May 25, 2014

Page 1

Penny for Progress brings road work

A2

Better Footing Cutter returns as coach in hopes of getting Manning-Santee legion team back in top form B1

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2014

$1.50

2014 Iris Festival

911: I need help now.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ROB COTTINGHAM / THE SUMTER ITEM PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Karisse Robinson, 1, plays with an iris flower at the Iris Festival on Saturday at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS TODAY’S EVENTS 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. today • Arts and crafts/Food Court/Marketplace • Swan Lake boat rides/live entertainment • Art of Welding by Central Carolina Technical College • Art in the Gardens • Gateway to Gardening • Flower Show at Alice Boyle Garden Center, 2-4 p.m. • 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sumter Cruisers Show & Shine, Garden Street • noon-5 p.m., Just Kidding Around, Children’s Area • noon-5 p.m., Children’s Art in the Park

SEE FORUM, PAGE A8

SEE 911 TEXT, PAGE A11

Candidates trade jabs in pre-election forum BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

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BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225

his service to the district, arguing its needs have been neglected. The neglect is visible, he said, on any

See more photos from Saturday’s festivities on page A3

BRISTOW MARCHANT / THE SUMTER ITEM

Primary opponents Brian Alston, left, and Grady Brown speak with a voter at Thursday’s candidate forum. Alston is seeking to unseat 30-year incumbent Brown in the Democratic primary for House District 50. The two traded jabs about the state of the district during Brown’s tenure in office. in the S.C. House of Representatives, representing portions of Lee, Kershaw and Sumter counties. But Rembert native Alston is challenging the Bishopville Democrat on

Local officials talk pros, cons of new 911 texting option In recent weeks, news of recent advances in technology that allow cellphones to text information to 911 centers has made headlines around the country, as local governments in 16 states are now using the updated system. In South Carolina, the system is only officially being used by 911 centers in Greenville County and is reportedly in the testing phases for other areas. According to some stories, the benchmark, which has been touted as a major advancement in 911 technology, marks the first step out of the voice-only system that was originally implemented in the 1960s. Those same advocates say the technology comes in handy for the deaf and mute communities, as well as during particularly hairy situations, such as an instance of ongoing domestic violence, when phone calls might not be as easy to perform. While the integration of texting into the 911 system has its applications, some have questioned the overall practicality of texting during an emergency situation. “Law enforcement makes it a priority to stay up to date with the latest technology,” said Sumter Police Chief Russell F. Roark III. “But using it as a primary method raises some concerns. It’s a matter of slowing down response time, and we definitely don’t want to do that.” Shirlene Skipper, the director for 911 in Sumter, isn’t opposed to the new technology but remains an ardent advocate for the original method. “From a 911 voice call, I can get exactly what I need from a caller in 30 to 50 seconds,” she said. “You could give me all the information that I need as an operator in that amount of time — about the same time you’d just be finishing the first text.”

Troy Landry, a star of the History channel’s reality show “Swamp People,” greets Sumterites at the festival on Saturday.

With little more than two weeks to go before polls open in the 2014 primary elections, four men hoping to represent tri-county voters made their case, and drew contrasts with their opponents, in a candidates’ forum on Thursday. One of the state’s longest serving legislators, Rep. Grady Brown, traded barbs with his young challenger Brian Alston, while two others seeking their first elected office, Charlie Jones and Jimmy McCain, sought to convince voters they were each the best choice to serve on Sumter County Council. This week’s forum, hosted by the Sumter branch of the NAACP at the North HOPE Center, brought together all these candidates, giving citizens the chance to ask them questions during what may be the only time they appear in the same venue before the June 10 vote. Everyone at Thursday’s forum is running in the Democratic Party primary. Brown is running for a 16th term

Proponents of the new 911 texting system say the option to send a text message to emergency operators would be beneficial in some scenarios, such as criminal domestic violence.

CONTACT US

DEATHS, A11

Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1237 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News and Sports: 774-1226

Leonard Cogdill Thomas Dukes Sr. Samuel Prince Jr. Alton L. Deas Lily McFadden Robert Bracey Stephen C. Battilana Sr.

WEATHER, A12

INSIDE

SUNNY DAY, STORMY NIGHT

5 SECTIONS, 38 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 189

Partly sunny throughout the day; partly cloudy with a late thunderstorm at night. HIGH 86, LOW 64

Business D1 Classifieds D3 Comics E1

Lotteries A12 Opinion A9 Television E3


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