January 2, 2014

VOL. 119, NO. 66 WWW.THEITEM.COM | THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA | FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894 60 CENTS

USC FOOTBALL: Gamecocks make history in Capital One Bowl victory B1

Lawyers: Tuomey could shutter

BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com

Time to hit the gym

Jesse McCoy spots his friend and Iraq War comrade Clark Gray at Workout Anytime on New Year’s Day. PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

Fitness experts want to keep you motivated all year long

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com

A

s the New Year made an appearance, many people probably vowed to live healthier lives in 2014, starting with frequent visits to the gym and changing their eating habits.

While making this a New Year’s resolution may be all talk for some people, some of Sumter’s own were spending the very first of the year in the gym.

“I want to get healthier because I take care of my husband who came down with an illness about six years ago, so I decided we can SEE FITNESS, PAGE A4

Cardiologist Dr. Dale Cannon runs on a treadmill at Workout Anytime on North Guignard Drive. Cannon said he has made it more of a routine to visit the gym to get in a workout since the gym opened in August.

Tuomey Regional Medical Center faces the distinct possibility of closing if it is not granted a stay by the federal courts and instead is forced to pay the full judgment it faces as a result of the federal lawsuit, lawyers for the hospital argue in a recently filed brief with the judge overseeing the case.

“The inevitable result will be that Tuomey as it currently operates — a charitable institution that provides care to a community that is both underserved and underinsured, taking all patients regardless of ability to pay — would cease to exist,” the brief states. “At worst, the hospital would close altogether; at best, it may be acquired by a for-profit entity.”

Tuomey currently faces a $239 million judgment against it as the result of a nine-year-old federal case, in which prosecutors successfully argued last year to a 10-person jury that the local hospital had violated several laws with several of its doctors’ contracts, creating an illegal kickback and therefore committing Medicare fraud.

Tuomey has since appealed the judgment to the United States Court of Appeals, and officials have said the hospital is also in the midst of negotiations with the federal government.

“Tuomey is still working toward a settlement and hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the government,” said Tuomey Interim CEO Michael Schwartz.

“However, a settlement has to include arrangements that leave Tuomey still intact, serving the entire Sumter community as it does today.”

As part of the appellate process, standard federal rules would require Tuomey to post a bond of 125 percent — or more than $296 million — while the case moves forward. Tuomey currently has $50 million in an escrow account, which Tuomey’s lawyers argue “is approximately $20,000,000 more than Tuomey can afford to ultimately pay and remain in business.”

Overall, the brief paints a dire picture for Sumter should the hospital not receive the temporary reprieve from Senior U.S. District Judge Margaret B. Seymour.

“If a stay of this judgment is not granted, the lives and health of the people of Sumter County, including the servicemen and women and their dependents at Shaw Air Force Base and the Third Army/ARCENT, SEE TUOMEY, PAGE A10

Man faces attempted murder charges

BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com A 20-year-old Sumter man accused in a driveby shooting into a Weatherly Court home last month faces three counts of attempted murder after his arrest Tuesday.

Byron Deshawn Lyons, of 5375 Christine Drive, also faces felony possession with intent to

distribute drug charges after a chase through the south Sumter area by car and foot led to Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies recovering seven LYONS grams of cocaine and more than 250 grams of marijuana.

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said his

20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)

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office’s search for Lyons began almost two weeks ago, on Dec. 20. It was shortly before midnight that night when, investigators said, several shots were fired from a brown Chevrolet Impala driving by the Weatherly Court home.

Dennis said investigators think Lyons shot into the home after having a fight with one of the home’s residents

earlier in the day. None of the three people inside the house at the time of the shooting were injured, but investigators said at least one shot struck the home, and several other fired rounds were found on the road outside the home.

“He shot into the house in retaliation, I SEE ARREST, PAGE A10

DEATHS Henry L. Nathaniel Charles T. Brotherton Jr. Willie McCants Sr. Fred Martin Jr. Melissa G. Holladay Sarah F. Parker

Wendell Pendergrass Gerald W. Hester Dennis S. Barnett William Prince Emma H. Charles Jessie B. Johnson

Leslie W. Griffin Sr. Benny N. Benenhaley Willie L. Evans Pearlie S. Nelson Jaunita K. Penland B5, B6

MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

Tuomey Regional Medical Center staff members participate in an emergency drill in November.

According to a recently filed brief, the hospital could close if it is not granted a stay by federal courts and instead is forced to pay the full judgment it faces as a result of the federal lawsuit.

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INSIDE 2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES

Periods of rain today; cloudy, windy and cooler tonight HIGH: 54 LOW: 29 A10

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SECOND FRONT THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014 Contact the newsroom at 803-774-1226 or e-mail news@theitem.com

3 found safe in forest thanks to new plane, DNR

BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com A few locals had trouble finding their way home New Year’s Eve, but it wasn’t because they’d been out partying.

About 12:30 p.m. or 1 p.m. Tuesday, Paul Riggs realized he, his 8-year-old daughter, Bella, and their family friend, Calvin Smith, were lost in Manchester State Park. Fortunately by 5 p.m., they were found and on their way home because of the combined efforts of the Department of Natural Resources and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

“Those guys were incredible,” said Paul Riggs, a Lakewood High School assistant principal.

“We were only stranded about four-and-a-half hours. It was definitely a happy ending and could have ended a whole lot worse.”

It was the first time the sheriff’s office had the opportunity to deploy the new aviation unit.

“Wildlife had a delay and contacted us for assistance,” said Sheriff Anthony Dennis. “We certainly wanted to locate them before dark. They were able to spot them from the aircraft and direct the ground crew to where they were at. This was our first time calling it out, and it’s already worth it. It saved three lives.”

The $65,000 airplane was purchased with money from the seized drug fund, he said, and it will be maintained through the same fund and will not cost taxpayers money.

“We had the resources readily available, and I’m glad we did,” Dennis said. “We certainly wish a happy New Year to the family.”

The three started off duck hunting. When they finished up, they decided to explore.

“We thought we had the lay of the land pretty good, but the flooded timber looked different,” Riggs said. “We got off track a little bit and eventually got lost. We were swept off with the current.”

They found a raised area of land that formed a kind of island and a shelter that had supplies.

“It was a good safe place for my daughter,” he said. “I was worried about rapid creeks in the boat.”

But his daughter took it all in stride.

“She was incredible,” Riggs said. “My friend and I are comfortable in the woods and know how to stay safe. She was able to respond to our calmness. She was helping us with the fire and exploring. My 8-year-old walked around like she had conquered the island. She was really cute.”

Riggs tried to call 911.

“I got someone briefly, but the reception was absolutely horrible,” he said.

When he hadn’t returned home and hadn’t called his wife, Gloria, she called dispatch about 1:45 p.m. to report them missing.

While he and those with him were fine, Paul Riggs worried about his wife.

“We were dry and comfortable,” he said. “The worst part of the day was my wife and family worrying about us so much. As soon as they found me, they were able to radio headquarters and let her know that we were safe. I was just relieved to see it flying over. DNR was able to drive through and get us. They said the river was rising so much that one more day, and they would not have been able to drive in there to us.”

His wife felt similarly when he and Bella got home.

“She was so relieved she hugged us for about 10 minutes,” Riggs said.

Bella Riggs, 8-year-old daughter of Paul Riggs, shows off her deer in November of last year.

She and her father were lost for about four hours in Manchester State Park.

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MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

Buster’s Bakery and Grill’s lights are dark after serving its final customer on Tuesday. Owner Jeanne Galiano said the site will be renovated for a new venture, also a restaurant, which Galiano said will open in two to three months. “It took me a long time to make the decision to close because of the customers,” Galiano said. “The difference with being a mom ’n’ pop is that we have the heart.”

Popular Buster’s restaurant closes Site will be renovated home to new business

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com Buster’s Bakery & Grill’s last customer, before closing its doors on Tuesday, was an 85-year-old woman who ordered the final cup of coffee and sat down to chat with owner and longtime friend Jeanne Galiano.

Much like Buster’s final customer, many Sumter residents became regulars at the popular restaurant, and the staff considered them to be members of their family.

“The thing I thought about when we went to shut it down is that over the years, we didn’t have the money to advertise like IHOP or McDonald’s. But we had more of a personal effect on people,” Galiano said. “I just really enjoyed talking to people about Sumter history and getting to know them. We really became a family.”

Buster’s employees served their last Southern-style meals and said goodbye to many regulars in what Galiano described as kind of an emotional day.

Many customers stopped by to say their goodbyes, and Galiano said even her pharmacist from the local Walgreens said she would need a new place to enjoy her morning coffee.

“The girls who opened in the morning knew the customers who were coming in and where they would sit, so they would get their tables ready and start making the coffee before they arrived,” Galiano said.

Galiano recalls one of her customers, who became very ill, would only leave his home to visit Buster’s for an occasional meal. Galiano said his wife took care of him, and when she brought him to Buster’s, she depended on the caring staff to look out for him as he slowly ate his meal while she ran errands — something she didn’t always have the opportunity to do because she was caring for her husband.

“It took me a long time to make the decision to close because of the customers,” Galiano said. “The difference with being a mom ’n’ pop is that we have the heart.”

In the coming weeks, the owners will work on removing the food from the restaurant before they begin moving things around and painting in preparation for their new venture.

Most of the restaurant’s employees will move to Palmetto Subs directly across from Buster’s which she and her husband, Sumter City councilman Robert Galiano, also own.

“We are closing because I’m basically trying to retire for health reasons,” she said. “We plan to renovate the building, and it will be closed for about 60 days.”

Jeanne Galiano explained that she can no longer be on her feet for a long period of time. Buster’s was too labor intensive, and she didn’t have a person in a managerial position who could take on the task, so they decided to close the restaurant.

Jeanne Galiano said they kept Buster’s open until the last day of the year to avoid having their employees jobless during the holiday season. Starting a new business venture in the New Year also helped the Galianos avoid any possible hassles with taxes and business permits, she said.

Buster’s was pretty well known for its popular meat and three vegetables meal, and it also served breakfast and pastries.

After renovations, the Galianos hope to have the space ready and open for the new business in two to three months.

Jeanne Galiano said they are not prepared to announce the name or nature of the new business. However, she did confirm that it will also be a restaurant but not as labor intensive as Buster’s.

STATE BRIEF

|

FROM ASSOCIATED REPORTS

Young sisters killed in New Year’s wreck SENECA — Authorities said the mother of a 4-year-old girl and her 1-year-old sister killed in an early morning crash on New Year’s Day has

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been charged with driving under the influence.

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said the girls died after their mother’s SUV overturned after crashing into the sign at Utica Baptist Church in Seneca about

2:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Troopers said 32-year-old Melissa Patton was driving drunk and was arrested after being taken to the hospital. She remains in the Oconee County jail, and it wasn’t known if she

had a lawyer.

Addis said 1-year-old Taniyia Gambrell was in a safety seat, and 4-yearold Saryia Patton-Dean was in a seatbelt. Both were pulled out of the vehicle by paramedics after the crash.

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CORRECTIONS: If you see a statement in error, contact the City Desk. Corrections will appear on this page.

NATION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

THE ITEM

A3

Justice delays health law’s birth-control mandate WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has thrown a hitch into President Barack Obama’s new health care law by blocking a requirement that some religion-affiliated organizations provide health insurance that includes birth control.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor late Tuesday night decided to block implementation of the contraceptive coverage requirement, only hours before the law’s insurance coverage went into effect on New Year’s Day. Her decision, which came after federal court filings by Catholic-affiliated groups from across the nation in hopes of delaying the requirements, throws a part of the president’s signature law into temporary disarray. At least one federal appeals court agreed with Sotomayor, issuing its own stay against part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The White House on Wednesday issued a statement saying that the administration is confident that its rules “strike the balance of providing women with free contraceptive coverage while preventing non-profit religious organizations with religious objections to contraceptive coverage from having to contract, arrange, pay or refer for such coverage.”

Sotomayor acted on a request from an organization of Catholic nuns in Denver, the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged. Its request for an emergency stay had been denied earlier in the day by a federal appeals court.

The government is “temporarily enjoined from enforcing against applicants the contraceptive coverage requirements imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” Sotomayor said in the order.

Sotomayor, who was in New York on Tuesday night to lead the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Obama speaks about the new health care law Dec. 3 in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor decided late Tuesday to block the birth-control mandate portion of the president’s health care law on a request from the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, a group of Catholic nuns in Denver.

final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball, gave government officials until 10 a.m. Friday to respond to her order. A decision on whether to make the temporary injunction permanent or dissolve it likely won’t be made before then.

“The government has lots of ways to deliver contraceptives to people,” said Mark Rienzi, a lawyer for the nuns. “It doesn’t need to force nuns to participate.”

Under the health care law, most health insurance plans have to cover all FDA-approved contraceptives as preventive care for women.

That means the cover-

age is provided free of charge.

Churches and other houses of worship are exempt from the birthcontrol requirement, but affiliated institutions that serve the general public are not.

That includes charitable organizations, universities and hospitals.

The requirement prompted an outcry from religious groups, which led the administration to try to craft a compromise. Under that compromise, insurers or health-plan administrators must provide birth-control coverage, and the religious institution itself is not responsible.

But the administration’s compromise did not satisfy some critics, who called it a fig leaf.

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The nuns would have to sign a form authorizing their insurance company to provide contraceptive coverage, which would still violate their beliefs, Rienzi said.

“Without an emergency injunction, Mother Provincial Loraine Marie Maguire has to decide between two courses of action: (a) sign and submit a self-certification form, thereby violating her religious beliefs; or (b) refuse to sign the form and pay ruinous fines,” Rienzi said.

The Little Sisters op-

erate homes for the elderly poor in the United States and around the world. They were joined in their lawsuit by religious healthbenefit providers, Christian Brothers Services and Christian Brothers Employee Benefits Trust.

Sotomayor’s decision to delay the contraceptive portion of the law was joined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which also issued an emergency stay for Catholic-affiliated groups challenging the contraceptive provi-

sion, including the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Catholic University.

But one judge on the three-judge panel that made the decision, Judge David S. Tatel, said he would have denied their motion.

“Because I believe that appellants are unlikely to prevail on their claim that the challenged provision imposes a ‘substantial burden’ under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, I would deny their application for an injunction pending appeal,” Tatel said.

A4

LOCAL

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

FITNESS from Page A1 do this as a couple,� said Wanda Bailey, who spent some of her New Year’s Day at Workout Anytime on North Guignard Drive, where she and her husband, Tony, became members about two weeks ago.

Together, the Baileys have lost more than 20 pounds in two weeks working with Crystal Decheine, an Ultra Fit personal trainer. Decheine said many people make the decision to join a gym or change their eating habits near the beginning of the year, but they get discouraged when they don’t see the results they expected. “The most important part is having a detailed plan,� Decheine said. “We have structured results, and we work with detailed individual programs. For women, they can drop about 20 to 25 pounds in the first six weeks. Once they see that, it motivates them to continue throughout the year.�

On the first day of the year, Dr. Dale Cannon — a local cardiologist — was also putting in his time at Workout Anytime. Cannon said in the past few months since the gym opened in late August, he has made it more of a routine to visit the gym to get in a workout. “Going to the gym or exercising and making that part of your life routine, along with healthy eating and tobacco cessation, can be the difference in having a stroke or a heart attack or not having one. So to make resolutions like that and stick to them can be life or death for some people,� he said.

Workout Anytime of-

fers a full-service gym and staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A basic month-to-month membership is $15 a month. Kevin Tyler, director of field operations for Workout Anytime, said the beginning of the year is expected to be a busy time for the Sumter location. Because the gym is open 24/7, Cannon said there should be no excuses for not working out. “It’s tragic to see bad outcomes happen when they could have stopped them before they happened,� Cannon said.

To motivate members to continue their workout regimes once they’ve decided to get fit for the new year, Workout Anytime is offering a few personal training assessment sessions for the month of January, as well as a two-for-one deal and free training assessment for those who visit the gym to work out with a buddy. “The big thing with people (is) that they’ll plan to totally turn things around,� Tyler explained. “The assessment will put them on the right track. It will show them what each machine will do for them and how it will help them improve.

We’ll also do reassessments each month, and the whole idea behind this initiative is to motivate members to continue on a healthy path.�

Like most gyms, Anytime Fitness also sees an influx of attendance, said owner Crys Peyton.

The gym’s programs are geared toward helping members reach those goals, Peyton explained. “Everyone is looking

MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

Tony Bailey works out with Ultra Fit personal trainer Crystal Decheine alongside his wife, Wanda, at Workout Anytime. The couple, who recently became members of the gym, have lost more than 20 pounds in two weeks working with Decheine.

TIPS TO GET STARTED ∙ Commit to working out for 30 minutes, three times a week to make a small change that you can fit into your 168-hour week. ∙ Eat several small meals a day that you take to work with you instead of one large meal from a drive thru. ∙ Be organized, and keep up with your successes and failures. Plan time to work out, prepare your nutrition plan and get enough sleep so your body can repair itself using the fuel you have given it during the day. ∙ As for results, the first thing you’ll notice is that you have more energy and you feel better throughout the day. Next, you’ll notice that you’re sleeping better. ∙ After a month working on a good program, you’ll start to notice loose clothes and the weight you’ve lost. And of course, give yourself just one day to cheat because your body needs to know what to do with the bad stuff, too.

Source: Crys Peyton, owner of Anytime Fitness

at improving themselves mentally, physically, financially and/or spiritually as a New Year’s Resolution,� Peyton said

in a recent email. “Joining a gym, fitness center, or program is a great way to accomplish all of these goals.�

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few options to keep their members motivated throughout 2014. Missy Corrigan, director of healthy living, said the prices will not increase this year, and the joining fee will be only $25 for the month of January.

The YMCA also offers personal training and nutrition counseling as well as free consultations. Members will also have the opportunity to have a fitness assessment, which Corrigan said will give them a good idea of where they start and how they continue to progress. “This is just to better help members discuss and plan their goals for success,� Corrigan explained. “It’s good to see where you’re starting and 12 weeks down the road, see how much you’ve improved.�

Fitness assessments at the YMCA include a body composition analysis and a blood pressure check. The YMCA also offers healthy cooking classes and a recipe book to help members prepare creative but healthy options while at home to motivate them to make healthy decisions.

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Peyton said members can reach their goals if they’re educated about what they need to do to accomplish them. Anytime Fitness staff is prepared to answer questions or find someone on staff who can better assist their members. “With our membership, everyone receives a free session with a trainer where they will go over a wealth of knowledge presented so that everyone at any level will be able to understand and take away exactly what they need to succeed,� Peyton said. “This session also serves as a relationship builder so that along your journey you know you have knowledgeable staff members that you can go to for any questions or concerns.�

Peyton said those looking to change their lifestyle in 2014 and make healthier choices should give their body time to transform. Making small changes to your lifestyle now will more likely result in long-term success.

Many Sumter residents are members at the local YMCA as well, and they will also offer a

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LOCAL / STATE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

POLICE BLOTTER ASSAULT:

A 24-year-old woman told police that as she was attempting to break up a fight, a 17-year-old woman struck her in the forehead with a piece of wood, causing a large laceration, outside a church in the 20 block of Brand Street about 5:40 p.m. Monday.

A 40-year-old woman told police a 17-yearold woman struck her in the face, then grabbed a cellphone valued at $50 out of her hands and snapped it in half at a residence in the 300 block of Wright Street about 10 p.m.

Monday.

ARMED ROBBERY:

A woman told police about 10:30 p.m. Monday that as she pulled up in her car to a residence in the 2100 block of Poole Road in Pinewood, two men, one armed with a handgun, jumped out of a Cadillac sedan, either brown or gold in color, ran up to her vehicle and demanded money from her and the passenger in her car. The victims said the suspects ultimately left with a cellphone valued at $100, a wallet containing $100, $200 in additional cash, and the keys to the victim’s vehicle, valued at $100. The first suspect was described as a black male standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 155 pounds. He was last seen wearing camouflage clothing, a ski mask and white gloves and carrying a silver handgun. The second suspect was described as a black male with short-cut hair standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds.

An armed robbery reportedly occurred in the 100 block of Wesmark Boulevard between 1:28 and 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Accord-

|

ing to the report, the victim told officers that he was stepping outside of a bar when the suspect, described as a black male in his mid20s to early 30s, asked him for a lighter for a cigarette. The suspect then reportedly brandished a handgun and pointed at the victim’s face, telling him to empty his pockets. The victim emptied his pockets to reveal his wallet and cellphone, which the suspect took before running for the wooded area behind the bar. Officers conducted a perimeter search for the suspect but failed to find him.

The victim said the suspect must have stolen his car because it wasn’t found parked behind the bar. The vehicle was later found at another bar, where officers spoke with the staff to learn that the victim made a $3 purchase with his credit card hours before the incident. The victim denied ever having been to the other bar.

STOLEN PROPERTY

Two PlayStation consoles, 13 PlayStation games, a Nintendo Wii system, a gray-andblack Samsung Galaxy cellphone, a cellphone charger, a personal safe, a Daisy pellet rifle and nine WSB cards were reportedly stolen from a residence in the 700 block of Barwick Road between 6:30 p.m.

Thursday and 5 p.m.

Friday. The items are valued at $850.

An air-conditioning

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unit valued at $2,700 was reportedly stolen from the 70 block of College Street between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Officers received an anonymous call saying that two black males, one wearing a light blue hoodie and the other wearing a navy blue hoodie, were seen stealing the airconditioning unit and placing it into a gray Ford Crown Victoria.

A 30-inch black plasma TV, 15 pairs of Nike shoes, 15 pairs of Levi’s jeans, a black Xbox 360 game console, a 55-inch flat-screen Panasonic TV, a black PlayStation 3 game console and $350 in cash were reportedly stolen from a residence in the 1000 block of North Lafayette Drive between 9:30 a.m.

Dec. 16 and 1:50 p.m.

Sunday. The items are valued at $5,950.

A red 2007 Haulmark trailer valued at $5,300 and a black utility trailer of unknown value were reportedly stolen between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 8:45 a.m.

Monday from a business in the 1100 block of Pocalla Road.

An Xbox gaming console valued at $500 and two games valued at $60 each were reported stolen from a business in the 1000 block of Broad Street between 8 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Saturday.

A 1994 Chevrolet S-10 truck valued at $1,500 was reportedly stolen from a parking lot outside a business in the 400 block of Rast Street between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle was later found to be

involved in a single-car wreck about 10 p.m.

Saturday on Bultman Drive, and no driver had been located.

A white 2001 Pontiac Grand Am valued at $2,500 was reportedly stolen from a residence in the 400 block of East Charlotte Avenue between 8:10 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. Monday. The vehicle was later found, still running, at the corner of Carolina Avenue and Albert Street after having being involved in a hit-and-run incident at the corner of North Main Street and South Pike West. Police said items that allegedly do not belong to the owner of the vehicle were found inside the car.

VANDALISM:

A residence in the 400 block of Allen Drive was reportedly vandalized after an unknown suspect broke four windows and the front and rear doors of the residence between midday Dec. 24 and 2:50 p.m.

Saturday. Damage is estimated at $1,200.

An estimated $3,000 in damage was reportedly caused when someone broke into a residence in the 5700 block of Cane Savannah Road in Wedgefield and apparently ransacked the home. The damage was reportedly discovered about 3:30 p.m.

Monday.

EMS CALLS:

On Monday, Sumter County EMS responded to 54 calls, including 46 medical calls, two motor-vehicle wrecks and six other trauma-related situations.

THE ITEM

Candidates, others owe S.C. commission $2.5M in ethics fines COLUMBIA (AP) — The State Ethics Commission collected nearly $230,000 in fines last fiscal year, but that’s a mere fraction of the nearly $2.5 million that candidates, lobbyists and committees across South Carolina still owe.

The tiny agency with jurisdiction over hundreds of thousands of yearly filings for all offices except legislators relies on fines to fund about a third of its operating costs. But collecting can be difficult, especially from unsuccessful candidates.

Collections through garnished wages, tax refunds and liens accounted for 17 percent of the total fines collected in 2012-13, through programs the state Revenue Department offers all agencies, for a fee. Still, the commission’s latest debtors’ list is 17 pages long, with fines ranging from $100 to more than $200,000. “Most people who are going to pay do so voluntarily,� said the agency’s director, Herb Hayden, adding that most collected fines are between $100 and $400. “With the big dollars, they’ve just thumbed their nose and said, ‘I’m not going to pay it.’�

Five people owe more than $100,000, stemming from forms due as far back as 2002. The largest debt of $214,300 is owed by a 2008 Richland 1 school board candidate. Thirty others, including those vying for city and county councils, sheriffs and mayors — and even a county political party — owe at least $15,000.

Everyone on the list receives a reminder at year’s end, before outstanding debts are forwarded to Revenue for collection, which can whittle down fines if there are tax refunds or an employer’s check to garnish, Hayden said.

Under state law, people are fined $100 for filing either campaign disclosure or economic interest forms five days late. Once a notice goes out, fines amass daily, up to $5,000 per form. If people don’t file required paperwork for several quarters, the fines can really amass, though not to the levels they once did.

Until several years ago, that daily penalty never stopped climbing, which explains those six-figure fines that pre-date the law change.

Hayden said the commission sought it because an ever-rising-fine just wasn’t reasonable, especially since the criminal penalty for failure to file — a crime that prosecutors have yet to bother pursuing — already was a $5,000 maximum fine.

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RELIGION

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

Pope stresses strength, hope, courage from a man — “maybe one of you� — who lamented that there are “so many tragedies and wars in the world.� “I, too, believe that it will be good for us to stop ourselves in this path of violence and search for peace,� Francis said.

In his remarks to the often-applauding crowd, he also expressed hope that “the gospel of brotherhood speak to every conscience and knock down the walls that impede enemies from recognizing that they are brothers.�

Earlier, during his homily at New Year’s Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis spoke of humanity’s journey in the year unfolding and invoked what he said were “words of blessing,� explaining that they are “strength, courage and hope.� “Not an illusory hope,� he added, “based on frail human promises, or a naive hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future.�

In his first year as pope, Francis has charted a path for what he calls a “poor� church attentive to the needy. While offering New Year’s wishes to the crowd in the square, Francis pressed his cam-

BY FRANCES D’EMILIO The Associated Press VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, laying out his hopes Wednesday for the just-begun year, urged people to work for a world where everyone accepts each other’s differences and where enemies recognize that they are brothers. “We are all children of one heavenly father. We belong to the same human family, and we share a common destiny,� Francis said, speaking from his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, jammed with tens of thousands of faithful, tourists and Romans. “This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other in one’s diversity and take care of one another,� the pope said.

Setting aside his prepared text for a moment, he expressed impatience with violence in the world. “What is happening in the heart of man? What is happening in the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS heart of humanity?� Francis asked.

Pope Francis celebrates at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the “It’s time to stop.�

Vatican on Wednesday. The Catholic Church traditionally He told the crowd this reflection dedicates Jan. 1 to the promotion of world peace. was inspired by a letter he received

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ow far will you go in life? In the dictionary, the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;successâ&#x20AC;? is listed as a noun. But is it possible that true success can be viewed as an ongoing journey, perhaps more aptly a verb? If so, what is the route and where do we ind our direction? What about the detours along the way? Proverbs 3:5-6 says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.â&#x20AC;? How far will you go in life? Begin by worshipping at your house of worship this week; you will go as far as your faith takes you.

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paign on behalf of the downtrodden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are also called to see the violence and injustices present in so many parts of the world and which cannot leave us indifferent and immobile,â&#x20AC;? Francis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is the need for the commitment of all to build a society that is truly more just and united.â&#x20AC;?

Hearing â&#x20AC;&#x153;the cry of peace from peoples who are oppressed by war and by violence,â&#x20AC;? Francis prayed that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the courage of dialogue and reconciliation prevail over the temptation for vendetta, arrogance, corruption.â&#x20AC;?

The Catholic Church dedicates Jan. 1 to the promotion of world peace, and St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Square, just as the pope appeared, marked the end of a peace march by thousands of people.

The marchers included Lula Teclehaimanut from Eritrea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pope is truly our hope, not just for the Eritrean population but for the whole world, I believe,â&#x20AC;? she said, recalling Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; call for refugees to be welcomed and treated humanely. The refugees who risk their lives to flee to Europe, many of them by boat, include some from her homeland.

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To view church information online go to www.theitem.com or www.sumterchurchesonline.com

RELIGION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

THE ITEM

A7

Gay in Utah: Hostility, acceptance part of life Use tools God has given you

T

he biblical character Moses desperately tried to convince God that he was illequipped to serve the higher purpose for which he was called. God had called him to change the lives of his chosen people by liberating them from their enslavement of the Egyptian nation. As a shepherd in a nearby village with his own family and way of life, Moses was content to stay where he was.

Like us, Moses was great at listing the reasons why he wasn’t qualified to serve God. His background was decidedly less than perfect, the people he was called to minister to wouldn’t listen, he wasn’t a good speaker, and lastly, they wouldn’t believe a person like Moses would be a messenger of the divine.

He simply didn’t have the credentials to be used

by Almighty God, he thought.

“What do you have there in your hand?” God asked Moses (Exodus 4:2, NLT).

In Moses’ hand was a shepherd staff, a crude implement plucked from a tree with a purely pragmatic function: to herd sheep.

As early professions go, sheepherding was a commonly held position — certainly not one that would set the person in a seat of prominence. It was ordinary, commonplace, unremarkable.

But through Moses’ learned abilities, Moses is recorded as doing great things in Scripture. The profession became a metaphor for the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Moses was able to lead a people out of captivity and toward a prosperous period in the life of the early Jewish population. Not bad for a lowly shepherd who had originally abandoned his people.

We are so easily convinced that we have nothing to offer God that He could use. We look to those who we think are more qualified to minister:

church staff, clergy and others more inclined to spiritual matters. It’s a travesty that we believe that ministry is an activity practiced by a select few.

Many of us fixate on the idea that those who actively reach out to others in faith have been given some preternatural ability by God to serve. We don’t need to hold a seminary degree to be purveyors of God’s love. Those whose hearts are bent on serving God need only look to the tools that the Creator has given them. The only difference between the active faithful and complacent is the faithful’s willingness to use their abilities to God’s glory.

Though Moses couldn’t see it at the time, he was being conditioned and trained for a higher calling through his profession. It’s no coincidence that God gives us gifts and talents that we can use in our lives that also translate into ways to minister to others. Our abilities are partially wasted if we aren’t using them to His glory as well.

Certainly God could use someone with a neater history, a better education or an inherent aptitude for Scripture memorization. Yes, but He also has a plan for you that uses your talents.

This has potentially explosive repercussions.

Imagine if all believers started using their experience and abilities for God’s glory. My mind reels at the millions of new ministries that would spring forth.

How many lives aren’t being touched because we refuse to acknowledge the powerful potential in our talents?

We know Moses by name. It’s not because of his royal status or charisma but because God did a mighty work in him using his natural talents. Dear believer, what do you have there in your hand?

Email Jamie H. Wilson at faithmatterssumter@gmail. com.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah has long been known as a bastion of red-state conservatism with deep roots in the Mormon faith. It’s the kind of place that has historically been unwelcoming to gay marriage.

The state is the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which championed California’s gay marriage ban that was eventually tossed out in court. The church looms over almost every aspect of life in Utah, where an estimated two-thirds of residents are Mormon.

But, like the rest of America, how gays are received depends on where they live.

Some gay couples describe feeling hostility in conservative, heavily Mormon cities such as Provo. The suburban areas that surround Salt Lake City are a mish-mash of family-friendly communities across the political spectrum.

And Salt Lake City is more open to gays than many people outside the state realize.

The city is home to gay bars and coffee shops and a pride parade that attracts 25,000 people. There’s a bus that takes gay men and women to Nevada to party. Salt Lake is also the city where hundreds of gay couples rushed to the county clerk’s office to obtain marriage licenses and get married in the lobby of a government building, after a judge overturned the state’s voter-approved ban on samesex marriage.

As they wait for the courts to sort out the legal challenges to the Dec. 20 ruling, gay couples describe differing experiences in Utah: ∙∙∙ Cheryl Haws and Shelly Eyre have been lesbian partners for eight years in Provo, about 45 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and arguably the most conservative city in Utah.

They have been the target of outright hostility and insults. Eyre left the Mormon church years ago; Haws was ex-communicated, they said.

A Mormon church leader once told Eyre, “I would rather see you dead than commit this sin,” Eyre said in what she described as one of her most painful experiences of being gay in Utah.

Provo is in Utah County and home to Brigham Young University, the flagship school for the Mormon faith where students are prohibited from having premarital sex and drinking alcoholic beverages. The county is

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jon Jensen, left, and his partner, Jared Reesor, talk to the media after the Ogden, Utah, clerk and auditor’s office canceled a special Saturday opening to issue marriage licenses on Dec. 21. A day earlier, a federal judge struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution.

overwhelmingly Republican; President Obama received less than 10 percent of the vote there in 2012.

The couple was initially turned down for a marriage license by Utah County, which only reluctantly started granting them days after a federal judge struck down the state’s ban. The couple got a license Dec. 26.

Haws and Eyre are licensed clinical social workers with a private counseling practice in Utah County. A few patients abandoned them after their effort to get a marriage license made their relationship widely known.

“I’ve never been unfriended by so many people on Facebook,” Eyre said.

But Eyre said the couple has a circle of supporters, including traditional couples who have been “good, kind and generous — people who have protected us.” ∙∙∙ Jon Jensen has been with his partner for more than six years, but it wasn’t until last week that the couple finally was able to become husband and husband.

It was a huge moment in their lives, but also, Jensen thinks, a reflection on changing attitudes in the state and more specifically, a backlash against the Mormon church over decades of repression.

Jensen and his husband, Jared Reesor, are more fortunate than others around Utah given they live in Salt Lake City, the state’s liberal hub, despite the presence of the church’s gleaming headquarters in the middle of downtown.

In fact, Jensen said, the church has had such a polarizing effect on Salt Lake City’s younger population that he thinks people in the capital are more open to gay people.

“It makes people stand up more for what they believe in,” he said.

With clubs and bars, coffee houses and tattoo parlors, Salt Lake City has become a bustling center for the younger, hipper crowd that doesn’t live up to Utah’s generally buttoned-up, clean-cut image. That’s why Jensen and Reesor, 36, a residential contractor, have chosen to live here after being raised Mormon in surrounding counties where acceptance wasn’t so easy to come by.

“People don’t even question that you’re a gay couple.

In Utah County, we’d have to explain who we are,” said the 35-year-old software developer. “People here, they don’t even care. They don’t even bat an eye when you introduce your husband or partner.”

Jensen said the changing attitude toward gays in the city is prevalent in the number of outspoken critics he has counted during protests at the annual pride festival.

“It’s so reduced at this point it’s barely noticeable,” he said.

Jensen recalls his youth in Utah with hesitation and a bit of remorse, a legacy of his Mormon upbringing that stifled his individuality.

“As a young kid, I remember lying on my bed ... feeling so guilty I wanted to die. I always felt like I just didn’t belong,” he said.

Jensen left the church about 10 years ago while still hiding his sexuality, unable to come to terms with who he was and feeling unwelcomed by those around him.

And now, living in Salt Lake City — without the guilt, without the judging eyes of others — Jensen and his husband are finally feeling free and rewarded for having waited.

CHURCH NEWS Calvary Baptist Church, 459 Calvary Church Road, Bishopville, announces: * Saturday — Mid-Carolina singing at 6 p.m. featuring Jordan River of Lexington and Cedar Creek Quartet.

Chapel Hill Baptist Church, 8749 Old Highway Six, Santee, announces: * Sunday — Church leaders will be recognized at 10 a.m. * Sunday, Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King observance at 10 a.m. followed by the Lord’s Supper.

Corinth Missionary Baptist Church, 25 Community St., announces: * Sunday — Holy Communion worship at 11 a.m. Preferred attire is white or black.

Golden Gate Fellowship Ministry, 705 Oswego Road, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 19 — Celebration of the eighth

| anniversary of the church at 3 p.m.

Grant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 5405 Black River Road, Rembert, announces: * Friday-Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2 — Women’s Conference. To register, call or email Claudette Witherspoon at (803) 5659425, (803) 499-2806 or cwastepabove@yahoo.com.

High Hills AME Church, 6780 Meeting House Road, Dalzell, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 26 — 200 Men in Black program at 5 p.m. The Rev. Thomas Habersham will speak.

Theme: “Holy Man Power.”

High Hills Missionary Baptist Church, 6750 Meeting House Road, Dalzell, announces: * Sunday — Holy Communion will follow 10:15 a.m. worship.

Joshua Baptist Church, 5200 Live Oak Road, Dalzell, announces:

* Sunday — Male chorus anniversary celebration at 4 p.m. * Sunday, Jan. 12 — Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during morning worship. * Sunday, Jan. 19 — Deacon and wives anniversary celebration during morning worship.

Knitting Hearts Ministry, meets at Bethesda Church of God, 2730 Broad St., announces: * Saturday, Jan. 11 — Knitting Hearts Cafe 10 a.m.-noon. Devon Coker will share “Hosea’s Story.”

Special music and praise dance presentation. Visit www.knittingheartsministry. org.

Manning New Start Community Church of the Nazarene, 4686 JW Rhames Road, Manning, announces: * Sunday-Wednesday, Jan. 8 — Revival at 6 p.m. Sunday and 7 nightly MondayWednesday. Evangelist Billy Huddleson will speak.

Mount Sinai AME Church, 5985 Mt. Sinai Church Road, Lynchburg, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 12 — Gospel fest at 3 p.m. featuring the Singing Cousins of Dalzell and many others Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 325 Fulton St., announces: * Sunday — The Rev. Alfred Washington will speak at 6 p.m. * Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 11-12 — 30th pastoral anniversary celebration of the Rev. and Mrs. James Blassingame and family as follows: 4-6 p.m. Saturday, drop-in at Mt. Zion Enrichment Center; and 10:45 a.m. Sunday, worship celebration, Pastor Rondey Bolden, of Richland Baptist Church, Seneca, and co-chairman of registration/finance for the Baptist E&M Convention of South Carolina, will speak.

New Israel Missionary Baptist Church, 5330 Old

Camden Highway, Dalzell, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King observance at 1 p.m. followed by the Lord’s Supper.

Orangehill AME Church, 3035 S. King Highway, Wedgefield, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 12 — 37th anniversary celebration of the Good Samaritans at 10 a.m. Brother Marvis L. Stewart will speak.

Pinewood Baptist Church, S.C. 261, Pinewood, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 12 — Special worship service to honor retiring pastor the Rev. Bennie T. Barwick Jr. and retiring music director Claudia L. Barwick. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. followed by 11 a.m. worship. Lunch will be provided following the service. RSVP for luncheon by Friday, Jan. 3, as follows: sign-up on the church bulletin board; call (803) 452-5373; or email webmaster@

pinewoodbaptist.org.

Refreshing Springs Kingdom Outreach, meets at Econo Lodge, 226 N. Washington St., announces: * Sunday — Holy communion.

St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 2928 St. John Church Road, Manning, announces: * Sunday, Jan. 12 — Fourth pastoral anniversary celebration at 2 p.m. The Rev. George P. Windley Jr., pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, will speak.

Union Station AME Church, 945 S. Main St., announces: * Sunday — Praise Ensemble concert at 4 p.m.

Unity Universal Baptist Church, 409 Boulevard Road, announces: * Sunday — Prayer, praise and prophetic worship service at 5 p.m.

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Jordan Crossroads Ministry Center — Haven of Rest will hold its public monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at New Covenant Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. Parking is available in the parking area nearest the entrance to the fellowship hall. Call Ann Driggers at (803) 3098085.

The 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Walk will be held Monday, Jan. 20. This three mile walk will start and end at USC Sumter Nettles Building, 200 Miller Road. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with walk beginning at 9:30 a.m. There will be a celebratory program at 11 a.m. Call Mary Sutton at (803) 9383760 for details.

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The Sumter Benedict Alumni Club will hold an important round-up meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at the North HOPE Center. Call Shirley Blassingame at (803) 506-4019.

The Sumter Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind will hold its 2014 membership meeting at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Shiloh-Randolph Manor, 125 W. Bartlette St. Associate member Judy L. Simon will accept annual membership dues. Martha Gaither, of Blind Awareness, will speak. The spotlight will shine on George Gibbons and the associate member is Rosa Gibbons.

Transportation provided within the mileage radius. Contact Debra Canty at (803) 775-5792 or DebraCanC2@frontier.com. Call the 24hour recorded message line at (206) 3765992.

8 PM

Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Rodeo Girls: Hot toTrot Surprise de- (:01) Rodeo Girls: Hot toTrot Sur- (:01) Duck Dy(HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) tour. (N) (HD) prise detour. (HD) nasty (HD) The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Shooter (‘07, Thriller) aaa Mark Wahlberg. A former Marine sniper is recruited to prevent the assassination (:01) Four Brothers (‘05, Action) aac Mark Warrior (‘08) Vengeance. (HD) of the president and is framed for the assassination of an Ethiopian dignitary. (HD) Wahlberg. Four men avenge their mother’s death. (HD) Wild West Alaska (HD) West Alaska Grizzly Sized (N) Wild West Alaska (N) (HD) Cold River Cash (N) Wild West Alaska (HD) Cold River (6:00) 106 & Park Feel the Noise (‘07, Drama) c Omarion. Aspiring rapper flees from local Honey 2 (‘11, Comedy) Kat Graham. A 17-year-old street dancer is released from juvenile Wendy Williams (HD) gangsters to his father’s home in Puerto Rico. detention and returns to the Bronx, where she meets up with a new dance crew.

Show (HD) The Millionaire Matchmaker: Matchmaker: The Running Man and The Millionaire Matchmaker Diving Courtney Loves Toned Up New Matchmaker: The Late Bloomer and Toned Up New Courtney and The Peacock Great Expectations in the dating pool. (N) Dallas (N) ideas. (N) the Gay Hugh Hefner ideas.

The Kudlow Report (N) Greed: Crash for Cash Greed: Financial Home Invasion Greed: The Jersey Score Mad Money Investing advice.

Greed Erin Burnett OutFront (N) Anderson Cooper 360° (N) (HD) March of the Penguins (‘05) aaac Trekking to mate.

March of the Penguins (‘05) Trekking to mate.

Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Not Fat ... I’m Gabriel Iglesias: Aloha Fluffy Stand-up comedy from Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Not Fat ... I’m (:31) Gabriel Iglesias: Aloha Fluffy Stand-up comedy (:01) Amy Fluffy Hilarious voices. (HD) Hawaii. (HD) Fluffy Hilarious voices. (HD) from Hawaii. (HD) Schumer (HD) A.N.T. Farm (HD) Liv and Maddie Austin & Ally Blog Obnoxious Jessie Reality se- A.N.T. Farm (HD) Dog with a Blog: Austin & Ally A.N.T. Farm (HD) Jessie India pro- Good Luck Char(HD) (HD) neighbor. ries. (HD) Too Short (HD) ject. (HD) lie (HD) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse Masters (HD) Treehouse College GameDay (HD) (:20) Pregame 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners vs Alabama Crimson Tide z{| (HD) SportsCenter College Basketball: Wisconsin vs Northwestern z{| (HD) College Basketball: Saint Mary’s (Calif.) vs Gonzaga z{| (HD) SportsCenter (HD) NFL Live (HD) (6:00) Twilight (‘08, Fantasy) aac Kristen Stewart. A The Goonies (‘85, Adventure) aaa Sean Astin. A group of playmates tries to stop ruthless The 700 Club Scheduled: struggle Prince: The Best female student is hunted by vampires. (HD) developers and finds a treasure map. (HD) with alcoholism.

Laid Plans Donut Donut Chopped Dried fruit. (HD) Chopped Seafood item. (HD) Chopped: Sweet Surprises (HD) Diners (HD) Diners (HD) Chopped (HD) On the Record with Greta (N) The O’Reilly Factor (N) (HD) The Kelly File News updates.

Hannity Conservative news. (HD) The O’Reilly Factor (HD) The Kelly File NHL Hockey: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals from Verizon Center (HD) Postgame UFC Unleashed (HD) World Poker Tour no} (HD) NHL Hockey The Good Wife: Home Alicia returns The Good Wife: Fixed Alicia discov- The Good Wife: Crash Train crash Frasier Niles Frasier Runaway Frasier Left at the Frasier Private The Golden Girls: to her old life. (HD) ers possible foul play. (HD) victim pensions. (HD) elopes with Mel. bride. altar. dinner.

Cheaters Addict (HD) Addict (HD) Salvage Salvage Addict (HD) Addict (HD) Hunters (HD) Hunters (N) Hunters (HD) Hunters (HD) Addict (HD) Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Stray Law & Order: Criminal Intent: A Criminal Minds: Poison Small town Criminal Minds: Riding the Lightning Criminal Minds Pravda Reporter murdered. (HD) Bonnie & Clyde team. (HD) Murderer Among Us (HD) plagued by poisoner. (HD) Married killers. (HD) (HD) Project Runway All Stars: As Sewn Project Runway All Stars: #Nina’s Project Runway All Stars: Fashion Kim of Queens: Hillbilly in Heels Dance Moms: Welcome Back...Now (:02) Project Runway (HD) on TV Red carpet look. (HD) Trending (HD) Cents (N) (HD) Ill-mannered client. (HD) Don’t Get Too Comfy (HD) Sam & Cat Witch Way (N) Hathaways Hathaways Full Hse Full Hse Full Hse Full Hse Friends Friends Friends Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Impact Wrestling (N) (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Paul (‘11, Comedy) aaa Seth Rogen. Two science-fiction fans meet an The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (‘03, Adventure) aa Sean Connery. Literary Witchslayer Gretl (‘12, Science alien that joins them on adventures. characters band together to battle a villain called the “Fantom.” (HD) Fiction) Shannen Doherty. (HD) Ground Floor: Seinfeld (HD) Family Guy (HD) Family Guy (HD) Family Guy: Killer The Big Bang The Big Bang Ground Floor (N) The Big Bang Conan From November: Ron Burgundy; Jessie Ware. (HD) Dynamic Duo Queen (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Our Dancing Daughters (‘28, Drama) aaa Joan Our Modern Maidens (‘29, Drama) aac Joan Our Blushing (6:15) Stage Mother (‘33, Drama) Al- The Unknown (‘27, Horror) ice Brady. Mother’s ambitions. aaac Lon Chaney.

Crawford. A young woman falls in love.

Crawford. Two young women have love affairs.

Brides (‘30) aa American Gypsy Wedding (HD) Gypsy Sisters Labor. (HD) Gypsy Sisters Road trip. (N) (HD) Outrageous 911 (HD) Gypsy Sisters Road trip. (HD) Outrageous Castle: Once Upon A Crime Fairytale Castle: A Dance with Death Reality Castle: 47 Seconds Bomb explodes Castle: The Limey Scotland Yard de- Hawaii Five-0: Kalele McGarrett’s Hawaii Five-0: characters found dead. (HD) star murder. (HD) at a protest rally. (HD) tective joins the team. (HD) sister gets arrested. (HD) Ha’alele (HD) Guinness: Leaps and Bounds Guinness World Records (N) Jokers Jokers Impractical (N) Panic (N) (:01) Top 20: Fantastic Failures (:02) Guinness Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Queens (HD) Queens (HD) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Fallacy Self defense. (HD) Popular Drugs for sex. (HD) Guilt Reluctant witness. (HD) Silence (HD) Resilience (HD) SVU (HD) Law & Order: Coma (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton Family Values (HD) Braxton (HD) Funniest Home Videos (HD) How I Met How I Met How I Met How I Met WGN News at Nine (HD) How I Met Rules (HD) Rules (HD)

The Campbell Soup friends will meet at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 4, at Golden Corral.

The Sumter Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, in the Bultman Conference Room of the University of South Carolina Sumter. All administrative professionals are invited to attend.

7:30

WIS News 10 at Entertainment Community: Community Jeff Sean Saves the The Michael J. Parenthood: Promises Ed has a con- WIS News 10 at (:35) The Tonight Show with Jay 7:00pm Local Tonight (N) (HD) Repilot (N) (HD) learns new job. World (N) (HD) Fox Show: Party frontation with Julia. (N) (HD) 11:00pm News Leno From November: musician news update.

(N) (HD) (N) (HD) and weather.

Blake Shelton. (HD) (:31) The Millers: (:01) The Crazy (:31) Two and a (:01) Elementary: The Diabolic Kind News 19 @ 11pm (:35) Late Show with David LetterNews 19 @ 7pm Inside Edition (N) The Big Bang The news of the man Scheduled: Stephen Colbert.

Holmes and Moriarty come Ones Video game. Half Men (N) Theory (N) (HD) Dear Diary (N) Evening news up- (HD) (HD) face-to-face. (N) (HD) (HD) (N) (HD) (HD) day. date.

Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! (N) The Taste: The Auditions A new crop of cooking hopefuls feverishly com- The Assets: My Name is Aldrich ABC Columbia (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live Scheduled: pete to create the most impressive spoonful of their favorite dishes, with Ames Investigating a CIA agent as a News at 11 (HD) Colin Farrell; Megadeth. (HD) (N) (HD) (HD) hopes that the judges enjoy it. (N) (HD) mole. (N) (HD) Europe: London: Palmetto Scene Carolina Stories: Reflections of Masterpiece: Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Sherlock The Mind of a Tavis Smiley BBC World News Charlie Rose (N) Historic and (N) (HD) Columbia and Watson must retrieve incriminating photos from (HD) International Chef: Sea; Salt (N) (HD) Dynamic news.

(HD) Irene Adler. (HD) The Big Bang The Big Bang Sleepy Hollow: John Doe A nameless Bones: El Carnicero en el Coche WACH FOX News at 10 Local news Two and a Half Two and a Half The Middle: Life Theory (HD) Theory Bachelor child’s origins cause shock. (HD) Sweets interrupts his time off. (HD) report and weather forecast.

Men (HD) Men: Yay, No Skills Life Skills party. (HD) Polyps! (HD) class. (HD) King of the Hill: The Cleveland The Arsenio Hall Show From De- Dish Nation (N) Family Feud Family Feud House: Saviors Environmental radi- House: House Divided Deaf boy Show (HD) cember: musician Kelly Rowland. cal; Wilson’s diet. (HD) “hears” explosions. (HD) Meet the (HD) Propaniacs

Transatlantic Brides and Parents Association (British Wives) will meet at noon Friday, Jan. 3,at Captain D’s, Pinewood Road and West Liberty Street. All British expats are invited. Call Josie at (803) 775-8052.

Diabetes Support Group will meet 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 8, Carolina Diabetes and Kidney Center, 635 W. Wesmark Blvd., in the downstairs education room. Dr. Tepsiri Chongkrairatanakul will speak.

7 PM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

ABC jumps on miniseries bandwagon with ‘Assets’

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH The miniseries is back. Miniseries and short-seasoned series were among the best television of 2013; this included “Broadchurch,” “Top of the Lake” and “The Returned.” “Mob City” had it fans. “The Vikings” was fun — and it returns with 10 episodes in late February.

ABC jumps into the limited-run game with “The Assets” (10 p.m., TV-14), an eight-part series based on the real-life events of CIA counterintelligence officer Sandy Grimes (Jodie Whittaker), as the spy agency comes to grips with the damage done by one of the most notorious traitors in U.S. history, Aldrich Ames (Paul Rhys).

The “assets” referred to in the show’s title are the real human beings and CIA informants inside the USSR who were compromised and killed as a result of Ames’ treachery. We learn early on that Grimes was quite close to one of these men, who was captured, tortured and executed in a KGB facility.

Although the pilot episode is titled “My Name Is Aldrich Ames,” it imparts very little about the traitor, his personality or

motivations. He haunts the proceedings (set in the mid-1980s) like a malevolent Dwight Schrute, complete with brown shirt and ugly tie.

Viewers are asked to identify with Grimes as she attempts to ferret out the mole in her midst. It doesn’t help that Whittaker (“Broadchurch”) is asked to play her as an emotional cypher. At the office, she’s all work; at home, she’s rather blank when she’s not testy and eager to get back to work.

Scenes between her and her husband and teenage daughter are riddled with soap opera dialogue. In fact, most of the dialogue is clicheridden. It’s as if the Hallmark Channel had decided to adapt a John le Carre novel.

Perhaps Grimes’ bland characterization is a deliberate effort to differentiate her personality from the dynamic mood swings of Claire Danes’ Carrie on “Homeland,” or the tempestuous double-dealing of the agents on “The Americans.”

And “The Assets” has differentiated itself from those shows in another way: They are good. “The Assets” is frequently dull.

• The new eight-episode series “Cold River

“I Saw It In the Paper!”

You’ll find lots of interesting things in your newspaper…

• Sales • Editorials • Reviews

• Sports • Fashion • Business

• Travel • Weddings …and more

Cash” (10 p.m., Animal Planet, TV-14) follows three teams of Maine fisherman as they work a very short season to catch the tiny, elusive and lucrative elver eel.

• Fitness professionals Katrina Hodgson and Karena Dawn discuss their workout revolution, on the new series/infomercial “Toned Up” (10:30 p.m., Bravo).

• Exhibitionists put themselves in needless danger on the new series “Do or Die” (10 p.m., National Geographic, TV-PG). How about “don’t.”

Tonight’s Other Highlights • If Internet chatter equaled ratings, the returning series “Community” (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14) would be a hit. But they don’t, and it isn’t.

• Contestants design for a charity event on “Project Runway All Stars” (9 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).

• “Mysteries at the Museum” (9 p.m., Travel, TV-PG) returns.

• Moriarty consults on “Elementary” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Joel asserts himself

on “Parenthood” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

• Standup comic Nick Swardson appears on the fourth season premiere of “Ridiculousness” (10 p.m., MTV, TV14).

Series Notes Penny’s blunt question on “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * A flashback to 1773 on “Sleepy Hollow” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV14) * Blind taste tests on “The Taste” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * Damon reminisces on “The Vampire Diaries” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * Debbie’s red herring on “The Millers” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Sydney gets hooked on a video game “The Crazy Ones” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Sean helps out at Ellie’s school on “Sean Saves the World” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) * A gang member expires on “Bones” (9 p.m. Fox, r, TV-14) * Mary worries about Scotland’s fate on “Reign” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * Walden collaborates with an old employee on “Two and a Half Men” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * Mike celebrates Harris’ success on

“The Michael J. Fox Show” (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

Late Night Ron Burgundy and Jessie Ware are on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) * Adam Scott, John Caparulo, Arden Myrin and Ben Gleib are booked on “Chelsea Lately” (11 p.m., E!) * Kelly Rowland, Dan Bucatinsky and Luenell are on “The Arsenio Hall Show” (syndicated, r, check local listings) * Stephen Colbert, Ian McKellen and Chvrches appear on “Late Show With David Letterman” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) * Blake Shelton, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb and Imelda May on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) * Colin Farrell, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Megadeth are on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r) * Alec Baldwin, Kevin Connolly, Chris Cornell and the Avett Brothers visit “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) * Will Arnett and Pau Gasol on “The Late Late Show” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).

Copyright 2014, United Feature Syndicate

Happy New Year!

From

20 N. Magnolia Street

803-774-1200 www.theitem.com

OPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

THE ITEM

A9

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

|

Keep hope alive

W

ASHINGTON — America’s capacity for optimism and hope has been boundless through much of our short history.

The tangible returns of hard work, the ordered liberty sustained through community consent and opportunity honed over time to apply equally to all men and women — these were the currency of what we called the American Dream.

Essential to these achievements was courage.

The Founding Fathers were above all courageous as they challenged a king, fought and died for freedom, and created a country from scratch with little more than mettle and intellectual vigor.

If this isn’t exceptional, then we have lost the meaning of words.

Kathleen As we PARKER begin yet another new year, it is less easy to summon the dream. Instead of hope, a word that brought us a new president, we have entered an era of envy and doubt — envy for those who have more, and doubt that we can ever dig ourselves out of debilitating debt. What happens when even our debtors no longer want our dollars anymore, as China recently declared? A country that no longer wants our money likely doesn’t want our debt, either.

Depending on whose prognostications one believes, we are either rebounding, by dribs and drabs, or perched on the precipice of economic ruin. Let’s figure we’re somewhere in between, which falls short of inspiring. What is certain is that our economic standing in the world is damaged, our credit and credibility are weak, and business confidence is still in limbo.

Do weak economies and moral decay go hand in hand? We certainly seem poised to find out.

From Miley Cyrus’ naked cavorting on a wrecking ball — well, one can at least admire her metaphoric succulence — to Anthony Weiner’s Twitter projections of His Very Own Self, we have lost all sense of decorum, that voluntary commitment to behavior that combines a willingness to consider others first (at minimum keeping our clothes on), enforced through the exercise of self-restraint.

Note the term self-restraint. No one’s arguing for a new Puritanism, heaven forbid, but a pivot toward responsible adulthood would be helpful in re-creating a culture that doesn’t pinch our faces with revulsion. How do we expect children to navigate through this tawdry muck to become the sort of people most of us would like to know?

Part of the problem is our sense of helplessness before the overwhelming power of technology, which has erased the physical boundaries of community. With so many liberated ids running around, it’s hard to find a safe place to grow children. Figure it out we must. Does shame have a place in the American Dream? Why aren’t irresponsible parenting and behavior as abhorrent to society as, say, smoking?

I suppose what I’m lamenting is the loss of our national imperative to do and be better. Where once we fashioned ourselves according to best behaviors, we now accommodate ourselves to the least. Take a look around a mall, if you can bear to enter. Valium recommended.

So, yep, we’re a mess, but, in the spirit of American optimism, not doomed. To preserve the dream, two resolutions come to mind: Denounce envy and resurrect the community standard.

Envy is the core emotion driving the current debate about income inequality and the notion that the poor are poor because the rich are rich. Nonsense.

The economy is not, in fact, a pie. When one gets a bigger slice, others do not ipso facto get a smaller one. Instead of redistributing wealth to spread misery around, the goal should be to make the poor richer, which means jobs, education and tax/ regulation relief for employers.

Fundamental to all else is allegiance to community standards — the tacit agreement among adults that our communities be as physically secure and psychologically safe as possible for the well-being of children, who, let’s do put a fine point on it, someday soon will be in charge. For guidance, the correct answer to nearly any question is another question: What is best for children?

Perhaps I am naive, but cynicism isn’t allowed today. And besides, I am in good company when I propose that America’s strength and well-being come from her goodness.

Our lack of attention to our goodness, combined with our craving for instant gratification and near-toxic stimulation, has led us far afield from our Founders’ intentions. Don’t worry, my angel wings are in sorry shape.

We may have been created with a universal yearning for freedom, but we have learned through experience that freedom is earned rather than bestowed. To keep it, one must be vigilant.

All it takes is courage.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Historians will not be kind to the GOP In 2008, our country was experiencing the worst economic slump since the beginning of the Great Depression.

Jobs were being lost at a rate of 800,000 per month and home foreclosures were at a record high. Our banking, housing and automobile industries were close to collapsing. The middle class was fading as people’s income constantly declined. The income gap between the rich and the poor continued to grow. The American Dream was no longer a reality for most Americans.

Our country had become stagnant. Unemployment and public assistance was at an alltime high. This was happening as our leaders continued to pour trillions of dollars into two unfunded wars with no foreseeable end. Simultaneously, the rich became richer and the middle class continued to erode. People felt helpless. In a few months, the worst recession in America’s history was about to become another Depression.

In November 2008, the majority of Americans put their future in the hands of a young first-term U.S. senator by electing Barack Obama as the 43rd president of the United States.

The fact that he was an African-American didn’t matter.

We, the people, decided that the Democratic platform presented by Obama/Biden was far superior to the McCain/ Palin Republican platform of contradictions.

Instead of graciously accepting defeat and compromising with the winning Democratic Party to improve Amer-

ica for all citizens, the GOP started a campaign of obstruction. Their deplorable and racist behavior made them look petty and vindictive. The GOP tried to deny their overt racism toward the first African-America president by distorting the truth. However, their claim that an elderly white man raised in Georgia, who became the president of the United States, can’t recognize racism when he hears it is ridiculous.

Former President Jimmy Carter’s assertions are correct.

When historians of positive character write American history for future generations, they will not be kind to the GOP. However, because of his outstanding accomplishments, President Obama will be ranked very high among the most successful presidents of the United States.

True history is a matter of principle.

EUGENE R. BATEN Sumter

Send non-violent criminals to college instead of prison In my message in our 30th Freedom Fund Banquet Souvenir Journal, I indicated that there were national, state and local movements to turn back the clock on the progress we have made. One of the issues I feel we need to address is the criminal justice system. I said in my message that too many of our young people are being sentenced disparately. I encourage you to visit the sentencing of young black males versus others being sentenced for similar offenses. Parental and community support, as well as competent legal representation, makes a great deal of difference. The absence of

SUMTER COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 Naomi Sanders 5605 Borden Road Rembert, SC 29128 (803) 499-3947 (home) DISTRICT 2 Artie Baker 3680 Bakersfield Lane Dalzell, SC 29040 803-469-3638 (home) DISTRICT 3 Jimmy R. Byrd Jr. 1084 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 778-0796 (office) (803) 775-2726 (FAX) countycouncil3@ftc-i.net DISTRICT 4 Charles T. Edens 760 Henderson St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 775-0044 (home) DISTRICT 5 Vivian Fleming-McGhaney 9770 Lynches River Road Lynchburg, SC 29080 (803) 437-2797 (home) (803) 495-3247 (office) DISTRICT 6 Larry Blanding Chairman P.O. Box 1446 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 775-8518 (home)

Kathleen Parker’s email address is kathleenparker@ washpost.com. © 2014, Washington Post Writers Group

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

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

either of the three can determine the length of a sentence.

One of the resolutions adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and mandated to be carried out by state conferences/local branches is that we support legislation that promotes equal access to and investment in education, which ultimately impacts crime and violence.

Considering all of this, I think African-Americans should do a few things as a different kind of New Year’s resolution.

1. I agree with James Clingman, NNPA columnist, that black people should boycott prison. In an article, Mr. Clingman asks the question, “How do we boycott prisons? Just refrain from doing some of the stupid things we do that result in prison time.” We know that it is not that simple because prison has now become a for-profit industry.

2. It costs big bucks to incarcerate a youth as well as an adult for any period of time.

Based on the South Carolina Department of Corrections website as of Aug. 6, 2013, it costs $18,299 annually to take care of an inmate. I can send a student for a year for the same or less to Morris College, Central Carolina or the University of South Carolina Sumter. This could be a more effective and efficient way to use our resources. Instead of incarcerating young African-Americans, white males and females for non-violent crimes, why not educate them and make them more productive citizens with those tax dollars.

FERDINAND BURNS President Sumter Branch NAACP

WHO REPRESENTS YOU DISTRICT 7 Eugene Baten Vice chairman P.O. Box 3193 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 773-0815 (home) SUMTER CITY COUNCIL MAYOR Joseph T. McElveen Jr. 20 Buford St. Sumter, SC 29150 803-773-0382 jmcelveen@sumter-sc.com WARD 1 Thomas J. Lowery 829 Legare St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-9298 WARD 2 Ione Dwyer P.O. Box 1492 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 481-4284 WARD 3 Calvin K. Hastie Sr. 810 S. Main St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 774-7776 WARD 4 Charlie Burns 422 W. Calhoun St. Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-8859

H.D. OSTEEN 1904-1987 The Item

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WARD 5 Robert Galiano 608 Antlers Drive Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 469-0005 WARD 6 David Merchant 26 Paisley Park Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 773-1086 STATE LAWMAKERS Rep. Grady Brown, D-Bishopville District 50 420 S. Main St. Bishopville, SC 29010 (803) 484-6832 Columbia: (803) 734-2934 Rep. Phillip Lowe, R-Florence District 60 507 W. Cheves St. Florence, SC 29501 (843) 662-1234 Columbia: (803) 734-2975 Rep. Joe Neal, D-Hopkins District 70 P.O. Box 5 Hopkins, SC 29061 (803) 776-0353 Fax: (803) 734-9142 Columbia: (803) 734-2804 jn@schouse.org Rep. Dr. Robert L. Ridgeway III, D-Clarendon District 64 117 N. Brooks St. Manning, SC 29102 (803) 938-3087 Columbia: (803) 212-6929

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

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Rep. Ronnie A. Sabb, D-Greeleyville District 101 P.O. Box 311, Greeleyville, 29056 (843) 355-5349 Columbia: (803) 212-6926 Rep. Murrell Smith Jr., R-Sumter District 67 P.O. Box 580 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 778-2471 Fax: (803) 778-1643 Columbia: (803) 734-3042 murrellsmith@schouse.gov Rep. J. David Weeks, D-Sumter District 51 2 Marlborough Court Sumter, SC 29154 (803) 775-5856 Columbia: (803) 734-3102 Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington District 29 1216 Salem Road Hartsville, SC 29550 (843) 339-3000 Columbia: (803) 212-6148 Sen. Kevin L. Johnson, D-Manning District 36 P.O. Box 156, Manning, 29102 (803) 435-8117 Columbia: (803) 212-6108 Sen. J. Thomas McElveen III, D-Sumter District 35 P. O. Box 57, Sumter, 29151 (803) 775-1263 Columbia: (803) 212-6132

NATIONAL LAWMAKERS Rep. Mick Mulvaney — 5th District 1207 Longworth HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-5501 531-A Oxford Drive Sumter, SC 29150 (803) 327-1114 Rep. Jim Clyburn — 6th District 319 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3315 1703 Gervais St. Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 799-1100 jclyburn@hr.house.gov Sen. Lindsey Graham 290 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5972 Midlands Regional Office 508 Hampton Street, Suite 202 Columbia, SC 29201 Main: (803) 933-0112 Sen. Tim Scott 167 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-6121 (202) 228-5143 (fax) 1301 Gervais St., Suite 825 Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 771-6112 (803) 771-6455 (fax)

HUBERT D. OSTEEN JR. | EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN MARGARET W. OSTEEN 1908-1996 The Item

H. GRAHAM OSTEEN II Co-President

KYLE BROWN OSTEEN Co-President

JOHN DUVALL OSTEEN Vice President and Publisher

LARRY MILLER CEO

A10

DAILY PLANNER

THE ITEM

TUOMEY from Page A1 will be jeopardized,” the brief argues, saying, among other consequences, that the hospital could face shortages on drugs, medical equipment and supplies “within a few days” if vendors see the stay denied and anticipate Tuomey filing for bankruptcy.

“Lives could also be placed at grave risk,” the brief goes on to argue. “Members of the public might think that Tuomey has been closed and that emergency services are not available, an assumption that would not be unreasonable once non-emergent services begin to be disrupted.”

“Not staying enforcement of the judgment would result in a public health disaster for Sumter,” the brief reads.

Accompanying the brief, submitted just before the holidays, is a recent audit attached to the latest court filing saying Tuomey’s net assets, as of the end of the 2012 fiscal year, were $99.6 million.

This marked a decline of more than $12.3 million from the previous year, according to the audit.

Seymour has yet to make a ruling on Tuomey’s filing.

Reach Braden Bunch at (803) 774-1201.

ARREST from Page A1 guess you could call it,” Dennis said. “We could have had three victims.”

Officers began searching for Lyons after the incident, and Tuesday’s chase was the second time lawenforcement officers had attempted to apprehend him in recent days. Dennis said Lyons was spotted by deputies on Sunday but was able to elude capture.

On Tuesday, however, deputies once again spotted Lyons, this time on U.S. 15 South near the Havenwood area. According to reports, Lyons was in a silver Ford Fusion that attempted to hide from them by parking in a stall at a carwash.

When patrol vehicles attempted to trap the Fusion in the stall, it sped away down Red Bay Road.

During the chase, the suspect’s vehicle struck the curb at the corner of Red Bay Road and Collins Street,

NATION

blowing out both of the car’s front tires. Both Lyons and another person fled from the car on foot, leaving behind them, deputies said, a sports bag containing marijuana and a small scale.

Lyons was eventually captured near Booker Street, and after searching the path Lyons ran, officers also found a small bag containing cocaine, which they think the suspect tossed away during the chase.

One of the patrol cars involved in the pursuit suffered minor damage, but none of the officers involved were injured.

Dennis said investigations into both the shooting and the narcotics continue, including attempts to identify the other person in the car with Lyons on Tuesday.

Lyons is being held at Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

Reach Braden Bunch at (803) 774-1201.

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14 taken to hospitals after Minneapolis fire MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A billowing fire engulfed a three-story building with several apartments near downtown Minneapolis early Wednesday, sending more than a dozen people to hospitals with injuries — some critical — ranging from burns to trauma associated with falls.

An explosion was reported about 8:15 a.m., and within minutes a fire raged through the building, said Robert Ball, a spokesman for Hennepin County Emergency Medical Services. Paramedics, amid sub-zero temperatures, responded to find victims on the ground, some with injuries that suggested they may have fallen multiple stories.

“It’s not clear whether people were pushed out of the building from the explosion or whether they fell or jumped out of windows to escape,” Ball said.

No fatalities have been reported, but au-

thorities weren’t sure whether any residents were still inside the building. Its roof had partially collapsed, making it too dangerous for firefighters to enter and sweep the premises, said Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Cherie Penn.

Penn said 14 people were taken to hospitals, and six were considered to be critically hurt.

Ten victims, including three in critical condition, were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center suffering from burns, broken bones or both, hospital spokeswoman Christine Hill said.

Penn said victims also were taken to Fairview University hospital, where a spokeswoman said she couldn’t release any information.

Officials said it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire. CenterPoint Energy spokeswoman Becca Virden said there were no natural gas leaks in the area.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

QUIZ 795-4257

TODAY

TONIGHT

FRIDAY

SATURDAY 49°

41° 54°

SUNDAY

MONDAY 57°

58°

29° 24°

35°

Periods of rain

Partly cloudy, windy and colder

Sunny, breezy and cooler

Mostly sunny and chilly

Variable clouds with a shower possible

Mainly cloudy

Winds: SW 4-8 mph

Winds: WNW 12-25 mph

Winds: N 10-20 mph

Winds: ENE 4-8 mph

Winds: WNW 4-8 mph

Winds: NNW 8-16 mph

Chance of rain: 70%

Chance of rain: 15%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 30%

Chance of rain: 20%

Sumter through 4 p.m. yesterday

Temperature High ............................................... 49° Low ................................................ 33° Normal high ................................... 54° Normal low ..................................... 32° Record high ....................... 80° in 1997 Record low ......................... 15° in 1984

Greenville 54/24

Bishopville 55/29

24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest. ............ trace Month to date ............................... trace Normal month to date .................. 0.12" Year to date .................................. trace Normal year to date ..................... 0.12"

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

Full 7 a.m. 24-hr pool yest. chg 360 353.22 +0.60 76.8 74.61 +0.03 75.5 73.16 none 100 96.01 -0.30

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

Full pool 12 19 14 14 80 24

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 56/28/sh 48/17/c 52/23/sh 58/28/sh 59/33/r 55/33/r 59/33/r 52/25/sh 56/27/sh 56/29/sh

7 a.m. yest.

7.25 9.00 5.99 9.34 80.89 20.20

24-hr chg none -2.60 -0.66 -8.77 +0.09 -0.20

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 43/23/s 28/14/s 40/23/s 44/24/s 46/27/s 37/30/pc 45/26/s 36/18/s 41/25/s 41/23/s

Columbia 56/29 Today: Considerable cloudiness with a passing shower.

Friday: Colder with a full day of sunshine.

27°

First

Full

Jan. 7 Last

Jan. 15 New

Jan. 24

Jan. 30

Sunrise today .......................... 7:27 a.m.

Sunset tonight ......................... 5:24 p.m.

Moonrise today ....................... 8:12 a.m.

Moonset today ........................ 7:14 p.m.

Gaffney 54/27 Spartanburg 55/27

Precipitation

44°

Florence 55/33

Sumter 54/29

Myrtle Beach 55/34

Manning 58/31

Shown is today’s weather.

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

Aiken 56/28 Charleston 59/33

Today: Periods of rain. High 55 to 60.

Friday: Colder with plenty of sunshine. High 41 to 46.

The following tide table lists times for Myrtle Beach.

Thu.

Forecasts and graphics provided

by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2014

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 54/30/sh 51/29/r 55/31/r 54/29/r 55/33/r 71/32/r 55/26/sh 53/31/r 58/33/r 52/24/sh

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 39/21/s 32/20/pc 38/22/s 37/22/s 40/21/s 52/31/s 38/18/s 36/19/s 44/25/s 33/18/s

Fri.

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 54/24/sh 52/24/c 59/34/r 66/31/r 52/22/sh 56/27/sh 49/20/sh 50/21/sh 58/34/r 55/34/r

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 38/20/s 35/17/s 45/30/s 48/32/s 40/25/s 45/23/s 38/23/s 34/15/s 45/28/s 41/23/s

High Ht. 9:34 a.m.....3.8 9:46 p.m.....3.2 10:26 a.m.....3.7 10:40 p.m.....3.2

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

Low Ht. 3:44 a.m.... -1.1 4:28 p.m....-0.9 4:37 a.m.... -1.1 5:19 p.m....-0.9

Today Hi/Lo/W 56/31/r 59/34/r 52/26/sh 52/26/sh 54/28/sh 62/32/r 55/27/sh 59/32/r 57/32/r 51/24/sh

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 42/25/s 45/28/s 35/18/s 39/18/s 37/19/s 46/27/s 39/21/s 45/28/s 40/22/s 33/16/s

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

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

Cold front Showers Rain T-storms Snow Flurries

Ice

Warm front

Today Fri. Today Fri. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Albuquerque 49/30/s 52/32/pc Las Vegas 61/43/s 62/44/s Anchorage 29/21/sf 29/19/sn Los Angeles 80/54/s 73/49/s Atlanta 50/21/sh 40/24/s Miami 83/66/pc 71/62/pc Baltimore 43/17/sn 20/8/s Minneapolis -2/-11/pc 14/9/pc Boston 25/8/sn 14/-1/sn New Orleans 57/31/pc 45/37/s Charleston, WV 40/13/r 22/11/s New York 31/14/sn 16/5/sn Charlotte 52/25/sh 36/18/s Oklahoma City 36/22/s 47/31/s Chicago 17/-2/sf 14/12/s Omaha 6/0/s 26/20/pc Cincinnati 30/9/sn 20/13/s Philadelphia 38/18/c 19/6/sn Dallas 44/26/s 51/37/s Phoenix 74/49/s 71/44/s Denver 50/30/s 59/20/s Pittsburgh 30/7/sn 15/7/sf Des Moines 4/-8/pc 21/18/s St. Louis 18/3/pc 28/22/s Detroit 16/-2/sn 15/8/pc Salt Lake City 36/21/pc 39/22/pc Helena 42/31/c 38/16/sn San Francisco 64/47/s 61/45/s Honolulu 81/69/pc 77/66/r Seattle 48/39/r 47/33/r Indianapolis 22/5/sf 20/14/s Topeka 16/3/s 36/23/pc Kansas City 12/1/s 32/22/pc Washington, DC 46/20/sh 25/17/s Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice

information you will ARIES (March 21-April the last word in astrology gather and the further 19): Rethink your ahead you’ll get. strategy, lifestyle and eugenia LAST direction. Get back to LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): basics and concentrate Keep the peace. Protect on making changes your home, family and that count. Recognize your passion and future. Refrain from overreacting or making you’ll find a way to turn it into a paying job. an unnecessary move that could be costly.

Concentrate on work and getting ahead.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take time to talk to your peers or research something you’d SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ve got all the like to pursue this year. Giving yourself time right moves and words to make a to consider the possibilities will lead to difference. Don’t hold back; push for what something good. you want and don’t worry about what others do or say.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Offer suggestions and hands-on help to someone who has SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): An done favors for you in the past. Start out investment will pay off. A change at home the year by paying back and it will make or to the way you live looks inviting. Express you feel good. Make plans to chill with a your thoughts and plans and you will gain friend. support.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Make sure that CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll have you’re on the same page as anyone you’re plenty to contend with when dealing with involved with. Partnerships should take peers or relatives. Keep your thoughts and priority. Setting up a guideline to ensure plans to yourself until you’re certain you can fairness will help you move forward live up to any promise you want to make. seamlessly.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Reflecting on LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You may need a the past can help you move forward. change, but before you make an impulsive Problems with a boss, government agency, move, take care of pressing matters that institution or even a legal matter must be may affect your reputation. Expect dealt with diplomatically. someone to pose a problem if you aren’t PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Care, share and mindful of what others want. offer what you can to friends, colleagues or VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Keep moving, those you’ve worked with in the past. What conversing and making your suggestions you do for others will bring you high heard. The more you interact, the more returns. There’s money to be made.

PICK 3 WEDNESDAY: 2-2-9 AND 0-4-2 PICK 4 WEDNESDAY: 9-5-3-7 AND 7-9-0-2 PALMETTO CASH 5 WEDNESDAY: 8-12-21-22-34 POWERUP: 2 MEGAMILLIONS TUESDAY: 8-12-34-52-58 MEGABALL: 8 MEGAPLIER: 3 POWERBALL NUMBERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME

pictures from the public

Roger Holman shares a picture of Ramsey Creek at Riverside Hunting Club, where Holman is a member.

Have you visited someplace interesting, exciting, beautiful or historical that you’ve taken some pictures of? Would you like to share those images with your fellow Item readers? E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandrah@theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150. Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include selfaddressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only please.

SPORTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

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

B1

Bowl win full of special moments in a league more open to college-style running quarterbacks.

“Obviously, I hope I get the opportunity,” Shaw said. “And guys like (Seattle’s) Russell Wilson, they give me hope.”

Three South Carolina juniors repeated their intention to leave for the NFL — defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and cornerback Victor Hampton, plus defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, a projected early first-round pick.

Junior wide receiver Bruce Ellington (Berkeley High School) also is a strong NFL possibility, stronger after a career-best 140-yard receiving day with two touchdown passes against Wisconsin.

Redshirt sophomore tackle Brandon Shell THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Goose Creek High School) asked for feedback from Wisconsin tight end Jacob Pedersen (48) is tackled by the NFL Draft Advisory Board but said Wednesday he will “definitely be back” at South Carolina for his South Carolina linebacker Marcquis Roberts during USC’s 34-24 victory in the Capital One Bowl on Wednesday. The SEE BOWL, PAGE B4 Gamecock defense forced four turnovers.

BY GENE SAPAKOFF & RYAN WOOD Post and Courier ORLANDO, Fla. — Though Connor Shaw leaves college football with a legacy as South Carolina’s best and winningest quarterback, the steady senior hasn’t been regarded as much of an NFL prospect.

But he will get a chance to alter perceptions in front of pro brass. Shaw learned of his invite to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis with head coach Steve Spurrier’s off-hand comment during a news conference following the Capital One Bowl. “(Shaw) is going to the Combine,” Spurrier told the media before glancing at the Most Valuable Player of a 34-24 victory over Wisconsin.

“Did you know that?” Spurrier asked.

“No,” Shaw said.

“They told me not to tell you until after the game,” Spurrier said.

Shaw’s value as a read-option veteran might rise

Shaw leaves Carolina as a passing fancy

T

reception. Still, the void tugged on him.

“I wanted a receiving touchdown,” Shaw said.

At a team breakfast Wednesday morning, coach Steve Spurrier shared the good news.

He would call a play — a reverse quarterback pass — for Shaw in the red zone. When the time came in the second quarter, it worked perfectly.

Shaw’s 9-yard touchdown catch from receiver Bruce Ellington was one of five scores in his final game. He contributed to every touchdown

here was much angst and trepidation when Steve Spurrier announced that Connor Shaw would start at quarterback over Stephen Garcia in the middle of the University of South Carolina’s 2011 football season.

Memories were very fresh of the Gamecocks’ season opener against East Carolina. Shaw started that game, looked totally overmatched and Garcia had to come off the bench and bail USC out. It was a few games later when Garcia had his final meltdown and Shaw Dennis got the call once again. BRUNSON Fast forward to Wednesday and the final game of what has become Shaw’s storied career at Carolina. It is hard to believe that this was the same player. When he became the regular QB as a sophomore, his job was not to lose the game; in Wednesday’s Capital One Bowl against Wisconsin — and for most of the last two seasons — it was his job to win the game.

And he went out in style, completing 22 of 25 passes for 312 yards, catching a touchdown pass from wide receiver Bruce Ellington and running for a score as well in the 34-24 victory.

What has helped make Shaw the winningest signal

SEE USC, PAGE B4

SEE BRUNSON, PAGE B4

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ABOVE: South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw, left, catches a touchdown pass from wide receiver Bruce Ellington in front of Wisconsin cornerback Darius Hillary (5) and linebacker Brendan Kelly (97) in the Gamecocks’ 34-24 victory in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. BELOW: South Carolina tight end and former Scott’s Branch High School standout Jerell Adams (89) catches a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Capital One offense USC rolls to 34-24 victory over Badgers

BY RYAN WOOD Post and Courier ORLANDO, Fla. — Before Connor Shaw’s college career ended Wednesday afternoon at the Capital One Bowl, the senior quarterback had one more item on his wish list.

Shaw, a part-time high school SPURRIER receiver, had never caught a pass with the Gamecocks. It was a silly request, he knew. His career would be complete without a

Buckeyes will be without DE Spence

BY TIM REYNOLDS The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd won’t have to worry about Ohio State’s leading sacker in Friday’s Orange Bowl against Ohio State. Buckeye defensive end Noah Spence was suspended for three games for violating a Big Ten rule.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Ohio State sophomore defensive end Noah Spence has been suspended for three games for violating an undisclosed Big Ten rule, the Buckeyes announced Wednesday.

Spence did not accompany No. 7 Ohio State on its trip to the Orange Bowl, with the team citing “a personal issue.” The SPENCE Buckeyes (12-1) play No. 12 Clemson (10-2) on Friday night, and as recently as Monday the team said there was some hope that Spence — an All-Big Ten player this season — would be able to join the team for the game.

WHO: Clemson (10-2) vs. Ohio State (12-1) WHEN: Friday, 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Miami, Fla. TV: ESPN

Spence also will sit out the first two games of the 2014 season, the team said.

“It has been determined that Ohio State University sophomore Noah Spence has violated a Big Ten Conference rule and he has been suspended for three games,

starting with the Discover Orange Bowl this Friday,” the university said in a statement. “Spence’s parents, who did not agree with the rule violation nor the penalty imposed, were assisted by the Ohio State Department of Athletics in exhausting the appeals process that was available to them with the Big Ten.” The school said it was not planning to comment further.

Spence led the Buckeyes with eight sacks this season. He also had 14½ tackles for loss, secondmost on the team, and had 52 tackles.

Earlier this week, Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said Jamal Marcus and Steve Miller are among the top candidates to take Spence’s spot on the field SEE SPENCE, PAGE B5

B2

SPORTS

THE ITEM

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO TODAY 4 p.m. -- Higih School Football: Under Armour All-America Game from St. Petersburg, Fla. (ESPNU).

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

7 p.m. -- Women’s College Basketball: St. Louis at Fordham (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

7 p.m. -- College Basketball: Wisconsin at Northwestern (ESPN).

7 p.m. -- NHL Hockey: Carolina at Washington (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

7:30 p.m. -- College Basketball: Pennsylvania at George Mason (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

8 p.m. -- College Basketball: Washington at Arizona State (ESPNU).

8 p.m. -- PGA Golf: Tournament of Champions Pro-Am from Maui, Hawaii (GOLF).

8 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Brooklyn at Oklahoma City (NBA TV).

8 p.m. -- Women’s College Basketball: South Carolina at Arkansas (WNKT-FM 107.5).

8:30 p.m. -- College Football: Sugar Bowl from New Orleans -- Alabama vs. Oklahoma (ESPN).

9 p.m. -- College Basketball: St. Mary’s (Calif.) at Gonzaga (ESPN2).

9 p.m. -- College Basketball: California at Stanford (FOX SPORTS 1).

10 p.m. -- College Basketball: Oregon State at Colorado (ESPNU).

10 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Charlotte at Portland (SPORTSOUTH).

2 a.m. -- NHL Hockey: Nashville at Boston (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Schedule The Associated Press Today EAST Holy Cross at Boston U., 7 p.m.

Rhode Island at Brown, 7 p.m.

American U. at Bucknell, 7 p.m.

Lehigh at Colgate, 7 p.m.

Appalachian St. at Duquesne, 7 p.m.

Army at Lafayette, 7 p.m.

Fairfield at Marist, 7 p.m.

Siena at Monmouth (NJ), 7 p.m.

Niagara at Rider, 7 p.m.

Manhattan at St. Peter’s, 7 p.m.

Navy at Loyola (Md.), 7:30 p.m.

Iona at Quinnipiac, 7:30 p.m.

SOUTH Hofstra at Tulane, 2 p.m.

The Citadel at Radford, 5:30 p.m.

W. Kentucky at South Alabama, 6:05 p.m.

East Carolina at Campbell, 7 p.m.

Gardner-Webb at Delaware St., 7 p.m.

FIU at Florida A&M, 7 p.m.

Troy at Georgia St., 7 p.m.

UNC Greensboro at W. Carolina, 7 p.m.

Penn at George Mason, 7:30 p.m.

UT-Martin at Austin Peay, 8 p.m.

Jacksonville St. at Belmont, 8 p.m.

Md.-Eastern Shore at Mississippi St., 8 p.m.

SE Missouri at Murray St., 8 p.m.

Wofford at Samford, 8 p.m.

Tennessee Tech at Tennessee St., 8 p.m.

SE Louisiana at McNeese St., 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Nicholls St., 8:30 p.m.

Sam Houston St. at Northwestern St., 8:30 p.m.

MIDWEST Marshall at Akron, 7 p.m.

IPFW at Bowling Green, 7 p.m.

Judson at IUPUI, 7 p.m.

Michigan at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Wisconsin at Northwestern, 7 p.m.

Siena Heights at W. Michigan, 7 p.m.

Oakland at Wright St., 7 p.m.

E. Kentucky at E. Illinois, 8 p.m.

Cleveland St. at Green Bay, 8 p.m.

Youngstown St. at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Morehead St. at SIU-Edwardsville, 8 p.m.

CS Northridge at South Dakota, 8 p.m.

Illinois St. at Missouri St., 8:05 p.m.

Wichita St. at S. Illinois, 8:05 p.m.

Ill.-Chicago at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.

S. Utah at North Dakota, 9 p.m.

SOUTHWEST Texas A&M-CC at Cent. Arkansas, 8 p.m.

Houston Baptist at Oral Roberts, 8:30 p.m.

UALR at Texas St., 8:30 p.m.

Arkansas St. at Texas-Arlington, 8:30 p.m.

Lamar at Stephen F. Austin, 9 p.m.

FAR WEST Washington at Arizona St., 8 p.m.

Oregon at Utah, 8 p.m.

Saint Mary’s (Cal) at Gonzaga, 9 p.m.

Texas-Pan American at Grand Canyon, 9 p.m.

N. Arizona at Montana, 9 p.m.

California at Stanford, 9 p.m.

E. Washington at Weber St., 9 p.m.

Portland St. at Idaho St., 9:05 p.m.

Sacramento St. at Montana St., 9:05 p.m.

Washington St. at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Oregon St. at Colorado, 10 p.m.

UMKC at Idaho, 10 p.m.

Pacific at Portland, 10 p.m.

Loyola Marymount at San Francisco, 10 p.m.

Pepperdine at Santa Clara, 10 p.m.

Simpson (Cal.) at UC Davis, 10 p.m.

Waldorf at UC Riverside, 10 p.m.

Morgan St. at UC Irvine, 10:30 p.m.

Friday EAST S. Dakota St. at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Georgia at George Washington, 7 p.m.

SOUTH CCSU at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.

Lees-McRae at High Point, 7 p.m.

Mount St. Mary’s at Norfolk St., 7 p.m.

SC State at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

Drexel at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.

Stony Brook at VCU, 9 p.m.

MIDWEST Oakland City at Ball St., 7 p.m.

Marygrove at Cent. Michigan, 7 p.m.

Bethune-Cookman at N. Illinois, 8 p.m.

SOUTHWEST Savannah St. at Baylor, 8 p.m.

FAR WEST Nebraska-Omaha at Hawaii, Mid

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Toronto 14 15 .483 – Boston 13 18 .419 2 Brooklyn 10 21 .323 5 New York 9 21 .300 51/2 Philadelphia 9 21 .300 51/2 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Miami 24 7 .774 – Atlanta 18 14 .563 61/2 Washington 14 14 .500 81/2 Charlotte 14 18 .438 101/2 Orlando 10 21 .323 14 Central Division W L Pct GB Indiana 25 5 .833 – Detroit 14 19 .424 121/2 Chicago 12 18 .400 13 Cleveland 10 21 .323 151/2 Milwaukee 7 24 .226 181/2 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB San Antonio 25 7 .781 – Houston 21 13 .618 5 Dallas 18 13 .581 61/2 New Orleans 14 15 .483 91/2 Memphis 13 17 .433 11 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Oklahoma City 25 6 .806 – Portland 25 7 .781 1/2 Minnesota 15 16 .484 10 Denver 14 16 .467 101/2 Utah 10 24 .294 161/2 Pacific Division W L Pct GB

| L.A. Clippers 21 12 .636 – Phoenix 19 11 .633 1/2 Golden State 20 13 .606 1 L.A. Lakers 13 19 .406 71/2 Sacramento 10 20 .333 91/2 Tuesday’s Games Atlanta 92, Boston 91 Indiana 91, Cleveland 76 Golden State 94, Orlando 81 Sacramento 110, Houston 106 San Antonio 113, Brooklyn 92 Toronto 85, Chicago 79 Portland 98, Oklahoma City 94 Milwaukee 94, L.A. Lakers 79 Wednesday’s Games Dallas at Washington, 6 p.m.

Indiana at Toronto, 7 p.m.

New Orleans at Minnesota, late Philadelphia at Denver, late Charlotte at L.A. Clippers, late Today’s Games Orlando at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Golden State at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Brooklyn at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

New York at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Memphis at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Milwaukee at Utah, 9 p.m.

Charlotte at Portland, 10 p.m.

Philadelphia at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Friday’s Games Toronto at Washington, 7 p.m.

New Orleans at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

New York at Houston, 8 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Memphis at Denver, 9 p.m.

Utah at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

NFL PLAYOFFS

By The Associated Press Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 4 Kansas City at Indianapolis, 4:35 p.m. (NBC) New Orleans at Philadelphia, 8:10 p.m.

(NBC) Sunday, Jan. 5 San Diego at Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m. (CBS) San Francisco at Green Bay, 4:40 p.m. (FOX) Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 11 Green Bay, San Francisco or New Orleans at Seattle, 4:35 p.m. (FOX) Cincinnati, Indianpolis or Kansas City at New England, 8:15 p.m. (CBS) Sunday, Jan. 12 Philadelphia, Green Bay or San Francisco at Carolina, 1:05 p.m. (FOX) Indianapolis, Kansas City or San Diego at Denver, 4:40 p.m. (CBS) Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 19 AFC, 3 p.m. (CBS) NFC, 6:30 p.m. (FOX) Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 26 At Honolulu TBD, 7:30 p.m. (NBC) Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2 At East Rutherford, N.J. AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 6:30 p.m.

(FOX)

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 40 26 12 2 54 117 86 Tampa Bay 39 23 12 4 50 110 93 Montreal 41 23 14 4 50 103 94 Detroit 41 18 14 9 45 107 117 Toronto 41 20 16 5 45 115 118 Ottawa 42 17 18 7 41 118 135 Florida 41 15 20 6 36 96 130 Buffalo 40 11 25 4 26 71 113 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 42 29 12 1 59 131 96 Washington 40 20 15 5 45 122 119 Philadelphia 40 20 16 4 44 105 111 New Jersey 41 17 16 8 42 97 103 N.Y. Rangers 41 20 19 2 42 96 109 Carolina 40 15 16 9 39 96 118 Columbus 40 17 19 4 38 109 117 N.Y. Islanders 41 13 21 7 33 107 138 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 42 28 7 7 63 158 115 St. Louis 39 27 7 5 59 139 93 Colorado 39 24 11 4 52 114 100 Dallas 39 20 12 7 47 115 113 Minnesota 42 20 17 5 45 97 109 Winnipeg 42 19 18 5 43 114 121 Nashville 40 18 18 4 40 95 119 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Anaheim 42 29 8 5 63 137 106 San Jose 40 25 9 6 56 131 104 Los Angeles 41 25 12 4 54 110 83 Vancouver 41 23 11 7 53 111 97 Phoenix 39 20 10 9 49 120 120 Calgary 40 14 20 6 34 96 126 Edmonton 42 13 24 5 31 109 143 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Tuesday’s Games N.Y. Rangers 2, Florida 1, SO New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis 2, Minnesota 1 N.Y. Islanders 5, Boston 3 Carolina 5, Montreal 4, OT Winnipeg 3, Buffalo 0 Anaheim 6, San Jose 3 Dallas 3, Los Angeles 2 Colorado 5, Columbus 3 Philadelphia 4, Calgary 1 Phoenix 4, Edmonton 3, OT Wednesday’s Games Toronto vs. Detroit at Ann Arbor, MI, 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Today’s Games Nashville at Boston, 7 p.m.

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

Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m.

Winnipeg at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Buffalo at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Montreal at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Columbus at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

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

Friday’s Games Chicago at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

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

Tampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.

Edmonton at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press BASKETBALL National Basketball Association PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS — Assigned G CJ McCollum to Idaho (NBADL).

HOCKEY National Hockey League BUFFALO SABRES — Recalled D Brayden McNabb and LW Johan Larsson from Rochester (AHL). Placed C Cody Hodgson on injured reserve.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS — Acquired D Tim Gleason the rights to D Dennis Robertson from Carolina for D John-Michael Liles.

American Hockey League SPRINGFIELD FALCONS — Announced F Jonathan Marchessault was recalled by Columbus (NHL).

ECHL GWINNETT GLADIATORS — Traded F Jeremie Malouin to Cincinnati to complete a previous trade.

COLLEGE LOUISVILLE — Announced QB Teddy Bridgewater will enter the NFL draft.

OHIO STATE — Announced DE Noah Spence was three games for violating an undisclosed Big Ten rule.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Announced DE Jadeveon Clowney will enter the NFL draft.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

O’Brien to be Texans next coach STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Bill O’Brien is leaving Penn State less than two years after replacing Joe Paterno and returning to the NFL with the Houston Texans to coach the worst team in the league.

O’BRIEN Two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that O’Brien reached an agreement with the Texans on Tuesday night.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement hasn’t been made.

O’Brien bolted Penn State and a slew of players who pledged commitment to a team in its darkest hour for an NFL team that ended the season on a 14-game skid and 2-14 record.

O’Brien, a former offensive coordinator for the New England Patri-

SPORTS ITEMS ots, took on perhaps college football’s toughest job in January 2012, joining a school rattled by the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

BRIDGEWATER ENTERING DRAFT

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has announced that he will forgo his senior season with the No. 18 Cardinals and enter the NFL draft.

Projected as a firstround selection and possibly the first QB taken this spring, Bridgewater passed for 3,970 yards and a school-record 31 touchdowns this season, including a career-best 447 yards with three TDs in Saturday’s 36-9 rout of Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

MCDERMOTT, REDSKINS TALK

CHARLOTTE — Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera says defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will interview for the Washington Redskins head coaching

| position this week.

Rivera says the Redskins called Tuesday to ask permission to speak with McDermott.

NFL rules mandate interviews with assistant coaches on a bye week must be conducted before the conclusion of the wild-card games.

The Panthers (12-4) have a first-round bye.

MAPLE LEAFS RED WINGS

3 2

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

— A lot of winter. Very little classic hockey.

Light snow swirled down in the Big House, making it tough to push the puck through piles of the white stuff on a sheet of ice where football is usually played.

Teeth-chattering temperatures and a brisk wind were factors, too, that made the NHL’s Winter Classic much more of an event than a game.

Tyler Bozak scored the winning shootout goal and Jonathan Bernier made two

BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

saves in the heartpounding final moments, lifting Toronto to a 3-2 victory over Detroit on Wednesday in front of 105,591 fans — the largest crowd to watch a hockey game.

SCOTT TO SKIP CHAMPIONSHIP

KAPALUA, Hawaii — Masters champion Adam Scott is taking a six-week break after Hawaii, meaning he will skip the Match Play Championship.

Scott has never missed the Match Play Championship since he first became eligible in 2002. But since the World Golf Championship moved to Arizona in 2007, he hasn’t stuck around very long. Scott was beaten in the opening round the last three years, and he has not advanced beyond the second round since 2005 when it was at La Costa Resort north of San Diego.

From wire reports

|

DeRozan leads Raptors past Pacers 95-82 TORONTO— DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and a season-high 14 assists and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-best winning streak to four games, beating the Indiana Pacers 95-82 on Wednesday night.

Terrence Ross scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and nine rebounds as the Raptors (15-15) snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak and improved to .500 after 30 games for the first time since Jan. 6, 2010.

The Raptors have won eight of 10 games since Dec. 13, when the majority of the players acquired from Sacramento in the Rudy Gay deal made their Toronto debuts.

Roy Hibbert fouled out with 16 points and Paul George had 12 for the Pacers, who recorded a season-worst 23 turnovers. Indiana had won nine of its previous 12 meetings with Toronto, including four straight north of the border. Danny Granger scored 11 points for Indiana.

MAVERICKS WIZARDS

87 78

WASHINGTON — Monta Ellis scored 23 points, Vince Carter had 13 and the Dallas Mavericks held the Washington Wizards scoreless for more than 4 minutes late in the fourth quarter of an 87-78 victory Wednesday night.

MONDAY SOUTH CAROLINA MARSHALL

92 65

COLUMBIA— South Carolina has picked the right time to play its best basketball of the season.

After winning just twice in the first seven games, the Gamecocks (6-6) won for the fourth time in the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan, left, shoots past Indiana’s Paul George during the Raptors’ 95-82 win in Toronto on Wednesday.

last five with a 92-65 victory over Marshall on Monday night.

CLEMSON VMI

80 50

CLEMSON— Clemson coach Brad Brownell liked what he saw of Clemson’s defensive play against VMI. He hopes the Tigers can carry that same effort into the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jordan Roper tied his career high with 19 points and Clemson used its best-in-the-nation defense to shut high-scoring VMI for an 80-50 victory on Monday night. Next up for the Tigers (9-3) is the ACC opener on Saturday at Boston College.

From wire reports

Dolphins owner mulling possible shakeup

BY STEVEN WINE The Associated Press MIAMI — In the wake of the Miami Dolphins’ late-season collapse, owner Stephen Ross immediately began contemplating a possible organizational shake-up.

Ross has been meeting with his ROSS top advisers before deciding whether to fire anyone, two people familiar with the situation said.

One of the people said the meetings began Sunday night and will resume Thursday, and a decision could come then.

That person said that during the Dolphins’ loss Sunday to the New York Jets, Ross became so upset he turned away at one point because he could no longer watch.

Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because discussions

regarding a possible organizational shake-up have been private.

Second-year offensive coordinator Mike Sherman is considered the most likely to be fired, and sixth-year general manager Jeff Ireland’s job is also in serious jeopardy. Coach Joe Philbin is likely to return for a third season, the two people familiar with the situation said, but that’s not a certainty.

The Dolphins, who finished 8-8, were on the verge of earning the final AFC wild-card berth before being outscored 39-7 while losing their last two games to the Buffalo Bills and Jets, two non-playoff teams. If the Dolphins had won either game, they would have made the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Miami had four victories over teams that made the playoffs, but also lost three games to last-place teams. In addition to inconsistency on the field, Miami had its season nearly derailed by a locker-

room bullying scandal that drew national scrutiny and remains under NFL investigation.

Ross is concerned about the impact of the late collapse on attendance, which has sagged during the playoff drought.

On Monday, Philbin said his team is close to contending for titles. The Dolphins have improved from 6-10 in 2011 and 7-9 in 2012, but Ross expected a playoff berth after spending more than $100 million in guaranteed money last offseason to upgrade the roster.

Ireland, a protege of Bill Parcells, was hired as general manager in 2008, and the Dolphins won the AFC East in his first season. But they haven’t been above .500 since, the longest such stretch in franchise history, and fans have vented about him for several seasons.

Sherman’s unit ranked 27th in the NFL in yards, allowed a franchise-record 58 sacks and scored once in its final 24 possessions.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

THE ITEM

B3

Michigan State tops Stanford in Rose Bowl

BY GREG BEACHAM The Associated Press PASADENA, Calif. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; When Kyler Elsworth soared over the pile to deliver the final hit of Michigan Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season, the storybook ending came with a moral.

After so many years outside the spotlight, the Spartans are in nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shadow anymore. And for the first time in 26 years, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Rose Bowl champions.

Connor Cook passed for a career-high 332 yards and hit Tony Lippett with a tiebreaking 25-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, leading No. 4 Michigan State to a 24-20 victory over No. 5 Stanford on Wednesday night in the 100th Rose Bowl.

Cook also threw a TD pass to Trevon Pendleton, and Jeremy Langford rushed for 84 yards and a score for the Big Ten champion Spartans (131), who finished their season with 10 straight wins and their first Rose Bowl victory since 1988.

Michigan State overcame its first double-digit deficit of the entire season along the way, and the Spartansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FBS-best de-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michigan State wide receiver Tony Lippett scores a touchdown against Stanford during the Spartansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 24-20 victory in the 100th Rose Bowl on Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif.

fense capped a dominant season with one more old-school, smash-mouth performance befitting the centennial celebration of the Granddaddy of Them All. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a special time for all Spartans, and we came here in force,â&#x20AC;? coach Mark Dantonio said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy for our football team, the resilience we

showed all season long.â&#x20AC;?

Michigan Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense yielded just 159 yards in the final three quarters and ended it by stopping the Pac-12 champion Cardinal (11-3) on fourth-and-1 near midfield with 1:46 to play, stuffing a run play up the middle.

Elsworth, a fill-in starter for suspended senior

linebacker Max Bullough, hurdled the pile to deliver an electrifying, head-on hit to fullback Ryan Hewitt while his teammates helped out below. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I saw their offensive linemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stance, I knew the way to make a play was to go over the top,â&#x20AC;? said Elsworth, selected the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defensive MVP.

The huge Michigan State contingent in the Rose Bowl stands roared at the play, and even the stone-faced Dantonio visibly celebrated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I get a little excited at the Rose Bowl,â&#x20AC;? Dantonio deadpanned.

The Spartans have long labored behind Michigan, Ohio State and even Wisconsin among

the Midwestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top programs, but Dantonioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven-year rebuilding project in East Lansing has put them on top of the Midwest this season with a perfect run through conference play.

After knocking off the unbeaten Buckeyes in the league title game, Michigan State earned the Big Tenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second Rose Bowl win since 2000.

Tyler Gaffney ran for 91 yards and an early TD for Stanford, and linebacker Kevin Anderson returned an interception 40 yards for a score late in the first half. But the Cardinal couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow up last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success in Pasadena with back-toback Rose Bowl wins, managing just three points from their offense after the first quarter.

And Gaffney could only watch as Hewitt was stopped on Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final play. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to give it to Michigan State for stuffing that,â&#x20AC;? said Gaffney, who managed just 24 yards after the first quarter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody in the building knew exactly what was coming. A run was coming up the middle, and it was a test of wills, and they got the better of us.â&#x20AC;?

BOWL ROUNDUP

|

Nebraska beats Georgia 24-19 in Gator Bowl JACKSONVILLE, Fla. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tommy Armstrong Jr. connected with Quincy Enunwa for two touchdowns, including a 99-yarder in the third quarter, and Nebraska held on to beat No. 23 Georgia 24-19 in the rainsoaked Gator Bowl on Wednesday.

Playing in their 50th bowl, the Cornhuskers (9-4) ended a four-game losing streak against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The streak included a 45-31 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl last season.

Nebraska did a solid job against running back Todd Gurley, who ran for 125 yards and a touchdown last year. Gurley finished with 86 yards on the ground.

Gurley was more effective in the passing game, catching seven passes for 97 yards and a score. His 25-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter cut Nebraskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead to 24-19.

OUTBACK BOWL LSU IOWA

21 14

LIBERTY BOWL MISSISSIPPI STATE RICE

44 7

MEMPHIS, Tenn. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mississippi Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominant performance in the Liberty Bowl has the Bulldogs aiming to play for higher stakes in next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s postseason.

SUN BOWL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) scrambles while being chased by Georgia defensive end John Taylor (94) during the Cornhuskersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 24-19 victory in the Gator Bowl on Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla.

TAMPA, Fla. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jeremy Hill rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 14 LSU and inexperienced quarterback Anthony Jennings hold off Iowa 21-14 in the Outback Bowl on Wednesday.

in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. This was the Mean Greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first postseason appearance in nine years.

HEART OF DALLAS BOWL NORTH TEXAS UNLV

Duke in ATLANTA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; If this was Johnny Manzielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last college game he lived up to his nickname.

Johnny Football led No. 20 Texas A&M to another comeback win, 52-48 over No. 22 Duke on Tuesday night in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

36 14

DALLAS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Derek Thompson threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, Brelan Chancellor scored twice and North Texas dominated the second half Wednesday to beat UNLV 36-14

TUESDAY CHICK-FIL-A TEXAS A&M DUKE

52 48

UCLA VIRGINIA TECH

42 12

EL PASO, Texas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Brett Hundley and the UCLA Bruins made it look easy in the Sun Bowl â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at the expense of Virginia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense.

The UCLA quarterback had 86- and 7-yard touchdown runs and finished with 161 yards on 10 carries in the No. 17 Bruinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 42-12 win over the Hokies on Tuesday.

ADVOCARE V100 BOWL ARIZONA BOSTON COLLEGE

42 19

SHREVEPORT, La. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Deem Carey had another vintage performance in Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisive 42-19 victory over Boston College in the Advocare V100 Bowl on Tuesday.

BOWL SCHEDULE College Football Bowl Glance The Associated Press Tuesday, Dec. 31 AdvoCare V100 Bowl At Shreveport, La. Arizona 42, Boston College 19 Sun Bowl At El Paso, Texas UCLA 42, Virginia Tech 12 Liberty Bowl At Memphis, Tenn.

Mississippi State 44, Rice 7 Chick-fil-A Bowl At Atlanta Texas A&M 52, Duke 48 Wednesday, Jan. 1 Heart of Dallas Bowl At Dallas North Texas 36, UNLV 14 Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Nebraska 24, Georgia 19 Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. South Carolina 34, Wisconsin 24 Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. LSU 21, Iowa 14 Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif.

Michigan State 24, Stanford 20 Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz.

Baylor (11-1) vs. UCF (11-1), late

Today Sugar Bowl At New Orleans Alabama (11-1) vs. Oklahoma (10-2), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) Friday Orange Bowl At Miami Ohio State (12-1) vs. Clemson (10-2), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Cotton Bowl At Arlington, Texas Missouri (11-2) vs. Oklahoma State (10-2), 7:30 p.m. (FOX) Saturday BBVA Compass Bowl At Birmingham, Ala. Vanderbilt (8-4) vs. Houston (8-4), 1 p.m. (ESPN) Sunday GoDaddy.com Bowl At Mobile, Ala. Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Ball State (10-2), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 6 BCS National Championship At Pasadena, Calif.

Florida State (13-0) vs. Auburn (12-1), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 18 East-West Shrine Classic At St. Petersburg, Fla. East vs. West, 4 p.m. (NFLN) Saturday, Jan. 25 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. South vs. North, 4 p.m. (NFLN)

From wire reports

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CAPITAL ONE BOWL

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

(8) SOUTH CAROLINA 34, (19) WISCONSIN 24 Wisconsin 0 14 3 7—24 South Carolina 7 6 7 14—34 First Quarter SC_Ellington 39 pass from Shaw (Fry kick), :41.

Second Quarter Wis_Arneson 1 pass from Stave (Russell kick), 12:45.

SC_Shaw 9 pass from Ellington (run failed), 6:48.

Wis_Duckworth 3 pass from Stave (Russell kick), :13.

Third Quarter Wis_FG Russell 35, 11:19.

SC_Ellington 22 pass from Shaw (Fry kick), 3:29.

Fourth Quarter SC_Adams 3 pass from Shaw (Fry kick), 11:05.

Wis_Doe 91 kickoff return (Russell kick), 10:54.

SC_Shaw 1 run (Fry kick), 5:48.

A_56,629.

Wis SC First downs 21 20 Rushes-yards 43-293 34-117

Passing Comp-Att-Int Return Yards Punts-Avg. Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession

117 16-26-3 0 0-0.0 1-1 2-15 29:26

321 23-26-0 4 3-33.7 2-2 4-23 30:34

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Wisconsin, Gordon 25-143, White 12-107, Clement 1-32, D.Watt 1-8, Phillips 1-7, Stave 3-(minus 4). South Carolina, Davis 9-49, Shaw 16-47, Wilds 3-16, P.Cooper 2-9, Carson 1-0, Team 3-(minus 4).

PASSING_Wisconsin, Stave 9-13-1-80, Phillips 7-12-2-37, Meyer 0-1-0-0. South Carolina, Shaw 22-25-0-312, Ellington 1-1-0-9.

RECEIVING_Wisconsin, Abbrederis 5-30, Pedersen 3-50, White 2-8, Duckworth 2-7, Wozniak 1-7, Erickson 1-6, Doe 1-3, Arneson 1-1, Gordon 0-5. South Carolina, Ellington 6-140, Roland 6-112, Jones 3-25, Adams 3-17, Davis 2-10, Shaw 1-9, Wilds 1-8, Jeffery 1-0.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina wide receiver Shaq Roland, left, grabs a pass in front of Wisconsin cornerback Sojourn Shelton (8) during the Gamecocks’ 34-24 victory in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday.

USC from Page B1 in No. 8 South Carolina’s 34-24 win over No. 19 Wisconsin before a crowd of 56,629 at Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

It was the Gamecocks’ (11-2) third straight bowl victory over a Big Ten opponent, and their third straight 11-win season. For the Badgers (9-4), it was their fourth straight bowl loss.

It was also the storybook ending to Shaw’s career — passing, receiving and rushing for a touchdown on his way to being named the Capital One Bowl MVP. Shaw completed 22-of-25 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He iced the game with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

For the Gamecocks’ all-time winningest quarterback, that 9-yard touchdown catch felt awfully sweet.

“We’ve had that play in for about three years, but we don’t put it in every game,” Spurrier said. “We were at breakfast today, and I told Connor we were going to throw the one back to you. We had another one with Bruce coming around and the tight end sneaking out in the corner or something like that. I said, ‘Throw the one back to the quarterbacks.’”

Offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott wanted Ellington to throw to the tight end. Knowing Shaw wanted a receiving touchdown, Spurrier put his foot down.

“I told him, ‘We were going to throw it to Connor first. So we are going to throw it to Connor,’” Spurrier said. “I don’t listen to Coach Elliott all the time. …

Bruce threw a good ball. Connor had a good little acting job. He hands it off and acts like he’s not going anywhere. The guy hesitated just a moment, and we were able to break behind him.”

It was fitting Shaw caught the pass from Ellington. While the quarterback received accolades — as quarterbacks are wont to do — Ellington had the best game of his career.

The junior receiver caught six passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. With each reception, the degree of difficulty seemed to climb. These weren’t screen passes or simple button hooks. They were oohs and aahs.

At one point, on a critical fourth down in the third quarter, Wisconsin’s secondary blanketed Ellington as he ran downfield. It didn’t matter. He tipped the pass in midair with one hand, ran under the deflection and kept a touchdown drive alive.

“Bruce had a heck of a game,” Spurrier said.

“Makes more big plays as receiver, I think, than almost any other receiver I’ve coached out of 25 years or so. He came down with a big catch when we need it.”

South Carolina’s victory signified the end of an era. While the Gamecocks are young and should be very good next year, they’ll lose two All-Americans on the defensive line. Jadeveon Clowney and Kelcy Quarles will leave school early to pursue the NFL Draft.

Then, there’s the quarterback.

Shaw wasn’t always a fan favorite. At times in his career, he split snaps with backup Dylan Thompson. There has been criticism, justified or not.

At the end Wednesday, after a five-touchdown performance in his final college game, Spurrier reserved some of his highest praise for South Carolina’s MVP. “I’ve had a lot of good ones, and Connor is right there among the best. No question about it,” Spurrier said. “We’ve won a bunch of games, 33-6 now in the last three years. And to finish like this, even all my years at Florida we never finished like this. Of course, we had to play FSU last game every year in the bowl games, but to win the last six in a row I guess the last two years and in other years maybe four or five in a row has been special.

“It’s because of guys like Connor. Connor can take care of the ball and make plays when the game’s on the line, and the game was on the line a whole bunch of plays today.”

BRUNSON from Page B1 caller in South Carolina history is his ability to run with the football. However, he has developed into an outstanding passing quarterback. He may not have the arm strength to make it in the National Football League, but the performance he had against the Badgers showed he had more than enough for the college game.

Sure, there were some passes in the flat that Shaw threw, but there were several passes thrown downfield. And Shaw was on target on most of them. There were several passes he threw that were thrown in a little box that only his target could make the catch. With just three incompletions, they generally did.

Shaw, who threw 25 touchdown passes this season against just one interception, did a tremendous job utilizing all of his weapons. Of course, Ellington was the main target with six catches for 140 yards and two TD

catches, but Shaq Roland had six catches for 112 yards as well.

In all, Shaw completed passes to seven different teammates.

And while Shaw couldn’t have ended his career in better fashion, the Gamecock defense gave him the opportunity to do so.

Trailing 14-13 at halftime, USC stiffened and held Wisconsin to a field goal on its first possession of the second half.

In perhaps his only poor moment of the game, Shaw coughed up the football on a run with the Badgers recovering in USC territory.

The defense held again and this time Wisconsin missed the field goal.

And then there was the stop the defense made on fourth down and one yard to go at the Carolina 26-yard line early in the fourth quarter clinging to a 20-17 lead. South Carolina responded with a TD drive to take control of the game.

Remember the panic that set in about

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney walks around the field carrying the trophy the Gamecocks received for defeating Wisconsin 34-24 in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. After the game, Clowney announced he will enter this year’s NFL draft.

BOWL from Page B1

onship ain’t bad, either.”

Clowney: “I’ve never lost a bowl game. Never lost to Clemson, either.”

MCEVOY ON D

Wisconsin had three turnovers in the fourth quarter. South Carolina in its 31-17 victory over Clemson forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Tanner McEvoy started his college career as a South Carolina quarterback but transferred to Wisconsin and was converted into a safety.

The 6-6, 223-pound sophomore made three tackles against his former school.

11-2 X 3

RECORD BREAKING

Spurrier went on about South Carolina’s “identical” three straight 11-2 seasons.

“I mean, think about it,” he said. “We went 6-2 in the conference, 11-2, win a bowl game, beat Clemson in all three. They’re identical years, almost.”

It was Spurrier’s 300th game as a head coach (219-79-2).

South Carolina with 438 yards against Wisconsin set a school record for total offense in a season, 5,880. The previous record was 5,499 in 2010.

junior season.

TURNOVER HAT TRICK

CLEMSON ZINGERS

Spurrier and Clowney got in postgame jabs at the arch-rival. Spurrier, upon accepting the Capital One Bowl trophy in an on-field ceremony. told the crowd that while two wins in Orlando in three years was fun, “that state champi-

SKAI HIGH

Linebacker Skai Moore with two interceptions Wednesday finished as the team leader for the season with four.

He also intercepted passes against Mississippi State and Clemson.

Freshman Spur linebacker Jordan Diggs had a career-high six tackles.

Freshman cornerback Rico McWilliams made his first college start (Victor Hampton was benched for one play for disciplinary reasons).

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS

USC wide receiver Bruce Ellington (23) had six catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns during the Gamecocks’ 34-24 victory over Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl on Wednesday. With the win, Carolina picked up its third straight 11-win season, a first in school history.

the defense in the first few games of the season? It was gone over the last half of the season. The defense returned to the ballhawking, big play de-

fense it was during the first two 11-2 seasons.

A third straight 11-2 season couldn’t have ended in much better fashion for USC, on either side of the ball.

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OBITUARIES

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

HENRY L. NATHANIEL Henry Lee “Butch” Nathaniel, 61, departed this life on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, at St. Joseph Catholic Medical Center, Savannah, Ga. Born Feb. 12, 1952, in Dalzell, he was the son NATHANIEL of the late Odessa Nathaniel Bolden. Butch, as he was affectionately called, was reared in the Christian environment home of his grandparents, the late Rev. Henry and Susan Nathaniel. He attended and joined Joshua Baptist Church in his early youth, where he sang with the choir and served on the usher board.

He attended Ebenezer High School and was a graduate of Lincoln High School, class of 1970. He attended Morris College in Sumter from 1970 until 1972.

Thereafter, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving six years, where he received numerous citations and an honorable discharge.

Butch was then convinced by his grandmother that he would go to school. He enrolled and attended the following colleges: Fordham University, where he pursued a degree in education; Dorsferry University, where he re-

ceived a bachelor’s degree in science; and Syracuse University, where he received a master’s degree in business. He was also engaged in modeling and acting classes at Utica University, Utica, N.Y. It took an act of Congress to get him to quit because he strongly believed in education and instilled it into all his younger nieces, nephews and cousins. While attending Morris College, he was the head chef at Big Jim’s, where he took an interest in cooking.

Butch prepared many dishes which we all enjoyed, most especially his “Po Man Cheesecake.” That was everyone’s favorite. After finishing college, he relocated to California, where he met and married Kathie Morman. To this union two sons were born.

He leaves to cherish his memories and those that will miss him dearly: his children, Brandon L. (Erin) Nathaniel of Loma Linda, Calif., and Zeffrum B. (Brianna) of Kelseyville, Calif.; two brothers, James E. (Roslind) Nathaniel of Savannah, Ga., and William A. Bolden of Midway, Ga.; one sister, Vanessa (Edward) Blanding of Sumter; three grandchildren, Leah Rose of Loma Linda, Calif., and Drayton Mark and Ziva Sopfia of

Kelseyville, Calif.; two uncles, Deacon Paul (Rosa) Nathaniel and Willie Martin; four aunts, Queenie Kind, Susan Martin, Louise Kind and Jannette (James) Jenkins, all of Sumter; six nephews; two nieces; two grandnieces; and a host of very close cousins who called him “Uncle Butch,” other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Joshua Baptist Church, 5200 Live Oak Road, Dalzell, with the Rev. Eugene G. Dennis, pastor, eulogist, the Rev. Dorothy P. Maple, presiding, assisted by the Rev. William Jefferson, the Rev. Frank Williams Jr., the Rev. Aaron James, the Rev. Jannette Jenkins and Minister Elijah Bradford.

The family is receiving friends and relatives at the home of James and the Rev. Jannette Jenkins, 511 W. Oakland Ave., Sumter.

The remains will be placed in the church at noon.

The funeral procession will leave from the home at 12:20 p.m.

Floral bearers will be cousins and classmates.

Pallbearers will be cousins, nephews and classmates.

Burial will be in Mount Carmel Cemetery, Dalzell.

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

Visit us on the web at williamsfuneralhomeinc.com.

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

CHARLES T. BROTHERTON Jr. DALZELL — Charles Thomas “Junior” Brotherton Jr., 47, husband of Susanne Preusser Brotherton, died Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, at his home.

Born in Laredo, Texas, he was a son of Laura Mae BROTHERTON Jensen Brotherton and the late Charles Thomas Brotherton Sr. He was formerly employed by Midlands Gas Co. and more recently was the service manager with McCarty’s Emporium.

Survivors include his wife of Dalzell; mother of Sumter; two step-children, Jason Oakes (Lori) of Sumter and Lorraine Oakes of Dalzell; five brothers, John Brotherton (Janet) of Newland, N.C., Robert Brotherton (Karen) of Springfield, Mo., David

THE ITEM

Brotherton (Amy) of California, Paul Brotherton (Linda) of Sumter and Tyler Brotherton of Spartanburg; and two sisters, Rose Marie Sestokas (Terrance) of Sumter and Ruth Ann Meyers (Don David) of Omaha, Neb. He was preceded in death by a nephew, Ryan Brotherton.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m.

Friday in the ElmoreCannon-Stephens Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Michael Bowman officiating.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday at ElmoreCannon-Stephens Funeral Home.

The family would like to express a special thanks to the staff of Tuomey Hospice for all of their care and compassion.

Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.

WILLIE McCANTS Sr. SUMMERTON — Willie “Pompey” McCants Sr., 84, died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013, at Windsor Manor Nursing Home, Summerton. He was born Oct. 22, 1932, in Clarendon County, a McCANTS son of the

B5

late Hattie McCants Cooper and stepson of John Fleet Cooper.

Celebratory services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Hayes F. & LaNelle J. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel, 114 N. Church St., Manning. The Rev. Bennie McCants, pastor of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Alcolu, is officiating.

The family is receiving friends at the home of his sister, Johnnie Mae Benbow, 111 Depot St., Manning.

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

FRED MARTIN Jr. FLORENCE — Fred Martin Jr., 74, devoted husband of Dorothy Bates Martin, exchanged time for eternity on Monday, Dec. 30, 2013, at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Born on Oct. 5, 1939, in Manning, he was a son of the late Fred Martin Sr. and the late Helen Burgess Martin.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the residence, 1252 George Conyers Road, Ram Bay Community, Manning.

Funeral services are incomplete and will be announced by the Fleming & Delaine Funeral Home & Chapel.

SEE OBITUARIES, PAGE B6

SPORTS

|

Beasley unsure of NFL status

Swinney, Meyer contrast in styles but still winners

BY AARON BRENNER Post and Courier

BY AARON BRENNER Post and Courier FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Now it’s Vic Beasley’s turn to mull it over.

On Monday, Sammy Watkins indicated he’s likely to leave Clemson for the NFL Draft next spring.

Beasley, a defensive end with 12 sacks who earned All-American honors by some publications, told reporters Tuesday he received a second-round draft grade from the NFL Draft Advisory board, a grade the coaches shared with Beasley in recent days.

Beasley said in early December if he received a first-round draft grade, he was certain he’d forego his senior year. But if it was a second- or third-round grade, he’d have a decision to make.

“I haven’t really considered thinking about it,” Beasley said Tuesday. “Just focused on this game. And I’ll decide after the game.”

Beasley was asked if he’s disappointed he wasn’t a first-round projection.

“Nah, nah,” Beasley said. “I know I can move up into the first round if I decide to come back.”

Beasley also knows Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins received a second-round grade last year, and was able to sneak into the No. 27 overall pick by the Houston Texans.

Beasley (6-2, 235) has 20 sacks over the past two years.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson junior defensive end Vic Beasley hasn’t decided if he’ll forego his senior season and enter this year’s National Football League draft after getting word he received a second-round draft grade.

“He’s got the uncanny quickness and explosiveness, a short-area burst,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “Top that with, he doesn’t have great size but he’s got incredible strength and ability to leverage. So he can play like a 265-pound guy like he needs to against bigger opponents.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney has repeatedly insisted his philosophy is only sure-fire first-round talents (such as Watkins) should leave college football before they complete their eligibility. He won’t change his mind for Beasley.

“I’ve always been consistent with that,” Swinney said. “From a business standpoint, and in life, finishing school and an opportunity to move up, he’s a guy I think has legitimate first-round ability.

He’s got some things he has to do to put himself there.

“But that’s for each one of the guys to make a decision, and whatever they do, I’ll support them.”

GOOD AS GURLEY

Clemson’s been pretty good stopping the run this year, bottling up Boston College’s Andre Williams and South Carolina’s Mike Davis, but Georgia’s Todd Gurley

got the best of the Tigers in the opener.

Ohio State senior Carlos Hyde, a 235-pound tailback, isn’t too concerned about outdoing the likes of Williams and Davis.

“I actually watched the film on the Georgia game. Their running back had success. I haven’t really watched much of the South Carolina game,” Hyde said.

“Like you said, the quarterback (Connor Shaw) did good. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for which running back did good against them, and the Georgia running back had a pretty good day.”

The Tigers allowed three 100-yard rushers this year: Gurley (154), Syracuse’s Jerome Smith (125) and Georgia Tech’s Robert Godhigh (126).

Hyde has reached at least 100 yards in his last eight efforts, after sitting out the first three games of the year due to suspension.

BUT WHO’S COUNTING?

Hyde was asked what a perfect Orange Bowl would be for him.

“Perfect ending for me would be beating 226. That’s the most rushing yards in the Orange Bowl,” Hyde said.

“And the win. So that would be the perfect way to go out.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Separated by an 18-mile commute on Interstate 95, an hour and a half apart, Dabo Swinney’s and Urban Meyer’s post-practice interview sessions were clearly a contrast to one another.

Swinney, the chatterbox, was in true form with a dozen or so reporters waiting to check on Clemson’s first official practice Monday.

Swinney greeted them with a smile, and a tongue-in-cheek question on whether the media were staying out of trouble in south FloriSWINNEY da.

Meyer, the businessman, took his time making his way to a designated mark in front of 40 reporters, anxiously waiting to hear about the status of some deMEYERS fensive players for Friday’s Orange Bowl. Most of Meyer’s answers were under his breath and to the point, limited to a precious few words.

There’s no right or wrong way for head coaches to go about their business. Both Swinney and Meyer are considered winners, even if Meyer’s much further along in his career with two championship rings to show for it.

They’re their own men, who consider each other a friend.

Swinney has constantly voiced his admiration for Meyer’s accomplish-

ments, and Meyer has spoken favorably of Swinney and their relationship as well.

“Our families are very good friends, and we do that Nike trip together every year,” Meyer said. “I think he’s one of the top coaches in the country.

Lot of respect for him.”

They’ve gotten to know each other mostly through those Nike coaching camps around the country each February.

“I got some good stories on him. If I ever need ‘em, I got ‘em,” Swinney said, again with that boyish laugh.

“No, but it’s always good when the guy on the other side, you got a decent relationship with him and it’s not awkward or uncomfortable or anything like that.”

Going back a few weeks, when Swinney had more time after a Clemson practice to reflect on the Ohio State matchup, he spoke of a private dinner with Meyer on Dec. 11 at the Hard Rock Cafe Miami, when both head coaches were in town for an Orange Bowl function.

It was an eye-opening experience for Swinney, 44. He let Meyer, 49, speak openly about his transition three years ago, when he abruptly resigned from Florida for family and health reasons.

“Just like everybody else, I thought, wow, boy, that’s a big job, and that’s a big decision to see a guy step away,” Swinney said. “But he’s very candid.”

Meyer and Swinney each have three children. Two of Meyer’s daughters play college volleyball; Swinney’s three boys are approaching their high school years.

SPENCE from Page B1 against the Tigers.

“Those are guys that probably haven’t seen nearly as much action throughout the year, but they’re guys who have practiced every single day, taken those reps,” Fickell said. “That’s a part of the game, whether we like it or don’t like it. These guys all know it. What that does is puts

a little more heat on your guys that are leaders to say, ‘Come on, let’s continue to move forward.’ These guys are here for a reason.

They’re on scholarship for a reason.”

Marcus and Miller have combined for 27 tackles, five sacks and eight tackles for loss this season.

Spence is an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and the school said he will continue course work toward his sociology degree next semester.

He will be able to participate in spring football, but will not be eligible to return to the field until Sept. 13 against Kent State, sitting out games against Navy and Virginia Tech if the Buckeyes’ schedule doesn’t change.

B6

OBITUARIES

THE ITEM

MELISSA G. HOLLADAY MANNING â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Melissa Gaye Holladay, 45, daughter of Kermit and Gaye Holladay, died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, at her residence.

Melissa was born Dec. 10, 1968, in Manning.

She was a HOLLADAY member of Liberty Free Will Baptist Church.

She is survived by her mother and father of Manning; two sisters, MeAyn Atkinson (Stacy) of Manning and Megan Carter (Chris) of West Columbia; two nephews, Brandon Price and Ryan Atkinson; and a niece, Vada Carter.

She was predeceased by her grandparents, A.C. and Addie Mae Holladay and Luther and Anne McAllister.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m.

Saturday at Liberty Free Will Baptist Church with the Revs. David Carlson and Kenneth Upright officiating.

The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service and other times at the home of her parents, 3886 Brewer Road, Manning.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Liberty Free Will Baptist Church Steeple Fund, 2761 Liberty Church Road, Manning, SC 29102, or Free Will Baptist Home for Children, PO Box 229, Turbeville, SC 29162.

Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements. (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org SARAH F. PARKER Sarah Fowler Parker, registered nurse, 92, died Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at National Health Care Center in Sumter.

Born in Sumter, she was the daughter of Raymond Savage Fowler and Lillian Delgar Fowler.

Sarah was a 1939 graduate of Sumter High School, a 1942 graduate of Tuomey Hospital School of Nursing and licensed

by South Carolina as a registered nurse in 1942. She was a private duty nurse for Tuomey Hospital, then a nurse for the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clinic for a number of years and ultimately retired from School District 17 as a school nurse.

Sarah, also known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dee Deeâ&#x20AC;? (sometimes Deedy), was unselfish in her service to her church, community and family; she was a lifelong and active member of the Church of the Holy Comforter, serving as a Sunday school teacher and a member of the Daughters of the King. Deedy was a den mother for Den 4 of Cub Scout Troop 332; she served in various capacities as a member of the Junior Welfare League, and in her early years was active in the State Nurses Association.

She is survived by her son, G. Waring Parker, of Summerville; a grandson, Andrew Fowler Parker of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Sarah was predeceased by her parents; her husband, 2nd. Lt. George Waring Parker (killed while on active duty in World War II);

her brothers, Raymond Savage Fowler Jr., Harry W. Fowler and Nick Fowler; and her beloved daughter-in-law, Judith Gattshall Parker.

Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. today at the Church of the Holy Comforter with the Very Rev. Dr. John MacReadie Barr III, the Rev. Marcus Kaiser and the Rev. Joel Osborne officiating.

Burial will follow in Memorial Garden.

The family will receive friends following the service in the Church Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Church of the Holy Comforter, P.O. Box 338, Sumter, SC 29151.

Online condolences may be sent to sumterfunerals.com.

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

WENDELL PENDERGRASS Wendell Pendergrass, 41, died Friday, Dec. 27, 2013, at Providence Hospital in Columbia.

The family will receive friends at the home of his Aunt Laura Johnson, 1127 Washington St., Summerton.

Memorial services for Mr. Pendergrass will be held at 2 p.m. today in the chapel at Summerton Funeral Home LLC with the Rev. Wayne Brunson officiating.

Online condolences may be sent to summertonfuneralhome@ gmail.com.

Services entrusted to Summerton Funeral Home LLC, 23 S. Duke St., Summerton, SC. (803) 485-3755 GERALD W. HESTER Gerald Wayne Hester, 67, of Sumter, died on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, in Darlington.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Kistler-Hardee Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel in Darlington. The family will receive friends starting at 1 p.m. today at the funeral home.

DENNIS S. BARNETT Dennis S. Barnett, 70, died Monday, Dec. 30, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Born in Kane, Pa., on June 12, 1943, he was a son of the late William Barnett and Helny Segerlind Dayton.

Mr. Barnett served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and then worked for the U.S. government. He was a member of the American Legion Post 293, Waldorf, Md., VFW and the MRMA in Sumter.

He is survived by his wife, Garnett Carpenter Barnett of Sumter; brother, David Barnett; son, Scott; and daughter, Tiffany, of Erie, Pa. Private inurnment will be held in Florence National Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Tuomey Hospice, 500 Pinewood Road, Suite No. 2, Sumter, SC 29154.

Online condolences may be sent to sumterfunerals.com.

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

WILLIAM PRINCE The Rev. William Prince was born on July 18, 1932, to the late Durant and Lillie Bell Prince in Lee County.

He departed this life on Friday, Dec. 27, 2013, at the home of his daughter Linder Hardy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red,â&#x20AC;? as he was affectionately called, attended Martin Towne School in Lee County.

In his earlier years, he was very prolific in several trades. He was employed by Georgia-Pacific for many years until its closing. He was then employed by Washtub Laundry.

The Rev. Prince began his heavenly aspirations at a young age at Barnettsville Baptist Church in the Manville/St. Charles area, where he became a deacon. The Rev. Prince was ordained to preach the gospel in 1985. He pastored several churches in Sumter County. Before being called to â&#x20AC;&#x153;glory,â&#x20AC;? he was the Pastor of Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Mayesville.

Those who remain to cherish the loving memories of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redâ&#x20AC;? are seven children, Willie (Carolyn) Prince, Linder Hardy, Ronnie Prince, Cathyrne E. (Mark) Scott and Mary L. (Robert) Johnson, all of Sumter, Terry V. (Tracy) Prince of Carrolton, Va., and Negil (Valarie) Prince of Homestead, Fla.; 12 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; four sisters, Nola Bell Jenkins of Rembert, Wilhelmina P. Johnson of Darlington and Jessie M. Nickerson and Mary P. Smith, both of Irvington, N.J.; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and his church family.

Public viewing will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mortuary.

The body will be placed in the church at 1 p.m. Friday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Barnettsville Baptist Church, Bishopville, with the Rev. Wayne Montgomery, pastor, officiating; the Rev. Durant Jenkins, eulogist.

Interment will be in the Barnettsville Church Cemetery.

Family is receiving friends at the residence, 970 Manchester Circle, Sumter.

Jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements. Online memorials may be sent to jobsmortuary.net.

EMMA H. CHARLES Emma Howard Charles was born Feb. 13, 1931, to the late Sabie and Hattie Vaughn Howard in Sumter. She was the widow of Samuel Charles. She departed this life on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013.

She was educated in the public schools of Sumter County and Lincoln High School.

Emma, affectionately known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sister Charles,â&#x20AC;? distinguished herself as a Christian in Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. After marriage at Allen Chapel AME Church, she diligently served on the usher board, choir and many other auxiliaries for many decades. In

declining health, she reunited with Trinity, her home church. She was employed more than 40 years at Community Cleaners and 10 years at Exide Corp.

Coupled with her long years of service in her church and the workplace was her love for spiritual public service. Emma went on to accomplish much in the ranks in her beloved Order of the Eastern Star, where she rose to the position of Worthy Matron in her affiliated chapter.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Theresa Charles McFadden of Sumter and Horton (Tia) Charles of Kannapolis, N.C.; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Isabella Weston and Thelma Evans of Sumter; three sisters-in-law, Rita Howard of Virginia, Rosa M. Howard of New York and Edith Medlock of Georgia; a host of nieces and nephews; Robert Blair, a special friend of the family; and an adopted brother, the Rev. Ted Williams.

Public viewing will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mortuary with Order of Eastern Stars rites at 7 p.m.

The body will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. Friday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Salem Chapel and Heritage Center, 101 S. Salem Ave., Sumter. Interment will be in Hillside Memorial Park.

Family is receiving friends at 16 Robinson Lane, Sumter.

Jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements. Online memorials may be sent to jobsmortuary.net.

JESSIE B. JOHNSON Jessie Brown Johnson, 88, wife of Willie James Johnson, died Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Services will be announced by Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter.

(803) 775-9386

LESLIE W. GRIFFIN Sr. Leslie Wilbur Griffin Sr., widower of Neloise Stokes Griffin, died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Services will be announced by the Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter.

(803) 775-9386

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

BENNY N. BENENHALEY DALZELL â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Benny Nathan Benenhaley, 73, husband of April Griffin Benenhaley, died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Born in Dalzell, he was a son of the late Raymond Benenhaley Sr. and Rosalee Ray Benenhaley.

Mr. Benenhaley was a member of Long Branch Baptist Church and was a retired civil service employee at Shaw Air Force Base.

Surviving is his wife of Dalzell; a son, the Rev. Brian N. Benenhaley and wife, RaNell, of Columbia; a daughter, Adrienne Benenhaley Love and husband, Mike, of Dalzell; a brother, Raymond Benenhaley Jr. of Dalzell; a sister, Brenda Jones of Dalzell; and six grandchildren, Michael Love, Mason Love, Morgan Benny Love, Lauren Benenhaley, Claire Benenhaley and Henry Benenhaley.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Long Branch Baptist Church with the Rev. Brian Benenhaley and the Rev. John Cook officiating.

Burial will be in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Long Branch Baptist Church, 2535 Peach Orchard Road, Dalzell, SC 29040.

Online condolences may be sent to sumterfunerals.com.

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

WILLIE L. EVANS MANNING â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Willie Lee Evans, 65, died Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at MUSC in Charleston.

He was born March 21, 1948, in Alcolu, a son of the late John Earl and Malvola Harvin Evans.

At the age of 8, he moved to Bridgeport, Conn., and received his formal education at Bassick High School.

He lived there for 30 years. He returned to Paxville and resided there until his health failed, at which time he moved to Dorch Nursing Facility in Manning.

Survivors are three sisters: Rosa Lee Harin of Bridgeport, Bertha (Robert) Canty of Paxville and Mary Elen (Milton) Hardy of Vanceboro, N.C.; and one brother, Davs (Marol) Harvin of Sumter.

Celebratory services for Mr. Evans will be at

11 a.m. Friday at Hayes F. & LaNelle J. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel, 114 N. Church St., Manning with the Rev. Sam T. Spain Sr., officiating; the Rev. Hazel Charles, the Rev. Marie Harvin and the Rev. Melissa Harvin, assisting. Burial will follow in the Manning Cemetery, Manning.

The family is receiving friends at the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Bertha Mae and Robert Canty, 1622 Brown Road, Manning.

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

PEARLIE S. NELSON Pearlie Singleton Nelson, 84, widow of Archie Nelson Sr., entered eternal rest on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Born April 18, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Luke and Luevenia Gaymon Singleton.

She received her education in the public schools of Sumter County and was member of Antioch UME Church. She was a certified nursing assistant.

Survivors are two sons: Archie (Cynthia) Nelson and Danny (Jerlean) Nelson; one daughter, Margie Sharif; one sister, Louise Mack; one brother-inlaw, John (Irene) Nelson; three sisters-inlaw: Ernestine Moore, Elizabeth Nelson and Catherine Nelson; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. today at Antioch UME Church, Pinewood, with Pastor Barry Gadsden. Burial will follow in Antioch Memorial Garden.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 8665 Camp Mac Boykin Road, Pinewood.

Online memorials can be sent to comfhltj@sc.rr.com. Community Funeral Home of Sumter is in charge of these arrangements.

JAUNITA K. PENLAND Jaunita Kennedy Penland, widow of Charles Penland, departed this life on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, in Los Angeles, Calif.

She was born Nov. 12, 1935, in Clarendon County to the late Wesley and Rena Burgess Kennedy. She attended the public schools of Sumter. After graduating from Lincoln High School, she moved to Los Angeles for 50 years.

Funeral services will be held today at Inglewood Mortuary, 1206 Centinela Ave., Inglewood, Calif.

This is a courtesy announcement by Sumter Funeral Services Inc.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

COMICS

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THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

THE ITEM

B7

Family feuds over child of sister facing jail time

D

dear abby

EAR ABBY — My man to man searching for sister “Nicole” someone to love her.

How can I get my faked several mother to see that the pregnancies to keep her needs of this baby HAVE boyfriends around until they wised up. She is now to come first? Am I wrong to feel hurt and think my really pregnant by a marmother is choosing her ried man.

Nicole has a long crim- over me?

HEARTBROKEN inal history and has been in and DEAR HEARTout of jail for variBROKEN — Try to ous offenses. She’s make her undernow facing drug stand how traucharges that could matic it will be to a land her in jail for child who could the next 10 or 15 be as old as 10 or years. If she’s Abigail 15 to be handed found guilty, my VAN BUREN over to a virtual mother will get stranger who has custody of the no job, no money and a baby. long uphill climb.

My parents are in their Your sister may have late 50s and financially caalways dreamed of mothpable, but they’re not in erhood, but the most imthe best of health. Mom portant part of being a plans to raise the child parent — aside from lovuntil Nicole gets out of ing a child — is being prison because my sister PRESENT. If your sister is “always wanted to be a found guilty, she will be mom.”

My husband and I have absent long after her been discussing adopting child’s primary attachments will have formed. a child and would love to If this doesn’t convince adopt Nicole’s baby. If we your mother to change did, we’d get a child and her mind, you will have could provide the love, no choice but to accept safety and security my sisher decision. ter cannot. And the child P.S. Perhaps your father would get a stable home. will understand that what Mom feels Nicole “deyou’re proposing makes serves” to be a mom, desense and will speak on spite the fact that she’s your behalf. going to jail and flits from

SUDOKU