Shaw’s contribution to economy tops $900M THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES | VOL. 121, NO. 117
Base employed 7,548 military personnel, 1,052 civilians during the last fiscal year BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com During a two-year period, Shaw Air Force Base pumped more than $1.83 billion into the area, accord-
ing to economic impact statements released March 1. In fiscal year 2015, Shaw Air Force Base pumped $909.8 million into the area economy, a slight decrease of $9.1 million from the
$918.9 million impact reported for fiscal year 2014, which can be attributed to reduced operations and maintenance construction at the base west of Sumter. “Both of these years are just another wonderful example of the great impact that Shaw AFB has on this community and has had on
SEE SHAW, PAGE A6
Farms remain saturated
Sharing the love of ice climbing Veteran shares sport with prep school students A3 THE CLARENDON SUN
Manning High mock trial team takes on 1st competition A4
RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
The October 2015 flood has left many fields so flooded that farmers can’t even get their equipment into the fields. This John Deere cotton picker was left in a field on East Brewington Road before the flood but getting it out of the field may be a problem for the owner.
DEATHS, B5 Milledge A. Staley Sr. John Plowden Brian Harrison
Roger Allan Gileta Clarence James Sr.
WEATHER, A8 CLOUDS WILL PROBABLY RETURN Partly sunny today; rain and a thunderstorm likely tonight. HIGH 59, LOW 41
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Extension agent says rains may have moved soil, nutrients BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com “It’s still wet,” Clemson Extension agronomist David DeWitt said earlier this week when asked about the condition of farms in the area. “The rivers and ditches are full of water.” That was before additional rain fell Tuesday night, on top of the three inches of rain DeWitt said some farmers received last week. He said rain amounts have varied, but farmers are still unable to get much work done in their fields. “When you are already at a saturation point, that’s the problem,” DeWitt said. Jay Willard, who owns Willard Farms in eastern Sumter County, said he was hoping to plant some corn this week, but the
‘Ideally, we like to wait until we can till the entire field, but the calendar says it’s time to plant even if you have to leave out some of the lower portions.’ DAVID DEWITT Clemson Extension agronomist rain Tuesday night have made that plan unlikely. His property has more hills than many in the area, so he said he may
have to plant the higher elevations and leave the lower acreage alone. “In this part of the country, after a big rain you can till the hill part, but the lower parts of the farm stay wet so long,” he said. “Ideally, we like to wait until we can till the entire field, but the calendar says it’s time to plant even if you have to leave out some of the lower portions.” DeWitt said even getting into the fields to take soil samples has been difficult. “With the soil being saturated, it’s hard to get a good reading because it is so wet,” he said. DeWitt said a lot of farmers are doing grid sampling to determine how soil and nutrients have been moved because of all the rains. “Soil that was on a hill might now be lower
down, because the soil has moved,” he said. “We don’t know how much of the nutrients have moved out of the soil and how far they’ve moved.” Wet soil can cause false readings, he said. “Especially the pH might show a little bit higher than it actually is,” he explained. DeWitt said the soil may dry a little bit when trees start taking up some water, but if the area stays in a cycle of getting several inches of rain every 10 days, it may not matter much. Farmers are trying to come up with strategies to deal with the conditions, he said. “We have got several farmers that are looking at growing vegetables, peas and stuff like that,” he said. “But that market
SEE FARMS, PAGE A6
Republicans seek last-ditch strategy to stop Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down the prospect of nominating Donald Trump for president, Republicans spiraled into a chaotic, last-ditch search Wednesday for a way to save the GOP from hitching its fortunes to an unpredictable celebrity candidate without alienating his throng of followers. Sensing a window closing fast, GOP leaders and elder statesmen toggled through a menu of scenarios but landed on none. Some amplified calls to rally around a Trump alternative, even if that alternative is Ted Cruz, a prickly conservative with few friends in the party. Others laid out still-hazy plans for a brokered national convention, an option likely to smack of the backroom dealing Trump fans despise. Some floated more extreme measures, talking of breaking from the party and starting anew. “It’s all a play to stall it or try to deny him the nomination,” said Neil Newhouse, a GOP pollster. “And the problem with that is no one has the best scenario for how to do that.” The scrambling came as the billionaire candidate racked up commanding
victories in seven of eleven Super Tuesday primary contests, and the path to victory for his rivals narrowed. Trump’s strength — which stretched from the Deep South to New England — exposed the depths of the divisions within the party, no matter who becomes the nominee in this election. As Republicans surveyed the wreckage from Trump’s surge, some argued there was still a chance to stop him. He was not yet on track to claim the nomination before the party’s national gathering in July, according to an Associated Press delegate count. He has won 46 percent of the delegates awarded so far, and he would have to increase that to 51 percent in the remaining primaries. “Trump had a good night, but he left the door open,” said David Winston, a Republican pollster. The GOP mayhem contrasted sharply with a clearer picture on the Democratic side, where Hillary Clinton on Tuesday locked down solid victories in seven states and was on the path to regaining her status as the inevitable nominee.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on Super Tuesday primary election night at the White and Gold Ballroom at The Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rival Sen. Bernie Sanders vowed to keep up the fight, campaigning in Maine on Wednesday. Sanders, a fierce opponent of big money in politics, quoted director and screenwriter Adam McKay, winner of this year’s Oscar for “The Big Short” adapted screenplay, who warned about candidates who take major contributions from “weirdo billionaires.” Republicans, meanwhile, looked for a wise man to calm the jitters and point the way. Mitt Romney, their nominee four
years ago, suggested he might try to fill that role. The former Massachusetts governor announced plans to speak on the “state of the 2016 presidential race” Thursday in Utah. Romney has moved aggressively to take on Trump in recent days, saying the billionaire’s unreleased tax returns might contain “bombshells.” But he was not expected to endorse a candidate or announce a late entry into the race himself.
SEE GOP, PAGE A6