Pita Pit hopes to open doors June 16 Let the games begin
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Sumter flag football team to represent Palmetto State in Special Olympics B1 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
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Students collect diplomas Man, 66, charged in Mayesville stabbing Suspect reportedly intervened in dispute BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 A Mayesville man is in custody on an attempted murder charge after reportedly stabbing another man Friday evening. James NMN Wilson, 66, of 298 E. Sumter St., Mayesville, was arrested late Friday after a domestic dispute that reportedly began with an altercation between his sister and brother-inlaw. According to reports, Wilson’s sister and her husband were involved in an altercation at a residence in the 100 block of Willow Street when, at some point, WilWILSON son reportedly intervened. “There was a stabbing in Mayesville when an altercation between relatives became physical,” said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis. “Apparently Wilson tried to intervene in a domestic dispute between his sister and brother-in-law.” His brotherly intervention then started a new altercation between himself and the 59-year-old victim, which escalated to the point that Wilson reportedly stabbed his
SEE STABBING, PAGE A9
New $2.5M bond to help balance county budget
Students from Sumter High School celebrate becoming former students of the school on Saturday as they walked across the stage at Memorial Stadium, shook hands with school officials and collected their diplomas. Once their graduation was officially announced, the class of 2014 erupted into applause, firing off cans of aerosol string at the end of the ceremony.
BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272
PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
The next step in balancing Sumter County’s budget could take the form of a $2.5 million bond. In its latest workshop on the budget Tuesday, Sumter County Council will consider the bond issue to pay for several capital needs in the proposed budget for 2014-15. A bond issue will pay for sheriff’s vehicles, equipment for the Public Works Department and a new ambulance, among other items, said County Administrator Gary Mixon. Council members are scheduled to discuss issuing the bond in a budget workshop at 5 p.m. Tuesday, before voting on it at its 6 p.m. regular meeting. Sumter County regularly uses bonding to pay for capital needs in its spending program, although the bond itself doesn’t need to be issued at the same time the budget is approved. A similarly sized bond approved in the 2013-14 budget last June was only issued by the county in April to coincide with a clean audit report on the county’s finances. “It doesn’t have to be issued immediately. This is just to get permission to do the bond,” Mixon said. “The market right now is favorable
SEE BUDGET, PAGE A4
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Land purchase finalized for base protection, more BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com (803) 774-1250 The public won’t be able to use the city’s recently acquired land for quite some time. But the 694-acre tract is already serving a purpose, protecting Shaw Air Force Base, and plans are in the works to make it selfsustaining. “It will not be open to the public this year,” said Deron McCormick, City of Sumter manager. “We’re open to several ideas, but we’re not in a rush to do any kind of strict development plans. We’ll
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look at long-term best practices for forestry. There are opportunities for possibly walks or riding trails, but I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes on that before we consider it more.” For the next 45 days or so, the city will be working with its legal team and The Conservation Fund of South Carolina to finalize the details of the easement of the property known as Kel-Sam Farm off Thomas Sumter Highway about a mile from the base. The national nonprofit specializes in conservation solutions that attempt to balance environmental and economic needs. It worked
with private and public partners through the Midlands Area Joint Installation Consortium to help secure money for the project from the S.C. Conservation Bank and the Department of Defense. “The close proximity to flight path and bases can cause more issues than just safety,” said Jason Johnson, South Carolina director of The Conservation Fund. “There can be complaints regarding noise. This is a way to buffer the base.” The Department of Defense supplied $1,252,400 through Readiness Environmental Protection
SEE LAND, PAGE A4
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