IN SPORTS: Jimmy Walker has 1-shot lead in PGA Championship at Baltusrol B1 POLITICS
Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg unloads on Trump A4 FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016
75 cents
| Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894
Delegate stresses need to vote Biden, Obama, Kaine impress Sumter group on 3rd night of DNC BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Barbara Bowman, a Sumter delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in Philadelphia, said Thursday the experience has reinforced her belief in the importance of voting. “That is the essence of all this; if you want to make a difference, you have got to vote,” she said. Bowman said the South Carolina delegation was hurrying to have its picture taken as a group early
Thursday afternoon. “You have to be together as a group,” she said. “You come to these things, and it's a privilege, but it is also work.” Wednesday night provided a powerful lineup of speakers, including Vice President Joe Biden, vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine and finally President Obama.
Bowman said Biden's speech was effective, and she was very impressed by Obama's speech. "The president said some things that made sense to me,” Bowman said. When the president mentioned Republican nominee Donald Trump, a round of
SEE DELEGATE, PAGE A6
Church serves people with special needs
SEE VBS, PAGE A6
SEE EVENT, PAGE A6
Above, Devon Chaplin blows bubbles while attending Bethesda Church’s Deep Sea Discovery Vacation Bible School on Thursday. Left, campers enjoy Vacation Bible School on Thursday at Bethesda Church of God. PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un watches a parade from a balcony at the Kim Il Sung Square in May 2016 in Pyongyang. The U.S. imposed sanctions July 6 on Kim Jong Un and 10 other top officials for human rights abuses in an escalation of Washington’s effort to isolate the authoritarian government.
North Korea: U.S. has crossed red line Leader: Nations on ‘war footing’ PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea's top diplomat for U.S. affairs told The Associated Press on Thursday that Washington "crossed the red line" and effectively declared war by putting leader Kim Jong Un on its list of sanctioned individuals and said a vicious showdown could erupt if the U.S. and South Korea hold annual war games as planned next month.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VISIT US ONLINE AT
the
.com
for a few hours. "It all started with a military wife whose husband was stationed overseas who came with an autistic son and a young baby," Dollar said. "She seemed really strained, and we said 'no problem' and watched her son so she could participate
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
in our church service." Dollar said the issue that many families with a special-needs child have is not having a church that can accommodate their child's needs. Dollar decided to start a special-needs service
BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com
knows me, God hears me, and God strengthens me." The church's special-needs ministry takes place each Sunday. Every three months, on Saturdays, the church also does respite care, where people from the community can bring their children with special needs
Concerned Clergy seeks to ease fears after violence elsewhere
A public meeting about strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and residents will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. The meeting is a collaboration between Sumter County Concerned Clergy, Sumter County Sheriff's Office and Sumter Police Department. The Rev. George Windley Jr., president of Sumter County Concerned Clergy and pastor at First Baptist Missionary Church on Washington Street, said the event will be an opportunity for the community to hear plans to strengthen community relationships directly from local law enforcement leaders. Windley said Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark III and Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis will talk about the race-relation discussions that are taking place within the agencies. This meeting aims to ease the fears of some members in the community after the recent events in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Dallas and will hopefully prevent something similar from happening in Sumter, he said. Windley said he has heard concerns from members of the community, mostly black men and black mothers, who are worried about their sons. After speaking with community members, Windley decided to call Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen to discuss the possibility of having an open dialogue about policing in Sumter. He said the shooting in Dallas took place as he spoke on the phone with the mayor. After the phone conversation, the mayor called Roark and Dennis to help organize the meeting, Windley said. They were all highly in favor of it, he said.
Bethesda creates VBS for the underserved
Special-needs children and adults oftentimes miss out on many summertime activities because they have nowhere to go. Bethesda Church of God in Sumter aims to change that. The church serves about 30 individuals with special needs, ranging in ages from 3 to 45, this week during its Vacation Bible School. The program, in its third year, grew out of the church's special needs ministry, said Gale Dollar, special needs coordinator. "Many of the participants would not be able to attend a typical Vacation Bible School program because of their diagnosis," Dollar said. "We want to accommodate them and serve in the best way we can." The theme of this year's camp is "Deep Sea Discovery." On Thursday, children were participating in waterbased activities in mini plastic pools and looking for seashells hidden in sand. The camp, going on Thursday through Saturday, also includes Bible lessons, arts and crafts, pretend science experiments and an imaginary submarine. "We try to have activities that are tactile, constructive and interactive, where they can work with their hands," said Rachel Ward, a volunteer with the camp who holds a master's degree in school counseling and runs an organization serving children with special needs. "Many of the activities are focused on refining their motor skills." The message is "God
Public, police to talk about enforcement, relationships
DEATHS, B6 Harry Montgomery Jr. Mamie G. Green Darlene Earp Joseph V. Brown Ralph E. Cottingham Maxie L. Coleman
James E. Thompson Cynthia C. Boykin Harsen Richardson Jakayla M. Robinson Virginia W. Leneau James W. Cline
Han Song Ryol, directorgeneral of the U.S. affairs department at the North's Foreign Ministry, said in an interview that recent U.S. actions have put the situation on the Korean Peninsula on a war footing. The United States and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises south of the Demilitarized Zone, and Pyongyang typically responds to them with tough talk and threats of retaliation. Han said North Korea thinks the nature of the ma-
WEATHER, A10 ANOTHER HOT ONE
Still hot today and mostly sunny with little chance of storms; tonight, partly cloudy and warm. HIGH 97, LOW 76
neuvers has become openly aggressive because they reportedly now include training designed to prepare troops for the invasion of the North's capital and "decapitation strikes" aimed at killing its top leadership. Han says designating Kim himself for sanctions was the final straw. "The Obama administration went so far to have the impudence to challenge the supreme dignity of the DPRK in order to get rid of
SEE TENSIONS, PAGE A6
INSIDE
2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 240
Classifieds B7 Comics A8 Opinion A9 Television A7