March 18, 2016

Page 1

IN SPORTS: Wilson Hall baseball travels to face archrival Laurence Manning B1 ROAD TRIP

Savannah, Georgia, celebrates St. Patrick all weekend A3 FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

| Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894

75 cents

House leaders make U-turn on roads GOP leaders will back Senate plan BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Republican leaders in the South Carolina House promised in a letter to Gov. Nikki Haley they won’t insist on their version of a roads bill

passed last year to fund road repairs with a gasoline tax increase, but Democrats and some Republicans said the state needs to find a stable source of funding for infrastructure. The promise from House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, means any increase in the state’s gas tax won’t happen this year.

Lucas had originally been critical of the Senate bill, calling the plan “deceptive.” “Not only does their plan mislead the people of South Carolina into thinking that a large pot of general fund money will be available every year for roads, it also practices reckless budgeting that jeopardizes the prosperity of our economy,” Lucas

said shortly after the Senate ended a filibuster and passed the plan. “Kicking the can further down the road and into a giant pothole defies the test of real leadership.” The letter Lucas sent to the governor was also signed by Majority Leader Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, and Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill,

who spent months putting together the roads plan that passed the House during the 2015 session. That plan included a gas tax increase as well as an income tax reduction. However, many Republican legislators balked at voting to raise the gas tax during an election year after population

SEE ROADS, PAGE A6

Farm-to-table dinner Carll Field from Johnny’s Garden Juice Bar serves a Sunset Smoothie to the crowd attending the annual Farm to Table event at Sumter County Civic Center on Thursday. The event is held by Sumter Rotary Club and features locally grown food vendors and raises money for charity. KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Senate panel OKs releasing police shooting dash cam videos COLUMBIA (AP) — Dashboard camera video of all police shootings in South Carolina would be released to the public unless investigators can convince a judge the footage would damage their case or jeopardize police procedure, according to a bill approved Thursday by a Senate subcommittee. If a judge blocks the release, the judge must give a reason and say when it can be released, said Sen. Larry Martin, who pushed for the bill.

The Pickens Republican decided the legislation was necessary after the State Law Enforcement Division waited three months to release the video of a Seneca officer shooting and killing 19-yearold Zachary Hammond in July. The agency released the video after a prosecutor decided the shooting was justified, saying police Lt. Mark Tiller feared he might be run over even though it appeared Tiller moved toward the car and put

himself in the dangerous situation. Without the video, speculation spread in the community that investigators were trying to hide something. “This provides an important check on law enforcement and the system,” Martin said. Martin also submitted an amendment to the bill that would allow authorities to delete the final words of a dying victim from a 911 call released to the public. That was prompted by a Pickens Coun-

Smith announces re-election bid FROM STAFF REPORTS Rep. G. Murrell Smith Jr. has announced he will be seeking re-election in the South Carolina House, representing District 67. Smith, a Republican, has held the seat since 2001. In a news release announcing his reelection bid, Smith said he has been instrumental in furthering the economic development of Sumter as well as supporting education reform and

other initiatives such as securing the Pinewood Landfill Site. He also cited his involvement in the development and completion of the new Central Carolina TechniSMITH cal College Industrial Technology Building. “Our strong legislative delegation,

.com

Mary Agnes Thomas Carrie Lee Grant Vara Burns Ezekiel R. Hastie Mary J. Pompey

Tyron Harvin Brenda Harrison Daniel Kay Hill Sr. Joan Fay Matta Essie Kennedy Sandra W. Dennis

dom of Information Act. A prosecutor in Columbia decided to release stunning footage of a state trooper shooting a man during a traffic stop hours after he was fired in 2014. The State Law Enforcement Division released dashcam video from a former North Charleston officer who is charged with murder in the shooting of Walter Scott after a traffic

SEE VIDEOS, PAGE A6

Rembert native runs for County Council BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Rembert native Caleb Kershaw made a public announcement Wednesday during an event at Catchall Shaw Community Center that he is running for Sumter County Council District 1. Kershaw, 35, works for South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and is the owner of HardTime Studios, a graphic design and

DEATHS, B4 and B5

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

SEE SMITH, PAGE A6

ty case where a man shot a neighbor as he was calling 911 to report his friend was shot. The gunshot could be heard on the call, along with the victim’s screams, gasps and moans. The South Carolina Press Association did not oppose the amendment and supported the legislation on dashboard camera videos. Law enforcement agencies use different standards to determine if a video should be made public under the Free-

Joan Tipton Jailynn Andrews David J. Benenhaley Thelma J. Hodge Richard G. Barkley Sylvia L. Miott

Annie Murray William McFadden Jr. Eva Robinson Dennis Dupree Michelle E. Johnson

photography studio. Kershaw also served six years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and unit supply specialist and is a member of Sumter Combat KERSHAW Veteran Group. As far as community involvement, Kershaw is an assistant

SEE KERSHAW, PAGE A6

WEATHER, A10

INSIDE

COOLER WITH SHOWERS

2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 130

Cooling off today with afternoon showers; tonight, mostly cloudy with showers. HIGH 71, LOW 52

Classifieds B6 Comics A8 Opinion A9 Television A7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
March 18, 2016 by The Sumter Item - Issuu