Home on the range Woodpeckers thrive despite jets overhead BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
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SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
5 SECTIONS, 36 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 204 THE SUMTER ITEM 1
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015
2015 READERS’ CHOICE
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ed-cockaded woodpeckers are peculiar creatures. They like to make their burrows, or clusters, in living longleaf pine trees, unlike other woodpecker species that prefer dead trees or branches. They live in family units of from two to six adults, with younger birds — especially males — hanging around to help the breeding pair raise subsequent broods. Each adult bird has its own cluster, a small cavity carved out of the trunk of a tree. Eggs are laid in
the cluster of the breeding male, where they are reared until they can fly. Such behaviors make them particularly susceptible to habitat loss, said Julie Hovis, endangered species manager for Shaw Air Force Base. A civilian employee of the Department of Defense, it is Hovis’ job to help the cardinal-sized denizens of old-growth forests maintain and increase their populations in buffer zones around Poinsett Bombing Range in Sumter County. On Wednesday, Hovis was taking a census of young woodpeckers near the Rosemary fire tower on the range, accompanied by the base’s Natural and Cultural Resources Chief Ron June. “I like to take a look at them when they are about 22 days old,”
Hovis said. She said they have their feathers by then, allowing her to tell whether they are male or female. “At about 26 days, HOVIS they are ready to fly, and I don’t want to scare them into fledging too early,” she said. She explained that a couple of weeks earlier she had visited the tree to band the birds for identification purposes at about one week old. Each cluster and each bird has unique colors that identify its family group and the year it was hatched. “With a spotting scope, we can tell who they are,” she said.
SEE RANGE, PAGE A8
FLAG DAY
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American Legion disposes of flags properly
Market Place Spirits
James Stokes, a member of American Legion Post 15, places a soiled flag into the fire for a proper disposal during the post’s Flag Day ceremony. The post has a drop box where old flags may be deposited for proper disposal.
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How much will your taxes rise? BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com With a proposed 2 mill increase for Sumter County ordinary millage, many home and business owners may wonder how that increase would impact their property tax. The county assessor and auditor have explained the property tax formula and process so that residents can calculate their property tax based on the specific values of their properties.
The market values of homes, businesses and land are determined by an employee of the county assessor’s office, and that value is used in a formula to calculate the amount of property taxes each resident or business owner will pay to the County Treasurer’s Office. Sumter County Assessor Jimmy Barfield said an employee from the assessor’s office will check the market value and selling success of similar properties in the area to determine individual property values.
He said additions to homes such as porches and other amenities could increase the value of a property. The market value of rental and commercial properties is based on the amount of income that is produced. Barfield said the county assessor’s office is required to reappraise all property in the county every five years, but a property owner can have his or her building or land
SEE MILLAGE, PAGE A9
Long odds ahead now for Obama on troubled trade agenda BY ERICA WERNER The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The White House and Republican leaders in Congress face long odds in trying to revive trade legislation after a telling defeat engineered by President Obama’s fellow Democrats. Obama’s ambitious trade agenda is in serious doubt as is his quest for a capstone second-term achievement. Without the power to negotiate trade deals that Congress can approve or reject, but not amend, Obama has little chance of securing the Pacific Rim pact that his administration has worked toward for years.
Friday’s rebuff highlighted the strained relations between Obama and congressional Democrats, who voted down a worker assistance program crucial to the negotiating authority measure just hours after the president implored them not to. Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, had worked in rare tandem on this issue, yet their inability to deliver raises the question of whether much else will get done with Republicans running Congress and Obama in the White House for the next 18 months. “This isn’t over yet,” said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, a main supporter of the trade legislation. “I’m hopeful that the Democrats understand the
consequences and get together with the president and finish this as soon as possible.” House GOP leaders took steps that would allow another vote on the worker retraining program in coming days, but that would require at least 90 votes to shift. Republicans sounded pessimistic that they could add many more votes for a program that most on their side deride as wasteful and unnecessary. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California and her labor-backed allies are determined to oppose the Trade Adjustment Assistance program as a way to collapse the entire package. So it seems unlikely that
enough Democratic votes would emerge to save the program, even though the party has promoted it for years. “Some of my Democratic colleagues are in danger of self-immolation” on the workers’ program and “I think that’s sad,” said Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, one of the few Democrats who backed Obama on Friday’s votes. Another possible route is to send revised legislation back to the Senate. But senators approved the larger package only narrowly last month after intense battles, and the White House desperately wants to avoid
SEE TRADE, PAGE A9
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