July 23, 2014

2 minutes a fugitive Man tries to flee near police headquarters WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

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BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 If you’re going to poke the bear, you’d better have one foot out of the cave first.

Sumter Law Enforcement Center on East Hampton Avenue emptied out like a rattled beehive Tuesday after a man wanted on larceMORE ny and trespassINSIDE ing charges decided to make a Sumter County run for it.

Sheriff’s Office According to charges 3 with reports, William intimidating a Paranto, 23, of 21 witness A2 Dew Drive, was supposed to appear before a judge Monday for a hearing on outstanding charges. He didn’t show.

Instead, Paranto reportedly decided he’d speak with the judge

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YOUR HEALTH

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

An officer handcuffs William Paranto during an arrest in the First Baptist Church churchyard in Sumter on Tuesday. about why he wasn’t able to make it Monday, so he went into the courtroom and explained his situation to the judge.

The judge, reports said, wasn’t having it.

Unsatisfied with Paranto’s excuse, the judge informed him that he would be served a bench warrant for missing court. At that point, Staff Sgt. Gerald Robinson approached Paranto to escort him to the police station.

“I was telling him he was being detained for the charges and was about to take him to the Law Enforcement Center,” Robinson said.

As Robinson was walking the offender out of the magistrate’s office, Paranto took a look around and decided he’d take his chances with a footrace.

Apparently, he’d forgotten he was standing at the police department’s back door before he took off.

Paranto ran across Hampton Street and veered into the churchyard of First Baptist Church, jumping a fence in the process. At that point, he had nowhere to go.

It was probably the best idea to go ahead and give up at this point

SEE FUGITIVE, PAGE A8

Bridge detour could strain smaller street

Are you shopping for a new doctor?

10 tips that will help you make the right choice A5 FOOD

Wacko for watermelon Try these sweet recipes

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Scientific proof that New Yorkers hate you A9

DEATHS, B5 and B6 Dr. Charles H. Andrews Jr. Charles E. Braxton Lula Mae Thomas Larry Johnson Sr. Jean Rogers Marguerite G. Gardner Rev. Manney C. Reid Raymond Pack Linda D. Roberts

WEATHER, A10

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

A truck barrels down Brooklyn Street, the road that will serve as the detour for northbound traffic when the Lafayette Drive bridge closes Aug. 11. The overpass is expected to be closed for more than a year.

TYPICAL SUMMER STUFF Expect thunderstorms later this afternoon and into tonight before clearing up

Lafayette Drive overpass will close Aug. 11

HIGH 91, LOW 73

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BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 If Brooklyn Street is part of your daily commute, you might have some company during the next year.

The two-lane, partly residential street is scheduled to become one of two official detours when the Lafayette Drive bridge closes in three weeks, re-routing one of Sumter’s busiest roadways onto a patchy stretch of asphalt running threequarters of a mile.

Those along the road a block east of Lafayette worry how the narrow

S.C. Chamber scholarships awarded to Sumter students

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 The S.C. Chamber of Commerce recently awarded two Sumter students with prestigious scholarships. After participating in the organization’s annual Business Week program, Amelia Macloskie and Wilfredo Anderson received scholarship money totaling $7,500.

Macloskie, a 2014 Wilson Hall graduate, received the inaugural Mechani-

MORE INSIDE Kids Count national survey shows poverty among S.C. children is getting worse A2

cal Contractors Association of South Carolina Scholarship for $2,500, and Anderson, a rising junior at Crestwood High School, received the most prestigious scholarship, the S. Hunter

SEE STUDENTS, PAGE A8

road will cope with increased Democratic candidate traffic. for governor Vincent “We get a Sheheen has plan to lot of walkimprove roads without ers,” said raising gas tax A3 Vivian Brogdon, co-owner of Sumter Machinery Co. on Brooklyn. “I see a lot of people pushing grocery buggies on the side of the road. ... I hope there are no accidents.”

Brogdon’s company sits near the railroad crossing, something the Lafayette overpass mostly allows commuters to avoid.

MORE INSIDE

“You can sometimes spend 10 minutes waiting on the train to pass,” she said.

The selection of a detour route can take a lot of factors into account, but the main advantage engineers with the S.C. Department of Transportation look for is proximity to the area affected by a closure. And regardless of its size, Brooklyn is simply the closest route for Lafayette drivers to use after the bridge goes down Aug. 11.

Officially, Brooklyn is the detour for northbound Lafayette traffic heading from Fulton Street

SEE BRIDGE, PAGE A8

Manning election remains in limbo

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 Residents in Manning City Council District 5 will have to wait until 10 a.m. Thursday to finally know who will replace the late Gregory Witherspoon as their representative on Manning City Council.

In yesterday’s runoff election, unofficial totals showed Julius “Jay”

MORE INSIDE Manning City Council talks about ways to avoid election problems A4

Dukes as the winner by one vote over Gloria Frierson, 48-47. Those unofficial totals were released to the more than a dozen political supporters,

SEE ELECTION, PAGE A4

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

3 jailed for intimidating witness

LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

CCTC Area Commission will meet Thursday The next Central Carolina Technical College Area Commission meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

The meeting will be held in the President’s Conference Room on the second floor of the M500 building at the college’s main campus at 506 N. Guignard Drive in Sumter.

Man wanted on murder charge killed by police ST. GEORGE — A man wanted on a murder charge in Norwalk, Connecticut, has been shot and killed by police outside a motel in St. George.

The U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release that 37-year-old Vamond Elmore was holding a gun as he tried to run away Tuesday morning from a hotel room near Interstate 95.

Authorities said officers shouted for him to drop the gun, but he turned it toward them instead and was killed.

U.S. Marshals, Dorchester County deputies and State Law Enforcement Division agents were working together to arrest Elmore.

BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 Sometimes, you just have to know when to let it be.

Deputies with Sumter County Sheriff ’s Office have arrested three Sumter men for reportedly intimidating the same witness.

Damien Waiters, 20, of 690 S.C. 261; Delvin Singleton, 20, of 2904 Dalzell St., Dalzell; and Lyndon Allen, 31, of 2440 Lisbon Drive, were all arrested Monday and charged with intimidating a witness after reportedly threatening a 19-year-old man.

“The victim is a witness in a case

against Waiters and Singleton,” said Lt. Robert Burnish of the sheriff ’s office. “Both were charged in connection to a string of burglaries in the Dalzell area about a month ago.”

According to reports, the three men approached the victim on Winkles Road and threatened him “with bodily harm.”

Waiters and Singleton each face three counts of first-degree burglary stemming from a June 19 arrest. Singleton had previously been released on a $100,000 surety bond on those charges.

Allen was arrested in April and charged with a laundry list of offenses in connection to a sevenagency investigation of a heroin

ring in Sumter. In addition to local law enforcement, the investigative team included members of the Drug Enforcement Agency; Homeland Security; S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; and Orangeburg Police Department.

Allen was served several warrants, including a handful of drug trafficking and manufacturing charges. He also faces at least two weapons charges, including unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

All three men are currently being held at Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, where they await a bond hearing.

A day in the life Linda Rains, left, a certified surgical technician in the operating room at Tuomey Regional Medical Center, hands out fullbody suits to college students touring the Sumter hospital Friday.

Rains has worked in operating rooms for 48 years.

Coast Guard rescues 2 sailors Tuesday CHARLESTON — A Coast Guard cutter has reached a couple in distress on a sailboat about 130 miles off the South Carolina coast.

The Coast Guard said the cutter Tarpon reached the 38foot Sea Heather about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. A 35-year-old man and woman on the boat had called for help Monday night, saying they were exhausted after battling the weather.

The couple was brought aboard the cutter, which is towing the Sea Heather to Charleston.

JADE REYNOLDS / THE SUMTER ITEM

College students visiting the hospital check out the operating room and instruments Thursday.

Chosen professions for the touring undergrads included doctors, nurses, a speech pathologist and one administrator.

PHOTO PROVIDED

CORRECTION An article in Sunday’s edition of The Sumter Item incorrectly listed the number of associates impacted by the Walmart Care Clinic in America. It will affect 1,000 associates in South Carolina alone.

National report says state’s child poverty worsens COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina still ranks better than only five states in the overall wellbeing of its children, according to the release of a national report.

The latest Kids Count survey, released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows that South Carolina’s children rank 45th in the nation overall in the ability of children to succeed. That’s the same as last year’s report.

The annual findings use a variety of indicators to come up with a state’s ranking, such as economics, education and health.

The report also shows that poverty among South Carolina’s children has gotten worse, rising from 23 percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2012. That’s about 288,000 children, according to the most recent data available.

Thirty-six percent of the state’s children lived in homes where the

parents lacked secure employment, an increase from 30 percent in 2008.

Nationally, the report shows that 23 percent, or 16.4 million U.S. children, are living in poverty. That’s up from about 19 percent in 2005.

South Carolina children improved in some education-related areas, although officials said the growth wasn’t enough. Seventy-two percent of the state’s children were not proficient in reading last year, a drop from

74 percent in 2005. Sixty-nine percent of South Carolina eighth-graders weren’t proficient in math, down slightly from 70 percent in 2005.

“Most alarming are the education and poverty measures,” said Sue Williams of the Children’s Trust of South Carolina. “With education, families can lift themselves out of poverty and greatly reduce the stressors that can lead to child abuse and neglect.”

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LOCAL | STATE

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

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13 suspects wanted in Sheheen’s roads plan doesn’t raise gas tax narcotics investigation roundup in Clarendon

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 Clarendon County Sheriff’s Department is conducting a narcotics warrant roundup and is asking the public to help locate several suspects.

“We have arrested five or six (suspects),” said detective Ricky Richards. “We still have a few more.”

Richards said the warrants are the result of several months of investigations.

Richards said if any of the suspects wish to turn themselves in, they can call the sheriff’s office at (803) 4358877.

According to materials released by the Clarendon County Narcotics Unit, the suspects being sought and their related charges are: • Shane Bennett of 1443 Jim Ross Road, Summerton: distribution of crack cocaine; • Sheldon Gamble of 901 Branchview Drive, Manning: distribution of crack cocaine, two counts, and distribution of crack cocaine in proximity of a school, two counts; • Darrick Devon Sweat of 112 Reardon St., Manning: distribution of marijuana, two counts; • Jaquan Edmundson Quzack of 17 Dukes St., Summerton: distribution of crack cocaine, four counts, and distribution of crack cocaine in proximity of a school, four counts; • Moses Oliver of Meadow Field Drive Apt. 7A, Summerton: distribution of crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine in proximity of a school and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance;

• Joe Tajharey Natron McFadden of 25 Starks Drive, Summerton: trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of weapon with serial number removed and resisting arrest; • Ricky Coard of 4509 Rev. JW Carter Road, Manning: distribution of crack cocaine, two counts, and possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, trafficking PCP and felon in possession; • Levon Dingle of 1434 Megan Lane, Manning: distribution of crack cocaine, three counts, possession of crack cocaine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a stolen firearm and felon in possession of a firearm; • Marcus Wayne Lawson of 1558 Brailsford Lane, Summerton: distribution of marijuana; • Leroy Mack of 225 Reardon St., Manning: distribution of crack cocaine, three counts, and distribution of crack cocaine in proximity to a school; • John Quentin Hilton of 1672 Mllett Road, Manning: distribution of crack cocaine and General Session bench warrant; • Jerome Felder, 1139 Furse Road, Summerton: distribution of crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine in proximity of a school and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; and • Frederick Jamal White, 1137 Otto Road, Manning: distribution of crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine in proximity of a school and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

POLICE BLOTTER ARRESTS Tommie Michael Stavis, 49, last known address 1245 Pawn Shop Circle, was arrested Friday and charged with failure to register a sex offender, second offense.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office was notified by Georgia authorities that Stavis was thought to have moved to Sumter County. At 12:27 a.m. Saturday, deputies located Stavis passed out in a broken-down car on Broad Street near Carter Road.

Stavis has reportedly resided in Sumter since June 19 without registering with authorities. He has a previous conviction in Sumter County for failing to register as a sex offender.

Trevor Adams, 33, of 3 Broad Court, was arrested Saturday and charged with driving under suspension, third offense, and being a habitual traffic offender.

SHOOTING At 3:45 a.m. Sunday, a gunshot was reportedly fired into a home in the first block of Ideal Circle. A bullet hole was reportedly found in the front of the home, and the bullet is thought to have passed under the house and struck a PVC pipe. No one was injured in the shooting.

At 2:55 a.m. Sunday, a resident of the first block of Ideal Circle reportedly heard a loud pop followed by her dog coming into the house with blood on its hindquarters. The dog appeared to have been shot, although it could still walk and “did not appear to be in any immediate distress.”

ASSAULT At 3:20 a.m., a 28-year-old woman in the first block of Wise Drive reportedly threw a water bottle at a man, poured rubbing alcohol down his back and scratched his arm with a pair of scissors before throwing the scissors at his head.

HARASSMENT At 11 a.m. Saturday, a woman reportedly received a call from someone with a “foreign-sounding” “Mideastern” accent who said he represented the “U.S. Trea-

sure Department” and told her she had a $25,000 rebate. When one listener identified himself as law enforcement, the caller reportedly became “irate,” “used obscenities (and) threatened sexual assault,” and “repeatedly said ‘in the name of Allah.’”

STOLEN PROPERTY Two desktop computers and a fax machine/printer were reportedly stolen from the 100 block of South Lafayette Drive between 6:45 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. Saturday. The items are valued at $6,050.

The coil was reportedly stolen out of an air conditioner in the 200 block of West Oakland Avenue between 5 p.m. Thursday and 10:11 a.m. Friday. The coil is valued at $3,000.

A 60-inch TV, its stand and a DVD player were reportedly stolen from the 900 block of South Main Street between 9:30 a.m. and 8:10 p.m. Saturday. The items are valued at $1,775.

Twelve-hundred dollars in quarters were reportedly stolen from a coin machine in a Laundromat in the 1000 block of Broad Street between 7 p.m. Friday and 6:25 p.m. Saturday, along with a $200 video monitor.

A stainless steel .38-caliber Taurus revolver was reportedly stolen from the 900 block of West Liberty Street between noon July 4 and 3 p.m. Sunday. The gun is valued at $485.

EMS CALLS On Thursday, Sumter County Emergency Medical Service responded to 52 calls. Fortysix were medical calls, two were motor-vehicle wrecks, one was a standby for the fire department, and three were listed as “other trauma.”

On Friday, Sumter County EMS responded to 48 calls.

Forty-three were medical calls, one was a motor-vehicle wreck, and four were listed as “other trauma.”

On Saturday, Sumter EMS responded to 47 calls. Fortyone were medical calls, one was a motor-vehicle wreck, and five were listed as “other trauma.”

COLUMBIA (AP) — Democratic candidate for governor Vincent Sheheen has his own plan to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to improve roads, but like many of the state’s leaders, he doesn’t want to raise South Carolina’s gas tax.

The chief part of Sheheen’s plan is having lawmakers come up with a plan during several years that ends with dedicating 5 percent of the state budget and surplus every year to repairing and building roads.

That would have raised about $350 million last year, and the state senator from Camden thinks with economic growth, it can give the state about $500 million extra to spend on roads.

It is well below the nearly $1.5 billion in extra funding the state Department of Transportation has said it would need during 20 years to bring South Carolina roads up to good condition. But Sheheen said it would be impossible for South Carolina to come up with that kind of money on its own.

Sheheen hopes to have all the extra money in place in five years, but he said he

would be willing to delay the plan if the state has a tough year or two economically.

He wants to use revenue growth to build up the road fund, instead of cutting from other areas.

Sheheen’s road plan would also involve borrowing money immediately for important projects that can’t wait, since the state has almost finished paying off bonds used to build schools 16 years ago. He thinks the state should concentrate on repairing roads and adding additional lanes where needed instead of building new ones. He also wants to reorganize the Department of Transportation to make it more accountable to the governor and the Legislature.

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley and potential independent candidate Tom Ervin have not given details for their road plans, although neither candidate supports raising the gas tax.

Ervin wants to eliminate the personal income tax and pass additional tax reform to provide money for roads and bridges and improve the economy.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

Manning Bodies removed from war zone discusses election glitches on the train. The crash killed all 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

Jan Tuinder, the Dutch official in charge of the international team dealing with the dead, said that at least 200 bodies were aboard the train and that more remains could be found once the body bags are examined fully.

In other developments Tuesday: ∙ Senior U.S. intelligence officials said they have no evidence so far of direct Russian government involvement in the shooting down of the jumbo jet, which investigators think was destroyed by a missile fired by separatists. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the most likely explanation was that the plane was shot down by mistake. ∙ In Brussels, the European Union spared Russia sweeping new sanctions for now. The 28-nation bloc imposed punitive measures against Russian individuals but didn’t target entire sectors of the economy, preferring to wait for a clearer picture of last week’s disaster and Moscow’s suspected role.

The release of the bodies came amid other indications of progress: The black boxes were handed over to Malaysia Airlines, and three airline investigators were given access to the site Tuesday.

Still, there was no sign of a full investigation, and it was unclear when one could take place.

computer room checking numbers on a screen.

Confusion and frustration soon spread among those gathered at the vote center.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Frierson said. “It’s not like we are running for president or anything like that.”

After about 15 minutes, Manning Election Commission member Margaret Walker emerged and announced the commission’s unofficial totals, which matched those released earlier.

However, it was also announced there were two challenged ballots that could change the election results.

Walker said the challenged ballots

would be reviewed by the commission at a meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, when the election would be certified.

Officials said there was no way to determine which candidates names were on the challenged ballots until they were reviewed and removed from the totals.

None of the officials present was able to say what procedures will be in place if the totals result in a tie vote.

However, the South Carolina Code of Laws calls for tie votes to be broken by another runoff vote two weeks after the election, meaning there is an outside possibility the voters of District 5 could be returning to the polls for yet a third time on Aug. 5.

BY SERGEI CHUZAVKOV AND JUERGEN BAETZ The Associated Press

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 MANNING — Mayor Julia Nelson and City Administrator Scott Tanner said at a Manning City Council meeting Monday they would take steps to avoid problems in future city elections.

“I am disappointed in some of these issues surrounding the election,” Nelson said. “We will coordinate our efforts to make sure these problems don’t occur in the future.”

She directed city staff to make periodic visits to the polls in Tuesday’s election and take care of any issues.

Tanner said he was in the process of locating and examining the original maps of the districts and gathering information from the agencies involved in the voting process.

“We want to find exactly where the inaccuracies are occurring,” he said.

During Monday’s meeting, the mayor reported on the success of the July 5 Red White and Blue Celebration and read a couple of letters from constituents congratulating the city on the event.

“The majority of people really enjoyed it,” she said. She also announced that next year’s event will take place on Friday, July 3, 2015.

She also spoke about recent awards the city received from the South Carolina Municipal Association. The city received the association’s Achievement Award in the 5,000 population category, and Manning resident Janet Meleney received the Main Street South Carolina Downtown Service Award.

In other action, council approved the first reading of an ordinance to increase the franchise fee paid by South Carolina Electric and Gas to the city from 3 percent to 5 percent.

While the franchise fee is charged to the utility, utility companies typically pass the expense on to their customers.

Council also renewed an agreement with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice for the secure detention of juveniles and authorized the submission of a grant application on behalf of Have Faith Community Development Corporation for infrastructure construction in Alcolu. The grant requires no match and would be administered by the city, Tanner said.

The council also gave approval to the city administrator to apply for a South Carolina Department of Transportation Grant for the Mill Street Streetscape Project.

“We feel like the cost will be about $248,000, but the DOT recommended we apply for the entire $400,000 available,” Tanner said. The grant requires a 20 percent match, he said.

“We think this will be a real catalyst for business on Mill Street to make their own improvements,” he said.

Council gave the Junior Chamber of Commerce approval to seek bids for an irrigation system in Gibbons Street Park.

Council also approved expenditures to support Let’s Move Manning at Gibbons Street Park and the Girl’s Talk retreat for girls ages 13-18 after listening to presentations on those events.

In old business, council was unable to let go of a 1964 Ford fire engine. The city has been offered $1,500 for the vehicle.

Councilor Clayton Pack said he thinks a local civic organization may be interested in the vehicle, and council was still unsure of its value. Since council had earlier tabled the proposal, they voted to decline the sale.

“It doesn’t mean we won’t sell it to you,” Nelson told the buyer, who was in the audience. “It just means we are not going to sell it to you at this time.”

KHARKIV, Ukraine — A train bearing the dead from the downed Malaysian airliner finally reached Ukrainian government-held territory Tuesday, but the pro-Russian separatists in control of the crash site showed little willingness to allow the full-scale investigation demanded by world leaders.

Five days after the plane was blown out of the sky, refrigerated railcars bearing victims’ bodies — gathered up after several days in the sun — rolled out of the war zone and into a weedy railyard in the city of Kharkiv.

The dead will be flown to the Netherlands, the homeland of most of the victims, for identification.

The Dutch government declared Wednesday a day of national mourning as the country prepared for the arrival of the first bodies in the afternoon.

It was unclear how many of the 282 corpses reported found so far were

ELECTION FROM PAGE A1 candidates and city officials at the Clarendon County Election Central building before election officials later announced the same results, creating some confusion as the votes were still being tallied.

“I feel great,” Dukes said after hearing the preliminary results. “I did a lot of hard work, and I am so happy that the people chose me. I will do all I can for District 5.”

Soon after his statement Tuesday night, however, election officials announced they had not released any results yet and remained secluded in the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A woman cries during a religious service held by villagers in memory of the victims at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday.

NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

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Check doctors’ vitals before they check yours Consider more than bedside manner, friendliness WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans consider insurance and a good bedside manner in choosing a doctor, but will that doctor provide highquality care? A new poll shows that people don’t know how to determine that.

Being licensed and likable doesn’t necessarily mean a doctor is up to date on best practices. But consumers aren’t sure how to uncover much more. Just 22 percent of those questioned are confident they can find information to compare the quality of local doctors, according to the poll by The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Today, 6 in 10 people say they trust doctor recommendations from friends or family, and nearly half value referrals from their regular physician. The poll found far fewer trust quality information from online patient reviews, health insurers, ratings websites, the media and even the government.

It’s hard to imagine buying a car without checking rankings, but checking out a doctor is much more difficult.

Many specialists say standardized measures of health outcomes are key, though very little is available.

Doctors who listen are important, but “some of the nicest doctors are the least competent,” cautioned Dr. Elliott Fisher of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Higher-qual-

ity care actually tends to be less expensive, by keeping people healthy and out of the hospital, and avoiding errors and the complications of unneeded care, he said.

It’s getting a little easier to compare multi-physician offices, if not individual doctors.

Online report cards in a few states have begun offering some information on quality outcomes from group practices.

By year’s end, Medicare plans to have released quality measurements for more than 160 large group practices, with more information on smaller clinics set for 2015.

Called Physician Compare, the online star ratings also will include patient feedback.

The goal is to spur better care as doctors check out the competition.

The arrival of large amounts of quality information “is a big deal. It’s a huge shift in terms of transparency and driving quality improvement,” Dr. Patrick Conway, Medicare’s chief medical officer, said.

Consumers think it would help. More than 7 in 10 say quality would improve if doctors had to publicly report their patients’ health outcomes and how satisfied they are.

The AP-NORC Center poll found about 1 in 5 Americans recall seeing information comparing the quality of health providers in the

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE? 10 TIPS FOR PATIENTS Referrals from another physician or family and friends are a first step in choosing a doctor, but specialists advise doing some research to finalize your choice.

Some tips: 1. The insured typically look in-network. Some insurers are starting to score their providers on certain quality and cost measures. Ask what your plan’s listing means.

2. Check if the doctor is boardcertified, which indicates particular expertise in an area such as internal medicine, gynecology, allergy and immunology. You don’t want plastic surgery from a primary care physician, said Doris Peter, director of Consumer Reports’ Health Ratings Center.

3. Check if a doctor has been disciplined by the state licensing agency. The Federation of State Medical Boards has a directory of state boards, plus a license search service for a fee.

4. If you need surgery or a specific procedure performed, ask how often the doctor provides that treatment to patients like you. Studies show volume makes a difference.

5. Interview the doctor. Do you want someone who discusses the pros and cons of tests and treatments upfront?

Avoid physicians who discourage seeking a second opinion, said Dr. Elliott Fisher of the Dartmouth Institute for Health

last year. Nearly half aren’t confident they even could learn if their doctor had been disciplined. (Some state licensing boards offer free online searches; the Federation of State Medical Boards provides reports for a fee.)

In choosing a doctor, not surprisingly the top factor is insurance coverage, the poll found. For the uninsured, it’s cost.

Eight in 10 look for the

Policy and Clinical Practice. Also, ask if the doctor has any financial relationships with drugmakers or device manufacturers, said Consumer Reports’ Peter.

6. Ask about specific health conditions. What percentage of their diabetic patients have their blood sugar under control? Do they follow national guidelines on cancer screenings? That’s the kind of information many quality programs are seeking. Fisher said physicians can’t work to improve patients’ outcomes if they don’t track them.

7. Team-based care makes a difference, he said. Is there a nutritionist to help diabetics control blood sugar? Someone who calls to tell the blood pressure patient he’s overdue for a check?

8. Ask how a primary care physician and specialist will coordinate care, perhaps via electronic medical records, so you’re not prescribed conflicting medications or duplicative tests.

9. Ask about after-hours care.

Will the person who answers the phone have access to your medical record?

10. Check if your state has any report cards to track health care quality. The nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance publishes online directories of doctors recognized for providing high-quality care for certain diseases or who are affiliated with “patient-centered medical homes,” practices it recognizes as meeting certain requirements for coordinated care.

doctor’s experience with a specific procedure. A nearly equal number say bedside manner — their impression after a face-to-face meeting and how much time is spent with a patient — is crucial.

About three-quarters say a helpful office staff and how long it takes to get an appointment are important. A majority, 62 percent, also factor how long they sat in the waiting room.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

Microsoft makes design central to company’s future Look for cool new devices soon ing bowl of cereal, as a notepad to be scribbled on with a digital pen at a business meetREDMOND, Wash. — Before ing and for watching a movie while sitting on your couch Ralf Groene helped devise the later in the day. look and feel of Microsoft’s Microsoft is putting an emSurface tablet, he designed food phasis on design excellence — or “food concepts,” he says, more than ever — to make its for people on the go. Among products more competitive them: dried noodles that come wrapped around a pair of chop- with offerings from rivals Apple, Google and Amazon sticks, a tubular meal that can be pulled with two fingers from and to prod its hardware-making partners to dream up new, a car cup holder base and a more innovative devices. In refork that squeezes out sauce. cent years, the software giant Though none of these ideas has put a priority on fashionmade it into production, the ing devices that work around principles behind them can be people’s lives, help reduce inapplied to computing devices formation overload and become that fit into busy lives, says intimate, personal and knowlGroene, and they are just as edgeable about their users. varied as the ones Microsoft And yes, Microsoft is even now uses to redesign all its trying to make devices attracsoftware and devices. tive, cool and desirable, top ex“In a way, we’ve designed Surface with very similar prin- ecutives say.

During the last four years, ciples,” Groene said on a recent Microsoft has doubled the tour of the Surface lab on Minumber of designers it emcrosoft’s sprawling campus in ploys to some 1,400. They have Redmond, Washington. “Surbackgrounds as varied as filmface is trying to dissolve into making, food and footwear. your day.”

While that pales in comparison Groene and his team deto the 64,000 engineers who signed Surface to accompany make up more than half the its users everywhere. It can be company’s workforce, designused as a tablet-style news ers are now shaping products, reader propped up on its kickstand while you eat your morn- building user interfaces and

BY RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ralf Groene, chief designer for the Microsoft Surface tablet computer, is seen with a Surface 3 Pro tablet in front of a milling machine used to produce parts for the computer, such as the one he is holding at left. As Microsoft competes with Apple and other companies for hardware sales, the software giant has put a new emphasis on design. mocking up devices with wood and 3-D printers.

“It used to be that engineers ruled the roost, and engineers would bring in designers to make icons,” says Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president overseeing personal computers, tablets and phones. “It’s changed now.”

Even as the company eliminates 18,000 jobs — most of them related to its purchase of Nokia’s devices unit — Microsoft is empowering people such as Belfiore and Groene to challenge conventional notions of what Windows devices can do.

Microsoft’s new design ethos is a break from the past — a time, not long ago, when the

company’s software was largely a workplace necessity housed in functional plastic that was crafted by other companies.

It’s no secret that Apple is the world’s most beloved technology company in part because its devices are sleek, comfortable and easy to use.

And Microsoft now wants to infuse its products with the same qualities.

Designers today are woven into the process, from the early stages of product development to the way products are marketed to consumers, Belfiore says.

Microsoft’s modern design philosophy draws upon the

minimalist Bauhaus movement, which stresses function over ornamentation, while adding in clean typography and swooping motions. This common design language is key to making Microsoft’s offerings seem like a related family of products and services.

With minimal market share in both tablets and phones, Microsoft has its work cut out for it. Yet a focus on design over compatibility under new CEO Satya Nadella means Microsoft can make products and services for non-Windows platforms, such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, and still retain the look, feel and functionality of the Microsoft brand.

THE SUMTER ITEM

NATION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

Obamacare hit by ruling, but subsidies will continue WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama’s health care law is enmeshed in another big legal battle after two federal appeals courts issued contradictory rulings on a key financing issue within hours of each other Tuesday.

A divided court panel in Washington called into question the subsidies that help millions of low- and middle-income people pay their premiums, saying financial aid can be paid only in states that have set up their own insurance markets, or exchanges.

About 100 miles to the south in Richmond, Virginia, another appeals court panel unanimously came to the opposite conclusion, ruling that the Internal Revenue Service correctly interpreted the will of Congress when it issued regulations allowing consumers in all 50 states to purchase subsidized coverage.

The White House immediately declared that policyholders will keep getting financial aid as the administration sorts out the legal implications.

Spokesman Josh Earnest said the adverse decision in Washington would have “no practical impact” on tax credits as the case works its way through the courts.

Both cases are part of a long-running political and legal campaign to overturn Obama’s signature domestic legislation by Republicans and

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Obama is seen at the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington on Monday.

Two U.S. appeals courts issued contradictory rulings Tuesday regarding subsidized coverage. other opponents of the law.

In the Washington case, a group of small business owners argued that the law authorizes subsidies only for people who buy insurance through markets established by the states — not by the federal government.

That’s no mere legal distinction, since the federal government is running the markets, or exchanges, in 36 states.

A divided court agreed with that objection in a 2-1 decision that could mean premium increases for more than half the 8 million Americans who have purchased taxpayer-subsi-

dized private insurance under the law.

Two judges appointed by Republican presidents voted against the administration’s interpretation of the law while one appointed by a Democratic president dissented.

The Obama spokesman said the administration would seek a hearing by the full 11-judge court. The full court has seven judges appointed by Democratic presidents, including four appointed by Obama.

The majority opinion concluded that the law, as written, “unambiguously” restricts subsidies to consum-

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ers in exchanges established by a state. That would invalidate an Internal Revenue Service regulation that tried to sort out confusing wording in the law by concluding that Congress intended for consumers in all 50 states to have subsidized coverage.

“At least until states that wish to can set up exchanges, our ruling will likely have significant consequences both for the millions of individuals receiving tax credits through federal exchanges and for health insurance markets more broadly,” the majority wrote.

“But, high as those stakes are, the principle of legislative supremacy that guides us is higher still,” the opinion added.

Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Pierce said the Washington court essentially got it wrong.

“We believe that this decision is incorrect, inconsistent with congressional intent ... and at odds with the goal of the law: to make health care affordable no matter where people live,” Pierce said in a statement.

In Richmond, the three-judge 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel was unanimous in its decision upholding the law’s financing.

The seemingly arcane issue is crucial to the success of the health law because most states have been unable or unwilling to set up their own exchanges. The inaction stems in many instances from opposition by Republican governors to the Affordable Care Act. The small business owners filing the lawsuit say the tax credits enacted by Congress were intended to encourage states to set up their own health benefit exchanges and that the penalty for not doing so was withdrawal of tax credits for lowerincome residents.

Supporters of the act say the purpose of the tax credit was not to promote the establishment of state exchanges, but rather to achieve Congress’ fundamental purpose of making insurance affordable for all Americans.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

LOCAL

THE SUMTER ITEM

BRIDGE FROM PAGE A1

FUGITIVE FROM PAGE A1

to Liberty Street. All southbound traffic will be directed down Harvin Street from Liberty and turn left onto Divine Street, just after crossing another set of train tracks. Both detours will be the main north/south traffic routes until Lafayette reopens in November 2015.

Part of the evaluation process involves looking at each detour route’s condition and whether it can withstand a heavier traffic load.

“We feel Brooklyn Street is in good enough condition that it can handle it,” said Berry Mattox, the assistant transportation engineer for DOT District One, whose office selected the detour route. “It’s got a solid center line, and it handles some industrial traffic already.”

Concerns about an increased traffic load ruled out using downtown Sumter’s other north/south bridge, the overpass on Manning Avenue, as a possible detour.

“Manning Avenue does have a weight limit for its bridge,” said Jeffrey Wilkes, Sumter’s resident DOT construction engineer. “That’s why it was not chosen for a detour.”

Crews from the local DOT maintenance office are examining the detour roads for any “corrections” that need to be made before the routes take on more traffic, whether that means filling pot holes or trimming back trees from the roadway.

“They will also evaluate the signals (at the stop lights), so the timing could be adjusted to allow for more cars,” Wilkes said.

That’s important because DOT always tries to direct detours so that drivers come out at a stoplight to better regulate the flow of traffic.

Of course, railroad crossing signals will be unaffected because the arms have to come down whenever a train is crossing the tracks.

Frankie Frye, the shop supervisor at Sumter Machinery, thinks Boulevard Road a block east of Brooklyn would make a better route because the tracks don’t cross directly over the road.

“If that train stop’s down, that’s a whole lot of traffic,” Frye said.

But engineers weighed their options and chose the quicker route.

“We looked at Boulevard, but that would have added an extra mile,” Mattox said, adding that engineers were more worried about traffic ending at the light at Brooklyn’s intersection with Liberty.

STUDENTS FROM PAGE A1 Howard Jr. Scholarship, for $5,000, which is awarded in honor of the organization’s recently retired president and CEO. Penny Cothran, multimedia manager for S.C. Chamber of Commerce, said having two students from the Sumter area receive awards this year is a great accomplishment.

“The S.C. Chamber only gives four, and this year five, scholarships to students.

These are our most prestigious awards for young students,” Cothran said.

“They’re basically selected as the crème de la crème of the close to 200 students who come to Business Week every year. The fact that there are two from Sumter is quite extraordinary.”

Antonio Riley, a Lakewood High School graduate and intern with the Business Week program, explained that Business Week is an annual program for high school students in South Carolina that gives them the opportunity to think about and solve problems in the business world.

Riley was also a recipient of the program’s Chelse Ward Elliott Scholarship in 2012.

“Basically it allows students to get the aspect of the business world. Students are selected to be company CEOs for the entire week, and they go through various amounts of business-type simulations.”

Business Week is normally hosted at Presbyterian College in Clinton in July every year. According to S.C. Chamber of Commerce, the program offers young adults the unique opportunity to interact with business leaders along with their peers to learn more about the ins and outs of a successful career.

S.C. Chamber of Commerce is the state’s largest statewide broad-based business and industry trade association. It represents more than 18,000 businesses across the state, 90 percent of which are small businesses.

Along with the two scholarships awarded to Sumter students, three other scholarships — the Rawl Family Scholarship, the Ron McNair Leadership Award and the Chelse Ward Elliott Scholarship — were awarded to students from Edgefield, Horry and Jasper counties.

MAP PROVIDED

This map show the detour routes for traffic when the Lafayette Drive bridge closes on Aug. 11.

because all the doors and exits to the yard were locked, and he’d already jumped the only fence in the yard. That fence was already blocked off by a swarm of ticked-off police officers.

According to the official report, Paranto fled at 11:36 a.m.

By 11:38 a.m., he was back in custody, a flood of investigators, patrol officers and other staff surrounding him as he was escorted to a police vehicle.

It’s fairly common knowledge among the street smart that running from law enforcement is a bad idea, especially on foot.

“The department places a heavy emphasis on being physically fit, and such an opportunity gives us a chance to test our abilities,” said Deputy Chief Alvin Holston. “We caught him in two minutes, so apparently we were more than up for the challenge presented.”

Holston further stressed the importance of cooperating with law enforcement during an arrest.

“It’s mutually respectful of the parties involved to cooperate with officers,” he said. “We don’t make the laws; we simply enforce them. Everyone has an opportunity to debate their guilt or innocence. That should be done in the courtroom, not while an officer is serving a warrant. Compliance is the best policy, as being cooperative helps resolve the situation peacefully.”

According to Richardson, Paranto will likely be facing a charge of interference in addition to his other offenses.

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

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

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Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Braden Bunch Senior News Editor

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

COMMENTARY

Are blacks in need of favors?

E

arlier this month, the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act was celebrated. During the act’s legislative debate, then-Sen. Hubert Humphrey, responding to predictions, promised, “I’ll eat my hat if this leads to racial quotas.” I don’t know whether Humphrey got around to keeping his promise, but here’s my question: Is it within the capacity of black Americans to make it in this society without the special favors variously called racial preferences, quotas, affirmative action and race-sensitive policies? What might a “yes” answer to that question assume and imply about blacks? Likewise, what would a “no” answer assume and imply? Let’s look at it.

There are some areas of black life in which excellence can be found without the slightest hint of racial preferences. Young blacks dominate basketball, football and some track-andfield events despite the fact that there has been a history of gross racial discrimination in those activities. Blacks are also prominent in several areas of the entertainment industry. Those observations mean that racial discrimination alone is not an insurmountable barrier to success.

By the way, I can’t think of any two fields with more ruthless competition.

Walter You say, “OK, Williams, evWilliams eryone knows about the success of blacks in sports and entertainment, but what about the intellectual arena?” A few inner-city junior high and high schools have produced black champion chess players, schools such as Philadelphia’s Roberts Vaux High School and New York’s Edward R. Murrow High School. Last year, two black teens — from Intermediate School 318 Eugenio Maria de Hostos in Brooklyn, New York — won the national high-school chess championship. All of this is in addition to quite a few black international masters and grandmasters in chess. Moreover, there’s a long list of former and current black inventors and scientists. So there’s no question that black people have the capacity to compete intellectually.

Civil rights organizations and their progressive allies, who all but suggest that blacks cannot achieve unless they are given special privileges, grossly insult and demean black people.

But worse than that, when civil rights organizations and their progressive allies pursue special privileges for blacks in college admissions and when they attack academic performance standards as racially discriminatory, they are aiding and abetting an education establishment that delivers fraudulent education. They let educators off the hook, thereby enabling them to continue to produce educational fraud.

You say, “What do you mean by educational fraud, Williams?” There are many inputs to education that are beyond the control of educators, such as poor home environment, derelict parental oversight and students with minds alien and hostile to the education process. But there’s one thing entirely within the control of the education establishment. That is the conferral of a high-school diploma. When a school confers a diploma upon a student, it attests that the student has mastered the 12th-grade levels of reading, writing and arithmetic. If, in fact, the student cannot perform at the seventh- or eighth-grade levels, the school has committed gross fraud. Even worse is the fact that black people, including those holding fraudulent diplomas, are completely unaware.

It has absolutely nothing to do with racial discrimination. In fact, black education is the worst in cities where blacks have been the mayor, chief of police and superintendent of schools and where most of the teachers and principals are black.

Racial preferences in college admissions give elementary schools, middle schools and high schools a free hand to continue their destructive educational policy. If colleges did not have special admissions practices for black students, there would be far fewer blacks in colleges, and the fraud would be more apparent to parents.

They might begin to ask why so many blacks with high-school diplomas could not get into college.

If the civil rights establishment and the progressives have their way, blacks will have to rely on special privileges in perpetuity.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. © 2014 creators.com

COMMENTARY

Welcome to Sumter. We’re happy, damnit

BY BRADEN BUNCH

N

ew Yorkers hate you.

But that’s OK, they hate everybody. And now, although too many southerners didn’t need it, we kind of have proof.

This long held belief by many south of the Mason-Dixon line was verified in a recent study published by the Wall Street Journal by Harvard professor and Manhattan native Edward Glaeser, who, along with Vancouver School of Economics professor Joshua Gottlieb, declared the Big Apple the least happy city in America.

New York, along with several Midwestern cities, held most of the bottom 10 in this scientific study of cheerfulness. Indiana might be the least happy state in America, since three of their cities made the bottom of the list.

But unlike many studies like these, it wasn’t reserved for just the largest metropolitan areas.

Even the little guys, those scrappy small cities looking to compete on the big stage, were evaluated, getting their chance to have their residential elation compared with the megalopolises of America.

So welcome to Sumter, the 62nd-happiest city in America.

Granted, it’s probably not the best bumper sticker fodder, but the Gamecock City held its own, landing right between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Yolo County, California. That’s right, we’re ahead of a place called YOLO,

which kind of makes sense, since most people chanting YOLO aren’t always necessarily happy, but instead looking for justifying the things they are doing in search of happiness.

Jumping off a cliff with a bungee cord attached to your ankles?

YOLO. Running with the bulls in Pamplona?

YOLO. Having that seventh shot of tequila?

YOLO, if not that long.

So, while Pharell Williams of “Happy” fame might not be Braden writing an ode to Bunch Sumter anytime soon, believe it or not, we here are above-average happy. We’re slightly-better-thanthe-norm happy. We have to be.

After all, a renowned Ivy League economist said so, so it must be true. Sure, we could be happier, but then again, we could be Florence, which finished 10 spots behind us, or Myrtle Beach, which barely made it into the top 100.

But the important message from the study might be to those younger adults amongst us thinking of moving from the area, in search of their glee. Take note: The study makes it clear; the bigger cities don’t offer what we have.

It’s not just New York. We’re happier than Los Angeles. We’re happier than Chicago. Or Dallas.

Or Atlanta. Or Charlotte. Or Las

Vegas. Charleston? Well, we can’t win them all, but we’re still close enough to where you can visit.

And those towns that seem to be teeming with 20-somethings?

We’ve got them beat, too. No need to move to Austin, or Asheville or Las Cruces, New Mexico. Actually, I don’t know anyone planning on moving to Las Cruces, but the study makes it clear: don’t.

Interestingly enough, according to Glaeser’s study, the happiest American cities are in Louisiana. In fact, the top five happiest American towns, starting with Lafayette, are in Louisiana, which could give credence to Louisiana claiming to be the happiest state. Having visited parts of Louisiana, I have my own theory on that. You see, the French influence in Cajun country is still pretty strong. So, it could be that, like the French, these people might also hate you, but in hating you, they find the thing that seems to make them really happy.

So, my younger friends, stick around. Build your fame and fortune with us. Grow with the Gamecock City with the reassurance that can only be given to us by a New England academic that the grass really ain’t so green on the other side.

Welcome to Sumter. Friendlier than Yolo. We’re happy, damnit.

Braden Bunch is the senior news editor at The Sumter Item. Reach him at (803) 774-1201 or at bbunch@heitem.com.

WHO REPRESENTS YOU 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) DISTRICT 7 Eugene Baten Vice chairman P.O. Box 3193 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 773-0815 (home)

SUMTER CITY COUNCIL

STATE LAWMAKERS

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 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

Rep. Grady Brown, D-Bishopville District 50 420 S. Main St. Bishopville, SC 29010 (803) 484-6832 Columbia: (803) 734-2934

Rep. J. David Weeks, D-Sumter District 51 2 Marlborough Court Sumter, SC 29154 (803) 775-5856 Columbia: (803) 734-3102

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

Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington District 29 1216 Salem Road Hartsville, SC 29550 (843) 339-3000 Columbia: (803) 212-6148

Rep. Dr. Robert L. Ridgeway III, D-Clarendon District 64 117 N. Brooks St. Manning, SC 29102 (803) 938-3087 Columbia: (803) 212-6929 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

NATIONAL LAWMAKERS

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

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)

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

SUPPORT GROUPS AA, AL-ANON, ALATEEN: AA — Monday-Friday, noon and 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 7751852.

AA Women’s Meeting — Wednesday, 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852.

AA Spanish Speaking — Sunday, 4:30 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852.

AA “How it Works” Group — Monday and Friday, 8 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 4945180.

Al-Anon “Courage to Change” Support Group — Tuesday, 7 p.m., Alice Drive Baptist Church, Room 204, 1305 Loring Mill Road. Call Dian at (803) 316-0775 or Crystal at (803) 775-3587.

441 AA Support Group — Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 8:30 p.m., Hair Force, 2090-D S.C. 441.

AA Summerton Group — Wednesday, 8 p.m., town hall.

Manning Al-Anon Family Group — Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Behavioral Health Building, 14 Church St., Manning. Call Angie Johnson at (803) 4358085.

C/A “Drop the Rock” Group — Thursday, 9:30 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call Elizabeth Owens at (803) 607-4543.

HIV/AIDS: Positive Outlook, through Wateree AIDS Task Force, meets at 11:30 a.m. on the third Friday of each month. Support group for those with HIV / AIDS, their friends and family. For meeting location, contact Kevin, peer educator and advocate, at (803) 7780303 or via email at watereeaids@sc.rr.com.

(803) 469-2616 or Carol at (803) 469-9426.

EFMP Parent Exchange Group — Last Tuesday each month, 11 a.m.-noon, Airman and Family Readiness Center.

Support to service members who have a dependent with a disability or illness. Call Dorcus Haney at (803) 8951252/1253 or Sue Zimmerman at (803) 847-2377.

TUESDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Connective Tissue Support Group — 1st Tuesday of Jan., March, May, July, Sept. and Nov., 7 p.m., 180 Tiller Circle. Call (803) 773-0869.

Mothers of Angels (for mothers who have lost a child) — Every Tuesday, 6 p.m., Wise Drive Baptist Church. Call Betty at

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2014

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A couple of afternoon t-storms

A t-storm early; partly cloudy

A strong p.m. t-storm in spots

Couple of thunderstorms

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Clouds and sun, a t-storm; humid

91°

73°

93° / 71°

88° / 71°

91° / 74°

94° / 74°

WEDNESDAY MEETINGS:

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 40%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 40%

Chance of rain: 55%

Sickle Cell Support Group — last Wednesday each month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., South Sumter Resource Center, 337 Manning Ave. Call Bertha Willis at (803) 774-6181.

Winds: SW 4-8 mph

Winds: SW 4-8 mph

Winds: WSW 7-14 mph

Winds: W 4-8 mph

Winds: SW 6-12 mph

Winds: SW 8-16 mph

THURSDAY MEETINGS: TOPS S.C. No. 236 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) — Thursdays, 9 a.m., Spectrum Senior Center,1989 Durant Lane. Call Diane at (803) 7753926 or Nancy at (803) 4694789.

Asthma Support Group — Every 1st Thursday, 6 p.m., Clarendon County School District 3 Parenting Center, 2358 Walker Gamble Road, New Zion.

Call Mary Howard at (843) 659-2102.

Alzheimer’s Support Group through S.C. Alzheimer’s Association — Every 1st Thursday, 6-8 p.m., McElveen Manor, 2065 McCrays Mill Road. Call Cheryl Fluharty at (803) 905-7720 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 636-3346.

Journey of Hope (for families members of the mentally ill), Journey to Recovery (for the mentally ill) and Survivors of Suicide Support Group — Each group meets every 1st Thursday, 7 p.m., St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive. Call Fred Harmon at (803) 905-5620.

MONDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Vitiligo Support Group — second Monday of each month, 5:45-6:45 p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. Call Tiffany at (803) 316-6763.

Find us on Facebook at Sumter Vitiligo Support.

DAILY PLANNER

FRIDAY MEETINGS: Celebrate Recovery — Every Friday, 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program, Salt & Light Church, Miller Road (across from Food Lion). For help with struggles of alcohol, drugs, family problems, smoking, etc.

SATURDAY MEETINGS: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Support Group — 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday, 3785 Blackberry Lane, Lot 7.

Call Donna Parker at (803) 481-7521.

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 90/71 Spartanburg 91/71

Greenville 87/70

Columbia 93/75

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 91/73

Aiken 93/72

ON THE COAST

Charleston 91/77

Today: Some sun; a shower or thunderstorm in southern parts. High 87 to 92.

Thursday: A stray thunderstorm. High 89 to 94.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

357.85 75.43 75.31 97.28

24-hr chg none -0.02 +0.01 +0.04

Sunrise 6:27 a.m.

Moonrise 3:44 a.m.

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

2.21" 4.44" 3.76" 22.86" 34.27" 26.55"

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

Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

87° 73° 91° 70° 104° in 1986 61° in 1974

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest.

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

Today Thu. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W 87/71/t 85/67/t 75/58/pc 77/59/s 96/76/s 97/77/s 76/57/pc 77/57/s 91/73/t 91/73/t 85/67/s 87/68/s 88/73/t 87/73/t 88/71/pc 79/65/pc 92/75/t 93/75/t 93/72/pc 82/65/t 113/94/pc 113/92/pc 74/59/pc 78/59/pc 94/74/pc 82/65/t

Myrtle Beach 87/76

Manning 93/74

Today: Some sun with a thunderstorm; humid. Winds west 3-6 mph.

Thursday: A strong t-storm. Winds west-southwest 4-8 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 93/74

Bishopville 93/73

Flood 7 a.m. stage yest.

12 2.33 19 4.18 14 4.67 14 3.18 80 76.37 24 7.25

Sunset Moonset

8:29 p.m.

5:58 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

July 26

Aug. 3

Aug. 10

Aug 17

TIDES

24-hr chg -0.01 +0.38 +2.39 +0.44 +0.13 +2.55

AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Thu.

High 7:05 a.m.

7:37 p.m.

7:55 a.m.

8:22 p.m.

Ht. 2.7 3.3 2.7 3.3

Low 1:52 a.m.

1:49 p.m.

2:41 a.m.

2:37 p.m.

Ht. 0.5 0.0 0.4 0.0

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 82/66/t 88/71/t 93/71/t 92/77/t 85/76/pc 91/77/t 89/72/t 89/73/t 93/75/t 92/74/c 88/74/pc 90/74/t 92/74/t

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 80/60/t 90/67/t 93/69/t 94/74/t 85/72/t 93/74/t 89/65/t 90/69/t 94/72/t 93/69/t 86/69/t 89/70/t 91/70/t

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 93/74/t Gainesville 90/71/t Gastonia 88/71/t Goldsboro 90/73/pc Goose Creek 91/76/t Greensboro 89/72/t Greenville 87/70/t Hickory 87/69/t Hilton Head 87/77/pc Jacksonville, FL 92/73/t La Grange 90/72/t Macon 87/71/t Marietta 84/71/t

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 92/71/t 90/72/t 88/65/t 89/70/t 93/74/t 86/65/t 88/66/t 85/62/t 91/74/t 93/74/t 89/70/pc 87/70/t 85/66/t

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 88/68/t Mt. Pleasant 90/76/t Myrtle Beach 87/76/pc Orangeburg 91/73/t Port Royal 91/76/t Raleigh 91/73/pc Rock Hill 89/71/t Rockingham 93/73/t Savannah 92/75/t Spartanburg 91/71/t Summerville 88/77/t Wilmington 89/76/pc Winston-Salem 89/72/t

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 87/62/t 94/76/t 90/72/t 93/71/t 94/75/t 87/67/t 89/65/t 93/68/t 94/74/t 91/69/t 91/74/t 91/72/t 86/64/t

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

PUBLIC AGENDA SUMTER CITY-COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Today, 3 p.m., fourth floor, Sumter Opera House, Council Chambers

SUMTER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARD Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 32 E. Calhoun St.

The last word in astrology

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’ll face both good and bad things today.

Refuse to let personal matters interfere with business and viceversa. It’s important that you don’t make impulsive moves based on unrealistic demands. A visit and heart-to-heart talk will help you make a decision.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refuse to be EUGENIA LAST jaded by what others do or say. Follow your heart and head in a direction that feels natural, enticing and opportunistic.

Doors are opening, but you may have to close some in order to take on something new.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep everything simple. Discuss your plans and form appropriate partnerships with people who have something to contribute. Be creative and you’ll be able to get ahead. Put a little passion into everything you do. Love is in the stars.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you cannot keep a secret, you may jeopardize an opportunity. Improve your work habits and your efforts will be recognized and rewarded.

Don’t overreact; doing so will stand between you and what you want.

Make positive personal changes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don’t make changes based on anger or assumptions. Use your insight and you’ll come up with a plan that will help you overcome any setback that comes into play. Show compassion and you’ll benefit in the end.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Make changes, but stay within your financial boundaries. Being the best that you can be and offering your time and services will help boost your reputation and popularity. Adaptability will help you get your way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Make plans and follow through. If you don’t do the legwork, no one else will. Show your strengths and encourage others to pitch in and help. You can be a hero if you show dedication and a desire to help others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Deal with tedious paperwork quickly and get on with your day. Romance should be high on your to-do list along with pampering, selfimprovement projects and making your surroundings more enjoyable.

An unusual meeting will lead to a creative project.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Jump in and make the changes that will make you happy. You may not please everyone, but you’ll discover who you want to share your future with. Anger is a waste of time. Make a move.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t feel obligated to please everyone else. You should be excited about any changes taking place as well. Bide your time and look for the secure route that promises to please everyone.

Incorporate smart living habits into your life.

LOTTERY NUMBERS PALMETTO CASH 5 TUESDAY

POWERBALL SATURDAY

11-13-14-22-28 PowerUp: 5

10-17-25-45-53 Powerball: 9 Powerplay: 2

PICK 3 TUESDAY

PICK 4 TUESDAY

2-3-9 and 6-3-9

4-2-5-5 and 7-2-9-1

MEGAMILLIONS numbers were unavailable at press time.

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC Sharon Phelps comments on her photo submission, “I found a lily bulb on the lakeshore and planted it. This is what I got from it a year later. Beautiful.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An interesting proposal will put a smile on your face. Cash will come from an unexpected source. An opportunity to start something new will show potential if you are consistent, methodical and disciplined.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Put more time and effort into home and family. Fixing up your surroundings will lift spirits and bring you closer to the people who count most in your life. Love is on the rise. Romance will improve your relationship with someone special.

HAVE YOU TAKEN PICTURES OF INTERESTING, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL OR HISTORICAL PLACES? Would you like to share those images with your fellow Sumter Item readers? E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandrah@theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150. Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only please.

SECTION

ACC aiming for more stability in conference

B5

B

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

LEGION BASEBALL

King of the comeback hill McFaddin thriving in return after layoff

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com After years of steady baseball between recreation leagues, Sumter High School and the Sumter P-15’s, Taylor McFaddin shut it down after the completion of the P-15’s 2013 season last July. Not that he was necessarily tired of the game, but he was entering college at the University of South Carolina Sumter and wanted to focus on studying to become a physical therapist.

“I had a lot of labs coming up, and I felt like I needed to have my attention on that,” McFaddin said.

He did that, however, with the intention of playing his final season with the P-15’s.

And despite not throwing a ball until a couple of weeks before the start of the first practice in May, what a season it has been.

McFaddin has been totally dominant on the mound and has been one of Sumter’s top hitters as it prepares to open the state tournament against Chapin-Newberry at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Riley Park.

“I had no idea what to expect from Taylor,” said P-15’s

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Taylor McFaddin has been outstanding both on the mound and at the plate this year for the Sumter P-15’s despite almost a year off from the SEE MCFADDIN, PAGE B3 game. McFaddin and the P-15’s will open the American Legion state tournament at 1 p.m. on Saturday against Chapin-Newberry at Riley Park.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

South Carolina’s Martin looks to build fan base COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin has beefed up the Gamecocks’ schedule, and now he hopes to improve the team’s attendance.

Martin and his players are embarking on a weeklong series of events in the MARTIN community to build goodwill and urge fans to purchase season tickets. The goal is to sell 8,000 — a total Martin says hasn’t been hit at the 18,000seat Colonial Life Arena the

past few seasons.

“We always ask our fans to come to us,” Martin said Tuesday. “Well, we’ve got to find time to go to our fans, and I think this is a great way to show that to our players.”

It hasn’t helped attendance that the Gamecocks haven’t had a winning season since going 21-10 in 2008-09 or made the NCAA tournament since 2004. They have had just one winning Southeastern Conference record since 1997-98.

Martin believes reaching out to fans and connecting with them off the court is essential to turning around

South Carolina’s fortunes.

Some of the best showings the Gamecocks have had in Martin’s first two seasons have come when the building is packed, as when 15,303 people filled the arena March 1 for the 72-67 victory over eventual national runner-up Kentucky.

If the Gamecocks are to have long-term success, “we need everyone’s help,” Martin said.

Martin has put together a strong non-conference schedule, including juicy home games against a pair of Big 12 NCAA tournament teams from last year in Baylor on

PRO FOOTBALL

AP FILE PHOTO

South Carolina’s Michael Carrera (24) is part of a young nucleus of players that head coach Frank Martin hopes will help the program take a big step forward in his third season.

Nov. 18 and Oklahoma State on Dec. 6. The game against the Cowboys is part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Gamecocks should have more experienced pieces

SEE MARTIN, PAGE B2

LOCAL RACING

Sam excited about next step

BY R.B. FALLSTROM The Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Now it starts to get intense for Michael Sam and the rest of the St. Louis Rams rookies.

The first openly gay player drafted in the NFL is enthusiastic about the challenge.

Twice on Tuesday, he mentioned how enjoyable it was being back on the field and trading wisecracks with teammates.

“I’m so excited to be back with the guys,” Sam said. “Football’s fun.”

Sam hopes there will be less attention about his sexual orientation, but added his focus has to be on making the team. He said he’s in the best shape of his life, dropping 13 pounds in the month since the last OTA workout, weighing in at 257 pounds.

“Feeling great,” he said. “It’s just where I want to be speed-wise, so I can run fast and make plays. I want to be as fast as I can.”

Sam declined to offer specifics about his 40-yard dash time, adding “I’m not worried about the combine.”

He didn’t have much to say about his experience at the ESPYS, where he received the Arthur Ashe Courage award. Sam got a hug from the Hall of Famer Jim Brown on his way to the stage, and teared up throughout his speech faltered at times.

“You know, it was a great award and I had a great time in LA,” Sam said. “But that’s over and I’m focusing on football now.”

Brown picks up top prize after Speedway’s recent 2-week layoff

BY CODY TRUETT Special to The Sumter Item

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

St. Louis defensive end Michael Sam (96) practices during rookie camp at Rams Park in Earth City, Missouri. Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, said he is excited about the next phase in his career.

Just as they did after the draft and during OTAs, teammates didn’t seem to care that Sam was gay. Offensive lineman Demetrius Rhaney, taken the pick after the Rams created a stir by selecting Sam, had

SEE NEXT STEP, PAGE B6

Sumter Speedway returned to racing action on Saturday after a 2-week vacation and came back with a bang.

With the stands and pits filled to near maximum capacity. Ronnie Brown gave the fans plenty to watch as he picked up an impressive win in the Monster Mini main event.

Brown shot into the lead in the early stages of the event and showed that he had the car to beat. Austin Mintz gave Brown some competition, making several attempts to take over the top spot, but just couldn’t find a way around him.

About midway through the race, Mintz shot into the lead

on a restart and took Donnie Shealy with him, shuffling Brown back to third. In the exit of Turn 4, Brown made contact with another car and cut a tire down. Behind Brown in Turn 3, two cars spun out, bringing out the caution.

While under caution, Brown entered the pits to change his tire and joined the rear of the field. When racing resumed, Shealy and Mintz dueled it out for the lead. Mintz led initially, but Shealy decided it was his turn to show the way and took over the top spot.

Another caution would be displayed for an incident in turns 3 and 4. While under caution, Shealy lost power and had to be pushed into the pits.

An apparent blown engine

SEE SPEEDWAY, PAGE B3

B2

|

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD

MLB ROUNDUP

TODAY

AP FILE PHOTO

Yankees acquire 3B Headley from Padres NEW YORK — Trying to boost one of the weakest lineups in the American League, the New York Yankees acquired third baseman Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres on Tuesday for rookie infielder Yangervis Solarte and minor league pitcher Rafael De Paula.

Headley arrived at Yankee Stadium right around game time Tuesday night and was in uniform shaking hands with his new teammates in the dugout during the top of the second inning. Before the game, New York manager Joe Girardi said he hoped Headley would be available off the bench.

After that, he’ll become the everyday starter at a spot that’s been a question mark for the Yankees all year following the seasonlong suspension of Alex Rodriguez.

The 30-year-old Headley, drafted by the Padres in 2005, can become a free agent after this season. The switch-hitter was batting .229 with seven homers and 32 RBIs but has a .339 average with six extra-base hits in 13 games since July 4. He was a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner two years ago, when he had a huge second half and hit .286 with 31 homers and an NLleading 115 RBIs. He moves from a cavernous ballpark in San Diego to a homer haven in the Bronx, and the Yankees think that can help him.

Cashman said he thinks an epidural injection that

Headley had toward the end of June has a lot to do with his recent improvement.

Headley had been playing through a herniated disk in his back.

With an injury-ravaged pitching staff missing four starters, the Yankees began the day 50-48 and four games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.

They added Brandon McCarthy to the rotation this month, obtaining him in a trade with Arizona.

A’S AGREE TO 10-YEAR LEASE TO STAY IN OAKLAND

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Athletics say they have agreed to a 10-year lease extension to stay in Oakland.

Team owner Lew Wolff said Tuesday that after reviewing several modifications made by the Oakland City Council last week, he has agreed to the terms of the lease to keep the team playing at the O.co Coliseum.

The deal must still be approved next week by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, who have previously announced its support.

The extension has already been approved by the board of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority, a government entity that oversees the coliseum. The deal is expected to bring in an estimated $20 million to the city and county.

The Coliseum has hosted the A’s since 1968 but the facility has recently had sew-

age and lighting problems.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MARLINS 6 BRAVES 5 ATLANTA — Jacob Turner allowed two runs in his bid for a permanent return to Miami’s rotation and the Marlins knocked Mike Minor out of the game early in their 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Donovan Solano had a career-high four hits and also reached on a walk as Miami took its second straight win over Atlanta to open the four-game series. Christian Yelich had two hits and scored three runs.

Turner (3-6), making his first start since June 11, gave up four hits in five innings. He loaded the bases but allowed only one run in the first inning. The other run he gave up came on Justin Upton’s third-inning homer.

Steve Cishek pitched around Chris Johnson’s leadoff single in the ninth to earn his 23rd save.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BLUE JAYS 7 RED SOX 3 TORONTO — J.A. Happ pitched six shutout innings for his first victory in three starts, Dioner Navarro and Jose Reyes homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Tuesday night.

From wire reports

8 a.m. – International Cycling: Tour de France Stage Seventeen from SaintLary Pla d’Adet, France (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

10 a.m. – NASCAR Racing: Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic Practice from Rossburg, Ohio (FOX SPORTS 1).

11:30 a.m. – NASCAR Racing: Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic Practice from Rossburg, Ohio (FOX SPORTS 1).

11:30 a.m. – WNBA Basketball: Connecticut at Washington (NBA TV).

1 p.m. – College Football: Media Days (ESPNU).

1 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Cleveland at Minnesota or Cincinnati at Milwaukee (MLB NETWORK).

2 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Kansas City at Chicago White Sox (WGN).

4 p.m. – LPGA Golf: International Crown Pro-Am from Owings Mills, Md. (GOLF).

5 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic Pole Qualifying from Rossburg, Ohio (FOX SPORTS 1).

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

7 p.m. – Major League Baseball: San Francisco at Philadelphia (ESPN).

7 p.m. – International Soccer: Tottenham vs. Toronto from Toronto (ESPN2).

7 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic Pole Qualifying from Rossburg, Ohio (FOX SPORTS 1).

7 p.m. – International Soccer: Liverpool vs. Roma from Boston (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

7 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Miami at Atlanta (SPORTSOUTH, WPUB-FM 102.7).

9 p.m. – International Soccer: Manchester City vs. Kansas City from Kansas City, Mo. (ESPN2).

9 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic from Rossburg, Ohio (FOX SPORTS 1, WEGX-FM 92.9).

10:30 p.m. – WNBA Basketball: New York at Los Angeles (NBA TV).

10:30 p.m. – Major League Soccer: Chicago at San Jose (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

11 p.m. – International Athletics: Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremonies from Glasgow, Scotland (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

11 p.m. – International Soccer: Manchester United vs. Los Angeles from Pasadena, Calif. (FOX SPORTS 1).

MLB STANDINGS

CEO: Rivers to quit Clippers if Sterling stays LOS ANGELES — The interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers testified Tuesday that coach Doc Rivers told him he will quit if Donald Sterling remains the owner of the team.

CEO Richard Parsons made the statement RIVERS at a trial to determine whether Sterling’s wife Shelly Sterling can sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

The NBA has tried to force out Donald Sterling since soon after racist statements emerged on recordings in April.

Parsons said he fears there would also be an exodus of key players, including team captain Chris Paul, who also is black and heads the NBA players union.

Parsons was about to give an account of his conversations with Paul but was

stopped by an objection by an NBA lawyer who said it would be an invasion of privacy. The judge upheld the objection.

Rivers has said he had heard from other Clippers business employees that they didn’t think they would be able to work for Sterling under the circumstances.

Parsons is a former chief executive at Time Warner and Citigroup who took over leadership of the Clippers in May during the media blitz surrounding the banishment of Sterling.

Under questioning by Ballmer’s lawyer, Parsons said the departure of Rivers would begin “a death spiral” for the Clippers.

AP SOURCE: CAVS TO SIGN WIGGINS TO CONTRACT

CLEVELAND — Andrew Wiggins will sign his rookie contract with the Cavaliers.

It’s still not clear if he’ll play for them.

A person familiar with

the negotiations says the Cavs will sign the No. 1 overall pick to his deal, an agreement that would prevent any potential trade involving the small forward from being completed for 30 days.

TODAY’S GAMES

Cincinnati (Leake 7-8) at Milwaukee (Lohse 10-4), 2:10 p.m.

Washington (Strasburg 7-7) at Colorado (J.De La Rosa 10-6), 3:10 p.m.

Detroit (A.Sanchez 6-4) at Arizona (Cahill 1-6), 3:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (B.Colon 8-8) at Seattle (Undecided), 3:40 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Haren 8-7) at Pittsburgh (Liriano 1-7), 7:05 p.m.

San Francisco (Bumgarner 11-7) at Philadelphia (A.Burnett 6-9), 7:05 p.m.

Miami (Eovaldi 5-5) at Atlanta (E.Santana 8-6), 7:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Cobb 5-6) at St. Louis (Lynn 11-6), 7:15 p.m.

San Diego (Kennedy 7-9) at Chicago Cubs (Wada 0-0), 8:05 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Milwaukee, 8:10 p.m.

WNBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta Indiana Washington Connecticut New York Chicago

W 15 11 10 10 8 8

L 6 12 13 14 13 14

Pct .714 .478 .435 .417 .381 .364

WESTERN CONFERENCE Phoenix Minnesota San Antonio Los Angeles Seattle Tulsa

W 18 17 11 10 9 8

L 3 6 12 12 15 15

Pct .857 .739 .478 .455 .375 .348

GB – 5 6 61/2 7 71/2 GB – 2 8 81/2 101/2 11

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Pct .551 .510 .510 .475 .470

GB – 4 4 71/2 8

Pct .573 .505 .490 .480 .459

GB – 61/2 8 9 11

Pct .622 .602 .535 .414 .404

GB – 2 81/2 201/2 211/2

MONDAY’S GAMES

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Texas at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Boston at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Cleveland at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m.

Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

Detroit at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Baltimore at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

Cleveland (Bauer 4-4) at Minnesota (Gibson 8-8), 1:10 p.m.

Kansas City (Shields 9-5) at Chicago White Sox (Quintana 5-7), 2:10 p.m.

Detroit (A.Sanchez 6-4) at Arizona (Cahill 1-6), 3:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (B.Colon 8-8) at Seattle (Undecided), 3:40 p.m.

Texas (Darvish 9-5) at N.Y. Yankees (Phelps 4-4), 7:05 p.m.

Boston (Buchholz 5-5) at Toronto (Dickey 7-10), 7:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Cobb 5-6) at St. Louis (Lynn 11-6), 7:15 p.m.

Baltimore (Tillman 7-5) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 10-6), 10:05 p.m.

Houston (Peacock 3-6) at Oakland (J.Chavez 7-6), 10:05 p.m.

Boston at Toronto, 12:37 p.m.

Texas at N.Y. Yankees, 1:05 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 3:35 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Detroit at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST DIVISION

Milwaukee St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago WEST DIVISION

TUESDAY’S GAMES

L.A. Dodgers at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.

Cincinnati at Milwaukee, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

Washington at Colorado, 8:40 p.m.

Detroit at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

No games scheduled

Texas 4, N.Y. Yankees 2 Boston 14, Toronto 1 Minnesota 4, Cleveland 3 Chicago White Sox 3, Kansas City 1 Detroit 4, Arizona 3 Baltimore 4, L.A. Angels 2 Seattle 5, N.Y. Mets 2

Washington Atlanta Miami New York Philadelphia CENTRAL DIVISION

L.A. Dodgers 5, Pittsburgh 2 San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 4 Miami 3, Atlanta 1, 10 innings Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 2 Washington 7, Colorado 2 Detroit 4, Arizona 3 Seattle 5, N.Y. Mets 2

MONDAY’S GAMES

AMERICAN LEAGUE

By The Associated Press EAST DIVISION W L Baltimore 54 44 New York 50 48 Toronto 51 49 Boston 47 52 Tampa Bay 47 53 CENTRAL DIVISION W L Detroit 55 41 Cleveland 50 49 Kansas City 48 50 Chicago 48 52 Minnesota 45 53 WEST DIVISION W L Oakland 61 37 Los Angeles 59 39 Seattle 53 46 Houston 41 58 Texas 40 59

THURSDAY’S GAMES

SPORTS ITEMS

43 55 .439 111/2 43 57 .430 121/2 40 59 .404 15

MONDAY’S GAMES

TV, RADIO

San Diego third baseman Chase Headley was traded to the New York Yankees on Tuesday for infielder Yangervis Solarte and right-hander Rafael De Paula.

San Diego Arizona Colorado

W 54 54 46 46 43

L 43 45 52 53 56

Pct .557 .545 .469 .465 .434

GB – 1 81/2 9 12

W 55 54 52 51 40

L 45 45 47 48 57

Pct .550 .545 .525 .515 .412

GB – 1/2 21/2 31/2 131/2

W L Pct GB San Francisco 55 44 .556 – Los Angeles 56 45 .554 –

Indiana at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Atlanta at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Tulsa at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Seattle, 10 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

Connecticut at Washington, 11:30 a.m.

New York at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

New York at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press BASEBALL

American League CLEVELAND INDIANS — Recalled RHP Danny Salazar from Columbus (IL).

Optioned RHP C.C. Lee to Columbus.

MINNESOTA TWINS — Optioned LHP Kris Johnson to Rochester (IL).

NEW YORK YANKEES — Acquired 3B Chase Headley and cash considerations from San Diego Padres for INF Yangervis Solarte and RHP Rafael De Paula.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Reinstated OF Josh Reddick from the 15-day DL. SEATTLE MARINERS — Recalled RHP Erasmo Ramirez from Tacoma (PCL).

Optioned 1B Justin Smoak to Tacoma.

TEXAS RANGERS — Activated RHP Nick Martinez from the 15-day DL. Placed C Geovany Soto on the 15-day DL. TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Selected the contracts of RHP Aaron Sanchez and RHP Esmil Rogers from Buffalo (IL).

Recalled SS Ryan Goins from Buffalo.

Optioned OF Darin Mastroianni and C Erik Kratz to Buffalo, Designated LHP Brad Mills for assignment.

National League CHICAGO CUBS — Activated INF-OF Emilio Bonifacio from the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Kyle Hendricks from Iowa (PCL). Designated INF Darwin Barney for assignment. Optioned LHP Zac Rosscup to Iowa.

CINCINNATI REDS — Placed RHP Logan Ondrusek on the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 13. Recalled RHP Curtis Partch from Louisville (IL).

COLORADO ROCKIES — Placed INF Troy Tulowitzki on the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 20. Recalled LHP Yohan Flande from Colorado Springs (PCL).

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Reinstated RHP Josh Beckett from the 15-day DL. Optioned LHP Paco Rodriguez to Albuquerque (PCL).

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Placed OF John Mayberry Jr. on the 15-day DL. Recalled OF Darin Ruf from Lehigh Valley (IL).

Can-Am League QUEBEC CAPITALES — Released INF Tim Smith. Signed C Josue Peley.

Frontier League FLORENCE FREEDOM — Released OF Devon Torrence.

GATEWAY GRIZZLIES — Signed OF Cole Bieser.

NORMAL CORNBELTERS — Signed LHP Stephen Frey.

RIVER CITY RASCALS — Sold the contracts of RHP Ben Bracewell and C Josh Ludy to Oakland (AL). Signed 1B Brian McConkey.

ROCKFORD AVIATORS — Signed RHP Eric Cendejas, OF Brad Gerig and OF Dusty Robinson. Released LHP David Russo.

SCHAUMBURG BOOMERS — Acquired INF Tony Delmonico from the Southern Maryland (Atlantic) for future considerations.

Signed LHP Anthony Gomez.

7 EX-NFL PLAYERS APPEAL TERMS OF CONCUSSION DEAL

PHILADELPHIA — Seven former professional football players have filed a court challenge to a tentative class action settlement of concussion claims that would cost the NFL at least $765 million.

They argued that some players won’t be fairly compensated under the plan, especially those whose awards would be reduced or negated because of prior strokes or other factors. Their appeal echoes their previous complaints about the plan, which would cover nearly 20,000 retired players for 65 years.

From wire reports

MARTIN FROM PAGE B1 have more experienced pieces in place this year after two seasons of growth in Martin’s system.

Sindarius Thornwell was part of the all-SEC freshman team last year and is the Gamecocks’ top returning scorer. He’ll be joined in the backcourt by a healthy Tyrone Johnson and Duane Notice, another freshman thrown into the fire last year because of Johnson’s foot injury at point guard and the decision of senior Bruce Ellington to give up basketball for the NFL draft.

Thornwell said summer

workouts have been spirited and intense.

The team will hold events with the Special Olympics and at the Richland County Public Library’s main branch and will make a visit to a children’s hospital. The players will also visit Fort Jackson, one of the U.S. Army’s main training sites, for an event Monday.

“I’d much rather be on the lake for the next eight days.

I’d much rather be on the ocean,” Martin said with a smile. “But it’s part of what this job requires right now.”

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

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PRO FOOTBALL

Jaguars WR Sanders facing 4-game suspension JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Ace Sanders said Tuesday he is facing a four-game suspension and won’t be around for the majority of training camp.

Sanders held a conference call with reporters to disclose his looming punishment.

He declined to discuss the reason for the pending suspension, but says “personal issues” will prevent him from attending the start of training camp Friday.

“I have some personal issues that I am dealing with, trying

to get everything straightened out,” he said. “It’s been really tough, a really, really tough road for me this past couple of months. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff, just with life and family and a lot of issues going on.”

SANDERS Sanders, the second-year pro from South Carolina, said he will seek counseling and not rehab.

The Jaguars said it was Sanders’ decision to reveal his

issues and not pressure from anyone in the organization.

“I would just rather everybody hear that from me first before hearing it from everybody else, so I kind of just get everything out there and ultimately let people know that I am taking full responsibility for all of my actions, everything I did,” he said. “I just really wanted to let the fan base know, let my family know, let (owner) Mr. Shad Khan, (general manager) Dave Caldwell, coach Gus (Bradley) and all my teammates know that I am truly sorry for what happened.

“But sometimes life hits, and it’s hard. I made some mistakes that I do regret, that I do honestly regret. I could have handled situations a little differently. I’m still just dealing with it, just trying to be a better person, a better teammate for everybody around me. I decided to seek help, get that attention that I need. Hopefully somebody can help me out. I should be OK. I should be fine.

It’s about getting better and coming back ready to play.”

Sanders said he won’t appeal any suspension handed down by the league.

The Jaguars already are down one receiver since Justin Blackmon is suspended indefinitely for repeated violations of the league’s substanceabuse policy.

Without Sanders, the Jaguars likely will give rookies Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson a chance to work with the starters. The Jaguars drafted the duo in the second round of May’s NFL draft. The team also has No. 1 receiver Cecil Shorts III, Mike Brown, Tandon Doss, Allen Hurns, Kerry Taylor, Lamaar Thomas, Chad Bumphis and others.

PLAY-IN GAME POSTPONED

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT SATURDAY

Game 1 — Inman vs. Play-In Winner, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 — Chapin-Newberry vs.

Sumter, 1 p.m.

Game 3 — Camden vs. Rock Hill, 4:30 p.m.

Game 4 — Florence vs. Spartanburg, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

Game 12 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 9 Winner, 3 p.m.

Game 13 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY

Game 5 — Game 1 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser, 9:30 a.m.

Game 6 — Game 2 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 1 p.m.

Game 7 — Game 1 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 4:30 p.m.

Game 8 — Game 2 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 8 p.m.

MONDAY

Game 9 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser, 2 p.m.

MANNING – The American Legion baseball play-in game between ManningSantee Post 68 and Georgetown scheduled for Tuesday at the Manning High School field was postponed for the second straight day due to rain.

The game has been rescheduled for today at 7:30 p.m.

The winner will play in Kelleytown on Thursday against Hartsville. The winner of that game will advance to the state tournament.

Game 10 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 5 p.m.

Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Game 14 – Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 12, 10:30 a.m.

Game 15 – If Necessary Note 1: Pairing for games 12 and 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless necessary.

Note 2: If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 automatically draws the bye for Game 14.

MCFADDIN FROM PAGE B1 head coach Curtis Johnson, whose team brings a 25-8 record into the tournament.

“You just don’t know when he hadn’t played in so long.

In the first game (of the season), he was in the 8 hole (in the batting order). You didn’t know what to expect or what you’d get.”

At the plate, McFaddin has been steady at the plate much the way he had been the two previous seasons. He is batting .389 with an on-base percentage of .453. He leads the team in slugging percentage at .568 with eight doubles, three triples and one home run among his 37 hits.

“When I went to that first practice at USC Sumter, I barely could get the ball out of the infield,” McFaddin said. “After a couple of practices though, I started to come around.”

As far as pitching goes, however, the right-handed McFaddin has produced at a level he has never reached before. While he’s always been an effective pitcher, he has been a shutdown performer this season.

McFaddin is 7-1 in nine appearances, six of them starts, with a 1.11 earned run average. On top of that, he threw a no-hitter against DalzellShaw during the regular season and took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Hartsville in the second round of the state playoffs.

He has allowed only 28 hits in 57 innings pitched, tossing three complete games. Opponents are batting just .135 against him.

McFaddin admits he has been surprised by his dominance.

“I came into the season just

SPEEDWAY FROM PAGE B1 meant his night was through and hopes for a victory were gone.

When racing resumed, Mintz regained control, but quickly looked in his rear view mirror to notice that Brown had battled his way through the field and was on his back bumper. Mintz did what he could to hold him off, but couldn’t, surrendering the top spot back to Brown.

Kevin Walker followed suit and took over second, sending Mintz back to third.

Brown cruised on to pick up the victory and the $1,500 top prize. Walker came home second with Mintz third, Johnny Reins fourth and Bubba Kolb fifth. Kevin Kelly was sixth, Tack Brown seventh, Jim Onos eighth, Greg Brew ninth and Shealy 10th.

Larry Teal was 11th, Wilbur Brew 12th, Pete Brew 13th, Allen Ridgeway 14th, Scott Morgan 15th and Justin Mintz 16th.

Luke Wilson returned to Victory Lane in the Extreme 4 feature, leading flag to flag in the event. Landon Jefferies came home second with Bubba Johnson third, Justin Hurst fourth and Spencer Harp fifth.

Bubba Livingston made his first trip to Sumter Speedway this season and did just what he came to do, picking up the win in Super Street. Livingston and Terrell Holloway battled throughout the feature for the top spot before Livingston finally took control and picked up the win. Holloway settled for second with Justin Timmons third, Ken

trying to fill up the strike zone,” he said. “I try to fill the zone and get them to hit my pitches.”

Johnson thinks McFaddin adding the changeup to his repertoire of pitches has

been the biggest reason for his increased success.

“He’s been able to get batters out with his changeup anywhere in the count,” Johnson said. “Coaches have come to me after games not talking

about his fastball or his curveball, but about his changeup.”

McFaddin, who has just 41 strikeouts, never used the changeup until this season. “I had been used mainly in relief, so I just used my fastball, curve and cutter (cut fastball),” he said. “If I was going to start, I needed something else. I started working on it with Curtis, and it has been pretty good for me.”

Needless to say, Johnson is more than happy that McFaddin has performed at the level he has on the mound and in the batter’s box.

“When you don’t play every day, practice every day, when you get back and are thrown into it, you don’t know what will happen,” Johnson said.

“It can be argued that he is a better hitter now than he was before, but he has never been as good on the mound as he is right now.”

Appleton fourth and Greg Anderson fifth.

Tony Grams dominated the Sprint feature, leading flag to flag and lapping all but one driver. Jacob McLain came home second and was the only other car on the lead lap.

Matt Hope was third with Greg Smyre fourth and Bobby Komisarski fifth.

Russell Thomas added another win to his collection in the Rookie division. Triston Kelly led the initial laps of the race before Thomas finally took control and the win.

Kelly settled for second with Chelsea L’Huillier third, Taylor Rice fourth and Alan Dumville fifth.

The stock V8 division continued to show some impressive racing action. Willie Hill picked up his first win of the season with Allen Dilleshaw second, Marty Horne third and Timmy Kimsey fourth.

Robbie Disher picked up yet another win in the Street Stock division, leading flag to flag. Terrell Holloway came home second with Jody Truett third, Matthew Hodge fourth and Greg Murphy fifth.

Banjo Duke dominated the Crate Late Model feature, leading flag to flag. Duke set a blistering pace throughout the night on his way to the checkered flag. Matt Lawson came home second with Donnie Austin third, Eugene Ki-

nard fourth and Mark McLeod fifth.

Racing action continues on Saturday. Along with the regular show, there will also be kids bike races and power wheels races during intermissions. Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing starting at 7.

Grandstand tickets are $10 for adults and pit passes are $20 for adults. Active duty military will be admitted to the grandstands free of charge.

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Taylor McFaddin has become a valuable asset on the mound and at the plate for Sumter this year. McFaddin is batting .389 and leads the team in slugging percentage. He also is 7-1 in nine appearances on the mound with a 1.11 earned run average.

A parent’s guide to orientation, registration and other back to school issues.

This section will include: - Sumter School District - Clarendon Districts 1,2 & 3 - Lee County School District

- Private Schools - Colleges - Adult Education - Bus Schedules (if available)

Advertising Deadline:

Publication Date:

July 31, 2014

August 8, 2014

RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY

BY CALLING YOUR SALES REPRESENTATIVE OR 774-1237

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

RECRUITING CORNER

Clemson adds Bryant to already strong recruiting class

C

lemson’s highly regarded football recruiting class, ranked as high as No. 2 nationally, got even stronger on Friday with a commitment from defensive end Austin Bryant (6-feet-5-inches, 250 pounds) of Thomasville, Ga. Bryant made his commitment while attending the AllIn Cookout. He picked the Tigers over Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State and Stanford.

“It feels great,” said Bryant, who is commitment No. 24 for Clemson’s 2015 class, including five carryovers from the ‘14 signing class. “I’m 100 percent behind my commitment and it feels awesome.”

Bryant said he had a feeling going into this visit with his parents that he might jump on board with the Tigers.

“I was 99 percent sure,” he said. “I pretty much had my mind made up when I was at camp and tonight just sealed the deal. I met all the coaches again. My parents got to meet everybody. It was a good night all around.”

Particularly for the Clemson coaching staff, which Bryant said reacted as if it had just won the national championship when he delivered the good news.

“They were ecstatic,” Bryant said. “(Head) Coach (Dabo) Swinney was dancing all over the place. They were high-fiving. They were really excited.”

Bryant said the Tigers plan to use him as a hybrid DE/ outside linebacker to take advantage of his ability to play both with his hand on the ground and standing up. He had 70 tackles and seven quarterback sacks last season.

Bryant’s excited to join such a highly regarded recruiting class. “It feels great,” he said.

“The coaches have done a great job putting together an awesome recruiting class. I have a good relationship with the other recruits.”

Wide receiver Auden Tate of Tampa, Fla., was not able to visit Clemson this summer, but he would like to visit at some point.

“I was hearing a lot more from Clemson during the spring, but I haven’t talked to them as much this summer,” Tate said. “I still want to see if I can get up there for a visit.”

Tate said that could be an official visit. He remains interested in the Tigers and plans to take all five of his official visits. He will visit FSU at the end of this week. He has camped at Maryland. Tate did not name any leaders and does not have a commitment date.

Defensive back Chad Clay, a ’16 prospect from Suwanee, Ga., has Clemson, Georgia, Auburn, Louisiana State, Alabama, Texas, A&M, Nebraska and Ohio State as his favorites right now.

Athlete Korey Charles, another ’16 prospect from Tallahassee, Fla., made an unofficial visit to Clemson on Friday.

USC

The University of South Carolina’s pursuit of DE Marquavius Lewis of Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas and Greenwood is heating up.

Lewis has scheduled an official visit with the Gamecocks for this weekend. That will be his third official visit after earlier ones to Arizona State and Miami.

“I’ll be looking into the depth chart and how I’d truly fit into their defense,” Lewis said. “My family is going to be there as well.”

And family is important to Lewis; that’s why the proximity of USC to his Greenwood home is working in the Gamecocks’ favor. Lewis has USC No. 1 on his list right now ahead of, in no particular order, Miami, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama and Arizona State.

“It’s because of the influence of my family and everything,” he said. “I have some desire to be close to home, but it’s got to be the right fit for me to get to the next level. I’m trying to go where I’m truly needed.”

Lewis said he feels Miami has that need for him after his official visit there late last month. “It went pretty good, it was really nice,” he said. “I got to see how the players react. There’s a good vibe down there. It’s family-oriented. They said I’m a very highly needed guy to change their program around, and they’ll use me as a rush end.”

Lewis said he’s not sure of any more official visits he’ll take after the USC trip. He wants to make his decision by the middle of the season.

Offensive lineman Brandon Sandifer of Warner Robins, Ga., plans to announce his commitment on Saturday. He will visit Florida on Friday and plans to be at USC on Saturday for its camp. He also visited USC in May. He was at Georgia Tech last week and has also visited Alabama.

USC signee defensive lineman Dexter Wideman of Saluda High School failed to qualify Saluda head coach Stewart Young confirmed last week.

Young said the hope is Wideman will be able to enroll at Fork Union Prep in Virginia for this season so that he can

join the Gamecocks in January.

Wideman is the fourth ‘14 signee for USC not to qualify, joining DE Dante Sawyer, DE Jhaustin Thomas and tight end Kalan Richie. The Gamecocks are still waiting on the qualifying status for DBs Wesley Green, Chris Lammons and Darin Smalls to be resolved.

USC AND CLEMSON

OL Zack Bailey of Summerville High decided at the last minute to drive up to Clemson with an assistant coach for the All-In Cookout, and he’s glad he did.

“No one even knew I was coming up,” Bailey said. “I ended up winning the eating contest. I just hung out with the guys and we danced on the dance floor and played a little cornhole. It was rainy up there, but it was still nice to be up there. Everyone there was having Phil Kornblut fun and I had a real good RECRUITING time.”

CORNER Bailey did not stay the night, returning home around 2 a.m. on Saturday. Bailey is down to Clemson, USC and UGA, and he plans to get to UGA soon, though he doesn’t have a date. He also will take another visit to USC. Bailey said he’s using these visits to give himself a firsthand look at what life would be like for him at the particular schools.

“You’ve got to speak to the players you are going to be playing with,” Bailey said.

“You’ve got to understand if you like the players that they have recruited and if you are going to get along with them because you’re going to spend the next four or five years with them.”

Bailey said the Clemson visit didn’t affect his thinking about the school or the program one way or another, and he still does not have an order with his final three. “It goes back and forth pretty much every day,” he said. “When you go see a college it has pros and cons. When you get recruited you develop relationships with certain people.

There is no real order you could say. I’m trying to break it down really.”

Bailey wants to make his decision before his season starts, but said if he doesn’t feel ready by then he’ll wait until he’s absolutely sure on a school.

DL Albert Huggins of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High visited UGA on Saturday, his

first ever trip to Athens. Huggins remains in contact with Clemson and USC coaches. He has visited Clemson this summer, but has not gotten back to USC. “Right now I am just talking to the Carolina coaches and building a better relationship,” Huggins said. “(Assistant) Coach (Deke) Adams wants me to come up and sit down with him to look at film.

I just haven’t had the chance yet, but hopefully I can do that.”

Florida is another possible destination for Huggins this summer, though time is running short. Huggins did say he has shaved his list a little, but does not have an official list.

“I think I’ve probably trimmed my list a little in my mind, but I don’t have any favorites or anything like that,” he said. “I don’t know when I’ll do that.” He did say Clemson and USC are still very much in the mix for his services.

Linebacker Amonte Caban of Smiths Station, Ala., said he’s having a lot of contact with USC right now.

“They want me to come up on the (July) 26,” Caban said.

“I’m not sure I can make it.

I’m going to really try to.”

Clemson has also offered Caban. Some of his other offers are from Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Louisville. “I’m liking South Carolina, Mississippi State and Kentucky a lot,” Caban said.

DB Rashad Roundtree of Evans, Ga., remains open regarding his recruiting with no favorite and no top five at this time. He has been to Ohio State, UGA and Auburn for visits and said UGA has been showing him the strongest interest.

He is still hearing from Clemson and USC and likes both programs. He plans to visit both before he makes his decision which won’t come until after his season. Some of his other offers include GT, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Duke, Michigan, Virginia and Georgia Southern.

OTHERS

DL DJ Jones of East Mississippi JC and Wren High in Piedmont visited FSU over the weekend and committed to the Seminoles. He was actually favoring Tennessee going into the visit and was giving Clemson, USC and Alabama strong consideration as well.

Jones does plan to continue making visits. He will graduate from the JC in December and can enroll in January.

USC target WR Irvin Charles of Haddonville, N.J., commit-

ted to Penn State on Saturday.

Clemson target DL Tim Settle of Manassas, Va., visited Penn State on Saturday.

OL Hudson Little of Bishop England High in Charleston has picked up offers from Charleston Southern and Newberry. He’s camped at Tennessee and UGA and also went to an Appalachian State camp in Charlotte.

DB Lane Ecton of Dutch Fork High in Irmo has committed to Georgia Southern, according to his head coach.

Ecton also had an offer from Elon. Last season, he had 132 tackles with six sacks.

Alabama landed commitments from DB Shyheim Carter of Kentwood, La., and ATH Demetris Robertson of Savannah, Ga. Clemson had offered both and USC had offered Robertson.

WR DJ Matthews, a ’17 prospect from Jacksonville, committed to FSU last week. He had USC and Clemson offers as well.

BASKETBALL

Nick Marshall, a 6-11 player from Lexington, Tenn., told GamecockCentral his top five is USC, Clemson, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Indiana.

Clemson target 6-5 Rayjon Tucker of Charlotte was offered last week by Auburn and Florida Gulf Coast.

Destinee Walker, a 5-9 player from Orlando, has a top seven women’s list of USC, Notre Dame, North Carolina, PSU, UGA, FSU and Duke.

Kasre Gondrezick, a 5-9 ’16 prospect from Benton Harbor, Mich., named a top seven of USC, Baylor, Connecticut, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State and ND. BASEBALL

Left-handed pitcher Jacob Hennessy (6-2, 210) of Boiling Springs High announced a commitment to Clemson last week for the ‘16 class. He camped and Clemson and picked up an offer after that.

He’s the Tigers’ third commitment for the ‘16 class and all are from South Carolina.

Hennessy also plays first base.

Some additional Clemson commitments for the ‘15 class are infielder Jordan Greene of Charlotte, right-handed pitcher Brooks Crawford of Watkinsville, Ga., and RHP Jamison Mobbs of Stratford High in Goose Creek.

The USC baseball team picked up a commitment for the ‘16 class on Sunday from RHP/third baseman Joey Polak (6-4, 200) of Canton, Mo. Polak is ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the country by PerfectGame.com.

PRO GOLF

McIlroy poised to become golf ’s next top player

BY DOUG FERGUSON The Associated Press HOYLAKE, England — Golf has been looking for the next big star the last five years, and Rory McIlroy is the most obvious candidate.

With his name on the claret jug and his Irish eyes now focused on a green jacket, McIlroy took a big step toward the career Grand Slam with four dominant days at Royal Liverpool. He looks unbeatable at times like this. Boy Wonder has it all — skill, strength, shot-making.

Throw in a great week with the putter and it’s not a fair fight.

But being the next big star is not the same as being the next Tiger Woods.

Or even another Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus and Woods are defined by the majors, so it’s natural for the 25-year-old McIlroy to be linked with them after his two-shot victory in the British Open. Nicklaus and Woods were the only players younger than McIlroy to win three legs of the

Grand Slam.

Nicklaus had the U.S. Open, Masters and PGA Championship when he was 23. He had been a pro for two years.

Woods had the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open when he was 24 and in his fourth full year as a pro.

Woods added the career slam a month later.

McIlroy had a head start.

He turned pro when he was 18. This is his seventh year playing the majors.

More than the majors, however, is a body of work that keeps Woods in a different league. At least for now.

“We used to say there will never be another Nicklaus, and then along came Tiger,” Phil Mickelson said. “You never want to discount the possibility of someone coming along and dominating.

But nobody has really asserted themselves week in and week out the way Tiger did for such a long period of time. We’ll have great performances, like Rory this week, like (Martin) Kaymer at the U.S. Open and so forth.

“But it’s very hard to do

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rory McIlroy leaves the course holding the Claret Jug trophy after winning his first British Open title on Sunday at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. McIlroy appears to be back in stride and living up to the early expectations that he could challenge Tiger Woods as the world’s top player. that week in and week out the way Tiger did,” he said.

“That’s why it was so impressive what he did.”

Woods had a dip in his game when he overhauled his swing toward the end of his first full season on tour. Once he sorted that out, he won seven out of 11 majors. More than just majors, however, he won 28 tournaments worldwide in a three-year span.

McIlroy, who now has 13 wins worldwide, has been prone to inconsistent play. He missed four cuts in a fivetournament stretch in the summer of 2012 before going on a tear by winning the PGA Championship, consecutive FedEx Cup playoff events and the money title on both sides of the Atlantic.

He went to No. 1 in the world and looked as if he

would stay there for a generation.

But he didn’t win last year until late November in Australia. Blame that on a combination of signing a new equipment deal, getting into bad habits with his swing and changing management for the second time, this one leading to a legal dispute that still has to be worked out in court.

OBITUARIES | SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

DR. CHARLES H. ANDREWS JR. Dr. Charles Herman Andrews Jr. , age 95, beloved husband of 67 years of the late Leila Virginia Riley Andrews, died on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at McElveen Manor.

He was born in Sumter, a son of the late Dr. Charles Herman ANDREWS Sr. and Emma E. Sandel Andrews. Dr. Andrews was a Wofford College graduate and a graduate of the Medical College of South Carolina. He did his surgical residency at James Walker Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina. He returned to Sumter in 1951 and practiced at Tuomey Hospital as a gifted general surgeon for 35 years. He was a World War II Army veteran, where he served with the France Belgium Medical Corp and the Austria Army of Occupation. He was a member of Aldersgate Unit-

ed Methodist Church, where he was a past board member, a member of the Wesley Fellowship Sunday School Class, and was a founding member of Santee Summer Ministry. He was a member of the American Medical Association and Sumter / Clarendon Medical Association.

He was past president of the Brohun Lake Club; past president and hunt master of the Riverside Hunt Club; and was a founding member of the Sumter / Wateree Hunt Club. Dr. Andrews was a governor-appointed state of South Carolina constable. He was a member of the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame, having served 23 years as the football team physician of Edmunds and Sumter High School. Dr. Andrews loved his family, the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend.

Surviving are two sons,

Charles Herman “Chuck” Andrews III and his wife, Beth, and Michael Riley Andrews, both of Sumter; two daughters, Sandra “Sandy” Andrews Noonan and her husband, William T. “Bill,” and Ginger Andrews Parker, both of Sumter; 11 grandchildren, Dr. William Thomas Noonan Jr. and his wife, Kathleen, James Edward Noonan and his wife, Anne, Charles Herman Andrews IV and his wife, Elizabeth, Daniel Jenkins Andrews and his wife, Lisa, Kenneth Sandel Andrews Jr. and his wife, Jessie, Tanner Andrews Parker, Lisa Noonan Howard and her husband, Norman, Laurie Noonan Merchant and her husband, David, Edie Andrews Riddlespurger, Laney Andrews Dixon and her husband, Brock, and Riley Andrews Bonaca and her husband, Gianpaolo ; 27 great-grandchildren; sisterin-law, Alma Riley Davis; brother-in-law, William C. Riley; and a number of niec-

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014 es and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a son, Kenneth Sandel Andrews; a brother, Marvin Edward Andrews; and two sisters, Elizabeth A. Jackle and Helen F. Andrews.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today at Aldersgate United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Webb Belangia and the Rev. Robert N. Jackson officiating.

Burial will follow in Sumter Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be grandsons, Charles Herman Andrews IV, Kenneth Sandel Andrews Jr., Daniel Jenkins Andrews, James Edward Noonan, Dr. William Thomas Noonan Jr. and Tanner Andrews Parker.

Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Wesley Fellowship Class of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Dr. Hugh Stoddard, Norman Howard Jr., David Merchant, Gianpaolo Bonaca and Brock Dixon.

The family will receive

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friends one hour prior to the service from 10 to 11 a.m. today at the church and will receive friends at other times at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William T. Noonan.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 211 Alice Drive, Sumter, SC 29150; Epworth Children’s Home, 2900 Millwood Ave., Columbia, SC 29205; or to the charity of one’s choice.

A special thanks to McElveen Manor staff and administration and special caregiver, Mary L. Davis, for their dedicated care.

You may sign the family’s guest book at www.bullockfuneralhome.com.

The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.

SEE OBITUARIES, PAGE B6

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

New ACC settles into era of stability GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Welcome to the new Atlantic Coast Conference.

It’s where a founding member is out, a fast-rising program is in, Notre Dame is there, too — sort of — and nobody else is leaving.

Where a one-time punchline of a conference now boasts the Heisman Trophy winner, the reigning national champion and a handful of other individual award winners.

And where stability finally has arrived with its status as a power conference secure entering the College Football Playoff era, leaving its members optimistic about its future.

“I think everybody is where they want to be,” Commissioner John Swofford said.

“That’s real important.”

So, here comes ambitious Louisville into its fourth conference since 2004. There goes Maryland, off to the Big Ten. And Notre Dame is at least dipping its toe into the league, starting a scheduling arrangement this year in which it will play a handful of ACC teams every season while keeping its prized football independence.

Notre Dame will play host to North Carolina and Louisville, travel to Florida State and take on Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Fighting Irish joined in all sports except football and hockey last year, with Pitts-

AREA SCOREBOARD GOLF CHURCHES CHALLENGE

The 15th Annual Churches Challenge Golf Tournament & Praise Rally will be held Aug. 22-23.

The praise rally and dinner will be held on Friday, Aug. 22, at Alice Drive Baptist Church at 1305 Loring Mill Road beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be open to the players, tournament sponsors and their families. Gospel group The Last Generation will provide entertainment.

The tournament will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23, at Sunset Country Club. The tournament will be split into a morning flight and an afternoon flight. The sign-in time for the morning flight is 7 a.m. with a tee time of 8, while the sign-in time for the afternoon flight is 11:30 with a tee time of 1 p.m.

The format for the tournament is 4-man Captain’s Choice. The team must have a minimum handicap of 50 and only one player on each team can have a handicap of 8 or less.

The entry fee is $45 per player and that includes the praise rally and dinner for the players and their families as well.

Registration deadline for

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Atlantic Coast Conference head football coaches pose for a group photo during the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C., on Monday. The ACC hopes to stabilize after losing Maryland and adding Louisville this year along with other changes in previous years. burgh and Syracuse also coming on.

In the board room, Swofford said the new schools have “meshed so comfortably with our league, and that’s a real credit to the individuals around the table. It feels like we’ve been together a lot longer than we have, and that’s really a good thing.”

These 15 schools are bonded at least through 2026-27 by a grant-of-rights agreement

that was announced last year and pumped the brakes on realignment.

So, what appears to be the final reshuffling for a while, at least shifts the ACC’s footprint into the Midwest, moving into Kentucky and Indiana.

“I think the benefit comes from the quality of schools and athletic programs,” Swofford said. “The quality is really what’s brought to the table

and along with it, from a pure marketplace standpoint, our footprint now has the largest population and the most television sets of any conference’s footprint in the country. And that’s only going to grow in the future if you look at projected population disbursement. That’s all part of the positioning of the conference for the long term.”

So, the incessant realignment chatter was replaced

the tournament, which is hosted by the Christian Golfers’ Association, is Friday, Aug. 16.

There will be a $50,000 holein-one prize. The person who makes the ace will receive $1,000 while the church for which the player is playing will receive $50,000 from sponsor Jones Automotive Group.

The winning team as well as the second- and third-place teams will receive prizes. All cash prizes, with the exception of the $1,000 hole-in-one prize, will go to the churches of the respective winners.

There are many different sponsorship opportunities available to businesses as well.

For more information, call the CGA office at (803) 7732171. If no one answers, leave a message.

mation on the organization, check it out on Facebook or go to katsspecialkneads@ yahoo.com.

For more information on the tournament, call Kathy Stafford at (803) 469-3906, Teresa Durden at (803) 917-4710 or Mike Ardis at (803) 7751902.

— Open, A, B, C, D and novice. The tournament will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call (803) 773-1404 or visit www. ymcasumter.org or www.facebook.com/SumterYmca.

PAR 4 PETS TOURNAMENT

The Par 4 Pets 3rd Annual Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Crystal Lakes Golf Course.

The format for the tournament is 4-Man Captain’s Choice. The entry fee is $160 per team and $40 per player.

The tournament is limited to the first 20 teams. Prizes will go to the top three teams and prizes will be given to closest to pin on all par 3 holes.

The last day to register is Sept. 5.

Money raised from the tournament goes to K.A.T.’s Special Kneads. For more infor-

4-PERSON SCRAMBLE

The Links at Lakewood Golf Course will host a 4-person scramble every Thursday.

The cost is $25 per person and includes golf, prizes and food following the scramble.

Call the pro shop at (803) 481-5700 before 4 p.m. on Thursday to sign up.

GOLFERS BIBLE STUDY

The Sumter chapter of the Christian Golfer’s Association holds a golfers Bible study each Tuesday at its offices at Crystal Lakes Golf Course.

The study begins at 8 a.m. and is followed by a round of golf.

RACQUETBALL YMCA TOURNAMENT

The Sumter Family YMCA is taking registration for its first racquetball tournament scheduled for Aug. 16.

Registration will run through Aug. 7 with a fee of $15 for YMCA members and $22 for potential members.

After Aug. 7, add a $10 late registration fee.

There will be six divisions

FOOTBALL POP WARNER REGISTRATION

Youth Athletics of Sumter, a division of Pop Warner Little Scholars, is registering children ages 5-16 for football for the 2014 season.

The last day to register is July 31, and the registration fee is $80. Payment plans are available.

The fee includes security, ID Badge, use of shoulder pads, use of helmet, use of practice clothes, insurance and a mouthpiece. Parents will be responsible for buying a game jersey, game pants, cleats, a cup and socks.

The practice season will run from Aug. 1 through Aug. 29. Games will begin on Aug. 30 and run through Oct. 25.

Registration is being held every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Golden Corral on Broad Street.

To request registration and volunteer forms or for more information, email youthathleticsofsumteryas@yahoo.com.

AUTO RACING SPEEDWAY CHAMPS SEARCH

Sumter Speedway is trying to gather information on all

this year by discussion of a possible ACC-only television channel similar to the ones the Big Ten debuted in 2007 and the Southeastern Conference is launching later this summer.

Swofford had few details to offer about the possibility, saying the ACC “will continue to have our discussions with our partners at ESPN” about the potentially lucrative channel “and I remain pleased with how productive and insightful those discussions have been to this point.”

On the field, it helps that the ACC doesn’t have to deal with any more cheap shots about its struggles in games of national significance.

A league that combined for two wins in BCS games from the 1998-2011 seasons more than doubled its total in the last two years by winning three of them.

Florida State has done its part, winning two of those BCS games. The Seminoles produced last year’s Heisman winner in quarterback Jameis Winston while capping their perfect season with a comefrom-behind victory over Auburn in the final BCS championship game.

League coaches overwhelmingly called that title a good thing for the ACC because it could help the other 13 programs rise to Florida State’s level.

of its champions from 1957 to the present.

The name of the driver, the year and the division in which the title was won and the track promoter is the information hoping to be gathered.

To provide information, call James Skinner at (803) 775-5973 or e-mail Virginia Ayers at vayers@ftc-i.net.

CHEERLEADING POP WARNER REGISTRATION

Youth Athletics of Sumter, a division of Pop Warner Little Scholars, is registering children ages 5-16 for cheerleading for the 2014 season.

The last day to register is July 31 and the registration fee is $80. Payment plans are available.

The fee includes security, ID badge, use of uniform, use of pom-poms, socks, undergarment and insurance. Parents will be responsible for buying shoes.

The practice season will run from Aug. 1 through Aug. 29. Games will begin on Aug. 30 and run through Oct. 25.

Registration is being held every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Golden Corral on Broad Street.

Volunteers are also needed.

All volunteer applications must be turned in by July 5.

To request registration and volunteer forms or for more information, email youthathleticsofsumteryas@yahoo.com.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

CHARLES E. BRAXTON Charles Edward Braxton, age 62, companion of Ruby Jean Lilze, died on Monday, July 21, 2014, at his residence.

Born in Williamsburg County, he was a son of the late Moody and Virginia Bradshaw Braxton. Charles loved hunting, fishing and all sports, especially NASCAR. He enjoyed listening to country music and playing his guitar. He was a fun-loving man who enjoyed playing jokes. He will be remembered as a loving father, brother, grandfather, companion and friend.

He will be missed by all who knew him.

Surviving are a daughter, Pamela Braxton of Conway; five sisters, Helen Braxton of Lamar, Peggy Atkinson and her husband, David, of Lynchburg, Janie Blackmon of Myrtle Beach, Rose Campbell and her husband, Eddie, of Jacksonville and Christine Floyd of Sumter; four grandchildren; and the love of his life, Ruby Jean Lilze, and her daughter, Michelle Lilze and her boyfriend, Andy.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Laverne Braxton; and a special friend, Robert Lilze.

A memorial service will held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Providence Baptist Church with the Rev. Graham Bauchman officiating.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at Providence Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 400 Percival Road, P.O. Box 6604, Columbia, SC 29260-6604.

You may sign the family’s guest book at www.bullockfuneralhome.com.

The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.

LULA MAE THOMAS OLANTA — Lula Mae

Thomas, 71, died on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, at McLeod Regional Medical Center, Florence.

She was born on April 15, 1943, in the Olanta section of Sumter, a daughter of the late Corey and Carrie Epps Thomas.

The family is receiving friends at the home of her daughter, Shawonda Thomas, 403 S. Hood St., Olanta.

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

LARRY JOHNSON SR. Larry “Naughty” Johnson Sr., 46, husband of Sophia McElveen Johnson, departed this life on Monday, July 21, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

He was born on Dec. 24, 1967, in Pinewood, a son of Leroy (Thomasina) Richardson and Betty Johnson.

The family will be receiving friends at the home, 4035 Bank Lane, Sumter, SC 29154.

Funeral plans are incomplete and will be announced later by Job’s Mortuary Inc. of Sumter.

JEAN ROGERS BISHOPVILLE — Jean Myrtle “Nanny” Nobles Rogers, age 70, passed away on Tuesday morning, July 22, 2014, at her residence.

Plans will be announced by Norton Funeral Home, Bishopville Chapel.

MARGUERITE G. GARDNER Marguerite Gregg Gardner, 96, widow of Cary Gardner Jr., died on Friday, July 18, 2014, at McElveen Manor, Sumter.

She was born on Nov. 20, 1917, in Florence, a daughter of the late Ellett and Mary Agnes Rowe Gregg. She received her formal education in the public schools of Florence County. She was a member of Mt. Pisgah AME, Sumter. She was employed by the Shaw family of Shaw Lumber Co. for more than 50 years.

Survivors are her nieces, Blondena F. Gamble, Wanda

NEXT STEP FROM PAGE B1 only compliments.

“He’s a football player, he’s not a bother,” Rhaney said.

“He’s laid-back, funny, jokes a lot. Pretty good.”

Quarterback Garrett Gilbert, drafted in the sixth round out of Southern Methodist, said there was plenty on his plate without worrying about Sam. Gilbert said this will be the seventh offense he’s had to learn in eight seasons counting high school and college.

“When Mike got drafted he became part of our team, and that’s what he is,” Gilbert said. “We’re both here competing, our jobs aren’t guaranteed.

“He as well as the other guys in our rookie class are members of this family.”

Coach Jeff Fisher will address the media for the first time on Friday after the first full-squad workout.

Sam knows he must improve across the board to make the team. The Rams already had one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, with stars Robert Quinn and Chris Long at the ends, before taking Sam in the seventh round.

Long was among those observing on Tuesday.

“It’s not college anymore,” Sam said. “That’s child’s play compared to this.”

A little more than two

OBITUARIES Rhett, Joyce Rhett and Freda Rhett; and nephews, Charles (Eloise) Jackson, Fred Rhett and Eric Rhett.

Visitation for Mrs. Gardner will be held from noon to 7 p.m. today at Hayes F. LaNelle J. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel 114 N. Church St., Manning.

The celebratory services for Mrs. Gardner will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, Sumter, with the Rev. Betty Clark, pastor, officiating, Minister Eloise Conyers Jackson, the Rev. Jerome McCary and the Rev. Effie Hilton assisting.

Mrs. Gardner will lie in repose one hour prior to service time.

Burial will follow in Hillside Memorial Park, Sumter.

The family is receiving friends at the home of her nephew and nieces, Charles and Eloise Jackson, 4056 Alex Harvin Highway, Manning.

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

REV. MANNEY C. REID PAWLEYS ISLAND — The Rev. Manney Carrington Reid died on July 17, 2014, in Pawleys Island.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Dodd Reid of Pawleys Island; his son Howard and wife, Melanie Stein, of Middletown, Connecticut; his son Cary and wife, Deta, of New Haven, Connecticut; his son Ervin and wife, Mary Ann, of Richmond, Virginia; his daughter, Lisa, and husband, Brad Hanner, of Marietta, Georgia; his stepsons, Larry Dodd and wife, Emily, of Spartanburg and Danny Dodd and wife, Debra Ann, of Goldsboro, North Carolina; nine grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

Born on Nov. 22, 1922, in Columbia, he was a son of Howard Dunklin Reid and Sarah Rice Reid.

He was predeceased by his parents; his brother, Howard Dunklin Reid Jr.; and his first wife, Gerry Ervin Reid.

Manney received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University

dozen newcomers participated indoors. Sam thought it felt much like another OTA, but noted no one had pads on yet.

On Day 1 his biggest concern was mastering nuances of playing right end. He was the SEC co-defensive player of the year at Missouri rushing from the left side.

THE SUMTER ITEM of South Carolina. From 1943 to 1946, he served as an officer in the United States Navy. He then earned a master’s of accounting degree from Columbia University and began working as an accountant, but later felt called to the Episcopal priesthood and entered Virginia Theological Seminary in 1948. He married Gerry Ervin of York shortly before beginning seminary. After his graduation in 1951 with a master’s of science degree in divinity, he served churches in Edgefield, Myrtle Beach, Sumter, Columbia, Kinston, North Carolina, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Tucson, Arizona. He married Frances Dodd in 1987 and retired from fulltime ministry, but continued to serve churches in Mt. Pleasant, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church, Pawleys Island.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in his memory to Kanuga Conferences Inc., P.O. Box 250, Hendersonville, NC 28793.

Additional information can be found and condolences left at www.burroughsfh.com.

RAYMOND PACK Raymond “Bubba” Pack was born on Nov. 4, 1926, in Sumter, to the late Altamount and Estelle Bethune Pack. He departed this life on Friday, July 18, 2014, at his residence in Sumter.

Early in life, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and joined the family home church, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Paxville.

He met and married Fannie Dewitt and to this union two children were born. “Bubba,” as we fondly called him, was a hardworking man. He held several positions cutting pulp wood, working for Becker Sand and Gravel in Bennettsville and Santee Print in Sumter.

He leaves to cherish his memory: one beloved daughter, Zelphra “Lorraine”

“I thought I did pretty good,” he said. “Not totally satisfied because I haven’t been on the right side in a few years.”

At times, Sam had to try and get past Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick of the draft who played a little tackle on Tuesday. Robinson, who’ll

Caughman; one brother, Garland Pack of Sumter; three sisters, Mamie Pack Landreaux Isaac of Conyers, Georgia, Rosa Pack McElveen of Sumter and Bobigene “Bobbi” Pack of Gwinnett, Georgia; seven grandchildren, Quantaria Caughman, Quanesha Burgess, Alyssa Bright, Benjamin “Benji” Caughman Jr., Jonathan Caughman, Ronald McKenly Pack Jr. and Myra Pack; seven great-grandchildren; three special nieces who took care of him, Faye Pack, Saddell Pack Johnson and Francena Pack; a host of other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Public viewing will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Job’s Mortuary.

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

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 2225 Conyers Road, Paxville, with the Rev. Clifford Gaymon officiating.

Interment will follow in Calvary / Zion Hill Cemetery in Pinewood.

The family is receiving friends at 3345 U.S. 15 South, Sumter.

Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements.

Online memorials may be sent to the family at jobsmortuary@sc.rr.com or visit us on the web at www.jobsmortuary.net.

LINDA D. ROBERTS LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Linda D. Roberts, 66, wife of Louis Roberts, died on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at Nathan Adelson Hospice House, Las Vegas.

She was born on March 30, 1948, in Plainfield, New Jersey, a daughter of Cora I. Taylor Smith and the late William E. Smith.

The family is receiving friends at the home of her brother, Leonard Smith, 1232 Church Road, Pinewood.

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

begin his NFL career at guard, left the first workout feeling pretty good.

“It was definitely a positive feeling to have a jump start on camp,” Robinson said. “I was kind of familiar with a lot of the plays that we went over today and it helped with the speed of the game.

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803-774-1234

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

CLASSIFIEDS Tree Service

ANNOUNCEMENTS Lost & Found $200 REWARD! lost black female 40 lb. dog. Wearing a red collar.

Answers to Sophie. Lake Ashwood area. 803-428-2553

BUSINESS SERVICES Business Services Land clearing on site mulching, tree and brush grinding, Free estimates. David 803-972-1090

Home Improvements

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal , trimming & stump grinding. Lic & Ins.

803-316-0128

A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721

MERCHANDISE Garage, Yard & Estate Sales LARGE GARAGE SALE 1st & 3rd Weekend Tables $2 FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

H.L. Boone, Contractor additions, painting, roofing, gutters, sheetrock, blown ceilings, decks. 773-9904

Lawn Service Four Seasons Lawn Care Serving Sumter for almost 20 yrs!

Free est. 494-9169/468-4008 Cooper's Lawn Care General lawn maintenance! Lic. & ins.

Price starts at $30. 803-565-1894 JT's Lawn Care Tree Removal, Pressure Washing Senior Disc. Call 840-0322

Septic Tank Cleaning

Open every weekend.

905-4242

For Sale or Trade 2 plots Veterans section of Evergreen Cemetery. Close to road. $2,000 for both. Will pay title fee. Call 803-983-9202 before 9PM. Industrial Rack & Shelving. Plus many items of industrial products.

Contact 773-1825 Deluxe electric wheelchair, like new cond. Selling for $1,200.

Recharable batteries. Send email msg to: papatom@ftc-i.net Martin's Used Appliance Washers, Dryers, Refrig., Stoves.

Guarantee 464-5439 or 469-7311

EMPLOYMENT Ray Tobias & Company Septic tank pumping and services. (803) 340-1155 Senior and Military discounts available. 1st time customers receive 10% off when you mention this ad!

Tree Service Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

Help Wanted Full-Time Full Time Sales position available. Some experience preferred but will train. No calls. Apply at Wally's Hardware 1291 broad St .

Service Tech Needed to perform minor repairs to Stoves/Refrigerators. Must be able to pick up and deliver appliances. Clean driving record. Willing to work 42 hours per week. Please send all responses to P-Box 364 c//o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES 11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

9:30 a.m. Friday for Saturday’s edition 11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

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

Help Wanted Full-Time

Wee Academy Learning Center, Inc (Manning) is seeking a Four-Year Old Pre-K Lead teacher. Applicants possessing a four-year degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, with at least two years experience working with pre-school children are preferred.

Applicants must demonstrate effective planning, organization and communication skills. Submit resume' to: jjjoniwee@gmail.com Deadline July 29, 2014.

Thomas Sumter Academy in Rembert, SC is seeking applicants in the following teaching areas for the 2014-2015 school year: •Full-time Upper School Spanish Teacher (Spanish II & III) •IT Specialist/Computer Apps Teacher Minimum requirements include a bachelor's degree, strong interpersonal skills, and a willingness to become involved in the school's extracurricular program. Please contact/send resume to Debbie Nix, Headmaster, at tsa.generals@thomassumter.org or 803.499.3378.

Experienced Floral Designers needed. Full and part time. Please call Laura at The Daisy Shop 803-773-5114 Seeking executive director.

Must be a team player, self starter for non profit organization. Financial background a must, to include fundraising, technology a plus.

Policies and procedures ability.

Community involvement and strategic planning. Only qualified need apply. Send resume to Box 365 c//o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151 Immediate Opening for Assistant Managers / Manager Trainees Sunset Finance Company is seeking two assistant managers/manager trainees in the Sumter SC Location. Competitive salary with aggressive bonus plan and benefits package included. Excellent communication, customer service, mathematical, spelling and computer skills are necessary. Inside collections, outside collections, valid driver's license and dependable transportation are required.

Qualified applicants will be trained to manage their own consumer finance location. Apply online at www.sunsetfinance.net

Help Wanted Full-Time

Trucking Opportunities

Accountant Needed. Applicant is required to have a Bachelor's Degree in accounting with 3 years of equivalent experience in the field of accounting. Pay is commensurate with experience. Great benefits. Please send all resume to P-Box 360 C/O The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151

TRUCK MECHANIC/ TECHNICIAN Immediate openings for experienced truck and trailer mechanics / technicians for a locally based truck fleet. Duties include PM Service, general repair and some component rebuild or replacement and experience with Cat and Cummins engines a plus. Knowledge of Tanker HM - 183 inspections, hydraulic systems and some welding helpful. Benefit package includes medical, dental, prescription plan and life insurance. Paid holidays, Paid Vacation, 401k, profit sharing and uniforms supplied. Must have tools and pass pre-employment drug test, physical and have a valid driver's license. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Apply at FCI 132 Myrtle Beach Hwy Sumter, SC 29153; 803-773-2611 x-24 or email resume to

STC Now Hiring Diesel Mechanic Qualified candidates must have:

•Valid driver license •High School Diploma or GED •Three years or more of diesel mechanical experience •Must provide tools / picture at interview STC offers competitive salary and benefits EOE and Drug Free Workplace Contact - Pat Joyner 803-775-1002 x107 Auto Mechanic needed ASAP. Apply in person B & C Automotive, 601 Broad St. 803 -774-2026 State Tree Service is looking for experienced bush hog operators for line clearing.

Call 803-491-5154.

Help Wanted Part-Time P/T Caregiver needed to help with house cleaning, running errands & personal care. Mature & dedicated hard worker desired.

Own Transportation req'd. Car needed no SUV. Can't be afraid of water. 803-436-9926.

tmancini@freeholdcartage.com

Medical Help Wanted

RENTALS Unfurnished Apartments Hampton Pk Hist. Dist Clean,attractive 3Rm (1Bdrm) Range, Refrig.,Washer & Dryer Ceiling fans, No pets.

Off Street parking $390 Mo. +Sec Dep w/Yr Lease Credit report & Refs Req. Call 773-2451 Newly renovated Apts. 2BR All appl's, hrdwd fls, ceramic tiles, C/H/A, $550/mo, 7B Wright St. 803-773-5186 or 631-626-3460 SOUTH FORGE APTS. 1 & 2 BR, Water, stove & fridge furnished. Linda at 803-494-8443 2BR 1BA, Conv. to Sumter Mall. $530/mo + dep. 803-775-1281.

Want to Rent

CMA'S & Medical Scribes with 1-3 years exp. Please send resumes to Box 363 c//o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151 Physician's Office needs LPN & Med Admin staff . Fax resume to 803-774-7004

Work Wanted I'm Available to clean your home.

Affordable, reliable 16 yrs exp ref's. Melissa 803-938-5204

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

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

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Unfurnished Apartments

Manufactured Housing

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

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO

Looking for your DREAM HOME? LOW CREDIT SCORE? Been turned down for bad credit?

Come try us, we do our own financing. We have 3-4-5 bedroom homes. Layaway program available. For more information, call 843-389-4215.

Unfurnished Homes Duplex Historic Dist., private, completely renovated, lg yard.

1br, 1ba $465 mo + dep.

803-840-9318 before 8am or aftr 5pm for appt.

2BR Apartments Miller Rd $320-$395 & 3BR Homes Burgess Ct $495 Call 774-8512 or 983-5691 Houses & Mobile Homes in Sumter & Manning. 2 Br & 3 Br. First month's rent and security deposit required. No Section 8.

Please call 803-460-6216.

Mobile Home Rentals

Farms & Acreage 5.1 acres (Lee Cty)for lease (cheap) for farming or ranching on long term basis. Mth or yrly.

561-502-8598 Owner lives in Fla.

Land & Lots for Sale

2BR for rent. $450/mo. Call 803-983-8084 Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water/sewer/garbage pk-up incl'd.

RV parking avail. Call 494-8350

Dalzell 16.57 acre paved. $2425 dn. $580 mo. 120 mos. $2500 Ac. 888-774-5720.

2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

Min. Walmart/Shaw +/- 1 Acre.

Septic, cleared, $2,900 Dn. $216 mo. 60 mos. 888-774-5720

Resort Rentals

Lake Property

Ocean Lakes 2BR/2BA C/H/A Sleeps 8, near ocean. Call 803-773-2438

30'x60' climate control metal bldg.

Wyboo area. 1.81 acres. 2nd row.

Email for details: johnwmathis@yahoo.com.

Vacation Rentals

FSBO: Lake House: 1931 Clubhouse Lane on Lizzie's Creek.

1,605 sq ft, 4BR/2BA, Kitchen /Dining Room, Den, Shower house, Boat house, Pier, Carport.

803-469-3807

Office Rentals

RECREATION

Retail, Office & Executive Suite rental space available. Busiest corner-intersection in Santee SC. Call today 803-515-3938 Professional Office Space 1500 Sq ft, 6 Offices 2 Baths, Reception area, Kitchen $650 Mo + Sec dep. Call 803-968-0689 or 803-972-1090 Office rentals: 712 Bultman Dr. Upstairs Space, 450 sq ft - office $295/mo , 250 sq ft 1-office $200/mo, 170 sq ft 1-office $165/mo, 190 sq ft w//private BR $175//mo, 300 sq ft 1-office $275//mo, 265 sq ft - 2 offices $250//mo, 550 sq ft can divide $300//mo.

Call 469-9294 or 491-6905

Acreage Farm Rentals Land for rent any purpose or use. Call 803-427-3888

REAL ESTATE Homes for Sale 580 Beacon Scores, 2 yr work history & down payment. You can own a home. Payments starting as low as $450. Call 803-236-5953 5 BR/3BA DW 2,128 sq ft. 1 ac. off Hwy 15 S. Seller motivated. $64,900. Call Don 239-451-4465

Manufactured Housing (2) 3BR/2BA (Dalzell) with land.

Easy Financing. 803-983-8084

FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO.: 2014-CP-43-00226 A Guaranteed Credit Approval AUTO LOANS We will arrange financing even if you have been turned down before.

Loans available for no credit, bad credit, 1st Time Buyers & Bankruptcy buyers. No co-signers needed. Call Mr. Ashley Brown at 803-926-3235

Miscellaneous S.C. Construction Services We specialize in Energy Systems, also offer Duct work, Dry Wall, Floor Encapsulations, and mobile home repairs. Call 803-847-7824 for more details.

5775 Cane Savannah Rd. (Wedgefield).over 1 acre on main hwy. City water avail. Perfect for a new home or future investment.

Close to Shaw AFB. $8,900 803-983-2261

(Scenic Lake) 3BR 2BA 16x80.

No pets Call 803-499-1500. From 9am- 5pm

Waterfront @ Lake Marion 3BR 2BA DW $750/Mo. + Dep 2BR 1BA SW $525/Mo. + Dep. Call 803 983-9035 or 773-6655

SUMMONS AND NOTICES (Non-Jury)

Mobile Home with Lots FSBO: 10 +/- acres plus custom built D/W MH. For a list of amenities & info, send email to: papatom@ftc-i.net.

Hunting / 55 lbs bag Iron Clay peas.

Combine run. $35 bag.

803-473-6406.

TRANSPORTATION Mopeds / ATVs / Motorcycles 2009 Vulcan 900C, One owner, garage kept, less than 6,000 miles. Asking $5,000 OBRO. Call 803-847-7963 Eddie or Miranda.

Reconditioned batteries $35. Also have lawn mower, truck, 4 wheeler, golf cart & marine batteries, starters & alternators.

Car dealers/garages ask about special prices. Auto Electric Co. 803-773-4381

Liquor License Notice Of Application Notice is hereby given that Pocalla Spirits, Inc. DBA Mac's Place Spirits intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license permit that will allow the sale OFF premises consumption of Liquor at 5644 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29154. To object to the issuance of this permit / license, written protest must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2014. For a protest to be valid, it must be in writing, and should include the following information: (1) the name, address and telephone number of the person filing the protest; (2) the specific reasons why the application should be denied; (3) that the person protesting is willing to attend a hearing (if one is requested by the applicant); (4) that the person protesting resides in the same county where the proposed place of business is located or within five miles of the business; and (5) the name of the applicant and the address of the premises to be licensed. Protests must be mailed to: S.C. Department of Revenue, ATTN: ABL, P.O. Box 125, Columbia, South Carolina 29214; or Faxed to: (803) 896-0110.

Abandon Vehicle / Boat

Autos For Sale

Abandoned Boat Notice

Work truck 97' Dodge Dakota, Reg cab V6 with tow pkg & AC, $1,600 OBO.803-447-5453

To all person claiming an interest in: 1973-14-14BN - Monark & 1966 9HP MQ12A Johnson will apply to SCDNR for title on watercraft/outboard motor. If you have any claim to the waterfront/outbound motor, contact SCDNR at (803) 734-3858. Upon thirty days adter the date of the last advertisement if no claim of interest if made and the waterfront/outbound motor has not been reported stolen, SCDNR shall issue clear made and the waterfront/outboard motor has not been reported stolen, SCDNR shall issue clear title . Case No: 201404259520270

BETTER

THAN WALKING SPECIAL "Remember Cars are like eggs" Cheaper in the country!

Financing Available '97 Pontiac Bonneville $1500 '99 Ford Taurus $1,500 '02 Buick Century $2,000 '07 Chevy Malibu $6995 '01 Chevy Suburban $3,300 '99 Ranger Pick-up Ld $4,800 '00 Toyota Tacoma (Auto) $6,000 '03 GMC Envoy 3rd seat $7995 Ernest Baker Auto Sales & Equip.

3349 N. Main St., Hwy 15N. Across from Mozingo Conv.

Store 803-469-9294

LEGAL NOTICES Summons & Notice

4BR/2BA 32x80 DW w//land for sale. Fin. available, Payments approx. $450/mo. 803-236-5953

45.7 acres $1,313 per acre. Great track only min. from Sumter.

Priced to sell at $60k. Call 803-920-0724

STATEBURG COURTYARD

Autos For Sale

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Bank of America, N.A., Plaintiff, vs.

Jimmy Dale Morgan; Jillian N. Morgan; Dorimar Baugh; Jerry Baugh, Defendant(s).

TO THE DEFENDANT(S) ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to appear and defend by answering the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is hereby served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their offices at 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110, Columbia, SC 29210, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES, AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by Attorney for Plaintiff.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference or the Court may issue a general Order of Reference of this action to a Master-in-Equity/Special Referee, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that under the provisions of S.C. Code Ann. ยง 29-3-100, effective June 16, 1993, any collateral assignment of rents contained in the referenced Mortgage is perfected and Attorney for Plaintiff hereby gives notice that all rents shall be payable directly to it by delivery to its undersigned attorneys from the date of default. In the alternative, Plaintiff will move before a judge of this Circuit on the 10th day after service hereof, or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard, for an Order enforcing the assignment of rents, if any, and compelling payment of all rents covered by such assignment directly to the Plaintiff, which motion is to be based upon the original Note and Mortgage herein and the Complaint attached hereto.

NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANTS

ABOVE

YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the original Complaint, Cover Sheet for Civil Actions and Certificate of Exemption from ADR in the above entitled action was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on February 6, 2014.

J. Martin Page, SC Bar No. 100200 Brock & Scott, PLLC 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110 Columbia, SC 29210 Phone 888-726-9953 Fax 866-676-7658 Attorneys for Plaintiff

SUMMONS AND NOTICES (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE) IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO: 14-CP-43-0764 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), a corporation organized and existing

Summons & Notice

Summons & Notice

under the laws of the United States of America, PLAINTIFF, vs.

Donald Brooks, Individually and as Personal Representative for the Estate of Alice L. Lancaster; John Williams; Sharon Williams; Eric Williams; Steve Williams; Tonya Carlyle; Midland Funding LLC; AscensionPoint Recovery Services, LLC on behalf of Department Stores National Bank; and AscensionPoint Recovery Services, LLC on behalf of GE Capital Retail Bank, DEFENDANT(S).

TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANTS

ABOVE

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or to otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscribers at their office, 4000 Faber Place, Suite 450, P.O. Box 71727, North Charleston, South Carolina, 29415, or to otherwise appear and defend the action pursuant to applicable court rules, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint or otherwise appear and defend within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDE(S) AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff.

NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above entitled action, together with the Summons, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on April 21, 2014 at 1:59 P.M. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the Supreme Court of South Carolina Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may be eligible for foreclosure intervention programs for the purpose of resolving the above-referenced foreclosure action.

If you wish to be considered for a foreclosure intervention program, you must contact Finkel Law Firm LLC, 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450 (29405), P.O. Box 71727 (29415), North Charleston, SC 29405, or call (843) 577-5460 within thirty (30) days from the date of this notice. Finkel Law Firm LLC represents the Plaintiff in this action. Our law firm does not represent you and is not authorized to provide you any legal advice.

IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION PROCESS, THE FORECLOSURE MAY PROCEED. NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT (15 U.S.C. ยง 1692 et seq.): This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information you provide will be used for that purpose. However, if you have previously received a discharge from bankruptcy, this message is not and should be construed as an attempt to collect a debt, but only as a requirement pursuant to the administrative order.

FINKEL LAW FIRM LLC THOMAS A. SHOOK Post Office Box 71727 North Charleston, S.C. 29415 (843) 577-5460 Attorney for Plaintiff

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Rule 53(b) SCRCP, as amended effective September 1, 2002, the Plaintiff will move for a general Order of Reference to the Master in Equity for Sumter County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53(b) of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this action. If there are counterclaims requiring a jury trial, any party may file a demand under rule 38, SCRCP and the case will be returned to the Circuit Court.

CONTRACTOR WANTED! For Route In The

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014 Call Ivy Moore at: (803) 774-1221 | E-mail: ivym@theitem.com

PHOTOS PROVIDED

The crowd begins to gather for the first Fourth Fridays concert presented in the green space on Main Street for the first time in June. This Friday’s concert with Too Much Sylvia will also be held on the space in front of the Sumter Opera House.

Can’t get Too Much Sylvia?

Beach, variety at 4th Friday

Too Much Sylvia Fourth Fridays July 25 6-8:30 p.m.

Green space across from Sumter Opera House Free admission

D

owntown Sumter continues its Fourth Fridays street parties this week with a band that’s been a hit at previous local concerts. Too Much Sylvia is a beach music/variety band out of Charlotte that has played several shows for Sumter@Six, the precursor to Fourth Fridays.

From 6 to 8:30 p.m., TMS, as the band is also known, will entertain with a repertoire that spans the decades since the 1950s and includes plenty of music to shag to, but also draws its repertoire from country, classic and contemporary rock, old standards, funk, disco, rhythm and blues and more.

The band has released another CD, their third, since they last played here for Sumter@Six; “2MS” comprises nine songs, including a BeeGees Tribute, which TMS will mostly likely draw from for its show on Friday at 6 p.m. in the park across from the Sumter Opera House.

Last month’s opening concert in that venue was so successful, Fourth Fridays will continue there through October, when the series ends, ac-

Too Much Sylvia will play for the second Fourth Fridays this week in the green space across from the Sumter Opera House. They play music from several decades and cover numerous artists’ songs in several genres, and there will be plenty of music to shag to. The 6-to-8:30 p.m. Friday concert is open to the public, and admission is free. cording to Leigh Newman, Growth and Development Specialist for the city.

Newman said “The kids loved it, people brought their lawn chairs or stretched out on blankets, and the street was closed, so there was plenty of space for dancing.”

In addition, she said, “The benches along the green space were always full. It was a great crowd.”

For those who have concerns about the acoustics in the out-

door space, Newman said, “The sound was great. I think having the concert there also makes it feel cooler.”

Main Street will be closed between Hampton Avenue and Liberty Street during the concert.

In case the temperature is hot on Friday, Newman noted that there will be Italian ices available from a new vendor, LaQuinta Josey. For more substantial fare, Todd Touchberry of the Cut Rate Soda

Fountain will offer hot dogs and barbecue sandwiches, as well as beverages. Beer will also be available for purchase.

No coolers will be permitted.

Newman thinks Too Much Sylvia will be a perfect fit for the green space.

With their four distinct voices, TMS can cover tunes of any style and by most artists, including Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Pharrell Williams, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, the Beach Boys,

Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Alabama, Marvin Gaye and just about any rhythmand-blues artist you can name. Their repertoire includes in excess of 200 songs, many of them originals. Several of their tunes have hit the top 40 beach music charts over the years.

The musicians have been together for many years, each coming from an impressive background. Keyboardist Rick Lee was part of Sugarcreek; guitarist Steve Long has been with the Diamonds, Stratus and The Vandals; bass guitarist Eddy Howie moved from the Fantastic Shakers to Sugarcreek before joining TMS; and percussionist Don Leonard was with Captain Cook & The Coconuts, The Poor souls and The Outlaws.

Admission to Fourth Fridays is free to the public.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Still to come on the fourth Fridays of August, September and October are the Josh Brannon Band with country music, Carolina Soul Band with soul music and Terence Lonon and the Untouchable playing beach, soul and rhythm and blues.

Drury plans next generation ‘The Virginian’

BY NICK THOMAS Tinseltown Talks While today’s television landscape is littered with socalled reality programing, westerns dominated the airways in the 1960s. One of the most popular was “The Virginian,” which ran for nine seasons on NBC from 1962-1971, and starred James Drury as the unnamed, mystery foreman of the Shiloh ranch, set in Medicine Bow, Wyoming.

Drury celebrated his 80th birthday in April and, far from retiring, says plans are in progress to resurrect his tough but honorable cowboy character in a new show for kids that combines live-action and animation.

“It’s called ‘Billy and the Bandit’ aimed at 8- to 10-yearolds, but adults can enjoy it, too,” said Drury from his home in Houston. “Billy is the great, great, grandson of ‘The Virginian’ and confined to a wheelchair. He is told tales of the old West by his grandfather, played by me, and fantasizes about western adventures as he falls asleep. All kinds of stories come out of that.”

James Drury was born in New York City but has had a lifelong love of horses and the West. He has lived in Houston for the past 35 years.

With the pilot script now completed and cast and crew beginning filming, Drury says a Kickstarter fundraiser is in progress to assist with costs associated with the live-action sequences, animation and post production (see www.thevirginian.net).

“It’s an exciting project,” said Drury, who will reunite in the new series with his old “Virginian” costars, Roberta Shore and Gary Clarke.

“We’re looking forward to telling some great stories for families every week.”

Currently broadcast on cable’s INSP TV, Drury isn’t surprised that “The Virginian”

has remained popular with audiences for over 50 years.

“It was the first 90-minute western on TV and that gave our writers an opportunity to explore detailed stories,” he explained. “It was like doing a movie every week. We also had a wonderful cast of continuing characters, and with the great writing, the finest actors in Hollywood wanted guest starring roles – George C. Scott, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Robert Redford come to mind. Every day I’d go off to the set excited about the wonderful actors I’d be working with.”

But starring in a weekly 90-minute series was demanding.

“Some days we would be filming parts of five different episodes, so it required a lot of mental concentration,” said Drury. “I had a strong work ethic, so didn’t mind. I did the show for nine years, but would have been delighted to continue for another ten!”

With his rugged good looks and wrangling experience, Drury was a natural TV cowboy.

“I’ve been riding horses

since I was in diapers!” said Drury. “My grandfather put me on his Belgian plow horse when I was just a toddler. The animal was so broad, my legs stuck straight out on both sides like I was doing the splits. It’s one of my earliest memories.” Born in New York City, Drury spent time growing up on his parents’ Oregon ranch and developed an interest in acting after performing in a Christmas play as a child.

He later returned to New York for stage work before moving to Hollywood. Along with wife Carl Ann, Drury has lived in Houston for 35 years, and offscreen has competed in cutting horse competitions, polo, and dressage.

“Texas has been good to me,” said Drury. “I’ve worked with many great horse trainers here and up through Oklahoma. I love it all – the dust, the sweat, the sunshine and the smell of the horses.”

As he did in “The Virginian,” Drury plans to bring his love of the old West to ‘Billy and the Bandit’ and is confident audiences will embrace the show.

“There are so many cable

PHOTOS COURTESY JAMES DRURY

James Drury played the cowboy known only as “The Virginian” from 1962-71 on NBC. He’s soon to be seen with ‘Virginian’ co-stars Roberta Shore and Gary Clarke in a children’s show that combines live action and animation. channels now looking for new content,” he said. “Westerns were morality plays where good always triumphed over evil and people respond to that.

Our show retains those values of the old West. Parents and grandparents can watch it with the kids, and that’s a valuable family experience these days.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama, and has written features, columns and interviews for more than 400 magazines and newspapers.

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FOOD

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

You can bake artisanal quality bread ELIZABETH KARMEL Associated Press Homemade bread really is the difference between a good sandwich and a great one. This especially important when contemplating back-to-school lunches. A brown bag lunch should be something to look forward to. And even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich becomes a treat when good bread is involved.

But we tend to be intimidated by from-scratch bread baking. I certainly felt that way after recently enjoying an artisanal loaf. I wanted to recreate it at home, but I knew my oven — as opposed to a brick oven — would be my greatest stumbling block. I figured it was hopeless, until I stumbled onto a recipe by Leslie Mackie, chef-owner of Macrina Bakery and Cafe in Seattle.

The technique is simple, and it wonderfully replicates a traditional bread oven. It involves baking the loaf in a cast-iron double Dutch oven (the sort in which the lid is an overturned skillet). With its tight-fitting lid, the pre-heated cast-iron pot traps the moisture inside where the loaf simultaneously rises as it bakes, creating a soft yet hearty interior texture and a deep golden brown crust.

Making the bread was half science experiment, half baking, and I couldn’t wait to get started. I adapted the recipe to suit my taste, adding twice as much cereal for texture and adding rye flour for tang. The multiple rises contribute to both the texture and the development of flavor.

One easy tip when making this bread is to purchase a raw multi-grain hot cereal and use that instead of buying bags of individual grains, such as flax, oats, barley, rye, wheat, etc. I also like to add sunflower seeds.

The only difficult part of this recipe is heating and handling the Dutch oven. I place the Dutch oven on rimmed baking sheet to make this job easier and safer. It is especially helpful when removing the “lid” after the first 30 minutes of the baking time.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DUTCH OVEN MULTIGRAIN BREAD For this recipe you’ll need a Dutch oven in which the lid is a skillet. The pan acts as a cover when overturned and set on top of the pot. Several different companies make this style cast-iron Dutch oven, sometimes called a double Dutch oven.

Start to finish: 8 hours (30 minutes active) Makes one 9-inch loaf (about 10 servings) 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for sprinkling 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water (about 80 F) 2/3 cup multigrain hot cereal (uncooked) 3 generous tablespoons honey 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast 1/2 cup stone-ground rye flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt Line a medium bowl with a clean kitchen towel, then sprinkle it heavily with flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, cereal and honey. Let soak for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Sprinkle the package of yeast over the cereal, whisk gently, then let stand for 3 minutes.

Add the 2 1/4 cups of flour, the rye flour and the salt. With a rubber spatula, mix together for 2 or 3 minutes by pulling the spatula through the dough and flipping. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature (or in a warm place, about 75 F) until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with all-purpose flour,

then push the dough down and pick it back up at the sides. Knead a couple of times in the bowl, adding a little flour to make it less sticky. Flip the dough over so the seam of the dough is on the bottom, then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for another 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled.

Knead again in the bowl and add a bit of flour if necessary. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Knead a couple of times and gently round the dough to tighten the loaf. Place the dough in the floured and towel-lined medium bowl with the seam side up.

Cover the top of the loaf with the ends of the towel or with another clean towel. Let rise until the loaf feels springy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

At least 1 hour before baking, place a 5-quart cast-iron double Dutch oven on a rimmed baking sheet (to make it easier to transfer in and out of the oven). Place the cover, overturned, next to it. Place the entire thing in the oven and heat at 400 F. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using the towel to transport it, invert the loaf of bread onto the overturned cover. Use a paring knife to quickly score the top with a 4-inch square about 1?4 inch deep. Being very careful, overturn the pot onto the lid to cover the loaf.

Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the top and bake uncovered on the “lid” until the loaf is a deep golden brown, another 20 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before slicing.

Nutrition information per serving (based on 10 servings): 190 calories; 10 calories from fat (5 percent of total calories); 1 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 6 g protein; 430 mg sodium.

(Recipe adapted from “Lodge Cast Iron Nation,” Oxmoor House, 2014)

10 fresh ways to use fresh blueberries J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor There are muffins, of course. And pancakes. And the obligatory fruit salad.

But then what? After all the usual suspects, how do you handle a seasonal abundance of blueberries?

As long as you’re willing to consider a few fresh approaches, it’s actually easy and delicious to press them into service. Start by ditching the idea that they only work in sweets. The juicy, slightly acidic berries work wonders with meat. In fact, the Native Americans used blueberries to season dried meats.

But first, a few storage tips. Blueberries keep best when stored dry. In other words, wash them only as you use them. Until then, keep them lightly covered and refrigerated. If you

them on a rimmed baking sheet. Gently dry them with paper towels, then freeze them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Once frozen, the berries can be bagged.

10 WAYS WITH BLUEBERRIES:

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

freeze them, the flavor will be fine, but the texture will be different. So once frozen, it’s best to use them only in recipes that involve cooking them.

To freeze blueberries, wash them, then spread

• Vinaigrette: Add a handful of blueberries to a blender with a 3:1 ratio of oil and vinegar (balsamic or red wine would be good), as well as a hit of salt and pepper.

Blend until mostly smooth.

• Sweet and chilly snack: Follow the method above for freezing, but instead of drying the washed berries, roll them in coarse sugar, then freeze. Eat them as is for a sweet treat.

• Compote: Saute 1 finely diced yellow onion in a bit of butter. Add 1 cup blueberries, a bit of grated fresh ginger and a splash of hot sauce. Simmer until the berries pop, reduce and begin to

thicken. Season with ample black pepper and a pinch of salt and ground cumin.

Spoon over grilled pork chops or pork tenderloin.

• Creamed: Mound fresh berries in a bowl, then drizzle with heavy cream. Follow that by a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

• Cordial: Bring 1 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of sugar to a simmer and cook until the berries are broken down and thickened. Strain through a mesh strainer, discarding any solids. Divide the mixture between 4 tumblers. Add ice, then top with vodka or gin.

• Grain salad: Toss fresh blueberries with cooked and cooled quinoa or farro, diced cucumber, fresh mint and minced red onion. Drizzle with a lemon vinaigrette and top with slivered almonds.

• Cornbread: Add blueber-

ries to your favorite savory cornbread recipe.

• Spread: Mix together 1/4 cup slightly mashed blueberries, chopped scallions and about 1/2 cup mayonnaise.

Use as a sandwich spread for a grilled chicken wrap.

• Salsa: In a processor, finely mince 1 red onion, 1 jalapeno pepper and a handful of fresh cilantro. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries, a splash of olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lemon (or more, to taste). Pulse until the blueberries are just chopped, then season with salt and pepper. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

• Cheese topper: Simmer 1 cup blueberries with 1 tablespoon sugar and a dash of hot sauce. When the blueberries have broken down and thickened, pour over a room temperature round of brie.

Serve with baguette slices or crackers.

FOOD

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

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Why not a meal in a muffin?

SARA MOULTON Associated Press When fall rolls around and it’s back to school and work, wouldn’t you love to start your day with something tastier and more substantial than that all-too-typical bowl of cold cereal? It’s just so boring day after day. And that’s apart from the fact that most cereals will fail to tide you over until lunchtime.

Here, then, is a meal in a muffin, a delicious and substantial alternative to the usual breakfast fare.

The base is a mix of white whole-wheat and all-purpose flours. Don’t fret over the whole wheat. White wholewheat flour — which is available at most supermarkets — is made from a variety of wheat that is lighter in color and flavor than a traditional whole wheat, but just as healthy.

The flour mix is moistened with eggs (a terrific source of protein), a combo of olive oil and just a little butter, as well as a bit of buttermilk and some Greek yogurt. The latter is a wonderful ingredient.

Somehow the version with zero fat delivers all of the creamy mouth feel and tangy depth of flavor that anyone could wish for. And it boasts double the protein of regular yogurt.

Next come the veggies. I’ve chosen broccoli and roasted red peppers, but you’re welcome to replace them with carrots or chopped green beans. Your choice, as long as they add up to 1 3/4 cups. And by the way, you don’t need to pre-cook the vegetables before adding them to the batter.

Healthy snack eats like a treat ALISON LADMAN Associated Press The words hungry kids heading home from school hate most? “Have a piece of fruit.”

Afterschool snacks are one of the toughest terrains for parents to navigate. The kids want a treat, but parents — mindful that dinner is just around the corner — want to keep it healthy. So we decided to come up with a healthy, filling snack that kids would still consider a treat.

These chocolate and granola covered frozen bananas are a healthy snack that eat like a frozen pop with a hit of chocolate. If your kids aren’t into granola, you could substitute chopped nuts, crushed whole-grain pretzels or even raisins or dried cranberries.

FROZEN CHOCOLATE GRANOLA BANANAS Start to finish: 20 minutes, plus freezing Servings: 4 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate bits 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 bananas 1 cup granola Line a small pan with waxed paper.

Bring a small saucepan of water (about 1 inch) to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate bits and orange juice.

Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water. Stir continuously until melted and smooth.

Peel the bananas, then cut each banana in half crosswise. Insert a fork into one end of each piece. Dip each banana into the chocolate mixture, using a spoon to scoop the chocolate over the banana to make sure it is completely covered. Roll the coated banana in the granola, then place the forked and coated bananas on the prepared pan. Freeze.

Nutrition information per serving: 350 calories; 130 calories from fat (37 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 59 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 33 g sugar; 5 g protein; 10 mg sodium.

I’ve amped up the flavor with modest amounts of Canadian bacon and full-fat cheddar cheese. The finished muffins are good to go: tasty and filling without a ton of sugar and fat. Breakfast may never be the same. For that matter, these muffins would be great for lunch, too.

BROCCOLI CHEDDAR BREAKFAST MUFFINS Start to finish: 1 hour (35 minutes active) Makes 12 muffins 2 cups white whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 large eggs 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers, plus 1/4 cup of the pepper liquid from the jar 1 cup small raw broccoli florets or chopped thawed frozen broccoli florets 1/2 cup diced Canadian bacon (about 3 ounces) 3/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces), divided Heat the oven to 425 F. Mist a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, stir together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk to-

gether the eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, butter and pepper juice (if the jar did not have 1/4 cup of juice in it, supplement with water). Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add the peppers, broccoli, bacon and 1/2 cup of the cheese, stirring well.

Scoop the batter (it will be quite thick) into the muffin cups, filling them completely. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tops of the muffins. Bake on the oven’s middle shelf until the tops are golden, about 25 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack.

Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories; 90 calories from fat (38 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 45 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 10 g protein; 520 mg sodium.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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COMICS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Girl, her cousin need counseling after assault DEAR ABBY — My granddaughter “Cindy,” age 2, was being watched by her mommy’s ex-sister-in-law Dear Abby and her sons. Cindy ABIGAIL went to her VAN BUREN mommy and said, “Bubby hurt me.” Bubby is what she calls her 10-year-old cousin.

Her mother called the police. A policeman spoke to her and said there wasn’t enough evidence. Now my granddaughter is scared of men.

The police went and talked to the cousin who said he “accidentally touched her

THE SUMTER ITEM

down there with her pull-up on.” DCFS was called in, and again it was a man. We took Cindy to a female doctor and Cindy told the doctor everything that happened to her. Now she wakes up having nightmares and yells, “No, Bubby. Stop!”

What’s a grandmother to do to help her? We need justice for Cindy.

Distraught grandmother DEAR DISTRAUGHT — You may need justice for Cindy, but what Cindy needs right now is professional help to get past the trauma of what was done to her. Contact the nearest rape treatment center, tell them everything you have told me and ask for their assistance in finding therapy for your grandchild.

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

They hear stories like this all too often.

The boy who assaulted Cindy also needs counseling so that he won’t/can’t repeat what he did to her with another little girl. From my perspective, both of these children need professional help.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To receive a collection of Abby’s most memorable — and most frequently requested — poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to Dear Abby — Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

JUMBLE

SUDOKU

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

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

ACROSS 1 Auto whose griffin logo was recently discontinued 5 Log on to 11 “Family Guy” daughter 14 Beige cousin 15 Hail from a distance 16 Lumberjack’s tool 17 “Alice in Wonderland” critter known for disappearing 19 Cousins, say 20 Lost it 21 It may be bulletproof 22 Free-for-all 25 Hates 27 Painting partly shown on the original cover of “The Da Vinci Code” 31 Half an etiquette list 32 Free TV ad 33 Pepsi, e.g.

35 In favor of 36 Ubiquitous Mad Magazine guy 41 Cry to a toreador 42 Clumsy boats 43 Part of an ear 45 Getting on in

years 47 “Batman” villain 50 Tummyshowing shirt 52 “__ obvious!”: “Duh!” 53 Aussie sprinters 54 Blue Staters, collectively 58 __ Cruces 59 Some emoticons, and defining features of 17-, 27-, 36- and 47-Across 63 Sinusitistreating MD 64 Requiring less effort 65 Bend 66 Sci. course 67 Stick 68 Haywire DOWN 1 Short time 2 GŸnther’s gripe 3 “Blessed __ the pure in heart ...”

4 Poppycock 5 Biting, as wit 6 Siena sweetie 7 Staff notation 8 Spanish folk hero 9 Put into words 10 Lush 11 Gets a move on 12 Is more than

a dream 13 Classy guys 18 Site of many school lockers 21 Rattler’s poison 22 Image file letters 23 Flor del amor 24 Corresponding with 26 Protein source for vegans 28 __ hockey 29 Pepsi, e.g.

30 Watchful 34 Egyptian cross 37 Decides with a coin 38 Monthly expense 39 Flagstaff-toRoswell dir.

40 Rejections 44 Pal

45 Big name in high fashion 46 Lost one’s temper 48 Short time 49 Quebec/Ontario border river 50 Walk of Fame honoree 51 Engage in online fraud 55 Nobelist Wiesel 56 Creepy look 57 Literary governess Jane 59 Poseidon’s realm 60 Cornfield call 61 Take a wrong turn, say 62 Binoculars user

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

9 PM 9:30 LOCAL CHANNELS

10 PM

10:30

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157 Who You Think You Are (HD) Who You Think You Are (HD) Who Do You Think You Are (N) Who You Think You Are (HD) Who You Think You Are (HD) You Are (HD) (:03) Falling 158 Castle: Secret’s Safe With Me Stor- Castle: Murder, He Wrote Man col- (:01) Castle: Probable Cause Murder (:02) Castle: The Final Frontier Body (:03) The Last Ship: El Toro Rachel age unit. (HD) lapses in Castle’s pool. (HD) evidence. (HD) at a sci-fi convention. (HD) nears a breakthrough. (HD) Skies (HD) 102 Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn (N) Pawn (:01) Pawn (:31) Pawn (:02) Pawn 161 Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Griffith (HD) Queens (HD) Queens (HD) Cleveland (N) Falls (N) (HD) Cleveland Falls (HD) Raymond (HD) (:01) Graceland: The Unlucky One (:02) Modern (:32) Modern Suits: Litt the Hell 132 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Suits: Litt the Hell Up (N) (HD) Desperate (HD) Strange Beauty (HD) (N) (HD) Family (HD) Family (HD) Up (HD) The Divide: The Ways Men Divide; No Such Thing as Justice The Divide (N) The Divide The Divide 172 Funniest Home Videos (HD) Manhattan Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD)

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USA

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WE WGN

68 8

You should be watching ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH The top 16 perform before two are sent home on “So You Think You Can Dance” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14). This talent showcase has gained some well-deserved respect over the years, earning seven Emmy nominations earlier this month.

To put that in perspective, the Fox network as a whole earned 18 nominations.

Despite such accolades, “Dance” can’t escape Fox’s sliding fortunes. According to TVBytheNumbers.com, last Wednesday’s installment reached a record low 1 ratings share in the coveted 18-49 demographic and a total audience of just over 3 1/2 million viewers. And the show wasn’t exactly up against stiff competition. A repeat of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” didn’t do much better in the 18-49 group, but reached nearly 6 million viewers. In total viewers, “Dance” was also beaten by a repeat of “The Middle” on ABC. Now in its 16th season, “Big Brother” on CBS was the clear winner of the hour, attracting twice as many viewers as “Dance” in both categories.

• Affluent stereotypes keep their friends close, but their “frenemies” closer, on “BAPs” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14), another tiresome imitation of the “Real Housewives” franchise.

• Victoria gets a visit from a son she tends to forget on “Hot in Cleveland” (10 p.m., TV Land, TV-PG). While scattershot parenting is completely in sync with actress Wendie Malick’s self-absorbed celebrity character, Victoria is hardly the only sitcom parent who could be accused of maintaining a haphazard relationship with her child.

“I Love Lucy” was not only the primordial sitcom, but it was the first to emphasize the importance of ensemble act-

It’s your world.

Read all about it.

Call (803) 774-1200 and get started today.

ployee on “Motive” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• Paige vanishes while undercover with a vice ring on “Graceland” (10 p.m., USA, TV14).

• Sonya and Marco make a grim discovery on “The Bridge” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

• “American Greed” (10 p.m., CNBC) revisits a confidence game involving automobiles.

CULT CHOICE

FOX BROADCASTING CO.

The top 16 contestants will compete on “So You Think You Can Dance” airing at 8 p.m. today on FOX. ing. Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel were more than the sum of their parts. The addition of “Little Ricky” could have put that chemistry in jeopardy. So, sometimes we saw Lucy as an obsessed and concerned mother, and other times she was back to her harebrained schemes.

While shows about kids, from “My Three Sons” to “The Brady Bunch,” center on youthful shenanigans, comedies with adult ensembles had a more hit-and-miss relationship to the young’uns.

Rob and Laura Petrie had son Ritchie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” but you didn’t always see him. Ray Barone’s doddering parents were so omnipresent on “Everybody Loves Raymond” that you could easily forget that Ray and Debra (Patricia Heaton) had three children of their own.

So let’s not judge Victoria too harshly.

• Comics Steve Agee, Moshe Kasher and David Koechner perform in the back room of a Los Angeles comic book store on the new series “The

Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail” (12:30 a.m., Comedy Central, TV-MA).

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • Tom Cruise and his thenwife Nicole Kidman star in the 1999 erotic thriller “Eyes Wide Shut” (6:30 p.m., Sundance, TV-MA), directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, whose sudden death coincided with the movie’s release.

• The top 48 acts are unveiled on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

• Nyssa holds Dinah hostage on “Arrow” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV14).

• John wants Molly to come down to earth on “Extant” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Claire and Phil spy on Luke on “Modern Family” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).

• Neal McDonough gueststars on “Suits” (9 p.m., USA, TV-14).

• A bus carrying prisoners is ambushed on “Taxi Brooklyn” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• A diner owner’s death may be linked to a disgruntled em-

Steve McQueen’s detached demeanor and a seminal carchase scene are among the reasons to (re)watch the 1968 thriller “Bullitt” (8 p.m., TCM).

There’s also a very cool score

by Lalo Schifrin (“Mission Impossible”).

SERIES NOTES “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * On two helpings of “The Middle” (ABC, r, TV-PG): Sue spreads her wings (8 p.m.), and saves her paychecks (9:30 p.m.) * The karate kid on “The Goldbergs” (8:30 p.m.,

ABC, r, TV-PG) * Abby exposes Kane’s scheme on “The 100” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * Blood in the sand on “Criminal Minds” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT George Takei is scheduled on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) * Stephen Moyer and Boy & Bear appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Mary Mazzio and Oscar Vazquez sits down on “The Colbert Report” (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central) * Eric Stonestreet and Brody Dalle appear on “Late Show With David Letterman” (11:35 p.m., CBS) * Jimmy Fallon welcomes Robin Wright, Josh Charles and Weezer on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) * Ricky Gervais, Zac Posen and G-Eazy visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) * Craig Ferguson hosts Larry King on “The Late Late Show” (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Copyright 2014, United Feature Syndicate

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

Call Rhonda Barrick at: (803) 774-1264 | E-mail: rhondab@theitem.com

Watermelon on the go

BY FAMILY FEATURES

L

ong hailed as sweetly satisfying, wa-

BREAKFAST PUSH POPS

termelon may not be the first tasty

Diced watermelon chunks Yogurt of choice Granola Push pop molds, sold at most restaurant supply stores Layer watermelon, yogurt and granola into molds and top with yogurt and watermelon chunks.

Optional: Freeze push pop molds for breakfast on the go.

fruit that comes to mind when you’re

thinking nutrition. But in fact, watermelon is not only a perfect on-the-go snack to satisfy your sweet tooth, it’s also incredibly healthy.

Watermelon contains higher levels of lycopene, an antioxidant, than any other fresh

WATERMELON SLICE POPSICLES

fruit or vegetable. It’s also is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as providing vitamin B6 and potassium.

Watermelon slices, cut into triangular wedge shapes about 1/2 to 1-inch thick Popsicle sticks Insert popsicle stick into each rind.

Optional: Freeze the slice popsicles for a frosty, refreshing treat.

A SWEET FAMILY FAVORITE Health benefits aside, the crisp, sugary flavor of watermelon makes it a favorite for kids and adults alike, especially during the warmer months. Its firm texture makes watermelon ideal for a variety of recipes, many of which are a natural fit with today’s busy households.

Thinking beyond traditional chunks or balls, there are many ways to incorporate watermelon into your favorite grab-and-go foods, from smoothies and breakfast push-up-pops to sandwiches and wraps to juicy, frozen desserts.

PICK A GOOD WATERMELON 1. Look the watermelon over.

You are looking for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.

2. Lift it up.

The watermelon should be heavy for it’s size. Watermelon is 92% water, most of the weight is water.

3. Turn it over.

The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.

HOW A WATERMELON IS GROWN You need three things to grow watermelon: sun, bees and water. Farmers generally grow watermelon in rows, 8-12 feet apart, in raised beds 4-12 inches high composed of fertilized sand or sandy loam.

Tiny watermelon plants from a transplant nursery can be implanted in the beds. Honeybees must pollinate the yellow watermelon blossom. Even the sterile, seedless watermelon requires pollination in order to fruit. In a month, a vine may spread to as much as 6-8 feet.

Within 60 days, the vine produces its first watermelons. The crop is ready to harvest within three months.

The rind of a watermelon is not as tough as it looks, so it is still handpicked. Watermelon pickers look for a pale or buttery yellow spot on the bottom, indicating ripeness.

WHERE DO SEEDLESS WATERMELONS COME FROM? Seedless watermelons were invented more than 50 years ago, and they have few or no seeds. When we say seeds, we are talking about mature seeds, the black ones. Oftentimes, the white seed coats where a seed did not mature are assumed to be seeds. But this isn’t the case. They are perfectly safe to swallow while eating, and don’t worry — no seeds will grow in your stomach.

So, how are seedless watermelons grown? Chromosomes are the build-

ing blocks that give characteristics, or traits, to living things including plants and watermelons. Watermelon breeders discovered that crossing a diploid plant (bearing the standard two sets of chromosomes) with a tetraploid plant (having four sets of chromosomes) results in a fruit that produces a triploid seed. (Yes, it has three sets of chromosomes). This triploid seed is the seed that produces seedless watermelons.

In other words, a seedless watermelon is a sterile hybrid which is created by crossing male pollen for a watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with a female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes per cell.

When this seeded fruit matures, the small, white seed coats inside contain 33 chromosomes, rendering it sterile and incapable of producing seeds. This is similar to the mule, produced by crossing a horse with a donkey. This process does not involve genetic modification.

WATERMELON POPSICLES

WASH THOSE WATERMELONS Did you know that you should wash those watermelons? According to the FDA, you should wash all fruits and vegetables in clean, running water before eating them. This is true for all fruits and veggies, rinds or not. You should also use clean knives and cutting surfaces, and make sure you have washed your hands prior to preparing the watermelon for eating.

TYPES, VARIETIES OF WATERMELON About 200-300 varieties are grown in the U.S. and Mexico, although there are about 50 varieties that are very popular. You can do an online search or contact a seed company to find out more about common and historic watermelon varieties. The modern watermelon lover sees his or her watermelon options as these five types: Seeded, Seedless, Mini, Yellow and Orange.

FUN FACTS • The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.

• Watermelon is 92% water.

• Watermelon’s official name is Citrullus Lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitaceae. It is cousins to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.

• By weight, watermelon is the mostconsumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

• The first cookbook published in the U.S. in 1776 contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.

• The United States currently ranks fifth in worldwide production of watermelon. Forty-four states grow watermelons with Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona consistently leading the country in production.

WHY IS MY WATERMELON BROKENHEARTED? Don’t worry! It was nothing you did.

Mother Nature just likes to remind us of who’s really in charge of farming.

Farmers and scientists have speculated about the causes of Hollow Heart for as long as watermelons have been grown in America. There is general consensus that watermelons can crack internally when there is a combination of weather events during the growing season that includes cold snaps, then heat waves and finally too much rain. The good news is that while your watermelon maybe cracked inside, it’s still perfectly good to eat. In fact, kids who grow up around watermelons know from experience that the cracked pieces are actually sweeter since the sugars are more concentrated along the cracks.

For more recipes and a section dedicated to kids’ learning and games, visit www.watermelon.org.

1 watermelon chunks of fresh fruit (try grapes, strawberries, or kiwi fruit) Puree watermelon and pour into popsicle molds.

Drop in chunks of fresh fruit, insert caps and place in freezer.

Serve when frozen.

WATERMELON, PINEAPPLE AND PEACH SMOOTHIE 2 cups chopped seedless watermelon 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well 2 cups peach yogurt 1 dash ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Blend ingredients together in a blender until smooth and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

WATERMELON RIND PICKLES 8 cups water 2 tablespoons coarse salt 5 cups peeled watermelon rind (leave a thin layer of pink), cut into 1/2 x 2 inch pieces 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup cider vinegar 1 teaspoon colored peppercorns 8 whole cloves 1/2 teaspoon pickling spice 2 long slices of fresh gingeroot In large pot, bring water and salt to boil over medium high heat. Add rind pieces and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Strain. Transfer rinds to a large metal bowl. In saucepan, combine sugar, cider vinegar, peppercorns, cloves, pickling spice and gingerroot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced. Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl.

Place plate over top to keep rinds submerged in liquid. Cover and refrigerate for one day. Transfer to a glass jar and keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.