March 15, 2014

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Sumter City Council chambers reopen Tuesday A2 SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

SHS takes on Carolina Forest B1

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NAACP head running for House seat as Republican

‘It’s just a whole different world’

Clarendon president says local leaders need to build bridges

BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com (803) 774-1201 MANNING — With an impassioned, albeit somewhat discombobulated speech which he attributed to nerves from the occasion, Robert McFadden, president of the Clarendon County NAACP, declared his candidacy for the state House of Representatives District 64 seat as a Republican.

Speaking Thursday night at the monthly meeting of the Clarendon County GOP, the black leader of the local branch of the civil rights organization both set forward some of his goals for office and criticized the actions of some other black leaders for intentionally causing racial discord in the community.

“They’re telling the blacks that all white people are bad. That Republicans are bad. That’s not true,” McFadden said. “We need to start building bridges

PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Courtney “Little Hammer” Evans, left, and Ashley “RagAMuffin” Allen battle it out during a Roller Derby drill in West Columbia. The two travel to Columbia every week to participate in the sport.

SEE McFADDEN, PAGE A8

Teens passionate about roller derby

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 When Courtney Evans walks the hallways of Furman Middle School, she’s shy and reserved and can even be described as quiet at times. The small-framed 13-year-old has a calm demeanor and sincere disposition.

But outside the walls of her school, Evans takes on the persona of “Little Hammer,” a jammer for the Columbia Quad Squad Junior Rollers. And when she pads up, laces her roller skates and hits the roller derby track, a complete transformation takes place.

BRADEN BUNCH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Clarendon County NAACP President Robert McFadden speaks at the monthly meeting of the Clarendon County GOP on Thursday night, in which he declared his candidacy for the House of Representatives District 64 seat.

McFadden said he will seek the seat as a Republican.

SEE DERBY, PAGE A7

Courtney sprints during roller derby practice on Thursday night.

Johnson double-murder trial halted when juror falls ill

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 The trial of Justin Johnson for the April 6, 2011, deaths of Maxine Caraway and infant Jayden Caraway was adjourned shortly after 2 p.m.

Friday, after the jury foreman had a medical issue and was transported by ambulance to a medical facility for further diagnosis.

Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Young told the courtroom the illness did not seem to be serious, and the foreman said he wanted to continue hearing testimony, but that idea was vetoed by emergency personnel.

Young adjourned the court until 9:30 a.m. Monday, when a determination will be made on how to continue.

The day began with public defender Scott Robinson cross-examining Capt. Kipp Coker of the Clarendon County Sheriff ’s Department concerning his interview with Johnson

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the day of the incident.

Robinson questioned the practice of misleading Johnson during the interview. On Thursday, jurors watched the video taken from the 11-hour interrogation during which detectives appeared to get Johnson to confess to the crimes.

“All you had was a stack of BS,” Robinson said.

“We were trying to get a response,” Coker said.

“Our job is to get the truth,” Coker said. “We had the statement from Kaisha (Caraway). I was learning more and more by the minute.

We were trying to build a box around Johnson’s story.”

“And all you had to build it with was BS,” Robinson said. “Kaisha’s story, that’s the only thing in your mind saying the ‘Robert’ story was wrong.”

During the interrogation, Johnson had first told officers that a man

JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM

The Joshua Johnson trial is being conducted in the Clarendon County Administration Building in Manning. It will continue at 9:30 a.m. Monday after the jury foreman beSEE JOHNSON, PAGE A8 came ill during court Friday and was taken to a hospital by emergency medical services.

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Board deciding on superintendent evaluation process

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 With Dr. Frank Baker’s superintendent evaluation coming up, the Sumter School District Board of Trustees is trying to determine what process to use.

During the recent board meeting at Crosswell Drive Elementary School, Baker briefly discussed the different instruments available to them. As part of his contract, it is the superintendent’s responsibility to submit recommended evalua-

tion formats to the board.

Baker said he and Board of Trustees Chairman Keith Schultz spoke BAKER briefly about the three options before Monday’s meeting, but no further decisions were made. Baker provided the board members with a sample checklist evaluation during the meeting, which is one of three instruments being considered, and announced to the board that he is comfortable with any

direction in which the board decides.

According to Baker’s contract, board members will evaluate the superintendent’s performance once a year after meeting and establishing goals and objectives for the school year.

Baker presented three formats to the board: the checklist, goals evaluation and legal team evaluation.

Schultz said board members will now make themselves familiar with each instrument.

The checklist option is divided into seven categories

in which the board would have to rate the superintendent’s overall performance including his responsibilities, communication with the community and his relationship with board members.

With the goals option, the board would determine if established goals have been reached, and for the legal team option, the school district legal team would come up with the questions for the evaluation and speak with each board member.

“I’m really not qualified to speak on all three pro-

cesses because I’m only familiar with one of those processes,” Schultz said.

“Our board will have to figure out how we’re going to evaluate the superintendent, and we’ll have to come up with a decision in, I would say, about 30 to 60 days.”

Normally, the annual superintendent’s evaluation would be conducted in the fall semester; however, the board has the right to conduct an interim evaluation during the winter semester, according to Baker’s contract.

When members of the public enter city council chambers for the first time in 16 months on Tuesday, this is what will greet them. A raised council dais, new wall furnishing including windows and a clerestory skylight, and a display screen in the upper right corner are the result of a $415,000 renovation.

BRISTOW MARCHANT / THE SUMTER ITEM

City council will move into renovated chambers

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Clive Roland and Tommy Price with Solid Structures of West Columbia stand in October in the rafters of the new clerestory that was under construction above Sumter City Council chambers in Sumter Opera House.

For 16 months now, Sumter City Council has been waiting. Council members have made do with temporary meeting spaces every two weeks while hoping to get back to their normal stomping grounds.

In October 2012, council held its last meeting in city council chambers on the fourth floor of Sumter Opera House, just before the city’s designated meeting place began a lengthy renovation process.

Ever since, council has met primarily in City Centre on North Main Street adjacent to the Opera House, waiting for a chance to move the public’s business back into a renovated chamber.

Now, at last, citizens of Sumter will get their first look at council’s new home when members hold their first meeting in their new home Tuesday.

Since council members were last here, several changes have been made not only to the chambers, but also the structure of the Opera House itself.

“A lot more was done than just cosmetic changes,” said Mayor Joe McElveen, who toured the new chambers with other council members on Wednesday. “There were some structural problems we didn’t even know about that were corrected and some leaking going on. The last time that it

was renovated was in the mid-’80s.

The renovations went beyond new paint and carpeting. Crews removed the skylight over the chambers and replaced it with a clerestory, a raised space with eye-level windows. Officials hope it will be more structurally sound in the face of extreme weather such as this winter’s snowstorms.

“When we had that bad ice storm in 2004, that put a load on the roof that was abnormal for this area,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Robert Galiano.

Work to council’s meeting room was completed by Hunter Builders of Sumter at a cost of $415,000.

The renovations include security features that require visitors to enter through the water department and take the elevator. The floors and wall coverings in the chambers have been refurbished, and new video screens were added to allow those in the audience to follow along with documents at the same time as council.

“If we’re talking about something on a map, you can zoom in with Google Earth or something and see what we’re talking about,” the mayor said.

A large projector screen is positioned to face the audience, while each council member will be able to follow along on a screen at his or her seat. Another screen hangs on the wall in the lobby outside the council chambers, just in case the crowd at a meeting ever overflows the seating area. An improved

audio system will also make discussion easier to hear, inside and out.

While the seating area for the public has been expanded, the foyer in front of the council room can also accommodate more people after the reception desk was removed.

“Sometimes when folks walk out, one of our staff has to catch up with them to talk to them,” Galiano said. “Now there’s a seating area out there where they can sit and talk either during or after the meeting, or when we go into executive session.”

With all the new screens, council’s agenda packets are also being digitized.

What currently fills a large binder of printed material every week will soon be eliminated in favor of information posted directly to members’ computers, after a transitional period to make sure all the kinks are worked out.

Council has a light agenda for its first meeting back at home. Members will consider final reading of a measure to close a roadway going through Walker Cemetery and discuss city policy for Opera House events. Council will also recognize the American Legion police officer and firefighter of the year.

“I think it will make the experience better for council and the citizens,” McElveen said.

Council will hold its first meeting in the new council chambers at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday on the top floor of Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St.

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Technical college’s new programs in the spotlight

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 With interior renovations in progress for Central Carolina Technical College’s advanced manufacturing technology training center and exterior changes scheduled to begin in about two months, The Sumter Item sat down with President Tim Hardee to talk about upcoming initiatives and programs at the school, its relationship with the Sumter community and the school district and improving the college experience.

TSI: What are some new programs and initiatives going on at Central Carolina Technical College?

TH: Let me start with just the cooperation that we have with local county council and with the city council. We’ve been able, as a college, to partner with both of those entities, and it helps us to provide services because we feel like we work closely with Sumter.

Now we have campuses in all four counties (Sumter, Lee, Clarendon and Kershaw). Our main campus is here in Sumter. We have about 4,200 students this semester and a little over 60 programs to study. In terms of new initiatives and things coming down the pipeline for us, probably one of the larger things with us right now is with the Continental Tire (the Americas) project that’s here in Sumter. We’re providing all of the training for those employees that will be working at Continental.

It’s a little bit different because people tend to think of the college as coming and taking English, math, history, science, biology courses. But we’re also tasked with the training aspect of when an industry like that locates in South Carolina, they reach an agreement with the state that this state will provide a trained workforce.

So there are up to about 400 employees now, and those folks have all been through a training program here at the college that we offer to get them ready to go to work at Continental Tire.

We’re also getting ready to build what we’re calling an advanced manufacturing training center — the old Walmart property on Broad Street.

About half of that building will be for the training of those Continental Tire employees as they sort of ramp up and need more employees.

We’re able to meet their needs right now by using part of a facility out at our Shaw (Air Force Base) center campus and also down at F.E. Dubose (Campus).

It’s sort of small scale, but they need for us to be able to provide more employees in a faster time span, and that’s part of the reason for building this advanced manufacturing center. Along with the training for Continental Tire, we’ll also have training for existing industries, like your Caterpillar, Eaton and other large employers here in the county.

The other half of that building is going to be used to expand three of our programs here at the college — mechatronics, engineering graphics and machine tool. Those are all sort of related to manufac-

turing needs that we have here, so we hope to be able to serve about 200 additional students because of that expansion.

We’ve already completed the design on the project. We’re in the process of selecting the architect. We have the financing taking care of. It’s just a matter of getting to the building, and that’ll start in about two months. We’ve already done some work inside of the building where we’re renovating the facility and getting it ready for the construction project.

We were also successful in obtaining a grant in partnership with two other colleges here in South Carolina — Florence Darlington (Technical College) and Midlands (Technical College) — along with three other out-of-state colleges. We partnered together and received a grant that came from the U.S. Department of Education. But the idea behind it was to have more entry-level health care workers, kind of your certified nurse’s assistant, not so much as an RN or surgery tech.

But for entry-level positions, there was a real shortage in our area. This fall, we’re starting four new programs here at the college that are geared toward that entry-level health care worker. Those types of programs are not programs we have offered in the past, and there seems to be a real need in the community for that.

TSI: What do you think are some of the challenges that technical colleges, and universities in general, face with getting people out there in the workforce and being properly prepared for it?

TH: I think there’s a little bit of a disconnect with the public in that the only way to a successful career is a four-year degree. And the technical college is really based on the idea of someone getting into the job market in a short period of time and, using the Continental Tire example, those are jobs where we can take a student who graduates from one of the local high schools who enters into our two-year degree mechatronics program, and those who successfully complete the program have a starting salary at Continental Tire or a similar place about $50,000 a year.

I think the general public doesn’t realize that’s one career path. There’s always

RAYTEVIA EVANS / THE SUMTER ITEM

Central Carolina Technical College President Tim Hardee talks about new programs and initiatives, communicating with the Sumter community and training new employees for Continental Tire the Americas. going to be a need for teachers and four-year degrees. But I think, say, a parent of a 10thgrader at Crestwood High School doesn’t realize that there’s a very good-paying job available here in the Sumter community for their 16-yearold.

With manufacturing, there’s still a mentality in the community that it’s a dirty job or it’s unsafe and it’s manual labor, which is a concept of what manufacturing looked like 20 years ago. Now, manufacturing of today is fewer people with higher skills, and it’s high-tech.

The other piece is that with four-year institutions, their prices have risen so fast that you reach a breaking point there of — ‘If I’m $35,000 in debt and I get a job that pays X amount of dollars, was that a good return on my investment?’ In some ways, I think the technical college is designed as more affordable, takes a shorter amount of time to receiving the training you need, and you don’t graduate with as much student debt.

We’re also seeing more and more students who are choosing a two-year college as a pathway to a four-year degree.

They’ll come to us for two years, not paying room and board like at a four-year institution, and then as long as they’re in the state of South Carolina, all the credits they take with us transfer to wherever.

TSI: How do you reach out to the community to better inform them about different programs and career options

that are available?

TH: One of the things we’re trying to do more of here at the college is to develop a close working relationship with the school district. So we have lots of events where we bring in the middle school and high school guidance counselors. I meet with the superintendents to say ‘here’s what we can offer and how we provide this.’

It’s almost like an information piece, so the reality is a lot of that information the parents are not going to be able to provide. You’re just dealing with a situation where you have a 15-year-old at one of our local high schools, and in a lot of cases, the parents are not able to provide that, ‘Here’s the difference in this’ and all the parts and pieces.

So we’re trying to really view it as we want to make sure the guidance counselors have that information so they can have the conversations with the students and the teachers. So we’ve tried to get our message out as much as anything else. Sometimes that starts with, like Dr. (Frank) Baker here. I want to make sure Dr. Baker is very aware of what we have here as a college because in turn he has conversations with the school board, with principals of the schools, and if he has good information, he can put that out to those folks because a lot of times I don’t have access to the principal or assistant principal.

So if we have a new initiative going on here at the college, I make sure I sit down with him and say, ‘OK. Here’s something that might be of interest to you, and I want you to be aware of what we’re doing.’

We can spend money on billboards and TV commercials, and we do all that, but in all honesty, the word-of-mouth is your best advertisement. You have to do all the others. But the reputation of the college, graduates doing well in the community, that in some ways is more important for us because those graduates are out there telling the story.

TSI: Explain how the relationship and the communication between Central Carolina Technical College and Sumter School District has improved.

TH: With Dr. Baker coming in and Dr. Bynum leaving, basically, the approach that I took when Dr. Baker became superintendent is to go to him

and sit down and have a conversation on how we could work together. I think that really becomes a situation where we can benefit each other. And it’s not all about the school district or all about the college but what it is we can bring to the table at the college that can make you a better school district.

An example of that is that we work with him to offer dual-enrollment classes for juniors and seniors and (they) receive college credit. He and I are also working on, and it’s in planning stages, a proposal where rather than having a student being dismissed early during senior year after excelling over the years or taking classes they’re not interested in, we’re looking at the idea of them spending the morning at their home high school then actually coming onto our campus in the afternoon and taking classes with us. We can do that because of lottery scholarship money at no cost to the student.

TSI: Besides the technical center Central Carolina is working on, are there any other improvements or programs that you’d like to see in the future?

TH: Historically, the technical college was geared around, park your car in the parking lot, come in, we’ve got a desk, you come to class, then go back and get in your car and go home. We have changed considerably over the last four to five years where students are much more interested in the collegiate experience, so we have 10 or 12 clubs and organizations. We have a student activities coordinator, Austin Floyd, whose responsibility here at the college is to provide activities for our students.

They’re interested in having a good time while they’re here.

There are a lot of different ways and things to make that happen. Students are interested in meeting other students.

We’ve also invested in the image part of the college, where we have the fountain and benches, which make the campus look nice because that’s important to students.

They don’t want to come to a building that looks like it’s 50 years old and the paint’s peeling off the walls. It’s important to students that it looks nice and it looks collegiate and that you have different experiences for them, including with the programs we offer.

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NATION | WORLD

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Proposed rule to protect students from huge debt

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — The for-profit college industry says it will vigorously oppose proposed regulations by the Obama administration designed to protect students at for-profit colleges from amassing huge debt they can’t pay off.

The proposed regulations would penalize career training programs that produce graduates without the training needed to find a job with a salary that will allow them to pay off their debt. Schools, for-profit or not, that don’t comply would lose access to the federal student aid programs.

“Career-training programs offer millions of Americans an opportunity they desperately need to further their education and reach the middle class,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan told reporters Thursday. “Today, too many of these programs fail to provide students with the training that they need at taxpayers’ expense and the cost to these students’ futures.”

If finalized, the regulations would take effect in 2016.

In 2012, the for-profit colleges convinced a judge that similar regulations were too arbitrary. Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, said in a statement that the proposed regulations would “deny millions of students the opportunity for higher earnings.”

His association argues that the regulations would have a long-term impact on the nation’s ability to address workforce demands and improve the economy.

For-profit programs are popular among non-traditional students, some of who have been laid off during the economic downturn.

“The government should be in the business protecting opportunity, not restricting it,” Gunderson said.

The administration has long sought to block federal student aid from programs that do not prepare students for “gainful employment” in a recognized occupation. The programs covered under the proposed regulations include nearly all programs at for-profit schools, as well as certifi-

cate programs at public and private non-profit institutions, such as community colleges, according to the Education Department.

Duncan said for-profit colleges can receive up to 90 percent of their revenue from federal financial aid programs. If blocked from participating, some could be forced to close, he said.

“Some of these programs — whether public, private or for-profit — empower students to succeed by providing high-quality education and career training.

But many of these programs, particularly those at for-profit colleges, are failing to do so,” the Education Department said in a fact sheet.

The latest proposal closely follows those that were struck down in 2012 by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, but it makes technical changes tailored to the court’s concerns that the benchmarks were arbitrary.

“We tried to base that on expert research and mortgage industry standards for acceptable levels of debt,” Duncan said.

For instance, a typical graduate should not pay more than 20 percent of his or her discretionary income to repaying loans.

The previous regulations sought a limit of 30 percent of that income going to repayment.

The proposed regulation also says graduates should not be paying more than 8 percent of their total income to student loans. The department previously sought a 12 percent cap.

The proposed regulations also set a default rate of no more than 30 percent.

In many cases, students who graduate from Education Department-approved programs would keep a greater percentage of their paychecks in their pockets.

Education Department reports show for-profit programs account for about 13 percent of all college students but 46 percent of all loan defaults.

At the same time, 22 percent of for-profit student borrowers defaulted on their loans within three years. At public colleges, that number is 13 percent of borrowers.

And for schools that the Education Department could review, 72 percent of for-profit colleges produce graduates who earn less than high school dropouts.

PHOTOS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A schoolgirl passes by a banner for the Jaafari Personal Status Law in Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday. The Arabic on the banner reads, “We will not abandon it because it is our identity.” The law that would allow child marriage and restrict women’s rights has stirred up controversy among many Iraqis who see it as a setback for children’s and women’s rights, threatening to add more divisions and woes to the society that is already in fragments.

Iraqi bill to legalize child marriage criticized BAGHDAD (AP) — A contentious draft law being considered in Iraq could open the door to girls as young as nine getting married and would require wives to submit to sex on their husband’s whim, provoking outrage from rights activists and many Iraqis who see it as a step backward for women’s rights.

The measure, aimed at creating different laws for Iraq’s majority Shiite population, could further fray the country’s divisions amid some of the worst bloodshed since the sectarian fighting that nearly ripped the country apart after the U.S.-led invasion. It also comes as more and more children under 18 get married in the country.

“That law represents a crime against humanity and childhood,” prominent Iraqi human rights activist Hana Adwar told The Associated Press. “Married underage girls are subjected to physical and psychological suffering.”

Iraqi law now sets the legal age for marriage at 18 without parental approval. Girls as young as 15 can be married only with a guardian’s approval.

The proposed new measure, known as the Jaafari Personal Status Law, is based on the principles of a Shiite school of religious law founded by Jaafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Shiite imam. Iraq’s Justice Ministry late last year introduced the draft measure to the Cabinet, which approved it last month despite strong opposition by rights groups and activists.

The draft law does not set a minimum age for marriage. Instead, it mentions an age in a section on divorce, setting rules for divorces of girls who have reached the age of 9 years in the lunar Islamic calendar.

It also says that’s the age girls reach puberty. Since the Islamic calendar year is 10 or 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, that would be the equivalent of 8 years and 8 months old. The bill makes the father the only parent with the

Prominent Iraqi human rights activist Hana Adwar speaks with the Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday about a contentious civil status draft law for the Iraqi Shiite community that allows child marriage and restricts women’s rights.

‘That law represents a crime against humanity and childhood.’

HANA ADWAR Iraqi human rights activist

right to accept or refuse the marriage proposal.

Critics of the bill think that its authors slipped the age into the divorce section as a backhanded way to allow marriages of girls that young. Already, government statistics show that nearly 25 percent of marriages in Iraq involved someone under the age of 18 in 2011, up from 21 percent in 2001 and 15 percent in 1997. Planning Ministry spokesman AbdulZahra Hendawi said the practice of underage marriage is particularly prevalent in rural areas and some provinces where illiteracy is high.

Also under the proposed measure, a husband can have sex with his wife regardless of her consent. The bill also prevents women from leaving the house without their husband’s permission, would restrict women’s rights in matters of parental custody after divorce

and make it easier for men to take multiple wives.

Parliament must still ratify the bill before it becomes law.

That is unlikely to happen before parliamentary elections scheduled for April 30, though the Cabinet support suggests it remains a priority for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s administration. Al-Maliki is widely expected to seek a third term.

Baghdad-based analyst Hadi Jalo suggested that election campaigning might be behind the proposal.

“Some influential Shiite politicians have the impression that they should do their best to make any achievement that would end the injustice that had been done against the Shiites in the past,” Jalo said.

The formerly repressed Shiite majority came to power after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led regime. Since then, Shiite religious and political leaders have encouraged followers to pour in millions into streets for religious rituals, a show of their strength.

Iraqi Justice Minister Hassan al-Shimmari, a Shiite, has brushed off the criticism of the bill. His office introduced a companion bill that calls for the establishment of special Shiite courts that would be tied to the sect’s religious leadership.

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Group: Americans spent $55B on pets

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Store co-owner Janene Zakrajsek feeds a dog a gourmet meal at the Pussy & Pooch Pet Lifestyle Center store in Beverly Hills, Calif., in January. An industry spokesman said Thursday that Americans spent an all-time high of $55.7 billion on their pets in 2013, and that will creep close to $60 billion this year.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dogs and cats have become part of the American family inner circle during the last 20 years, sleeping in their own beds or yours, eating food bought specially to help their digestive tracts, drinking purified water and cuddling up in chairs on heated pads made to fend off arthritis.

Some pets have their own vets, groomers, trainers, sitters and occasional walkers. All this suggests a bright future for an industry that has grown alongside the popularity of pets, expanding at a steady 4 percent to 6 percent a year since the American Pet Products Association started record-keeping in 1996.

Americans spent an all-time high $55.7 billion on their pets last year, and spending will creep close to $60 billion this year, association president and CEO Bob Vetere told buyers and exhibitors at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday.

The biggest chunk of spending in 2013 — $21.6 billion — went for food — a lot of it more expensive, healthier grub. In 1996, total pet spending was just $21 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $31.3 billion.

The humanization of our pets started about 20 years ago, Vetere said in a telephone interview. As pets accepted their new perch in the family, manufacturers introduced products that helped animals move from the backyard to

‘In the past, children were a reflection of us, and people are now extending that to their pets.’

DR. JESSICA VOGELSANG San Diego veterinarian the front room.

“What is feeding a large part of the growth now are the baby boomers who have become empty-nesters and are looking for some other ways to find the love and affection they used to get from their kids,” Vetere said.

“In the past, children were a reflection of us, and people are now extending that to their pets,” said Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, a San Diego veterinarian who owns the website pawcurious.com. People don’t just bring their pets in for health reason anymore — they also want them to look good and smell good, she said. “From my perspective, it’s a good thing. It’s nice to see people care as deeply as they do.”

People have always spent more on food than any other pet spending category, and pet food trends follow human food and diet trends, according to Vetere.

Missing jet creates legion of armchair sleuths NEW YORK (AP) — There aren’t supposed to be any mysteries in the Digital Age. The answers to most questions, it seems, can be found using Google or Twitter. So, maybe that’s why the world is captivated by the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and why it has created a legion of armchair sleuths, spouting theories in some cases so strange they belong in science-fiction films.

Casual conversations in supermarket aisles, barbershop chairs and office building cafeterias have centered on the mystery and how much we don’t know. With the search for the missing Boeing 777 continuing, the passengers’ fami-

lies are left without closure while the intrigue — and hypotheses — continue to grow for the rest of us.

“We’re fascinated by it. We don’t know what happened, and we hope for a miracle,” said John DiScala, who runs the travel advice site JohnnyJet.com. “People want an answer, and the suspense is killing them.”

Normally, travelers turn to DiScala for the latest deals on flights. But this week, he said, a page on his website dedicated to the latest news about the flight has received most of the attention.

The pros are just as perplexed. On TV and in online forums, aviation experts are

more measured and analytical than the amateurs but in the end can’t say with any certainty what happened.

With no distress call, no sign of wreckage and very few answers, the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines plane is turning into one of the biggest aviation mysteries since Amelia Earhart vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.

“Anybody who travels is intrigued with this story. How can a plane disappear? We’ve got satellites beaming down on everybody ...” said Andrea Richard, a French-American in Paris who travels widely, including to Asia.

Theories abound. Some are serious: there was a cata-

strophic failure in the airframe or engines, or there might have been a pilot error.

Other ideas are the kinds to be found in science fiction movies: a new Bermuda Triangle, an alien abduction or something out of the Twilight Zone.

Terrorism isn’t suspected but hasn’t been ruled out either. But some people have come up with elaborate plots worthy of a James Bond villain where the plane is hijacked and lands on a remote island, undetected by radar.

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LOCAL | STATE

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

POLICE BLOTTER CHARGES Curt Allen Rivard, 24, of 10 Seventh Ave., Waterford, Conn., was arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday after a traffic stop for changing lanes without signaling on Interstate 95. A records check revealed that Rivard was wanted by Connecticut State Probation services. A vehicle search revealed prescription painkillers, two BB guns and two 2-foot swords. He was transported to Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

Daiquane Battles, 20, of 905 Wolf Pack Court, was arrested and charged with shoplifting at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday after reportedly stealing six Ralph Lauren Polo shirts from a business in the 1000 block of Broad Street.

ARMED ROBBERY Officers responded to Tuomey Regional Medical Center on Thursday to a 22-year-old male who reported that four to six black males assaulted him at 3:30 p.m. in the 400 block of Boulevard Road and stole his keys to a white 2006 Mazda Tribute. The subjects were seen leaving the scene in a white Cadillac.

Officers responded at 8:13 p.m. Thursday to a residence in the 4000 block of Dorsey Drive where an unknown black male reportedly entered the residence, held a razor knife toward the homeowner and left with $100. The suspect was described as having dark skin, stubble on his face and wearing a blue windbreaker, a white T-shirt, faded blue jeans and tennis shoes.

RECOVERED PROPERTY At 10:46 a.m. Monday, a gold Buick Century was found abandoned in the roadway in the 3600 block of S.C. 261. The vehicle had no tag, and the vehicle identification number showed it was stolen out of Clarendon County. The car was towed from the scene.

STOLEN PROPERTY A Stanley hydraulic post driver valued at $2,500 was reportedly stolen between 5 p.m. Dec. 23 and 8 a.m. Dec. 27 from a business in the 300 block of Calhoun Street.

A black iPhone 5 with a Life Proof case valued at $600 was reportedly stolen between 1:15 and 2 p.m. Tuesday at a business in the 2000 block of Broad Street.

Three rods and reels, a tackle box with lures and a Pioneer CD player were reportedly stolen between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday from a residence in the 1000 block of West Oakland Avenue. The items are valued at $675.

A white Whirlpool washer valued at $500 was reportedly stolen between 12:22 p.m. Feb. 28 and 12:25 p.m. Thursday from a residence in the 300 block of South Street.

THE SUMTER ITEM

Cleanup from storm could last into June

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trees damaged in the worst ice storm in South Carolina in a decade are seen in February along a highway near Lodge. Almost a month later, the state Department of Transportation has 725 contract crews out cleaning the state’s highways. The state Department of Transportation said on Thursday that the highway cleanup could last into June.

Contract crews clearing debris near highways COLUMBIA (AP) — The estimated cost of last month’s winter storm in South Carolina is more than a half-billion dollars, and it will still be months before the damage is cleaned up.

The state Department of Transportation said cleaning the roads in 19 counties hard hit by the ice and snow of the mid-February storm alone could cost more than $160 million, and the work likely won’t be done until June.

And a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Division said Friday that it will be years before the final price tag of the storm is known.

Transportation officials said this week that 725 contract crews are still cleaning trees, branches and other debris from

roads and highways.

About 4,300 miles have been cleared, but the job is expected to take an additional 80 days. The debris includes more than 460,000 trees leaning or with broken branches hanging over highways.

On Wednesday, the White House approved South Carolina’s request for federal disaster relief for 21 of the state’s 46 counties.

That means state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations can get federal help for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged between Feb. 10 and Feb. 14.

The storm left up to an inch of ice that snapped trees across a wide swath of the state and dumped up to 8 inches of snow in the Upstate. At one point, power was out to 350,000 electric customers.

In a letter to President Obama,

Gov. Nikki Haley wrote damage and storm response costs incurred by governments and electric cooperatives exceeded $54 million.

Meanwhile, forestry officials said the storm caused $360 million in damage to the state’s forestlands, an amount equaling the state’s total timber harvest in a year. Private insurance claims from the storm are estimated at least $15 million.

Derrec Becker of the state Emergency Management Division said Friday that it could be a couple years before the final cost of storm damage and response is calculated.

He noted that the books on Hurricane Hugo, which smashed into the state with 135 mph winds back in 1989, weren’t closed until 2006.

The storm did about $6 billion in damage on the U.S. mainland, most of it in South Carolina.

Columbia recalls civil rights past with commemorative markers COLUMBIA (AP) — In 1960, Simon Bouie — a black student at Allen University — was arrested for the only time in his life while leading a sitin aimed at integrating a lunch counter in South Carolina. With hundreds of fellow students, Bouie went to a Columbia drugstore, sat on a stool and was taken to jail for trespassing.

“It was kind of a fiery time, and everybody had their guards up,” Bouie, 74, said by phone recently, from his home in Philadelphia, where he is a pastor. “Local people, it was just a shock to them to see all of us come in and sit there.

They were seeing something they had not seen before.”

Even decades later, Bouie’s voice is animated as he describes the desire he and other young people had to see such places desegregated. The Columbia drugstore itself has been closed for years, although the building that housed it still stands.

Bouie’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled it was illegal to charge people with trespassing without prior warning. More than 50 years later, he is returning to Columbia to celebrate a renewed interest in discovering the civil rights past of South Carolina’s capital city.

On Friday, he was one of a number of former activists on hand for the unveiling of a series of commemorative markers with images and information of notable events that took place in the Southern city. Several will be near the site of the former drugstore.

The event is part of Columbia SC 63, a retrospective effort undertaken by city officials to mark Columbia’s place in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Like many southern cities, Columbia played a role in the

campaign for equal treatment for blacks, as students held sit-ins and marched on the Statehouse. Allen University and Benedict College, both in Columbia’s downtown, served as incubators for many black student activists.

Until now, much of that history hasn’t been widely discussed or displayed, and city officials hope visitors and residents alike can now get a better understanding of the city’s place in history.

“It permits Columbia to insert itself in the national narrative,” Bobby Donaldson, a historian at the University of

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South Carolina, said of the look back at the city’s history.

“The Columbia story is a reminder that the movement took place in many places around the country.”

In the 1960s, activists in many states across the South fought to integrate whites-only facilities, such as lunch counters and public swimming pools. While part of the overall struggle, however, some of Columbia’s activities might have been overshadowed by higher-profile events elsewhere, such as attacks on the “freedom riders” throughout the South, or the arrest of

the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during protests in Birmingham, Ala. Donaldson has been part of a team researching the civil

rights era in Columbia, poring over archival photographs and interviewing activists to piece together details from a somewhat forgotten history.

OBITUARIES

THE SUMTER ITEM

JOHN C. HUTSON Retired Capt. John Coners “Connie” Hutson, 69, died Thursday, March 13, 2014, at his home.

Born in Oswego, he was a son of the late William Krell Hutson and Earline Mathis Hutson. Capt.

Hutson retired from the Sumter Police Department after 22 years of service.

He was a U.S. HUTSON Army veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of the American Legion. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army and proudly served his community as a police officer.

He was also the owner of Hutson Carpet Co. and Hutson Rental Property. He was a loving father, brother, and friend to many.

Survivors include two children, Delanie Avins (Jeff) of Alcolu and Drake J. Hutson of Sumter; six grandchildren, Amber Ford (Chris), Chris Avins, Holly Avins, Drake Hutson Jr., Brandon Hutson and Tristan Hutson; a great-grandchild, Brayden Ford; three brothers, Dreyfus Hutson, Willie Hutson and Raymond Hutson; and three sisters, Marilyn Weathersbee, Patricia Riddle and

Shirley Ellison.

He was preceded in death by his longtime companion, Sandy Floyd; a sister, Barbara Morris; and three brothers, William “Bubba” Hudson, Scriven Hutson and Henry Hutson.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home chapel with Dr. Eugene Mosier officiating.

Entombment with military honors will be in Evergreen Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Palbearers will be his grandsons, Chuck Lowder and Carl Smith.

Honorary pallbearers will be current and former members of Sumter law enforcement.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home.

Memorials may be made to the SPCA, 1140 S. Guignard Drive, Sumter, SC 29150.

Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.

ELISE ELMORE BISHOPVILLE — Funeral services for Elise Folsom Smith Elmore, age 93, who passed away March 13, 2014,

will be held at 3 p.m. today at the Chapel Norton Funeral Home. The Rev. Harry Stullenbarger and the Rev. Allen Lynch will officiate. Burial will be in Piedmont Cemetery.

Mrs. Elmore was born in Bishopville, a daughter of the late Steven L. and Nettie Caston Folsom. Her parents passed away when she was a child, and she was raised by her stepmother, Eunice Lee Folsom.

Surviving are two daughters, Frances (Edward P.) Norris of Greeleyville and Vivian (Olin) Davis of Sumter; one brother, Glen Folsom of Bishopville; two daughters-in-law, Delores Elmore of Bishopville and Frankie Geddings of Sumter; one sonin-law, Lyn Caughman of Camden; 19 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Frank Tillman Smith; her second husband, Roland G. Elmore Sr.; and three children, Steve Elmore, Virginia Caughman and Ray Smith.

Memorials may be made to McCoy Memorial Nursing Home, Activities Department, 207 Chappell Drive, Bishopville. www.nortonfh.net

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

EDWARD ALSTON CAMDEN — Edward “KC” Alston, 69, of 8190 St. John Road, Rembert, passed on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. today at Union Baptist Church, Rembert.

Burial will be in Union Baptist Church Cemetery, Rembert.

Haile’s Funeral Home of Camden is in charge of arrangements.

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A7

Force Master Sgt. Aubrey William Dickerson Sr.; and four sons, Cameron Lee, Joshua Samuel, Aubrey William Jr. and Cody Aiden.

Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals. com.

Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.

ALTOMESE I. COOPER GABLE — Altomese Isaac Cooper, 91, widow of Columbus Cooper Sr., died Thursday, March 13, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

She was born May 13, 1922, in Mayesville, a daughter of the late Jefferson Sr. and Estelle Muldrow Isaac.

The family is receiving friends at the residence, 915 One Mile Road, Gable.

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

MERRILEE P. DICKERSON DALZELL — Merrilee Marie Peek Dickerson was born Feb. 8, 1971, in Jacksonville, Fla. She passed away March 11, 2014, in Dalzell.

She was predeceased by her father, Lonnie Samuel Peek.

She is survived by her devoted husband, retired Air

THE REV. LEO TIDWELL Rev. Leo Tidwell, 80, of Leo Tidwell Ministries, died Friday, March 14, 2014, at his home.

The family will receive friends at the home, 2814 Tindal Road.

Funeral services will be announced by Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, (803) 775-9386.

PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Courtney “Little Hammer” Evans, kneeling, and Ashley “RagAMuffin” Allen goof off during a roller derby drill in West Columbia. The two travel to Columbia every week to participate.

DERBY FROM PAGE A1 “Little Hammer is mouthy and confident,” Evans said of her roller derby persona. She is joined by about a dozen other kids on the advanced team that has participants from Lexington, Camden and other surrounding areas.

Coach “May Q Panic” said they have one player who travels all the way from Augusta, Ga., to play on their team. The Columbia squad also has about 10 new players learning the game in preparation for future tournaments, and there are also adult leagues.

Shannon Evans, Courtney’s mom, said she has been skating for a long time, and through roller derby, Courtney has made a lot of friends, and the tournaments are a lot of fun for fans, friends and proud family members. For those unfamiliar with the game, roller derby is an action-packed contact sport where two teams of five players roller skate in the same direction around a track.

Tournaments are usually made up of short jams where both teams designate a jammer who attempts to break through the opposing team’s defense and lap them to score

Ashley Allen of Sumter High School sprints during roller derby. points. These matchups can get a little rowdy and are quite popular among dedicated fans. It’s not uncommon for players to come out of matchups with bruises, broken noses or broken bones.

To keep it fun and safe, “May Q Panic” said they teach their junior league players how to fall properly to avoid major injuries. The

worst they’ve seen so far is a broken kneecap. New players are not allowed to compete until they’re properly trained and ready for full-contact tournaments.

Even with the risk of injuries, parents make the effort to hide their worry and throw their support behind the young players. Courtney Evans’ father and stepmother,

Lt. Mike Evans and Brandi Evans, often attend practices on Thursdays in Columbia and, according to Brandi, make a lot of noise while rooting on Courtney’s team.

“It’s scary, but she hasn’t had any serious injuries,” Shannon Evans said of Courtney’s more-than-two-year roller derby career. “She has had a busted mouth, she hurt

her neck recently, but no broken bones. They’re really good, and the tournaments are packed. They have a lot of fun.”

Sumter High School’s Ashley Allen, known on the track as “RagAMuffin,” is a part of the close-knit clan as well.

She said besides the movie “Whip It,” she was inspired to play the game because she wanted to be like her brother, who was an avid skateboarder. According to her mom, Kathy Allen, and Mike Evans, Ashley is a universal player and one of the best on the team. The team was recently ranked No. 5 in the U.S. junior league teams.

Courtney, her parents and her coach all described the group as a big family — or as “May Q Panic” described them, “a bunch of misfits.”

“We had a lot of kids who were shy, and they’re forced to break out of their shells. Some of them are still working on breaking out of their shells.

They’re a family, and not only when they’re playing. We have sleepovers, we go to amusement parks together, we vacation together,” “May Q Panic” explained. “It’s odd because they get to wear these wacky clothes during tournaments, and it’s just a whole different world.”

A8

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SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

JOHNSON FROM PAGE A1 named Robert had committed the crimes.

Also on Friday, forensic pathologist Dr. Cynthia Anna Schandl testified about the autopsies she performed on the victims. She said both died of similar wounds

— gunshot wounds to the head.

“Did he die instantly?” assistant prosecutor Chris Durant asked Schandl as she described the injuries to the infant.

“I believe so,” she answered.

McFADDEN FROM PAGE A1 versus walls within our community.”

While McFadden did not name anyone specifically, he told the crowd of about 75 people that “you know who they are.”

While his announcement was the first official time McFadden declared himself a member of the Republican Party, he and Clarendon County GOP chairman Moye Graham said they had been working together recently on a few issues, including county council redistricting. These actions, McFadden said, have caused some consternation among some of the members of the local civil rights organization he heads.

“They started telling me ‘We’re going to impeach you from the NAACP,’” McFadden said. “The NAACP is non-partisan.”

During a recent NAACP meeting, McFadden said, he was even shown a letter of impeachment by some of the members but said he shut down the meeting that violated the group’s by-laws. The new candidate added he had not heard any more about his potential impeachment since then and that he intends to remain president of the local NAACP branch.

District 64, which represents Clarendon County entirely and the eastern arm portion of Sumter County, is currently represented by Dr. Robert Ridgeway, a white Democrat from Manning. Ridgeway did not want to comment on McFadden’s entering the race but did confirm that he plans to seek another term himself.

As part of his platform, McFadden said he wants to see the three school districts in Clarendon County consolidated into a single district, calling the current system “a waste of money.” He also wants to eliminate the practice some of the local school districts have of having their members appointed, rather than elected.

Graham welcomed McFadden’s candidacy and wished him luck in a race that he admitted would be difficult for a Republican to win. “It takes someone brave to do what he did tonight,” Graham said.

To be successful, McFadden will indeed have to reverse a long-standing voting pattern for Clarendon County and the House district he wants to represent.

All of the elected officials from Clarendon County are Democrats, and in the 2012 presidential election, President Obama received nearly 56 percent of the vote, nearly 12 percentage points higher than he received statewide.

Leon Winn, another black Republican who is seeking to replace Rep. Jim Clyburn in the U.S. House of Representatives, received only 28 percent of the vote in a four-candidate race for state senate District 36 in 2012, a district which also represents Clarendon County and a portion of Sumter County, as well as portions of Darlington and Florence counties.

During his announcement, McFadden recognized one of the obstacles to his candidacy were the strong perceived racial ties to the two major political parties.

“A lot of the blacks in Clarendon County think because they’re black they have to vote Democrat,” McFadden said. “I don’t want to be aligned like that. I don’t want someone to look at me and say I’m black, so I’m going to vote Democrat.”

Graham, however, said the candidacies of McFadden and Winn are ones that Republicans need to embrace.

“There’s a lot of things Republicans stand for … and a lot of things we need to achieve in this party, and one of the things we need to achieve is more diversity,” Graham said. “If we don’t change, there’s not going to be a Republican party in 20 years.”

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2014

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Mostly cloudy

Mainly cloudy

Rain and a t-storm in the p.m.

Rain; cooler in the morning

Mostly cloudy

Mostly cloudy

73°

53°

66° / 57°

63° / 42°

56° / 40°

64° / 47°

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 65%

Chance of rain: 65%

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 25%

Winds: SW 7-14 mph

Winds: SSW 3-6 mph

Winds: SSE 6-12 mph

Winds: W 7-14 mph

Winds: NE 8-16 mph

Winds: ESE 4-8 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 70/51 Spartanburg 71/52

Greenville 70/52

Columbia 74/54

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 73/53

Aiken 73/52

ON THE COAST

Charleston 76/55

Today: Mostly cloudy; a shower, except dry in southern parts. High 68 to 74.

Sunday: Strong storms in central parts; rain in the north. High 64 to 70.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 67/52/c 42/15/pc 70/50/t 40/16/pc 74/61/t 83/58/s 71/63/c 57/32/pc 79/58/pc 60/34/pc 83/58/s 72/50/s 63/38/pc

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

357.93 75.77 74.12 97.91

24-hr chg -0.25 +0.07 +0.09 -0.74

Sunrise 7:33 a.m.

Moonrise 6:49 p.m.

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

0.00" 2.25" 1.84" 8.04" 6.46" 9.26"

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

64° 26° 66° 40° 87° in 1990 22° in 1960

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

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 65/50/t 28/17/s 55/37/r 25/12/s 67/43/sh 90/58/s 75/53/t 39/24/pc 82/66/pc 42/26/pc 82/58/s 71/50/s 46/31/pc

Myrtle Beach 71/55

Manning 74/53

Today: Mostly cloudy. Winds southwest 4-8 mph.

Sunday: Rain and a thunderstorm. Winds east-southeast 6-12 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 74/52

Bishopville 74/53

Sunset Moonset

7:29 p.m.

6:43 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Mar. 16

Mar. 23

Mar. 30

Apr. 7

TIDES

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 10.78 +0.15 19 7.41 +2.37 14 12.54 +2.12 14 4.93 -1.18 80 80.58 -0.77 24 14.90 -0.70

AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Sun.

High 9:05 a.m.

9:31 p.m.

9:42 a.m.

10:08 p.m.

Ht. 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1

Low Ht. 3:33 a.m. -0.1 3:54 p.m. 0.0 4:14 a.m. -0.2 4:29 p.m. -0.1

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 64/45/c 69/52/c 74/52/c 73/55/c 63/50/c 76/55/c 70/51/pc 70/53/c 74/54/c 73/52/pc 70/46/pc 73/50/pc 73/51/pc

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 55/46/r 63/52/r 68/57/t 70/61/c 60/54/r 72/61/t 61/51/r 60/53/r 67/58/r 66/56/r 55/45/r 65/54/r 63/53/r

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 74/52/c Gainesville 76/53/pc Gastonia 71/52/pc Goldsboro 73/48/pc Goose Creek 76/55/c Greensboro 69/46/pc Greenville 70/52/c Hickory 68/48/pc Hilton Head 68/58/c Jacksonville, FL 75/54/pc La Grange 66/54/c Macon 71/53/c Marietta 67/51/c

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 67/56/r 77/66/c 58/51/r 61/48/r 71/61/t 55/42/r 58/52/r 53/46/r 67/64/c 78/64/c 67/51/t 68/57/t 64/50/r

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 67/50/c Mt. Pleasant 74/55/c Myrtle Beach 71/55/pc Orangeburg 74/53/c Port Royal 72/55/c Raleigh 70/47/pc Rock Hill 71/51/pc Rockingham 72/49/pc Savannah 74/54/c Spartanburg 71/52/c Summerville 70/57/c Wilmington 73/51/c Winston-Salem 68/46/pc

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 52/50/r 70/61/t 64/60/r 68/59/t 69/61/c 56/38/r 60/52/r 64/48/r 72/62/c 58/52/r 67/63/c 66/58/r 53/42/r

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

LOTTERY NUMBERS ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take the path EUGENIA LAST of least resistance and you will find it easier to achieve your goals without interference. Nurture important relationships and simplify rather than complicate any project in which you wish to participate.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Interact with the people in your life you cherish the most. What you offer others will affect the way you’re treated in return. Short trips may face some setbacks, but should bring you closer to those traveling with you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll impress the people you meet enough to be considered for a position or to take part in something unusual. Make sure you haven’t exaggerated or promised something you cannot deliver.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take pride in what you do. A skill you develop can turn into a moneymaker if you develop, present and promote what you have to offer. Attend an event that will give you greater insight into attaining goals.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Be generous and kind in the way you treat others.

Keep your money matters a secret and offer time and expertise, not cash.

Making special plans for two or engaging in social activities will lead to love.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Relationships will take time and patience. Listen to complaints and share your thoughts and solutions.

Being a team player and showing

willingness to compromise will ensure that you get your way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take on a challenge or do something that is physical and entertaining. Your charm, intelligence and enthusiasm will win favors and change the way you view your personal life. Romance is highlighted.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Offering what you know or have will be welcomed, but before you give too much away, make sure you aren’t going to face problems at home or with someone less willing to donate as you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Plan to have some fun, but not at the expense of someone else. Stick to the truth and don’t divulge information that may jeopardize your or someone else’s integrity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Money will come your way from an investment, gift or debt. Don’t let impulse take over, causing you to do something uncharacteristic that will influence your relationship with a friend, lover or relative.

PALMETTO CASH 5 FRIDAY

POWERBALL WEDNESDAY

10-24-30-35-38 PowerUp: 4

14-15-28-37-54 Powerball: 10 Powerplay: 2

PICK 3 FRIDAY 9-1-8 and 2-5-8

MEGAMILLIONS Unavailable at press time

PICK 4 FRIDAY 6-7-4-9 and 3-5-9-1

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC SUBMITTED BY: Lisa Krouse OCCASION: Kelly Krouse Wescott and her father, Paul Krouse, work on a father/daughter project. They are making a dining room table for the new home that Kelly and her husband, Phillip, recently purchased.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Discuss your plans and make them happen.

Focus on a commitment and building a stronger home base. Making positive changes that suit the way you like to live will be the first step to greater happiness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll be intrigued by an unusual offer.

Consider all the angles and check your facts before you make a commitment. Look at opportunities that have the potential to revolutionize your career.

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

Are there changes ahead coming to the Big Apple?

B

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

B4 Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

PREP SOFTBALL

USCS BASEBALL

Learning as they grow

Fire Ants hope to find more offense riding 9-game streak

Carolina Forest holds young SHS squad to 3 hits

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com Sumter High School head softball coach Angie Watson knew this year’s squad was going to experience some growing pains.

“We’re so young,” Watson said.

“We’ve got no seniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and two eighthgraders in the field, so it’s going to take some time to develop.

“The only way to do that is through experience.”

Experience is oftentimes tough, as it was on Friday night for the Lady Gamecocks. Carolina Forest collected 15 hits en route to a 12-0, 6-inning victory at the SHS field – holding Sumter to three hits in the process.

The Lady Panthers improved to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in Region VI-4A while SHS fell to 0-3 and 0-1.

Most of the damage was done at the top of the lineup for CFHS. Natalie Hardwick and Marissa Nunes each went 4-for-4 as the Lady Panthers’ Nos. 1 and 3 hitters combined to drive in two runs and score six.

Cleanup hitter Danielle Lomas also had two hits and drove in three runs, including two in the first inning.

“They’ve got some decent hitters,” Watson said. “And that was the key.

You have to be able to hit and we did not do that tonight.

“We also have to cut down on the number of mistakes, and that’s a part of being young and learning.”

A couple of mistakes likely kept Sumter off the scoreboard early.

After Lomas’ single put CFHS up 2-0 in the first, SHS responded in its half of the inning. Tara Rhodes doubled to lead off the frame. Two batters later, Anna Copeland’s fly ball to centerfield was misplayed, allowing Rhodes to go to third and Copeland to second with one out.

However, a popout to short and a called third out on an interference play with Copeland running to third negated the threat.

“That could have changed things early on,” Watson said. “We had several base running errors, and that just comes from inexperience.”

three times for the Lady Gamecocks.

Carolina Forest starter Emma Liles wound up going the distance. She struck out two and walked three in six innings.

The Lady Panthers’ offense plugged away at Sumter starter Hannah Bettencourt through 4 2/3 innings, picking up five runs. Bettencourt was relieved by

From a pitching and defensive standpoint, the University of South Carolina Sumter baseball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its Region X schedule.

The Fire Ants swept a doubleheader from Louisburg College last Sunday to increase their winning streak to nine games and up their overall mark TODAY, SUN. to 14-2.

The cataWHAT: USC Sumter at lyst for both USC-Salkehatchie wins was starting WHEN: 1 p.m. pitching. VicWHERE: Allendale tor Gonzalez and Fernando Pinillos each tossed complete games and combined to allow no runs on eight hits with one walk and 16 strikeouts as MEDLIN USCS opened its region slate 2-0.

“It’s hard to wish for those 3-hit shutouts every time out,” Fire Ants head coach Tim Medlin said. “But we pitched well and played solid defense. But we have a lot of confidence in our pitching staff to perform well and keep us in games.

“We’re still trying to figure ourselves out a little bit offensively.”

USCS will get a chance to see if it’s made strides in that regard today when the Fire Ants hit the road to face USC Salkehatchie in Allendale for a 4-game weekend set starting today at 1 p.m. The two teams will play another doubleheader on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. also.

USC Sumter’s offense registered just eight hits against Louisburg in two games, but it was enough to earn 3-0 and 1-0

SEE GROW, PAGE B2

SEE USCS, PAGE B3

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter’s Hannah Bettencourt pitches against Carolina Forest during Friday’s 12-0, 6-inning loss to the Lady Panthers. The Lady Gamecocks have no seniors or juniors on the team and are facing some growing pains as they gain experience this season.

The Lady Gamecocks’ only other real offensive threat came in the third. Rhodes walked to lead off the inning and took second on a sacrifice bunt. Copeland singled her to third, but she was caught stealing next batter. A strikeout left Rhodes stranded on third again.

SHS managed just one hit the rest of the way – a fifth-inning single by Rhodes, who was 2-for-2 and on base

NASCAR

Hamlin sets Bristol track record while grabbing Food City 500 pole

BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press BRISTOL, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin ended two weeks of Team Penske dominance by winning the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Hamlin set a track record Friday with a lap at 129.991 mph to earn the top starting spot. It broke the mark of 129.535 set by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch a HAMLIN year ago, and ensured that neither Brad Keselowski or Joey Logano won the pole for the first time since NASCAR’s new knockout qualifying debuted three weeks ago.

USC MEN’S BASKETBALL Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes (5) shoots between South Carolina’s Demetrius Henry (21) and Michael Carrera (24) during the Volunteers’ 59-44 quarterfinal victory in the Southeastern Conference on Friday in Atlanta.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hamlin ran only one lap in the first segment and it was good enough to lock him into the top 12 to advance into the second segment. He then ran one lap, took the pole for Sunday’s race, and got out of his car to see if anyone could beat him.

“As a short track guy, I can feel when, ‘OK, this is all I’ve got.’ Or, ‘This is a really good lap,’” Hamlin said. He aborted an attempt at a second lap in the first segment because, “If that wasn’t a top-12 lap, we were in big trouble. So I knew that was going to be good. Then ultimately strategy comes into play, wanting to conserve your car and keeping everything as cool as you can for the second segment

SEE NASCAR, PAGE B4

FOOD CITY 500 LINEUP The Associated Press After Friday qualifying; race Sunday At Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tenn.

Lap length: .533 miles (Car number in parentheses) 1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 129.991 mph.

2. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 129.965.

3. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 129.073.

4. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 128.83.

5. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 128.727.

6. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 128.245.

7. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 128.159.

8. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 127.946.

9. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 127.801.

10. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 127.69.

11. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 127.385.

12. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 127.073.

13. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 128.322.

14. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 128.271.

15. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 128.245.

16. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 128.236.

17. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 128.168.

18. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 127.929.

19. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 127.903.

20. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 127.792.

21. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 127.682.

22. (47) A J Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 127.648.

23. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 127.605.

24. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford,

127.605.

25. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 127.597.

26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 127.529.

27. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 127.444.

28. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 127.436.

29. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 127.351.

30. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 127.343.

31. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 127.182.

32. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 127.174.

33. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 127.165.

34. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 126.896.

35. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 126.645.

36. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 126.628.

37. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

38. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, Owner Points.

39. (32) Travis Kvapil, Ford, Owner Points.

40. (83) Ryan Truex, Toyota, Owner Points.

41. (30) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, Owner Points.

42. (66) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Owner Points.

43. (33) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

Failed to Qualify 44. (35) David Reutimann, Ford, 126.62.

45. (77) Dave Blaney, Ford, 125.166.

Tennessee ends Gamecocks’ season in SEC tournament quarterfinals with 59-44 victory

BY CHARLES ODUM The Associated Press

(7) DUKE 61, CLEMSON 59 2ND HALF

ATLANTA— Tennessee’s defense is peaking for the For Friday’s postseason, just as coach Cufinal score onzo Martin asked at the bebetween ginning of the season.

Clemson and Jarnell Stokes scored 22 Duke go to points, matching his season www.theitem.com high, and Tennessee beat South Carolina 59-44 on Friday in the SEC tournament quarterfinals, adding a strong defensive effort to the Vols’ NCAA tournament hopes.

The Vols (21-11) will carry a five-game win-

ning streak into Saturday’s semifinal against No. 1 Florida.

“We didn’t come to Atlanta to win one game,” Martin said. “We came to win the tournament. I told my guys if you’re not coming to win the tournament, don’t get on the bus.”

Tennessee has not trailed in the winning streak and kept its lead over the Gamecocks in double digits for most of the game.

Martin said the Vols have played defense in the winning streak “the way we wanted to, the way we talked about at the beginning of the season.”

“It’s been fun to watch,” Martin said.

SEE GAMECOCKS, PAGE B4

B2

|

SPORTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO TODAY

7 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Baltimore vs. Minnesota from Fort Myers, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

8:40 a.m. – International Soccer: Barclays Premier League Match – Hull vs. Manchester City (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

9 a.m. – NASCAR Racing: Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 Practice from Bristol, Tenn.

(FOX SPORTS 1).

10 a.m. – NASCAR Racing: Nationwide Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 Pole Qualifying from Bristol, Tenn. (ESPN2).

10 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Minnesota vs. New York Yankees from Tampa, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

10:55 a.m. – International Soccer: Barclays Premier League Match – Sunderland vs. Crystal Palace (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

Noon – College Lacrosse: Syracuse at Johns Hopkins (ESPNU).

Noon – College Baseball: Mississippi State at Georgia (SPORTSOUTH).

1 p.m. – College Baseball: Texas Tech at Baylor (FOX SPORTS 1).

1 p.m. – NHL Hockey: Carolina at Boston (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

1 p.m. – PGA Golf: Valspar Championship Third Round from Palm Harbor, Fla. (GOLF).

1 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore from Sarasota, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

1:25 p.m. – International Soccer: Barclays Premier League Match – Aston Villa vs. Chelsea (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

2 p.m. – NASCAR Racing: Nationwide Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 from Bristol, Tenn.

(ESPN2).

2 p.m. – College Lacrosse: North Carolina at Duke (ESPNU).

3 p.m. – College Baseball: San Diego at Brigham Young (BYUTV).

3 p.m. – PGA Golf: Valspar Championship Third Round from Palm Harbor, Fla. (WIS 10).

3:15 p.m. – College Baseball: Louisiana State at Vanderbilt (SPORTSOUTH).

4 p.m. – Professional Tennis: BNP Paribas Open Men’s Semifinal Matches from Indian Wells, Calif. (ESPNEWS).

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

4 p.m. – Major League Soccer: Toronto at Seattle (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

4 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets from Las Vegas (WGN).

4 p.m. – College Baseball: Clemson at Wake Forest (WPUB-FM 102.7).

4 p.m. – College Baseball: Mississippi at South Carolina (WNKT-FM 107.5).

7 p.m. – Senior PGA Golf: Champions Tour Toshiba Classic Second Round from Newport Beach, Calif. (GOLF).

7 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Philadelphia vs. Boston from Fort Myers, Fla. (MLB NETWORK).

7 p.m. – Professional Boxing: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon in a Featherweight Bout from Bayamon, Puerto Rico (SHOWTIME).

7:30 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Denver at Atlanta (NBA TV).

8 p.m. – NBA Basketball: Sacramento at Chicago (WGN).

9 p.m. – Women’s College Volleyball: California-San Diego at Brigham Young (BYUTV).

9 p.m. – Professional Boxing: Tomasz Adamek vs. Vyacheslav Glazkov in a Heavyweight Bout and Ronald Cruz Kermit Citron in a Welterweight Bout from Bethlehem, Pa. (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

9 p.m. – Professional Boxing: Deontay Wilder vs. Malik Scott in a Heavyweight Bout and Danny Garcia vs. Mauricio Herrera for the WBA/WBC Super Lightweight Titles from Bayamon, Puerto Rico (SHOWTIME).

10 p.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago White Sox (MLB NETWORK).

1 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Los Angeles Angels vs. Colorado from Scottsdale, Ariz. (MLB NETWORK).

1:30 a.m. – Formula One Racing: Australian Grand Prix from Melbourne, Australia (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

2 a.m. – NHL Hockey: St. Louis at Nashville (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

2:30 a.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour Trophee Hassan II Third Round from Agadir, Morocco (GOLF).

4 a.m. – Major League Exhibition Baseball: Oakland vs. Texas from Phoenix (MLB NETWORK).

PREP SCHEDULE TODAY

Varsity Baseball Wilson Hall at Pinewood Prep (DH), 1 p.m.

Junior Varsity Baseball East Clarendon at Manning (DH), 2 p.m.

B Team Baseball Wilson Hall at Colleton Prep (DH), 10 a.m.

Varsity Equestrian Wilson Hall in Zone 4 Region 4 Finals (at Lander University in Greenwood), TBA Varsity Boys Golf Sumter in Panther Invitational (at Hackler Course in Conway), TBA Varsity Boys Soccer Lakewood, Thomas Sumter, Calhoun Academy, Whales Branch in Gator Classic XVIII (at Lakewood High), TBA Varsity Softball Wilson Hall, Laurence Manning in SCISA Tournament (at Patriots Park SportsPlex), TBA Junior Varsity Softball Lakewood, East Clarendon in EC JV Classic (at East Clarendon), TBA Wilson Hall, Laurence Manning, Thomas Sumter, Robert E. Lee, Laurence Manning B Team in SCISA Tournament (at Patriots Park SportsPlex), TBA Varsity Track and Field Sumter in Armed Forces Relays (at Blythewood High), 9:30 a.m.

Boston 4, Minnesota 3 Tampa Bay 4, Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis 11, Atlanta 0 N.Y. Mets 7, Washington 5 Philadelphia 6, N.Y. Yankees (ss) 2 Miami 4, Detroit 2 N.Y. Yankees (ss) 6, Baltimore 0 Cleveland 12, Kansas City 6 Milwaukee 8, San Diego 0 L.A. Angels 8, Chicago White Sox 6 Cincinnati 8, L.A. Dodgers 2 Seattle 6, Arizona 3 Texas 4, San Francisco 4, tie Oakland 10, Colorado 5

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Minnesota (ss) 2, Baltimore 2, tie Detroit 12, Washington 6 Minnesota (ss) 7, N.Y. Yankees 3 Boston 3, Toronto 1 Atlanta 6, Tampa Bay 1 Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 5 St. Louis 6, Houston 4

TODAY’S GAMES

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

Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Houston vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Toronto vs. Tampa Bay (ss) at Port Charlotte, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

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

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

Minnesota vs. N.Y. Mets (ss) at Port St. Lucie, Fla., 1:10 p.m.

Texas vs. Oakland (ss) at Phoenix, 4:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (ss) vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

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

N.Y. Mets (ss) vs. Chicago Cubs (ss) at Las Vegas, 4:05 p.m.

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

San Francisco (ss) vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

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

L.A. Angels vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz., 4:10 p.m.

Oakland (ss) vs. San Francisco (ss) at Scottsdale, Ariz., 6:05 p.m.

Philadelphia vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Fla., 7:05 p.m.

Miami (ss) vs. N.Y. Yankees (ss) at Panama City, 9:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (ss) vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 10:05 p.m.

NBA STANDINGS

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

W 36 33 26 22 15

L 27 30 40 43 49

Pct .571 .524 .394 .338 .234

GB – 3 111/2 15 211/2

W 44 33 31 28 19

L 18 31 34 35 47

Pct .710 .516 .477 .444 .288

GB – 12 141/2 161/2 27

W 47 36 25 25 13

L 17 29 40 40 52

Pct .734 .554 .385 .385 .200

GB – 111/2 221/2 221/2 341/2

WESTERN CONFERENCE W L San Antonio 48 16 Houston 44 21 Memphis 38 26 Dallas 39 27 New Orleans 26 38 NORTHWEST DIVISION W L Oklahoma City 48 17 Portland 42 23 Minnesota 32 31 Denver 28 36 Utah 22 43 PACIFIC DIVISION W L L.A. Clippers 46 20 Golden State 41 25 Phoenix 36 28 Sacramento 23 42 L.A. Lakers 22 43 x-clinched playoff spot

LHS softball drops first game LAKE CITY – Lakewood High School’s varsity softball team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday, falling to Lake City 2-1 at the LC field.

Destiny Welch and Katelynn Barwick led the offense for the Lady Gators, who fell to 2-1. Welch and Barwick were both 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a run batted in. Katelyn McPhail had two hits, scored a run and drove in one.

WILSON HALL 29 BEN LIPPEN 1

COLUMBIA – Wilson Hall improved to 3-0 on the season with a 29-1, 4-inning victory over Ben Lippen on Thursday at the BL field.

Holly Scott pitched three innings, striking out six while allowing no hits or runs. Drake Ives pitched one inning and stuck out one and gave up one hit.

Allison Owens had two hits and four runs batted in to lead the offense. Becca Noyes had two hits and an RBI while Hannah Grace Calvert has two hits.

LAURENCE MANNING 23 MANNING 0

MANNING – Laurence Manning Academy pounded out 20 hits in a 23-0 victory over Manning High School on Thursday at the Manning field.

Emily McElveen was 5-for-5 with a home run, five runs scored and six runs batted in. Katelyn Edwards had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Maggie Eppley, Courtney Beatson, Maddie Cantley and Grace Briggs all had two hits. Briggs, Eppley and Cora Lee Downer each drove in two runs and Hannah Hodge scored four runs.

Dakota Jackson pitched a 1-hit shutout.

Pct .750 .677 .594 .591 .406

GB – 41/2 10 10 22

Pct .738 .646 .508 .438 .338

GB – 6 15 191/2 26

Pct .697 .621 .563 .354 .338

GB – 5 9 221/2 231/2

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Chicago 111, Houston 87 Atlanta 102, Milwaukee 97 Oklahoma City 131, L.A. Lakers 102

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Washington at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Memphis at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Denver at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Portland at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Utah, 9 p.m.

Cleveland at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

CALHOUN 10

SUMMERTON -- Clarendon Hall defeated Calhoun Academy 12-10 on Thursday at the CH field.

Shannon Corbett led the Lady Saints offense, going 4-for-4 with four runs batted in. Aubrey Johnson

JUNIOR VARSITY SOFTBALL LAKEWOOD 9 LAKE CITY 2 LAKE CITY – Lakewood High School defeated Lake City 9-2 on Friday at the LC field.

Haley Courtney picked up the win for the Lady Gators, allowing just one hit. Chelsie Logan had a triple and scored two runs for the Lady Gators, while Hallie Griffin had two hits.

LAURENCE MANNING 27 MANNING 2

MANNING – Laurence Manning Academy improved to 7-0 on the season with a 27-2 victory over Manning High School on Thursday at the MHS field.

Sara Herbert led the offense, going 5-for-6 with three doubles.

Sarah Knight Nalle was 3-for-4 with two doubles and Ellin Dinkins had two hits.

Brooke Ward had seven strikeouts while getting the win.

JV TRACK AND FIELD WILSON HALL WINS

Wilson Hall scored 179 points to win a 4-team meet on Thursday at Spencer Field.

Pee Dee was second with 38, followed by Williamsburg with 34 and Robert E. Lee Academy with 19.

First-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Lauren Yarbrough, 3,200; Bethany Jennings, Natalie Ardis, Brooke Michaels, Holly Poag, 4x800 relay; Chandler Patrick, 100 hurdles; Brooke Michaels, 1,600; Lane Herlong, Dubose Alderman, Carly Cooper, Maggie Segars, 4x100 relay; Patrick, 400 hurdles; Cameron Duffy, 800; Poag, Alderman, Emily Barnes, Duffy, 4x400 relay; Patrick, high jump; Alderman, long jump; Liza Segars, triple jump; Ashley Brunson, discus.

Second-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Jennings, 3,200; Amber Prewitt, 100 hurdles; Yarbrough, 1,600; Barnes, 400; Liza Segars, 400 hurdles; Kathrine Grace Singleton, high jump; Ianini Moore, long jump; Patrick, triple jump; Bridget Anderson, shot put.

Robert E. Lee: Katey Schwendinger, 100; Kaitlyn Odom, 200.

Third-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Prewett, 400 hurdles; Poag, 800; Duffy, long jump; Chandler Elizabeth Elmore, triple jump; Anderson, discus.

BOYS AREA ROUNDUP

CHS baseball suffers 2nd straight loss Crestwood High School’s varsity baseball team fell to 0-2 on the season with a 10-0 loss to Lugoff-Elgin on Friday at the Crestwood field.

Cole Benenhaley went the distance on the mound for the Knights, allowing just three earned runs.

Brandon Miller and Christian Buford had hits for Crestwood.

JV TRACK AND FIELD WILSON HALL WINS

TODAY’S GAMES

Milwaukee at New York, 12 p.m.

Brooklyn at Washington, 7 p.m.

Memphis at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Indiana at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Denver at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Sacramento at Chicago, 8 p.m.

was 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Emily Brunson was 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI, while Brittany Pack had two hits, including a double.

Wilson Hall scored 104 points to win a 5-team meet at Spencer Field on Thursday.

Pee Dee was second with 51 followed by Robert E. Lee Academy

with 29, Williamsburg with 26 and St. Francis Xavier High School with 20.

First-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Drew Reynolds, 3,200; Reynolds, 1,600; Sam Hilferty, Frampton McCloskie, Banks Burns, Noah Harvin, 4x100 relay; Hilferty, Greyson Young, Leyton Creech, Bryce Lyles, 4x400 relay; Young, long jump; Hilferty, triple jump.

St. Francis Xavier: Carlos Moore, 400; Moore, 200.

Robert E. Lee: Cody Watson, high jump; Alex Glasscock, shot put.

Second-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Creech, 3,200; Lyles, 1,600; Harvin, 400; Lyles, 800; Harvin, triple jump.

Robert E. Lee: Brandon Campbell, discus.

Third-Place Finishers Wilson Hall: Hilferty, 400, Creech, 1,600; Harvin, long jump; Young, triple jump; Patgrick Muldrow, discus.

St. Francis Xavier: Moore, 100.

Robert E. Lee: Campbell, discus.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press

EASTERN CONFERENCE

GOLF

ATLANTIC DIVISION

MLB SPRING TRAINING

GP W Boston 66 44 Toronto 68 36 Tampa Bay 66 35 Montreal 67 35 Detroit 65 29 Ottawa 65 28 Florida 66 24 Buffalo 66 19 METROPOLITAN DIVISION GP W Pittsburgh 65 44 Columbus 66 34 N.Y. Rangers 67 35 Philadelphia 65 33 New Jersey 66 29 Washington 67 30 Carolina 66 29 N.Y. Islanders 67 25

AMERICAN LEAGUE

CENTRAL DIVISION

The Associated Press Valspar Championship Par Scores Friday At Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Copperhead Course Palm Harbor, Fla. Purse: $5.7 million Yardage: 7,340; Par: 71 Second Round Robert Garrigus 69-66—135 -7 Kevin Na 70-68—138 -4 Pat Perez 68-71—139 -3 Justin Rose 71-68—139 -3 Matteo Manassero 69-70—139 -3 ALSO: Tommy Gainey 69-72—141 -1

By The Associated Press

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

GIRLS AREA ROUNDUP

CLARENDON HALL 12

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

THE SUMTER ITEM

W 12 13 8 9 8 7 7 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 3

OT Pts GF GA 5 93 210 145 8 80 201 207 7 77 191 175 7 77 167 170 13 71 172 183 12 68 185 213 7 55 161 214 8 46 131 196

L 17 26 28 25 24 27 28 33

OT Pts GF GA 4 92 206 159 6 74 193 183 4 74 173 167 7 73 184 190 13 71 163 168 10 70 193 202 9 67 167 187 9 59 188 228

WESTERN CONFERENCE L 2 4 3 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 7 7 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pct .857 .765 .727 .643 .571 .538 .538 .533 .500 .500 .429 .429 .417 .417 .250

W L Pct Miami 9 4 .692 San Francisco 9 5 .643 Pittsburgh 8 6 .571 Washington 8 7 .533 Arizona 9 8 .529 Colorado 8 9 .471 New York 6 7 .462 Milwaukee 7 9 .438 Chicago 6 8 .429 Los Angeles 5 8 .385 San Diego 5 8 .385 Atlanta 6 10 .375 St. Louis 4 7 .364 Cincinnati 5 12 .294 Philadelphia 4 10 .286 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Houston 7, Toronto 5

L 17 24 24 25 23 25 35 39

St. Louis Colorado Chicago Minnesota Dallas Winnipeg Nashville PACIFIC DIVISION

GP 66 66 66 66 65 67 66

W 45 43 38 35 32 30 28

GP W Anaheim 66 43 San Jose 67 43 Los Angeles 67 38 Phoenix 67 31 Vancouver 68 30 Calgary 66 26 Edmonton 67 23 NOTE: Two points for overtime loss.

L 14 18 14 22 23 28 28

OT Pts GF GA 7 97 219 150 5 91 202 174 14 90 225 175 9 79 163 162 10 74 188 181 9 69 184 195 10 66 160 195

L 16 17 23 25 28 33 36 a

OT Pts GF GA 7 93 210 167 7 93 209 162 6 82 164 142 11 73 185 191 10 70 160 183 7 59 159 196 8 54 168 221 win, one point for

THURSDAY’S GAMES

San Jose 4, Columbus 3, SO Boston 2, Phoenix 1 Carolina 4, Buffalo 2 Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4 St. Louis 6, Edmonton 2 Minnesota 2, N.Y. Rangers 1 Toronto 3, Los Angeles 2

TODAY’S GAMES

Carolina at Boston, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

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

St. Louis at Nashville, 8 p.m.

Columbus at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Calgary at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter’s Madison Hodge swings at a pitch during Friday’s 12-0 loss to Carolina Forest at the Lady Gamecocks’ field.

GROW FROM PAGE B1 Kaitlyn Cook until the sixth inning when the Lady Panthers scored four runs and Cook gave way to Bettencourt again.

CFHS scored three more times for a 7-run outburst that put the game well out of reach.

Hardwick and Nunes each rapped out doubles for the Lady Panthers along with Cheyenne Mackenna.

Taylor Kajawa, Jordan Martin and Taylor Hunter all had hits, including an RBI single by Taylor in the sixth.

Jess Lembcke had an RBI and Leah Belack had two sacrifice flies for Carolina Forest.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

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B3

Gamecocks offer JUCO OL Palmer O

ffensive lineman Paris Palmer (6-feet8-inches 305 pounds) of Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania was offered by the University of South Carolina last week, and he plans to see the Gamecocks up close later this month.

Palmer is from Plymouth, N.C., which is in northeast North Carolina near the Virginia border. He came home for spring break on Friday and during the break he’s going to check out practices at USC and East Carolina. Palmer said right now he has a high interest level in USC. “Basically what they’ve told me is they want me to come in and fight for a spot; they like me and I can fit in well in their system,” Palmer said.

Palmer said USC, ECU, Penn State, Ohio State and Arizona State are five schools he’s highly interested in, but he’s not ready to name a top five.

He said he’ll take an official visit to Ohio State and he also plans to visit Arizona State.

Palmer was not offered by any school out of high school and went to the JC to improve his grades and his football status.

He does not plan to make his decision until after next season.

“I want to finish everything I started here at Lackawanna,” Palmer said. “Make sure all my grades stay up. And football-related at Lackawanna, I want to make sure I finish strong and I don’t want to let all of these offers get in the way of my focus of what I’m supposed to be doing right now.” Palmer also has offers from Temple and South Florida. He was redshirted last season and will have three to play three starting in 2015.

Palmer is on track to graduate in December.

Wide receiver KJ Hill (6-0, 180) of North Little Rock, Ark., has been offered by USC along with Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Arizona State, Mississippi, Notre Dame, Arkansas State, Texas Tech, Georgia, Oklahoma and PSU State among others. Hill wants to take all five of his official visits prior to announcing a decision and said he does not have any favorites. He did say, however, he has the Gamecocks high on his meter.

“They got (head) Coach (Steve) Spurrier there, and I’ve been watching him for a long time,” Hill said. “I like his offense and I think I could fit in there. He has put a lot of players in the NFL (National Football League). It’s a place I think I could develop and get to the next level.”

Hill named UGA, Oklahoma State, and Alabama as other schools he likes. Hill has plans to visit USC, Alabama and ND this spring, but said nothing is set. He has family in North Carolina.

Athlete Jalen Christian of Damascus, Md., announced a short list of 11 schools he’s still considering, and USC is on that list. Also making the cut were Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Christian also has offers from Clemson, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

He recently visited Maryland and has been to USC.

USCS FROM PAGE B1 victories. Trevor Bradley, Brett Auckland and Anthony Paulsen combined to do most of the damage for the Fire Ants. Each registered a pair of hits and Paulsen scored two of the three runs in the opening game.

Paulsen leads the regulars with a .393 average.

“I think the biggest thing for us this weekend is just seeing how well the guys respond to being on the road now,” Medlin said. “It’s a little easier when you’re at home, so we’ll see how well we adjust to things in a different environment.”

USCS will face a Salkehatchie team that is 12-12 overall and 1-3 in the Region X after last weekend’s match-

CLEMSON AND USC

After years on the sideline in regards to recruiting JC prospects, Clemson jumped back into that pool with both feet last week, offering South Carolina natives defensive end Marquavius Lewis of Hutchinson in Kansas and defensive lineman DJ Jones of East Mississippi State. Both have become national recruits as they move toward their final JC seasons.

Lewis, a Greenwood High School product who played for two 4A Division II state championships, was offered by USC the previous week and is thrilled to now have the option of choosing staying close to home and having a choice within his state.

“Everybody knows they (USC) lost (DE Jadeveon) Clowney and another end, so they need someone to come in with a little bit of experience,” Lewis said. “Both of the schools are in state and both are close to home. It’s another blessing and great opportunity to say I have both offers.” Lewis got the word on the Clemson offer from defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “He was telling me he likes the way I played and they were very interested,” he said. “It’s closer to home, but I still haven’t fit the schools together (in a favorites list). I don’t think it’s a priority to up and choose one of them right away.”

He also has offers from Alabama, Florida, Kansas State, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Miami, Missouri, WVU and Auburn. “If I just keep a level head about everything, everything will work itself out,” he said. He admitted though his family would like him close to home. He’d like to make his decision by the end of this season. Last season, Lewis had 60 tackles with 17 for loss and 6.5 quarterback sacks.

Jones got his Clemson offer from Venables as well. “He said they are losing six defensive linemen and I can come in and have a chance to play,” said Jones, who grew up a Clemson fan while attending Wren High School in Piedmont.

The Tigers didn’t recruit him in high school though, and despite getting that offer, Jones said he wasn’t tempted to commit quickly.

“It (Clemson) was more happy than to pull the trigger,” he said. “I know to keep them in my top five, my top 10 whenever I go down the list.”

Jones also has offers from USC, UGA, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State, Ole Miss, Southern Caliornia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana State. Jones was at Clemson last weekend to watch spring practice. He plans to formulate his top 10 soon, and he expects Clemson and USC to be on that list.

There are no favorites at this point. Jones had 49 tackles with eight sacks last season.

OL Shane Lemieux of Yakima, Wash., was offered last week by USC and is very interested in the Gamecocks. In fact, he is to visit them this weekend, and while in the Palmetto State he may get over to Clemson as well.

Lemieux’s father lives in Lancaster and a friend of his made the contact with USC

up against Spartanburg Methodist College – winning 14-4 and losing 6-4, 11-1 and 10-9.

“They very easily could have had a split,” Medlin said. “It’s always a tough place to play. For my money, (USC Salkehatchie) Coach (Charles) Dorman is one of the better baseball people around. He’s a great teacher and his kids are always prepared and play hard.

“We know their pitching staff is going to throw strikes – throw three pitches for strikes – so we’re going to have to be aggressive.”

Marcellius Kennerly and Bryce King anchor the Indians staff. Kennerly has a 3.60 earned run average in 25 innings pitched while King’s ERA is 1.09 in 24 2/3 innings.

that got the ball rolling with the Gamecocks. The same friend has also made contact with Clemson and something could be brewing there as well.

“I might have a visit to Clemson too because I’ll be down there for about four or five days,” Lemieux said. “The Gamecock-Clemson rivalry, I mean I’m a Gamecock, but I’m definitely keeping it open.

That would be my first ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) offer. I just want to see where Clemson sees itself going. I’d love to get an offer from them.”

Lemieux has visited Oregon, Washington and Washington State in recent weeks.

“Gamecocks and Oregon are definitely my top two right now. I definitely want to get down to visit Boise State, Arizona State and Cal(ifornia).

They are good teams, and I feel like they would be up there too.” Utah offered Lemieux last week, and he also has offers from ECU and Idaho.

ECU is the first school to offer OL Shaq Crouch (6-5, 333) of Johnsonville High, according to his head coach, Lewis Lineberger. Several other schools continue to show a lot of interest in Crouch including Clemson, USC, Florida, FSU, UGA, North Carolina State and UNC. Crouch Phil Kornblut said USC is his favorite RECRUITING right now.

CORNER USC last week joined the numerous schools around the country to offer highly skilled tight end Jackson Harris (6-5, 240) of Columbia, Tenn.

“It’s a big SEC (Southeastern Conference) offer that I’m excited about,” Harris said.

“Look forward to looking into them.”

Clemson was a very early offer for Harris, and he visited there last season for the Boston College game. He’s been strong on the Tigers, and they remain a factor. “Still think very highly of them; talk to (assistant) Coach (Robbie) Caldwell about every other week,” he said. Harris has visited Alabama and Florida. He doesn’t have any other visits planned right now.

CLEMSON

Maryland, NCSU, USF and Arizona State are the latest to offer QB Lorenzo Nunez of Kennesaw, Ga. Nunez holds an offer from Clemson and keeps in contact with the Tigers. He was scheduled to visit Tennessee last weekend, and other visits in his future include NCSU, Arizona State and Miami. Nunez said he does not have any favorites nor does he have a time frame to narrow his list. His other offers are from Tennessee, UK, Miami, Charlotte, Nebraska, Ohio State and Texas A&M. Linebacker Tevon Coney (6-2, 215) of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was recently offered by Clemson and is planning a visit. Coney said his next visit will come in the next two weeks to either Florida or Ohio State. After he is able to visit several schools, he will

The duo has combined for 37 strikeouts and 20 walks.

As a staff, USC Salkehatchie has a 4.33 ERA. Kennerly and Kind will likely take the mound today and are scheduled to be opposed by Gonzalez and Pinillos. Pinillos has a 1.04 ERA and Gonzalez is at 2.08, although they’ve combined to allow just five earned runs with 28 strikeouts and six walks between them.

Jamie Strock, who has yet to allow an earned run this year, and Bradley (1.12 ERA) will take the mound on Sunday.

They’ll face an Indians lineup batting .238 as a whole, led by Mark Gonzalez (.378 avg., 8 RBI), Shuler Ward (.344 avg., HR, 12 RBI) and Donovan Campbell (.323 avg., 6 RBI).

begin working on narrowing his list. He named Clemson, Tennessee, Ohio State, Florida and NCSU as schools he would like to visit. All have offered except for the Buckeyes.

UK, Miami, South Alabama, Appalachian State, Mississippi State, WVU, Florida International and Western Michigan have also offered.

DE Trevon Hill (6-3, 215) of Virginia Beach, Va., planned to be at Clemson last weekend for its junior day of the year.

“Clemson is a big-time program,” Hill said. “They just beat Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. Clemson puts a lot of players in the league (NFL), and they’re looking for defensive linemen.”

Hill recently visited Tennessee. His other offers include Virginia, VT, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and Old Dominion with interest from Ohio State, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, ECU, PSU and Maryland. “I’ll start narrowing my list in October down to five or 10, depending on how many more offers I get,” he said.

“Then I’ll commit next year. I want to enjoy my recruitment.”

Besides Hill, some of the other ’15 prospects invited to Clemson’s junior day were WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside of Dorman High in Roebuck, CB J.K. Britt of Newnan, Ga., DE Austin Bryant of Thomasville Ga., DE LaSamuel Davis of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High, OL Jake Fruhmorgen of Tampa, Fla., WR Juval Mollette of Randleman, N.C., offensive guard Brandon Sandifer of Warner Robins, Ga., WR Jayson Stanley and running back Bricen Terry, both of Fairburn, Ga. It has been some time since ATH Carl Tucker Jr. of Cornelius, N.C., has heard from Clemson. The Tigers have offered, but Tucker said he has not communicated with the coaches recently.

“I’m not really sure what is going on there,” Tucker said.

“I’m still interested in them.

I’m interested in every team that offers me.”

Tucker carries five offers -Clemson, Tennessee, WF, ECU and UNC with interest from PSU. The lack of contact with Clemson has the Tigers dropping down his list of favorites behind Tennessee, UNC and WF in that order.

His junior day visit to Tennessee solidified the Volunteers’ lead for his services. He has also visited UNC. Tucker plans to visit the two schools again this spring and is waiting to hear from Clemson to gauge its interest level.

Clemson sent out an offer to ‘16 QB Austin Kendall (6-2, 200) of Waxhaw, N.C., last week.

He’s the fifth QB in that class to be offered by the Tigers.

Kendall has visited Tennessee and has an offer from the Vols. He also has offers from NCSU, WF, WVU and Charlotte. Last season, Kendall passed for 1,668 yards and 20 touchdowns against six interceptions as he led Charlotte Christian to a state championship.

From Paul Strelow at TigerIllustrated: offensive tackle Josh Hutchinson of Dutch Fork High in Irmo has decided to accept a preferred walkon spot with Clemson.

Hutchinson (6-6, 320) started at right tackle for the 4A Divi-

sion I state champions. He had offers from Presbyterian and Davidson and had also heard from Wofford, ODU and Gardner-Webb.

OTHERS

Coastal Carolina signed two more players to its class in OL Will O’Connor of Falmouth, Mass., and TE Miguel Valdes of Bel Air, Md. BASKETBALL

Shamiek Sheppard, a 6-6 player from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va., committed to USC on Monday, according to his head coach, Ed Huckaby Jr. Sheppard is a New York City native who signed with Towson in ‘13. However, after qualifying late, he decided to enroll at Fishburne to enhance his recruiting stock, and his coach said he had several other major programs interested in him.

Sheppard made an official visit to USC in early February, and the Gamecocks became the frontrunners at that point. Huckaby said USC head coach Frank Martin was the primary reason for that.

“He likes the values that Frank Martin stands for, just like I do,” Huckaby said.

“How Frank coaches his team and his desire to win, but more importantly, Shamiek really appreciates the discipline and the structure that Frank demands of his players and the accountability.”

Sheppard averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game this season, and his coach said he’s the type of player he could call on to fill a variety of roles. Sheppard becomes the third member of USC’s ‘14 class, joining guards Marcus Stroman and Temarcus Blanton. He will sign during the spring signing period in April.

Center Adonis Delarosa, a ’14 recruit from New York, will announce on April 18.

His top five is USC, St. John’s, Rutgers, Fordham and Hofstra.

Derrik Smits, a 6-10 player from Zionsville, Ind., made an unofficial visit to Clemson last weekend. This was his second visit to Clemson. He’s the son of former National Basketball Association star Rik Smits. He also has offers from BC, Butler, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Xavier.

Clemson has offered 6-6 Daniel Purifoy of Centreville, Ala. Some of his other offers include Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, UK, Michigan State, Southern Methodist and Tennessee.

Clemson hosted two junior instate prospects for its recent game against Maryland.

In the stands were 6-4 DeRiante Jenkins of Lake Marion High in Santee and 6-8 Jalen Williams of Wade Hampton High in Greenville. Jenkins also is a standout QB who has drawn interest in that sport. Williams has also drawn interest from PC, Jacksonville and Furman.

Former USC signee 6-9 Tyrone Haughton of Iowa Western JC has committed to Pitt.

The Miami native signed with USC when Darrin Horn was the head, coach, but was told

by Martin he would not be able to get him into school academically.

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SPORTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Florida wins; ACC’s UNC, Syracuse upset ATLANTA— Scottie Wilbekin scored 15 points and No. 1 Florida remained unbeaten in the Southeastern Conference, using one of its customary spurts to rout Missouri 72-49 in the quarterfinals of the league tournament Friday.

The game was tied 29-29 at halftime, and the Tigers were still in it with about 10 minutes to go. That’s when Wilbekin and the Gators (30-2) suddenly took control.

TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE TODAY Men ACC Semifinals 1 p.m. – Virginia vs. Pittsburgh (WKTC 63, ESPN).

3:30 p.m. – N.C. State or Duke vs.

Clemson (WKTC 63, ESPN).

ATLANTA— James Young scored 21 points, Willie Cauley-Stein led a dominating performance in the middle with six blocks and Kentucky pulled away to beat LSU 85-67 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday night.

FLORIDA STATE 51 GREENSBORO, N.C.— It’s been a season of firsts for No. 6 Virginia. The Cavaliers are savoring their latest one by sticking around the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament a little while longer than usual.

Virginia advanced to the ACC semifinals for the first time since 1995 by pulling away to beat Florida State 64-51 in a quarterfinal Friday.

N.C. STATE 66 (11) SYRACUSE 63

GREENSBORO, N.C.— T.J. Warren scored 28 points while Ralston Turner banked in the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:28 left to help North Carolina State upset No. 11 Syracuse 66-63 in Friday’s quarterfinals

Mountain West Championship

Big Sky Championship 8 p.m. – North Dakota vs. Weber State or Northern Colorado (ESPNU).

Atlantic 10 Semifinals

SWAC Championship

1 p.m. – Florida vs. Tennessee (WOLO 25).

3 p.m. – Kentucky or Georgia or Mississippi (WOLO 25).

1:30 p.m. – St. Bonaventure vs. St. Joseph’s (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

4 p.m. – Virginia Commonwealth vs.

George Washington or Massachusetts (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

4:30 p.m. – Texas Southern or Alabama State or Prairie View vs. Alabama A&M (ESPN2).

Big 10 Semifinals

MAC Championship

1:40 p.m. – Michigan vs. Ohio State (WLTX 19).

4 p.m. – Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (WLTX 19).

6:30 p.m. – Western Michigan or Akron or Toledo vs. Eastern Michigan (ESPN2).

SEC Semifinals

WOMEN WAC Championship 4 p.m. – Idaho vs. Seattle (ESPNU).

Patriot Championship

Big West Championship

6 p.m. – Holy Cross at Army (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

9 p.m. – Iowa State vs. Baylor vs.

Texas (ESPN).

10:30 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Cal Poly or UC Irvine vs. Cal State-Northridge (ESPN2).

Conference USA Championship

American Athletic Championship

WAC Championship

8 p.m. – Middle Tennessee vs. Southern Miss (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

6 p.m. – Louisville vs. Cincinnati or Connecticut (ESPN).

10 p.m. – Utah Valley or Idaho vs. Cal State Bakersfield or New Mexico State (ESPNU).

Big 12 Championship

Pac-12 Championship

ACC (6) VIRGINIA 64

Championship 8:30 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin vs.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or Sam Houston State (ESPN2).

6 p.m. – San Diego State vs. UNLV or New Mexico vs. Boise State (WLTX 19).

KENTUCKY 85 LSU 67

Championship 11:30 a.m. – Tulsa vs. Louisiana Tech (WLTX 19).

6 p.m. – Arizona vs. UCLA vs. Stanford (FOX SPORTS 1).

Big East Championship 8:30 p.m. – Providence vs. Creighton or Xavier (FOX SPORTS 1).

Conference USA

at the ACC tournament.

PITTSBURGH 80 (15) UNC 75

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Talib Zanna had 19 points and a career-high 21 rebounds to help Pittsburgh beat No. 15 North Carolina 80-75 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Friday.

TOP 25 (5) LOUISVILLE 94 HOUSTON 65

NASCAR FROM PAGE B1 “I was going to run two laps in the second segment, but I bobbled it pretty bad into Turn 3 and didn’t finish the lap. But I knew the first one was good.”

So good that he wasn’t very worried when Keselowski and Logano both pulled back onto the track as the clock ticked down to attempt to bump Hamlin from the pole. The teammates swept the front row at Phoenix and Las Vegas, where the new format was first used this season, and they made one last run at Hamlin.

Keselowski came up just short, settling for second at 129.965.

Logano was fourth, behind Hamlin’s teammate Matt Kenseth.

“I feel like we did what we were supposed to do to be able to go out there and give it a shot for the pole,” said Logano, the pole-winner last week at Las Vegas. “Denny’s strategy was pretty good. Just not good enough for us.”

The Penske drivers were only able to make those final attempts because of a new rule this week by NASCAR that permitted the use of cooling units on pit road for teams to cool

MEAC Championship 6 p.m. – North Carolina Central vs.

Morgan State (ESPNU).

America East Championship 11:30 a.m. – Albany vs. Stony Brook (ESPN2).

Southland

MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Russ Smith scored a career-high 42 points and No. 5 Louisville cruised to a 94-65 victory over Houston on Friday in the semifinals of the inaugural American Athletic Conference tournament.

(8) MICHIGAN 64 ILLINOIS 63

INDIANAPOLIS — Jordan Morgan scored on a layup with 7.9 seconds left, giving No. 8 Michigan a 64-63 victory over Illinois in Friday’s Big

their engines following their runs. NASCAR decided Tuesday to allow the devices following a conference call with crew chiefs because of safety concerns raised by drivers.

Because the engines had been getting so hot following the qualifying runs and the cooling units were not allowed, drivers were running laps on the bottom of the track at slow speeds to cool down. It was going on at the same time as other drivers were sailing by at full speed, and many drivers complained they had near collisions.

“I think that rule change has made qualifying even better,” Keselowski said. “It’s removed danger and replaced with opportunity.

I think that was for the betterment of the sport and certainly if for no other reason than safety, it was definitely worth it. But I also feel like being able to go out there and make multiple runs is now a lot more plausible.”

The early season struggles continued for Stewart-Haas Racing and even hit Kevin Harvick, who had been the lone bright spot for the organization through the first three races.

Kurt Busch was the highest SHR qualifier at 13th, but Harvick was 27th and Danica Patrick was the last driver to qualify on speed at 36th.

GAMECOCKS FROM PAGE B1 Tennessee is No. 44 in the NCAA RPI and may have needed at least one Southeastern Conference tournament win to bolster its NCAA hopes.

South Carolina (14-20) didn’t score in the first six minutes, setting the mold for its offensive struggles. No South Carolina player scored in double figures.

Brenton Williams led the Gamecocks with nine points but made only 3 of 13 shots in his final college game.

Jordan McRae had 14 points for Tennessee. Stokes had 15 rebounds, three below his career high.

South Carolina, the No. 13 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Auburn and Arkansas but struggled in the matchups against the Vols.

“I told our assistants last night I think they’re playing better than anyone in our league right now,” said South Carolina coach Frank Martin of Tennessee. “And I think Florida is real good. (The Vols) are a very good basketball team. They’re playing their best at the right time of year.”

Frank Martin said Tennessee’s perimeter size “really bothers us” and could give the Vols a chance against the Gators.

Stokes made nine of 14 shots, most coming near the basket.

“You’ve got to pick your poison with them,” said Frank Martin. “You start committing to Jarnell Stokes too much, and then their baskets start counting as 3s, not 2s.”

The Gamecocks, playing their third game in three days, made only 16 of 59 shots (27.1 percent).

“I think it was tough on us playing our

third game in a row,” said South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell, who had seven points. “We just didn’t have the energy and, like coach said, the oomph, to get things going. That hurt us against a good team.”

It was only the latest in an impressive string of smothering defensive efforts for the Vols.

Tennessee led 28-18 at halftime, marking the fourth straight game the Vols have held opponents to no more than 20 points in the first half.

Defense has been the constant in the Vols’ winning streak. Tennessee has allowed an average of only 49.8 points in the five straight wins. It won its last three regular-season games by a combined margin of 93 points and was in command against the Gamecocks despite an unimpressive offensive showing.

“I’m excited because I feel like we didn’t have a good offensive game but our defense still let us win by” 15, Stokes said. “I’m excited because we still won off defense.”

South Carolina didn’t score in the opening six minutes. Following seven missed shots, the Gamecocks’ first points came on a jumper by Laimonas Chatkevicius with 13:54 remaining in the half.

A three-point play by Darius Thomas gave Tennessee its first double-digit lead at 12-2.

The Gamecocks pulled to within seven points at 30-23 on a three-point play by Chatkevicius early in the second half.

McRae answered with a powerful jam, sparking a 13-2 run that stretched the lead to 18 points at 43-25.

Mountain West Championship 10 p.m. — Colorado State vs. Fresno State (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

SWAC Championship Midnight – Texas Southern vs. Prairie View (ESPNU).

Sun Belt Championship 2 a.m. – Arkansas State vs. Western Kentucky (ESPNU).

Ten tournament.

(12) WISCONSIN 83 MINNESOTA 57

INDIANAPOLIS — Ben Brust scored a career-high 29 points and Frank Kaminsky had 12 rebounds to lead No. 12 Wisconsin to an 83-57 rout over Minnesota 83-57 in Friday’s Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

ST. BONAVENTURE 71 (18) SAINT LOUIS 68

NEW YORK — Jordan

Gathers hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and St. Bonaventure stunned No. 18 Saint Louis 71-68 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament Friday.

(23) VCU 71 RICHMOND 53

NEW YORK — Defensive ace Briante Weber scored 18 points in 18 minutes, and No. 23 VCU routed crosstown rival Richmond 71-53 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

(24) OHIO STATE 71 NEBRASKA 67

INDIANAPOLIS — LaQuinton Ross had 26 points and 13 rebounds and No. 24 Ohio State rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to beat fourth-seeded Nebraska 71-67 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

WOMEN’S TOP 25 (22) MIDDLE TENNESSEE 64 FIU 57 EL PASO, Texas — Ebony Rowe scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Olivia Jones had a double-double as No. 22 Middle Tennessee turned back 13th-seeded Florida International 64-57 in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament on Friday.

BALL STATE 73 (25) BOWLING GREEN 55

CLEVELAND — Shelbie Justice scored 21 points as fifth-seeded Ball State upset top-seed and No. 25-ranked Bowling Green 73-55 in the Mid-American Conference tournament on Friday.

From wire reports

SPORTS ITEMS

Jackson to run Knicks front office Phil Jackson won NBA titles as a player and a coach. He’ll now try winning as an executive.

And this quest will take him back to where his career began.

Jackson has agreed to run the New York Knicks’ front office and will be formally introduced by the team at a news conference at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday morning, a person familiar with the negotiations between the 11-time champion coach and the franchise told The Associated JACKSON Press on Friday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Knicks would only confirm that a “major announcement” involving team executives was scheduled.

GARRIGUS LEADS AT INNISBROOK

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Robert Garrigus can’t recall a better performance going into the weekend. And his golf has been pretty good, too.

As for his day job, he bagged 10 birdies over two days and delivered the best score of the tournament, a 5-under 66 on Friday, to build a three-shot lead in the Valspar Championship.

Kevin Na had a 68, while the group four shots behind included Pat Perez (71), Matteo Manassero (70) and Justin Rose (68), who is the highestranked player in the field at No. 7.

USC SUFFERS 1ST LOSS

COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday, falling to Mississippi 6-4 in its Southeastern Conference opener at Carolina Stadium.

Sumter’s Jordan Montgomery suffered the loss, giving up a grand slam in the sixth inning to Ole Miss’ Auston Bousefield. Montgomery worked six innings, allowing all six earned runs. He struck

out five and walked three.

The teams will play a doubleheader today due to expected inclement weather on Sunday. The first game is set to begin at 3 p.m. with the second game starting 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

WAKE FOREST 4 CLEMSON 3

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -Behind two runs in the eighth inning, Wake Forest rallied to top No. 14 Clemson 4-3 on Friday at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

Due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday, the series will conclude with a doubleheader today starting at 1 p.m. There will be approximately 40 minutes in between the nine-inning contests.

DAVIDSON 13 CITADEL 3

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Davidson pounded out 19 hits, including four home runs, in a 13-3 victory over The Citadel in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Friday at Wilson Field.

The teams will finish the series with a doubleheader today beginning at 1 p.m. due to a near certainty of rain in the area on Sunday.

THORNHILL FLW LEADER

MANNING – Lindwood Thornhill of Pineville had a 5-fish limit of 24 pounds, 7 ounces on Friday to take the lead in the Rayovac FLW Series event on the Santee Cooper lakes after two days.

Thornhill has a 2-day total of 48-03. Bradford Beavers caught 32 pounds on five fish on Friday for a total of 45-02.

Todd Auten is third at 44-12 followed by Chad Grigsby at 4401. Day 1 leader Clent Davis only caught 8-01 on Friday, but is still in fifth at 39-02.

The final round is today with the weigh-in to be held in the parking lot at the Wal-Mart in Manning beginning at 4 p.m.

From wire reports

TELEVISION

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Believe: Pilot A girl with extraordi- WIS News 10 at (:29) Saturday Night Live Sketch nary powers and a prison escapee 11:00pm News comedy, celebrity hosts & music. flee from dark forces. (HD) and weather.

(HD) (6:00) College Basketball: from Summer Dreams The story of a collective of prospective players, an aspir- 48 Hours Award-winning broadcast News 19 @ 11pm (:35) CSI: Miami: Cyber-lebrity High Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas ing coach and a female referee as they take part in the grueling NBA Sum- journalists present in-depth investi- The news of the school aged Internet sex symbol. z{| (HD) mer League in Las Vegas. (N) (HD) gative reports. day.

(HD) Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! (HD) Castle: The Good, the Bad and the Nightline Prime (HD) 20/20 (N) (HD) ABC Columbia 20/20 (N) (HD) Word puzzles.

Baby A bleeding man dies in a church.

News at 11 (HD) (HD) (HD) (6:00) My Music: Moments to Remember Songs by Pledge Programming Critically acclaimed and viewer-renowned program- Pledge Programming Acclaimed programming high- Pledge ProRosemary Clooney, Frankie Laine, the Four Lads and oth- ming is featured for a membership drive encouraging viewer support lights a membership drive encouraging viewer support. gramming ers are honored. (HD) through highlight-worthy segments.

Viewer support.

Modern Family: Modern Family: Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey: The Following: The Messenger Ryan WACH FOX News The Middle: Back (:15) Axe Cop: (:45) High School Ring of Honor Mistery Date (HD) When a Tree Falls Standing Up in the Milky Way Limit- searches for Joe’s mentor. (HD) at 10 Nightly to School (HD) The Dumb List USA!: Gun Control Wrestling (N) (HD) less span. (HD) news report.

(HD) (HD) (HD) Community: De- Community: En- The First Family The First Family Mr. Box Office Mr. Box Office Access Hollywood (N) (HD) The Arsenio Hall Show Late night Futurama: bate 109 (HD) vironmental Sci- President’s family. President’s family. Star must teach. Star must teach. variety/talk show. (HD) Roswell That Ends ence (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) Well Entertainment Tonight (N) (HD)

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Letoya Luckett. Life’s hardships.

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Warren Beatty.

48 Hours Mystery (HD) 48 Hours Wired girlfriend. (HD) 48 Hours: Lina’s Heart (HD) Stalked (HD) Stalked (HD) 48 Hours Wired girlfriend. (HD) 48 Hours (HD) (5:30) The Italian Job (‘03, Drama) Red (‘10, Action) aaac Bruce Willis. A retired black-ops CIA agent who (:17) From Paris with Love (‘10, Action) aac John Travolta. A diplomat (:19) S.W.A.T. aac Mark Wahlberg. (HD) is marked for assassination looks for answers. (HD) joins forces with a hotshot CIA agent and battles terrorists. (HD) (‘03) aac (HD) Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn Pawn (:02) Pawn Gilligan’s (HD) Gilligan’s (HD) Gilligan’s (HD) Gilligan’s (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) Loves Raymond: The Skit (HD) Raymond (HD) Raymond (HD) NCIS: Till Death Do Us Part Terrorist Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Chrisley Knows The Bourne Ultimatum (‘07, Thriller) target. (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) Best (HD) aaac Matt Damon. (HD) Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Will Grace Home Vid Bulls Eye (N) NBA Basketball: Sacramento Kings at Chicago Bulls from United Center (HD) Home Vid Rules (HD) Rules (HD) Rules (HD)

School field trip puts a nation in ‘Crisis’

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH Subtly is the first casualty in high-concept thrillers. And in “Crisis” (10 p.m. Sunday, NBC, TV-14) the collateral damage includes humor, credibility and sensible dialogue as well. Not that “Crisis” isn’t somewhat fun in its own bludgeoning manner.

Oddly enough, the actions on “Crisis” begin with a hijacked high school class trip.

And you thought getting your parents’ permission slip was the hard part! This isn’t just any old school or class. The hostages go to a posh Washington, D.C., academy, where nearly every student is the little darling of the rich and powerful, elite and connected. One of the curiously enjoyable aspects of “Crisis” is how much the drama asks us to dislike these petulant, disrespectful and spoiled brats.

Then it asks us to hate their parents even more! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

One of the kidnapped kids includes the bratty son of the president. At first, it seems that he’s the target of the furtive villains. But we’re soon informed that nearly every student is connected to some master of the universe. Kidnapping-wise, it’s a targetrich environment. The presence of the president’s son only allows “Crisis” to involve black helicopters and Secret Service hardware and turgid conversations that begin with the phrase, “Shall we tell the president?”

Gillian Anderson stars as Meg Fitch, a powerful software executive with “350,000 employees.” Her daughter just happens to be on the bus.

She’s the class president and is gorgeous to boot. Rachael Taylor plays FBI special agent Susie Dunn. As a mere civil servant, she’s hardpressed to reassure the worried alpha parents. And she just happens to be Meg’s long-estranged sister! They share a deep, dark secret that I can’t reveal here. But stay tuned to the end and you’ll find out.

Dermot Mulroney plays a washed-up CIA analyst who appears to be the pathetic divorced dad of one of the horrible teens. He’s volunteered as a chaperone on the bus, much to his daughter’s mortification and his ex-wife’s disgust. The feral teens can sniff out the loser status that he

NBCUNIVERSAL INC.

On the run and needing money, Tate (Jake McLaughlin) takes Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) to Atlantic City on the “Beginner’s Luck” episode of “Believe” airing at 9 p.m. Sunday on NBC. wears like cheap cologne.

Let’s just say that first impressions can be deceiving.

“Crisis” is hardly the first melodrama to mingle earthshattering acts of terrorism with overwrought family soap opera; “24” specialized in this technique. In a world filled with bad guys, the treachery invariably stemmed from Jack Bauer’s house or the White House, or both.

• True crime continues to dominate Saturday nights both in documentary and scripted fashion. Dreama Walker (“Gossip Girl,” “The Good Wife”) stars in the 2014 thriller “The Grim Sleeper” (8 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime, TV14). She plays Christine Pelisek, a reporter who devotes herself to investigating a series of murdered women in Los Angeles. She soon detects a pattern that indicates a single suspect may be responsible for dozens of homicides over two decades. Singer and actress Macy Gray (“Training Day”) stars as the alleged killer’s one known survivor, who helps Pelisek identify the monster.

• In a rare departure from true crime, CBS airs the documentary “Summer Dreams” (8 p.m. Saturday, TV-14), a look at the 61-game NBA Summer League, a hardwood variation on baseball’s spring training, where hot prospects, long shots and potential comebacks compete.

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS • Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG).

• A dying man abandons a baby on “Castle” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).

• The newsmagazine “Nightline Prime” (9 p.m., ABC) debuts.

• A convicted terrorist goes free on “Ripper Street” (9 p.m., BBC America, TV-MA).

• “Beyond the Headlines: The Real Grim Sleeper” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG) recalls a serial killer active in Los Angeles; it follows the premiere of “The Grim Sleeper.”

• Drake hosts and performs on “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).

yssey” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) examines phenomena on a molecular level.

• Bellamy sets about exhuming Jacob’s body on “Resurrection” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• “Naked and Afraid” (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-14), the series that asks the fearless to survive the wild in their birthday suits, enters its second season.

• “Total Divas” (9 p.m., E!, TV-14) enters its second season.

• A moment of repose and reflection on “The Walking Dead” (9 p.m., AMC, TVMA).

• Emily’s blackouts worsen on “Revenge” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• Hannah makes Elijah an offer on “Girls” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

• Hollywood still appeals to Sean as “Episodes” (10:30 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) ends its third season.

CULT CHOICE A desperate mother (Goldie Hawn) goes the extra mile to save her child from being put up for adoption in the 1974 drama “The Sugarland Express” (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM), a notable big-screen debut for a TV movie director named Steven Spielberg.

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS • Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef; commercial drones and privacy concerns.

• Kellie Martin (“ER”) stars in the 2014 romantic comedy “Dear Viola” (7 p.m., UP) as an intrepid young woman who turns her life around by becoming an advice columnist for a small newspaper.

• Highlights of blind auditions on “The Voice” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

• “Killer Legends” (8 p.m., Chiller) examines the true crime stories behind urban legends.

• An important speech inspires Alicia to reflect on “The Good Wife” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Bo bonds with a woman in need on “Believe” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• The series “Army Wives” (9 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG) concludes with a two-hour finale.

• “Cosmos: A Spacetime Od-

SATURDAY SERIES “Dateline Saturday Night Mystery” (8 p.m., NBC) * Ryan seeks out Joe’s mentor on “The Following” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS) * Dueling cabals want control of a girl with superpowers on “Believe” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) * “20/20” (10 p.m., ABC).

SUNDAY SERIES Grampa needs shelter on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) * The past is forgotten on “Once Upon a Time” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Trekking through Malaysia on “The Amazing Race” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Divine intervention on “Family Guy” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) * Fracking can be murder on “The Mentalist” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

Copyright 2014, United Feature Syndicate

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AROUND TOWN In recognition of March being Credit Education Month, the Sumter County Library will host free programs at the main branch, 111 N. Harvin St., as follows: 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, “Managing Your Finances” with Donna Holmes from SAFE Federal Credit Union; 1 p.m.

Wednesday, March 19, the documentary “Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money” will be presented; and 1 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26, “Lunch and Learn: Smart Investing and Banking Tips” with a representative from Wells Fargo, bring your lunch and enjoy this presentation while you eat.

Free income tax filing services and FAFSA applications will be provided through April 15 as follows: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, 3-8 p.m. Saturdays, appointments only on Sundays, Goodwill Job-Link Center, 1028 Broad St., (803) 7745006; and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Thursdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturdays, Lee County Adult Education, 123 E. College St., Bishopville, (803) 484-4040. For details or appointments, call Ms. Samuels at (803) 240-8355.

The AARP Foundation TaxAide Program will offer free income tax assistance and electronic filing for taxpayers with low to middle incomes. All ages are welcome and you do not have to be an AARP member.

Assistance will be available 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays through April 15 at the Shepherd’s Center, 24 Council St. Call Lynda at (803) 469-8322.

Clarendon County Branch NAACP will meet at 4 p.m.

Sunday, March 16, at 1100 Dozier Mallett Road, Sugar Hill community, Manning.

The Lincoln High School Preservation Alumni Association will meet at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at Lincoln High School, 26 Council St. Class competitions will be held. Call James L. Green at (803) 968-4173.

The Westside Neighborhood Association will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, at the Birnie HOPE Center, 210 S. Purdy St. Contact Jim McCain at (678) 429-8150 or jtmccain@bellsouth.net.

The Carolina Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the Parks & Recreation Department building, 155 Haynsworth St. Visitors welcome. Call (803) 775-8840.

The Pinedale Neighborhood Association will meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, at the South HOPE Center, 1125 S. Lafayette Drive.

Call Ferdinand Burns at (803) 968-4464.

The General George L. Mabry Jr. Chapter 817 Military Order of the Purple Heart will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20, at the Elks Lodge, 1100 W. Liberty St. All Purple Heart recipients and those interested in associate membership are invited. Call (803) 506-3120.

The Clarendon County Democratic Party County Convention will be held Thursday, March 20, at the Weldon Auditorium, 7 Maple St., Manning. Registration for convention delegates will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7 p.m. For information, call Glenn Ardis, county chair, at (803) 452-6013.

The Sumter Combat Veterans Group will meet at 10 a.m.

Friday, March 21, at the South HOPE Center, 1125 S. Lafayette Drive. All area veterans are invited.

The Lincoln High School Preservation Alumni Association will sponsor a dinner fundraiser 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, March 21, at the Lincoln High School gymnasium, 26 Council St. Cost is $7 per plate and dinners include fish, red rice, sweet peas and drink. Dine in or take out. Call James L. Green at (803) 968-4173.

The Lincoln High School Class of 1960 will hold its quarterly meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 22, at the alumni building on Council Street. All classmates are invited. Call Lucile Davis at (803) 7756253.

The Sumter Branch NAACP will hold its annual WIN (Women in the NAACP) Program at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 23, at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 325 Fulton St. The Rev. Debbie Bowens-Davis will speak.

The Sumter County Educators Association-Retired will meet at noon Wednesday, March 26, at the North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. New members are encouraged to join. Call Brenda Bethune at (803) 469-6588.

B6

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COMICS

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Man refuses to take the hint and buy a diamond DEAR ABBY — I have been married for 40 years. Like all married couples, we have had our ups and downs, but Dear Abby we have a good marABIGAIL riage. We VAN BUREN have two children and five grandchildren.

I wouldn’t change anything, except I never had an engagement ring. My husband has bought jewelry for me over the years, but never what I really want -- a diamond ring.

I have hinted to him over the last few years, left jewelry store catalogs and enlisted my sister-in-law to TELL him. He can afford it. But he just won’t buy one for me.

THE SUMTER ITEM

He has been financially helpful to our children and is generous to charity. But when it comes to this, it’s becoming clear that he thinks I am just not worth it. I feel unloved and deeply hurt. It seems my needs always come last, and this is just one more. Any comments?

Disengaged in Florida DEAR DISENGAGED — Yes. Diamonds are minerals that have been marketed to the public to seem like something more. Do not let this negatively affect your relationship with your husband. If a diamond ring is what you want, then consider buying one for yourself. You wouldn’t be the first woman to do it, and you won’t be the last.

DEAR ABBY — My girlfriend of 18 months, whom I love with all my heart, just learned an ex-boyfriend passed away.

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

They dated on and off for 10 years, and she’s inconsolable.

After their relationship ended, she married someone else and divorced. I am having a really hard time with how she’s handling this. Can you please help?

Current Mr. Right in R.I. DEAR CURRENT MR. RIGHT — Your girlfriend may not be mourning the death of her former flame as much as she’s grieving a burial of 10 years of her history. Give her time and let her share her feelings with you. If you do, it will bring you closer. Do NOT allow jealousy to enter into the picture. (Remember, the man is dead, and YOU are her future.)

If her deep grief persists, suggest she get grief counseling. That would be the most loving and supportive thing you could do.

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 Instrument played with mallets 8 Pitcher’s coup 15 Mine carriers 16 Orwell superstate 17 1980s Hollywood sex symbol 18 Hang 19 Meas. seen on a tee 20 Beguile 22 Warthog features 23 Screened conversation?

25 28-Across natives, e.g.

28 The Mekong flows along its border 29 Fighter acronym 32 Going downhill 33 “The __ Affair”: Jasper Fforde novel 34 Lighten 35 Winter forecast 38 Servers at affairs 39 Ballpark figs.

40 Needles 41 Food-curing chemical

42 “__ Mia”: 1965 hit 43 Give away 44 Funk band instrument 46 When to see die Sterne 49 Pasta bit 50 Card quality 53 Odorless fuels 55 Tennessee neighbor 57 Zip up 58 Extreme 59 Surfing annoyance 60 Ship maintenance site DOWN 1 Colorado State’s __ Arena 2 MLB nickname in recent news 3 Cabs, e.g.

4 Winter coat 5 Two-time 1990s A.L. batting champ Edgar 6 Procreates 7 Help desk sign 8 Deltiologist’s collection 9 Post-op area 10 Basque baskets 11 Shot 12 People

13 Rat 14 They come and go 21 Storyteller?

23 Arrangements may be made in them 24 Weed killer 25 Horrific 26 Classic board game 27 Daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands 29 Tribute maker 30 Key 31 Inane ones 33 Absorbed 34 Salon, for one 36 Big name in movies?

37 Nickname

42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 54 56

in 20th-century British leadership Short time out?

Word on a Canadian loonie San Diego attraction Picked up Tide table term Words before time or point Wood __ City on the Brazos Apple product Converse Touchdown info Nod, at times

CLASSIFIEDS

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

THE ITEM

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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.

CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL NOTICES Beer & Wine License Notice Of Application Notice is hereby given that M & M Enterprises of Sumter DBA J & L Stop & Go intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license permit that will allow the sale ON premises consumption of Liquor at 2114 Hwy 521 S., Sumter, SC 29153. To object to the issuance of this permit / license, written protest must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2014. 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.

Notice Of Application Notice is hereby given that Ambelal Hotels Group, Inc. DBA Springhill Suites intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license permit that will allow the sale ON premises consumption of Beer, Wine and Liquor at 2645 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29150. To object to the issuance of this permit / license, written protest must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2014. 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.

Summons & Notice SUMMONS AND NOTICES IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO: 14-CP-43-0164 (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE) STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER James B. Nutter & Company, PLAINTIFF, vs.

The Estate of Clarence Reames, deceased; Rosa Johnson Reames; Orlando R. Reames; Clinton M. Reames; Sharon Reames; Delores Brown and any other Heirs, Personal Representatives, Successors, Assigns, Spouses, Creditors, and all others claiming any right, title or interest in the real estate known as 28 Byrd Street, Sumter, SC 29153, any adults or persons in the Military Service of the United States of America, being a class designated as John Doe, and any minors or persons under legal disability, being a class designated as Richard Roe ; The United States of America by and through its agency the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and CitiFinancial, DEFENDANT(S).

Summons & Notice TO THE NAMED:

DEFENDANTS

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.

Summons & Notice

ABOVE

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or to otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscribers at their office, P.O. Box 71727, North Charleston, South Carolina, 29415, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, or otherwise appear and defend, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

TO THE MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for a general Order of Reference to the Master in Equity for Sumter, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53(b) of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this action.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the Supreme Court of South Carolina Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may be eligible for foreclosure intervention programs for the purpose of resolving the above-referenced foreclosure action.

If you wish to be considered for a foreclosure intervention program, you must contact Finkel Law Firm LLC, 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450 (29405), P.O. Box 71727 (29415), North Charleston, SC 29405, or call (843) 577-5460 within thirty (30) days from the date of this notice. Finkel Law Firm LLC represents the Plaintiff in this action. Our law firm does not represent you and is not authorized to provide you any legal advice.

IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION PROCESS, THE FORECLOSURE MAY PROCEED. NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT (15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.): This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information you provide will be used for that purpose. However, if you have previously received a discharge from bankruptcy, this message is not and should be construed as an attempt to collect a debt, but only as a requirement pursuant to the administrative order.

ORDERED that Kelley Woody, Attorney at Law, be and she is hereby appointed Guardian ad Litem Nisi on behalf of unknown minors or persons under a legal disability, all of whom may have an interest in or claim to have some interest in the real property known as 28 Byrd Street, Sumter, SC 29153; that she is empowered and directed to appear on behalf of and represent said Defendants, unless the said Defendants, or someone on their behalf, shall within thirty (30) days after service of a copy hereof as directed, procure the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem for the said Defendants; AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this Order shall forthwith be served upon the said Defendants by publication thereof in the The Item, a newspaper of general circulation published in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, once a week for three consecutive weeks, together with the Summons in the above entitled action.

t 53*..*/( t 53&& 3&.07"t 456.1 3&.07"Po Boy’s Rex Prescott Tommy Thompson

NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal , trimming & stump grinding. Lic & Ins.

803-316-0128

ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements Tuesday, March 18, 2014 is the last day to redeem winning tickets in the following South Carolina Education Lottery Instant Games: (571) $200,000 CASH XCITEMENT (625) SOUTH CAROLINA GOLD

Lost & Found

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, Plaintiff / Petitioner, v.

Michelle Hunter, Odessa Hunter, Markita Wright and Tina Brooke, Defendants/Respondents.

Lamemoire McLeod 03/15/62 - 01/8/94 You are my child, I made you mine. I have blessed you with love divine. I keep you close to me each day. So you will follow in my way. I know each trial you will bear, fear not dear child for I am there. The promise made that I do keep to be the Shepherd of my sheep. I have much Joy and peace to give to those who learn each day to live within the shadow of my love and seek their treasures from above. On your Birthday, The Family

BUSINESS SERVICES Health Service/ Medical PELVIC/TRANSVAGINAL MESH? Did you undergo transvaginal placement of mesh for pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence between 2005 and the present? If the mesh caused complications, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Charles H. Johnson Law and speak with female staff members 1-800-535-5727

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS CIVIL ACTION NO. 2013-CP-43-2082

Lawn Service $200 Reward. Lost 3 legged female calico cat in area of Calhoun & Purdy. Call 968-1312 Found med. size female brown dog on Hilliard Dr. & Wise Dr. Please call 720-394-8016 or the SPCA 773-9292 to identify.

NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT DECLARATORY JUDGMENT NON− JURY

Oxendine & Son Lawn Care All your lawn care needs & pressure washing. Call Jonathan 803-565-2160 or Kerry 316-8726.

Legal Service DIVORCE WITH OR WITHOUT children $125.00. Includes name change and property settlement agreement. SAVE hundreds. Fast and easy. Call 1-888-733-7165, 24/7

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 the said Complaint on the undersigned attorneys at their offices, 935 Broad Street, P. 0.

Drawer 39, Camden, SC 29020, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

MERCHANDISE Want to Buy Coin operated can drink machine. Reasonable priced & in good working order. Call Ms. Rytt 469-3480 Mon-Fri, 9am - 4:30pm

Auctions ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.6 million readers. Call Jimmie Haynes at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Absolute Auction - 83 +/- Choice Acres Divided - Fronting on Old Nichols Hwy., Nichols, SC Saturday March 22, 11AM Bidzone: Nichols Special Events, 404 Mullins St. (Hwy. 76) Damon Shortt Real Estate & Auction Group 877-669-4005 SCAL2346 www.damonshorttproperties.com

Computers & Equipment My Computer Works. Computer problems?

Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based technicians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1-888-269-7891

Farm Products

SUMMONS TO THE DEFENDANTS HEREIN:

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

Four Seasons Lawn Care Serving Sumter for almost 20 yrs!

Free est. 494-9169/468-4008 Daniel's Lawn Care • Tree removal • Lawn Service • Mulch / Pine straw • Debris removal 803-968-4185

NOTICE that the Complaint, Declaratory Judgment, Non-Jury in the above captioned matter was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on the 25th day of November, 2013.

’S TREE SERVICE PO BOYFREE ESTIMATES TREE CARE

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

NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT DECLARATORY JUDGMENT NON-JURY

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

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

DuBose - Robinson, PC Jonathan M. Robinson, Esquire John K. DuBose, III, Esquire H. Thomas Morgan, Jr. ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF P.O. Drawer 39 (935 Broad St.) Camden, SC 29021-0039 (803) 432-1992-telephone (803) 432-0784-facsimile

FINKEL LAW FIRM LLC Thomas A. Shook P.O. Box 71727 North Charleston, SC 29415 (843) 577-5460 Attorney for Plaintiff

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above entitled action, together with the Summons, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on January 24, 2014 at 1:44 p.m.

It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, upon reading and filing of the Petition of the Plaintiff for the appointment of Kelley Woody, attorney in Columbia, South Carolina, as Guardian ad Litem Nisi for all unknown minors, and for all persons who may be under a legal disability, it is

In Memory

James C. Campbell Clerk of Court for Sumter County Sumter, South Carolina February 27, 2014

NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT

ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI

Summons & Notice

Lakeside Market 2100 Wedgefield Rd Tomatoes .98 lb

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales 2086 Kingsbury Rd Sat 6-2 Too many items to list. Huge Sale!!!

Huge multi-family sale, 2805 D Bar circle, Sat 8am. Tons of baby items, hshld items, & much much more!

LARGE GARAGE SALE 1st & 3rd Weekend Tables $1 & Up FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every weekend.

905-4242

Tree Service The Tree Doctor Tree removal, stump grinding, trimming & clearing. 50% discount for church / cemetery. Accept credit cards & offer senior discounts. Call 775-8560 / 468-1946.

Meadowcroft HOA Community Yard Sale Mar. 15 & 16 8am-3pm 4 Family Sale, 1890 Camden Hwy, 1 1/4 mi past Kmart on left.

Sat 9am-? Furn & too much to list

place my

PETS Puppies for sale...

AD

TREE REMOVAL t 5011*/( t 413":*/( t 136/*/( t '&35*-*;*/( t #64) )0((*/(

OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE LICENSED & INSURED

469-7606 or 499-4413

FIREWOOD DELIVERY

ORDER YOUR CLASSIFIED AD ONLINE 24/7.

WWW.THEITEM.COM

B8

CLASSIFIEDS

THE ITEM

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales

Help Wanted Full-Time

Statewide Employment

Unfurnished Homes

Last Saturday in March Neighborhood Sale (Idlewild) Sat., 7AM. All streets. Lots of good stuff!!

F/T & P/T Class-A CDL Drivers needed in Sumter, SC to haul poultry. Night Shift! Must have 2-yrs verifiable experience and good MVR. Danny 803-236-0682

ADVERTISE YOUR DRIVER JOBS in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.6 million readers. Call Jimmie Haynes at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Country Home 3BR/2BA C/H/A. $745/mo+$500/dep. No Pets!

App't only 9AM-6PM. 406-6159, 481-4469.

894 Twin Lakes Dr. Sat. 8-12.

Antiques printers tray, dining table, treadmill, Mens bike, camping items, tools, hshld items, gifts, hobbies.

Yard Sale, 101 Powhatan Ct. 9-Noon. No Early Sales! Desk, dresser, clothes, hshld items and more.

1666 Cabelas Place Hunters Crossing S/D, Sat. 8 am2 pm & Sun. 12 - 4 pm.

4350 Excursion Dr. (Linwood Plantation, Dalzell), Sat 7AM. Furn. clothes, movies, and more.

Medical Supplies Battery Powered Jazzy Wheel chair-Like new $2500 Neg. Call 481-4934 Lv Msg

For Sale or Trade Vintage 1940's Folding card table/fireplace screen, painted flowers top $12.00. 803-469-2689 DirectTV. 2 Year Savings Event!

Over 140 channels only $29.99 a month. Only DirecTV gives you 2 YEARS of savings and a FREE Genie upgrade!

Call 1-800-908-5974 6ft Broyhill Sofa, new reupholstered. (Chocolate). Asking $325.

Call 803-473-6059 REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL!* Get a whole-home Satellite system installed at NO COST and programming starting at $19.99/mo.

FREE HD/DVR Upgrade to new callers, SO CALL NOW 1-866-981-7319 6 Honey Beehives for sale. $100 per hive. Call 803-481-0445

Cash for Junk Cars, used Cars, junk Batteries & unwanted gift cards. Call Gene 803-934-6734 Expert Tech, New & used heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, warranty; Compressor & labor $600. Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364 DISH TV Retailer - Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.)

SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation!

CALL Now! 1-800-635-0278

EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted Full-Time Lawn Spraying Technician, needed for local landscape company. Must be able to lift 50lbs on regular basis and have a good driving record. Call 499-9312 F/T cashier & P/T cook needed.

Apply at J & L Stop & Go, 2114 Hwy. 521 S. or email at jlstopgo@yahoo.com Career in Veterinary medicine.

Exp preferred. Will assist in training if hired, minimal travel may be required. Management exp. a plus. Box P-353 c/o The Item, PO Box 1677 Sumter SC 29151 Springhill Suites Marriott will be taking applications in person at Candlewood Suites, Tuesday March 11th through Sunday March 16th.

Salesman for busy car lot.

Sales experience required. Salary negotiable. Apply in person at 1282 N Lafayette Dr Sumter. No phone calls.

Mechanic needed at busy car lot.

Salary based on Exp. Apply in person, at 1282 N. Lafayette Dr. NO PHONE CALLS!!! Valid Driver's License Required. Must have own tools.

Help Wanted Part-Time Psychotherapist-responsible for individual, group, family therapy, psychosocial assessments and case management. Masters in social work, psychology, or counseling required with current LISW, PC, or LPC. Fax resume to 803-774-2633 or email : lefford.fate@tuomey.com Chauffeurs needed for Limousine Co. Must have excellent people skills. Schedule includes days, nights & weekends. Exc wages. Fax resume & 10 year driving record to 803-494-5779 or Call 803-983-5247. $$$ AVON $$$ FREE TRAINING! 803-422-5555

Trucking Opportunities Truck Driver Trainees Needed Now at H.O. Wolding Earn $800/wk Local CDL Training NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Be trained & based locally!

1-888-263-7364

Schools / Instructional AIRLINE CAREERS begin here Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Housing and Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance.

Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-367-2513 Healthcare CAREERS - Looking for caring people to train for work in hospitals, clinics, health. Financial aid if qualified. Call Centura College Charleston 888-242-3623 / Columbia 888-891-1658.

HVAC Careers Start here - Heat things up with hands on training in months not years. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Centura College 888-891-1658.

Work Wanted I am a reliable CNA looking to sit with your elderly loved ones day or night.

Ref. provided.

Call 803-225-0924 or 803-225-0543 I will sit with elderly or sick. Will provide ref/exp. Call 803-236-3603 for more info.

Make Extra $$$ Selling Home/Body Fragrances Kits are $45, $100 or $135 You Buy & We Supply Call 775-7823 Gospel and Country musicloving, responsible, trust-worthy, energetic and enthusiastic, middle-aged woman is available at a very reasonable rate to sit with elderly love ones while the family gets a chance to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation. I will gladly and happily do light housework with a SMILE!! Any day or night... weekends included... just call me when you need me.

Phone Number: 803-773-4441.

References available.

Statewide Employment LAID OFF? PLANT CLOSING? Need that new job? Call Xtra Mile & enroll in CDL Class-A training today! 1-866-484-6313 / www.xtra miledrivertraining.com OWNER OPERATORS Average $3K/week! Be out up to 14 days, enjoy GUARANTEED home time!

Weekly settlements.

Cardinal Greatwide pays loaded/unloaded.

Class-A CDL & 1yr driving experience. Fleet Owners Welcome.

Operate under your own authority or ours! Call Matt 888-220-6032.

DriveForCardinal.com

Superior Transportation OTR Drivers with Class A CDL 2yrs Exp Flatbed. New 2014 Macks. Weekly Salary & Extra pay for weekends out! Call 800-736-9486 Ext 266 FOREMEN to lead utility field crews. Outdoor physical work, many positions, paid training, $20/hr. plus weekly performance bonuses after promotion, living allowance when traveling, company truck and benefits. Must have strong leadership skills, good driving history, and be able to travel in the Carolina's and nearby States. Email resume to Recruiter4@osmose.com or apply online at www.OsmoseUtilities.com EOE M/F/D/V WE NEED DRIVERS!! Immediate openings. OTR drivers, minimum 1yr. OTR experience. Late model conventional tractors/48' flatbed trailers. Top pay, insurance. Home most weekends. Senn Freight 1-800-477-0792 Experienced OTR Flatbed Drivers earn 50 up to 55 cpm loaded. $1000 sign on to Qualified drivers.

Home most weekends. Call: 843-266-3731 / www.bulldoghiwa y.com EOE REGIONAL DRIVERS! Excellent Benefits & Weekly Hometime.

CDL-A req. 888-362-8608 Apply online at AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer - Females, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

COLONIAL LIFE is seeking B2B sales reps. Commissions average $56K+/yr. Training & leads. Sales experience required, LA&H license preferred. Call Elisabeth at 803-391-5536.

Train to be a PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVER through Prime's Student Driver Program. Obtain your Commercial Driver's License, then get paid while training!

1-800-277-0212 driveforprime.com

RENTALS Unfurnished Apartments Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette.

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO Accepting Applications Oakland Plantation Apts.

5501 Edgehill Rd 499-2157 1 Bedroom apartments available. Applications accepted Mon., Wed. & Fri. 8am-4:30pm.

Brick 3BR 1BA Recently renovated. Mayesville Area $450 Mo. +Dep Call 843-374-3555 Nicely Updated 2BR home.

New carpet, appl's, water, dumspter, sec. lights inc'd.

Conv. Shaw. No H/A or PETS! $485/mo + $350/dep.

803-983-0043

TRANSPORTATION

Mopeds / ATVs / Motorcycles 2001 Kawasaki Bayou 220, like new. Less than 30hrs. $1500 FIRM. Call 803-260-9866 2005 Ultra Ground pounder Chopper w/ 127 engine 6speed. $12,000, Call 803-495-2310

Autos For Sale Mobile Home Rentals (Scenic Lake) 3BR 2BA 16x80 No pets Call 803-499-1500. No calls after 5pm

STATEBURG COURTYARD

A Guaranteed Credit Approval AUTO LOANS We will arrange financing even if you have been turned down before.

Loans available for no credit, bad credit, 1st Time Buyers & Bankruptcy buyers. No co-signers needed. Call Mr. Ashley Brown at 803-926-3235

2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water/sewer/garbage pk-up incl'd.

RV parking avail. Call 494-8350 American MHP, 2 & 3/BRs, lot rentals, water/sewer/garbage pkup inc'd. Sec. 8 ok. 803-494-4300.

3BR mobile home in Cresent MHP. 1st mo + security dep. Call 803-720-1600

Resort Rentals Ocean Lakes 2BR/2BA C/H/A Sleeps 8, near ocean, Call 803-773-2438

REDUCED $2,900. 1983 Pontiac Bonneville, 78,000 original miles.

Excellent condition.

803-968-1004 or 803-983-9599 Auto Choice Sales & Rentals Buy Here, Pay Here. No Credit, No Problem. Cash Rentals. 494-8827

Miscellaneous

2Br, 2Ba Condo, full kitchen, The Links Golf and Racquet Club, N. Myrtle Beach. March 23-30 2014, $400. Call 803-469-9092

Vacation Rentals ADVERTISE YOUR VACATION PROPERTY FOR RENT OR SALE to more than 2.6 million South Carolina newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified ad will appear in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Call Jimmie Haynes at the South Carolina Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Office Rentals Office space & warehouse. Approx. 1200 sq ft ea. Located in Summerton. Separate elec. meters. $900 mo or $500 mo for office or warehouse.

Call 803-837-0987.

REAL ESTATE Manufactured Housing Tax Time is Here... Low Credit Score? Been turned down for bad credit? Come try us, we do our own financing. We have 3-4-5 bedroom homes. Layaway program available. For more information, call 843-389-4215.

HOLLY COURT APARTMENTS located in Manning, currently have spacious two bedroom apartments for rent. Fully carpeted with central air and heat, water and sewer included. Please call to inquire about our Move in Special.

Ph:( 803) 435-8786

Mobile Homes with land. Ready to move in. Owner Financing (subject to credit approval). 3Br 2Ba. No renters. 803-454-2433, VMFhomes.com DL35711

107 N. Salem Ave. 1Br, pvt. patio, full kitchen, C/H/A, $435/mo. Prudential 774-7368.

3 Lots in City limits (Bishopville).

Asking $20,000 or possible trade.

Call 803-459-4773

Land & Lots for Sale

Reconditioned batteries $35. We buy OLD battery cores. Golf cart chargers for sale. Auto Electric Co 803-773-4381

READ LOCAL. SHOP LOCAL. LIVE LOCAL.