June 6, 2013

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LOCAL: John Hoffman

NORTH-SOUTH, ALL-STATE HONORS ANNOUNCED

named executive director of Sumter Family YMCA A4

Several local baseball players named best in state

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LOCAL: Man gets 18 years in 66-year-old’s 2009 death A2 VOL. 118, NO. 195 WWW.THEITEM.COM

THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

60 CENTS

DOE: Violations some of worst seen Sumter High principal denies some allegations against testing practices BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com Testing practices observed at Sumter High School earlier this year were some of the worst the state Department of Education has ever seen, a spokesman for the state agency said Wednesday. In a letter dated Monday,

the education department requested the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division conduct a crimi- BYNUM nal investigation into the local school and its administrators, prompted by what state education officials

said they witnessed during the local school’s High School Assessment Program testing in April. HARRIS As part of its investigation, auditors with the department said they found several significant test-

ON THE NET Read the S.C. Department of Education’s investigation report and Sumter School District’s response online at theitem.com.

ing violations, including testing materials not being secured properly at the campus, failure by the school adminis-

‘STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE’

tration to make accommodations for students with disabilities, failure to provide teachers and testing administrators with proper training and an overall poor testing environment for students. In a written statement released Tuesday, Sumter SEE TESTING, PAGE A8

Tuomey argues fines, penalties unconstitutional BY BRADEN BUNCH BBunch@theitem.com Tuomey Healthcare System said the $237 million the federal government is seeking in fines and penalties against the local hospital should be denied because they are unconstitutional, according to motions filed by its lawyers Wednesday. Last month, after a four-week trial, Tuomey was found guilty of violating both Stark Law and the False Claims Act, collecting more than $39.3 mil-

ABOVE: The Lemira Percussion Ensemble’s own Supremes sing “Stop in the Name of Love” during Tuesday’s graduation ceremony for Lemira Elementary School fifth-graders.

Council OKs 1st reading of budget

Study will explore bypass impact tive Director Kathy Powell. “We will move forward to the next step, and that will be an environmental impact study,” Powell said. “We understand this will likely take two to three years. This study will be a much more in-depth look at the potential impacts of the bypass. Our board is trying to make sure we look at all the alternatives and to see what would be best for Bishopville

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

www.theitem.com

Included within the budget is a $32.8 million general fund; $330,000 tax increment financing fund; $20.6 million water and sewer fund; $514,420 storm water fund; $408,000 accommodations tax fund; $2 million hospitality tax fund; and a

BY KEN BELL Special to The Item

PHOTOS BY IVY MOORE / THE ITEM

BISHOPVILLE — The Bishopville Bypass Project is not dead yet. The Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments has authorized the Department of Transportation to spend federal funds to carry out an environmental impact study, said COG Acting Execu-

SEE TUOMEY, PAGE A4

City trash pickup price may go up

RIGHT: Members of the Lemira Percussion Ensemble sing and perform the Temptations’ “My Girl” at the graduation at Patriot Hall. The performance was a preview of the program they’ll present at the Piccolo Spoleto Finale in Charleston’s Hampton Park on Saturday.

BY RANDY BURNS Special to The Item

lion in fraudulent Medicare claims between 2005 and 2009. After adding fines and penalties that it said were both mandatory and the minimum possible under federal law, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion with the U.S. District

SEE BUDGET, PAGE A6

and Lee County.” Powell said the COG’s board took the action Monday night by a vote of 20-3 with one abstention. The transportation committee made the recommendation to the full board to go ahead with the study. The four Lee County representatives on the COG — Bishopville Mayor Alexander Boyd, SEE BYPASS, PAGE A6

DEATHS Donald M. Stuart Joseph Franklin Ervin S. Finley Lucinda G. Epps Terry J. Davis

Sumter City Council passed first reading of its Fiscal Year 2014 budget at its meeting Tuesday night. The $56.8M budget does not include a tax increase, but residents can expect to pay more for garbage collection.

Nancy B. Hickman Thomas Moses Agnes McBride Minnie Lee McLeod B5

OUTSIDE RAIN AHEAD

INSIDE 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES

Expect a few storms today and tonight HIGH: 80 LOW: 68 A8

Classifieds Comics Daily Planner Opinion Television

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