New cars, trucks moving fast Local dealers seeing stronger-than-usual January numbers BY HAMLET FORT hamlet@theitem.com
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 24 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 93
Auto sales across the U.S. are experiencing increased numbers for the month of January as they did in the calendar year 2014, according to multiple industry reports released Tuesday. According to forecasters, January 2015 saw an approximately 14 percent increase in new car purchases from January of last year. Overall, yearlong sales from 2013 to 2014 in-
creased about 5.9 percent, from 15.6 million to 16.52 million new cars, according to industry statistics collector Autodata. Local car dealerships say they’re experiencing the same increases. Keith Hamm, general sales manager of McLaughlin Ford on Main Street in Sumter, says 2014 was a good year. “We had a lot of growth over the previous year,” said Hamm. “We had a good month in January, too,” he said, despite Janu-
ary’s typical slowness relative to other months. Hamm attributes the increases to a number of factors, including tax season and slashed gas prices. Gas prices are down significantly over the last eight months, dipping below $2 per gallon in South Carolina and many other states. Hamm said cheaper gas has a positive impact on a family’s budget, not only for cars, but across the board. More than any specific
factor, auto sales are up because of a gradual improving of the economy in recent years. Ford Motor Co. reported its highest December sales numbers since 2005. Honda, based in Japan, reported a 1.5 percent volume increase in December, capping 2014 as the company’s second-best year ever in America. Honda and Ford are not alone — most major auto companies are adding to the reported increases in 2014.
Sumter Street wreck cuts power to nearly 900 Sumter Utilities workers remove broken pieces of a power pole at the corner of Sumter and Bartlette Streets on Tuesday. The wreck knocked out power to nearly 900 people. Sumter Police Department spokeswoman Tonyia McGirt said the wreck involved a tractor-trailer, which struck two power lines and knocked them down just after 12:40 p.m. Duke Energy estimated power would be restored by 5:30 p.m. today. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, about 160 residents remained blacked out. The driver of the tractortrailer was cited in connection with the incident, McGirt said.
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Post 15 honors first responders BY MATT BRUCE matthew@theitem.com It was a night when a legion of supporters turned out to say “thank you” to the efforts of the county’s emergency service personnel. In a room filled with everything from deputies to EMS technicians, five officers emerged as bastions of service and excellence. The American Legion Post 15 recognized top emergency service men and women from each of the county’s five agencies during its annual Law and Order Night banquet. It’s a ceremony that brings together military veterans and public safety service men and women, with the legionnaires expressing gratitude for the work that local police officers, deputies, paramedics, corrections officers and firefighters do day in and day out. The highlight of the night
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Sumter policeman Quintin Eley, left, listens on with his wife, Amanda, during an annual awards banquet Monday night hosted by American Legion Post 15. Eley was named Police Officer of the Year. is the Sumter County Outstanding Public Safety Officers awards, which honor top agents from EMS, Sumter Police Department, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center and
Sumter Fire Department. “I think it’s come to mean primarily that the people in Sumter County appreciate them and want to honor them for their dedication and commitment to the job,”
said Robert Baker, chairman of Post 15’s law and order committee. “Because they’re not the best paid people, and that makes it even more impressive for them to put their lives on the line on a daily basis.” Organizers said the annual event has been going on at least 30 years. Nearly 170 people turned out for the awards ceremony Monday night at the Post 15 banquet hall along Artillery Drive. First-term Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter, delivered the keynote address, speaking to the crowd about public safety in the state and the notion of service pertaining to law enforcement officials and first responders. He told the emergency service men and women on hand that they were ordained by God to serve the men and
SEE SERVICE, PAGE A6
S.C. unemployment agency seeking $15M for initiative BY SEANNA ADCOX The Associated Press COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s unemployment agency is seeking $15 million for a workforce initiative that officials say will train thousands of people annually for existing jobs. Details of the initiative Gov. Nikki Haley announced
during last month’s State of the State address are still being worked out. But officials say it will help those who don’t qualify for the state’s decades-old ReadySC training program, which is tied to job-recruitment efforts. The new initiative, dubbed “Succeed South Carolina,” has two parts:
Businesses having trouble finding skilled workers could get a state grant to partner with a local technical college; and eligible people can have their training paid for by the state, according to the Department of Employment and Workforce, which made its budget requests Tuesday to a House panel.
The worker, however, would have to pay the money back. “If that single mom wants to get started, we’ll pay for her training. And when she gets the job we’ve trained her for, which she will, she’ll pay us back and pay it forward,” Haley said in her State of the State. The Republican governor
has pledged to focus on workforce training in her second term. How that “pay it forward” provision would work is not yet known, but agency officials insist it’s a training program, not a loan. “It’s designed around
SEE INITIATIVE, PAGE A6