July 14, 2013

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Field of Dreams

Jurors acquit D1 Martin More water may mean more pests shooter From the Middle East

Horse farm looks to expand clientele, offer riding camps

VOL. 118, NO. 227 WWW.THEITEM.COM

BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com

With more rain, folks may notice more bugs coming inside. “Insects, like all animals, need food, water and a favorable environment to survive,” said Kevin Hathorne, a boardcertified entomologist and training and technical supervisor with Terminix Service Inc. “We’ve had plenty of that with the rain we’ve been getting, and it’s exploded their numbers. They complete life cycles at a faster rate and breed at

Church leader from Egypt to speak in Sumter A2

SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

a higher rate.” Some pests, such as mosquitoes, thrive in wet environments. They breed and the larvae grow up in water, he said. The state has at least 61 different types of mosquitoes, according to scdhec.gov, and mosquitoes in South Carolina may carry West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Only the females bite, feeding on the blood of humans and other animals to get the nutrients needed to develop their eggs. “Mosquitoes can become infected with viruses like West Nile when they feed

$1.50

Track precipitation in your own backyard BY MELANIE SMITH mbyer@theitem.com

You’re driving along in your neighborhood in the pouring rain, dodging d swimming-pool-sized potholes, and you turn onto your street, where the landscape is completely dry and your flowers still need watering. Ever wonder why this happens? So does the National Weather Service, and they’re recruiting you to help

them find out. Any U.S. resident can become a member of CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, whose SEE PRECIPITATION, PAGE A6

SEE WATER, PAGE A6

Do you believe in

MAGIC?

PHOTOS BY IVY MOORE / THE ITEM

Kids in the library’s summer reading program were astounded by the magic tricks. The reading program continues through Aug. 2, when the big wrap-up party will be Magician Sarah Dippity is amazed that her “assistant” held for participants at the Wesmark Branch library. Jason is able to join two metal rings.

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

es t c n u o n n A ce: ffi o w e n of his

smiled when the verdict was announced. He could have been convicted of seconddegree murder or manslaughter. But the jury of six women, all but one of them white, MARTIN reached a verdict of not guilty after deliberating well into the night Saturday. The jurors considered nearly three weeks of SEE ZIMMERMAN, PAGE A7

after which guns were drawn and shots were fired. No one was injured in that incident. But Goings thinks Johnson then ordered a retaliatory shooting that night, one allegedly carried out JOHNSON by suspects Rasheed Barshay Brandon, 23; Bryant Deante SEALS Bradley, 22; and John W. Stamps Jr., 25. Brandon is accused of knocking on Davis’ door about 10:30 p.m. March 22, 2011, before shooting inside the apartment Davis shared with his girlfriend when the woman answered. Davis died from a single gunshot wound about a half-hour later at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. “(Davis) was simply

BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

BELOW: Sarah Dippity’s comedy-magic show seemed to be a big hit with the boys in the audience.

ith m S . W ey Dr. Jefr he opening

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman was cleared of all charges Saturday in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen- ZIMMERMAN ager whose killing unleashed furious debate across the U.S. about racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice. Zimmerman, 29, blinked and barely

Murder trial begins with jury selection

RIGHT: Sarah Dippity delights the audience by turning the bamboo scroll into a fishing pole at the Sumter County Library on Wednesday morning. The performance of magic, puppetry and comedy was part of the library’s Dig into Reading summer program, which continues through Aug. 2.

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Zimmerman ‘not guilty’ of 2nd-degree murder, manslaughter charges

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Marie B. Gates Lila Horton Robert O. Jenkinson Sr. Thomas Robinson

Jury qualification begins Monday at the Sumter Judicial Center for a slate of trials, including one against a 29-year-old man the state Attorney General’s Office has accused of ordering a gang hit in March 2011. Mickey M. Johnson is not charged directly with the shooting death of 27-year-old Adrian Davis at Friendship Apartments but instead faces charges of accessory before the fact to murder, unlawful carrying of a pistol, pointing and presenting a firearm and criminal conspiracy. Assistant Attorney General Cary Goings has alleged Johnson leads a local faction of a gang whose turf includes the apartment complex where Davis was killed. Sumter Police Department reports indicate members of a rival gang came to the complex on March 22, 2011,

SEE TRIAL, PAGE A7

OUTSIDE OH, LOOK! MORE RAIN Partly sunny with a couple of storms; partly cloudy tonight. HIGH: 87 LOW: 70

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Sumter Nephrology LLC 115 North Sumter Street, Suite 305 in Sumter Medical Oice Building #1 (next to Tuomey Regional Medical Center)

For Appointments call (803) 938-5663 Board Certified-Nephrology and Internal Medicine Continuing to serve Sumter, Clarendon and Lee Counties

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INSIDE 5 SECTIONS, 34 PAGES

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