July 7, 2013

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SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME TIME

TO TRAIN

Locals suggest novels, series to read through the summer months.

C1 Team Robinson MMA officially opens doors

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VOL. 118, NO. 221 WWW.THEITEM.COM

SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

$1.50

Clubhouse Road upkeep comes to vote BY SHARRON HALEY sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com MANNING — Clarendon County Council will decide at Monday’s council meeting if the county will resume maintenance of Clubhouse Road, according to Administrator David Epperson. On June 19, Epperson said either he or the county’s attorney, David C. Holler, would brief council members during an executive session at the meeting and then council would vote on whether the county would begin to maintain Clubhouse Road again. Clubhouse Road is located in the Robert E. Lee subdivision on Lake Marion. Residents of Clubhouse Road, including David Johnston, said they would be attending the meeting in hopes of talking to council members prior to the executive session SEE MAINTENANCE, PAGE A7

ITEM FILE PHOTO

Bo’s Road in the Robert E. Lee subdivision has pot holes and drop-offs as deep as eight inches from eroded asphalt. Clarendon County Council will vote Monday as to whether it will continue to handle the maintenance of Clubhouse Road and nearby roadways.

Fighting pain with fun

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com

Camp Happy Days offers escape for kids with cancer

Jeanette Harrison had her day planned out, starting with a visit to a friend having surgery at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. But whatever other plans Harrison might have had for Oct. 25, 2012, she would never have a chance to complete them. The 70-year-old former schoolteacher, mother and grandmother was struck by a car and killed at about 7:30 a.m. while crossing East Calhoun Street outside the hospital. Witnesses said the driver never slowed down and continued driving east after colliding with the pedestrian. More than eight months HARRISON later, the driver has never been identified, despite a sustained campaign by Sumter police to locate the person responsible for the woman’s death. “We’re still actively investigating any and all leads” in the case, said Staff Sgt. Tony Rivers, head of the Sumter Police Department’s Traffic Division, but he says those leads are “coming in slowly.” Immediately after Harrison’s death, investigators received several potential leads from the public. People reported seeing similar vehicles to the one that hit Harrison, or people acting suspiciously after the hit and run, but so far investigators haven’t been able to nail down an official susSUSPECT SKETCH pect. In the week after Harrison’s death, officers handed out fliers to motorists driving along Calhoun Street, hoping to find a regular commuter who might have seen or known something about that morning. Investigators gathered a pretty clear picture of what happened, minus a few key details. Witnesses say the car that killed Harrison was a dark-colored, newer model mid-sized automobile, possibly a Dodge Charger, driven by a white female with dark hair between the ages of 20 and 30. A sketch artist completed a portrait of what the suspect might look like, based on witness statements. Despite the deadly collision, Rivers said it’s important to note the car might not have sustained much visible damage, so potential witnesses should not focus on a vehicle with obvious front-end dents or a missing bumper. “There may be little or no damage” to the vehicle, he said. There is at least one witness investigators do still want to talk to. Police have been

BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com LAKE MARION — Kenneth Poole can remember the exact day he was diagnosed with cancer. It was July 15, 2011, almost two years ago, when the 15-year-old Beaufort resident found out he would have a long battle against osteosarcoma ahead of him. Now in remission, Poole is one of more than 200 kids like him SEE CAMP, PAGE A9

Sumter resident Danny Dollar, top, skydived on Friday with a 20-foot-long American flag; Shaniyah Riley, 12, above left, works on a ropes course; and Counselor Daniel Baker, above, carries camper Zachariah on his back at the waterfront on Friday for the kids at Camp Happy Days at Camp Bob Cooper near Summerton.

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

www.theitem.com

SEE HARRISON, PAGE A7

PHOTOS BY ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM

OUTSIDE VERY HUMID

DEATHS Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1236 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News, Sports: 774-1226

Police continue investigation of hit-and-run death

Bessie G. Cogburn Louise D. Herrington Viola G. Neal A9

INSIDE 5 SECTIONS, 32 PAGES

Some sun during the day with a storm in spots late in the afternoon; cloudy and humid through the night. HIGH: 88 LOW: 71 A10

Business Classifieds Comics Daily Planner Opinion Television

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July 7, 2013 by The Sumter Item - Issuu