March 10, 2015

IN SPORTS: USC women’s basketball team enjoys rise to elite status in SEC B1 ART REVIEW

Explore 3 art forms at new Gallery 135 show this month TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

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On the summer job hunt early

Avoid health insurance penalty by enrolling through April 30

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem A special enrollment period for people who have been assessed a fee on their 2014 federal income taxes for not having health insurance according to the Affordable Care Act is scheduled from March 15 to April 30, said Sumter Family Health Center Outreach and Development Coordinator Sonya Del Rio on Monday at the health center, 1278 N. Lafayette Drive.

“People are doing their taxes now and finding out they will pay a penalty,” she said. “They will still have to pay a penalty for 2014, NEED HELP but they can avoid SIGNING UP? one in 2015 if they For more enroll.” information, call The penalty for Sumter Family not being insured Health Center at in 2014 is $95 per (803) 774-4606 adult and $47 per or visit www. child collected healthcare.gov. when you pay your federal income taxes, she said. The penalties will increase in 2015, she said.

The penalty in 2015 will be $385 for adults and $162 per child, and it will go up more in 2016.

Del Rio said there are five insurance companies selling insurance policies on the ACA marketplace in South Carolina offering 66 insurance plans.

Holly Chase, director of community development for the center, said the cost of the plans are different in each county.

Del Rio said the first step toward getting insurance through ACA is to visit www.healthcare.gov and set up a password and username. Those who are not computer literate or do not have access to a computer can come into the center, she said.

“If you go to www.healthcare.gov and everything is working, you can find out if you are eligible immediately,” she said.

“This year the website has been working fairly well.”

The center helped 1,309 people apply for government assistance under ACA from October through January, she said, and 859 were enrolled.

The bronze plans are the cheapest, she said, but they steer patients toward the silver plan to avoid a big deductible.

She said the cheapest bronze plan can be $19 per month with subsidies, but the deductible is $5,500, while a silver plan might cost about $73 a month

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Rishaid Bradley, 13, fills out an application for summer employment at James E. Clyburn Intermodal Transportation Center on Wednesday. Sumter Community Vision in Progress invited youth to fill out informational sheets which will be distributed to local agencies who are looking to hire during the summer. Hundreds came out to submit their forms, and a variety of agencies such as United Way of Clarendon and Lee Counties, Palmetto Youth Connections, S.C. Works Santee-Lynches, Adult Education and more were expected to attend. For more information, contact attorney Calvin Hastie at (803) 774-7776 or Patty Wilson at (803) 491-4910.

Testimony enters its 3rd week Embezzlement trial continues in Columbia THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BY MATT BRUCE matthew@theitem.com Attorneys intensified arguments Monday as proceedings grew contentious at times in the multi-million-dollar embezzlement trial of former Lee County charter school operator Benita Dinkins-Robinson.

Defense attorneys continued to plow ahead with their case as the trial entered into its third week of testimony inside the Matthew J. Perry Jr. Federal Courthouse. Several witnesses took the stand testifying on the defendant’s behalf, and prosecutors appeared to

SEE SIGN UP, PAGE A7

SEE TRIAL, PAGE A7

Sixth-grade teacher Carrie Young, back center, answers questions from her students as they practice for the Common Core State Standards Test at Morgan Elementary School South in Stockport, Ohio. South Carolina is one step closer to replacing Common Core with state-developed education guidelines.

State is 1 step away from replacing Common Core learning standards COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina could be one step away from replacing Common Core education standards with state-developed guidelines, as the Legislature required last year.

The Education Oversight Committee voted 11-1 on Monday to approve new math and reading standards, clearing the way for the

Board of Education to give the final OK on Wednesday.

A law passed last spring required Common Core’s replacement in the upcoming school year.

One of the Legislature’s chief critics of Common Core called the new standards superior and

SEE STANDARDS, PAGE A7

Fireside Fund winds down with 1 week left to donate FROM STAFF REPORTS During a rainy spell with a few chilly days last week, readers gave almost $850 to Fireside Fund.

This will be the last week for people to donate to the initiative which helps less fortunate people in the community

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have their heating bills paid, whether they use kerosene, natural gas or electric.

The cold winter has left many people struggling to pay their electric bills.

Christy Lamb, social worker for The Salvation Army through which the money is dispensed, said she has seen

electric bills in the $1,100 to $1,200 range because of the

DEATHS, B6 Emanuel J. Torres Willie J. Blanding Elizabeth Coker Ivy Wheeler Glenn Hamlin

Michelle Johnson Wayne Leo Richardson Viola O. Sherman Levi Dawson

recent cold weather. She said electric bills are the most challenging right now because residents don’t even qualify until they get a disconnection notice.

Since 1969, the partnership between The Sumter Item and The Salvation Army has garnered more than $1.4 million.

The publication collects the financial contributions and gives them to the charity to dispense.

This Fireside Fund season has been named in honor of the late retired Maj. Gen. Tom Olsen.

SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A7

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Warm today and tonight but mostly cloudy with showers throughout the day and night HIGH 81, LOW 59

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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: pressrelease@theitem.com

Sumter District to get 1st accreditation evaluation

BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Sumter School District will receive the results of its first accreditation evaluation on Wednesday, and district and school leaders are ready for the review.

AdvancED, the accreditation organization, is a nonprofit that conducts external evaluations of elementary, middle and high schools and school systems across the country and internationally.

Schools and school systems have to apply for accreditation every five years to be reviewed in order to maintain the certification.

Superintendent Frank Baker said preparation for the accreditation evaluation was a six-month process that in-

volved self evaluations from staff, parents, students and community stakeholders.

Baker said some of the criteria to be reviewed is the district’s relationship with community stakeholders such as local businesses, law enforcement and the military and the instructional programs of each school.

The evaluators from AdvancED have chosen to visit Lemira Elementary, Kingsbury Elementary, Shaw Heights Elementary, Ebenezer Middle, Bates Middle and Crestwood High schools.

The representatives from AdvancED will split into teams and speak with leaders of the six schools and observe class instructions.

Lemira Principal Delcia Harper-Baxter said preparing for the accreditation

Sumter School District will be evaluated on how well it has followed state regulations as well as its 2012-17 Strategic Plan. The plan details the goals and expectations of staff and students such as research-based instructional practices, ensures that all teachers and administrators are highly qualified and state certified, and provides a safe environment for students.

The evaluators met with members of the school district board of trustees during the weekend to discuss the direction of the board and its collaboration with Baker.

School board Chairman Daryl McGhaney said the board and the superintendent have a good relationship and he is pleased with Baker’s relationship with community stakeholders.

team visit is an ongoing process. “At the beginning of every year we look at the school’s renewal plan to see if we still meet those standards,” she said.

The six schools will be evaluated on five standards: purpose and direction; governance and leadership; teaching and assessment; resources; and the utilization of those results. At the end of each review, the AdvancED teams will meet with the principals of the schools to debrief about what was observed.

Harper-Baxter said she was once a part of a review team so her students will be prepared when one of the teams comes to evaluate the elementary school.

“This is a good way for a reflection and for the schools to grow in areas that need improvement,” she said.

Statewide awards for Sumter High Drama Department

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Sumter native receives national award The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority’s executive director and former executive director of the Santee Wateree RTA in Sumter, Ann Dawson August, received a “Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation” award for the contributions AUGUST she has made to public transportation during her 35-year career. The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials presented the award to August on March 11 during its annual signature event held to honor outstanding women and to celebrate Women’s History Month at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C. COMTO also honored 12 other women during the event, among them U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

“Public transportation has been my passion for over 30 years,” August said. “It’s my life’s work. I am honored by the COMTO award and to be among such a distinguished group of honorees.”

Dollar General grand opening Saturday Dollar General will host the grand opening of its new store at 459 N. Guignard Drive beginning at 8 a.m.

Saturday.

There will be special deals and free prizes at the event, according to a release. The first 50 shoppers will receive a Dollar General gift card worth $10, and the first 200 shoppers will receive a tote bag, among other giveaways.

Dollar General offers a selection of national and private brands of food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel and health and beauty care products. The release said the store will have a new layout, “designed to make shopping easier and simpler for customers.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

The Sumter High School Drama Department received several awards at the Palmetto Dramatic Association and Thespians Competitions recently. Of all the students from high schools throughout the state, McKenzie Quinn-Barnett, Sarah Louise McInnis, Emma Houck, Amber Coulter and Emma Townsend received achievement awards that allow them to advance to the International Thespian Festival this June in Lincoln, Nebraska. James Riggs also received an Excellence in Acting award for his performance in the show “Controlling Interest,” which received honorary mentions. Kelly Melton is Sumter High School’s drama teacher.

Farmers Telephone Co-op to add new area code FROM STAFF REPORTS According to a news release from Farmers Telephone Co-op, residential and business customers within the existing 843 area code should be prepared for a new 854 area code. FTC announced that beginning Oct. 19, customers in the 843 area code region requesting new service, an additional line, or, in some cases moving their service, could be assigned a number in the new 854 area code.

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the 854 area code will be added to the 843 area code region, which generally covers the coastal counties and principally serves the communities of Charleston, Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach and Florence.

In the FTC service area, customers in Williamsburg and lower Florence counties as well as the north sector of Clarendon County, east of Interstate 95, will be affected.

As part of the process, all FTC customers, including those in the 803 area code region, will be required to utilize 10-digit dialing to complete a local call.

Beginning Saturday, the new 10-digit (area code plus seven digits) dialing will be initiated, but if a caller dials seven digits, the call will go through. The option to place local calls using seven digits will end Sept. 18. On Sept. 19, a month before the new area code will be introduced, all local calls must be placed using the 10-digit number.

The most important facts consumers and businesses need to know about the upcoming 854 area code overlay are: • Existing phone numbers, including current area code, will not change; • Callers will need to dial area code plus phone number for all local calls; • Callers will continue to dial 1 plus area code plus phone number for all long-distance calls; • What is a local call now will remain a local call; • The price of a call, coverage area or other rates and services will not change because of the overlay; • Callers can still dial just three digits to reach 911; • FTC customers should identify their telephone number as a 10-digit number

when giving the number to their friends, family, business associates and business customers; and • FTC customers should also ensure that all services, automatic dialing equipment, applications, software or other types of equipment recognize the new 854 area code as valid and convert to the 10-digit dialing scheme. Some examples are life safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems, gates, speed dialers, phone system speed dial or contact lists, call forwarding settings, voicemail services and similar functions. If these devices or services have automatic dialing to a local number, they will need to be re-programmed for 10-digit dialing.

In the release, FTC suggested customers in both the 843 and 803 area code regions may want to double check their business stationery, advertising materials, personal checks and personal or pet ID tags to ensure the area code is included in their telephone number.

For more information, visit www.ftc-i. net or www.regulatorystaff.sc.gov or call FTC at (888) 218-5050.

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THE SUMTER ITEM

LOCAL

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

A REVIEW

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John Hill Jr.’s “Avatar,” pen on paper, is illustrative of his use of art as a symbol. His colorful work can be seen at Gallery 135, Patriot Hall, through April 3.

Patriot Hall exhibition is ‘innovative, provocative, exploratory’ for viewers He Goes Down)” emphasizes Prichard’s use of color to add focus and his intense detailing, especially in the legs, to reinThree cheers for those who force a sense of identity and braved the icy cold rain Thurs- response. Even though many day for the Emerging Artists of the symbols are examples Series at Gallery 135, Patriot of Prichard’s fascination with Hall. The three different artismandalas, the primarily tic groups represented in the Hindu and Buddhist geometric drawings used for mediation show validate the series’ goal to provide innovative, provoca- and to help the individual become one with the universe, tive and exploratory artistic the viewer can sense the artformats. The artistic stateist’s concentration on underments from both Jon Prichard standing the story or situation and John Hill Jr. detail their involved in the composition. desires to explore personal reHill’s work “Schematic/Replations and responses, encourresentation” is also personal, aging viewers to avoid being “driven by thoughts, emotions frustrated by all the personal and experiencsymbols used es,” “multiple and urging CHECK OUT THE SERIES and fractured them, instead, personalities to enjoy the The Emerging Artists Series, searching for a impact of their curated by Frank McCauley and cobbled identidetails, color sponsored by Sumter County ty.” His work, and composiCultural Commission, does more than just offer venue especially tions as the opportunities to emerging South “Proactive viewers perCarolina artists.

Teamwork sonally rePart I” and spond.

The series affords those “Prune,” does Prichard’s fortunate to attend a body of media that generates questions, seem like a pen on paper reflection and personal growth in compilation or drawings are understanding evolving formats an assemblage — except for and artistic directions. of items, yet his one deThe show will remain at Gallery the works are tailed black 135, Patriot Hall, through April 3. united in his and white Admission is free. use of texture, “The Emercolor atmogence of Black sphere and Holes,” which careful detailing. Hill’s use of serves as a foundation for studying his excellently drawn art as a symbol receives clarity in his smaller drawings, objects and intricate shapes — “flat and centered on the fascinating and intense color paper” in the form of “imagdialogues on stories or situained man and beast,” compositions he finds noteworthy. For tions that act as “vessels for example, in “Pre Histauraus,” personal meanings that are Prichard pits two exotic forces many and often veiled.” Hill’s head to head in combat. Alconfession allows observers to though delicately executed, step back and add their own the two monsters exude force reactions and story line to the and power while reflecting the events pictured while contemmyriad objects and outlines plating the artist’s intent. connected to the encounter.

The Bivouac Projects: Video “The Boxer Clown (Before

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PHOTO PROVIDED

BY JANE G. COLLINS Special to The Sumter Item

Archive rewards the viewer with several fascinating visual life essays through digital video animation. One clip creatively allows people to follow the physical progression of a character as each cel, like an animated cartoon, is opened and manipulated. “Combo,” by David Ellis and Blu, follows the delightful creation of characters and commentary. As an arm and hand reach out across the outline of a building, it builds in emotional strength, moving through a building and transforming it into a breathing façade. Later, the form grows feet, legs and eventually a body that climbs out of its legs to sit “Thinker” like. What follows is amusing and thought provoking. The skill in assembling and reassembling the head, erasing and reforming shapes, adding eyes and human-like capabilities and features serves to intensify the complexity and

depth of the video.

Miguel Hiron’s “Paint Showers” is a visual and emotional celebration. On one level it could serve as commentary on the Big Bang theory. Small blue, orange, yellow and green forms pop up from the bottom of the dark background and morph into larger shapes. The blue transforms almost cloud like. A large green shape (bush or forest like) forms, its features projecting toward the top of

the screen. Showers of bright yellow, orange, blue and white foam erupt, spinning and spiraling down the format, adding color, detailed textures and constantly multiplying and morphing shapes. Hiron creates intense movement, evolving combinations of color, atmosphere and shapes.

It could be just a study of design, yet the video lends itself to so much possible interpretation. It is a fascinating visual essay of potential.

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Ex-stripper takes on sex traffickers in Dakota oil patch WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — When she first arrived in town, Windie Lazenko headed to the neon-lit strip clubs and bars catering to lonely oil field workers with extra cash and time on their hands. She knew these were likely gathering spots for the sex trade — the life she’d given up long ago.

For nearly two decades, Lazenko was part of that illicit world, starting as a 13-yearold runaway when, she said, she was bought and sold for sex. Prostitution, pornography and strip clubs followed.

Then she walked away from it all. She eventually moved to Montana and a few years ago, while counseling at-risk girls, she began hearing about young women being recruited for prostitution in the Bakken oilfields. She wanted to help.

Lazenko is now one of the most prominent activists in the fight against sex trafficking in the oil patch. She’s worked with federal prosecutors, the FBI and police, testified before state lawmakers and addressed church and school groups. She also has formed an advocacy-resource group, 4her North Dakota, reaching out to victimized women.

“I speak their language from the get-go,” she said.

“I’m not law enforcement. I’m not out there to bust them.

They don’t have to play the game with me. They’re going to respect me, and I’m going to respect them.”

Lazenko’s advocacy comes as state lawmakers are considering an array of new measures — including stiffer penalties for pimps and more money to help victims — to combat the growing sex trade in the Bakken.

In Congress, several bipartisan bills are pending designed to crack down on trafficking and ensure that minors who are sold for sex are treated as victims, not criminals. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat and co-sponsor of several of these measures, has been among the most vocal legislators focusing on

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Windie Lazenko, above, with the anti-trafficking group 4her North Dakota, said though her past as an exotic dancer gives her credibility with trafficked women, getting them to walk away is difficult. this problem, bringing federal officials to the state to train authorities on how to identify trafficking and looking for ways to stem the activity through websites.

Law enforcement said the Bakken is a made-to-order market for sex trafficking: Thousands of men, far from home and families, are holed up in a remote place with ready cash and not many places to spend it. Bars and strip clubs are one option. Online sites also are filled with local ads such as “Body 2 Body Experience” or “Come Enjoy Your WILDEST FANTASIES 2 Girl Show Available.”

After settling in North Dakota in late 2013, Lazenko quickly familiarized herself with the local sex-for-sale business.

“It was pretty blatant,” she said.

In the past year or so, Lazenko said she’s helped several trafficking victims — arranging for women to be taken to shelters after they’ve fled their pimps or even opening her own apartment to them. She’s also escorted some women to court hearings or meetings with prosecutors trying to make cases against traffickers.

At 46, Lazenko is a grandmother of three, but in her short leather jacket, jeans and

knit cap pulled down tightly over chin-length hair, she could be mistaken for a college student. She jokes about her youthful appearance, considering her history.

“I should be tore up from the floor up with the life that I’ve led,” she says.

Though her past gives her credibility with trafficked women, Lazenko said getting them to walk away is difficult.

“We’re often working against years of abuse,” she says. “When these girls buy into their lives, their minds are made up. The rescue mentality really doesn’t work.

They don’t even consider themselves victims.”

It’s sometimes hard, too, to convince the police the women are being coerced, Lazenko says.

She maintains that the overwhelming majority of women working as prostitutes in the oil patch are controlled by pimps. She points to one woman she helped who, she said, was beaten by her pimp when she wasn’t meeting her $1,000-a-day quota.

The police skepticism, Lazenko said, extends to her.

“They think I’m some kind of wounded warrior who wants to come in and make peace with my past by doing this work,” she said. “They don’t understand I kind of know what I’m doing.”

U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon, though, calls Lazenko “the real deal” and said she’s made a huge difference in tackling sex trafficking. He notes that she provided critical emotional support to a woman whose testimony was essential in taking down a man who later pleaded guilty to enticing two women to travel to North Dakota to work as prostitutes.

“She’s very calm, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that she can relate to these victims,” Purdon says. “She doesn’t give up on these women. This can be frustrating work, I’m sure.

She’s been down this road and knows it’s a long march to get out.”

Minot Police Capt. Dan

Strandberg, who recently worked with Lazenko on a sex sting that led to 13 arrests, calls her “passionate.”

“She’s got an insight into a world that most people don’t,” he said.

Lazenko’s own story begins with a troubled childhood in California. By her own account, she was sexually abused as a child and at age 13, she ran away, getting involved with people who trafficked her.

By 16, she was married to a man a dozen years older. By 19, she was a mother.

What followed was a life of sexual exploitation, she said, including three years as a strip club dancer. She quit one day when she took the stage and had an epiphany.

“I knew I didn’t belong there,” Lazenko said. “I grabbed my stuff and walked out.”

By then she was 32 and began noticing co-workers her age were quitting and rebuilding their lives.

“It wasn’t a quick fix,” Lazenko said, and it took years — and a newfound religious faith — to get on track.

Lazenko still has regrets about her past.

“I would go the grocery store in my stripper shoes with my kids ... with T-shirts on that said ‘Porn Star.’ I had no shame,” she said. “When I look back on that, it makes me sick to my stomach.”

That life damaged her relationship with her five kids, now 18 to 28.

“It’s a miracle that things are working out the way that they are,” Lazenko says. “It’s not perfect. ... It’s not like, ‘Poof ! My kids forgive me.’ ...

They suffered a lot because of the things that had happened in my life, choices I made. I’m not going to say I was a victim 100 percent of the time ... but slowly but surely, my kids are coming around, and I’m just so grateful.”

While knowing she can’t make up for lost years, she’s warmed to her new family role.

“I may have sucked as a mom, but I rock as a grandma,” she said with a laugh.

One of Lazenko’s goals is to establish a 30-day emergency shelter for trafficking victims.

Domestic violence shelters in the state are crowded and don’t have staff trained to deal with sexually exploited women, she said.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

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Pamela Smart’s student and lover, up for parole

BY LYNNE TUOHY The Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. — When 16-year-old Billy Flynn gunned down the husband of his high school instructor and lover, Pamela Smart, in 1990, the trial became an instant tabloid sensation. Its lurid details aired gavelto-gavel on television years before the O.J. Simpson spectacle and spawned movies and books.

Twenty-five years after Gregg Smart’s killing, Pamela Smart remains in prison serving life without the possibility of parole and Flynn makes his first bid for parole Thursday, his 41st birthday.

Flynn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and testified in Smart’s 1991 trial that she threatened to break up with him if he didn’t kill her husband. Flynn was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison, minus credit for pretrial incarceration.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Here’s a look at some key deIn this March 13, 1991, photo, William Flynn testifies in court in Exeter, New Hampshire, on his 17th birthtails in the case:

THE PLOT According to trial testimony, Smart was 22 and one of Flynn’s instructors in a self-awareness program at Winnicunnet High School in Hampton when she seduced the 15-year-old Flynn. She told him she needed her husband killed because she feared she would lose everything, including her dog and furniture, if she divorced Gregg Smart as their wedding anniversary approached.

Flynn said he and three cohorts bungled an attempt to kill Smart in April, when they got lost on the way there. But on May 1, 1990, he and 18-year-old Patrick Randall entered the Smarts’ Derry condominium and forced Gregory Smart to his knees in the foyer. As Randall held a knife to the man’s throat, Flynn fired a hollowpoint bullet into his head.

To this day, Pamela Smart denies knowing about the plot.

day how he shot Gregory Smart in the head and killed him. Smart’s widow, Pamela Smart, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for conspiring with Flynn to kill her husband. Flynn pleaded guilty to killing Smart’s husband and has a parole hearing scheduled for Thursday.

But the state’s star witness, a teenage intern in whom Smart confided, secretly recorded her after the killing saying, “If you tell the (expletive) truth, you’ll send me to the slammer for the rest of my (expletive) life.”

Smart was convicted March 22, 1991, of being an accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy and witness tampering.

Randall got 28 years to life; he comes up for parole in April.

Two other teenagers served prison sentences and have been released.

SENSATIONAL TRIAL Smart’s trial was the first in the country to be televised nationally from start to finish, her trial lawyer, Mark Sisti, said ruefully.

“Her trial turned into the ulti-

mate daytime TV drama, and the witnesses were dressing up for it and performing rather than testifying,” Sisti said.

Hers was also one of the first high-profile trials involving a teacher-student sex affair.

Stories of the trial and Flynn’s testimony about their affair were picked up internationally, and cameras caught every graphic image and detail.

“We’re a voyeuristic society,” said veteran trial lawyer and University of New Hampshire School of Law professor Buzz Scherr. “We like looking at other people’s dirty laundry.”

And, Scherr noted: “This one had it all.”

Flynn’s lawyer, Cathy Green, declined to say what Flynn would tell the board.

Seven years ago, testifying on his motion for a reduced sentence, a tearful Flynn took full responsibility for his actions and apologized.

“I promise you I will carry this guilt and remorse with me every day for the rest of my life,” he said.

Gregory Smart’s father, William, told Flynn then that he might be prepared to see him go free when Flynn reached 40 but that he wasn’t ready yet.

William Smart has since died.

Flynn married while behind bars, has a teen stepdaughter and has earned his GED and PAROLE PITCH electrician’s helper license.

“This never would have hapParole files in New Hampshire are not public record, and pened if it wasn’t for Pam

Smart,” said attorney Paul Maggiotto, who prosecuted Smart. “It was Smart’s manipulation of Flynn that caused this crime to occur.”

Flynn’s age and testimony against Smart were taken into account at sentencing.

“I desperately want you to know I’m not that weak person anymore,” Flynn said in 2008.

SMART’S STANCE Smart has been at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for women in New York since her transfer for unspecified security reasons in March 1993.

Her friend and spokeswoman, Eleanor Pam, told The Associated Press that Smart is not taking a position on Flynn’s parole bid but chafes at her life sentence without the chance at freedom that the triggerman is getting.

Smart told her: “If they look at Flynn, they really should take a look at me.”

Pam said that while Smart acknowledges the affair with Flynn led to the series of events leading up to her husband’s death, she maintains she didn’t plan it.

WHAT TO EXPECT THURSDAY Flynn, who is serving out his sentence in Maine, will not be present at the parole board hearing. He will address the board on speakerphone. Gregg Smart’s family members and friends have a right to make victim impact statements.

State prosecutors will also weigh in.

The three board members are expected to confer among themselves without leaving the hearing room at the state prison in Concord and then render a decision. If parole is granted, Flynn would not be freed before his parole eligibility date of June 4 and only after his final parole plan is approved by the board.

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A6

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BUSINESS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

Bull market turns 6 after rising from housing collapse

BY STEVE ROTHWELL AP Markets Writer NEW YORK — In 2009 the stock market was filled with panic.

The housing market had collapsed. Lehman Brothers had gone under and General Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy reorganization. The U.S. was in a deep recession, and stocks had plunged 57 percent from their high in October 2007.

Fast forward six years, and investors are enjoying one of the longest bull markets since the 1940s.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has more than tripled since bottoming out at 676.53 on March 9, 2009. The bull has pushed through a U.S. debt crisis, an escalating conflict in the Middle East, renewed tensions with Russia over Ukraine and Europe’s stagnating economy.

So has this bull run its course? Most market strategists haven’t yet seen the signs that typically accompany a market peak. Investors are yet to become rash, or overconfident.

“Bull markets end not because they grow old. They end because some excesses build,” says Stephen Freedman, head of cross-asset strategy at UBS Wealth Management.

Here are questions and answers about the run-up in stocks:

WHY DO STOCKS KEEP RISING? It’s a powerful combination of higher corporate profits and a growing economy.

The main driver is company earnings. Companies slashed costs in response to the Great Recession that began in December 2007. That helped boost

moving higher as companies grow their earnings.”

Low rates will likely help lift stocks for some time to come.

While investors say there is a chance that the Fed may raise rates as soon as June, few expect a rapid series of rate hikes.

HOW DOES THIS RUN COMPARE WITH PREVIOUS BULL MARKETS? There have been 12 bull markets since the end of World War II, with the average run lasting 58 months, according to S&P Capital IQ. At 72 months, the current streak is the fourth lonTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS gest in that period. While this A specialist works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exrun could be described as midchange in New York. dle-aged, it is still a few years short of the longest streak, at 17.2. Six years ago, it was 11. which started in 1990 and profit margins when demand stretched 113 months into 2000. began to recover. As a result, WHAT ROLE HAS THE FEDERAL earnings per share have risen IF YOU INVESTED $10,000 AT consistently since the end of the RESERVE PLAYED? recession in 2009. Companies in The Federal Reserve has held THE BOTTOM, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU HAVE MADE? the S&P 500 are forecast to gen- its main lending rate close to erate record earnings of $119.35 zero since 2008. It has bought The S&P 500 has returned 253 per share this year, nearly dou- trillions of dollars in bonds to percent since March 9, 2009. ble what they earned in 2009. help hold down long-term inter- That means an investment of Hiring is picking up and costs est rates. By cutting rates, poli$10,000 would now be worth are down, and that means cymakers have encouraged $25,262. Investing the same Americans are more confident businesses and consumers to amount in the Dow Jones inabout the economy than at any borrow and spend. dustrial average over the same time since the recession. UnemThe historically low interest time would have turned $10,000 ployment has fallen to 5.5 perrates in the bond market have into $22,428. cent from a peak of 10 percent also made stocks look more atHOW LONG CAN THIS BULL in 2009. A plunge in the price of tractive in comparison. oil has pushed down gas prices The average dividend yield, a MARKET CONTINUE? and put more money in Ameri- measure of a company’s stock All bull markets must end. cans’ pockets. Most economists price compared to the dividend That’s simply the nature of fiforecast growth of more than 3 it pays, is 2.06 percent for S&P nancial markets. However, percent this year.

500 stocks. The yield on the ulfew analysts are calling the As investors become more tra-safe 10-year Treasury note is end of this one just yet. confident about growth, they’re 2.24 percent.

The U.S. economy is conwilling to pay more for stocks.

“Essentially, by investing in tinuing to strengthen and inThe average price-to-earnings the S&P, you’re getting the same flation remains tame. And ratio for an S&P 500 company, yield as you would on a Treawhile the Fed has ended its which measures how much insury,” says Marco Pinto, a port- bond-buying program, other vestors are willing to pay for folio manager at Janus. “But global central banks, like the every dollar in earnings, stands you have ... the upside of stocks European Central Bank and

the Bank of Japan, are still providing stimulus to their economies.

“I don’t anticipate that stocks will face any challenges in the near-term,” says Michael Arone, chief investment strategist for State Street Global Advisors. “If there were some type of a recession, or a slowdown in the U.S., that would hurt for sure ... but I don’t see that on the horizon.”

Also, many of the excesses that accompany bull-market peaks haven’t surfaced, says UBS Wealth Management’s Freedman. Think of the housing boom that preceded the bust that began in 2007, or the dot-com mania of 1999 and early 2000.

“Because the recovery has been so sluggish, nobody has had time to go overboard with the type of behavior that’s come back to haunt the markets,” he says.

WHAT KILLS BULL MARKETS? Typically, it’s a recession.

Four of the five bull markets since 1970 ended as investors got spooked by a recession, or the anticipation of one.

Bank of America analysts say that the most likely threat to the bull market would be rising inflation. That could cause a sell-off in bonds, sending shock waves throughout financial markets.

Another threat is a slump in earnings. That could happen if the surging dollar, already at a 12-year high against the euro, grows even stronger, making U.S. goods more expensive to customers overseas and translating into fewer dollars to corporate bottom lines.

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THE SUMTER ITEM

TRIAL FROM PAGE A1 be more aggressive in their cross examinations as the week got underway.

Dinkins-Robinson stands accused of two federal counts stemming from allegations she misappropriated more than $2.2 million in funds from a pair of federal agencies during her tenure as director of Mary L. Dinkins Higher Learning Academy.

Federal prosecutors allege Dinkins-Robinson used a group of “shell companies” to funnel the funds from the charter school and into her own personal bank accounts.

Board members from Mary L. Dinkins took the stand Monday and testified that a Lexington County accounting firm handled the school’s finances and paid vendors who provided such services as food catering.

One member testified the board served as a governing panel for the school, reviewing and approving invoice costs to pay vendors for their services.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday took that board member to task, using check stubs to grill her on why she voted to authorize

the school to pay T&E Catering — one of the alleged front companies — more than $380,000 between 2010 and 2011 for food services. He also argued that the catering company spent the funds on things such as hotel stays and casino visits and used none of it to purchase food items for students.

Prosecutors allege that was a misuse of public funding.

Defense attorneys, however, argue the charter school reimbursed T&E for catering services it had already provided and indicated the private company was not restricted by the same rules Mary L. Dinkins was on how to spend the federal funds once they were paid.

“We can’t control what they do, and we don’t have anything to do with the money after we give it to them,” said Pam Frazier-Dixon, a board member at the charter school since its inception in 2006.

Multiple witnesses took the stand and said Dinkins-Robinson often fronted the fledgling school with money out of her own pocket or gave up her paycheck to pay for operations when Mary L. Dinkins fell on hard times financially.

In those instances, defense attorneys argued, the school would later reimburse her for

those advances. That addressed allegations that the defendant directly paid herself from the school’s account.

Antonio Dinkins, the defendant’s brother, testified that he started his own computer services firm — New Age Computing — in January 2003. He said the charter school, for which he also worked as a teacher’s assistant and filled several other roles, contracted his company for its technical services.

Holliday showed checks that were deposited into his company’s account and shortly after transferred — either directly or through cash withdrawals — into Dinkins-Robinson’s personal accounts.

Dinkins testified he was not siphoning money to DinkinsRobinson through his business.

Instead, he said those instances were when he was repaying his sister for front money he borrowed from her to purchase devices.

“There were a lot of other places I could’ve gone,” he said. “I could’ve gone to a local bank to get a loan. I chose to go to her because she had that kind of capital. I could’ve gone to other relatives as well, but she’s the closest relative that I have.”

FIRESIDE If you need assistance heating your home, contact The Salvation Army at (803) 7759336.

Want to give? You may mail donations to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151 or drop them by the office at 20 N. Magnolia St. Donations received as of Monday included: Seekers Sunday School Class of Crosswell Baptist Church, $200; Marjorie Hooks, $100; In honor of Joann Morris, Sumter Volunteer from Dorothy Toney, $25; In honor of past and present veterans from Sumter American Legion Auxiliary Unit 15, $150; Ed and Emily Slocum, $100; In memory of Sgt. Charles Kubala from Fred & Peggy Kubala, $50; and In honor of Jenny Jackson from Charlie Pitts, $25.

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A7

SIGN UP FROM PAGE A1 with subsidies with a $500 deductible.

Chase said catastrophic plans, which only cover catastrophic illnesses, are available, but they are not subsidized.

“But you do avoid paying any penalty,” she said.

“We try to ask a lot of questions to find out what people’s needs are,” Chase said. “Do they have diabetes, do they have kids, do their doctors take the insurance?”

Del Rio said an unfortunate circumstance created by South Carolina’s decision to refuse to expand Medicaid offered under the act is that some people with limited incomes are not eligible while some people with higher incomes are eligible. She called the situation a “doughnut hole.”

When the Affordable Care Act was written, Del Rio said, the authors thought certain low-income people would qualify for Medicaid and didn’t anticipate that the U.S. Supreme Court would allow states to opt out of the expanded Medicaid provision, as South Carolina has done. Because they would have received Medicaid, they were not made eligible for health care subsidies.

As an example, a single 28-year-old woman making $24,000 a year with one 10-year-old child would be eligible for a $151-a-month subsidy, while the same woman making $7.50 for 40 hours a week ($15,600) would not, though the child would be eligible for Medicaid. A 28-year-old single person with no dependents making the same $15,600 would be eligible for a $194-a-month credit, she said.

“Some people waited for four years to get insurance; maybe they put off surgery, only to find out they are not eligible due to the doughnut hole,” said Chase.

with

FROM PAGE A1

FROM PAGE A1

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Brighten Someone’s Day

STANDARDS more rigorous.

“We eventually have to trust somebody,” said Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville, a committee member. “People I know and trust tell me this draft is good.

It’s good for the kids. ... Teachers are not unanimous in this, but boy, oh boy, are they close.”

The standards outline what students should know after completing each grade.

South Carolina was among more than 40 other states that adopted Common Core standards, replacing those that varied state to state. The Obama administration had encouraged states to sign on through incentives, and opponents across the country criticized it as a nationalization of education.

All of South Carolina’s public colleges have certified the new standards, saying they adequately prepare students for college and careers after high school. That’s essential for the state to maintain its waiver from the all-or-nothing provisions of No Child Left Behind, which otherwise requires every student to score proficiently on end-of-year tests.

According to a review by the oversight agency, the new standards exceed Common Core’s demands while the content is similar. Across all grade levels, roughly 90 percent of the new standards align with Common Core’s. Differences include adding instruction on coins and money in grades one and four, requiring fluency in multiplication tables in grade four and adding cursive writing instruction in grades two and three.

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A8

|

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

THE SUMTER ITEM H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

COMMENTARY

As happy as a ‘field herper’ A

n oddly cooperative Graptemys ernsti.

More Nerodia fasciata than you could shake a stick at (and I literally did at one point).

And, of course, the Drymarchon couperi, the most impressive specimen we came across all weekend.

Confused? Don’t worry; I was, too; just blame Carolus Linnaeus, that Swedish lothario.

For most of that weekend, I listened to field herpetologists banter back and forth during the group’s trek into Conecuh National Forest.

More than a dozen “herpers,” as they call themselves, descended upon the Conecuh area and spent the better part of the weekend walking creek beds, pondsides and abandoned trails, turning up underbrush and logs, all in search of various rare or hard-to-find reptiles and amphibians.

Several had lists of creatures they “had” to see while on the Cliff trip, composed of relatively comMcCollum mon yet still unseen animals such as the barking tree frog to “lifer” finds such as a coral snake or a rainbow snake.

Me ... well, I was there just to take it all in, really.

While this trip was my second-annual sojourn into Conecuh Forest in search of snakes, I was not an official member of the group, made ever more apparent by my lack of understanding simple binomial nomenclature for any of the specimens found.

Folks would be rattling off statistics, distribution maps and behavioral patterns of various animals as if they were speaking about their only daily habits, and I was left to practice my “smile and nod” technique for most, if not almost all, of the weekend.

These people not only knew their stuff, but also could discuss in such a way to where only they truly knew to what they were referring, content area experts whose language barrier was nearly impenetrable, even to a vigilant English major like myself.

Were you there, you might have heard me call out ,“I think I found a frog,” only to have another group member call out a cry of “Bufo terrestris,” indicating both a Southern toad and the fact I lack the ability to differentiate between frogs and toads.

They were professionals; I, the very definition of amateur.

I spent most of my weekend watching and observing, taking in the masters as they practiced their hobby, and I was struck by one major thing: I wish I enjoyed anything as much as these folks enjoy looking for reptiles and amphibians.

To see the joy and elation on people’s faces as they found their prey and began snapping dozens of photos to post to “the forum” was to see a joy so pure, as one seldom sees it outside of children on the morning of any major gift-giving holiday.

It might have been just the small sight of a salamander, but these folks reacted as if they had just seen a movie star or a space alien.

While it sounds silly to say, I was almost jealous of their joy, angry that there was no similar stimulus to bring me happiness.

I should have known to wait for joy to come to me.

10:45 p.m., Saturday evening.

Standing in the middle of a series of small ponds, watching one of the young members of our group, clad in khaki shorts and sandals, wade into a pond where cottonmouths had been sighted a night before and begin pulling up banded water snake after banded water snake.

I look up to a moonless sky of bounteous, gleaming stars.

I hear a hectic cacophony of various frogs and toads surrounding me, putting Aristophanes’ croaking chorus to shame. Breke-kek-kek, my ax.

A slight breeze touches my face, cooling the beads of sweat attempting to escape down my forehead.

In that moment, there was some inexplicable feeling, a sense that all was right with the world and my place within it, however insignificant that role may be, a bit player in a cast of billions upon billions.

It was a moment that seemed to last a lifetime as I took in the spectacle of natural wonder and beauty around me.

I pick up my left foot to begin walking again, bringing it down with an unforeseen squoosh into mud and water that saturated my shoe and sock, breaking the thought and ending the cosmic moment.

Ah, well. Worth it, says I. Cliff McCollum is managing editor of Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at cmccollum@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.

COMMENTARY

Obama needs GOP for TPP

W

ASHINGTON — Michael Froman received from a Harvard Law School classmate, Barack Obama, a job that validates the axiom that the unlikelihood of any negotiation reaching agreement grows by the square of the number of parties involved. In trade negotiations, even one’s own country is troublesome, as the catfish conundrum illustrates. And the degree of difficulty in achieving a free trade pact is proportional to the number of Democrats in Congress.

As U.S. trade representative, Froman’s goal is completion and ratification of the Trans-PacifGeorge ic Partnership involving the Will United States and 11 Asia-Pacific nations, from Chile to South Korea, who generate 37 percent of the world’s economic product.

The TPP aims not just to liberalize trade but to reform some of these nations’ domestic policies, particularly concerning labor and environmental issues, partly to entice certain Democratic constituencies to soften their opposition to free trade.

Some developing nations, such as Vietnam, welcome some compulsory rationality — being required by trading rules to limit subsidies to sclerotic state-owned enterprises. But beware of ostensibly altruistic protectionism — protectionism with moral preten-

sions. Sometimes poorer nations want higher standards forced on them. Other times rich nations use higher standards to raise production costs in, and thereby lower the competitiveness of, poorer countries.

Negotiation and ratification of TPP will be easier if Congress gives Obama what prior presidents have received — “fast track” authority guaranteeing an up-or-down vote on the agreement without amendments. But Obama’s aggressive aggrandizement of executive power through unilateral actions (regarding the Affordable Care Act, immigration, etc.) has been unprecedented in its sweep and undisguised in its disdain for Congress. This has produced the much-praised but elusive joy of bipartisanship: Conservative Republicans, eager to express separation of powers rectitude, are joining liberal Democrats, eager to derail any agreement, in opposing fast track.

Immersed in this political equivalent of three-dimensional chess, the administration is serenely confident that there will be enough Democratic votes to join with large majorities of Republicans to ratify what is negotiated, even without fast track.

The two largest achievements during Bill Clinton’s presidency occurred in spite of Democrats.

Welfare reform was forced upon him by a Republican-controlled Congress (he vetoed it twice before relenting), and the North American Free Trade Agreement was ratified in spite of congressional Democrats (a majority of whom voted against it). Now, TPP

— potentially the best result of the Obama years — depends on Republicans.

Democrats are plucking up the protectionist banner unfurled by 19th-century Republicans, who were tireless defenders of the strong (manufacturers) against consumers. Today, many Democrats agree with Connecticut’s Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who says America “has lost 5 million manufacturing jobs since NAFTA.” Notice the slippery language (“since NAFTA”) and remember the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy: The rooster crows and then the sun rises, therefore the crowing caused the sunrise.

Granted, Froman says, some imports substitute for domestic products. But many imports are “intermediate goods” that go into the production of domestic goods, some of which are exported.

“Protectionism,” said Clinton during the NAFTA debate, “is just a fancy word for giving up; we want to compete and win.”

But now, even more than then, Democrats are the party of an America in a defensive crouch, flinching from globalization’s challenges. Besides, progressivism’s constant agenda is to expand the role of government and contract the role of markets in allocating wealth and opportunity.

Republicans rescuing Obama’s best idea would be an interesting coda to his presidency.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Language Arts). Public school parents are accustomed to their children being tested ad nauseam beyond teachers’ tests. Yet, this is the first benchmark test to affect children’s report cards. Finding out via Powerschools.net when checking on your child’s grades is not the way to inform parents.

Furthermore, why is this benchmark test included in students’ grade rosters?

Yes, parents are being well informed that the state’s standardized test, PASS (S.C. Palmetto Assessment of State Standards-SCPASS) will be replaced this year by the ACT Aspire standardized test. To my knowledge, students’ scores from this battery of tests will not affect their report card grades. Why does the TE-21 benchmark test affect report card grades? In essence, the TE-21 is serving as a “final” at the end of each nine weeks for math, science, social studies and ELA at the middle school level. Perhaps at the elementary level too. Who knows?

Why? Is this fair? Fill a room with

a group of parents, and ask their opinions about this. Oops.

That would be a PTA/PTO meeting doing something other than talking about fundraising and supervising dances.

Perhaps this would be too futuristic, but it would be a real PTA/PTO if these things were discussed: 1) progress toward the School Improvement Plan (SIP) 2) teachers keeping their echalk (webpage) calendars updated with homework, quiz, test and project info instead of blank calendars for months (Yet, schools want parents’ involvement. Parents can’t enforce homework when unaware of the homework, quiz, test or project.)

PEARL WATSON Sumter Editor’s note: Because this letter exceeded the 350-word length as stated in our Editorial Page Policies which appears regularly on this page, it can be read in its entirety under Opinion on The Sumter Item’s website, www.theitem.com.

PTO, PTA SHOULD BE ABOUT MORE THAN ACTIVITIES Currently, PTAs (Parent-Teacher Associations) and PTOs (Parent-Teacher Organizations) are simply fundraising organizations who also supervise school dances.

These meetings are not worth my time to attend. Shouldn’t either of these organizations exist to inform parents of everything relative to their children’s education and extracurricular activities? I think that they should.

So many parents are clueless about their children’s educational lives. For example, along with the new Common Core Standards is the new TE-21 benchmark test to measure progress of the Common Core standards taught. Hundreds of parents were totally unaware that this TE-21 benchmark test would be included as a test grade in each of the four core subjects: math, science, social studies and ELA (English and

George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2015, Washington Post Writers Group

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your letter to letters@theitem.com, drop it off at The Sumter Item office, 20 N. Magnolia St., or mail it to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151, along with the writer’s full name, address and telephone number (for verification purposes only). Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety at www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor.

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Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars (:01) Storage (:31) Storage (:02) Storage (:32) Storage (:01) Storage (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) Wars (HD) Wars (HD) Wars (HD) Wars (HD) Wars (HD) Fool’s Gold (‘08, Adventure) aac Matthew McConaughey. A beach bum gives up his wife Sahara (‘05, Adventure) aac Matthew McConaughey. Treasure hunter 180 (5:30) Ocean’s Eleven (‘01, Crime) aaac George Clooney. (HD) and his possessions to search for a lost treasure. (HD) and buddy search for battleship harboring mysterious freight. (HD) 100 To Be Announced North Woods Law (HD) Rugged Justice (HD) Rocky Mountain Bounty (HD) North Woods Law (HD) Rugged (HD) 162 (6:30) Why Did I Get Married Too? (‘10, Comedy) ac Tyler Perry. As four vacationing cou- Keyshia Cole: All Being Mary Jane: Pulling the Trigger Being Mary Jane: Pulling the Trigger Wendy Williams ples evaluate their marriages, a former spouse arrives. (HD) In (N) (HD) Shot for conception. (N) (HD) Shot for conception. (HD) Show (N) Real House wives Beverly: Wel come The Real House wives of Beverly The Real House wives of Beverly New ly weds: The First Year: Vow or Never New ly weds What Hap pens House wives 181 to Amsterdam?

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Bravo continues to celebrate, foster the affluent Money can’t buy happiness.

Or good taste. That’s the frequent, if not relentless message of reality television, particularly on Bravo, a network that has all but branded itself as the go-to place for viewers savagely indifferent to anybody who isn’t rich.

Now in its second season, “Newlyweds” (10 p.m. TV-14) follows four recently married couples as they navigate all of the changes and challenges that occur when lusty courtship gives way to the routine of settling down.

In another time and on another network, “Newlyweds” would focus on the common humanity of its subjects and their kinship to married couples all over the world and down through the ages.

Instead, very much in Bravo style, the focus is on bank accounts. Three of the four couples on this show are fabulously wealthy and discuss their millions quite casually. In at least two cases, the income inequality between spouses is the source of friction.

Only a generation ago, “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game” featured couples from all social backgrounds.

Well into the 1990s, Chuck Woolery’s “Love Connection” featured couples from every background.

Bravo pats itself on its own back for inclusiveness and diversity. One couple on “Newly-

weds” is black, and another lesbian. But where is the inclusiveness for people without trust funds or six-figure incomes? For all of its enlightened veneer, Bravo celebrates and fosters a smug, shallow, snarky view of a world where only the affluent matter.

• Does anyone want to watch cold weather on TV? BBC America seems to think so. The cable network celebrates “Earth Night” with two new specials, “Planet Earth: Frozen Planet” (9 p.m., TV-PG) and “Wild Alaska” (10 p.m., TV-PG).

For more vicarious winter experiences, “Building Wild” (9 p.m., National Geographic, TVPG) documents structures suited to ice fishing, and “Cabin Fever” (10 p.m., National Geographic, TV-PG) shows the renovation of a ranch just in time for a family reunion.

• The top brass at the Discovery Channel recently announced a move away from fake documentaries that touted the discovery of mermaids and the like. While they’re cleaning house, they may want to give the ludicrous minstrel show “Amish Mafia” (8 p.m. and 9 p.m., TV-14) the heave-ho.

• The World Channel (previously PBS World), available on the upper digital tier of some cable systems, presents “Looks Like Laury, Sounds Like Laury” on “America Reframed” (8 p.m.), a documentary examination of a 45-year-old mother afflicted with fronto-temporal

returns on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * A ghost downloads danger on “Supernatural” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * Danny’s father confessor expires on “The Mindy Project” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT

WILLIAM GRAY / BRAVO

Kirk and Laura Knight are one of four recently married couples featured on the new season of “Newlyweds” premiering at 10 p.m. today on Bravo. dementia. The film can also be found and streamed (until April 9) at http://worldchannel. org/americareframed.

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • Eddie finds a kindred spirit on “Fresh Off the Boat” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

• An eccentric therapist needs protection on “Person of Interest” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Severide goes to bat for an old pal on “Chicago Fire” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• A fairy-tale romance ends badly on “Forever” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).

• Raylan extends an olive branch on “Justified” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

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SERIES NOTES Death on the black market on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Curiosity gets the best of Henry on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) * Pride’s pride is wounded on “NCIS: New Orleans” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * The white glove treatment on “New Girl” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * Lady Sif

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Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer sit down on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) * Patricia Arquette, Keith Olbermann and Will Butler appear on “Late Show With David Letterman” (11:35 p.m., CBS) * Kevin Hart, Jay Baruchel and Meghan Trainor are on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r ) * Wanda Sykes, Angie Harmon and Two Gallants visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) * Simon Helberg, Britt Robertson, Owen Benjamin and Kunal Nayyar are on “The Late Late Show” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).

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A10

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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

AROUND TOWN The Sumter Chapter of the Na- Church library on the corner of Loring and Wise. Call tional Federation of the Blind Wayne Hunter at (803) 464will meet at 7 p.m. today at Sumter Chapter National FederaShiloh-Randolph Manor.

Benof 3003. the Blind McCartertion willof speak.

If youto meet The Shepherd’s Center will know a blind or visually imhold a one pot cook-off 11 paired person, contact a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, March Debra Canty at Debra13, at Trinity Lincoln Center, CanC2@frontier.com or at 24 Council St. Tickets are (803) 775-5792. $10 for all you can eat. Call (803) 773-1944.

Clarendon School District One will conduct free vision, hearThe National Council of Negro ing, speech and developmental Women (NCNW) will meet at screenings as part of a child 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13, find effort to identify stuat the South HOPE Center, dents with special needs.

1125 S. Lafayette Drive.

Screenings will be held from The Harambee Breakfast, 9 a.m. to noon at the Sumsponsored by the Mary merton Early Childhood McLeod Bethune Chapter Center on the following NCNW, will be held at 8:30 Thursdays: March 12; April a.m. on Saturday, March 14, 9; and May 14. For more inat the South HOPE Center, formation, call Sadie Wil1125 S. Lafayette Drive. liams or Audrey Walters at The American Red Cross will (803) 485-2325, extension offer New Volunteer Orienta221. tion / Disaster Services OverThe AARP Foundation Volunview for new Red Cross volteer Tax-Aide Program will unteers from 9 a.m. to noon offer free income tax assistance for low-income or elderly on Saturday, March 14, at 1155 N. Guignard Drive. This taxpayers. You will need: all class is for anyone who tax forms and information; would like to volunteer in government-issued ID; Soany capacity with the Red cial Security card; all W-2’s, Cross. Call (803) 775-2363 to 1099s and 1098s; and supregister or find out more inporting documents if you formation. plan to itemize. Assistance The Clarendon County Republic will be available 9 a.m.-2 Party will meet on Saturday, p.m. on Mondays and March 14, at Cornerstone Wednesdays through April Free Will Baptist Church, 13 at The Spectrum senior 2116 Greeleyville Highway, center, 1989 Durant Lane.

Manning. Precinct reorganiCall (803) 316-0772. zation will be from 10 a.m.

Free income tax filing services and FAFSA applications will be until 2 p.m. provided through April 15 as You can make a difference in the life of an abused, abanfollows: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. doned or neglected child. The Wednesdays, SC Works — South Carolina Department Santee Lynches, 31 E. Calhoun St., (803) 774-1300; 9:30 of Social Services is seeking families interested in bea.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, 3-8 p.m. coming adoptive or foster / Saturdays, appointments resource parents. The agenonly on Sundays, Goodwill cy will host an Adoption — Job Link Center, 1028 and Foster Care Expo inforBroad St., (803) 774-5006; mational meeting from 4 to and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thurs7 p.m. on Tuesday, March days and 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturdays, Lee County Adult 17, at the North HOPE CenEducation, 123 E. College St., ter, 904 N. Main St. For more information, call (800) 763Bishopville, (803) 484-4040.

6637.

For details and appointments, call Ms. Samuels at VFW Post 11078, Summerton, (803) 240-8355. will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, at its quarThe Overcomers Stroke Supters on Canty Street. All port Group will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, members and potential new members are invited. in the Alice Drive Baptist

PUBLIC AGENDA LEE COUNTY COUNCIL Today, 9 a.m., council chambers SUMTER HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Today, noon, Sunset Country Club LYNCHBURG TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., Teen Center on Magnolia Street, Lynchburg SUMTER COUNTY COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., Sumter County Council Chambers PINEWOOD TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6:30 p.m., town hall

Today, 6:30 p.m., town hall SUMMERTON TOWN COUNCIL Today, 6 p.m., town hall MAYESVILLE TOWN COUNCIL Today, 7 p.m., town hall

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2015

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Mostly cloudy with a shower

Clouds and warm with a shower

Variable clouds, a shower or two

Rain and drizzle; not as warm

Breezy with periods of rain

Warmer; a shower in the morning

81°

59°

82° / 63°

70° / 48°

63° / 55°

72° / 52°

Chance of rain: 45%

Chance of rain: 40%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 75%

Chance of rain: 40%

S 6-12 mph

S 6-12 mph

SW 6-12 mph

ENE 10-20 mph

NE 12-25 mph

NNE 4-8 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 72/58 Spartanburg 72/59

Greenville 71/59

Columbia 81/60

Temperatures shown on map are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 81/59

Aiken 79/57

ON THE COAST

Charleston 79/60

Today: Cloudy most of the time with a couple of showers. High 73 to 77.

Wednesday: Variable clouds with a shower.

High 73 to 77.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 76/58/sh 53/36/pc 64/45/c 48/37/pc 66/52/r 82/57/pc 75/63/r 49/42/r 85/69/pc 51/44/r 85/57/s 65/55/pc 52/49/r

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

358.09 75.39 74.74 98.10

24-hr chg +0.01 -0.07 -0.10 -0.07

RIVER STAGES River Black River Congaree River Lynches River Saluda River Up. Santee River Wateree River

0.00" 0.77" 1.18" 11.83" 8.00" 8.60"

NATIONAL CITIES City Atlanta Chicago Dallas Detroit Houston Los Angeles New Orleans New York Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC

Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

70° 53° 64° 39° 88° in 1974 20° in 1996

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest.

Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 76/63/sh 49/31/s 70/47/pc 52/31/pc 70/53/c 72/54/c 73/64/r 55/36/pc 85/67/sh 60/36/pc 87/64/pc 64/53/c 62/40/r

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 10.60 -0.27 19 4.58 +0.30 14 10.43 -0.56 14 3.68 -0.10 80 78.82 +0.35 24 8.08 -0.52

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Firm up on EUGENIA LAST any pending deals, settlements or legal changes you need to tend to. An opportunity is apparent if you are quick to act.

Checking out job prospects will lead to an interesting vocational change. Love is highlighted.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t share personal secrets, but be upfront about the way you feel and what you plan to do. There is a fine line that must not be crossed when dealing with other people’s affairs.

Meddling or interference must be avoided.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take time to have some fun and to get to know new friends or neighbors.

All work and no play will stifle your productivity. Romance and celebrations should be a priority. A kind gesture will have a stabilizing effect on your life.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Handle work-related matters effectively.

Mistakes will make you look bad.

Keep your nose to the grindstone and do your best to take care of your responsibilities. It’s what you accomplish that will make a difference.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Changes to your career or involvement in activities that help you become fit or healthy will encourage greater confidence and prestige. Don’t let a negative individual slow you down.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Stop dreaming and start doing. A short jaunt to visit a friend will provide you with information that will help you understand your options regarding your home and personal investments. Don’t settle for less.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Step into the limelight. Your sophisticated

Sunrise 7:40 a.m.

Moonrise none

Sunset 7:25 p.m.

Moonset 10:19 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

Mar. 13

Mar. 20

Mar. 27

Apr. 4

TIDES AT MYRTLE BEACH

High 12:23 a.m.

12:34 p.m.

12:59 a.m.

1:14 p.m.

Today Wed.

Ht. 2.9 2.7 2.9 2.6

Low 7:24 a.m.

7:24 p.m.

8:08 a.m.

8:07 p.m.

Ht. 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2

REGIONAL CITIES City Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville

Today Hi/Lo/W 66/54/sh 76/57/sh 81/56/c 77/60/c 61/54/c 79/60/c 72/60/sh 71/59/sh 81/60/c 79/60/c 68/55/c 76/60/c 77/60/c

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 70/55/r 77/58/sh 82/60/c 77/60/pc 63/46/sh 77/63/c 76/59/sh 77/58/sh 82/62/c 80/63/sh 72/47/sh 80/61/c 80/60/sh

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 80/61/c Gainesville 86/64/pc Gastonia 71/60/sh Goldsboro 76/60/c Goose Creek 79/60/c Greensboro 66/58/sh Greenville 71/59/sh Hickory 67/57/sh Hilton Head 72/58/c Jacksonville, FL 83/62/pc La Grange 82/60/sh Macon 80/56/sh Marietta 74/57/r

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 82/64/c 83/64/pc 77/59/c 80/59/sh 78/63/c 72/54/sh 76/60/sh 73/58/sh 71/60/c 82/64/pc 81/63/sh 79/61/c 74/59/sh

City Marion Mt. Pleasant Myrtle Beach Orangeburg Port Royal Raleigh Rock Hill Rockingham Savannah Spartanburg Summerville Wilmington Winston-Salem

Today Hi/Lo/W 67/55/sh 76/59/c 70/60/sh 82/59/c 75/59/c 73/58/c 74/59/sh 76/57/c 81/61/c 72/59/sh 74/58/c 73/59/sh 68/58/sh

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 69/55/r 75/63/c 72/60/c 81/63/c 74/61/pc 76/55/c 78/59/sh 79/58/sh 79/62/pc 75/59/sh 72/60/c 76/60/sh 72/52/sh

Weather(W): s–sunny, pc–partly cloudy, c–cloudy, sh–showers, t–thunderstorms, r–rain, sf–snow flurries, sn–snow, i–ice

SUMTER SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES Wednesday, 2 p.m., 1345 Wilson Hall Road, for AdvancEd

For Comfort You Can Count On, Better Make It Boykin!

SUMTER COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION / ELECTION COMMISSION Thursday, 5:30 p.m., registration / election office, 141 N. Main St.

803-795-4257 www.boykinacs.com

TURBEVILLE TOWN COUNCIL

The last word in astrology

Myrtle Beach 70/60

Manning 80/57

Today: Cloudy with a couple of showers.

Winds light and variable.

Wednesday: A couple of showers. Winds southwest 4-8 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 80/61

Bishopville 79/58

License #M4217

way of doing things will be wellreceived by your peers. Your involvement in worthwhile organizations will lead to a multitude of opportunities.

Partnerships are favored.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You will be touchy when it comes to domestic concerns. Try not to engage in discussions that will raise your blood pressure. Focus on a project that takes your mind off your worries and enables you to get closer to a goal you set.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put your heart and soul into making your home a place of comfort and entertainment. Move things around or plan an open house. Make your home a hangout for close friends or group meetings.

Romance is in the stars.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Consider what you can do to promote greater security at work.

Contributing original ideas that are geared toward work efficiency will set you apart from any competition you face. Be careful, as someone may try to take credit for your ideas.

LOTTERY NUMBERS PALMETTO CASH 5 LUCKY FOR LIFE MONDAY THURSDAY

POWERBALL SATURDAY

6-7-9-16-30 PowerUp: 5

34-36-38-42-50 30-48-55-68-73 Powerball: 33 Powerplay: 4 Megaball: 5 Megaplier: 3

15-17-22-36-43 Lucky Ball: 17

PICK 3 MONDAY

PICK 4 MONDAY

1-2-3 and 8-2-3

9-5-1-7 and 9-2-9-5

MEGAMILLIONS FRIDAY

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC Shannon Morris shares a picture she took of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Use your intellect and charm to get your way. Don’t worry about what you can’t do; focusing on your strengths will be sufficient. It’s how you approach your responsibilities that will make an unforgettable impression. Love is highlighted.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You will find it difficult to sit still and watch what’s going on around you. If you plan to get involved, be prepared to go the distance. Stopping halfway will make you look bad and give someone a chance to take your place.

HAVE YOU TAKEN PICTURES OF INTERESTING, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL OR HISTORICAL PLACES? Would you like to share those images with your fellow Sumter Item readers? E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandrah@theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150. Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only please.

SECTION

Johnson looks to future as others question past B6

Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

B

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gamecocks enjoying spot among SEC’s elite

BY KURT VOIGT The Associated Press NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The South Carolina women’s basketball program had exactly two winning league records in 17 seasons of Southeastern Conference play before Dawn Staley took over as the head coach.

It took seven years for the Hall of Famer to elevate the No. 3 Gamecocks (29-2) from bottomdwellers to champions

of the SEC, which they accomplished with a 62-46 win over No. 6 Tennessee in the league’s tournament championship game on Sunday.

And while South Carolina’s celebration was filled with pride for adding its first tournament championship to an already impressive resume of back-to-back regularseason championships, there was also a feeling of relief.

The win, after all, came against the pro-

gram every SEC team has chased for decades — the mighty Lady Vols — and it was the Gamecocks’ second victory over Tennessee (27-5) in two weeks.

“It’s always big for you to kind of know you’ve established your program when you’ve been able to beat a team of Tennessee’s caliber,’’ South Carolina’s Aleighsa Welch said. “Especially twice in a season and

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of the South Carolina women’s basketball team celebrate after defeating Tennessee 62-46 to win the Southeastern Conference tournament championship on Sunday SEE USC, PAGE B5 in North Little Rock, Ark.

PREP BASKETBALL COMMENTARY

Pulling in different directions Mixed emotions abound as Hillcrest grad watches SHS take 4A state crown

P

eople in my profession don’t often get the opportunity to cover their high school or college alma maters playing for a championship. However, when it does happen, it’s special.

I had that honor on Friday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia as I covered Sumter High School – not my alma mater – against the Hillcrest High School Rams, for the 4A boys basketball state title.

You’ll have to forgive me, but I couldn’t help but pull for the Rams, Michael well at least a part Christopher of me as a 2002 graduate. The other part was there to do my job.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

It’s my job to cover Sumter County sports, right? And I know you’re sitting there saying, ‘How could you pull for Hillcrest?’ For the record, I was also pulling for Sumter High.

It certainly brought up a unique wave of emotions during the game. It also brought up an interesting question — Do I follow orders or let my loyalty be tested?

Do you know what you would do?

I stayed quiet throughout the game, at least for the most part. Yet, I couldn’t help but quietly push for a closer game as both teams proved deserving of being there.

My job is to report on the facts of the game and my job was there to report from the Sumter perspective. I did that, but, yes, I did feel bad for Hillcrest.

The Rams were tied just once and fell behind 20-10 after the first quarter. They never led, even though they pulled within 57-55 with 1:17 to go in

SEE DIRECTIONS, PAGE B4

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter High seniors Micah McBride, left, and Brandon Parker hold up the state championship trophy on Friday after the Gamecocks defeated Hillcrest 61-55 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia to win their first 4A crown in 30 years.

CLEMSON BASKETBALL

AUTO RACING

Tigers need C Nnoko to have big impact in upcoming ACC tourney

Defending champ Harvick grabs victory in Las Vegas

BY SCOTT KEEPFER Greenville News CLEMSON — Clemson University men’s basketball head coach Brad Brownell says that Landry Nnoko is in a better place.

Presumably, that “better place” is on the court rather than sitting on the Tigers’ bench saddled with personal fouls.

As the Tigers’ starting center, Nnoko is a player that Brownell desperately needs to have an impact on games — much like he did in Saturday’s

loss at Notre Dame.

Nnoko had 19 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing his second doubleNNOKO double of the season. Staying away from foul trouble enabled the 6-foot-10, 255-pound junior to log at least 30 minutes of court time for just the eighth time this season.

So as the Tigers prepare to begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Wednesday, there’s

reason for optimism.

“I think Landry has played with renewed confidence the last two or three weeks — not always in games, but in practice, too,” Brownell said. “I think he went through a short stage there where he was really frustrated. It seemed like he kept getting in foul trouble every two or three games and he didn’t envision that, he didn’t want that — he just wants to be out there playing.”

Nnoko fouled out of four

SEE TIGERS, PAGE B5

BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — It sure looks as though Kevin Harvick hasn’t missed a beat since wrapping up his first career Sprint Cup title three months ago.

The 2014 champion grabbed his first win of the season on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he continued his hot start to his sophomore season at Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick finished second in the season-opening Daytona 500, was second

last week at Atlanta and, dating to last season, has six consecutive top-two HARVICK finishes.

He also has won three of the last six races dating to last season.

But he fretted through the offseason that his career year last season was an anomaly, and the results would not be the same as he tries to defend his title.

SEE HARVICK, PAGE B4

B2

|

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD

SPORTS ITEMS

TV, RADIO TODAY

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wide receiver Andre Johnson (80) was released by Houston on Monday, the only team he has played for in his 12-year career.

Texans part ways with WR Johnson Andre Johnson was released by the Houston Texans, and quarterback Ryan Mallett agreed to return to the team on Monday.

A 12-year veteran, Johnson, the longest-tenured Texan, was a first-round draft pick in 2003, joining the expansion team in its second season.

The 33-year-old Johnson had 85 catches for 936 yards last season, but the Texans were beginning to see DeAndre Hopkins as their top receiving threat.

Johnson is a seven-time Pro Bowler with seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has 1,012 receptions with 13,597 yards receiving in his career.

He led the NFL in yards receiving in 2008 and 2009. His career high came in 2012 when he had 1,598 yards receiving and the Texans reached the playoffs for the second time.

collapse by J.B. Holmes, who lost a five-shot lead and closed with a 75 to finish one shot behind. Masters champion Bubba Watson opened with four birdies in seven holes to lead by two shots, only to make three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine.

DEPUTIES: JETS RB JOHNSON UNCOOPERATIVE

VIERA, Fla. — Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez got off to a sharp start this spring, pitching two scoreless innings Monday in the Nationals’ 2-1 loss to the visiting Atlanta Braves.

Gonzalez threw just 19 pitches. The former 21-game winner gave up one hit, walked none and struck out one.

Eric Young Jr. hit a 2-run homer off Washington reliever Tanner Roark in the third inning.

Atlanta lefty Wandy Rodriguez retired his first eight batters before Tony Gwynn Jr. singled with two outs in the third.

ORLANDO, Fla. — New York Jets running back Chris Johnson was uncooperative with deputies who responded over the weekend to a fatal shooting that left him and a friend with bullet wounds and the driver of their car dead.

An Orange County Sheriff’s Office report released Monday also suggested the men may have been at a nightclub before the shooting at a stoplight in Orlando.

Chris Johnson was shot in the right shoulder when someone pulled up next to their Jeep and started firing. His friend, Reggie Johnson, was shot in the triceps and thigh. The driver, Dreekius Oricko Johnson, was wounded in the head.

Investigators believe the Jeep was targeted.

JOHNSON RALLIES FOR CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP DORAL, Fla. — A month after he returned from his curious leave of absence, Dustin Johnson was posing with another big trophy.

In a power show Sunday on the Blue Monster, Johnson was flawless on the back nine and blasted two big drives to finish off a 3-under 69 and win the Cadillac Championship for his second World Golf Championship title.

Johnson took advantage of a

PARK HOLDS OFF KO, LEWIS IN SINGAPORE SINGAPORE — South Korea’s Inbee Park held off topranked Lydia Ko and No. 3 Stacy Lewis to win the HSBC Women’s Champions for her 13th LPGA Tour title.

The second-ranked Park closed with a 2-under 70 for a 2-stroke victory over Ko. Ko also shot a 70. Lewis was third at 11 under after a 72.

MLB BRAVES 2 NATIONALS 1

6 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Angels vs. Cincinnati from Goodyear, Ariz. (MLB NETWORK).

9 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco from Scottsdale, Ariz.

(MLB NETWORK).

Noon – College Wrestling: Big 12 Conference Championships from Ames, Iowa (SPORTSOUTH).

1 p.m. – College Basketball: Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament from Greensboro, N.C. – Boston College vs. Georgia Tech (ESPN2).

1 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Detroit vs.

Philadelphia from Clearwater, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

2 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Summit League Tournament Championship Game from Sioux Falls, S.D. (ESPNU).

3 p.m. – College Basketball: Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament from Greensboro, N.C. – Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech (ESPN2).

3:30 p.m. – International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match – Schalke vs.

Real Madrid (FOX SPORTS 1).

3:30 p.m. – International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Second Leg Match – Basel vs.

Porto (FOX SPORTS 2).

4 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: West Coast Conference Tournament Championship Game from Las Vegas (ESPNU).

4 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas from Tempe, Ariz. (MLB NETWORK).

5 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Princeton at Pennsylvania (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

6:05 p.m. – Talk Show: Sports Talk (WDXY-FM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240).

6:15 p.m. – High School Softball: South Florence at Lugoff-Elgin (WPUB-FM 102.7).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Horizon League Championship Game from Valparaiso, Ind. – WisconsinGreen Bay vs. Valparaiso (ESPN).

7 p.m. – College Basketball: Northeast Conference Tournament Championship Game from Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. – Robert Morris vs. St. Francis (N.Y). (ESPN2).

7 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Columbus at Carolina (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. – College Baseball: Cincinnati at Kentucky (SEC NETWORK).

7 p.m. – College Swimming and Diving: Big 12 Conference Championships from Austin, Texas (SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. – College Baseball: Penn State at South Carolina (WNKT-FM 107.5).

7:30 p.m. – College Basketball: Princeton at Pennsylvania (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

8 p.m. – Women’s College Basketball: Big East Conference Tournament Championship Game from Rosemont, Ill. (FOX SPORTS 1).

8:30 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Cleveland at Dallas (NBA TV).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: West Coast Conference Tournament Championship Game from Las Vegas (ESPN).

9 p.m. – College Basketball: Summit League Tournament Championship Game from Sioux Falls, S.D. (ESPN2).

9 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Milwaukee vs. Cincinnati from Phoenix (MLB NETWORK).

9 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Los Angeles at Colorado (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

11 p.m. – Professional Tennis: BNP Paribas Showdown from New York – Roger Federer vs. Grigor Dimitrov (ESPN2).

Midnight – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado from Glendale, Ariz.

(MLB NETWORK).

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION Toronto Boston Brooklyn Philadelphia New York SOUTHEAST DIVISION x-Atlanta Washington Charlotte Miami Orlando CENTRAL DIVISION Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Indiana Detroit

AMERICAN LEAGUE

W 6 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 2 2 2 3 2 2 1

Kansas City New York Boston Oakland Houston Detroit Seattle Texas Minnesota Chicago Los Angeles Toronto Cleveland Baltimore Tampa Bay

L 0 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 5 4 6 3

Memphis Houston Dallas San Antonio New Orleans NORTHWEST DIVISION Portland Oklahoma City Utah Denver Minnesota PACIFIC DIVISION

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GB – 1/2 51/2 101/2 151/2

W 44 43 41 39 34

L 18 20 24 23 29

Pct .710 .683 .631 .629 .540

GB – 11/2 41/2 5 101/2

W 41 35 26 22 14

L 20 28 36 41 47

Pct .672 .556 .419 .349 .230

GB – 7 151/2 20 27

L 12 23 31 40 46

Pct .803 .635 .516 .344 .258

GB – 10 171/2 28 331/2

San Antonio 116, Chicago 105 Golden State 106, L.A. Clippers 98 Orlando 103, Boston 98 Charlotte 108, Detroit 101 Utah 95, Brooklyn 88 Oklahoma City 108, Toronto 104 Dallas 100, L.A. Lakers 93

MONDAY’S GAMES

Washington at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Sacramento at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis at Chicago, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

New York at Denver, 9 p.m.

Golden State at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

GP Montreal 66 Tampa Bay 67 Detroit 64 Boston 65 Florida 66 Ottawa 64 Toronto 66 Buffalo 66 METROPOLITAN DIVISION GP N.Y. Islanders 67 N.Y. Rangers 64 Pittsburgh 65 Washington 67 Philadelphia 67 New Jersey 66 Columbus 65 Carolina 64

W 42 41 36 33 29 30 26 19

L 18 20 17 22 23 23 35 42

OT 6 6 11 10 14 11 5 5

Pts 90 88 83 76 72 71 57 43

GF 177 222 187 176 163 184 176 126

GA 146 177 170 170 188 173 205 224

W 42 40 38 36 28 28 27 25

L 21 17 18 21 26 28 34 32

OT 4 7 9 10 13 10 4 7

Pts 88 87 85 82 69 66 58 57

GF 214 198 188 200 177 151 166 152

GA 189 155 160 165 195 170 207 174

L 19 19 21 23 21 25 27

OT 7 5 6 7 12 11 10

Pts 89 87 84 79 78 71 68

GF 197 204 190 186 183 177 207

GA 165 163 154 168 176 185 220

L 18 24 25 21 26 38 37 win,

OT 7 4 5 13 8 7 11 one

Pts 91 78 77 75 72 49 47 point

GF GA 198 184 187 178 191 172 175 168 187 186 142 222 150 222 for overtime

WESTERN CONFERENCE GP 67 65 66 66 66 66 66

W 41 41 39 36 33 30 29

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Ottawa 5, Calgary 4, SO Boston 5, Detroit 3 Carolina 7, Edmonton 4 New Jersey 5, Philadelphia 2 Colorado 3, Minnesota 2 N.Y. Rangers 1, Chicago 0, OT

MONDAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Edmonton at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Nashville at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at San Jose, 10 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Columbus at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

New Jersey at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.

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SUNDAY’S GAMES

Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Detroit vs. Philadelphia at Clearwater, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Washington vs. Miami at Jupiter, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

St. Louis vs. Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta at Kissimmee, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay (ss) at Port Charlotte, Fla.,

Valid Sundays only. Not vaild at Orangeburg. Exp. 03/31/15

L 25 25 29 34 39

GP W Anaheim 67 42 Vancouver 65 37 Calgary 66 36 Los Angeles 65 31 San Jose 66 32 Arizona 66 21 Edmonton 66 18 NOTE: Two points for a loss.

TODAY’S GAMES

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W 40 39 33 28 23

W Golden State 49 L.A. Clippers 40 Phoenix 33 Sacramento 21 L.A. Lakers 16 x-clinched playoff spot

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GB – 141/2 201/2 21 29

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Nashville St. Louis Chicago Minnesota Winnipeg Colorado Dallas PACIFIC DIVISION

Pittsburgh 1, Minnesota 1, tie Philadelphia 1, Baltimore 0 N.Y. Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 3 Detroit 6, Toronto (ss) 4 Atlanta 2, Washington 1 Boston 3, St. Louis 0 Houston 1, Toronto (ss) 0 Miami 13, N.Y. Mets 2 San Francisco 5, L.A. Dodgers 5, tie San Diego 6, Chicago Cubs 3 Seattle 4, Cleveland 3 Chicago White Sox 3, Arizona 3, tie Texas 4, Oakland 1 Cincinnati (ss) 7, L.A. Angels 5 Kansas City 5, Milwaukee 4 Colorado 2, Cincinnati (ss) 2, tie

Super Sunday Savings

Pct .790 .556 .459 .452 .328

CENTRAL DIVISION

Express Handwax Your community news source

L 13 28 33 34 43

EASTERN CONFERENCE

MONDAY’S GAMES

FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1973

W 49 35 28 28 21

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Minnesota 2, Baltimore 1 N.Y. Yankees 3, Washington 2 Philadelphia 5, Tampa Bay 4 Houston (ss) 2, Atlanta 2, tie, 10 innings Houston (ss) 14, Detroit 9 St. Louis 5, Miami 2 Pittsburgh 1, Toronto 0 Boston 6, N.Y. Mets 3 Arizona 12, San Francisco 2 Colorado 7, San Diego 5 Texas (ss) 6, Chicago Cubs 4 Texas (ss) 8, Cleveland 7 Cincinnati 10, Seattle 1 L.A. Dodgers 4, Milwaukee 3 Chicago White Sox 10, Oakland 4 Arizona 10, San Francisco 5 Kansas City 6, L.A. Angels 4

FRANK’S

GB – 12 12 24 25

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

SUNDAY’S GAMES

From wire reports

Pct .603 .410 .410 .222 .197

Orlando at Indiana, 7 p.m.

New Orleans at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Toronto at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

New York at Utah, 9 p.m.

Detroit at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

HORNETS 69

L 25 36 36 49 49

TODAY’S GAMES

Pct 1.000 .714 .667 .667 .600 .571 .571 .571 .500 .400 .400 .375 .333 .250 .250

W L Pct Arizona 5 1 .833 Los Angeles 4 1 .800 Miami 3 2 .600 Pittsburgh 3 2 .600 St. Louis 3 2 .600 Washington 3 2 .600 Cincinnati 4 3 .571 Philadelphia 3 3 .500 San Diego 3 3 .500 New York 3 4 .429 Colorado 2 3 .400 Atlanta 2 4 .333 San Francisco 2 5 .286 Chicago 0 5 .000 Milwaukee 0 5 .000 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not.

WIZARDS 95

W 38 25 25 14 12

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

MLB SPRING TRAINING

By The Associated Press

NBA

CHARLOTTE — Marcin Gortat scored 20 points and the Washington Wizards rolled to a 95-69 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

John Wall added 15 points and nine assists, Bradley Beal had 14 points and Kevin Seraphin scored 12 for the Wizards, who snapped a nine-game road losing streak.

Mo Williams scored 19 points for the Hornets. Al Jefferson added 14 points and Lance Stephenson 12 for Charlotte.

1:05 p.m.

Minnesota vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 1:07 p.m.

San Francisco vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Colorado (ss) vs. L.A. Dodgers at Glendale, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Cincinnati vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 4:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Arizona vs. Oakland at Mesa, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Texas vs. L.A. Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 4:10 p.m.

Seattle vs. Colorado (ss) at Scottsdale, Ariz., 4:10 p.m.

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL

THE SUMTER ITEM

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

|

B3

Chants win 2nd straight Big South crown 81-70

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wofford players celebrate while holding the championship trophy after defeating Furman 67-64 on Monday in the Southern Conference tournament championship game in Asheville, N.C.

Wofford edges Furman 67-64 to win SoCon title

BY STEVE REED The Associated Press ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Lee Skinner scored 17 points, Eric Garcia added 15, and top-seeded Wofford held off 10th-seeded Furman 67-64 to capture the Southern Conference championship on Monday night and earn its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in six seasons.

The Terriers (28-6) ended the Paladins’ unlikely run to the championship and won despite Furman shooting 52 percent from the field.

Karl Cochran added 11 points, and Spencer Collins had 10 for the Terriers.

Furman (11-22), the tournament’s lowest seed, but pulled off three straight upsets over The Citadel, Chattanooga and Mercer to reach the title game. However, the Paladins didn’t quite have enough to complete what would have

called timeout with 1:20 left.

The Paladins went to Fowler, who made a spin move and scored in the lane to cut the deficit to two.

After Wofford missed, Fowler couldn’t connect on a drive to the hole with a chance to tie.

Garcia knocked down the front end of a 1-and-1 with 26 seconds left to push the lead to three.

Down 65-62, Croone drove to the lane for the layup to cut the Wofford lead to one. The Paladins fouled Garcia again, and this time he both free throws to push the lead to 67-64 with 12 seconds remaining.

Devin Sibley attempted a 3-pointer from the corner with 10 seconds left that came up short.

Skinner, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, missed two free throws, and a last second heave by John Davis III fell short at the buzzer.

been a remarkable run to the NCAA Tournament.

Geoff Beans had 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Stephen Croone had 14 to lead the Paladins, who don’t have a senior in their rotation.

The Terriers couldn’t pull away in the second half as Furman continued its hot shooting.

Croone gave the Paladins the lead at 60-58 lead with 5:30 left when he used his quickness to blow past a defender for an uncontested layup.

But Cochran drained a 25-footer from the top of the key with the shot clock running down to give the Terriers the lead for good.

After Kendrec Ferrera missed a short jumper, Garcia followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing to push Wofford’s lead to four.

The Terriers had a chance to increase their lead but missed five shots on the same possession, and Furman

CONWAY — Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis stood atop the ladder after slipping the Big South Conference championship net around his neck. The fit was just as sweet as ever.

“This is a euphoric moment,’’ Ellis said Sunday, celebrating his team’s second consecutive conference title, an 81-70 victory over Winthrop.

Now, Ellis is on another mission — gaining a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament than the No. 16 the Chanticleers had last year.

Ellis said his team has proven its mettle the past two seasons, including going toe-to-toe with No. 1 seed Virginia in last season’s 70-59 NCAA defeat.

“Yeah, I’m out beating on a drum,’’ the 69-year-old Ellis said. “But I’ve earned the right to do it.’’

Coastal Carolina (24-9) displayed that grit to pull away from a game tied 38all at halftime with a 15-4 run to start the second half and wrest control from the Eagles (19-13).

Warren Gillis scored 22 points and Elijah Wilson

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Coastal Carolina’s Tristian Curtis holds up a piece of the net after the Chanticleers won the Big South Conference Championship on Sunday with an 81-70 victory against Winthrop in Conway.

CAROLINA STORM AAU

MEN’S CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

Greensboro, N.C. First Round Today Boston College vs. Georgia Tech, 1 p.m.

Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.

Second Round Wednesday Clemson vs. Florida State, Noon North Carolina vs. Boston CollegeGeorgia Tech winner, 2:30 p.m.

N.C. State vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Miami vs. Wake Forest-Virginia Tech winner, 9:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Thursday Virginia vs. Clemson-Florida State winner, Noon Louisville vs. North Carolina-Boston College-Georgia Tech winner, 2:30 p.m.

Duke vs. N.C. State-Pittsburgh winner, 7 p.m.

Notre Dame vs. Miami-Wake ForestVirginia Tech winner, 9:30 p.m.

Semifinals Friday Virginia-Clemson-Florida State winner vs. Louisville-North CarolinaBoston College-Georgia Tech winner, 7 p.m.

Duke-N.C. State-Pittsburgh winner vs. Notre Dame-Miami-Wake ForestVirginia Tech winner, 9:30 p.m.

Championship Saturday Semifinal winners, 8:30 p.m.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Nashville, Tenn.

First Round Wednesday Mississippi State vs. Auburn, 7 p.m.

South Carolina vs. Missouri, 9:30 p.m.

Second Round Thursday Florida vs. Alabama, 1 p.m.

Texas A&M vs. Mississippi StateAuburn winner, 3:30 p.m.

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Mississippi vs. South Carolina-Missouri winner, 9:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Friday Kentucky vs. Florida-Alabama winner, 1 p.m.

LSU vs. Texas A&M-Mississippi State-Auburn winner, 3:30 p.m.

Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt-Tennessee winner, 7 p.m.

Georgia vs. Mississippi-South Carolina-Missouri winner, 9:30 p.m.

Semifinals Saturday Kentucky-Florida-Alabama winner vs. LSU-Texas A&M-Mississippi State-Auburn winner, 1 p.m.

Arkansas-Vanderbilt-Tennessee winner vs. Georgia-MississippiSouth Carolina-Missouri winner, 3:30 p.m.

Championship Sunday Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Conway First Round March 4 Longwood 65, Presbyterian 61 Gardner-Webb 72, Campbell 64 UNC Asheville 80, Liberty 70 Quarterfinals March 6 Longwood 68, Charleston Southern 60 Winthrop 67, Radford 66 Gardner-Webb 72, High Point 71, OT Coastal Carolina 74, UNC Asheville 57 Semifinals Saturday Winthrop 71, Longwood 58 Coastal Carolina 72, Gardner-Webb 70 Championship Sunday Coastal Carolina 81, Winthrop 70

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Norfolk, Va. First Round Monday

Delaware State vs. Savannah State, 6:30 p.m.

Hampton vs. Morgan State, 9 p.m.

Today Bethune-Cookman vs. Coppin State, 6 p.m.

S.C. State vs. N.C. A&T, 8:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals Wednesday N.C. Central vs. Bethune-CookmanCoppin State winner, 6 p.m.

Norfolk State vs. S.C. State-N.C. A&T winner, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday Maryland-Eastern Shore vs. Hampton-Morgan State winner, 6 p.m.

Howard vs. Delaware State-Savannah State winner, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals Friday N.C. Central-Bethune-CookmanCoppin State winner vs. HowardDelaware State-Savannah State winner, 6 p.m.

Norfolk State-S.C. State-N.C. A&T winner vs. Maryland-Eastern ShoreHampton-Morgan State winner, 8:30 p.m.

Championship Saturday Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Asheville, N.C. First Round Friday UNC Greensboro 81, Samford 76 Furman 73, The Citadel 56 Quarterfinals Saturday Wofford 70, UNC Greensboro 52 Western Carolina 67, ETSU 61, OT Furman 69, Chattanooga 67 Mercer 89, VMI 61 Semifinals Sunday Wofford 73, Western Carolina 61 Furman 52, Mercer 49 Championship Monday Wofford 67, Furman 64

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had 14 of his 19 in the second half for the Chanticleers. Wilson was named tournament MVP. Both were part of last year’s NCAA run and are eager to take things further this season.

“We can matchup with anybody,’’ Coastal forward Badou Diagne said.

Coastal Carolina’s victory brings the 10th NCAA Tournament appearance for Ellis, the only Division I coach with 150 or more victories at four separate schools. Ellis last year joined the club of 11 coaches who have taken four teams to the NCAAs. Now, he’s done it multiple times at each of his four stops: South Alabama, Clemson, Auburn and Coastal Carolina.

Keon Johnson led Winthrop with 18 points.

Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey thought his team had momentum at halftime after erasing Coastal’s nine-point lead to tie the game. But breakdowns on defense and missed open shots swung the game, he said.

“When a veteran team has a lead like that, it’s tough to claw back,’’ Kelsey said.

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B4

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HARVICK

KOBALT 400 RESULTS

FROM PAGE B1

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter’s Quentin Kershaw, left, Cedric Rembert, center, and Charlie Richardson embrace after the Gamecocks defeated Hillcrest 61-55 on Friday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia to win the 4A state championship.

DIRECTIONS FROM PAGE B1 the contest.

The Gamecocks, who finished the season with a 20-6 record on the year, simply just played better. SHS missed just five shots in the first half and eight in the second half to shoot 65.8 percent for the game. They also hit 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range and missed just two free throws.

Hillcrest was led by its allstate players, Tyler Hooker and Randall Shaw. The duo combined for 37 of the Rams’ 55 points as HHS shot just 37.2 percent for the game after coming with a team scoring average of nearly 73 points a game.

On paper, the matchup looked line one of offense versus defense. Sumter’s defense helped pave the way to win a championship. The Gamecocks played great team defense.

It’s a huge credit to Gamecock second-year head coach Jo Jo English for the team’s focus on defense. It wasn’t the first time English denied the Rams a state title. In 1988, the former Lower Richland standout helped the Diamond Hornets to a victory over the Rams.

I didn’t know the history with English, partly because I wasn’t even four years old at that time. I appreciate it a great deal because the Rams had a nationally ranked team – as did LR – under Talmadge Gray, my former principal.

That was almost three decades ago, but even so a part of me wanted Hillcrest to succeed. The Gamecocks had other plans though.

It was both ironic and amusing to me how the team I’m reporting on was facing my alma mater. I have no qualms with Coach English. In fact, I’ll admit when he took the job at SHS and I had the opportunity to interview him, I was both a little timid and star-struck because of his outstanding career at the University of South Carolina and his time in the National Basketball Association with the Chicago Bulls.

When I first got his contact info he would send me numerous texts with video clips and pictures of his playing days so I could better grasp his background. When I first interviewed him I asked him a very important question of what he wanted to accomplish. His answer was honest and ever since then he’s been true to his word.

“I told myself if I ever got the opportunity to be a head basketball coach, I would never approach it where a kid’s ability is paramount to what’s important in life,” he said. “I want to make (my players) productive and positive citizens in our society, and the Lord has blessed me with that opportunity.”

What the Gamecocks did to my alma mater made it somewhat difficult to watch for me, but it was obviously a great moment for the Sumter community. English, who told me when I first interviewed him that he just wanted the opportunity to coach and see what he was capable of, is proving he has SHS on the right path, both on and off the court.

“I feel that I’m just as good as any other coach out there, and I can prove it,” he said.

“And I will prove it.”

No hard feelings, Coach English because it was against my alma mater. Keep up the good work.

I’m just glad I decided against wearing my letterman jacket.

THE SUMTER ITEM

“I have been absolutely terrified that we would never sit up (on the podium) again,’’ Harvick said. “You have to figure out ways to motivate yourself and motivate our team, and for us, it’s just that motivation of trying to be the best you can in every practice and be the best that you can in qualifying.

“We’re going to celebrate it like it’s the last one. We’re going to approach next week like we’ve never won a race because that’s what keeps it fun and that’s what keeps us motivated.’’

Except next up for Harvick? A stop at Phoenix, where Harvick has won four of the last five races. His November win pushed him into the championship race.

Harvick on Sunday led 142 of the 267 laps, and beat Martin Truex Jr. to the finish while battling a vibration that developed after his final pit stop.

Harvick now has a win that gives him a near-certain berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, where he’d be guaranteed a shot to defend his title. The Chase format awards slots into the playoff via regularseason wins.

KAHNE-EDWARDS Kasey Kahne thought he might have had a chance to challenge Harvick for the win, but a scrape with Carl Edwards ruined his day.

Edwards slid up the track and into Kahne on lap 192, and the contact shoved Kahne into the outside wall.

Kahne seemed to be retaliating in the next corner when

By The Associated Press Sunday At Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nev. Lap length: 1.5 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (18) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267 laps, 141.5 rating, 48 points, $431,815.

2. (8) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 117.1, 43, $268,950.

3. (7) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, 103.4, 42, $236,980.

4. (4) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 123.5, 41, $184,455.

5. (19) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 108.7, 39, $162,380.

6. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 267, 94.1, 38, $162,703.

7. (11) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, 102.8, 38, $170,461.

8. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 102.3, 36, $156,078.

9. (6) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, 92.4, 36, $157,206.

10. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 102.6, 35, $165,853.

11. (10) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267, 86.9, 33, $144,426.

12. (24) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 267, 80.8, 32, $121,010.

13. (23) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 267, 74.6, 0, $128,068.

14. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, 77.5, 30, $141,793.

15. (28) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 266, 70.3, 29, $137,274.

16. (34) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 266, 70.3, 0, $123,160.

17. (3) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 266, 102, 27, $121,660.

18. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 266, 76.4, 26, $157,196.

19. (30) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 266, 63, 0, $101,660.

20. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 265, 75.2, 24, $146,796.

21. (20) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 265, 62, 23, $137,418.

22. (13) David Ragan, Toyota, 265, 53.8, 22, $143,651.

23. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 265, 47.8, 21, $123,318.

24. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 265, 45.5, 20, $126,380.

25. (17) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 264, 68.5, 19, $118,593.

26. (15) Aric Almirola, Ford, 264, 72.5, 18, $134,771.

27. (21) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 264, 60.4, 17, $104,710.

28. (35) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 264, 51.1, 16, $137,185.

29. (31) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 264, 53.7, 15, $103,385.

30. (32) Michael McDowell, Ford, 264, 42.9, 14, $93,610.

31. (26) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 263, 49.1, 13, $112,457.

32. (38) Cole Whitt, Ford, 262, 37.7, 12, $94,210.

33. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 262, 52.6, 11, $118,724.

34. (39) Josh Wise, Ford, 261, 32.8, 10, $91,310.

35. (42) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 261, 32.6, 0, $91,085.

36. (40) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 260, 32.4, 0, $90,845.

37. (36) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 260, 36.6, 7, $90,614.

38. (43) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 258, 26, 0, $85,290.

39. (33) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 257, 43.3, 5, $81,290.

40. (41) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 254, 26.4, 4, $78,790.

41. (9) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 236, 94.7, 4, $121,226.

42. (14) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 227, 75.3, 3, $69,290.

43. (27) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, engine, 28, 35.7, 1, $65,790.

he drove low onto the track and appeared to help Edwards spin.

Edwards had to go to the garage for repairs and finished 42nd. He also took blame for the accident.

Kahne, who finished 17th, was frustrated.

“He just stayed in the gas,’’ Kahne said. “We just needed a full another car worth of racing room there, and he just plowed us into the wall. That was discouraging.’’

BUSCH RETURN? Stewart-Haas Racing coowner Gene Haas doesn’t

know when suspended driver Kurt Busch will be reinstated by NASCAR. But Haas seemed to indicate Sunday that Busch will be back in the No. 41 when he’s cleared to compete.

Haas said the organization wants to know if Busch will be eligible to race for the championship when he returns.

Busch was suspended two days before last month’s season-opening Daytona 500 for an alleged domestic assault against a former girlfriend.

He was not criminally charged, and NASCAR said Busch is working with them

toward reinstatement.

Haas said after Harvick gave SHR its first win of the season on Sunday that he has no indication when Busch will be back in the car.

STRONG TRUEX RUN Truex continued his hot start to the season with a runner-up finish to Harvick on Sunday.

It was Truex’s best finish since he joined Furniture Row Racing last year, and he’s opened 2015 with three top-eight finishes.

Truex was also second and fifth in a pair of exhibition races at Daytona last month.

TWO BLOWN TIRES Jimmie Johnson won last week at Atlanta and gave every indication he’d challenge for the win at Las Vegas.

But two blown tires led to a 41st-place finish for the six-time champion. He had led two different times for 45 laps before his race unraveled.

“The first one, they said the bead blew on it ... that’s kind of a freak deal,’’ Johnson said. “The second one, it went soft. So there could have been some damage that caused it or some rub or something like that, and it went soft going into Turn 3 and I hit the wall, unfortunately.’’

GANASSI GOOD DAY It was a strong day for Chip Ganassi Racing, which put both its drivers in the top-11.

Kyle Larson finished eighth and Jamie McMurray was 11th in the most solid day this year for the organization.

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SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

|

B5

AREA ROUNDUP

DeMonte tosses no-hitter in TSA softball’s 9-0 victory BISHOPVILLE — Emily DeMonte pitched a no-hitter and struck out 14 batters to lead Thomas Sumter Academy’s varsity softball team to a 9-0 victory over Robert E. Lee Academy in its season opener on Monday at the REL field.

Carmen Silvester led the Lady Generals’ offense going 3-for-3 with a grand slam home run. Taylor Knudson was 2-for-2 while Logan Morris was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple.

BOYS

man 4-2 on Sunday in its final game in the Comporium Invitational Baseball Classic at the Gilbert High field.

Drew Hankins pitched four innings to pick up the victory, allowing two runs on five hits. Rylan Williamson pitched two scoreless innings and Ryan Moore pitched a perfect seventh for the save.

Javon Martin led the offense for the 2-2 Gamecocks, going 2-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in.

Moore was 2-for-2.

VARSITY TENNIS

VARSITY BASEBALL

WILSON HALL 4

SUMTER 4

A.C. FLORA 3 Wilson Hall opened its season with a 4-3 victory over A.C. Flora High School on Monday at Palmetto Tennis Center.

DORMAN 2

GILBERT — Sumter High School’s varsity baseball team defeated Dor-

SINGLES 1 – Brown (WH) defeated McClammrock 6-3, 6-0.

2 – Davis (WH) defeated Powell 6-3, 6-2.

3 – Kirkland (ACF) defeated Hendrix 6-4, 6-4.

4 – Stover (WH) defeated Rentz 6-3, 7-5.

5 – Echols (ACF) defeated Thompson 3-6, 7-5, 11-9.

DOUBLES 1 – Brown/Davis (WH) defeated McClammrock/ Kirkland 6-0, 6-3.

2 – Echols/Reed (ACF) defeated Stone/Kelley 4-6, 6-0, 10-3.

Crestwood High School lost a doubleheader to McBee on Monday at Crestwood, falling 21-2 and 16-1.

Richard Scurry, Nyzir Jackson and Justin Belee each had hits for the Knights in the first game.

JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL

JUNIOR VARSITY GOLF

LAURENCE MANNING 10

SUMTER 174

WILLIAMSBURG 0

LUGOFF-ELGIN 239 LUGOFF — Sumter High School defeated Lugoff-Elgin by 65 strokes in a match on Monday at Green Hills Country Club.

Brandon Griffin and Brandt Toburen both shot 42s to lead SHS. Jenkins Dwight shot a 44 while Andrew Griffin and Michael Solberg each shot a 46.

MANNING — Laurence Manning Academy improved to 3-1 with a 10-0 victory over Williamsburg Academy at Tucker Belangia Diamond.

Jake Jordan and Taylor combined to toss a 1-hit shutout. Lee had three hits and Cole Hair had two.

COLLEGE BASEBALLROUNDUP

USC Sumter drops pair to Stingers After winning two close games to sweep a college baseball doubleheader against Florence-Darlington Technical College on Saturday, the University of South Carolina Sumter had the favor returned to it on Sunday at Riley Park.

FDTC defeated the Fire Ants 7-5 in eight innings in the opener and followed it up with a 9-7 victory to lead to a split of the NJCAA Region X opening series for both teams.

USCS, which won by scores of 10-8 and 2-1 in eight innings on Saturday, are 17-10 overall and 2-2 in region play. The Stingers are 17-4 and 2-2.

Jacob Watcher of Sumter, pinch hitting for twin brother Philip, had a 2-run single in the eighth.

In Saturday’s game, The Citadel broke a 5-5 tie with a 5-run seventh inning. Philip Watcher, pinch hitting for Jacob, had a 2-run single in the seventh. Third baseman William Kinney of Sumter had a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He also had a hit and scored a run.

USC 5

CITADEL 6

MIAMI (OHIO) 3

ELON 1

COLUMBIA — South Carolina rallied from a 2-run deficit and did not allow an earned run on the way to a 5-3 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sunday at Carolina Stadium to sweep the 3-game series.

The Gamecocks improved to 12-3 on the year while the RedHawks fell to 2-8.

Miami struck first, pushing across a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning.

South Carolina responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. After a 1-out

CHARLESTON — The Citadel defeated Elon 6-1 on Sunday at Riley Park to rally and win its Southern Conference series opener.

The Bulldogs, who are 7-7 on the season, lost the first game 12-3 on Friday. However, they won 11-8 on Saturday before clinching the series on Sunday.

Elon, 7-5 took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. The Bulldogs pushed across three runs in the six and three insurance runs in the eighth.

USC FROM PAGE B1 (in) a game like this where so much is on the line.’’

The Gamecocks had losing seasons in Staley’s first two seasons as coach, a difficult stretch for the former AllAmerican who had led Temple to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

South Carolina reached the WNIT in 2011, but it was the 2011-12 team that reached the NCAA’s Sweet 16 that ignited the school’s current run of success. Welch, named this season’s tournament Most Valuable Player, was a freshman on that squad, which also snapped a 40-game losing streak against Tennessee with a win in Knoxville.

The Gamecocks have won at least 25 games in each season since then, and they are poised to earn a secondstraight No. 1 seed at this year’s NCAA Tournament behind two-time SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell,

double off the bat of Madison Stokes, three consecutive walks scored Stokes and Jordan Gore and Gene Cone was then able to score on a wild pitch.

The Gamecocks added to their lead in the seventh with two more runs.

Vince Fiori (2-0) earned the win in relief. The junior left-hander worked 3 1/3 innings allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out four batters.

Sophomore right-hander Taylor Widener closed out the game with a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

N.C. STATE 14 CLEMSON 6

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State scored six 2-out runs in the second inning and cruised to a 14-6 win over Clemson on Sunday at Doak Field.

The Wolfpack, who won the series 2-1, improved to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Tigers, who lost back-toback games for the first time in 2015, dropped to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.

Tiger starting pitcher Brody Koerner suffered the loss after pitching just 1 2/3 innings. He fell to 2-2.

From staff reports

who is only a junior.

More than anything, they know they are no longer than up-and-coming power in the SEC. Rather, the Gamecocks believe they have every bit the staying power of the Lady Vols, and they have no intention of giving up their crown anytime soon.

“I think when you go up against such a traditional powerhouse like Tennessee, you need opportunities to play them,’’ Staley said. “You got

to continue to play them. The more you play them, the more you’ll be able to chip away at some of the things they’re really good at. ... We’ve been kind of able to even the playing field, where it doesn’t come down to us having to play perfect basketball.’’

While South Carolina celebrated, the Lady Vols were left in the unfamiliar position of leaving the SEC Tournament without a championship.

The eight-time national champions have won the title

MCBEE 21-16 CRESTWOOD 2-1

games this season, but hasn’t fouled out of game since a Feb. 4 win at Florida State — Wednesday’s first-round opponent.

His production also has picked up of late. In the last seven games, he’s averaged 8.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and shot 54.3 percent from the floor.

And, perhaps more importantly, he hasn’t exceeded three fouls in any game during that span.

“He finally got past it a little bit and I think he’s played much better,” Brownell said.

“I’m excited about where he is. I think he’s approaching his best basketball.”

Nnoko agrees wholeheartedly.

“I’ve been keeping myself on the court and not getting those crazy fouls that I get in the first half,” Nnoko said.

An uptick in court time has enhanced Nnoko’s productivity and consistency, both of which will be at a premium against the long and athletic Seminoles Wednesday afternoon.

“He’ll have a heckuva challenge against the Florida State front line, but I think he’s in a much better place now than he was a month ago,” Brownell said.

No question there. Nnoko, like many of his teammates,

has struggled to find his way this season.

“I think we thought we’d have a little more consistency from a lot of places,” Brownell said. “I don’t think Landry has been as consistent as we’d hoped. Some of it’s the foul trouble and just not being able to get into the rhythm of a game. Then there have been other games when he just played against big players, like Florida State, and it’s hard to score inside.”

That, Nnoko said, should be no excuse.

The answer, he admits, begins and ends with defense.

“We have to find our way back,” Nnoko said. “We kind of lost our way and lost our identity defensively. We’ve just got to get to together and improve.”

And although Nnoko may finally be in a “good place,” Greensboro, North Carolina, hasn’t been a good place for the Tigers. Clemson has won just six times in 26 ACC Tournaments in Greensboro, so it’ll take a dramatic reversal of fortune and history for the Tigers to make a run.

“We know what we’ve got, we know what we can do,” Nnoko said. “We’ve just got to go out there and play together and believe in each other. We all know it could be the seniors’ last game and we try not to talk about it. But we also know that we’re trying to send the seniors out with a bang.”

17 times in 36 seasons, but they were unable to overcome the loss of injured All-SEC center Isabelle Harrison while losing for the fourth time this season against a ranked opponent.

Afterward, third-year coach Holly Warlick appeared all but resigned to Tennessee being named a No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament — despite the Lady Vols place at No. 2 in the latest NCAA RPI standings.

But the former All-Ameri-

can point guard at Tennessee and assistant to former coach Pat Summitt wasn’t about to accept the possibility there had been some kind of changing of the guard among the SEC’s elite.

“Yeah, we’re hurting right now, but I know this team,’’ Warlick said. “I know what Tennessee teams do; we go back to work. We’re going to learn from this, we’ve learned. We’re going to learn from it. We’ll be a better team because of it.’’

TIGERS FROM PAGE B1

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B6

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

PRO GOLF

Johnson ready to move on, but focus still on his past

BY DOUG FERGUSON The Associated Press DORAL, Fla. — Whether by choice or coercion, Dustin Johnson sat out for six months.

That much should not be forgotten as Johnson, fresh off another World Golf Championship title that renewed his credentials as an elite player, tries to move forward even as there are lingering questions about his past.

And those questions linger in part because the PGA Tour doesn’t release all information about suspensions.

“We don’t think the fans really want to know about most of the stuff we would be talking about,’’ Commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday. “We don’t think there’s a large volume of it, and we don’t think much of it is very serious.’’

Heading into the final major of last year, Johnson was No. 5 in the Ryder Cup standings, a lock to make his third straight team. He was No. 4 in the FedEx Cup, poised for a shot at a lucrative payoff. And then he walked away under curious circumstances by announcing a leave of absence in a statement that contained words like “personal challenges’’ and “mission of self-improvement.’’

The PGA Tour said nothing except to wish him well, and to deny a report by Golf.com that Johnson was suspended for six months. Golf.com reported Johnson failed three drug tests, the last two for cocaine, including in 2012 when he missed three months for what he said was a back injury from lifting a jet ski out of the water.

Six months later, Johnson looks as good as ever.

In the last five weeks, he has tied for fourth at Pebble Beach, lost in a playoff at Riv-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dustin Johnson is fresh off a World Golf Championships title that put him back in the spotlight as an elite player. Still, after a 6-month absence, questions still linger about why he was forced to go on hiatus. iera and won at Doral.

There was a vibe on Twitter and in the locker room at Riviera when Johnson was in the playoff that it was not right for him to leave quietly and return with so little inspection. Johnson was helped because most of the attention went to Tiger Woods and his lost tooth and lost game.

Johnson received no earnings in golf tournaments for six months. He has averaged $164,183 per tournament in his career and missed at least seven tournaments he ordinarily would have played.

The tour is required under its anti-doping policy to announce a suspension (but not the substance). There have been two cases in seven years.

But when it comes to recreational drugs, the tour conveniently tucks that under its ubiquitous “conduct unbecoming a professional’’ category, in which the tour is not required to publicly disclose anything. And it rarely does.

Conduct unbecoming could be a 3-iron that gets hurled into the water or any other fit of frustration. It could be comments that disparage another player. It could be marijuana.

John Daly was hearing rumors in late 2008 that he had been suspended for life because of a series of incidents.

He called The Associated Press to set the record the straight: He was only suspended for six months. The AP called the PGA Tour,

which said it does not comment on discipline.

Finchem said it doesn’t make sense to announce a fine when it would only serve to remind people of something “that five people saw on the fourth green.’’

Then again, millions of television viewers heard Patrick Reed berate himself over a three-putt in Shanghai by using a gay slur. The only comment came from Reed, who apologized.

By not saying anything, the tour creates a vacuum filled with speculation, innuendo and rumors.

These are what follow Johnson.

When asked if the Golf.com report on the failed drug

trusts were accurate, Johnson said “no’’ in an interview with the AP and then quickly and politely said he was done answering those questions.

They came up again when Johnson won the Cadillac Championship. And he will face more questions if he wins a major.

Finchem said there are some cases that require comment, though his analogy of a brawl, such as a player “slugging somebody in the stands,’’ didn’t resonate.

“When we get into substance abuse, it’s kind of in between,’’ Finchem said. “I mean, I can see some of the benefits of dealing with that differently. Thus far, we have chosen not to.’’

day, March 8, 2015, at Clarendon Memorial Hospital, Manning.

He was born on March 9, 1967, in Sumter, a son of the late George and Bertha Mae Franklin Blanding.

The family is receiving friends at his residence, 1061 C E Road, Manning.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

Road, Gable.

a son of James Richardson and the late Mildred McCoy Richardson.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 26 W. Hunter St., Sumter.

Funeral plans will be announced by Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

two sons, Roger D. Sherman and Odell Sherman, all of Bronx; one brother, John Oxendine; and three sisters, the Rev. Deloris O. Harris, Louise O. Wright and Geraldine O. Hogan.

Courtesy of Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

VIOLA O. SHERMAN

Levi Dawson, 72, husband of Carrie Dinkins Dawson, died on Sunday, March 8, 2015, at his home.

Born on April 14, 1942, in Sumter County, he was a son of Leget and Rebecca Waiters Dawson.

The family is receiving friends and relatives at the home, 5859 Catchall Road, Dalzell.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc. of Sumter.

OBITUARIES EMANUEL J. TORRES MANNING — Emanuel Jerrell Torres, 24, died on Sunday, March 1, 2015, in Manning.

He was born on Sept. 4, 1990, in San Diego, California, a son of Manuel and Susie Dow Torres. He was a 2009 graduTORRES ate of Manning High School.

Survivors are one son, Marcus Fordham; his parents, Manuel and Susie Dow Torres; two sisters, Kareema Allen and Chalisa Torres; one brother, Quiyon Harley; one nephew, Raguan Jackson; and two nieces, Deasia Allen and Kasheana Nelson.

The celebratory services for Mr. Torres will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Hayes F. LaNelle J. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel, 114 N. Church St., Manning, with Minister Margie Wilborn officiating.

The family is receiving friends at the home of his uncle, Marvin Gamble, 43 W. Huggins St., Manning.

WILLIE J. BLANDING MANNING — Willie James “Boobie” Blanding, 47, husband of Julia Shantell Pearson Blanding, died on Sun-

ELIZABETH COKER WEDGEFIELD — Elizabeth Coker, age 70, beloved wife of J.M. Coker, died on Monday, March 9, 2015, at her residence.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter.

IVY WHEELER Ivy Wheeler died on Friday, March 6, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Bartell Funeral Home of Hemingway is in charges of these arrangements.

The family is receiving friends at 3420 Farmington

GLENN HAMLIN Glenn Hamlin entered eternal rest on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at his home, 108 Albert Spears Drive, Sumter.

Born on Oct. 14, 1956.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home.

Funeral plans will be announced by Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

MICHELLE JOHNSON Michelle Johnson entered eternal rest on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at her home, 780 Brand St., Sumter.

Born on Aug. 16, 1966, in Sumter County, she was a daughter of the late Willie and Gussie Green Johnson.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home.

Funeral plans will be announced by Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

WAYNE LEO RICHARDSON Wayne Leo Richardson, husband of Carolyn Hodge Richardson, entered eternal rest on Sunday, March 8, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

He was born on Feb. 6, 1954, in Harlem, New York,

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Enjoy Home Cookin’, Just like Grandma’s!

Tuesday

Meat Choices

Viola Oxendine Sherman, wife of Roger C. Sherman, was born in Sumter, to the late Rev. William and Azalee Tuner Oxendine.

She entered eternal rest on Thursday, March 5, 2015, in Bronx, New York.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Parkchester Baptist Church, 2021 Benedict Ave., Bronx, NY 10462, (718) 823-8124.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by

LEVI DAWSON

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COMICS

THE SUMTER ITEM

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

|

B7

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Happy single man feels pressure from friends DEAR ABBY — I have never had a longterm relationship. My friends and family kept calling me out for it. I Dear Abby tried online dating and ABIGAIL setups by VAN BUREN friends and family, but nothing worked out. In fact, the constant questions only annoyed me more. With all my friends happily married and settled, I started resenting their intrusion into my life.

A couple of years ago, I decided to take a break from dating because I couldn’t handle the stress anymore.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. I

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

never revealed this to my friends. After a few years of silence, my “well-wishers” began commenting again on my single status, and it annoys me to no end. I have started staying away from them.

Is there any way I can convince everyone that I am a normal straight male who just likes to be left alone? I enjoy get-togethers, as long as the topic of my singlehood doesn’t become the joke of the day. Please advise.

Pretty cool dude in Pennsylvania DEAR PRETTY COOL DUDE — Talk to some of your close friends and tell them you are happy being single. Tell them their comments about your single status and being made to feel like the “joke of the day” isn’t funny to you — it’s

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

embarrassing. Tell them, just as you told me, that if it doesn’t stop, they will be seeing less of you. Friends will be sensitive to your feelings, although occasionally they still may try to fix you up because some people can’t resist the urge to matchmake.

P.S. Because all of your friends are married, try to form some new relationships with single people.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.

DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

JUMBLE

SUDOKU

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

ACROSS 1 Cavern effect 5 Cornfield call 8 “Frozen” studio 14 Amorphous mass 15 “Say again?”

16 MercedesBenz sedan line 17 Disapproving cries from bleacher “birds” 18 Prefix with meter 19 “I do” setting 20 *Ornamental flower with clustered blooms 23 Wall St. index 24 Steeped brew 25 Badlands bovine 29 “Green Eggs and Ham” guy 31 Marshmallow-filled snack 33 “I do” 36 *Blab about one’s romantic life 39 Brainchild 41 “Dancing With the Stars” move 42 Law school newbie 43 *Luxury car until the 1930s 46 Like deadpan humor 47 Bringing up the rear

48 Tail movement 50 “Speak up!”

51 Had a meal 54 Comment from Fido 57 *Former PBS science show with a fruit in its title logo 61 African desert 64 Beat it 65 Body support for the end of 57-Across, in a Swiss folk tale suggested by the ends of the answers to starred clues 66 Online form entry 67 __-fi 68 Ireland, in poetry 69 Sonnet features 70 1930s N.L. home run king Mel 71 __ avis DOWN 1 Flows back 2 Kids’ party performer 3 Twaddle 4 Think constantly about something 5 Food on the trail 6 Review of books?

7 Unbroken 8 Tenth: Pref.

9 Crane who

fled the Headless Horseman 10 Hit very hard 11 Snooze 12 Peoria-toCincinnati dir.

13 French designer’s initials 21 Shipbuilding wood 22 Hedy of Hollywood 26 Use up cash 27 Persian Gulf ship 28 Nice __: prude 30 Teeny parasites 32 At the minimum setting 33 “Goodness me!”

34 Twin Cities suburb 35 Like a rundown motel

37 Go after, as a mosquito 38 Elton John’s title 40 Linked while walking, as friends 44 Circle of friends 45 H2O, to a toddler 49 Burrowing rodent 52 Sculpted figure 53 Put into law 55 “The Marriage of Figaro,” e.g.

56 Knack 58 Rolls of money 59 Agitated state 60 Funny Dame 61 Big __, California 62 Hearth remains 63 “Yo!”

B8

CLASSIFIEDS

THE ITEM

CLASSIFIEDS

LEGAL NOTICES Estate Notice Sumter County

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Estate:

Helen Cucille Lewis #2015ES4300140

Personal Representative

Rubin Lewis Stuckey C/O Ruben L. Gray Attorney at Law PO Box 2636 Sumter, SC 29151 Estate: Johnnie Preston Arnold, Jr. #2015ES4300142

803-774-1234 OR TO PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE GO TO WWW.THE ITEM.COM/PLACEMYAD

Estate Notice Sumter County

Bid Notices

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

appurtenances for a 4 mgd water treatment plant.

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

Estate:

Larry Davis 1920 GionStreet Apt. E Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Estate:

Lenora H. Arnette #2015ES4300124

Manning L. Brisbane 650 Birkdale Circle Apt. 14 Sumter, SC 29154 Estate:

Estate:

Patterson Clarke Jr. #2015ES4300137

Diana M. Hudson C/O Wade S. Kolb Attorney at Law 107 N. Main Street Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Estate: Jessie James Welch, Jr. #2015ES4300104 Personal Representative

Debbie J. Rogers 3349 Nazarene Church Road Sumter, SC 29154 Estate: Darnell Joseph Adams, Sr. #2015ES4300118

Carrie Rosenburg 934 Floral Drive Sumter, SC 29150 Estate: Betty Carraway Stringer #2015ES4300144 Personal Representative

Cynthia Snider Marshall 895 Holiday Drive Sumter, SC 29153

Estate:

Estate:

Mary Elizabeth Dellefield 4430 Maxie Street Dalzell, SC 29040 Estate:

Dorothy R. Toney 25 Phillips Street Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Glenn S. Posey 490 Bendale Road Sumter, SC 29153 Estate:

Personal Representative

Linda Annette Fauteux 12817 Aubrey Court Herndon, VA 20171 Estate:

Bruce Olen Burkett #2015ES4300135

Personal Representative

Monica Ann Burkett 1295 Hubcap Lane Sumter, SC 29154 Estate: Wilhelmenia S. Billups #2015ES4300117 Personal Representative

Willie Billups 336 Ben Street Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Bonnie C. Perdue #2015ES4300129

Personal Representative

Lori Moore Deese 1150 S. Pike West Apt. 108 Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Robert Wesley Burkett #2015ES4300138

Personal Representative

Heidi A. Burkett 35 Mason Croft Sumter, SC 29150 Estate: Sammy Kaye Bryant, III #2015ES4300109 Personal Representative

Sammy Kaye Bryant, Jr. C/O Walter Newman Attorney at Law PO Box 549 Sumter, SC 29151 Estate:

Gloria L. Goff #2015ES4300110

Mary Helen Simmons #2015ES4300106

Personal Representative

Sarah B. Simmons C/O Wade S. Kolb Attorney at Law 107 N. Main Street Sumter, SC 29150

Emily Bolger Mason #2015ES4300113

Donovan R. Miers #2015ES4300122

Ronald B. Posey #2015ES4300130

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Estate:

Luke Toney III #2015ES4300116

Personal Representative

Mary Geddings #2015ES4300139

EmilyCarol Mimms 470 Chippewa Circle Sumter, SC 29150

Estate:

James P. Lawler #2015ES4300119

Personal Representative

Sylvia Lawler 21 Harby Street Sumter, SC 29150

Beer & Wine License Notice Of Application Notice is hereby given that Anwar Daralhaj D/B/A Anwar LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license permit that will allow the sale OFF premises consumption of Beer & Wine at 390 S. Guignard Dr., Sumter, SC 29150. To object to the issuance of this permit / license, written protest must be postmarked no later than March 12, 2015. For a protest to be valid, it must be in writing, and should include the following information: (1) the name, address and telephone number of the person filing the protest; (2) the specific reasons why the application should be denied; (3) that the person protesting is willing to attend a hearing (if one is requested by the applicant); (4) that the person protesting resides in the same county where the proposed place of business is located or within five miles of the business; and (5) the name of the applicant and the address of the premises to be licensed. Protests must be mailed to: S.C. Department of Revenue, ATTN: ABL, P.O. Box 125, Columbia, South Carolina 29214; or Faxed to: (803) 896-0110.

Bid Notices

Personal Representative

Robert Charles Goff 1551 Melvin Avenue Sumter, SC 29150 Estate:

Billy Joe Daly #2015ES4300121

Personal Representative

Margaret Katherine Burch C/O William A. W. Buxton Attorney at Law PO Box 3220 Sumter, SC 29151 Estate:

George Green #2015ES4300134

Personal Representative

Latisha Conyers 75 Delta Lane Pinewood, SC 29125 Estate:

Douglas Britton #2015ES4300102

A mandatory on-site Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 10:00 AM (local time) at the Pocotaligo Wastewater Treatment Plant Conference room, 600 Justin Lane, Sumter, SC, on Tuesday, March 24, 2015. Attendance is mandatory in order to submit a bid for this project.

All Bidders shall be registered Document Holders with Davis & Floyd, Inc. in order to be on the bonafide bidders list. Electronic copies of the Contract Documents may be obtained by emailing Documents-GWD@davisfloyd.com or by written request to Davis & Floyd Inc., Post Office Drawer 428, Greenwood, SC 29648.

PROJECT MANAGER: John E. Reynolds, PE Davis & Floyd, Inc. 181 E. Evans Street, BTC-105 Florence, SC 29506 Phone (843) 519-1050 jreynold@davisfloyd.com

BID NOTICE PROJECT: Sumter Water Treatment Plant No. 6 OWNER: Sumter County 13 East Canal Drive Sumter, SC 29150 OWNERS AGENT: City of Sumter 303 East Liberty Street Sumter, SC 29150 Separate sealed bids for the construction of the above-referenced project will be received by the Owner's Agent at their main office, 303 East Liberty Street, Sumter SC 29150 until 2:00 pm (local time) on April 23, 2015 and at said location will be publicly opened and read aloud.

IN THE FAMILY COURT THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT Case No.: 2014-DR-43-1292 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Andrea Linthicum, Plaintiff, vs.

Derek Linthicum Defendant.

TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANT

NOTICE OF FILING TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE NAMED: TAKE NOTICE that the Summons in the above mentioned action, together with the Complaint, was filed with the Sumter County Family Court on the 7th day of October, 2014.

EMPLOYMENT

Seeking Executive Director for non-profit organization. Responsibilities include but not limited to: *Leadership & Management *Fundraising & Communications *Strategic Planning & New Business *Policies & Procedures *Community Involvement *Financial background a must Only qualified need apply. Send resume and salary requirements to P-403 c/o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151

H.L. Boone, Contractor: Remodel paint roofs gutters drywall blown ceilings ect. 773-9904 Professional Remodelers Home maintenance, ceramic tile, roofing, siding & windows doors, etc. Lic. & Ins. (Cell) 803-459-4773 Land Clearing avail. includes: Digging ponds, excavation, and bulldozer work. Call T & N Septic Tank Co. at 803-481-2428 or 803-481-2421

Legal Service Attorney Timothy L. Griffith 803-607-9087, 360 W. Wesmark.

Criminal, Family, Accident, Injury

Septic Tank Cleaning

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT WANTED I am looking for a responsible Administrative assistant. Position is flexible, so students and others can apply. Computer literacy is a plus.

Send resume to andersonjohn150@gmail.com The #1 Furniture Retail Company in the U.S. is seeking highly motivated individuals with outgoing personalities to join our Sales Team.

Candidates must have a working knowledge of computers. They will be required to build sales volume by providing superior customer service and knowledge of product and finance options. This full time position is based on a flexible work schedule that includes evenings, Saturdays and some holidays. Offering unlimited income potential based on commission and bonuses. Guaranteed salary during training process. Send resume to 2850 Broad St., Sumter, SC 29150.

Auto Technician needed at busy car lot. Min. 5 yrs experience. Apply in person, at 1282 N. Lafayette Dr. NO PHONE CALLS!!! Valid Driver's License Req. Must have own tools.

F/T & P/T cab drivers needed. Call Yellow Cab at 773-3333.

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net

Construction Laborer and Trackhoe Operator Apply at 1947 Idlewood Dr Pinewood, SC

A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721

RN/LPN's- Full-Time, Part-Time,and PRN positions for 3p-11a Shifts and PRN positions for 7a-3p shifts.

CNA's- Full-Time, Part-Time and PRN positions for 3p-11p and 11p-7a shifts. Please apply in person to NHC Health Care Sumter, 1018 N. Guignard Dr., Sumter, SC 29150 (EOE)

Call Carolina Tree Care today to speak to one of our ISA certified arborist. Free est. 1-800-411-1495.

MERCHANDISE

ABOVE

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, of which a copy is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint on John E. Miles, Sr., 15 South Main Street, Sumter, South Carolina 29150, within THIRTY (30) DAYS after the service hereof, exclusive of the date of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

Unfurnished Homes

Vinyl Siding, vinyl windows and seamless gutters by David Brown.

803-236-9296

Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

Mention this ad & get 10% off.

SUMMONS

We will be happy to change your ad if an error is made; however we are not responsible for errors after the first run day. We shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the printing or omission of an advertisement.

We reserve the right to edit, refuse or cancel any ad at any time.

Help Wanted Full-Time

Tree Service

Summons & Notice

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES

11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

9:30 a.m. Friday for Saturday’s edition 11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

Home Improvements

Septic tank pumping & services. Call Ray Tobias & Company (803) 340-1155.

OWNER'S AGENT: City of Sumter 303 East Liberty Street Sumter, SC 29150 Phone: (803) 436-2558

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Sherry G. Elliott 2131 Balmoral Court Sumter, SC 29154

Office of the Owner: Sumter County, 13 East Canal Drive, Sumter, SC 29150.

Office of the Owner's Agent: City of Sumter, 303 East Liberty Street, Sumter SC 29150.

Office of the Engineer: Davis & Floyd, Inc., 181 E. Evans Street, Suite 23, Florence SC 29506.

Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas.

HCAC/ISQFT Build Plans Online: e-mail HCACarolinas@ISQF.com Website: http://www.isqft.com McGraw-Hill Dodge Lead Center: Website: http://www.construction.com

Estate: Jeffrey Alyn Dellefield #2015ES4300100

Personal Representative

Darcell Marie Hannon 9012 Laurel Oak Lane Frederickburg, VA 22407

Addie Mae Rose #2015ES4300120

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Jack Harold McLean III 3035 Old Spring Road Sumter, SC 29154

Edward E. Hudson, Sr. #2015ES4300108

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Maggie S. Ward C/O J. David Weeks PO Box 370 Sumter, SC 29151

Gloria Shaw Brisbane #2015ES4300136

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Mary H. Arnold 5426 Meadow Drive Sumter, SC 29154

Emma Davis #2015ES4300132

Personal Representative

The Contract Documents may be examined at:

BUSINESS SERVICES

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales LARGE GARAGE SALE 1st & 3rd Weekend Tables $2 FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every weekend.

905-4242

For Sale or Trade Expert Tech, New & used heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, warranty; Compressor & labor $600.

Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364

Musical Instruments

John E. Miles, Sr. 15 South Main Street Post Office Box 2687 Sumter, SC 29151 (803) 778-2351 Attorney for the Plaintiff

Help Wanted Part-Time

$$$ AVON $$$ FREE TRAINING! 803-422-5555

Trucking Opportunities P/T Class-A CDL drivers needed to haul poultry. Night Shift. Must have 2yrs verifiable exp & good MVR. Call 804-784-6166

Medical Help Wanted

Country Living, 2 br, 1 ba, all appliances, $550 mo. + dep. Call 803-491-5042

Mobile Home Rentals

STATEBURG COURTYARD 2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015 4BR/2BA in Paxville, Living Rm, Dinning Rm, Family Rm, eat in kitchen, central A-C, 980-215-3260 or 704-900-7041

Resort Rentals Ocean Lakes 2BR/2BA C/H/A Sleeps 8, near ocean. Call 803-773-2438

REAL ESTATE Homes for Sale Lake House 2 Bd/ 2 Ba deep water, dock, boat ramp, on Tawcaw Creek, $220,000 obo, call 803-928-6326 Water front house & lot. 4bd/ 2 bath, front deck, boat house w/ track, c/h/a, most furniture can go w/ house .26 acres 1050 sq/ft. 1159 Lakeview Dr Manning SC, White Oak Creek in Wyboo Call 843-659-4332

Manufactured Housing Turn your Tax Refund into your dream home! Low credit score?

Been turned down for bad credit?

Come try us, we do our own financing.We have 2-3-4 bedroom homes. For more information, call 843-389-4215 AND also visit our Face Book page (M & M Mobile Homes).

Mobile Home with Lots 1985 mobile home 14x 70, 2 bd/ 2 ba, c/h/a, appliances and lot. 1043 Dibert st. $14,000 cash. Call 469-6978 FSBO: 5 Br, 3 ba DW, 3.5 ac. Close to Lake Marion & public boat ramp.

Call 803-460-0315 for more details.

Land & Lots for Sale Multiple lots for sale: 803-773-8022 ask for Bruce.

Call

Minutes WALMART. Acre $4,900.

Utilities! 713-870-0216.

MIN SHAW AFB, 16 + acres. $1750 per acre paved rd. Water, elec. 888-774-5720

Autos For Sale

Part-time Ortho Assistant needed for busy orthodontic practice. Please send resume to: Sumterorthoresume@yahoo.com

Work Wanted Housekeeping Low rates, Good References . Some laundry. Call 803-565-9546

RENTALS Unfurnished Homes

ANNOUNCEMENTS Card of Thanks The St. Luke AME Church, across from Shaw AFB Thanks you...you and YOU for all the support during the 124th Church Anniversary Celebration (Jan 16th -18th) Rev. E Robert Thomas, Pastor & Church Family

1969 Kawai Console Piano w/bench. In working condition. 1 owner $450 778-2258

Sell More PLACE AN AD

Must see! Large family friendly waterfront home in Deerfield,4BR 2.5BA Lg Rec room $1600 Mo +Dep Call 803-468-4659 or 469-0555

CONTRACTOR WANTED! PINEWOOD PANOLA & RIMINI If you have good, dependable transportation, a phone in your home, and a desire to earn extra income Call Harry Pringle at 774-1257 or Apply in Person at

Personal Representative

Minnie Britton Garrly Deas Attorney at Law PO Box 1211 Sumter, SC 29151 Estate:

Charlotte G. Smoak #2015ES4300127

Personal Representative

Joyce S. Smith 735 South Hampton Street Pinewood, SC 29125

The project includes a new filter and control building with offices, laboratory, training room, cast in place concrete detention basins, sludge backwash dewatering tanks, pump station, yard and filter gallery piping, valves, cast in place clearwell, high service and backwash pumps, sitework, electrical and mechanical equipment, water filtration equipment, chemical treatment equipment and other

20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC

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