HEALTH: Red meat might increase your breast cancer risk
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Rush hour ... for toadlets? Neighborhood makes sure amphibians don’t croak A6
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014
75 CENTS
From sacred ground to drinks all around
MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
An emptied bottle of vodka sits in the grass outside of the old church at 1025 Manning Ave. that will be demolished and replaced by a liquor store. Members of the Greater Turkey Creek Neighborhood Association turned out in protest during the zoning board meeting regarding the proposal for a “special exception” for the store Wednesday.
Residents protest plan to turn old church into ‘high-end’ liquor store BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 Once, the land at the corner of Manning and Pocalla roads was sacred ground. But a zoning decision this week paves the way for the property to serve a more worldly purpose. An old, disused church sanctuary
on the site, along with a few other structures, will soon be demolished to pave the way for a new, high-end liquor store, after the Board of Zoning Appeals narrowly approved the proposal Wednesday. The property owner argued the new store will contribute to the economic development of the area, but neighbors told the board they don’t want
another place for local residents to go and drink. “The primary reason is overkill,” Barbara Richbourg said of her opposition to the new store. “There are already too many liquor stores in the area.” Richbourg and other members of the Greater Turkey Creek Neighborhood Association turned out in match-
Officers hope to speak to teen soon BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM
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Hilton wants Area 4 seat on school board
2nd victim in shooting recovering
Investigators are hoping to gather more information about a Wednesday morning Pearson Road shooting after one of the surviving victims’ status was upgraded Thursday. According to Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis, the condition of Timothy Hodge, 18, who suffered a gunshot wound to
ing blue T-shirts to oppose the proposal at a zoning board hearing. In a onemile radius of the site, opponents counted four other places to buy liquor and an additional four businesses that sell beer. “Adding another one is not beneficial to the economic development this
Deputies with Sumter County Sheriff’s Office search for shooting suspect Charles Gary Singletary III near the scene of a double shooting on Pearson Road on Wednesday. Singletary, 18, was arrested Wednesday after the manhunt and charged with murder. the head during the shooting, has been changed to stable as of Thursday afternoon. “He’s currently listed as being in stable condition, no longer ‘stable but critical,’”
Dennis said. “He’s expected to make a full recovery.” The suspect, Charles Gary Singletary III, 18, of 4780 Cane Savannah Road in
SEE RECOVERY, PAGE A7
DEATHS, B7 Claude Singleton Jr. Harry L. Bradley Frances C. Anderson Ethel Lee Bowman James Croskey Wallace H. Richardson Sr.
Roosevelt Harry Bertha F. Blanding Betty W. Anderson Landa Rock Robert A. Kinsey Jr. Gloria Thompson
BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 The political primary season might be winding down, but at least one local race appears to be heating up, as a retiring principal has announced his plans to run for the Sumter School District Board of Trustees seat held by the current chairman. John Hilton, who will retire this year after serving as prin-
cipal at Millwood Elementary School for 25 years, confirmed his intentions to run for the Area 4 seat held by Keith HILTON Schultz. In describing his candidacy, Hilton said he’s technically running against Schultz but not because he’s against Schultz specifically.
SEE HILTON, PAGE A7
WEATHER, A10
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3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 205
Thunderstorms again today; partly cloudy with a storm possible tonight too HIGH 90, LOW 68
Classifieds C1 Comics C3 Lotteries A10
Opinion A9 Science News A6 Television B8