:36) Martin: Love Martin: Kicked to (:48) Martin: Break Up to Make Up (:24) Martin: sures Officer gets fired. (HD) Show T.K.O. the Curb Relationship strain.

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A woman falls for a sol dier, but when war Shadowhunters: Moo Shu to Go The 700 Club The Object of My 131 book (‘04) (HD) erupts, it threatens to separate them.

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112 Love It or List It, Too (HD) Love It or List It (HD) Love It or List It (HD) Hunters (HD) Hunters (HD) My Lottery Hunters (HD) Love It (HD) 110 Counting (HD) Counting (HD) Counting Cars (HD) American Restoration (N) (HD) Counting (HD) Counting (HD) Counting (HD) Counting (HD) Counting (HD) 160 Heart Felt (‘16, Romance) Emmanuelle Vaugier. Man agrees to move away Meet My Valentine (‘15, Romance) Courtney Ford. Man tries to find some- Heart Felt (‘16, Romance) Emmanuelle Vaugier. Man with girlfriend for new job, finds out he may be father. (HD) one to take care of his family after learning he’s dying. agrees to move with girlfriend. (HD) Bring It!: Fan Chat: The Wicked Witch Bring It!: Bucking Bride (N) (HD) (:02) The Rap Game: Fights, Camera, (:02) Little Women: Atlanta: Tiny (:02) Bring It! 145 The Rap Game: Shakin’ Things Up Skills are tested. (HD) of Jackson (N) (HD) Action (N) (HD) Twins Takeover (HD) (HD) 76 Hardball with Chris (N) (HD) All in with Chris Hayes (HD) The Rachel Maddow Show (N) Lockup Inmates smuggle. (HD) Lockup Important choices. (HD) Lockup (HD) 91 Paradise (N) Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef (N) Full House Full House Full House Full House Friends (HD) Friends (HD) Friends (HD) 154 Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Gracie/Shamrock/Kimbo/ (HD) Cops (HD) Men in Black II (‘02, Action) aa Tommy Lee Jones. Agents Kay and Jay Serenity (‘05, Science Fiction) aaac Nathan Fillion.

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‘Peanuts’ gang gets into the Valentine’s Day spirit

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH ABC offers two “Peanuts” holiday specials, “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” (8 p.m., TV-G) from 1975, and “A Charlie Brown Valentine” (8:30 p.m., TVG), which appeared on ABC in 2002, the first special produced after creator Charles Schulz died in 2000.

Both include tales of love and longing and misunderstanding. In the first, Sally mistakes a box of candy that Linus left for his teacher as a token of affection. In the second, Charlie Brown wants to call his longtime crush, the Little RedHaired Girl, but can’t locate her phone number. One wonders if younger viewers can even identify with this very analog 20thcentury problem. Why didn’t Charlie Brown just Google her?

At the same time, there is a timeless quality to these stories, perhaps because they are so grounded in grade school. I am continually struck at how much Facebook resembles the routine of grammar school.

Like some kindly third-grade teacher, the Facebook algorithm reminds us of our friends’ birthdays and cajoles us to behave and make a nice greeting. Is that so different from the “everybody gets a Valentine’s card” ethos of third grade?

In “Be My Valentine,” Charlie Brown makes the most of the rumpled “pity” Valentine’s card he receives from Violet on Feb. 15. How many of us go through life either receiving or bestowing such meager gestures? How many of us have tried to play catch-up on Facebook, wishing somebody a happy birthday a day late, after this friend we had ignored or forgotten had publicly thanked everybody else for the many good wishes?

Technology changes, but “Peanuts,” perhaps, is forever.

So, it seems, is third grade.

• Season 28 of “The Amazing

Race” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) begins tonight with a gaggle of competitors traveling to Mexico City. This season’s theme is social media and the young-ish people who make it. The 11 teams of “stars” include Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl, cohosts of an iTunes podcast called “Psychobabble.”

Although most of the participants remain on the sunny side of 30, some partner up with their parents, folks closer to the average age of the typical viewer of “The Amazing Race.”

• Travel of a very different sort is explored on “Vice” (11 p.m., HBO, TV-14). “Escape to Europe” looks at Syrian refugees’ efforts to get to the relative safety of a continent that’s increasingly on edge because of the specter of social, economic and cultural disruption, not to mention terrorism. After five years of civil war, more than 4 million Syrians have tried to flee their homeland.

That represents roughly a quarter of Syria’s population.

• “On the Record With Mick Rock” (10 p.m., Ovation) features the famous music photographer as he interviews different stars of the industry. Tonight, he profiles DJ Mark Ronson in New York City, visiting some of the spots that helped launch his career, including the Berlin nightclub and the Electric Lady recording studios.

• “American Masters” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) profiles blues guitarist

Camera With Nick Cannon” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) * Damon keeps sinking lower on “The Vampire Diaries” (8 p.m., CW, TV14) * Adultery leads to homicide on “Hawaii Five-0” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Klaus battles with an unlikely nemesis on “The Originals” (9 p.m., CW, TV14).

LATE NIGHT

KEVIN NIXON / GUITARIST MAGAZINE

Legendary blues guitarist B.B. King performs with his band at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011. King is profiled on “American Masters” at 9 p.m. today on PBS. B.B. King. The film was completed shortly before his death in 2015 and includes interviews with many of the musicians he influenced, including Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Ringo Starr.

• Tycoons Chris Sacca and Mark Cuban tangle on “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• Women go out of their way to claim they murdered their boss on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • Jenny investigates Abbie’s disappearance on “Sleepy Hollow” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

• Another gruesome ritual on “Grimm” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• Ghouls wager on Mary’s mortality on “Second Chance” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

Actor John Cazale died in 1978 before the release of “The Deer Hunter” (midnight, TCM), the fifth film he made in six years to be nominated for a best picture Oscar.

SERIES NOTES Clips galore on “Caught on

2015-16

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES R. “PAP” PROPST

Please Mail To: The Sumter Item/Fireside Fund PO Box 1677 • Sumter, SC 29150

Or Drop Off At The Item 20 N. Magnolia St.

Patricia Heaton, Quincy Jones, DeRay McKesson and Grace are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) * George Clooney and Dave Salmoni appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r) * Dakota Johnson, Brian D’Arcy James and Carly Rae Jepsen visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) * Sarah Hyland, Jack McBrayer and Rami Malek appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).

Copyright 2016, United Feature Syndicate

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COMICS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

THE SUMTER ITEM

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTS

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY'S SHOE

Parenting at ex’s house is an issue for new wife DEAR ABBY — I am a divorced father who has recently remarried. I have parenting time with my children Dear Abby one weeknight and ABIGAIL every other VAN BUREN weekend.

My children have told me that during the week they prefer doing their homework at their mother’s home. They say that by the time I pick them up, prepare dinner and they start their homework, it’s already time to return to their mother’s. They are at ages where homework assignments can take several hours.

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

My ex is OK with me spending time with them at her home. She uses the time to run errands and do other things she may not have time for during the week. When there’s no school, I bring the kids to our house. All weekend parenting time takes place at my home.

The problem is, my present wife can’t stand that I spend time with my children at my ex’s home. She doesn’t understand why I won’t bring them here. I feel there’s ample opportunity on the weekends for my kids to be at our house and for her to build a relationship with them. Academics are crucial at this point in their lives.

So -- do I disrupt their homework to accommodate my wife? Or should I continue

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

the arrangement that my kids, my former wife and I have established?

Parenting time in Nebraska DEAR PARENTING TIME — It appears you have married a woman who is insecure. Your children’s reasons for wanting to stay at their mother’s during the week seem valid. You didn’t mention how long you and wife No. 2 have been married, but if it’s a brand-new marriage, point out that during school breaks and summer vacation she will have the midweek time to bond with your children that she’s craving.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.

Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

By Jeffrey Wechsler

ACROSS 1 Item in a '60s drug bust 7 Marshal Tito, for one 11 Friendly address 14 Make effervescent 15 Queen's place 16 Move on water 17 Generic City Hall dog?

19 Caustic chemical 20 __ Toy Barn: "Toy Story 2" setting 21 Japanese volcano Mount __ 22 Guzzle 24 Half a prison?

26 Suffix for professionals 28 Toon who often wore a Metallica T-shirt 29 Why some seek a certain cactus?

32 Bacchanal vessel 33 Rested 34 Choler 35 Essay on meditation?

39 Arboreal critter 41 "__ believer!"

42 Icon with a curved arrow 45 Eschew medical attention?

49 Certify

50 LAX stat 51 "Let her not say __ that keep you here": "Antony and Cleopatra" 53 Language from which "julep" is derived 54 Centrifuge site 56 Rosamund's "Gone Girl" co-star 57 Green beginning?

58 Fighter whose stock greeting affects 17-, 29-, 35- and 45-Across 63 However, to texters 64 __ dixit 65 Shape, as dough for cloverleaf rolls 66 Strong desire 67 Lacking a date 68 Adam, of the "Bonanza" brothers DOWN 1 Holy men who turn prayer wheels 2 Cousteau's concern 3 Oxymoronic skiing condition 4 Allencompassing concept

2/12/16 5 Gillette brand 6 "Empress of the Blues" Smith 7 "The Tudors" sta.

8 Actress Tyler 9 GPS datum 10 Frost output 11 Eponymous South American leader 12 Beamish?

13 Warning words 18 Upbeat 23 "Obviously, right?"

25 Their colour is affected by melanin 27 Fare on a flat tortilla 28 __ test 30 Master 31 Roofing sealer 36 One of a biblical trio

37 Global financial org.

38 Tournament elimination point 39 Diplomatic case 40 Dutch landowner in colonial America 43 Court action 44 Bony 45 __ pin 46 Pluto's Egyptian counterpart 47 Alternative to de Gaulle 48 Buster who portrayed Flash Gordon 52 Uncalled for 55 Canaanite deity 59 Decide 60 Lee side: Abbr.

61 Cooper's creation 62 Honorary legal deg

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

2/12/16

THE SUMTER ITEM N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

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Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

COMMENTARY

Bloomberg vs. Trump?

T

he morning of the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump, being interviewed on “Morning Joe,” said that he would welcome his “friend” Michael Bloomberg into the presidential race.

Which is probably the understatement of 2016.

The three-term mayor of New York and media mogul whose fortune is estimated at $39 billion, making him one of the richest men on earth, told the Financial Times on Pat Monday he is Buchanan considering a run.

Bloomberg had earlier confided he was worried about Hillary Clinton’s ability to turn back the challenge of Bernie Sanders, regards Trump’s rise with trepidation, and is appalled by the pedestrian character of the campaign rhetoric. ‘’I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an insult to the voters,” said Bloomberg; the public deserves “a lot better.”

This haughty disdain calls to mind the late Adlai Stevenson. Yet, if Bloomberg runs, his electoral vote tally would likely make Adlai, by comparison, look like Richard Nixon on his 49-state romp in 1972.

Republicans should give Mayor Mike every encouragement to enter the race. For though he threatens to spend a billion dollars of his own money to buy the presidency, his name on the ballot as a third-party candidate could send the Democratic nominee straight down to Davy Jones’s locker.

With Bloomberg siphoning off millions of liberal votes, Democrats would not only lose red states they customarily write off, winning solid blue states would require a far steeper climb.

Third Party candidates have played crucial roles in presidential politics. Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt killed the re-election hopes of his successor President William Howard Taft in 1912, by running as the Bull Moose candidate and delivering the nation to Woodrow Wilson.

Strom Thurmond carried four Deep South states in 1948 and George Wallace carried five Deep South states in 1968.

Both sought to throw the election into the U.S. House. Neither succeeded.

Ross Perot got 19 percent of the popular vote in 1992 and 8 percent in 1996. Though he did not carry a single state either time, as a candidate of the populist center-right, Perot peeled off a third of the votes George H. W. Bush had won in 1988 -- to sink Bush in 1992.

Why would Bloomberg, who has great wealth and is willing to part with it, not be able to beat Trump, or another Republican nominee, if he plunged a billion dollars into his campaign?

Though he may be a pioneer in modern media and a man with a golden touch, Bloomberg is 74 years old this week, uncharismatic, and does not

fill up a room the way the Donald does. He lacks a common touch and is a social liberal, pro-abortion and prosame-sex marriage.

Moreover, he is a compulsive nanny-stater who outlawed smoking in New York bars, restaurants and public places, prohibited the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 21, forbade trans-fats in restaurants, sodas larger than 16 ounces, chain restaurant menus without calorie counts, cellphones in school, non-fuelefficient cabs, greenhouse gas emissions, and non-hurricaneproof buildings in coastal areas.

While not well-known nationally, Bloomberg is a zealot about tougher gun control laws and his candidacy would produce a deluge of contributions to the National Rifle Association. This obsession, along with his social views, would sink him in Red State America.

Nor is Bloomberg, despite three straight victories running for mayor, a great political athlete.

In his last race, as the Republican and Independent candidate, Bloomberg spent $102 million to defeat an underfunded Democrat comptroller, but managed to win only 51 percent of the vote.

If Clinton, or even Sanders, were at the top of the Democratic ticket in New York State, either would crush Bloomberg in his home town, especially with the GOP nominee, say Trump, siphoning off all of the Republican-conservative votes Bloomberg received to become mayor.

Now only would Bloomberg lose the Big Apple, his statewide vote would come mostly from the Democratic nominee, giving Republicans the best opportunity to carry the Empire State since Ronald Reagan coasted to re-election in 1984.

By spending a billion dollars, Bloomberg could blanket the nation with ads. But once Republican oppo research groups defined him for Middle America, perhaps 4 in 5 of his votes would come out of the basket upon which Democrats rely.

For example, as a JewishAmerican, Bloomberg might do well in the Dade-BrowardPalm Beach County corridor, taking votes that Clinton or Sanders would need to carry Florida. Yet, where would Bloomberg get the rest of his votes to win the Sunshine State?

Clearly, Bloomberg is envious of the success of the Donald, since he descended on that escalator at Trump Towers on June 16.

The problem for Bloomberg is that, while this is the year of the outsider, with populist revolts breaking out in both parties, Sanders and Trump caught the lightning early, while he was restructuring his media empire. And, to be candid, Michael Bloomberg is no barn burner.

So all together now: “Run, Mike, Run!” To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com. © 2016 creators.com.

Sanders and Trump: Magic sells

W

ASHINGTON — The New Hampshire results have solidified the reigning cliche that the 2016 campaign is an antiestablishment revolt of both the left and the right. Largely overlooked, however, is the role played in setting the national mood by the sevenyear legacy of the Obama presidency.

Yes, you hear constant denunciations of institutions, parties, leaders, donors, lobbyists, influence peddlers. But the starting point of the bipartisan critique is the social, economic and geopolitical wreckage all around us. Bernie Sanders is careful never to blame Obama directly, but his description of the America Obama leaves behind is devastating — a wasteland of stagnant wages, rising inequality, a sinking middle class, young people crushed by debt, the American Dream dying.

Take away the Brooklyn accent and the Larry David mannerisms and you would have thought you were listening to a Republican candidate. After all, who’s been in charge for the last seven years?

Donald Trump is even more colorful in describing the current “mess” and more direct in attributing it to the country’s leadership — most pungently, its stupidity and incompetence.

Both candidates are not just anti-establishment but antistatus quo. The revolt is as much about the Obama legacy as it is about institutions.

Look at New Hampshire.

Hillary Clinton had made a strategic decision, as highlighted in the debates, to wrap herself in the mantle of the Obama presidency.

Big mistake. She lost New Hampshire by three touchdowns.

Beyond railing against the wreckage, the other commonality between the two big New Hampshire

winners is in the nature of the cure they offer. Let the others propose carefully budgeted CHARLES Krauthammer five-point plans.

Sanders and Trump offer magic.

Take Sanders’ New Hampshire victory speech. It promised the moon: college education, free; universal health care, free; world peace, also free because we won’t be “the policeman of the world” (mythical Sunni armies will presumably be doing that for us). Plus a guaranteed $15 minimum wage. All to be achieved by taxing the rich. Who can be against a “speculation” tax (whatever that means)?

So with Trump. Leave it to him. Jobs will flow back in a rush from China, from Japan, from Mexico, from everywhere. Universal health care, with Obamacare replaced by “something terrific.” Veterans finally taken care of. Drugs stopped cold at the border. Indeed, an end to drug addiction itself. Victory upon victory of every kind.

How? That question never comes up anymore. No one expects an answer. His will be done, on earth if not yet in heaven. Yes, people love Trump’s contempt for the “establishment” — which as far as I can tell means anything not Trump — but what is truly thrilling is the promise of a near-biblical restoration. As painless as Sanders’.

In truth, Trump and Sanders are soaring not just by defying the establishment, but by defying logic and history. Sanders’ magic potion is socialism; Trump’s is Trump.

The young Democrats swooning for Sanders appear unfamiliar with socialism’s century-long career, a dismal tale of ruination

readers of the newspaper. They should be no more than 350 words and sent via e-mail to letters@theitem.com, dropped off at The Item office, 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 verification purposes only. Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety at www.theitem.com/opinion/ letters_to_editor.

from Russia to Cuba to Venezuela. Indeed, are they even aware that China’s greatest reduction in poverty in human history correlates precisely with the degree to which it has given up socialism?

Trump’s magic is toughness — toughness in a world of losers. The power and will of the caudillo will make everything right.

Apart from the fact that strongman rule contradicts the American constitutional tradition of limited and constrained government, caudillo populism simply doesn’t work. It accounts in a large part for the relative backwardness of Africa and Latin America. In 1900, Argentina had a per capita income fully 70 percent of ours. After a 20th century wallowing in Peronism and its imitators, Argentina is a basket case, its per capita income now 23 percent of ours.

There certainly is a crisis of confidence in the country’s institutions. But that’s hardly new. The current run of endemic distrust began with Vietnam and Watergate. Yet not in our lifetimes have the left and right populism of the Sanders and Trump variety enjoyed such massive support.

The added factor is the Obama effect, the depressed and anxious mood of a nation experiencing its worst economic recovery since World War II and watching its power and influence abroad decline amid a willed global retreat.

The result is a politics of high fantasy. Things can’t get any worse, we hear, so why not shake things up to their foundation? Anyone who thinks things can’t get any worse knows nothing.

And risks everything.

Charles Krauthammer’s email address is letters@ charleskrauthammer.com. © 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group

LETTER TO THE EDITOR WITH S.C. SET TO DELIVER VOTES TO GOP, 3 GOOD CHOICES IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY

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

COMMENTARY

In this years presidential election it is likely that all of South Carolina’s electoral votes will go to the GOP nominee. However, it will be the swing states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, etc., that will decide who wins the White House. As much as some conservatives may like the fiery rhetoric of Trump and Cruz, it is hard to imagine them attracting enough independent voters to win in those states. If this proves to be correct as Lindsey Graham says and I agree, and either gets the nomination, then

you would have another Democrat in the White House that would get to appoint three Supreme Court justices. You have seen the two that Obama has appointed, so just imagine how devastating it would be to our country to have three more of like mind. Therefore, the most important vote a South Carolina conservative has this year will be in the primary.

So it is extremely important that you do your civic duty and vote February 20, but please vote wisely. You have three good alternatives.

ROBERT W. WILDER Sumter

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

AROUND TOWN Recreation Building, 155 The Mary McLeod Bethune Branch of the National Council Haynsworth St. The club of Negro Women (NCNW) will meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Visitors are meet at 5 p.m. today at the Mary McLeod Bethune Branch always welcome. Call (803) South Sumter Resource NCNW to meet 775-8840 for more informaCenter, Manning Avenue. tion.

Call Miranda Choice at (803) 469-0863.

The Shepherd’s Center, 24 AARP will offer free tax prepa- Council St., will offer public ration from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 information sessions from 11 to 11:50 a.m. on Thursdays p.m. on Mondays and as follows: Feb. 18, creating Wednesdays through April 13 at the Shepherd’s Center a living will / hospice; and March 3, COPD. Christina of Sumter, 24 Council St. Blakley, registered nurse Applicants are advised to with Palmetto Health Tubring with them governomey, will speak. ment-issued photo IDs, Social Security cards and / or The Sumter Combat Veterans Medicare cards for anyone Group will meet at 10 a.m. in the household, last on Friday, Feb. 19, at the year’s tax forms, W-2 and / South HOPE Center, 1125 S. or 1099 forms, and power of Lafayette Drive. All area attorney certification forms veterans and active miliif they are filing for sometary are invited. one else. For more informaThe Lincoln High School Prestion, call Henry Dinkins at ervation Alumni Association (803) 499-4990 or Lula King will hold a dinner fundraiser at (803) 316-0772. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on “A Night to Remember” Valen- Friday, Feb. 19, at the Lintine gala will be held at 5 coln High School gymnasip.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, at um, 26 Council St. Cost is Taw Caw Community Out$8 per plate and dinner will reach Center, 1126 Granby consist of grilled barbecue Lane, Summerton. chicken or fried fish, seasoned rice, sweet pea, roll, The Sumter SPCA Valentine Dance will be held from 7 to dessert and a drink. Dine in or take out. Call James L. 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Elaine D. Korn Me- Green at (803) 968-4173. morial Center, 1100 S. Guig- “Piano Music with a Feminine nard Drive. Music will be Touch: Celebrating Women provided by The RecollecComposers in History” will be tions Band. Cost is $20 per held at noon on Friday, Feb. person (must be 21 years 19, at the USC Sumter Netor older) and all proceeds tles Auditorium. Jane Lubenefit the SPCA. Heavy ther Smith will lecture on hors d’oeuvres will be and perform pieces by served. Call (803) 773-9292. eight 19th and 20th century female composers. Event is The Annual Black History Month Parade, hosted by the free and open to the public.

MLK Riders of South Caroli- Refreshments will be served. na, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 14. The parade will The Lee County Branch begin at 1:30 p.m. at Riley NAACP will hold its annual Ball Park and will end at Freedom Fund Banquet Dinner Barlette and Main Street. at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, There is no registration fee at the Lee Central High but a donation of $10 is reSchool cafeteria. Tickets quested. Churches, groups, are $25 at the door. clubs, schools, individuals The Lincoln High School Presare all welcome. Call Jacob Dennis Sr. at (803) 840-4784 ervation Alumni Association will meet at 4 p.m. on Sunor Harry Lesane at (803) day, Feb. 21, at the Lincoln 983-5389.

High School cafeteria, 22 The Sumter Amateur Radio Council St. Lincolnites, Association (SARA) will hold friends and community its next meeting at 7 p.m. members are invited. Call on Monday, Feb. 15, at the James L. Green at (803) Sumter Airport Terminal 968-4173.

Conference Room. All The Sumter County Education “hams” and anyone interAssociation-Retired will meet ested in amateur radio are at noon on Feb. 24, 2016, at invited to attend. SARA the North HOPE Center, 904 members are active “hams” and participate in a N. Main St. Tickets for the variety of activities includ- association’s first banquet scheduled for on April 29 ing contesting, long diswill be disbursed. Call tance chit-chatting (called Brenda Bethune at (803) “rag-chewing”) and emer469-6588. gency communications.

The Sumter Branch NAACP’s You can find out more and Annual Black History Program get contact information at will be held at 5 p.m. on http://www.sumterhamraSunday, Feb. 28, at St. Paul dio.org/ or on their FaceAME Baptist Church, 835 book page.

Plowden Mill Road. The The Carolina Coin Club will Rev. Dr. James B. Blassinmeet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, game will speak.

Feb. 16, at the Parks and

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may find EUGENIA LAST it difficult to avoid doing or saying something you’ll regret.

Concentrate on what you can do to improve yourself instead of focusing on the people around you and what they are doing or saying.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Tie up loose ends and set your mind free from worry for the weekend. You will impress people with your work ethic and your flexible way of handling situations. A chance for romance is on the horizon.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Rise above any criticism that comes your way. Take note of what’s being said and make subtle changes to steer clear of negativity in the future. Don’t promise to do something if you can’t follow through. Protect your reputation and stand behind your word.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Consider how to implement the changes necessary to end up with exactly what you want. Being creative with your space will help you make room to initiate your plans. Romance, contracts and finances look promising. Don’t let emotional manipulation get in your way.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take charge before someone else does. Nothing is worth arguing about. Set your goal and head to the finish line. If someone doesn’t want to follow you, that’s OK. As long as you do your own thing and satisfy your needs, you’ll be just fine.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take time to play, but don’t go over budget trying to outdo someone else. Physical and mental challenges should be invigorating, not dangerous or costly. Live in the moment and be true to yourself.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You may have to ruffle a few feathers to get what you want. Being a peacekeeper is admirable, but not if it comes at too great a personal expense. Size up your personal situation, be honest about what you want and follow through with your plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Participation is vital if you want to bring about worthwhile change.

Greater opportunities will arrive through the people you encounter while helping others. Take care of someone you love, and you will improve your relationship. A change in the way you live looks promising.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make travel plans or check out a new method of acquiring information or techniques that you can use to get ahead. A domestic change will help to stabilize your emotions. Stick close to home and protect your belongings.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stick to your game plan regardless of what others do. It’s up to you to take responsibility for what transpires in your life. Don’t expect everyone to like your decisions.

Walk away from impossible situations. Treat yourself to something nice.

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Variable clouds with a shower

Clear

Plenty of sunshine

Plenty of sunshine

Cloudy, a shower in the p.m.

Cloudy with rain tapering off

47°

29°

45° / 19°

38° / 26°

51° / 41°

57° / 36°

Chance of rain: 40%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 85%

NNE 4-8 mph

WNW 4-8 mph

NNW 8-16 mph

ENE 6-12 mph

SE 7-14 mph

WNW 8-16 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 44/24 Spartanburg 45/24

Greenville 46/25

Columbia 51/30

Temperatures shown on map are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 47/29

Aiken 53/29

ON THE COAST

Charleston 58/36

Today: A shower; rain, snow mix in the north early. High 45 to 63.

Saturday: Mostly sunny and colder. High 42 to 52.

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

52° 27° 58° 34° 79° in 1959 11° in 1973 0.00" 3.06" 1.30" 5.36" 7.04" 5.24"

NATIONAL CITIES City Atlanta Chicago Dallas Detroit Houston Los Angeles New Orleans New York Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC

Today Hi/Lo/W 58/27/pc 22/1/pc 70/40/s 26/4/sn 77/50/pc 85/55/s 74/50/pc 28/15/pc 74/53/s 31/19/pc 87/53/s 64/50/pc 34/20/pc

LAKE LEVELS Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

356.59 76.25 75.69 94.87

24-hr chg -0.14 -0.04 none -0.07

RIVER STAGES

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest.

Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date

Sat. Hi/Lo/W 42/23/s 14/4/s 62/49/s 16/3/sf 69/52/pc 82/55/pc 60/45/pc 20/3/c 69/44/s 20/2/c 85/52/s 63/50/s 25/7/c

Myrtle Beach 48/30

Manning 48/31

Today: A couple of snow showers. Winds south-southeast 4-8 mph.

Saturday: Sunny much of the time. Winds north 4-8 mph.

LOCAL ALMANAC

Florence 43/28

Bishopville 44/28

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

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 11.96 -0.39 19 6.50 -0.02 14 11.51 +0.24 14 5.21 -5.90 80 80.52 -0.03 24 13.01 -0.63

Sunrise 7:10 a.m.

Moonrise 9:50 a.m.

Sunset 6:02 p.m.

Moonset 10:49 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Feb. 15

Feb. 22

Mar. 1

Mar. 8

TIDES AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Sat.

High 11:54 a.m.

--12:16 a.m.

12:47 p.m.

Ht. 3.2 --3.2 3.0

Low 6:20 a.m.

6:46 p.m.

7:16 a.m.

7:39 p.m.

Ht. -0.7 -0.8 -0.4 -0.6

REGIONAL CITIES City Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville

Today Hi/Lo/W 43/19/sf 54/29/pc 58/32/pc 61/38/c 42/28/sn 58/36/c 44/25/sf 52/29/pc 51/30/pc 41/30/c 35/25/sn 37/26/c 39/25/c

Sat. Hi/Lo/W 27/12/c 46/22/s 49/23/s 52/25/s 36/21/pc 49/24/s 38/16/s 43/21/s 47/22/s 40/20/s 33/13/s 37/18/s 38/16/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 43/28/c Gainesville 73/46/pc Gastonia 44/24/sf Goldsboro 35/25/c Goose Creek 57/36/c Greensboro 38/22/sf Greenville 46/25/sf Hickory 42/23/sf Hilton Head 56/38/c Jacksonville, FL 75/45/pc La Grange 64/31/pc Macon 66/33/pc Marietta 55/26/pc

Sat. Hi/Lo/W 41/18/s 63/34/s 36/15/s 35/17/s 47/23/s 31/13/s 40/19/s 32/12/s 47/26/s 60/34/s 44/23/s 48/24/s 40/21/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 42/20/sf Mt. Pleasant 57/38/c Myrtle Beach 48/30/c Orangeburg 52/32/c Port Royal 62/39/c Raleigh 35/23/sf Rock Hill 44/25/pc Rockingham 39/25/c Savannah 68/39/c Spartanburg 45/24/sf Summerville 56/36/c Wilmington 43/27/r Winston-Salem 38/21/sf

Sat. Hi/Lo/W 29/7/c 48/25/s 43/21/s 45/23/s 49/26/s 31/15/s 37/17/s 35/15/s 54/28/s 36/16/s 46/23/s 41/19/s 31/13/s

Weather(W): s–sunny, pc–partly cloudy, c–cloudy, sh–showers, t–thunderstorms, r–rain, sf–snow flurries, sn–snow, i–ice

PRESIDENTS DAY SCHEDULE St. Anne Catholic School will hold a teacher BANKS — Wells Fargo will be open on Monday with no student attendance. day.

Presidents Day Schedule: Feb. 12,in-service 2016 The following will be open on Monday: Lee All other area banks and credit unions will County Public Schools; Robert E. Lee Acadebe closed on Monday. my; Wilson Hall; Laurence Manning Academy; GOVERNMENT — The following will be closed Sumter School District (inclement weather on Monday: federal government offices; U.S. makeup day); and Clarendon School District 3 Postal Service; state government offices; City (flood makeup day). of Sumter offices; Sumter County offices; City UTILITIES — Black River Electric Coop. and of Manning offices; Clarendon County offices; Farmers Telephone Coop. will be open on Lee County offices; and City of Bishopville ofMonday. fices.

OTHER — The following will be closed on SCHOOLS — The following will be closed on Monday: Sumter County Library and Harvin Monday: Clarendon School Districts 1 and 2; Clarendon County Library.

Thomas Sumter Academy; St. Francis Xavier The Sumter Item will be open on Monday.

High School; Clarendon Hall; and Sumter Christian School.

SPCA DOG OF THE WEEK Spenser, a neutered 10-month-old brindle lab mix, is available for adoption at the Sumter SPCA. He is a laidback pup who adores love and attention. He loves everyone he meets. Spenser would be a super addition to any family with children or other dogs. The Sumter SPCA is located at 1140 S. Guignard Drive, (803) 773-9292, and is open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except Wednesday and Sunday. Visit the website at www.sumterscspca.com.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Use your imagination, and you will come up with a plan that will help put an end to a problem you have been dealing with. Don’t let someone else’s uncertainty bring you down. Do whatever makes you happy.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Learn from past mistakes. Show more flexibility and try not to go too strongly against the current. You’ve been given a second chance, and with positive energy and the willingness to compromise, you can achieve what you set out to do.

The Sumter SPCA Valentine Dance will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Elaine D. Korn Memorial Center, 1100 S. Guignard Drive. Music will be provided by The Recollections Band. Cost is $20 per person (must be 21 years or older) and all proceeds benefit the SPCA. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served. Call (803) 773-9292.

SECTION

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Friday, February 12, 2016 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

middle school basketball

Roaring back Manning Junior High rallies in 2nd half to knock off Alice Drive for Sumter Middle School Conference title

USCS tennis

USC Sumter season opens

By DENNIS BRUNSON dennis@theitem.com

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Alice Drive’s Marcus Lane, right, prepares for a shot as Manning’s Dontavis Hilton, left, defends during the Hawks’ 59-55 loss on Thursday in the Sumter Middle School Conference tournament championship game at Sumter High School.

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS justin@theitem.com Finishing with almost as many turnovers as points in the first half, the Manning Junior High School boys basketball team got a simple message from head coach Annette Calvin in the locker room.

“They were a little nervous in that

first half, to be honest,” Calvin said.

“But I told them to not give up. Keep playing. Keep driving. Keep running.

“You can only beat yourselves.”

The Monarchs took a different route -- rallying behind leading scorer Xephen Richardson to erase a 13-point second-half deficit and knock off previously unbeaten Alice Drive 59-55 in the Sumter Middle School Conference

tournament title game on Thursday at Sumter High School.

MJHS finished the year at 15-2 while the Hawks ended their season with an 18-1 mark.

“It took hard work, endurance, teamwork and the will not to give up,” Calvin said. “We were turning the ball

See manning, Page B3

Lady Hawks knock off Chestnut Oaks 39-38

The fourth time was the charm for Alice Drive Middle School’s girls basketball team.

After suffering three previous losses to Chestnut Oaks — two in regular-season play and one in a Christmas tournament — to Chestnut Oaks, the Lady Hawks won when it meant the most on Thursday, holding on for a 39-38 victory over the Lady Falcons in the Sumter Middle School Conference tournament championship game at the Sumter High School gymnasium.

“I have always learned and I was taught that you can never beat a team four times,” said

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Alice Drive head coach John Burgess, whose team closed out its season with a 13-3 record. “You might be able to beat them three times, but the fourth time it’s going to be a challenge. That’s what we came out to do tonight, challenge them, and we were the best.”

Alice Drive seemed to have the game well in hand early in the fourth quarter after a Margaret McMahon fast-break layup put the Lady Hawks up by 13, 35-22. Just when it seemed the Lady Falcons were done, a 10-0 rally pulled them back to within three, 35-32, with 3:21 to go.

Keith Gedamke / The Sumter Item

Alice Drive’s Margaret McMahon (13) goes up for a shot against Chestnut Oak’s Dynasia Jackson during the Lady Hawks’ 39-38 victory on Thursday in the championship game of the Sumter Middle School Conference tournament See hawks, Page B3 championship game at the Sumter High gymnasium.

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See tennis, Page B4

prep basketball

WH boys, LCHS squads look to wrap up region titles today

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS justin@theitem.com

AD girls wins tourney after losing first three matchups against Lady Falcons

BY EDDIE LITAKER Special to The Sumter Item

Julia Sorrells was about to end her 2-year stay at the University of South Carolina Sumter when she got the word.

“I had heard that we might have a tennis team, so I tried to hold out,” said Sorrells, a 2013 LONDONO graduate of Sumter High School. “I was about to move on when I got the word from Coach (Sam Kiser) that we were going to have a team so I decided to stay.”

SORRELLS And now she gets to not only be a part of the first USC Sumter women’s tennis team, but she will do so as the No. 1 player for the Fire Ants.

The USCS women and the reincarnation of the men’s program begin their seasons today by playing host to the USC Sumter Spring Invitational beginning today at Palmetto Tennis Center.

“I’m still not sure that I’m 100 percent there with the idea that we’re getting ready to play,” said Sorrells, who never played No. 1 at Sumter High.

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Only one scheduled day of games remains in the high school basketball regular season, but there is still much to be decided.

With the loss to West Florence on Tuesday, Sumter (14-6, 6-3) finds itself in a 3-way tie atop Region VI-4A alongside South Florence and Carolina Forest with just tonight’s games remaining.

The Gamecocks travel to Socastee (1-8) while South (6-3) faces rival West Florence (5-4).

Carolina Forest (6-3) faces Conway (3-6).

According to Sumter head coach Shawn Jones, if SHS wins it will earn the top seed regardless of the results in the other two games. Based on head-to-head matchups, the Gamecocks defeated both South and Carolina Forest by more points than they lost to them by, Jones said.

See region, Page B4

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sports

Friday, February 12, 2016

The SUMTER ITEM

Scoreboard

USC women’s basketball

TV, Radio

Sean Rayford/The Associated Press

South Carolina guard Tiffany Mitchell, right, surveys the defense under pressure from Florida guard Cassie Peoples (13) during the first half of their game on Thursday in Columbia. South Carolina defeated Florida 86-71.

Mitchell’s 22 leads No. 2 Gamecocks to 86-71 win

By PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press COLUMBIA — Tiffany Mitchell scored 22 points, Alaina Coates had her 13th double-double this season with 14 points and 11 rebounds and No. 2 South Carolina bounced back from its loss to top-ranked UConn with an 86-71 victory over No. 16 Florida on Thursday night.

The Gamecocks (23-1, 11-0 Southeastern Conference) overcame a sluggish start — likely a hangover from its 66-54 showdown loss to the Huskies here Monday night.

They went on a 16-0 run in the second quarter to take control, up 35-16.

The Gators (19-5, 7-4) closed to 65-57 with seven minutes left when Coates had two inside baskets to restore South Carolina’s double-digit lead.

A’ja Wilson added to South Carolina’s dominance underneath with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Carla Batchelor had a career-high 18 points to lead the Gators, who have lost seven straight to South Car-

olina.

South Carolina won its 24th straight SEC game at home, a streak that dates to February 2013.

It was certainly not the atmosphere surrounding Monday’s loss this time at Colonial Life Arena and it seemed to spread to the Gamecocks slow first quarter when they had trouble managing Florida’s fullcourt pressure and swarming defense.

South Carolina finally got going in the second quarter and turned a tight game into a blowout.

Wilson had four points and three blocks in the stretch, while Bianca Cuevas and Tina Roy hit 3-pointers to extend the lead. When Jatarie White scored on an inside bucket, the Gamecocks were ahead 35-16.

Florida missed its first nine shots of the period to fall behind. The Gators rallied to close the quarter on a 15-8 run and trailed 43-31 at the half.

Wilson and Coates again did their damage inside against the Gators, combining for 11 points and 12 rebounds in the first two quar-

ters.

South Carolina showed off its defense, as well, holding Florida’s two leading scorers in Ronni Williams and Eleanna Christinaki to 11 points combined on 4 of 18 shooting. Williams and Christinaki came in averaging nearly 22 points a game between them.

For Coates, it was her 35th career game with double-figure points and rebounds.

She had just two points against UConn on Monday night.

TIP-INS Florida: The Gators are ninth nationally in scoring offense at 81 points a game in large part because of their depth. Nine players score at least 5.1 points a game.

South Carolina: This was the Gamecocks seventh game against a ranked SEC opponent this season, the most in the league so far.

UP NEXT Florida is at Auburn on Sunday South Carolina travels to No. 25 Tennessee on Monday night.

TODAY 5:30 a.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour Tshwane Open Second Round from Waterkloof, South Africa (GOLF).

9:30 a.m. – NBA Basketball: Rising Stars Practice from Toronto (NBA TV).

11:30 a.m. – NBA Basketball: NBA AllStar Media Day from Toronto (NBA TV).

Noon – Senior PGA Golf: Champions Tour Chubb Classic First Round from Naples, Fla. (GOLF).

1:30 p.m. – International Basketball: Basketball Hall of Fame Announcement (NBA TV).

2:30 p.m. – International Soccer: Bundesliga League Match – Schalke 04 vs. Mainz (FOX SPORTS 1).

3 p.m. – PGA Golf: Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Second Round from Pebble Beach, Calif. (GOLF).

5 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 Practice from Daytona Beach, Fla. (FOX SPORTS 1).

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

6:30 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 Practice from Daytona Beach, Fla. (FOX SPORTS 1).

6:30 p.m. – College Hockey Maine at Notre Dame (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

7 p.m. – Exhibition Basketball: NBA All-Star Celebrity Game from Toronto (ESPN).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Dayton at Rhode Island (ESPN2).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Ohio at Buffalo (ESPNU).

7 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Pittsburgh at Carolina (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. – Women’s College Gymnastics: Missouri at Kentucky (SEC NETWORK).

7:30 p.m. – College Hockey: Western Michigan at Nebraska (Omaha) (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

8 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Villanova at St. John’s (FOX SPORTS 2).

8 p.m. – International Soccer: Mexican League Match – Veracruz vs.

America (UNIVISION).

8:30 p.m. – Women’s College Gymnastics: Alabama at Auburn (SEC NETWORK).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: UCLA at Arizona (ESPN).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: Monmouth at Rider (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

10 p.m. – College Hockey: North Dakota at Denver (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

2:30 a.m. – International Baseball: World Baseball Classic Qualifying Game – Teams To Be Announced (MLB NETWORK).

NBA Standings

By The Associated Press

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

Toronto Boston New York Brooklyn Philadelphia Southeast Division

Atlanta Miami Charlotte Washington Orlando Central Division

Cleveland Indiana Chicago Detroit Milwaukee

W L Pct GB 35 17 .673 — 32 23 .582 4½ 23 32 .418 13½ 14 40 .259 22 8 45 .151 27½ W L Pct GB 31 24 .564 — 29 24 .547 1 27 26 .509 3 23 27 .460 5½ 23 29 .442 6½ W L Pct GB 38 14 .731 — 28 25 .528 10½ 27 25 .519 11 27 27 .500 12 21 32 .396 17½

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division

San Antonio Memphis Dallas Houston New Orleans Northwest Division

Oklahoma City Portland Utah Denver Minnesota Pacific Division

Golden State L.A. Clippers Sacramento Phoenix L.A. Lakers

W L Pct GB 45 8 .849 — 31 22 .585 14 29 26 .527 17 27 28 .491 19 20 32 .385 24½ W L Pct GB 39 14 .736 — 27 27 .500 12½ 26 26 .500 12½ 22 32 .407 17½ 17 37 .315 22½ W L Pct GB 48 4 .923 — 35 18 .660 13½ 22 31 .415 26½ 14 40 .259 35 11 44 .200 38½

Wednesday’s Games

Charlotte 117, Indiana 95 Sacramento 114, Philadelphia 110 San Antonio 98, Orlando 96 Memphis 109, Brooklyn 90 Boston 139, L.A. Clippers 134, OT Denver 103, Detroit 92 Atlanta 113, Chicago 90 Minnesota 117, Toronto 112 New Orleans 100, Utah 96 Cleveland 120, L.A. Lakers 111 Golden State 112, Phoenix 104 Portland 116, Houston 103

Thursday’s Games

Washington at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Friday’s Games

No games scheduled.

NHL Standings

By The Associated Press

area roundup

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Crestwood takes 2nd in region with 85-56 win over Hartsville HARTSVILLE -- Crestwood High School’s varsity boys basketball team wrapped up second place in Region VI-3A with an 85-56 victory over Hartsville on Thursday at the HHS gymnasium.

Ja Morant led the Knights, who finished 7-3 in region play, with 31 points. Kobe Thomas finished with 18 points.

The Knights will play host to a first-round game in the state playoffs next week.

Region VI-3A awards announced The Region VI-3A boys awards were also announced on Thursday and Crestwood’s Ja Morant won Player of the Year. Marlboro County head coach James Pate got Coach of the Year

honors.

The All-Region team consisted of seven local players including Morant. Dakota Jennings and Devin Nelson joined Morant from Crestwood; Jarvis Johnson and Grant Singleton were selected from Lakewood and Manning’s Rayvon Witherspoon and Jalen were named as well.

VARSITY BASEBALL Laurence Manning 14 Cardinal Newman 0 COLUMBIA -- Laurence Manning Academy improved to 3-0 on the season with a 14-0 victory over Cardinal Newman on Thursday in the Norma Derrick Invitational at the Hammond field.

Buddy Bleasdale picked

up the victory for the Swampcats, allowing just one hit.

Todd Touchberry was 4-for-4 to lead the offense while Bleasdale and Tripp Mason both ahd three hits.

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL Crestwood 56 Hartsville 36

HARTSVILLE -- Crestwood High School closed out its Region VI-3A schedul undefeated with a 56-36 victory over Hartsville on Thursday at the HHS gymnasium.

Cawasha Ceasar led the Lady Knights with 23 points, Tyana Saunders added 10 points to go along with six steals and seven assists.

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Florida 54 32 16 6 70 155 123 Detroit 54 28 18 8 64 137 135 Tampa Bay 53 29 20 4 62 142 130 Boston 53 28 19 6 62 157 147 Montreal 55 27 24 4 58 151 146 Ottawa 55 25 24 6 56 158 173 Buffalo 54 21 27 6 48 125 150 Toronto 52 19 24 9 47 125 149 Metropolitan Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 52 39 9 4 82 174 118 N.Y. Rangers 54 31 18 5 67 156 137 N.Y. Islanders 52 28 18 6 62 149 132 Pittsburgh 53 27 19 7 61 139 138 New Jersey 55 27 21 7 61 124 129 Carolina 54 24 21 9 57 130 144 Philadelphia 52 23 20 9 55 124 142 Columbus 55 21 28 6 48 140 173

WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 57 36 17 4 76 159 130 Dallas 54 34 15 5 73 176 147 St. Louis 56 30 17 9 69 136 134 Nashville 54 25 21 8 58 141 145 Colorado 56 27 25 4 58 150 155 Minnesota 53 23 20 10 56 130 132 Winnipeg 53 24 26 3 51 138 153 Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Los Angeles 52 32 17 3 67 146 121 San Jose 52 28 20 4 60 151 139 Anaheim 52 26 19 7 59 119 124 Vancouver 54 22 20 12 56 129 147 Arizona 53 24 23 6 54 140 164 Calgary 52 24 25 3 51 139 153 Edmonton 55 21 29 5 47 137 167 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Wednesday’s Games

Detroit 3, Ottawa 1 N.Y. Rangers 3, Pittsburgh 0 Vancouver 2, Arizona 1

Thursday’s Games

Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Anaheim at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Washington at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Boston at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Toronto at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

Calgary at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

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

St. Louis at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Calgary at Arizona, 9 p.m.

Saturday’s Games New Jersey at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Boston at Minnesota, 2 p.m.

Nashville at Florida, 7 p.m.

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

Ottawa at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Washington at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at Edmonton, 10 p.m.

Arizona at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

wednesDAy’s Men’s College Scores

By The Associated Press

EAST

Boston U. 71, American U. 51 Butler 81, Seton Hall 75 Holy Cross 67, Lafayette 53 Lehigh 80, Bucknell 65 NJ City 68, Stockton 61 Navy 71, Loyola (Md.) 51 St. Joseph’s 84, George Washington 66 Scranton 67, Susquehanna 58 St. Bonaventure 76, Fordham 72, OT Swarthmore 84, Washington (Md.) 62 W. New England 90, Curry 61 Waynesburg 71, Thiel 64 William Paterson 88, Kean 74

SOUTH

Alabama 63, Texas A&M 62 Belmont 81, Jacksonville St. 73 Carson-Newman 76, Anderson (SC) 68 Chowan 81, Virginia St. 77 Davidson 79, La Salle 66 E. Mennonite 80, Bridgewater (Va.) 63 Emory & Henry 81, Guilford 73, OT Georgia Tech 71, Wake Forest 66 Johnson (Tenn.) 101, Milligan 82 Johnson C. Smith 81, St. Augustine’s 68 Kentucky Wesleyan 101, Central 67 Point (Ga.) 82, Bryan 73 Shenandoah 71, Randolph-Macon 59 South Carolina 94, LSU 83 Tenn. Wesleyan at Union (Ky.), ppd.

Tennessee St. 85, Tennessee Tech 55 Thomas More 88, Geneva 47 Tulane 100, East Carolina 92, 3OT Va. Wesleyan 80, Hampden-Sydney 52 Vanderbilt 86, Missouri 71

MIDWEST

Albion 60, Adrian 41 Alma 91, Calvin 79 Aquinas 65, Siena Heights 63 Austin Peay 79, E. Illinois 70 Baylor 82, Kansas St. 72 Bethel (Minn.) 88, St. Mary’s (Minn.) 70 Carleton 73, Macalester 66 Concordia (Moor.) 88, Hamline 79 Cornerstone 88, Concordia (Mich.) 51 Davenport 86, Lawrence Tech 45 Kalamazoo 75, Olivet 63 Lourdes 85, Marygrove 81 Loyola of Chicago 54, Bradley 43 Marquette 96, Providence 91, 2OT Michigan 82, Minnesota 74 Michigan-Dearborn 59, Madonna 57 N. Iowa 83, Missouri St. 69 Nebraska-Omaha 96, S. Dakota St. 92 Richmond 67, Saint Louis 53 S. Illinois 85, Indiana St. 78 St. Olaf 82, Gustavus 80 Wisconsin 72, Nebraska 61

SOUTHWEST

Houston 98, Memphis 90 Texas Tech 85, Iowa St. 82, OT Tulsa 82, SMU 77

FAR WEST

CS Northridge 75, Cal St.-Fullerton 67 Colorado St. 97, Boise St. 93, 2OT Fresno St. 58, San Diego St. 57 Nevada 72, Air Force 52 UNLV 64, San Jose St. 61 Utah 90, Washington 82

golf

By The Associated Press PGA-Pebble Beach Par Scores Thursday p-Pebble Beach Golf Links, Yardage: 6,816; Par: 72 m-Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Shore Course, 6,914; 71 s-Spyglass Hill Golf Club, 6,953; 72 Pebble Beach, Calif.

Purse: $7 million First Round Chez Reavie 33-30—63 -8m Freddie Jacobson 31-34—65 -7p Cameron Smith 29-35—64 -7m Bronson Burgoon 34-30—64 -7m Justin Rose 32-34—66 -6s Dawie van der Walt 32-34—66 -6p Roberto Castro 33-33—66 -6p Ricky Barnes 30-35—65 -6m Shane Bertsch 32-34—66 -6p J.B. Holmes 34-32—66 -6s Spencer Levin 32-34—66 -6p Jason Gore 32-34—66 -5m Hiroshi Iwata 31-35—66 -5m Ryan Ruffels 34-33—67 -5p Rhein Gibson 35-32—67 -5s David Hearn 32-35—67 -4m Troy Merritt 31-36—67 -4m Phil Mickelson 34-34—68 -4s Kevin Na 34-33—67 -4m Brooks Koepka 36-32—68 -4s Bud Cauley 34-34—68 -4s Paul Dunne 32-35—67 -4m Steven Bowditch 36-32—68 -4p Jonas Blixt 33-34—67 -4m Tom Gillis 34-33—67 -4m Matt Jones 31-37—68 -4p Sean O’Hair 33-34—67 -4m Thomas Aiken 36-32—68 -4s Aaron Baddeley 35-34—69 -3s Brian Stuard 33-35—68 -3m Billy Hurley III 33-35—68 -3m Andres Gonzales 34-35—69 -3s Padraig Harrington 33-35—68 -3m Bill Haas 35-34—69 -3s Tim Wilkinson 34-35—69 -3p Greg Chalmers 32-36—68 -3m Chesson Hadley 32-36—68 -3m Andrew Loupe 37-31—68 -3m Dustin Johnson 34-36—70 -2s Hunter Mahan 37-33—70 -2p J.J. Henry 36-34—70 -2p Luke Donald 37-33—70 -2s Tom Hoge 34-35—69 -2m Alex Prugh 35-35—70 -2p Scott Langley 36-33—69 -2m Marc Turnesa 34-36—70 -2s Zac Blair 35-35—70 -2p Stewart Cink 35-35—70 -2p Russell Henley 35-34—69 -2m Kevin Chappell 34-35—69 -2m Brice Garnett 32-37—69 -2m Mark Hubbard 35-35—70 -2p Si Woo Kim 35-35—70 -2p Austin Connelly 34-36—70 -2p Jim Herman 36-33—69 -2m Alex Cejka 36-34—70 -2s Pat Perez 34-35—69 -2m Kevin Streelman 35-35—70 -2s David Toms 33-37—70 -2s Vaughn Taylor 34-36—70 -2p Miguel Angel Carballo 35-34—69 -2m Lucas Lee 35-34—69 -2m Tyler Aldridge 34-36—70 -2s Sam Saunders 35-35—70 -2p Jordan Spieth 35-36—71 -1s Jonathan Byrd 34-36—70 -1m Danny Lee 36-35—71 -1s Will Wilcox 33-38—71 -1p Kyle Stanley 35-36—71 -1p Henrik Norlander 33-37—70 -1m Jhonattan Vegas 36-35—71 -1s Chris Stroud 37-34—71 -1s Russell Knox 34-37—71 -1p Ian Poulter 36-35—71 -1s Andrew Landry 34-36—70 -1m Nick Taylor 36-35—71 -1s Jason Day 34-37—71 -1s Jerry Kelly 34-37—71 -1s Will MacKenzie 35-36—71 -1p Steve Marino 38-33—71 -1p Brett Stegmaier 38-33—71 -1p Steve Stricker 37-35—72 Es

sports

The SUMTER ITEM

Friday, February 12, 2016

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B3

Keith Gedamke / The Sumter Item

The Alice Drive bench erupts in celebration after winning the Sumter Middle School Coference tournament championship with a 39-38 victory over Chestnut Oaks on Thurday at the Sumter High gymnasium.

hawks

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Alice Drive’s Justice Wells, left, is defended by Manning’s DeNiel Felder, right, during the Hawks’ 59-55 loss on Thursday in the Sumter Middle School Conference tournament championship game at Sumter High School.

manning

overs and we were able to get to the free throw line and (genFrom Page B1 erate) offense off of that.”

Ta’Quan House scored 10 over way too much in the first points MJHS followed by Nelhalf, but we got them calmed son and Corey Graham with down in the (locker) room and eight each. we told them to keep pushing.”

It was a bitter ending for the The Monarchs did. Down Hawks, who won the only 31-18 at the half, Manning other meeting between the two bounced back to within eight teams this year by 38 points -at the end of the third quarter outscoring MJHS 28-3 in the and within three at the onset second half of that contest. of the fourth quarter.

ADMS began the game on a Richardson led the charge 9-0 run thanks to Carldrelle for MJHS, scoring 18 of his Cooper and O’Donnell Forteam-high 22 points in the sec- tune. The duo combined for 11 ond half, including nine in the points in the opening period final frame. and four 3-pointers in the first Leondria Nelson’s bucket half -- six total. with about 2 1/2 minutes reCooper finished with 22 maining gave the Monarchs points while Fortune had 16 as their first lead of the game, the Hawks remained in conand after swapping a couple trol for the better part of 3 1/2 baskets, Richardson and Nelquarters. son connected on back-toBut Alice Drive managed back shots to give Manning a just 12 points in the final quar57-53 lead with time winding ter with Cooper and O’Donnell down. being held to five total points.

“We got away from doing the “When we’re not scoring, we little things,” Alice Drive head can’t get in our pressure decoach Pedro Washington said. fense so that (quarter) threw “Boxing out, rebounding and us off a little bit,” Washington going to the basket with some said. “Points were hard to type of authority. We missed come by. But give Manning all some free throws here and the credit in the world because there and a couple layups here they came out in the second and there. half ready to play.”

“We let that one slip away.”

The Monarchs connected on MANNING 59, ALICE DRIVE 55 enough free throws down the MJHS 6 12 17 24 -- 59 ADMS 13 18 12 12 -- 55 stretch to keep Alice Drive at bay as the Hawks scored just MANNING Richardson 22, House 10, Nelson 8, once the rest of the way.

Graham 8, Hilton 4, Anderson 2, Mar“We turned things all the lik 2, Wright 2, Hicks 1.

ALICE DRIVE way around,” Calvin said.

Cooper 22, Fortune 16, Wells 5, Lane 4, “The press (defense) really Kates 2, Hoshour 2, Smith 2, Brunson 2. forced them into some turn-

into it and they had to get themselves out of it,” said From Page B1 Rembert, who led the Lady Falcons to a 12-3 record and a Tamerah Brown answered regular-season championship with two free throws and a that earned him conference bucket to push the lead back coach of the year honors. to seven with 2:03 left. A Tili“They weren’t believing they yah Kennedy basket cut the could come back, because Alice Drive lead to five with they were never in the situa1:33 on the clock, but the title tion of being down, but I told still seemed to be firmly in them all we had to do was go the Lady Hawks’ grasp. out there and dig deep and The one thing that had fight. They fought and fought plagued both teams throughand fought, and we changed out, turnovers, almost proved up the defense and went to to be costly for Alice Drive in man. That slowed them down the dying seconds. A steal off and we got back to where we an inbound play resulted in an needed to be, but we just Armari Singleton layup at the couldn’t finish out.”

20-second mark. Still up by Burgess was “very conthree, the Lady Hawks gave up cerned” coming down the the ball once again, resulting stretch as Chestnut Oaks conin another Singleton layup. tinued to cut into the lead.

Trailing by one, Chestnut “I lost one of my starters Oaks head coach Cedric Rem- (McMahon, who fouled out bert called a timeout with 4.5 with 2:19 to go) in the transiseconds left. Out of the timetion of it, but the rest of the out, Chestnut Oaks got a tiegirls stepped up, they didn’t up on the inbound, but posget discouraged,” Burgess session rested with Alice said. “I just kept the girls foDrive as the clock stood at 2.6 cused, made sure that they seconds. A length-of-court believed in each other, suppass went out of bounds with ported each other and didn’t 00.6 on the clock and the Lady put each other down.”

Hawks retaining possession.

Brown led the way for the The ensuing inbound ran out Lady Hawks with 16 points the clock and set off a celewhile Carnasia Wells and Dybration for the Alice Drive nasia Jackson topped the faithful.

Lady Falcons with 14 and 13 “Going into the fourth points, respectively. quarter we were down, and I After being the only team to told them they got themselves beat Alice Drive during the

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regular season and winning both the Christmas tournament and regular season championships, Rembert said it was tough to see the tournament championship get away.

“I told them it’s hard to beat a team two times, then we actually came out and made it three,” Rembert said. “So I told them, most definitely, they’ve got our number now for four and they had our number. There’s nothing like being the regular-season champ, but I’d rather be the overall champ. My girls played well, we worked hard all year, but we just couldn’t finish off. We couldn’t pull through, but we’ll be back next year to try it again.”

For Burgess and the Lady Hawks, this WAS next year.

Alice Drive finished last year just short in the conference title game, and Burgess used that setback as a motivating tool for this year’s squad.

“We lost by two points to Furman. They had an awesome point guard, and it came down to fouls in the fourth quarter,” Burgess said of last year’s title game loss. “This game also came down to fouls in the fourth quarter, but we were able to withstand and win. All my girls came in and handled business. They knew what happened last year and they weren’t going to let it happen again this year.”

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Friday, February 12, 2016

The SUMTER ITEM

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sports items

Former Tigers voted to S.C. Football Hall GREENVILLE — Former Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis and ex-Tigers defensive end Michael Dean Perry have been voted to the South Carolina Football of Hall of Fame.

Among the new inductees are Tennessee and NFL receiver Stanley Morgan and longtime coach Dal Shealey.

The organization announced its newest class Thursday.

Davis played at Clemson from 1978-81 and was a starter for the Tigers’ national championship team.

Perry played with the Tigers from 1984-87, following his brother William “Refrigerator” Perry, on the team.

The younger Perry held the school career record for sacks until Vic Beasley broke it two years ago.

Morgan, from Easley, made four Pro Bowls during his NFL career.

Shealey was offensive coordinator for Auburn, Baylor, Iowa State and Tennessee and has written several books about coaching.

File/The Associated Press

Kyle Busch does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., last year. With 4-time champion Jeff Gordon retired and 3-time champ Tony Stewart sidelined with a broken back, the NASCAR season begins with a much different look and a new rules package.

NASCAR opens without two of its biggest stars

By JENNA FRYER The Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon will be in the booth and Tony Stewart in a bed when the NASCAR season begins.

Neither NASCAR star will be in a car when Daytona International Speedway opens Friday for preparations for the Feb. 21 season-opening Daytona 500. Gordon, arguably NASCAR’s biggest star, retired at the end of last season and the four-time champion will now be a Fox analyst.

He has been highly visible during his newly acquired free time, and was on an allterrain vehicle trip with Stewart a week ago when the three-time champion crashed.

Stewart fractured a vertebra and lay in the sand alone for 90 minutes waiting for his group to find him and get him to a hospital.

The accident has sidelined Stewart for the beginning of

tennis

From Page B1

“I’m excited though. We’ve been working hard to prepare for this.”

The Sumter men will take on NCAA Division II school Erskine today at 3 p.m., while the Fire Ant women will meet DII Coker College at 5 p.m.

On Saturday, both teams will play at 9 a.m. The USCS women will meet DII Benedict, while the men will face Division I The Citadel.

The USC Sumter men are scheduled to play Benedict on Sunday. However, a time has yet to be set and there is a possibility the match could be postponed due to forecasted inclement weather.

While this is the first time that USC Sumter has had a women’s team, this will be the

region

From Page B1

That gives Sumter the No. 1 spot regardless of whether it is tied with two or three teams when all is said and done. A loss however, could potentially drop SHS anywhere from the second to the fourth seed, Jones added.

The SCISA Region II-3A title is on the line tonight when Wilson Hall and Laurence Manning Academy meet for the second time -- with this game taking place at Bubba Davis Gymnasium in Manning.

The Barons (13-8, 7-0) took the first game 74-65 and a win would give them the title outright. A victory by the Swampcats (14-9, 6-1) would produce co-region champs.

Thomas Sumter Academy’s girls already wrapped up the region title on Tuesday, but a victory against LMA would give the Lady Barons (5-2) the No. 2 seed.

his final season as a NASCAR driver, denying him a chance to finally win the Daytona 500.

He has come heartbreakingly close in his 17 previous tries and spoke last month of his desire to add that win to his resume.

Instead, he will watch the race on television as he awaits approval to travel.

What Stewart will be missing is the start of what is expected to be a dramatically improved season with plenty of story lines.

Kyle Busch will attempt to defend his Sprint Cup title, which he snatched from 2014 champion Kevin Harvick. Defending Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano will be chasing a championship berth he was denied last year because a feud with Matt Kenseth.

The drivers will all be using a new rules package that they pushed for during a new era of increased communication between NASCAR and its participants. Denny Hamlin spear-

headed a driver council last year at a time when the ontrack product was practically unwatchable, with rules that made passing very difficult and catching the leader a daunting task.

As NASCAR tried a variety of different packages, the drivers were vocal in the desire for less downforce.

Through months of wideranging conversations, the drivers secured the rules package they wanted and finally feel that they have a voice in decision-making.

The hope is that the racing will be more entertaining this year.

The field has been cut from 43 cars to 40, and there are only four open slots each week to teams that aren’t guaranteed a spot in the field through NASCAR’s new franchise system. NASCAR is also replacing its “green-white-checkered” system used late in races with an “overtime line” that will vary by track.

USC Sumter Spring Invitational

the men’s No. 1 singles player had to travel a bit to make it to Sumter. David Ocampo Londono hails from Colombia.

He came to USC Sumter after a year at Georgia Military College, which doesn’t have a tennis team. He went to school there to get his academic situation in order before coming to USCS. “I’ve really been looking forward to this,” the 20-year-old Londono said. “It’s exciting to be starting my career at the same time we’re starting up the program.”

Kiser knows starting from the ground up isn’t easy, but he’s ready to get started.

“They’ve been working really hard to get to this point,” Kiser said. “I believe they are ready to get the season started. Our goal is to help develop the players where they can have the opportunity to move on to a 4-year school.”

Today 10 a.m. – Citadel vs. Benedict (men) 1:30 p.m. – Coker vs. Benedict men) 1:30 p.m. – Coker vs. Benedict (women) 3 p.m. – Erskine vs. USC Sumter (men) 5 p.m. – Coker vs. Citadel (men) 5 p.m. – Coker vs. USC Sumter (women) Saturday 9 a.m. – Benedict vs. USC Sumter (women) 9 a.m. – Benedict vs. Erskine (men) 9 a.m. – Citadel vs. USC Sumter (men) 1 p.m. – Citadel vs. Erskine (men) 6 p.m. – Citadel vs. Presbyterian (men) Sunday 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. – USC Sumter vs.

Benedict (men)

second go-round for the men.

USCS had a men’s team for several years before it was disbanded in 1979. They had several nationally-ranked teams during that time.

While Sorrells has local ties, Lee Central’s girls can wrap up the Region VII-2A title tonight as well with a win at Johnsonville. The Lady Stallions are 12-8 overall and 8-1 in the region while Timberland is 7-2 in the region. A loss by LCHS and a win by Timberland would produce co-region champions, but the Lady Stallions would earn the top seed based on their two victories over the Lady Wolves.

Lee Central’s boys (12-8, 7-2) can also earn the region crown with a victory over the Flashes. Timberland and Andrews play each other, with the winner earning the second seed or a co-region title if LCHS loses.

The playoff picture for Region VI-3A became a little more clear on Tuesday. Marlboro County’s (8-1) victory over Lakewood (6-4) solidified the top spot for the Bulldogs while also locking the Gators into the fourth spot.

All that remained to be determined on Thursday were

be implemented next season if approved by the playing rules oversight panel on March 8.

The targeting penalty was adopted in 2013 as a way to reduce helmet-to-helmet hits and potential head and neck injuries. The penalty for targeting is 15 yards, plus ejection of the player who committed the foul. While officials say the rule has changed player behavior, its application has drawn plenty of criticism from fans, players and coaches.

There were 158 targeting penalties called in all FBS games last season. Fortythree were overturned by replay review and 115 were upheld.

Chez Reavie takes the lead at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Chez Reavie enjoyed the pure weather almost as much as watching putts go in. He opened with an 8-under 63 at Monterey Peninsula to take the lead Thursday after one round of ncaa Replay officials the AT&T Pebble Beach Procould have more say Am. Replay officials are likely Some of the biggest stars to have more power when it had to settle for simply enjoycomes to calling targeting ing the sunshine. penalties in college football Jordan Spieth struggled next season. with his short game typically The NCAA football rules a strength and opened with a committee proposed giving 71 at Spyglass Hill. Jason Day replay officials more authori- also had a 71 at Spyglass, ty to overturn incorrect tarwhile Bubba Watson opened geting fouls and to call target- with a 73. ing penalties when they are Freddie Jacobson made missed on the field. The com- five birdies in a six-hole mittee also agreed to allow stretch at Pebble Beach for a conferences to experiment 7-under 65. Cameron Smith with NFL-style centralized and Bronson Burgoon were video replay review systems at 7-under 64 at Monterey in 2016.

Peninsula.

The rules committee comJustin Rose had a 66 to join pleted four days of meetings J.B. Holmes with the best in Orlando, Florida, on score at Spyglass.

Thursday and announced several proposals that could Wire reports

Eric Risberg/The Associated Press

Chez Reavie follows his approach shot up to the 18th green of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday in Pebble Beach, Calif. Reavie shot an 8-under-par 63 to lead the tournament by one stroke.

the other two seeds. Crestwood’s 85-56 victory over Hartsville (0-10) gave the 7-3 Knights the No. 2 spot.

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Friday, February 12, 2016

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Panthers turn page to 2016 season

By STEVE REED The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — Dave Gettleman has been on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to Super Bowl — winning two with the New York Giants as a front office assistant and losing on Sunday as general manager of the Carolina Panthers.

“This side stinks,” Gettleman said Tuesday.

But Gettleman said the Panthers are in good position moving forward, citing the vast majority of the team’s core players being under contract and the fact the team is “not in horrible shape” under next season’s NFL salary cap.

He acknowledged that going 15-1 in the regular season and reaching the Super Bowl was “very unique,” but was quick to add that the goal is to get refocused and next year reach the peak of the mountain.

“You can’t sit here on your laurels because you went to the Super Bowl and just think you’re going to go back again,” Gettleman said.

He’s right.

The last seven Super Bowl losers have returned to the playoffs the following season, but none have made it back to the big game.

In fact, the last to lose a Super Bowl and make it back the following year was the Buffalo Bills, who did three times in the early 1990s. The last time a team lost the Super Bowl and came back to win it all the following season was the Miami Dolphins in 1973.

Coach Ron Rivera wants to change all of that.

Rivera acknowledged the 2016 Panthers will look different than this year’s team.

“That locker room will never be the same,” Rivera said. “... I was in Chicago with the ‘85 team that went to the Super Bowl, and the ‘86 team was better statistically but we didn’t win because we didn’t have that same chemistry in the locker room. Things are going to change.”

Some aren’t.

Cam Newton will be around for a while after signing a fiveyear, $103.8 million contract extension last season. Tight end Greg Olsen, linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis also got new deals last year.

The Panthers don’t draft until 30th overall, but Gettleman said in some ways it will feel like the Panthers have a bonus first-round pick because Kelvin Benjamin, the team’s Chang W. Lee/The New York Times best wide receiver, will be back Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is chased by Denver defensive end Malik Jackson (97) during Super after tearing his ACL last year Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday. The Panthers lost 24-10 and now turn their atin training camp. tention toward getting back to the Super Bowl.

Despite Benjamin’s offense, the Panthers still led the Rivera congratulated his which we have.”

Gettleman refused to specu- league in scoring — although players on a special season That begins this week. late on those or any other they managed just 10 points in Tuesday before they packed Rivera said he will take moves, saying he hasn’t evalu- the Super Bowl. their bags and headed out the three days off before he and ated the roster and even if he Olsen said while he doesn’t door, then flipped the page for- Gettleman and the scouting had “I don’t talk contracts.” know who will be on the rosward to next season. staff get together to begin disAll-Pro fullback Mike Tolter, he has faith in Gettleman, “The truth of the matter is cussing the roster. bert will be an unrestricted who has gotten the Panthers that you would love to be in Perhaps the two biggest free agent and wide receiver to the postseason in all three position that Denver is right questions the Panthers face is Jerricho Cotchery and safety years since his arrival. now, celebrating, but we’re deciding whether to re-sign Roman Harper have contracts “I don’t know what the not,” Rivera said. “So going free agent cornerback Josh that will void this offseason. short-term and long-term forward, there are 30 teams be- Norman (or use the franchise Defensive tackles Kawann plans are for this team, but hind us and one in front of us. tag on him), and whether to Short, who was twice named they haven’t steered us wrong That’s our goal - if you want to release defensive ends Charles NFC Defensive Player of the yet,” Olsen said. “The decibe the champs, beat the Johnson and Jared Allen, two Month this season, is under sions around here, while not champs. We’ve got to start potential moves that would contract through 2016 but the always easy or popular, have planning and mapping and free up more than $19 million Panthers may look to extend gotten us to where we are at getting ready for next season, in salary cap space combined his deal before training camp. this point.”

pro baseball

MLBPA head Tony Clark pitches for more jobs for players

By RONALD BLUM The Associated Press NEW YORK — With spring training approaching and dozens of players still seeking jobs, union leader Tony Clark concluded baseball’s current system needs change.

Among those still on the free-agent market are pitcher Yovani Gallardo, shortstop Ian Desmond and outfielder Dexter Fowler, who all turned down $15.8 million, one-year guaranteed contracts from their teams last November.

“I think it’s disappointing when there are as many talented players still without a home,” Clark said during a Feb. 4 interview with The Associated Press. “I don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest to be in a world where very talented players are at home for whatever reason they are there. It will likely be a part of the conversation in bargaining.”

A former All-Star first baseman, Clark took over as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association in late 2013 after Michael Weiner died due to a brain tumor. Now 43 and seven years removed from his playing days, Clark is the first player to head the union.

Clark will lead players in negotiations for a labor contract to replace the deal that expires

Dec. 1. Following eight work stoppages from 197285, baseball has had more than two decades of industry peace. clark When the current deal was reached, head labor negotiator Rob Manfred — now the commissioner — wrote a memorandum to team executives on Nov. 22, 2011, and estimated eight to 10 free agents annually would receive qualifying offers — the average of the 125 highest-paying contracts — which attaches the loss of a top amateur draft pick for a team that signs a new player.

There were nine offers in 2012 and the number climbed to 13 the following year, 12 in 2014 and 20 this offseason, when there was a deep free-agent class.

“If there are considerations in areas that appear to be damaging the concept of competitive balance, then they should be reviewed and looked at, and this would appear to be one of them,” Clark said.

Other topics:

A LOTTERY FOR DRAFT PICKS Clubs draft in the reverse order of their winning percentage the previous season, perhaps an incentive to trade talent late in the season once

executives realize a playoff berth is out of reach. A lottery to determine the order of top picks, such as the NBA has had since 1985 and the NHL has had since 1995, might change behavior.

“It will be beneficial to look at that,” Clark said, “and not look at it in a vacuum but appreciate whatever it is that we attempt to negotiate there or propose there, that it ties into the other moving pieces and doesn’t create an imbalance.”

AN INTERNATIONAL DRAFT “While conceptually it sounds nice to think of everyone entering the game in same fashion, the truth is there are significant issues,” he said. “It will undoubtedly be part of the negotiation in ‘16, and it will be very interesting to see how that discussion manifests itself.”

LUXURY TAX THRESHOLD The threshold for where the luxury tax starts rose from $148 million in 2007 to $178 million by 2011, the previous labor deal’s final season. It remained there through 2013, then climbed to $189 million, where it has remained. While industry revenue has grown and the average salary has increased about 40 percent since 2007, the threshold has gone up about 28 percent. That ap-

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adjusted itself apparently over pears to have suppressed spending by most large-market the last 20 years or so,” he said. teams.

CUTTING THE SCHEDULE

LONDON GAMES IN 2017

“We’ve had conversations in the past related to the length of the season. Those conversations didn’t end up going anywhere. I don’t know that they’ll go anywhere this time,” Clark said. “There’s a number of things on and off the field that can be done.”

“Players understand and appreciate that as the industry grows, everyone benefits. But there’s a delicate balance that has to be struck in ensuring that as much of the norm can be established for guys to do what they need to do once they get there,” he said.

DECREASE IN OFFENSE

EQUAL SEPTEMBER ROSTERS

“I think a lot of it is going to be cyclical,” Clark said. “Some of it may be tied to a particular year of weather vs. not weather. Some of it may be tied to fences being adjusted vs. not.”

“We discussed as recently as 2011 formally what may make the most sense. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find common ground at that time,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll have the conversation. Perhaps this go-around we can find some common ground on considerations in September or any other month that may make sense.”

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ONLINE DIRECTORY Visit theitem.com to see these advertisers dvertisers with live links to their website:

IN SPORTS: Wilso n Hall’s James amon g The Sumter Item’s

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER

11, 2015

| Serving South Carolina

since October 15,

Celebrate vetera ns

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

Ninety-seven “the war to end all wars” years ago, “ came to a hal halt at the 11th hour of the 11th day and nd many breathed of the 11th month o relief such h a destructive a sigh of war had come that end. to an The next xt year, President W Woodrow son proclaimed oodrow WilWi med “To us in Am America, merica, the reflections of Armistice re Day will willl be filled with solemn pride ride in the th heroism heroi oism of those

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James Prosser receives the Legion Honor from Frenchof dignitary Marie Bernard during a ceremony at Sumter County Courthouse in September 2014. Prosser will serve as grand marshall of today’s parade in Sumter.

For a full list of Veterans Day observance s in the area, see A10.

who died in the country’s service Nearly 100 years …” as Veterans Day, later, we know Nov. 11 oism and sacrificebut the pride in the herserved the nation of those who have remains the same.

Americans have been encourage reflect on that d to heroism and sacrifice through the years, and the people in the Sumter area will have the opportunit to do so as Veterans Day is celebratedy the Gamecock in City.

Cut Ra CLICK Rate te say saays ‘than sa a k you’ HERE SEE VETERANS

DAY OBSERVAN

CES, PAGE A10

SUMTER ITEM FILE

PHOTO

County extends debris removal pact with DOT

Council also addres yard maintenance ses code

BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com

Lafayette Gold & Silver Exchange File/The Associated Press

Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant gestures to fans as he walks off of the court in San Antonio on Feb. 6. Bryant will make his final appearance in the NBA All Star Game in Toronto on Sunday.

Kobe’s last go as an All-Star

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A hungry crew from successful efforts Sumter Fire Department enjoys in saving the building a meal from a fire shortly at Sumter Cut Rate Soda Fountain JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER after the recent ITEM Tuesday in appreciatio flooding. n for their

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BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com

Todd Touchberr y, manager Sumter Cut of Rate Soda Fountain, has a special reason for treating more than a dozen firemen lunch Tuesday to fashioned lunchat the store’s oldcounter.

A few days after the 1,000-year flood doused the Midlands October, he in early and the store began others working at smelling whiffs of

treats firefighters

Superintendent dis

B

for saving buildi ng

smoke, but they thing burning. couldn’t find anyimaging camera to check inside At the end of store’s walls. the cut off the fans the day, when they “I found over the grill, came more pronounce it be- LaMontag a couple of hot spots,” ne said. d, he said, so they called the Goins said it Sumter Fire partment.

Deceptacle near was an old light rethe front of “I think the the building by exhaust fans the pharmacy us off,” he said. threw .

“The building could have burnt When the fire pretty good,” crew arrived, he said. “There wasn’t any visible there an old neon light that shortedwas engineers Chase smoke or fire, so over a period out Goins and Troy of time.”

LaMontagne began using a thermal

SEE CUT RATE,

PAGE A10

During Sumter County Council’s meeting on Tuesday, trator Gary Mixon County Adminissaid the Federal Emergency Manageme nt Agency Disaster Relief Center will be moving another, smaller location sometime to soon because of a reduced number of visitors.

He said He sa sa aid id d about ab abo abo bout 30 people bout p peo eople are a visiting th center each 30 the i day.

Mixon said the county has information regarding the sent off emergency money it spent for flood rescue covery. He said and rethe $114,000 is overtimemajority of the for county employees.

He said the county has also its memorand um of understanextended with South Carolina ding Department Transportation of move the debris for debris pickup to refrom the county’s landfill.

He said some residents have dropping off been debris at the landfill on their own, and more debris has accumulatthan 2,000 tons of ed.

Mixon said the debris would sume about coneight months to a landfill space if the memorandyear of not been extended. um had He said contractor s have already started removing county can receivethe debris, and the age of reimburse a higher percentment from FEMA the debris is if removed in a short amount of time.

While considerin g final reading amendments of to the county’s ordinances regarding code of yard maintenance, council discussed working City of Sumter officials to enforce with yard maintenan city county council ce regulations for constituents within city limits. living

cusses district’s t t

SEE COUNCIL, PAGE

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By BRIAN MAHONEY The Associated Press

Star Game and its career scoring leader — though now just two points ahead of LeBron TORONTO — Of all the James. Does the 18-time Allgoodies Kobe Bryant collects Star’s aching body have in his farewell season, one this enough left at 37 for one more weekend might be useful. vintage performance? “KnowAfter all, you need a good ing Kobe as well as I do, I’m winter coat in Canada. sure if he gets going, and the Though Bryant probably guys get him going, you know wouldn’t be too unhappy walk- the crowd’s going to want it to ing away another All-Star happen; certain players are Game MVP trophy. going to want it to happen,” The final NBA showcase for former teammate Shaquille Bryant and the first to be O’Neal said in remarks providstaged outside the U.S. is in ed by TNT. Toronto, the city that staged THEY’VE GOT SKILLS: The the first NBA game 70 years NBA announced the bracket ago and is so enthusiastic for Thursday for Saturday’s Skills basketball now that it could no Challenge, the event that comlonger be ignored no matter bines dribbling, passing and what the thermometer says. shooting and this year features “I think it’s going to be bon- a number of big men in a field kers,” former Raptors superthat traditionally is for guards. star Vince Carter said.

A big guy is guaranteed to “I think it’s overdue. It’s a reach the final. All-Stars Angreat city. I think they’ll be a thony Davis and DeMarcus great host and I think guys are Cousins meet in the first going to have a lot of fun. It’s round, with the winner to face going to be cold.”

All-Star Draymond Green or Frigid, actually. rookie Karl-Anthony Towns in A relatively mild winter by the semifinals.

Canada’s standards will be NO VINSANITY: Carter, now nothing but a warm memory playing for Memphis, is the this weekend, when Saturday’s Raptors’ career leader with forecast is for temperatures 23.4 points per game and a fornear zero degrees and far mer slam dunk champion. But below it with the wind chill. he won’t be in the city he called The players can cover up with the NBA’s “best-kept secret,” the parkas Canada Goose, instead spending his break maker of cold weather outerwatching his daughter play in wear, designed for them. a tennis tournament. “It’s just Some things to watch this bad timing because I know it’s weekend: going to be epic and I would BRYANT’S BEST? Bryant is love to be there,” he said. “It’s a four-time MVP of the Alljust daddy duties first.”

Health scare over, Bosh ready to enjoy another All-Star trip

By TIM REYNOLDS The Associated Press

will be taking part in Toronto this weekend — Kobe TORONTO — Chris Bosh Bryant, LeBron sees no need to reflect on James and Dwywhere he was at this time last ane Wade — have year. more All-Star apbosh Physically, mentally and pearances than emotionally, he moved past it Bosh, who has all long ago. The tubes stuck been selected for the league’s into the side of his chest, the midseason showcase in each fear of his life being in danger of the last 11 seasons. by the blood clot that attacked He’s even taking part in the one of his lungs, the tests that 3-point contest on Saturday would determine if his career night, not deterred in the could continue and the searing least that at least one Las pain that accompanied each Vegas sports book lists him as breath all are safely tucked the longest shot in the field of away in the memory bank, and eight. So right now, he’s perlife as Bosh has known it for fectly content looking ahead, more than a decade has renot back at the diagnosis that sumed. came just days after last A year after a blood clot year’s All-Star weekend gave the Miami forward the ended. scare of a lifetime, Bosh is Bosh leads the Heat at 19.1 again an All-Star. points per game, just ahead of “It doesn’t surprise me,” Wade’s 18.7 as the two veterHeat coach Erik Spoelstra ans have Miami back in playsaid. “I know C.B. probably as off contention. Bosh has also well as I’ve known anybody established a career-high in that I’ve coached and I know 3-pointers with 81 already, one his competitive character. You of the reasons why he’s in the don’t ever want anything like long-range contest against the that to happen to anybody in likes of more-traditional this league. The one thing you 3-point stars like Stephen can take from it, though, is he Curry and Klay Thompson of has great perspective. I think the NBA champion Golden we all can use that.”

State Warriors.

Bosh is back at the All-Star “I don’t have anything to Game this weekend, and as an lose,” Bosh said. “No one exadded bonus he’ll do so in the pects me to win, so I could just city where his NBA career throw hook shots up there and began. Only three players who I don’t think it’ll be a big deal.”

To advertise your business in this Online Directory and on theitem.com Call 803.774.1237

THE NEWS YOU WANT. HOWEVER YOU WANT IT.

sports SPORTS

The SUMTER ITEM THE SUMTER ITEM

Friday, February 12, 2016 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

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pro basketball

Shaq, Yao, Iverson look to take next step to Hall

By BRIAN MAHONEY The Associated Press TORONTO — Shaquille O’Neal should be a lock. Yao Ming and Allen Iverson could join him.

Two larger-than-life big men and one of basketball’s most exciting little guys highlight the list of players, coaches and contributors who are eligible for induction this year into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

O’Neal and Iverson must get past an extra step by first

being chosen as finalists Friday at a press conference during the NBA’s All-Star weekend festivities. If they do, they would then require 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee, as do all nominees from the North American and Women’s Committees.

But Yao was nominated by the Hall’s International Committee, recognized as much for his impact in the growth of basketball in his native China as his play in the NBA. That committee elects players directly to the Hall.

The class of 2016 will be unveiled April 4 in Houston on the day of the NCAA championship game, and the ceremony is set for Sept. 9 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

O’Neal, Yao and Iverson earned a chance to be a part of it after a recent rule change that made players eligible for nomination after four full seasons of retirement. Previously, they had to wait five years, which meant they were actually six years removed from their playing days by the time they could take their place in

the birthplace of basketball.

A look at some others who could be Springfield-bound in September: JERRY KRAUSE: On the 20th anniversary of the Chicago Bulls compiling the best record in NBA history, perhaps it’s time to honor the executive who was one of the architects of the six-time champions?

TOM IZZO: The way he consistently gets his Michigan State teams to peak in March, don’t be surprised if he’s got a game to coach when the class he should be in appears during

Final Four weekend.

SHERYL SWOOPES: The first player signed by the WNBA went on to win three MVP awards and four championships in the league.

MARV ALBERT: Already a Hall of Famer as a broadcaster, Albert, like Krause, is now nominated by the Contributor Committee that directly elects to the Hall.

DARELL GARRETSON: He officiated more than 2,000 games in the NBA and spent 17 years as the league’s chief of officiating.

George Sr. and Dorothy Mae Gamble Wells.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 246 Casual Branch Road, Elliott.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc.

Burial will be in Clark’s United Methodist Churchyard cemetery.

Services directed by the management and staff of Williams Funeral Home Inc., 821 N. Main St., Sumter.

Online memorial messages may be sent to the family at williamsfuneralhome@sc.rr. com.

Visit us on the web at www.

WilliamsFuneralHomeInc.com

Watson, both of Harvest, Alabama; a son, Gary Andre’ Watson of Baltimore, Maryland; a brother, Jessie Solomon of Bishopville; and a host of grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Viewing for Mrs. Watson will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday at Green Bay Missionary Baptist Church, Lynchburg, with Pastor Travis Laws. Burial will follow in Solomon Cemetery.

The family is receiving visitors at the home, 120 Holy Lane, Lynchburg.

Online memorials can be sent to comfhltj@sc.rr.com.

Community Funeral Home of Sumter is in charge of these arrangements.

listed in the United States Navy.

He leaves to cherish his memories: his wife, Angela Anderson Wilson; two daughters, Kimberly Renea Boykin of Sumter and Angel Brown of Asheville, North Carolina; three sons, Cedrick Brown, Deangelo Brown and Quinate Brown of Columbia; four grandchildren; one brother, Jerome Wilson of Greenville, North Carolina; one sister, Shalon (Anthony) McConico of Sumter; Juanita Ross, who he took as his sister, of Greenville, North Carolina; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, 217 W. Bartlette St., Sumter, with the Rev. Laddie N. Howard, pastor, eulogist.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 21A Willow Drive, Sumter.

The remains will be placed in the church at 1:30 p.m.

The funeral procession will leave at 2 p.m. from the home.

Floral bearers and pallbearers will be classmates of Mayewood High School Class of 1985.

Burial will be in Mayesville Cemetery, Mayesville.

These services have been entrusted to the management and staff of Williams Funeral Home Inc., 821 N. Main St., Sumter.

Online memorial messages may be sent to the family at williamsfuneralhome@sc.rr. com.

Visit us on the web at www. williamsfuneralhomeinc.com.

OBITUARIES EARLINE DOW CANTY SUMMERTON — Earline Dow Canty, 102, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at her residence in Summerton.

Born on May 10, 1913, in Summerton, she was a daughter of the late Jake and JoCANTY sephine Brown Dow. She was the widow of Henry Canty Sr. She leaves to mourn her passing and grow from her memories: one son, Henry (Geraldine) Canty Jr.; three daughters, Mary Ann Canty, Josephine Junious and Beulah Canty; two grandchildren that she raised as her own, George and Vanessa; 32 grandchildren; and a host of great-grandchildren, greatgreat-grandchildren, greatgreat-great-grandchildren, other close relatives and friends.

Funeral services for the late Earline Dow Canty will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Mt. Pleasant UME Church, Pinewood, with the Rev. Lavaron Johnson, pastor, officiating, Elder J. Robinson, eulogist, assisted by Bishop W.L. Green Jr. Final resting place will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

The body will placed in the church one hour prior to the service (noon).

The family is receiving friends at the home, 13 Parson St., Summerton.

Online condolences may be sent to www.dysonshomeforfunerals.

Professional services are entrusted to Dyson’s Home for Funerals, 237 Main St., Summerton.

GREGORY L. WILLIAMS Funeral services for Gregory “Ricky” Lavon Williams will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. Paul AME Church, 835 Plowden Mill Road, Sumter, with the Rev. Robert E. Galloway, pastor, and the Rev. Dr. Friendly Gadson officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

Public viewing will be from 1 to 8 p.m. today at Palmer Memorial Chapel, 304 S. Main St., Sumter.

Mr. Williams will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. until the hour of service.

Ricky Williams died on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at his residence.

Born in Sumter County, he was a son of Sarah Brogdon Williams and Augustus Williams. Ricky was educated in the public schools of Sumter County and was a proud graduate of Sumter High School Class of 1978.

Surviving are his loving parents, Sarah and Augustus Williams; one brother, Tyrone (Linda) Williams; a niece, China Williams; a nephew, Tyrone Williams Jr.; and a host of other relatives and dear friends.

Condolences may be made on their tribute page found at www. PalmerMemorialChapel.com Palmer Memorial Chapel is in charge of the services.

CHARLIE L. WELLS Charlie L. Wells, 62, died on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Born on May 2, 1953, in Lee County, he was a son of

WILLIAM K. PLAYER SR. BISHOPVILLE — Memorial services for William Kenneth Player Sr., 71, will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the chapel of Norton Funeral Home, Bishopville Chapel. The Rev. Marion Watkins will officiate.

Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the funeral home.

Mr. Player passed away on Feb. 7, 2016.

He was born in Bishopville, a son of the late Tyler Player and Lucille Dority Darling.

He was an auto body mechanic while he was able to work.

Surviving are his son, William “Ken” Player Jr. Bishopville; grandchildren, Reese Autum Player, Michael Ryan Player and Matthew “Matt” Tyler Player, all of Bishopville; niece, Debbie Jordan; great-niece, Dr. Ashlee Justice; and several other nieces.

Norton Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Player family. www.nortonfh. net

ALBERETTA M. GOLDEN On Feb. 6, 2016, God dispatched his angels to bring Alberetta Princetta Moses Golden back home.

On Oct. 9, 1955, this beautiful angel was born to the late Hallie and Addie Rouse Moses. She was raised in a small town of Sumter County called Oswego. Alberetta was educated in the Sumter County schools and graduated from Mayewood High School.

She began working for Young’s Market and continued with Hardees, RTA, Gold Kist and L&R. She joined Clark’s United Methodist Church and remained a faithful and dedicated member until her death.

She leaves to cherish her memories: five children, William Walker, Tanesha Lloyd of Sumter, Nyland Stokes of Atlanta, Carmen Stokes (Corey) McNeal of Knightdale, North Carolina, and April Stokes of Atlanta; two extended daughters, Denitra Dawn Stokes and Monica Stokes (Dwaine) Butler, both of Atlanta; two sisters, Diane Moses-Timmons and Jeanette Moses (James) Holmes; two brothers, Jerel (Delphine) Moses and Quincy (Carmen) Moses, both of Sumter; a special adopted daughter, Lataisya Ward of Charlotte, North Carolina; 11 grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Clark’s United Methodist Church, 2980 Oswego Highway / U.S. 401 North, Sumter, with the Rev. Franklin Garrett, pastor, and the Rev. Bobby Shaw, eulogist.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 2940 Cubbage Road, Sumter.

The remains will be placed in the church at 10 a.m.

The funeral procession will leave at 10:30 a.m. from the home.

Floral bearers will be the United Methodist Women, classmates and Sister Circle.

Pallbearers will be the United Methodist Men and classmates.

GEORGE HAMPTON TURBEVILLE — George Hampton, 65, died on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at his residence, 1153 Cam St., Turbeville.

He was born on Sept. 23, 1950, in Mayesville, a son of the late Elizabeth Hampton Monroe and stepson of Adam Monroe.

The family is receiving friends at the residence.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

VAN A. JOHNSON LYNCHBURG — Van Alfred Johnson, 66, died on Feb. 10, 2016, in a Florence hospital, after an illness.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Shiloh United Methodist Church with burial in the church cemetery, directed by Floyd Funeral Home.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Born in Sumter County, he was a son of the late Robert James Johnson and Mava Green Johnson. He was a farmer; a former Sumter County firefighter and member of Station 19 Dabbs; a former president of the Sportsman’s Hunting Club; served six years in the S.C. National Guard; and was a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Jerry Johnson.

Surviving are his wife, Becky Tomlinson Johnson of Lynchburg; a son, Van “Vance” (Beth) Alfred Johnson Jr. of Camden; a daughter, Vana “Rebecca” (Will) Duke of Manning; a sister, Dora Jean (George) Beasley of Bishopville; four brothers, James (Jean) Johnson, Larry (Elizabeth) Johnson and Ed (Annette) Johnson, all of Lynchburg, and Terry (Beverly) Johnson of Mayesville; a sister-in-law, Lisa Johnson of Lynchburg; and five grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Shiloh United Methodist Church, 8705 Woods Bay Road, Lynchburg, SC 29080.

Please visit www.floydfuneral.com for condolences.

CHARLOTTE G. LAW The memorial service for Charlotte G. Law, who died on Feb. 7, 2016, will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 3200 Trenholm Road, Columbia, with visitation following the service.

MARGIE S. WATSON Margie Solomon Watson, 84, widow of Otis Watson Sr., entered eternal rest on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Huntsville, Alabama.

Born on Aug. 2, 1931, in Lee County, she was a daughter of the late Willie and Sarah Williams Solomon. She attended the public schools in Lee County and was a member of Green Bay Baptist Church.

Survivors are two daughters, Patricia Rouse and Lola

JAMES HARVIN SR. James Harvin Sr., 82, widow of Betty Lue James Harvin, entered eternal rest on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at her home.

He was born on Sept. 25, 1933, in Pinewood, a son of the late Ransom and Lizzie Billie Harvin.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home of his son, James Harvin Jr., 3562 Elliott Road, Pinewood.

Funeral plans will be announced by Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

NATHANIEL G. WILSON Nathaniel G. Wilson’s earthly journey ended on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at Palmetto Health Tuomey. He was 49.

Born on Dec. 18, 1966, in Sumter County, he was a son of Jason Murphy and the late Ruth Wilson Temoney. At an early age, he was reared in Mayesville by his grandmother, the late Mary Wilson, and his mother, where they attended Galilee Baptist Church. Later in life, he started attending Mt. Pisgah AME Church, Sumter.

He attended the public schools of Sumter County and was a 1985 graduate of Mayewood High School. He furthered his education at Morris College and later en-

THERESA H. BRUNSON BISHOPVILLE — Theresa H. Brunson entered eternal rest on Feb. 5, 2016.

Visitation will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Bishopville, with the pastor, the Rev. Kay Adams Best, officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Zion Cemetery.

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

Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church 325 Fulton Street • Sumter

773-3658 • www.mtzionmissionarybc.com “The Little Church with the Big and Friendly Heart”

Let Us Host Your Next Special Event • Wedding Receptions/Anniversaries • Family Reunions • Class Reunions • Retirement Parties • Birthday Parties • Seminars, etc...

Please call the Mt. Zion Enrichment Center at 773-3546

Opportunities for Life Enrichment 9:45 AM Church School (Sundays) 10:45 AM Morning Worship (Sundays) 6:00 PM Evening Worship (1st Sundays) 10:00 AM Golden Age Fellowship (3rd Wed.) 12:00 Noon Hour of Power (Prayer Service - Wed.)

5:30 PM Prayer Service (Wed.) 6:00 PM Bible Study (Wed.) 6:00 PM Youth Ministry (Wed.) Rev. James Blassingame, Pastor

B8

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

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OR TO PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE GO TO WWW.THE ITEM.COM/PLACEMYAD

CLASSIFIED 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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We will be happy to change your ad if an error is made; however we are not responsible for errors after the first run day. We shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the printing or omission of an advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or cancel any ad at any time.

For Sale or Trade

Dogs

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1986 El Camino engine for sale, 305 Cu. In., was running when removed. Approximately 100,000k.

Needs overhaul. $250 803-883-2923 call after 1.

In Memory Kenneth "Kenny" Judon husband of Michelle Wilson Judon, son-in-law of Willie Mae King, entered eternal rest Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Utica, New York. Service to be held Sat. 13th at 11am, at City of Refuge, 16 Carolina Avenue, Sumter.

Pastors Johnny & Barbara Davis, officiating.

BUSINESS SERVICES Business Services

EMPLOYMENT CKC Maltese Puppies $500 Ea. Firm on Female . Deposit holds for Valentine's Day. 803-499-1360

Poultry Nesbitt Transportation is now hiring Class A CDL Drivers. Must be 23 yrs old and have 2 yrs experience. Home nights and weekends. Also hiring experience diesel mechanic. Call 843-621-0943 or 843-621-2572

PALMETTO CORNISH CHICKENS $12/case (of 12) B-Grade Southern States 335 Broad St., Sumter 803-775-1204 While Supplies last!

Warehouse Position Must be reliable, some knowledge of hardware. Apply at Wally's Hardware 1291 Broad St.

MERCHANDISE Transport and delivery services to your home or office. Call 803-968-4449 Sumpter Logistics LLC Burch's Landscaping WaterProblemsSolved: GuttersFrench Drains-Sump pumps-leveling & sodding-topsoil-filler dirt or crusher run. Call Burch 803-720-4129 Dryer Vent Cleaning Saves on electric bill Speeds drying time Reduces chance of fire $90 Special Xstreamclean.com 803-460-4268

Home Improvements JAD Home Improvements 24 Hr Service. We beat everyone's prices, Free Est. Licensed & Bonded 850-316-7980

EXPERIENCED Cook. No less than 2 yrs Exp cooking in a Restaurant kitchen. Apply at Simply Southern Bistro 65 W Wesmark Blvd. 469-8502

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales Sumter United Ministries.

We need clean used furniture & household items. Donations to be sold at our Yard Sale in March or made available to flood victims.

Call Ed for info. 803-464-7643 Will buy furniture by piece or bulk, tools, trailers, lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, or almost anything of value. Call 803-983-5364 844 Bay Blossom Dr. 3 family yard sale. Saturday, 9 am - 12 noon. No early birds!

Benjy's Bargain Barn Store Closing!!

Everything must go! Save uo to75% off. Store fixtures for sale, cheap and all in excellent cond.

724 Bultman Dr. 803-774-2265

Legal Service LARGE GARAGE SALE Every Weekend Tables $2 & $3

Attorney Timothy L. Griffith 803-607-9087, 360 W. Wesmark.

Criminal, Family, Accident, Injury

FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Roofing

Open every weekend. Call 803-494-5500

Robert's Metal Roofing 35 Yrs exp. 45 yr warranty. Financing avail. Expert installation. Long list of satisfied customers. 803-837-1549.

All Types of Roofing & Repairs All work guaranteed. 30 yrs exp. SC lic.

Virgil Bickley 803-316-4734.

Septic Tank Cleaning

Help Wanted Full-Time

For Sale or Trade Nice lounge chair $250, black office chair $125 & exercise bike $250. Call 481-3754.

Martin's Used Appliance Washers, Dryers, Refrig., Stoves.

Guarantee 464-5439 or 469-7311.

Open 7 Days a week 9am-8pm 1986 El Camino transmission for sale, 700R4 override rebuilt about 2012. Approximately 25,000K. $400 Call 803-883-2923 after 1.

Oak firewood 803-651-8672

for

sale.

Call

Emmanuel UMC is currently accepting applications for Director of Music. Duties include playing each Sunday worship service, weekly rehearsals, and leadership to the overall music program, interested candidates should call 803 775-5990

Cashier/Receptionist Small working office seeks full time cashier/receptionist. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to taking walk in customer payments, processing mail payments, preparing daily bank deposits, answering telephones.

Company provides paid employee benefits, holidays. Minimum 1 year experience. Selected candidate subject to background check and drug testing. Send resume and past salary history to P-Box 256 c/o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151 TRUCK MECHANIC / WELDER NEEDED Experienced Truck Mechanic & Welder needed for local trucking company. Work includes general maintenance on trucks and trailers, along with welding repairs on rolloff equipment. Benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans. Company paid uniforms, paid holidays, PTO time, life insurance, 401K and profit sharing. Must have own hand tools and valid driver's license. Hourly pay commensurate with experience. Apply in person at FCI 132 Myrtle Beach Hwy Sumter, SC 19153 803-773-2611 Ext - 25 for Todd.

Resumes can be e-mailed to tkrigbaum@freeholdcartage.com

Septic Tank Cleaning Call the pros for all of your septic pumping needs. 803-316-0429 Proline Utilities, LLC

Harvin Manor Apartments

Tree Service

803-485-2077

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net

PETS & ANIMALS

53 Church St., Summerton, SC 29148

Applications Accepted At The Site Office Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

1 BEDROOM APARTMENTS HOUSING FOR PERSONS 62 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, HANDICAP/DISABLED, REGARDLESS OF AGE Central Heat/Air • Stove/Refrigerator Washer/Dryer Connections • Laundry Facility On Site Community Room • Smoke Free Housing Community

Help Wanted Full-Time

Unfurnished Apartments

Seed Technician Position Available The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, have excellent organizational skills, as well as the ability to follow verbal and written directions.

Duties include: •Seed processing, treating, and packaging •Organizing placing seed into storage •Maintaining inventory accuracy •Maintaining working order and cleanliness of seed equipment, warehouses, and warehouse equipment •Assist Warehouse Manager as needed •Utilize computer systems

Downtown apartments 2BR 2BA $950, Util. Incld. 803-775-1204 Mon.-Fri. 8-5p or 803-968-1950

Please call 803-453-5151 to schedule an interview Three Positions Available Carpenters, carpenter helper & handy man.

Apply in person at Roofco 1345 N Pike E , Sumter We are a local company looking for exp. straight truck drivers. Over the road, home most weekends.

CDL not required. Must have good driving record. Call 803-340-0271.

Work Wanted Will do light house keeping and sitting with your loved ones.Own transportation.Call 883-4410 Maggie

RENTALS

Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette.

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO

Unfurnished Homes 1919 W. Oakland Ave. 3BR/1.5BA for rent Appl's included, $800/mo + $800/dep.

803-651-8198 or 347-564-1659 3BR 1BA C/H/A w/carport, $650 mo.

Call 646-315-3274 or 803-563-7202.

Nice 3 Br, 3 Ba, downtown historical district, refrig, stove, dishwasher, C/H/A, hardwood floors, FP, fenced in yard, lg. workshop with C/H/A, alarm system. No Pets. $1200 mo.

Call 803-491-5375.

Mobile Home Rentals

STATEBURG COURTYARD 2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

REAL ESTATE Homes for Sale REDUCED- 905 Arnaud St 2BR/2BA Quiet Cul-de-sac. All appl's, fenced patio, screened porch. $104,000.

Available now. 803-464-8354 A nice 3Brd, 2Ba DW mobile home with land. Must quailify for bank financing. $74,900 Call 803-469-6973

Manufactured Housing Turn your Tax Refund into your dream home! We have quality used refurbished mobile homes. We specialize in on the lot financing. Low credit score is OK. Call 843-389-4215 AND also visit our Face Book page (M & M Mobile Homes).

Mobile Home with Lots Dalzell, 30 Evergreen Ct. Fleetwood, 28x64, 3 br, 2 ba with great room. 0.55 ac in quiet neighborhood.

Completely remodeled with C/A &

brick underskirting. Exc. cond.

Ready to move in. Only $53,500.

Please call (803) 468-6029.

3BR/2BA MH on Beckwood Rd. Private lot, $425/mo + $450/dep.

No pets. Call 678-523-6113.

Rooms for Rent

DALZELL 2BR 2BA small quiet family park, 5 min from Shaw/Sumter $395 mo. 499-2029 LV msg.

Rooms for rent in spacious home.

Call 803-404-4662 for details.

Commercial Rentals

Room for rent $450 mo. Will have access to house. Women only 45 50. Call 803-236-4568/883-4482

1 bay garage with paint booth utilities furnished Bobby Sisson 803-464-2730.

Going on

5 Coulter Dr. Wedgefield, Fleetwood 3br 2ba, den w/ fireplace, all appliances, completely remodeled. like new, on 0.45 ac lot in cozy neighborhood. Only $54,900.

Please call (803) 468-6029.

vacation?

Don’t Miss A Thing!

Let your carrier save your paper for you while you are on vacation!

Call 803-774-1258 Customer Service Dept. Hours Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm

RENTAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR QUALIFIED APPLICANTS Dogs CKC Peek-a-poo fluffy pups.

7wks, 2m, S/D, paper trained. $350ea cash, call Alice 803-428-3803.

“This Institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

Accessible Units Reasonable Accommodations TTY Relay# 1-803-735-2905

DRIVERS WANTED

“$2,000 - SIGN ON BONUS” Guaranteed Minimum Pay • Achievable Goals for Lucrative Incentives - CDL (Class A) w/ hazmat & tanker - At least 2 yrs. exp. - Clean MVR -

Paid Vacation Paid Holidays Paid Sick Days Health Insurance Dental Insurance Life Insurance Short Term Disability 401(k) w/co. Match

CONTACT Pat Joyner at 803-775-1002 Ext. 107 OR visit our website to download a job application and fax to (954) 653-1195 www.sumtertransport.com 170 S. Lafayette Drive Sumter, SC 29150 EOE

20 N. Magnolia Street

803-774-1258

CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

THE ITEM

B9

WHERE $1.00 CAN BUY YOU A SUIT!

MAYO’S “FABULOUS FEBRUARY SALE�

Choose ONE suit at our REGULAR PRICE Get SECOND suit of equal or less value for ONLY $1.00!

Because it’s FABULOUS FEBRUARY

If your suits aren’t becoming to you, It’s a good time to be coming to Mayo’s!

Wesmark Plaza • 773-2262 • Mon-Sat 10-7 • www.MayosDiscountSuits.com Mobile Home Lots 2 Lots For Mobile homes. Rent $165/mo. Incl's water & Sewage.

Peaceful neighborhood. Off 521 N. Call 803-983-3121

Land & Lots for Sale Lots & Acreage for sale Call 803983-0256 Dalzell- Mobile home Lots for sale starting at $4,800 Call Burch 803-720-4129 7am-7pm

Commercial Industrial For Sale- Lake Side Restaurant, Bar, Convenience Store, gas pumps & docks. Property is leased. Lake Marion. All equipment & furniture are included. Call 904-554-7663

TRANSPORTATION Vans / Trucks / Buses 01 Expedition. Runs & drives. Solid truck. Stk# B14144 $1200 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

1998 Ford F150 XLT Extd Cab, Fully Loaded, 160K mi., Excel. cdtn.,$5900 OBO Call 803-447-5453

Destruction of Special Education Records (300.573) Sumter School District will be destroying special education records for students exiting during or prior to the 2010-2011 school year. Records being destroyed include all special education referral records, evaluation reports, testing protocols, notifications of meetings, Individual Education Plans (IEP), reviews of existing data summaries, and all other personally identifiable information therein. Under state and federal law, special education records must be maintained for a period of five years after special education services have ended.

Former students over the age of 18, or parents of students over the age of 18, who have retained parental rights through the court's determination, may obtain special education records by contacting and making an appointment with Mrs. Lillarweise Seymore at (803) 774-5500 (ext. 210).

Abandon Vehicle / Boat Abandoned Vehicle Notice: The following vehicle was abandoned at Jones Chevrolet Co., Inc. 1230 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29150.

Described as a 2001 Cadillac Deville, VIN # 1G6KD54Y61U248177. Total Due for storage is $100.00, repairs is $459.88 as of February 8, 2016 plus $25.00 per day thereafter. Owner is asked to call 803-469-2515. If not claimed in 30 days. it will be turned over to the Magistrate's Office for public sale.

Summons & Notice

94 Chevy S10. Runs great. Camper shell incld. Econ. truck. Stk# 179851. $2000 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

LIS PENDENS

96 Chevy Z71. Awesome truck runs like a champ. Stepside. If you drive it you'll buy it Stk# 125582. $3500 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee.

Call 866-224-5963.

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT C/A #: 2015-CP-43-2669

4-Wheel Drive 08 Nissan Titan. 4x4 solid truck. 1 owner, clean carfax. runs like a beast. Stk# 323555. $7000 cash.

Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

SUVs 04 Jeep Liberty. Runs & drives good, looks good. Stk# 147971. $4500 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

Autos For Sale

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

ADULTS AND THOSE PERSONS WHO MAY BE IN THE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ALL OF THEM BEING A CLASS DESIGNATED AS JOHN DOE; AND ANY UNKNOWN MINORS OR PERSONS UNDER A DISABILITY BEING A CLASS DESIGNATED AS RICHARD ROE; KATHY NIGRO; MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC.; BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO CHASE BANK OF TEXAS, N.A., AS CUSTODIAN; ASCENSIONPOINT RECOVERY SERVICES, LLC ON BEHALF OF GE CAPITAL RETAIL BANK; BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST CO.; and NBSC A DIVISION OF SYNOVUS BANK, Defendants.

by that deed of the United States of America, Department of Agriculture, Farmers Home Administration, dated September 20, 1979, and recorded October 26, 1979, in Deed Book M-10 at Page 28, records of the Clerk of Court in Sumter County, South Carolina.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Motion for an order appointing Kelley Y. Woody, Esquire, as Guardian ad Litem Nisi, for all persons whomsoever herein collectively designated as Richard Roe or John Doe, defendants herein, names and addresses unknown, including any thereof who may be minors, imprisoned persons, incompetent persons, or under other legal disability, and as Attorney for said parties who may be in the military service, whether residents or non-residents of South Carolina, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County.

this action, the appointment of said Guardian ad Litem Nisi and Attorney shall be made absolute.

Legal Notice

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, Plaintiff, vs.

MIRIAM B. HODGE, AS HEIR AT LAW OF LAWRENCE R. HODGE A/K/A LAWRENCE RIVERS HODGE, DECEASED, AND ANY OTHER HEIRS-AT-LAW OR DISTRIBUTEES OR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR SPOUSES, IF ANY THEY HAVE, AND ALL OTHER PERSONS UNKNOWN WITH ANY RIGHT, TITLE, ESTATE, INTEREST IN OR LIEN UPON THE REAL ESTATE DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN; ALSO ANY UNKNOWN

TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action will be commenced in this Court upon the Complaint of the above-named Plaintiff against the above-named Defendants for the foreclosure of that certain Mortgage of Real Estate given by Lawrence R. Hodge a/k/a Lawrence Rivers Hodge (now deceased) to the Plaintiff, its successors and assigns, dated March 27, 2009, and recorded on April 8, 2009, in the office of the Register of Deeds for Sumter County, South Carolina in Book 1121 at Page 1152 (the "Mortgage").

At the time of the filing of this notice, the premises affected by the said action were situated in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, and are described as follows: All that certain piece, parcel or lot of land, together with the dwelling and improvements thereon, lying and being situate in the Township and County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, being shown and delineated as Lot No. 11 on that plat of Lazy Acres Estates Subdivision, Section I, prepared by John M. Mahon, R.L.S., dated June 13, 1973, and recorded in Plat Book Z-34 at Page 54 in the records of the R.M.C. Office for Sumter County. Aforesaid plat is specifically incorporated herein and reference is craved thereto for a more complete and accurate description of the metes, bounds, courses and distances of the property concerned herein. This description is made in lieu of metes and bounds as permitted by law under Section 30-5-250 of The Code of Laws of South Carolina (1976), as amended. Be all measurements a little more or a little less and according to aforesaid plat.

Job Fair February 15 & 16, 2016 9am - 12noon and 1pm - 3pm

Hiring for: CDL Drivers/ Operators-Chemical Division

13 Ford Flex. Awesome for family.

3rd row. Stk# D01439. $2000 Down, $449.83/mo., 11% APR for 72 mo., $24,995, plus TT&L & $299 doc fee.

WAC. Call 866-224-5963.

02 Mazda Tribute. Runs great.

Good fam veh. Stk# M19545 Hurry, won't last long $3000 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

06 Honda Accord SE. Runs & drives great. Stk# 033028. $5000 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee.

Call 866-224-5963.

279 Progress Street • Sumter, SC 29153 Apply online: www.thompsonindustrialservices.com EOE

02 Buick LeSabre. Runs & drives good, looks good. Stk# 126648. $2000 cash. Plus TT&L and $299 doc fee. Call 866-224-5963.

SALES SALES SALES! OVER 100 CARS STARTING AT $1995!

Price is Right Auto Sales 3210 Broad St 803-494-4275 15 Mustang. You see it you'll want it. very sharp. Bad credit ok. Stk# 333128. $2500 Down, $535.49/mo., 11% APR for 72 mo., $29,995, plus TT&L & $299 doc fee. WAC. Call 866-224-5963.

2001 Daewoo Lanos, $500, 2 door, manual, new tires & battery, needs clutch & starter, 803-972-0706

LEGAL NOTICES Legal Notice PUBLIC AUCTION Sumter Self Storage, 731 Broad St. Sumter, S.C. will postpone February 13, 2016 auction until Saturday, March 12, 2016.

YOUR AD HERE

For a complete description of the property encumbered by the Mortgage, the undersigned craves reference to the Mortgage, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your answer to the said Complaint upon the subscribers, at their office, 1703 Laurel Street, Post Office Box 11682, Columbia, South Carolina 29211, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint in the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

YOU WILL FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that unless the said minors or persons under other legal disability, if any, or someone in their behalf or in behalf of any of them, shall within thirty (30) days after service of notice of this order upon them by publication, exclusive of the day of such service, procure to be appointed for them, or either of them, a Guardian ad Litem to represent them for the purposes of

TO: THE DEFENDANTS HEREIN, NAMES AND ADDRESSES UNKNOWN, INCLUDING ANY THEREOF WHO MAY BE MINORS, IMPRISONED PERSONS, INCOMPETENT PERSONS, UNDER OTHER LEGAL DISABILITY OR IN THE MILITARY SERVICE, IF ANY, WHETHER RESIDENTS OR NON-RESIDENTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO THE NATURAL, GENERAL, TESTAMENTARY GUARDIAN OR COMMITTEE, OR OTHERWISE, AND TO THE PERSON WITH WHOM THEY MAY RESIDE, IF ANY THERE BE:

POWER OF ADVERTISING!

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803-774-1234

CONTRACTOR WANTED! LAKEWOOD & HWY 15 SOUTH

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on December 1, 2015.

NOTICE OF ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI AND ATTORNEY

FIND OUT ABOUT THE

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED. Must have RELIABLE transportation and a phone in your home.

6 Days a week CALL LORI RABON at 774-1216 or come in to fill out an application.

20 N. Magnolia Street

This being the identical property conveyed unto Lawrence R. Hodge

15 Dodge Dart. Like New. Fac. Wrnty. Bad credit ok. Stk# 265239. $1500 Down, $288.04/mo., 11% APR for 72 mo., $15,995, plus TT&L & $299 doc fee. WAC. Call 866-224-5963.

15 Altima. Beautiful, low miles, fully loaded car. Bad credit ok. Stk# 173751. $1500 Down, $307.08/mo., 11% APR for 72 mo., $16,995, plus TT&L & $299 doc fee. WAC. Call 866-224-5963.

TMS#: 269-81-01-005

Grimsley Law Firm, LLC PO Box 11682 Columbia, South Carolina 29211 Edward L. Grimsley Benjamin E. Grimsley Attorneys for the Plaintiff

I’ve never seen so many cars and people!

What do you think is going on over there?

I Found it in the

CLASSIFIEDS

JOBS HOMES APARTMENTS CARS BOATS MOTORCYCLES BIKES FURNITURE PETS GARAGE SALES & MORE

GET THE CLASSIFIEDS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR. 803-774-1258

Well, I was told she’s having one of those ‘Garage Sales.’ Can you imagine?!

Minnie told me she made over $100 last time she had one... Just by placing a Classified Ad in

Do you think we should have one and place an ad?

It sure would help with Spring Cleaning!

20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 803.774.1234 www.theitem.com

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CLASSIFIEDS

THE ITEM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Here's My Card DAD’S SMALL ENGINES LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT • SALES & SERVICE Don & Faye 1000 Myrtle Beach Highway Sumter, SC 29153

(803) 495-4411 Parts & Service Center

Senior Citizen & Military Discount

M-F 8:00-5:00 | Sat 8:00-12:00

Piano Tuning Repairs & Refinishing

Jimmy Jordan Plumbing Service

WALKER PIANO

Repairs and New Installation

Cincinnati Conservatory Certified Since 1947

1936 Pinewood Road Sumter, SC 29154

For Expert Service

CALL ALGIE WALKER

803-506-2111

803-485-8705 19 S. Cantey Street

Over 20 years experience Cell: 803-397-6278

Summerton, SC

Styles by Delores G

Timothy L. Griffith

Press N Curls • Blowouts • Cuts Brush & Flat Iron • Wave Nouveau

803.607.9087

Monday - Friday: Appointments & Walk-Ins Welcome Contact: Ms. G (803)968-8240

Attorney at Law

Your Local Authorized Xerox Sales Agency

18 E. Liberty St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 778-2330 Mamaleen’s amaleen’ B Beauty Salon

130 N. Main Street, Sumter, SC

Xerox® is a Trademark of Xerox Corporation

Family Law • Divorce Visitation & Custody Criminal Defense • DUI • Federal and State Court

www.tlgriffith.com

THE GAMECOCK SHRINE CLUB

LEAF GUARD INSTALLATION GUTTER AND SPOUT CLEANING OR REPAIRS

SEAMLESS ALUMINUM RAIN GUTTERS

is Available for Rent!

Ernie Baker

McLean Marechal Insurance Associate Agent

JONATHAN E. GOFF 803-968-4802

CALL NOW FOR DATE AVAILABILITY!

712 Bultman Drive | Sumter, SC 29150 Sumter: 803-774-0118 | Florence: 843-669-5858 Cell: 803-491-4417 | bakee1@nationwide.com

Rent for your “Special Occasions” Craft Shows • Weddings • Banquets • Retirement Parties• Family Reunions Call 983-1376 or 491-7665

J.GOFF76@YAHOO.COM

803-847-3324 • WINTER CLEAN UP • SHRUB WORK • YARD WORK

PRESSURE WASHING

2535 Tahoe Dr. (Across from Hardee Cove)

905-3473

Tidwell Septic Tanks & Pumping SALES • INSTALLATION • PUMPING REPAIRS • DRAIN LINES TANK INSPECTION Serving Sumter & the Surrounding Areas Over 30 Years Experience • Family Owned & Operated

For all your septic tank needs!

(803) 481-2966 (803) 481-7719 FAX

1665 Lewis Road Sumter, SC 29154

H.L. Boone

All Types of Improvements

Remodeling, Painting, Carports, Decks, Blow Ceilings, Ect.

Heating and Air LLC

We have always been just around the corner.

As lifelong residents of Clarendon County, you know who we are and that c we are committed to provide you with all the comforts of home.

OVER 32 YEARS EXPERIENCE

FREE DELIVERY AND FREE SETUP!*

LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED 803-460-5420 OR 803-478-5957

*within a 50 mile ra radius

930 N. LAFAYETTE DR. • SUMTER • 803-775-1277 • ACEPARKER@FTC-I.NET SERVING SUMTER & THE SURROUNDING AREAS FOR 34 YEARS!

“Saving time & money with no worries” Over 20 years of experience

H.L. Boone, Contractor

Jimmy’s

ACE PARKER TIRE

J&T’s Local Moving and More, LLC

Owner / Notary Public

1 Monte Carlo Court Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-9904

BEFORE YOU BUY

CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION AND VALUE PRICING AT

64 Wilder Street Sumter, SC 29150 803-236-4008 or 803-773-3934

Jamie Singleton

Owner

*Free Estimates *Moving (Home & Office)

SALES & SERVICE ON ALL BRANDS

Chris Mathis

Jimmy Mathis

Carolina Caregivers “A Helping Hand for Those You Love.”

803-236-3603 Wendy Felder owner

www.jtslocalmovingmore.com

RANDY BONNER Store Manager

FRASIER TIRE SERVICE INC

310 E. Liberty Street Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-1423 - Fax (803) 778-1512

one Right!

Cleaning D

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Water & Fire Damage • Smoke/Odor Removal Mold Sampling and Remitiation 24/7 Emergency Service Hiram Spittle 1500 Airport Road 803-938-5441 Sumter, SC 29153 www.spittlescleaning.com

Tammye Lynn Cox Owner

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE PLEASE CALL 803-774-1234 FOR MORE INFORMATION!

OPEN YEAR ROUND 61 W. Wesmark Blvd.

Sumter, SC 29150 www.jacksonhewitt.com

Located at One Accord

Circles & Dots where children love to shop

LLC

Market Plaece on Bultman 721 Bultman Drive, # A Sumter, SC 29150

803-774-0542 / 803-983-0634

Tel: (803) 469-8899 Fax: (803) 469-8890

circlesanddots2015@gmail.com www.Facebook.com/CiclesandDots2015/

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE PLEASE CALL 803-774-1234 FOR MORE INFORMATION!

PLEASE CALL 803-774-1234 FOR MORE INFORMATION!