IN SPORTS: USC, Clemson baseball squads prepare for NCAA Regional openers B1 SCIENCE
Can studies funded by food companies A6 be trusted? FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016
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Candidate sues to get name on ballot Ragin argues qualifications to run for coroner BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Shawn Ragin, who announced his candidacy for Sumter County Coroner in March, has filed suit seeking a permanent injunction to
have his name placed on the ballot for the Democratic nomination for county coroner in the June 14 Primary Election. Named as defendants are Sumter County Democratic Party, Sumter County Election Commission,
Legislature passes military retirement deduction bill
South Carolina Election Commission, Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock and Sumter County Democratic Party Chairman Allen Bailey. Ragin is represented in the suit by Attorney Marvin Pendarvis of the Curry Law
Firm of North Charleston. Pendarvis said Ragin filed all the paperwork and did his research on the requireRAGIN ment to be a county coroner. “We believe the Democratic Party’s failure to certify is
improper based on our reading of the statute,” he said. The complaint said that Bailey told him he was not certified because he did not have 640 hours from a recognized training program as required by the South Carolina Coroner’s Association.
SEE RAGIN, PAGE A7
Don’t leave children in hot cars
Amendment calls for gradual 5-year phase-in BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com In a poignant moment after a chaotic afternoon at the General Assembly, retiring Rep. Grady Brown, D-Bishopville, gaveled the South Carolina House of Representatives to a close at 5 p.m. Thursday. Brown, who represents portions of Sumter and Lee counties, was the longest-serving member of the House, having served 35 years. The 121st South Carolina General Assembly ended with a flurry of last-minute activity and desperate maneuvers to get bills passed before the legally required 5 p.m. deadline. Among the last-minute successes was the passage of a military retirement bill high on the list of priorities of the Sumter delegation. “We passed the bill; we didn’t get what we wanted, but we got something, and that’s a good start,” said Sen. Thomas McElveen. A Senate amendment to the bill significantly reduces the amount of the deduction military retirees can take immediately, especially for military retirees under age 65. The amendment phases in the deduction during a five-year span, weakening the deduction’s effect, McElveen said. The deduction will start $5,900 for retirees under age 65, increasing by $2,900 each year until 2020. For retirees 65 and older, the deduction will begin at $18,000 and increase by $3,000 each year until 2020. The military retirement bill was delayed because of the concerns of Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, who argued military retirees already receive many benefits poor people do not, but with time running out on Thursday, Malloy voted for the bill. “Reps. (David) Weeks and (Murrell) Smith worked really hard on the House side to get the bill passed,” McElveen said. “We were concerned about what would happen if the bill went to conference committee, so they agreed to
SEE LEGISLATURE, PAGE A7
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Leaving children in cars for 15 minutes with the windows closed can put them in danger as temperatures can rise to between 120 and 150 degrees in that amount of time.
Short time unattended can prove deadly for kids BY ANDY WILSON intern@theitem.com Summer is a time of fun and freedom for many, but it has its own dangers. Among the most deadly is heatstroke from leaving children in vehicles. It may seem convenient and harmless to leave your child in the car for a minute or two while you run into a store or a friend’s house, but it’s not. According to a May 19 Palmetto Health news release on the subject, “Between 2003 and 2012, there were 384 heat-related deaths due to children being left unattended in cars.” And it’s not just really hot days that can be deadly: “Almost one-
third of those deaths occurred at temperatures of less than 90 degrees.” Leaving children in vehicles for even a few minutes can be deadly during the warm months. The release stated: “On hot days, the maximum temperature that a car will reach occurs within 15 minutes, and can reach temperatures of 120-150 degrees. In just 10 minutes, a car’s interior temperature can rise by 19 degrees.” Dr. Jason Peck, a pediatric critical care physician at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, was quoted in as saying, “Leaving the windows cracked does not make a significant difference, so it is not an acceptable compromise.”
Learn how the heat affects pets left in vehicles on page A7
What should you do if you come across a situation in which a child has been left unattended in a hot car? Joey Duggan, battalion chief with Sumter Fire Department, said that typically it’s best to let law enforcement or emergency services break into a vehicle to rescue a child. A 911 call to such a situation is responded to by law enforcement, emergency medical services and
SEE KIDS, PAGE A7
Kickboxing tournament comes to Sumter on June 11 BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com A local gym owner will host a kickboxing tournament in Sumter next week. Jerome Robinson, owner of
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Team Robinson MMA in Sumter, will sponsor the Sumter Showdown Kickboxing Championships on Saturday, June 11. Sanctioned by the International Kickboxing Federation, the championship will feature
12 one-on-one fights with 24 amateur fighters. The event will be held at the National Guard Armory, 395 N. Pike West, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show starting at 7 p.m. Kickboxing is a group of
DEATHS, B5 John Mott Jr. Patricia L. Barnett George R. Lambert Bennie Harvin
Valuare K. Charles Inez B. Gardner Christine E. Moss The Rev. Hoyt Graham Jr.
stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from Karate, Western boxing and other type of combat sports, according to the International Kickboxing Federation, www. ikfkickboxing.com.
The fighters will range in from 9 in the youth division to 39 in the adult division and include males and females from the Southeast region. They will be matched based
SEE KICKBOXING, PAGE A8
WEATHER, A12
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2 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 193
Couple of thunderstorms expected during the day; partly cloudy and humid tonight. HIGH 91, LOW 71
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