May 31, 2014

Sheriff warns those hiding fugitive

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

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

75 CENTS

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES | VOL. 119, NO. 194

Maybe she’s not so evil after all

After elevating a shooting suspect to Sumter County’s Top 10 Most Wanted list, Sheriff Anthony Dennis has set his crosshairs on those who have been helping the fugitive.

“We are going to charge anyone who has been aiding and abetting

the suspect and will be prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law,” Dennis said.

The fugitive Dennis referred to is Travis Santell Miller, 25, of 25 Harrison MILLER St., who is wanted on an attempted murder charge in the shooting of a 20-year-old

man that occurred May 20. The victim remains in a comatose state at a Columbia-area hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck.

Dennis moved Miller to the most-wanted list on Thursday after information led investigators to a Williamsburg County residence where Miller was allegedly hiding. The suspect was not found at the residence.

“We know people are helping him,” the sheriff said. “We’re already looking at a few individuals we think are helping him, and we’re going to make sure they’re punished accordingly.”

As of Friday afternoon, the suspect had not been arrested. The sheriff said there are new leads, however.

SEE MILLER, PAGE A7

The new face of Shaw

Jolie’s Maleficent not just a vile fairy anymore A4

Graham stops in Sumter We sit down with the senator A5 SPORTS

USC opens regional against Campbell B1 ON TELEVISION

New AMC drama recalls PC clone wars of 1980s B5

20th Fighter Wing gets new commander

DEATHS, A7 Helen M. Katsos Paul Jones Jr. Mark A. Deininger Willie Leo Poole Annie L. Jackson

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

WEATHER, A8 CLOUDS AND SUN Expect a few showers this afternoon and tonight HIGH 86, LOW 66

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PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Col. Stephen Jost assumes command of the 20th Fighter Wing from Col. Clay Hall during the change of command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on Friday.

.com

For almost two hours Friday morning, hundreds of airmen stood firmly in formation in an air hangar, waiting for the moment when one commander would hand the wing’s colors over to another.

They spilled out of the hangar doors and out onto the runway at Shaw Air Force Base, 400 members of the 20th Fighter Wing lined up to see Col. Stephen Jost assume command of the wing, at the request of their outgoing commander.

“I wanted 400 airmen here for a couple different reasons,” said Col. Clay Hall. “One, to view America’s premier air wing and because we have the same number deployed right now in 16 different locations around our area of responsibility.”

The time-honored ceremony was meant to formally hand command of Shaw’s host unit

Jost is welcomed by Maj. Gen. Jake Polumbo, left, and Col. Clay Hall during the ceremony. Jost comes to Shaw from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where he served as 33rd Operations Group commander. over to Jost, a 20-year Air Force veteran and experienced F-16 pilot who comes to Shaw from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where he served as 33rd Operations Group commander. But the main focus of both commanders was on the service of the airmen who daily take on the challenges of keeping its operations running smoothly.

“I’m a steward. My clock is already ticking. I’m expendable,”

Jost told his new charges shortly after he accepted the fighter wing’s command flag. “To Shaw AFB, our other tenants and the community around us, I will be held accountable for you.”

The 20th Fighter Wing has three F-16 squadrons conducting operations in the Middle East region, where the United States continues to face a series of challenges. Hall

SEE JOST, PAGE A7

Shinseki resigns amid vets’ health care issues Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki speaks at a meeting of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans on Friday.

Shinseki resigned from his post Friday, and President Obama appointed Sloan Gibson, the agency’s No. 2 official, as temporary secretary.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beset by growing evidence of patient delays and cover-ups, embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from President Obama’s Cabinet on Friday, taking the blame for what he decried as a “lack of integrity” in the sprawling health care system for the nation’s military veterans.

Obama, under mounting pressure to act from fellow Democrats who are worried about political fallout in the fall elections, praised the re-

tired four-star general and said he accepted his resignation with “considerable regret.” But the president, too, focused on increasingly troubling allegations of treatment delays and preventable deaths at veterans hospitals across the country.

Emerging from an Oval Office meeting with Shinseki, a stone-faced Obama said the secretary himself acknowledged he had become a distraction as the administration moves to address the VA’s troubles, and the presi-

dent agreed with him.

“We don’t have time for distractions,” Obama said. “We need to fix the problem.”

One of Shinseki’s last acts as secretary was to hand the president an internal accounting that underscored just how big the problems have become.

It showed that in some cases, VA schedulers have been pressured to fake information for reports to make waiting times for medical appointments look more favorable.

SEE SHINSEKI, PAGE A7

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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

Awash in politics

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

USC Sumter wins recognition for helping military students succeed

LMA will host golf tourney in Wyboo The Laurence Manning Academy Golf Tournament will be held June 7 at the Players Course at Wyboo, beginning with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament is held this year in memory of LMA alumnus Keith Wallace.

This is a Captain’s Choice tournament. Cost for a fourplayer team is $200. Organizers will attempt to place individual entries in teams. Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin and longest drives.

Mulligans will be available for purchase. Lunch is provided.

Hole sponsorships are available at $100 per sign.

Registration must be completed by June 2.

For more information, call Darrell Turner at (803) 4607557 or visit laurencemanning.com.

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214

‘ ... Sometimes

military members and their dependents have unique needs. ...

And we’re working hard right now to further increase and improve our service to those students.’

Children’s clothing store coming to Sumter Mall Local parents of young children may rejoice come fall.

Sumter Mall is adding The Children’s Place, according to the group that owns the facility, Hull Storey Gibson Cos. The owner also plans to spruce the mall up both inside and out, according to a Friday news release.

Those plans include new carpet, restrooms, paint, raising the ceilings, improving interior lighting and installing historical photographs throughout mall corridors.

The outside will receive “a facelift” including improved signage and landscaping, the release states.

Construction is set to begin in June and should be completed in the fall. Signs will be posted, and all stores will remain open during normal business hours.

CORRECTION

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

If you see a statement in error, contact the City Desk at 774-1226 or pressrelease@theitem.com.

A Sen. Lindsey Graham supporter protects herself from the rain with a campaign sign on Thursday after seeing the incumbent Senate hopeful speak at Sunset Country Club in Sumter. See our interview with Graham on page A5.

SEAMLESS SUMMER PROGRAM SITES Sumter School District announces the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Seamless Summer Food Service program. Meals will be available at no charge to eligible children.

The program makes meals available to children 18 years of age or younger, or 19 years old with a disability and enrolled in Meals will be served at the following sites: Sumter High School (AJROTC, Football, REACH); Millwood Elementary School (PERK & PARD); Cherryvale Community Center; Ebenezer Community Center; M.H. Newton Enrichment Center; The Salvation Army (Boys & Girls Club); Enon Missionary Baptist Church; North HOPE Center; South HOPE Center; Wilder Elementary School (PERK); Kingsbury Elementary School; Manchester Elementary School; Rembert/Rafting Creek Community Center; Bridges of Hope Summer Camp;

Victory Media recently named University of South Carolina Sumter to its 2014 Military Friendly Schools list. The annual list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

Now in its fifth year, the list includes more than 1,800 colleges, universities and trade schools. These institutions exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience, according to a recent news release. The schools have various programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility and other services to those who served.

“Inclusion on MICHAEL SONNTAG the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools shows USC Sumter dean USC Sumter’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students,” said Sean Collins, vice president at Victory Media and a nine-year Navy veteran. “The need for education is growing, and our mission is to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools.”

Victory Media compiled the 2014 Military Friendly Schools list after extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 10,000 schools in the country that are approved for VA tuition funding. The survey results were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media. Each year, the survey for the schools to be named to the list becomes more rigorous than the previous year. The schools are held to a higher standard and the methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board made up of educators from schools across the U.S. is improved.

“USC Sumter is excited to receive the Military Friendly designation,” said Dean Michael Sonntag in a statement. “Faculty and staff are dedicated to helping all students succeed, but sometimes military members and their dependents have unique needs. With our Base Education Office personnel and recently hired veterans affairs coordinator, we are able to assist our military students and their dependents with most issues as they arise. And we’re working hard right now to further increase and improve our service to these students.”

Victory Media is the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life. According to the website, the founders of Victory Media left the Navy in the 1990s only to find few resources to help them transition into civilian careers. With that in mind, the three founders launched the first brand G.I. Jobs as a monthly print magazine and website in 2001 after finishing business school.

school. Tentative dates for program operation are June 1 through Aug. 9.

Other sites will be added as available. For more information, call Leon Williams, director of food services, at (803) 499-5950, extension 109.

Mount Zion Baptist Church; Delaine Community Center; South Sumter Park (PARD); South Sumter Resource Center; Birnie HOPE Center; Haynesworth Center (PARD); Reid Chapel AME Church; Pinewood Gardens Community Center; High Hills AME Church; Rast Street Apartments; A Teacher’s Place; Friendship Community Center; Pocalla Springs Elementary School (PARD); Eastern Community Center; Crestwood High School (Football); Harmony Court Community Center;

Alice Drive Middle School; Oakland Primary (PARD); Lemira Elementary School; Shabach Summer Program; St. Paul AME Church; Lakewood High School (Football); Second Presbyterian Church; Northwestern Ministries; New Birth Holiness Church; Shiloh Community Center; Lantana Apartments; Poplar Square Apartments; Spring Creek Apartments; Crosswell Drive Elementary School; Prophetic Destiny Ministries; and Mount Pisgah Apartments.

HOW TO REACH US IS YOUR PAPER MISSING? ARE YOU GOING ON VACATION? 20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, S.C. 29150 (803) 774-1200 Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Jack@theitem.com (803) 774-1238 Braden Bunch Senior News Editor bbunch@theitem.com (803) 774-1201 Waverly Williams Sales Manager wwilliams@theitem.com (803) 774-1237

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LOCAL | NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

Drones are newest hurricane research tools for scientists

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

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Hop to it

BY JENNIFER KAY Associated Press Writer MIAMI — The point where the roiling ocean meets the fury of a hurricane’s winds may hold the key to improving storm-intensity forecasts — but it’s nearly impossible for scientists to see.

That may change this summer, thanks to post-Hurricane Sandy federal funding and a handful of winged drones that can spend hours spiraling in a hurricane’s dark places, transmitting data that could help forecasters understand what makes some storms fizzle while others strengthen into monsters. Knowing that information while a storm is still far offshore could help emergency managers better plan for evacuations or storm surge risks.

A hurricane is like an engine, and warm ocean water is its fuel. One secret, scientists say, is getting a better understanding of how the warm water transfers energy to tropical storms.

“We really need to get a better idea of what’s going on down there before we even look to improve our intensity forecast,” said Joe Cione, who studies how storms interact with the ocean at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Research Division in Miami.

Hurricane-hunter aircraft typically don’t fly below 5,000 feet and can’t descend below 1,500 feet, and realtime radar doesn’t provide information about the thermodynamics at work inside a storm’s cloudy core.

Canisters stuffed with electronics dropped from the planes transmit data about a storm’s pressure, temperature, winds and moisture as they fall to the ocean, but they remain airborne for only a few minutes.

The kind of drone that Cione plans to launch from the hurricane hunters will spend hours descending slowly, cruising on the air currents spinning through a storm, possibly even orbiting a hurricane’s eyewall.

The amount of data the 3-foot, 7-pound drone — the Coyote, shaped like a thin missile with retractable wings — could collect in the lowest parts of a hurricane would give researchers a movie compared to the snapshots sent back by the canisters, Cione said.

The drones have a propeller and are controlled by someone in the hurricane hunter aircraft, but they are designed to float on air currents, not fly against strong winds. And the small drones are disposable — once they hit the water, they won’t be recovered.

Hurricane forecasters have gotten good at predicting where a storm will hit, and the so-called “cone of uncertainty” that shows a storm’s likely path will shrink again this year. Improvements in predicting changes in the intensity of storms, though, have lagged.

Several factors can alter a storm’s intensity, such as cold water from the ocean’s depths mixing with warm water at the surface, wind shear, the cyclical rebuilding of the wall of clouds that ring a hurricane’s eye or a change in the energy a storm is pulling from the ocean. That last variable is what Cione calls a “data void region,” and it’s where the drones will aim.

“There’s a reason you don’t have hurricanes over land — they need the water, they need that evaporation and condensation, which is the source of their energy. So, how does that happen?” Cione said. “If we can’t sample this region very well, very accurately, all the time, we could have the potential to miss how much energy is coming out of the ocean by a third or a half.”

POLICE BLOTTER CHARGES Anthony Dustin Dill, 28, of 1280 Bell Road; Ashley Meghan Pack, 29, of 20 Sheffield Court in Manning; and Ricky Lee Watford, 42, of 2270 Swallow Drive, were arrested at 2 p.m. on Thursday and charged with criminal conspiracy and manufacture of methamphetamine.

According to reports, deputies responded to assist S.C. Highway Patrol on Ramsey Road in reference to a traffic stop on a vehicle that Pack, Dill and Watford were inside. Dill was immediately arrested and charged with driving under suspension. During a pat down of Dill, officers reportedly found a spoon with a quantity of residue on it in Dill’s pants pocket.

A similar spoon was reportedly found in the glove compartment, along with a quantity of a liquid substance and hydrochloride tablets. Highway Patrol conducted an inventory of the vehicle, which included three cans of starter fluid, a bag of syringes, a bottle of drain opener, seven lithium batteries, an instant cold pack and a package of nasal decongestant. Another package of nasal decongestant was found in Pack’s purse. All three were taken on the criminal conspiracy charges to Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, where they were later charged with manufacture of methamphetamine.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY According to reports, a couple in the 600 block of Antlers Drive got into an argument about attending

a family reunion late Wednesday night. The victim said his wife became enraged, hit him repeatedly with a shoe, kicked him in the groin and then chased him around the house for two-and-a-half hours. The wife told officers that she got aggressive when her husband began yelling and “bucking up” at her. The victim stated he did not want to

Wilson Hall senior Hazel Gray Hudson, above, hops to the finish line in the sack race during the recent 17th annual Class Challenge. Put on by the school’s student council, the field day pits students in grades nine through 12 against each other in competitions such as a three-legged race and mixed relay. The senior class won.

Wilson Hall sophomore Betsy Cunningham, left, lunges to make a catch in the water balloon toss during the challenge.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

press charges, and the couple was advised to stay away from each other and seek counseling.

STOLEN PROPERTY An air-conditioning unit and a well water pump were reported stolen from a home in the 200 block of Pioneer Drive at 1:19 p.m. on Thursday. The items are valued at $1,500.

A 24-inch Dell laptop com-

puter and a smaller Dell laptop computer were reported stolen from a home in the 5800 block of Alcott Drive in Wedgefield at 10:53 a.m. on Thursday. The items are valued at $2,800.

A red Toro push lawn mower, a Poulan 16-inch chainsaw, a Skilsaw and a yellow air compressor were reported stolen from the storage shed of a home in the 5600 block of

Peach Tree Road in Wedgefield at 8:09 a.m. on Thursday. The items are valued at $1,600.

VANDALISM A home in the 3800 block of Congruity Road was reported as having sustained $1,500 in damage at 1:48 a.m. on Friday after an unknown suspect kicked in the front door of the residence.

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REVIEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

Jolie proves a fun hero-villain in ‘Maleficent’

BY JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press Writer Maybe it’s too soon to say the tide has shifted definitively. But it’s certainly been a unique time for fairy-tale villains.

After hundreds of years of moral clarity, suddenly we’re getting a new look at these evil creatures, who are actually turning out to be complex beings, and not that bad at all.

Really, they’ve just been misunderstood. (And, by the way, those charming princes?

Highly overrated.)

The most obvious recent example is “Frozen,” the animated Disney blockbuster that showed us how the Snow Queen, long portrayed as an icy-hearted villain, was actually a tragic victim of circumstance, with a pure and loving heart. And now we have “Maleficent,” which tells us that one of the most evil characters in all of pop culture is equally vulnerable and misunderstood.

Plus, she’s gorgeous. Duh. She’s Angelina Jolie.

All this is a rather seismic development in fairytale-dom.

There are numerous versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” stemming back even before Charles Perrault’s from 1697, but the fairy who casts an angry spell on the baby princess, dooming her to prick her finger, has always been, well, just nasty.

But now, 55 years after Disney introduced the character named Maleficent in its 1959 classic film— and colored her skin an eerie green — the studio is back with a live-action (not to mention 3D) Maleficent who’s more superheroine than evil fairy. Think Maleficent by way of Lara Croft.

And though Maleficent is no longer green-skinned, it’s hard not to think of another green-skinned villainess who’s also been rehabilitated, by means of the durable Broadway hit “Wicked”: the witch Elphaba from “The Wizard of Oz,” who, it turns out,

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angelina Jolie portrays the lead heroine in a scene from “Maleficent.” we just didn’t know enough about.

And so it is in “Maleficent,” in which director Robert Stromberg and screenwriter Linda Woolverton take us back to the fairy’s youth to better understand her. She’s a plucky young thing with lovely wings and bright pink lipstick, which will turn bloodred when she becomes an adult (the fairy world clearly isn’t lacking for cosmetics.)

One day she meets a young man from that other, darker world, where humans live.

The two form a strong bond.

But the ugliest human emotions — jealousy and ambition — will intervene. Young Stefan will grow into the power-

hungry older Stefan (the wildeyed South African actor Sharlto Copley.) And his stunning betrayal of Maleficent will instantly harden her, turning her into the villainess we recognize.

Alas, the story’s still all about a guy, in the end. But we digress.

“Maleficent” is surely targeted to the same audience — young and female — which has so lovingly embraced “Frozen” and its appealing message of female solidarity and empowerment. But “Frozen” felt clever, charming, and fresh. “Maleficent,” less so.

Part of this is due, paradoxically, to Jolie’s star wattage.

Don’t get us wrong: she’s the best thing about the movie, and always worth watching.

But it blunts the effectiveness of the narrative if we can never quite believe Maleficent is bad. That’s because we know she’s essentially good, and she seems to know that we know it; You can see it in the upturned wrinkle of her mouth.

And frankly, the other characters are simply not that interesting — Stefan, but also Elle Fanning’s Aurora, or “Sleeping Beauty.” The best scenes Aurora has, in fact, are when she’s a gurgling baby and then, adorably, a toddler, played by none other than 5-year-old Vivienne Jolie-Pitt.

New kiddie fitness band more toy than tech NEW YORK (AP) — Wearable technology is all the rage these days for adults. Now, the concept is spreading to kids.

LeapFrog, the maker of kids’ tablets and other educational products, recently unveiled the LeapBand, a device worn around the wrist. It’s really more of a toy, designed for kids ages 4 to 7, rather than a true fitness tracker. Yet it does offer some of the same features in a kid-friendly way.

And in light of concerns about kids getting too much screen time, some parents may see the new product as a way to satisfy technological cravings while keeping kids active.

The LeapBand doesn’t go on sale until August, but I’ve had a chance to try one out in recent weeks. It will retail for $40 and come in blue, green or pink.

The LeapBand doesn’t have a GPS receiver, a touch screen or any sensors to tell exactly how much your child is moving. But a little energy bar that encircles the band’s small color screen does keep track of how many activity challenges your child cues up.

In that mode, the band will ask your child to do tasks such as “leap like a frog” or “swim like a fish with a wish.”

For each challenge, the child earns points and the energy bar charting their progress extends a little bit more.

Once the devices launch, parents will be able to sync the bands with software on the company’s website or a smartphone app and track their child’s activities.

Those features weren’t ready when I tested it.

I was surprised how eager my 4-year-old daughter was to follow the instructions the LeapBand gave her. She’s an active kid to start with, but it was fun to see her

Aimed at children aged 4 to 7, the LeapBand, a product by LeapFrog, is a device worn around the wrist and designed to track the fitness of the child wearing it.

bounce around the room when the device told her to.

Integrated into the device are a variety of virtual pets that your child can exercise along with, as well as feed and bathe.

Remember those Tamagotchi toys from the 1990s? It’s the same idea.

Points earned from activity challenges unlock new pets, as well as treats and toys for them.

There are several different pets and customization options, so little kids may need help setting this up.

My daughter selected a cat, customized the color of its fur, chose a name and then danced along as it moved across the screen. But she also got sucked in by some of the band’s more sedate games, particularly one where you use the device’s arrow keys to catch falling food items in your pet’s feeding dish.

The first day she had it, she wouldn’t take the LeapBand off. But as with a lot of other toys she’s received, it was pushed aside in favor of something else by the second day.

Like many LeapFrog products, the LeapBand is designed to withstand the everyday tortures inflicted by small children.

While a bit bulky, its hard, plastic shell is durable and water resistant.

The reality is, most small children aren’t going to wear or use this kind of device on a regular basis the way an adult would with a traditional fitness tracker. And unlike adults who buy fitness trackers, most kids aren’t focused on losing weight or staying active.

In addition, the LeapBand’s games and activity challenges just aren’t engaging enough to monopolize a small child’s limited attention span for very long.

The website will eventually have additional games that parents can download, giving kids more variety. But it’s still tough to draw young kids for long.

Yet if a product like this gets some kids that normally would curl up on the couch with a tablet to instead get on their feet and bounce around, then maybe it’s not a bad thing after all.

(In the movie’s one laugh-outloud moment, Maleficent tells Aurora: “I don’t like children.”)

But Fanning as Aurora is too boringly sweet — especially compared to the fabulousin-every-way Maleficent, with her blazing lips, fashionable black headgear and exaggerated cheekbones, not to mention her way around a quip.

In the end, “Maleficent” is fun for its appealing visuals — especially in the forest — and for watching Jolie. But that’s not enough to make the whole film interesting. As the minutes tick by, you might even start feeling a bit like Sleeping Beauty herself comes to feel: Drowsy.

‘The Directive’ an exciting page-turner

BY JEFF AYERS Associated Press Writer “The Directive,” Matthew Quirk’s follow-up to his best-selling “The 500,” continues the adventures of lawyer and former con man Mike Ford in another exciting page-turner.

Mike, who has reformed, is looking forward to marrying his fiancee, Annie. They are finalizing china patterns and wedding invitation fonts when Annie’s father pulls Mike aside and tries to buy him off.

He wants Mike stay far away, and since her father seems to be eerily similar to the person Mike used to be, he’s suspicious. He refuses, earning the wrath of Annie’s father.

Shortly afterward, Mike’s brother, Jack, invites him to dinner. They have been estranged, and Jack wants to reconcile. Mike has a hard time believing Jack has reformed because his brother was also a master of the con. He wants to believe that Jack is now on the right side of the law, but it’s difficult. His suspicions are justified when men with guns arrive.

Mike is forced back into the world of cons to not only save his brother, but Annie as well. These criminals will stop at nothing to get what they want, and murder is nothing more than a means to an end.

The minute wedding details at the beginning of “The Directive” give the story a bit of a slower start than most thrillers deliver, but the mix of business-insider insight and deception propels this compelling story from Quirk.

LOCAL | STATE

THE SUMTER ITEM

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

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Governor calls for end to Atlantic Beach Bikefest ‘It is time for that Bikefest to come to an end, and that is the way that I am going to talk to the elected officials of Atlantic Beach.’

GOV. NIKKI HALEY

CONWAY (AP) — Prompted by a weekend rash of violence that left three people dead, Gov. Nikki Haley on Friday called for an end to a Memorial Day bike rally in the Myrtle Beach area.

“It is time for that Bikefest to come to an end, and that is the way that I am going to talk to the elected officials of Atlantic Beach,” Haley told reporters in Conway after meeting with area leaders, including Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes.

Police have not directly linked the violence with the bikers, thousands of whom flocked to tiny Atlantic Beach during the weekend, spilling over into nearby areas.

Haley also said she wants to meet with Atlantic Beach leaders to discuss how to boost the economy and tourism

for the area without Bikefest, which attracts mainly black bikers.

Atlantic Beach Mayor Jake Evans said he will do what he can to help surrounding areas control the spillover crowds that arrive HALEY for the Atlantic Beach Bikefest but said the town has no plans to cancel or significantly change the event.

“I’ve talked to different business owners, citizens, participants, and everyone said it was a well-run event,” he said.

“Everybody just raved about how wellbehaved everyone was.”

Evans said he plans to meet with other area mayors to see what can be done to deal with the situation.

Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Brad Dean said he thinks Atlantic Beach should be part of any changes made in response to the violence in other areas of the Grand Strand.

“Atlantic Beach should strive to be part of the solution,” Dean said.

The other coastal communities must restore order during Memorial Day weekend, too, he said.

Rhodes says the General Assembly needs to pass a bill allowing municipalities to hire off-duty officers from other states to help during the weekend that includes the Bikefest and Myrtle Beach’s Military Appreciation Days.

Earlier this month, Myrtle Beach hosted a Harley-Davidson rally. No major incidents were reported.

Graham talks challengers, strategy on campaign trail

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 During election season, the road to Washington takes a turn through Sumter. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham swung through town this week to eat dinner with supporters at Sunset Country Club, hoping to sell his message to the voters he needs to send him back to the Senate for a third term.

Graham faces no fewer than a half-dozen challengers for the Republican nomination this year, but his message during his visit on Thursday focused more on joining an expected GOP majority in the Senate after November’s election.

“I don’t think even we can screw this up,” he said. “We just need to get to 51 seats, and we’ll get a vote on things we aren’t voting on right now, like the Keystone pipeline.”

The state’s senior senator also took aim at President Obama for his handling of foreign policy, a subject Graham has built his reputation on during his 12 years in the Senate.

“What we’re doing in Afghanistan breaks my heart,” he said of Obama’s announced withdrawal from the country by the end of 2016. “You don’t tell the enemy you’re leaving in two years. We need an insurance policy.”

Graham praised the recently launched House investigation into the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, chaired by South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy.

“Benghazi is a story about Obama not understanding the dangers we face,” he said. “Where were the military for nine hours when our people were being killed? What do you have to do to get fired in this administration? ... I want to get to the bottom of this, and Trey Gowdy is the one to do it.”

On the hospital scandal engulfing the Department of Veterans Affairs, Graham called for reducing wait times by getting veterans out of the “VA monopoly,” instead giving them vouchers to seek out treatment in the hospital of their choice.

“Competition’s good,” Graham said. “I’ve got six opponents.”

This is one of a series of events you’re doing in the run-up to the June 10 primary, isn’t it?

LG: Yeah, we’re getting into the last lap now, 12 days to go. We’re going to be down in Berkeley County (today). I’ve got a Family Values Forum (Friday) night, and we’ve got to go back to Washington Monday. But we’re really hitting it hard, doing very well, got a lot of energy, but I take nothing for granted.

I’ve got a lot of memories here (in Sumter). This is where I started my legal career as an Air Force officer on my first assignment in the Air Force in 1982. I can’t

believe it was that long ago.

How many of these have you done?

Oh my goodness, dozens.

And they’re fun. People have a chance to come out and say “hey.” The road to Washington, to the Senate, usually goes through people’s yards, putting signs up. I’ve gotten a good response about my sister’s ad, but a lot of people have been putting my signs up in their yard, and that means a lot to me. South Carolina is still a small state. Advertising matters, money matters, but word of mouth is still the best advertising in the world.

Has this campaign been different from previous ones just because you face six challengers in the Republican primary?

Yeah, I’ve got more opponents. The country is at a pivotal point, and I can understand people being disgusted with Washington. It really is broken, and I’m trying to be the solution, not the problem. I think the problem with Washington is that we just can’t do things that need to be done for the country. I want to fix immigration. Instead of just yelling about it, let’s sit down and fix it in a way that we don’t have to repeat the problems down the road. I want a permanent solution where we won’t have a third wave (of illegal immigrants). I’m working with Democrats on a way to control entitlements, Social Security and Medicare, which are really under siege as 80 million baby boomers retire. I’ll talk (Thursday) about the military. This is a military community, and my No. 1 goal when I get back to the Senate, if the people send me, is to reverse these budget cuts that will destroy the military at the time we need it the most. And of course, Obamacare looms large. It’s just a bad idea that gets worse every day.

But as Republicans, we need to be for things, like building the Keystone pipeline, proposing an alternative to Obamacare, being a better friend to the military, taking the tax code and trying to simplify it, energy independence. We need to have an agenda beyond “we just disagree with the president.”

In earlier primaries across the country this year, we’ve seen incumbent Republicans beat off challengers. Do you feel like that anti-incumbent wave has crested?

I think Republicans are poised to win in 2014. We’ve

It’s your world.

Read all about it.

Call (803) 774-1200 and get started today.

ZOEY MILLER / SPECIAL TO THE SUMTER ITEM

Lindsey Graham speaks to his supporters at Sunset Country Club in Sumter on Thursday night. given away four Senate seats (by nominating) people who are not ready for prime time. What I tell everybody is, if I get the nomination, we’re going to hold this seat. The Democrats aren’t going to spend any money because they know I’ll win. When you elect somebody who’s untested, you’ve got a fight on your hands, and Republicans are looking to win. We understand what happens when we give away seats; it empowers people like (Democratic Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid. I’m a conservative. I’ve got the record to prove it, but I’m also a problem-solver. I try to take care of my home state, whether it be the Port of Charleston or our military bases. I think there’s an appreciation for that. But yeah, I get a sense that, after giving away four or five seats, people don’t want to go down that road anymore.

You also share the ballot this year with Sen. Tim Scott.

How has he taken to the Sen-

ate these last two years?

Tim’s been a real treasure for the Republican Party.

He’s going to be a big player in the Senate nationally because he’s so nice, he’s very smart, and this is his first statewide race. Everybody loves Tim. He’s got a heck of a personal story. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. I enjoyed working with Jim DeMint. Jim and I were very good friends. But Tim just lights up a room when he comes in; he’s got a great personality. He’s going to win big. I expect big things from Tim. He’s got two brothers in the military. He comes from a military family, and that’s what

really matters.

Have you two discussed endorsing or campaigning with each other?

I told Tim, you worry about running your campaign. You’ve got to identify yourself. I’m pretty wellknown. At the end of the day, he’s going to win going away, and I’ll help him any way I can. When you first start in the Senate, you’ve got to learn the ropes. People helped me, and I’ll help Tim. He’s a good man, a very talented man, and we’re going to be a good team for South Carolina. I think we’ll represent the state well.

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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

STATE | NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

Germany’s nuke waste may be on way to S.C.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Denee Mallon, center, participates in a candlelight vigil organized by Albuquerque Pride in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services review board ruled Friday in favor of Mallon, a 74-year-old Army veteran whose request to have Medicare pay for her genital reconstruction was denied two years ago. The decision recognizes sex reassignment surgeries as a medically necessary and effective treatment for individuals who do not identify with their biological sex.

Medicare lifts ban on sex-change surgery

BY LISA LEFF The Associated Press

board issued its decision. “When people ask if I am too old, it feels like they are implying that it’s a ‘waste of money’ to operate at my age. But I SAN FRANCISCO — Medicare can no longer automatically deny coverage re- could have an active life ahead of me quests for sex-reassignment surgeries, for another 20 years. And I want to spend those years in congruence and a federal board ruled Friday in a not distress.” groundbreaking decision that recogJennifer Levi, a lawyer who directs nizes the procedures are medically the Transgender Rights Project of Gay necessary for people who don’t identi& Lesbian Advocates and Defenders in fy with their biological sex.

Ruling in favor of a 74-year-old trans- Boston, said the ruling does not mean gender Army veteran whose request to Medicare recipients are necessarily entitled to have sex reassignment surhave Medicare pay for her genital reconstruction was denied two years ago, gery paid for by the government.

Instead, the lifting of the coverage the agency’s Departmental Appeals ban means they now will be able to Board said there was no justification seek authorization by submitting docfor a three-decade-old Health and umentation from a doctor and mental Human Services rule excluding such health professionals stating that sursurgeries from procedures covered by the national health program for the el- gery is recommended in their individual case, Levi said. derly and disabled.

No statistics exist on how many peo“Sometimes I am asked aren’t I too old to have surgery. My answer is how ple might be affected by the decision.

Gary Gates, a demographer with The old is too old?” the veteran, Denee Mallon, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Williams Institute, a think tank on LGBT issues based at the University of said in an email interview before the

California, Los Angeles, has estimated that people who self-identify as transgender make up 0.3 percent of the U.S. adult population. More than 49 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare.

The cost of gender reassignment surgery varies but typically ranges from $7,000 to $50,000, according to the Transgender Law Center in Oakland, California.

In Friday’s ruling, the appeals board said that HHS lacked sufficient evidence in 1981 when it made a “national coverage determination” holding that Medicare recipients were ineligible for what it then called “transsexual surgery” because the procedure was too controversial, experimental and medically risky.

The panel went on to say that regardless of what the record showed then, studies and experts have since shown the efficacy of surgical interventions as a treatment for gender dysphoria, the diagnosis given to people who experience extreme distress because of the disconnect between their birth sex and their gender identity.

AIKEN (AP) — The Savannah River Site is moving toward the possibility of shipping radioactive nuclear waste from Germany to South Carolina, according to paperwork signed by federal officials this week.

The U.S. Energy Department is considering shipping used nuclear fuel containing 900 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Germany to the site, where it would be processed and disposed. On Thursday, agency officials said they had signed a notice of intent to study the environmental impact of the proposal, which would be part of a plan to return the potentially dangerous materials to the U.S. in order to protect national security.

“By removing U.S.-origin (highly enriched uranium) from Germany and returning it to the United States for safe disposition, DOE could render it unusable in a nuclear weapon or an improvised nuclear material dispersal device,” Energy officials said in an email Thursday.

In April, Energy officials signed a separate agreement with German research facilities offering to evaluate accepting, processing and disposing of the waste at Savannah River.

A public meeting on the issue is scheduled for June 24. Some critics oppose the plan because it would bring more nuclear waste to South Carolina.

“I think public and government entities will be lined up against this, mainly the state of South Carolina and the SRS Citizens Advisory Board,” said Tom Clements of SRS Watch. “SRS doesn’t need any more additional waste. The site is already under great strain to manage the existing waste.”

OBITUARIES

THE SUMTER ITEM

HELEN M. KATSOS MANNING — Helen Metropol Katsos, 92, widow of John Katsos, fell asleep in the Lord on May 29, 2014.

The eldest daughter of Greek immigrants, Jack and Jennie Metropol, Helen was born in 1922 in the Metropol family home on Brooks Street and resided in Manning her entire life. She KATSOS was known by many titles: Mom, Yiayia, Thea Eleni and Miss Helen, to name a few. She was a lifelong member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia. Everyone knew Miss Helen. She was the face that greeted you at Central Coffee Shop in Manning with a cup of coffee, alongside her brothers, running the family-owned restaurant started by her father in 1902. She was the one who showed up at your house with a freshly baked cake in times of celebration and with trays of food in times of sadness.

She will be dearly missed by all.

The devoted matriarch of a large extended family, she found the love of her life in another Greek immigrant, John James Katsos of Carthage, North Carolina. John and Helen were married almost 60 years. She loved all people, especially her amazing family.

She is survived by her loving daughter, Angela Katsos Kiehling of Charleston; her brother, Dr. Harry Metropol of Columbia; a daughter-inlaw, Sharon Riley Katsos of Purcellville, Virginia; six dear grandchildren, John James Katsos II, Christina Katsos Reynolds, Charlotte Katsos Robertson, Milton Scott Kat-

sos, Maria Kiehling Brees and Eleni Riley Katsos; seven great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was predeceased by her husband, John; a beloved son, James John Katsos; a faithful son-in-law, Edward Peter Kiehling; two brothers, George Metropol and James Metropol; and two sisters-inlaw, Penny Metropol and Phyllis Metropol.

The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at Stephens Funeral Home in Manning. The traditional Greek Orthodox Trisagion service will be conducted at 6 p.m. by the Rev. Father Michael A. Platanis in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home.

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home with interment immediately following at Manning Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you send donations to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1931 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29201.

Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org

PAUL JONES Jr. Deacon Paul “PJ” Jones, 67, husband of Virginia “Betty” Amos Jones, died on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, at his residence.

Born on Sept. 11, 1946, in Yonkers, New York, he was a son of the late Paul Sr. and Sydney Jenkins Jones. He was educated in the public schools of New York City. He was a long distance truck driver and computer operator for Wood Haven Foods and was last employed by the University of

MILLER FROM PAGE A1 “We received several calls concerning (Miller’s) whereabouts (Friday),” Dennis said. “We’re following all leads and are determined to make an arrest.”

After analyzing the information submitted through the phone calls, Dennis said investigators feel certain Miller hasn’t gone very far.

“From what we’ve gathered, we’re pretty sure he’s staying local,” he said.

In addition to waiting for phone calls, Dennis said deputies are actively pursuing Miller.

“We’re still considering him to be armed and dangerous,” he said.

“We’ve got units out looking for him now, as well as members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force. We’re going to pursue him 24/7 until we get our arrest.”

Officers responded to a business in the 1000 block of Manning Road on the night of the shooting and

Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Deacon Jones loved reading his Bible and sharing the word with anyone he met. He was a Sunday school scholar and always looked forward to praise and worship service in church.

Deacon Jones was very serious about his faith conviction.

While in Philadelphia, he attended the Greater Bethel Temple Church. Upon moving to Sumter, he attended several churches before joining New Birth Holiness Church, where he was ordained as a deacon in 2009. Before his illness, he loved to fish. Deacon Jones will be missed by many for his enthusiastic character.

He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife of 40 years, Virginia “Betty” Amos Jones; two sons, Ryan Paul (Katrina) Jones of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and Damon Jones of New York; one daughter, Krystle Jones of the home; four sisters, Eva Jones of Lewiston, North Carolina, Catherine Jones and Barbara A. Warren, both of Bronx, New York, and Cynthia (Robert) Delancey of Jamaica, New York; one brother, Dwight E. Jones of Manhattan, New York; father-in-law, James Amos Sr.; two sistersin-law, Mary Duerod of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Brenda Tucker of Sumter; three brothers-in-law, Levy Amos of Sumter, James Amos Jr. of Aston, Pennsylvania, and Jackie (Renita) Amos of Gibson, North Carolina; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and loving relatives.

He was preceded in death by two sons, Anthony and Lance Jones; one brother, Robert Lee Jones; and three sisters, Rita Williams, Cassie Jones and Bernice “Candy” Jones.

Funeral services will be

found the victim bleeding profusely from the neck wound. Witnesses said they saw Miller pull a gun on the victim and fire several rounds after an altercation began between the two. The cause of the altercation is still unknown.

Miller reportedly made contact with law enforcement on the morning of May 22 and agreed to turn himself in to authorities. Miller never showed up at the sheriff’s office and hasn’t made any contact with law enforcement since that morning.

Miller, who was reportedly seen leaving the scene driving a gray or silver Mercury Grand Marquis, is described as a black man with brown eyes, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds.

Anyone with information about Miller and his whereabouts is asked to call either Crimestoppers at (888) 274-6372 or the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 4362000.

WASHINGTON — After less than four months at the Veterans Affairs Department, Sloan D. Gibson suddenly finds himself in charge of fixing the problems that led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

“Sloan, I think, would be the first to acknowledge that he’s going to have a learning curve that he’s got to deal with,” President Obama told reporters Friday after announcing that Gibson would replace Shinseki temporarily.

A career banker, Gibson was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 11 as deputy VA secretary, just weeks before allegations of long waits for doctor’s appointments at VA hospitals nationwide led to mounting bipartisan calls by lawmakers and others for Shinseki to resign.

Gibson, 61, came to the department after serving as president and chief executive officer of the USO, the nonprofit organization that provides programs, services and entertainment to U.S. troops and their families. During his five years at the USO, net fundraising grew by 90 percent and paid for an expansion of programs, according to Gibson’s biography on the VA website.

“I’m grateful that he is willing to take on this task,” Obama said, noting Gibson’s two decades of experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. “He, too, has devoted his life to serv-

held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at New Birth Holiness Church, 41 Larkin St., with the pastor, Bishop Nathan Amos, officiating, assisted by Pastor Edmond Johnson, Elder Richard Dukes, Elder Barrington Pearson, Elder Robert Wilson, Minister Beatrice Charles and Minister Marvis Stewart.

Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery.

Public viewing for Deacon Jones will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. today in the Robert Scriven Jr. Memorial Chapel.

The family is receiving relatives and friends at the residence, 24 Henrietta St., Sumter.

Ephriam D. Stephens Funeral Home, 230 Lafayette Drive, Sumter, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 775-8911.

MARK A. DEININGER Mark Anthony Deininger, age 24, beloved husband of Evelyn Deininger, died on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at his residence.

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

Willie Leo Poole, 72, husband of Debra Ann Thomas Poole, died on Friday, May 30, 2014, at his home.

Born in Sumter, he was a son of the late Hayward Poole and Margaret A. Wallace and the stepson of the late Woodrow Wallace. Mr. Poole attended Jefferson Road Freewill Baptist Church and was a member of the Sumter Elks Lodge.

told his successor the wing has had at least some of its servicemen deployed every day of his two years in command. Jost took that challenge to heart.

“It’s a dangerous world, full of uncertainty and ambiguity, so the demand for this wing remains,” Jost said. “My goal ... is to make us better tomorrow than we are today and not to let the mission fail. We will meet any challenge, anytime, anywhere.”

Jost was placed in command by Maj. Gen. Jake Polumbo, commander of the Ninth Air Force, who noted the force’s challenges have been greater because of the funding challenges now facing the country’s military.

“You’ve faced civilian furloughs and budget cuts while dealing with limited resources, not to mention sequestration effects and last year’s government shutdown,” Polumbo said.

Jost’s experience flying missions

ing our country and our veterans.”

John I. Pray Jr., the USO’s current president and chief executive, said Gibson worked tirelessly during his tenure there to support the changing needs of the military. He called Gibson a “driving force” behind the organization’s growth and a “passionate advocate” for activeduty service members and veterans.

Obama met with Gibson after he met with Shinseki and accepted his resignation. The president said he had made it clear to Gibson “that reforms should not wait. They need to proceed immediately.”

Before joining the USO, Gibson spent more than 20 years in banking in Charlotte; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. In 2004, he retired from AmSouth Bancorp., where he was vice chairman and chief financial officer.

His chairmanship of the United Way campaign in central Alabama in 2002 netted more than $30 million for charitable organizations.

Gibson is the son of an Army air corpsman who served as a B-17 tail-gunner during World War II. His grandfather was an Army infantryman who was wounded in World War I while serving in the 3rd Infantry Division at the Second Battle of the Marne.

Gibson is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he earned airborne and ranger qualifications and served as an Army infantry officer.

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Surviving are his wife of Sumter; a stepson, Brian Meeks (Amy) of Sumter; two sisters, Carolyn Allen of Sumter and Faye Wright (John W.) of Lamar; two brothers, Albert Poole (Linda) and Hayward Poole (Linda), both of Sumter; two grandchildren, Samantha and Jacob Meeks; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Paris.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the chapel of Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. Gene Gilbert officiating.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210.

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) 7759386.

WILLIE LEO POOLE

JOST FROM PAGE A1

Veterans Department to be led by career banker

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE The Associated Press

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

ANNIE L. JACKSON BISHOPVILLE — It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Annie Lucille Jackson, of 3163 Tall Oak Drive, Florence, who passed on May 29, 2014, at her home.

Services are incomplete and will be announced later by New Life Funeral Services LLC of Bishopville.

The family is receiving friends at the home.

over Iraq, Korea and the home front were cited by Polumbo in charging the new commander with navigating Shaw and the fighter wing through its next round of challenges.

“Your impressive track record and leadership style is essential to this wing reaching new heights and new accomplishments,” he said. “I think you’ll like it here. It’s a nice place to live.”

For his part, Jost looks forward to settling into not just the air base but the wider Sumter community.

“My grandmother was from Mississippi, so I love small towns. I love the slower pace,” he said. In the week he’s been on base at Shaw, “I’ve already met some great people that live here.”

In fact, all the commanders who addressed the assembled airmen and visiting members of the community talked about the importance of the support Shaw receives from the surrounding community.

“Your slogan is ‘Uncommon Patriotism,’” Hall said, “and it fits you perfectly.”

SHINSEKI FROM PAGE A1 “It is totally unacceptable,” Obama said. “Our vets deserve the best. They’ve earned it.”

The president appointed Sloan Gibson, the No. 2 at the Veterans Affairs Department, as temporary secretary as the search for a permanent successor began.

Obama also asked Rob Nabors, a top White House aide who has been dispatched to the VA to oversee a broad review, to stay for the time being.

Gibson, who has been Shinseki’s deputy for about three months, was formerly president and chief executive officer of the USO, the nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to U.S. troops and their families. Gibson is the son of an Army Air Corpsman who served in World War II and grandson of a World War I Army infantryman.

Republicans in Congress said the shake-up wasn’t enough to solve problems at an agency that has been struggling to keep up with a huge demand for its services — some 9 million enrolled now compared to 8 million in 2008. The influx comes from returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, aging Vietnam War vets who now have more health problems, a move by Congress to expand the number of those eligible for care and the migration of veterans to the VA during the last recession after they lost their jobs or switched to the VA when their private insurance became more expensive.

“One personnel change cannot be used as an excuse to paper over a systemic problem,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who had held off in calling for Shinseki’s resignation. “Our veterans deserve better.

We’ll hold the president accountable until he makes things right.”

The massive bureaucracy at the VA has come under intense scrutiny during the past month, following allegations that 40 patients died while awaiting care at a Phoenix hospital where employees kept a secret waiting list to cover up delays. On Wednesday, the VA inspector general reported that 1,700 veterans seeking treatment at the Phoenix facility were at risk of being “forgotten or lost.”

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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

FYI Belly dancing classes are held at 6 p.m. every Monday at the Parks and Recreation Department, 155 Haynsworth St. Only $20 per month.

The Second (Indianhead) Division Association is searching for anyone/everyone who served in the 2nd Infantry Division. Visit www.2ida.org or contact Mike Davino at MDavino@yahoo.com or (919) 4981910.

Zumba classes will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Parks and Recreation building on Haynsworth Street. Classes are $5 each and registration is not required. Contact Deanne Lewis at zumbadeanne@ gmail.com.

The Palmetto Singles Club holds a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month at the VFW on Gion Street. Call Nancy McLeod, club president, at (803) 469-3433.

Sumter Area Toastmasters meets at 7 p.m. each Tuesday at the Sumter Mall community room, 1057 Broad St. The group helps in developing speaking and leadership skills. Call Douglas Wilson at (803) 778-0197 or Rebecca Gonzalez at (803) 565-9271.

The Sumter Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the Bultman Conference Room at USC Sumter. Administrative professionals, assistants and secretaries are encouraged to attend. Call Mary Sutton at (803) 938-3760.

Having cancer is hard. Finding help shouldn’t be. Free help for cancer patients from the American Cancer Society.

Transportation to treatment, help for appearance related side effects of treatment, nutrition help, one-on-one breast cancer support, free housing away from home during treatment, help finding clinical trials, someone to talk to — all free. Call (800) 227-2345.

The South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships Inc., a non-profit organization, announces the S.C. Weatherization Assistance Program. This program helps provide weatherization assistance to low-income South Carolinians. Services include, but are not limited to, insulating attics, walls, floors, water heaters and exposed pipes; stripping and caulking around doors and windows; and replacing broken glass panes. Call the Weatherization office of Wateree Community Action Agency Inc. at (803) 773-9716 or the state information line at (888) 7719404.

Navy and Marine Corps shipmates who served on the USS Columbus CA-74/CG-12 from 1944 through 1976 and the USS Columbus (SSN-762) past and present, to share memories

and camaraderie with old friends and make new ones, contact Allen R. Hope, president, 3828 Hobson Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46815-4505; (260) 486-2221 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; fax (260) 492-9771; or email at hope4391@verizon.net.

Hospice Care of Sumter LLC is in need of volunteers in Sumter and surrounding counties.

Opportunities available for you to use your time and talents to be of assistance include reading, musical talents, companionship, light housekeeping, etc. Contact Joyce Blanding at (803) 8835606 or hospicecareofsumter@yahoo.com.

Agape Hospice is in need of volunteers. Whether your passion is baking, knitting, reading, singing, etc., Agape Hospice can find a place for you.

Contact Thandi Blanding at (803) 774-1075, (803) 260-3876 or tblanding@agapsenior. com.

Hospice Care of South Carolina is in need of volunteers in Sumter County. Do you have one extra hour a week? Opportunities are available for patient/family companionship, administrative support, meal preparation, light household projects, student education and various other tasks. Contact Whitney Rogers, regional volunteer coordinator, at (843) 409-7991 or whitney.rogers@hospicecare.net.

Amedisys Hospice is in need of volunteers. Volunteer opportunities include 1) special projects of baking, sewing, knitting, crafts, carpentry and yard work; 2) administrative/ office duties of copying, light filing and answering phones; and 3) patient companionship — develop one-on-one relationships with hospice patients (training provided free of charge). Contact Rhoda Keefe, volunteer coordinator, at (803) 469-3047 or rhonda. keefe@amedisys.com.

Hospice Care of Tri-County is in need of volunteers. Volunteers offer support, companionship and care to the caregiver by running errands, reading to patients, listening and just being there for patients who need companionship. All you need is a willing heart and some time to give to others.

No medical background is required. Hospice Care of TriCounty will provide you with the tools you need to become a hospice volunteer. Call Carol Tindal at (803) 905-7720.

ROAD to RECOVERY is in need of volunteers in the Sumter area.

The program provides cancer patients with transportation to and from treatments. Call the American Cancer Society at (803) 750-1693.

Sumter Newcomers Club welcomes new residents (and even some longtime residents) with coffees and luncheons each month. Call Anna Nunnery at (803) 469-0143 or Jeanne Bessel at (803) 4690598.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Emotional EUGENIA LAST issues will escalate if you are insensitive to someone’s situation or needs. You are best to listen and handle whatever situation you face diplomatically.

Arguments will lead to regret.

Make personal changes, but don’t try to change others.

between failure and reaching your goals.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll find a solution if you talk to a friend about a situation that bothers you.

Don’t be afraid to take action if someone is being too demanding.

Enjoy getting together with friends or taking part in a seminar or activity that interests you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Going back and reviewing past experiences will help you come to terms with an emotional situation you face. Look for ways to utilize your talents and skills in order to raise your income and standard of living. Face facts and make adjustments.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your emotions will easily spin out of control. Put your effort into selfimprovement, generosity, mindfulness and showing affection to the people you love most. Don’t make changes or important decisions based on assumptions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Change will entice you, but before you jump into something that looks exciting, do your research. Change can be good, but not if it leaves you or someone you care about in a vulnerable position. Focus on protecting your assets and your reputation.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Asking someone to bend to accommodate you can be successful if you have something to offer in return.

Keeping the playing field level between you and those you deal with will make the difference

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Trying to do too much will lead to mistakes and emotional setbacks with a friend or lover. You’ll have to divide your time carefully to avoid complaints. Demands will be made, so strive to be as honest as possible.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can accomplish whatever you set out to do if you put your mind to it. Your ability to come up with workable solutions will be impressive. Focus on home, family and making your surroundings fun and comfortable.

Love is highlighted.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t expect everyone to agree with you when it comes to financial, legal or medical issues that you are facing. You may have to compromise in order to keep the peace and find a workable solution.

Make personal adjustments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Neglect will be an issue you must overcome. Try to be as upfront and understanding as possible.

Emotional matters will escalate if you aren’t willing to look at both sides of a situation. Mediate rather than meddle, and you will avoid isolation.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take a break and do something that will lead to personal improvement. Set a budget with the intent to save for something you really want. Put restrictions on anything or anyone that might lead to developing bad habits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll get the support you need to finish what you start. Home improvement projects will turn out well. Use your home to create added income and you will ease stress and gain success. Romance is in the stars.

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

Clouds and sun, showers around

A t-storm early; partly cloudy

Sunshine and less humid

Mostly sunny and pleasantly warm

Partly sunny and more humid

An afternoon thunderstorm

86°

64°

82° / 59°

85° / 63°

88° / 67°

90° / 69°

Chance of rain: 65%

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 5%

Chance of rain: 15%

Chance of rain: 50%

Winds: ENE 4-8 mph

Winds: ENE 6-12 mph

Winds: ENE 7-14 mph

Winds: ESE 4-8 mph

Winds: SSW 6-12 mph

Winds: SW 6-12 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 83/63 Spartanburg 84/64

Greenville 84/64

Columbia 87/65

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 86/64

Aiken 87/65

ON THE COAST

Charleston 87/67

Today: Partly sunny with a couple of thunderstorms. High 81 to 89.

Sunday: Partly sunny; less humid in central parts. High 79 to 83.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 87/69/t 84/60/s 83/72/t 80/53/s 82/70/t 79/62/pc 86/72/t 72/54/pc 91/71/t 77/54/s 107/82/pc 66/51/pc 79/57/s

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

358.08 75.44 75.29 97.48

24-hr chg +0.03 -0.02 -0.03 -0.18

Sunrise 6:12 a.m.

Moonrise 8:44 a.m.

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

0.97" 3.00" 3.14" 15.57" 18.64" 17.49"

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

82° 67° 85° 61° 95° in 1953 50° in 1992

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 81/64/pc 85/66/t 89/73/pc 82/64/pc 86/71/t 79/60/pc 88/72/t 77/59/s 90/72/pc 79/56/s 106/81/s 69/52/pc 79/57/s

Myrtle Beach 82/64

Manning 86/64

Today: A couple of thunderstorms. Winds east-northeast 4-8 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny and nice. Winds east-northeast 6-12 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 85/62

Bishopville 86/63

Flood 7 a.m. stage yest.

12 7.14 19 4.17 14 3.52 14 4.15 80 76.74 24 6.43

Sunset 8:27 p.m.

Moonset 10:49 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

June 5

June 12

June 19

June 27

TIDES

24-hr chg -0.49 +0.25 -0.26 +0.49 +0.09 +0.39

AT MYRTLE BEACH

Today Sun.

High 11:44 a.m.

11:53 p.m.

12:27 p.m.

---

Ht. 2.7 3.2 2.6 ---

Low 6:23 a.m.

6:17 p.m.

7:02 a.m.

6:58 p.m.

Ht. 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 80/61/sh 87/66/t 89/66/t 89/70/t 75/61/pc 87/67/t 83/61/pc 85/66/t 87/65/t 85/61/pc 77/56/pc 83/60/pc 84/59/pc

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 76/54/s 81/60/pc 82/61/pc 83/64/pc 74/60/s 82/62/pc 79/58/s 80/62/s 83/59/s 81/59/s 74/52/s 81/58/s 82/58/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 85/62/pc Gainesville 90/68/t Gastonia 83/64/pc Goldsboro 83/57/pc Goose Creek 87/67/t Greensboro 81/57/pc Greenville 84/64/t Hickory 82/60/pc Hilton Head 83/75/t Jacksonville, FL 89/69/pc La Grange 89/65/t Macon 91/69/t Marietta 87/69/t

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 81/59/s 88/68/t 77/58/s 79/55/s 82/62/pc 79/59/s 77/58/s 79/57/s 80/68/pc 85/66/t 83/63/t 85/63/pc 82/64/pc

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 82/63/sh Mt. Pleasant 86/67/t Myrtle Beach 82/64/sh Orangeburg 87/65/t Port Royal 87/70/t Raleigh 82/56/pc Rock Hill 84/61/pc Rockingham 84/58/pc Savannah 88/68/t Spartanburg 84/64/pc Summerville 84/74/t Wilmington 83/60/pc Winston-Salem 81/58/pc

Sun. Hi/Lo/W 79/57/s 81/62/pc 79/61/s 82/60/pc 81/64/pc 82/58/s 80/56/s 81/55/s 83/63/pc 78/58/s 80/65/pc 80/59/s 79/58/s

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

LOTTERY NUMBERS PALMETTO CASH 5 FRIDAY

POWERBALL WEDNESDAY

6-11-31-32-33 PowerUp: 3

2-24-28-32-59 Powerball: 25 Powerplay: 3

PICK 3 FRIDAY

PICK 4 FRIDAY

5-1-7 and 3-2-4

3-0-7-8 and 3-8-8-6

MEGAMILLIONS numbers were unavailable at press time.

SPCA CAT OF THE WEEK Kudzu, an 8-week-old black and white female American shorthair, is available for adoption at the Sumter SPCA. She is housebroken, playful, gentle, cuddly and affectionate. Kudzu loves to play with other kittens and cat toys. The Sumter SPCA is located at 1140 S. Guignard Drive, (803) 773-9292, and is open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except Wednesday and Sunday. Visit the website at www.sumterscspca.com.

The SPCA is always in need of the following: Newspapers; stuffed animals (any size); heavy duty trash bags (30 gallon or larger); dishwashing liquid; laundry detergent; bleach; paper towels; sheets and comforters; baby blankets (for cat cages and puppies); litter; canned dog and cat food; dry dog, cat and puppy food; treats; leashes and collars; disinfectant spray; all-purpose cleaner; air freshener; no scratch scrubbers; twosided sponges for dishes; litter freshener; monetary donations are also gratefully accepted.

SECTION

Miami secures 4th straight trip to title series B2

B

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

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

USC BASEBALL

LEGION BASEBALL

Masterful Montgomery

Camden grounds Jets again

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com

today in an elimination game.

Montgomery, the former Sumter High School and Sumter P-15’s standout, allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits over eight innings, while tying his season high of nine strikeouts and not walking a batter.

He came into the game

DALZELL — After opening the American Legion baseball season with a convincing 12-2 victory, Dalzell-Shaw Post 175 suffered its second straight loss to Camden Post 17 on Friday, falling 10-6 at Thomas Sumter Academy’s General Field.

The Jets, now 1-2 on the season and in League III, led 6-5 after four innings. HowCAMPBELL ever, a 2-run triple by Lawson Stokes in the bottom of the sixth put Camden on top 7-6.

Post 17 head coach Craig Smith, whose team improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in League III, then brought on Zack Bowers in relief of starting pitcher Grayson King in the sixth. Bowers, an Erskine signee, tossed four shutout innings to get the save.

Camden jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first against Dalzell starting pitcher Edison Aldridge. After striking out Russ Radcliff to start the game, Aldridge walked Broderick Gaither and gave up a hit to Blake Serpas.

Kyle Bowers followed with another hit, but Jets right fielder Ron York threw a 1-hop strike to catcher Matt Holloman that beat Gaither. However, Holloman

SEE MONTGOMERY, PAGE B4

SEE JETS, PAGE B3

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Former Sumter High and Sumter P-15’s standout Jordan Montgomery throws during South Carolina’s 5-2 victory over Campbell on Friday at Carolina Stadium in Columbia during an NCAA regional game.

Former Sumter standout tosses 8-plus solid innings in 5-2 win over Campbell

BY MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER mchristopher@theitem.com COLUMBIA — University of South Carolina junior pitcher Jordan Montgomery had a couple of nice streaks going, and so did his team.

Fortunately for both, twothirds of those streaks were kept alive with thanks to a 5-2 victory over Campbell University on Friday at Caro-

lina Stadium in the opening game of the NCAA tournament’s Columbia Regional.

“I think the best decision I made all week was to give Jordan Montgomery the ball because I don’t know if we win that game tonight if Jordan’s not out there,” USC head coach Chad Holbrook said. “There were tense moments, and a lot of anxiety out there, and we weren’t

quite as loose as we normally are. To have a cool customer that’s been in those situations before; he knows what pitching in a big game in the postseason is all about.”

USC, 43-16 on the season, will face Maryland at 7 p.m. today. The Terrapins beat Old Dominion 4-3 in Friday’s other game.

Campbell, which drops to 40-20, will face ODU at 1 p.m.

CLEMSON BASEBALL

Tigers blown out

by Oregon, 18-1

BY AARON BRENNER Post and Courier NASHVILLE — It started with some promise. It ended as badly as imaginably possible.

Clemson’s 1-0 lead in the top of the first — the first run scored in the 2014 NCAA baseball tournament — was rendered a red herring, once speedy and powerful Oregon responded with 18 unanswered runs to trounce the Tigers 18-1 Friday afternoon at Hawkins Field.

“The bottom line is they outhit us, outpitched us, outplayed us,” Clemson head coach Jack Leggett said. “The good thing is, regardless what the score is, it’s one game.”

Crushed by the short game

and long ball, the long and short of the situation is Clemson (36-24) finds itself on the brink of elimination, now forced to win four games in three days to survive the regional.

“That’s the plan. My goal is to make (the players) believe they can do it,” Leggett said.

“My mindset is focused on winning the first ballgame, and giving ourselves an opportunity Sunday and Monday.”

Incredibly, there is precedent for such a recovery from a blowout loss.

Although it was close, Friday wasn’t the worst margin of defeat for a Clemson club in the

SEE TIGERS, PAGE B4

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson’s Mike Triller (35), Eli White (4) and Tyler Krieger (3) watch during the top of the ninth inning of the Tigers’ 18-1 loss to Oregon on Friday in an NCAA regional game in Nashville, Tenn.

NASCAR

Stewart keeping sprint car plans under wraps

BY DAN GELSTON The Associated Press DOVER, Del. — Tony Stewart let his secret out this week on Twitter: He was back testing in a sprint car, feeling like he’d never left.

So when will he race again?

Well, Smoke didn’t need 140 characters to let reporters know if he’d make public the date of his return race.

“Nope.’’

Stewart kept mum Friday about any future plans in sprint cars, more than nine months after he broke his leg

in a crash that cost him the rest of the 2013 season. He did complete a recent private test at an undisclosed track. The rest is for Stewart to know, and the racing world to find out.

“You won’t know when it’s coming,’’ he said at Dover International Speedway. “When I do go, nobody is going to know about it. I’m going to slide in and do it. I want to enjoy it. I don’t want it to be a cluster.’’

The three-time NASCAR champion missed the final 15 races last year after breaking

his leg in two places during a sprint car crash in Iowa. His first time back in a race car was Feb. 14, the day before he competed — and was crashed out of — the exhibition Sprint Unlimited.

His sprint car had been fitted STEWART with safety improvements to the torque tube to prevent an injury like the one he suffered.

Stewart said no one had tried to talk him out of re-

turning to his weeknight passion. But if they had, well, the feisty champ known as Smoke wouldn’t listen anyway: “It’s my life. I’m going to live my life.’’

Stewart cleared the mental and physical hurdles of returning to racing at Daytona months ago. And while his Sprint Cup season hasn’t been a huge success — he’s winless in 12 starts with only two topfive finishes — he hasn’t missed a beat in driving and running his Stewart-Haas Racing organization. But rehabilitation has dragged on

much longer than he expected.

“As far as rehab, pain, all that stuff, I thought it would all be done,’’ he said. “I thought we would be healed 100 percent by now. But I keep going to the doctor on our scheduled appointments and they keep updating us on how it’s going and what they think the outlook is for it.’’

He also needs to fix whatever ails his No. 14 Chevrolet team. He hasn’t finished higher than 13th in any of his last

SEE STEWART, PAGE B2

B2

|

SPORTS

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

SPORTS ITEMS

Heat advance to finals MIAMI — The Miami Heat are headed to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season.

LeBron James and Chris Bosh each scored 25 points, and the Heat turned Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals into a laugher, beating the Indiana Pacers 117-92 on Friday night.

The Heat led by 37 and eliminated the Pacers for the third straight year.

Miami is the third franchise to make at least four consecutive trips to the Finals, joining the Celtics and Lakers.

Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis each scored 13 points for the Heat.

Paul George scored 29 points for Indiana, while David West added 16 and Lance Stephenson 11.

Miami will play at either San Antonio or Oklahoma City on Thursday.

NBA OWNERS TO VOTE ON CLIPPERS SALE

LOS ANGELES — The NBA has called off a hearing to oust embattled Los Angeles Clippers co-owner Donald Sterling in advance of a vote on a potentially record-breaking deal negotiated by his wife Shelly Sterling to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

Shelly Sterling negotiated the deal despite objections expressed through her estranged husband Donald Sterling’s attorneys. She said in a statement late Thursday that she agreed to sell the team to Ballmer “under her authority as the sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers.’’

SEC PONDERS MOVE TO ‘DIVISION IV’

DESTIN, Fla. — The Southeastern Conference sent a strong message to the NCAA on Friday: provide the Big Five some autonomy or they’ll form their own division.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said if the Big Five conferences — which also include the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 — don’t get the flexibility needed to create their own bylaws, the next step would be to move to “Division IV.’’

Moving to Division IV would keep the Big Five under the NCAA umbrella while granting college football’s biggest money makers the kind of power to better take care of studentathletes. The SEC, for example, would like to pay full cost of college attendance, provide long-term medical coverage and offer incentives to kids who return to school and complete degrees.

CASEY LEADS MEMORIAL BY 1

DUBLIN, Ohio — Paul Casey expected to be chasing someone Friday in the Memorial, figuring it would be Rory McIlroy.

After two holes, Casey had the lead to himself at Muirfield Village, and that was only the start of another big day. He took advantage of the par 5s for another 6-under 66, giving him a 3-shot lead over Masters champion Bubba Watson going into the weekend.

McIlroy, whose 63 was the lowest first round in the 39-year history of the tournament, was barely in the picture. He was 15 shots worse with a 78, courtesy of three straight double bogeys and his fourth straight PGA Tour event with a nine-hole score of 40 or higher. McIlroy went from a 3-shot lead to nine shots behind.

JOHNSON LEADS SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Jennifer Johnson matched the course record with a 9-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Haru Nomura had a bogey-free 63, and Christina Kim opened with a 64.

TWO SHARE CHAMPIONS TOUR LEAD

DES MOINES, Iowa — Mark Calcavecchia and Wes Short Jr. shot 6-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic.

Bobby Clampett, Peter Senior and Shane Lowery were a stroke back.

From wire reports

MLB ROUNDUP

Teheran, Braves beat Miami MIAMI — Julio Teheran pitched 7 1/3 innings and scored the tying run in the seventh on Friday to help the Atlanta Braves move a game ahead of Miami atop the NL East by beating the Marlins 3-2.

The Braves TEHERAN trailed 2-0 in the sixth inning but rallied to break a 4-game losing streak. They won for only the third time in their past 13 road games.

Teheran (5-3) allowed five hits and two runs, which raised his ERA to 1.83. Teheran, who came into the game 2 for 25 this season, had a single and a double.

The right-hander improved to 4-0 in six career starts against the

Marlins with an ERA of 2.50.

Three relievers combined to complete a 5-hitter. Craig Kimbrel, who took the loss Thursday at Boston, pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Giancarlo Stanton hit his NL-leading 16th home run in the first inning to put the Marlins up 2-0.

Tom Koehler (4-5) allowed three runs in seven innings.

ROYALS 6

BLUE JAYS 1 TORONTO — Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain homered, Jason Vargas won for the first time in three starts and Kansas City beat Toronto 6-1.

INDIANS 5 ROCKIES 2

NATIONALS 9

CLEVELAND — Corey Kluber struck out 12 in 7 1/3 innings, Asdrubal Cabrera’s 2-run homer broke a fifth-inning tie and Cleveland beat Colorado 5-2.

RANGERS 2

TWINS 6

WASHINGTON — Ian Desmond keyed a 15-hit attack with a 3-run homer, Stephen Strasburg pitched six solid innings and Washington defeated Texas 9-2.

Jayson Werth and Denard Span had three hits each for the Nationals.

YANKEES 1

NEW YORK — Ricky Nolasco pitched six solid innings, Oswaldo Arcia homered and threw out a runner at home plate, and Minnesota beat the New York Yankees 6-1.

From wire reports

FEDEX 400 LINEUP The Associated Press After Friday qualifying; race Sunday At Dover International Speedway Dover, Del. Lap length: 1 mile (Car number in parentheses) 1. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 164.444 mph.

2. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 163.785.

3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 163.688.

4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 163.362.

5. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 163.08.

6. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 163.066.

7. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 163.066.

8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 162.499.

9. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 162.411.

10. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 162.243.

11. (47) A J Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 162.155.

12. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 160.995.

13. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 162.933.

14. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 162.903.

15. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 162.889.

16. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 162.844.

17. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 162.69.

18. (66) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 162.602.

19. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 162.58.

STEWART FROM PAGE B1 four races and crashed out at Talladega. He’s a woeful 22nd in the standings and in serious danger of missing out for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and driving for his fourth title if can’t win a race. That could happen any time — Stewart has

20. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 162.55.

21. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 162.536.

22. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 162.25.

23. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 162.155.

24. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 162.009.

25. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 161.754.

26. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 161.747.

27. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 161.725.

28. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 161.623.

29. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 161.573.

30. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 160.887.

31. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 160.592.

32. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 160.435.

33. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 160.206.

34. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 159.419.

35. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 159.391.

36. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 159.2.

37. (44) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, owner points.

38. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, owner points.

39. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, owner points.

40. (33) David Stremme, Chevrolet, owner points.

41. (83) Ryan Truex, Toyota, owner points.

42. (77) Dave Blaney, Ford, owner points.

43. (32) Blake Koch, Ford, owner points.

48 career wins and has at least one checkered flag in every season of his Cup career that dates to 1999.

“Our track record shows that we can get it,’’ he said. “It’s just a matter of when is it going to happen. ... I think you get six or eight weeks before Richmond, then you start panicking if you don’t have that win.”

Stewart does have three career wins at Dover, including the spring race last season that snapped a 30-race winless skid. He was stuck in 20th in the standings then, a sure sign that all takes is that one checkered flag to snap Smoke back into the thick of contention.

“I think it’s still too early to panic, at least for us,’’ he said.

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD

Arizona 4, Cincinnati 0 Pittsburgh 6, L.A. Dodgers 3

FRIDAY’S GAMES

TV, RADIO TODAY

7:30 a.m. -- Professional Golf: European PGA Tour Nordea Masters Third Round from Malmo, Sweden (GOLF).

9:30 a.m. -- NASCAR Racing: Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Practice from Dover, Del. (FOX SPORTS 1).

10:30 a.m. -- NASCAR Racing: Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 Pole Qualifying from Dover, Del. (ESPN2).

Noon -- Professional Tennis: French Open Men’s and Women’s Third-Round Matches from Paris (WIS 10).

Noon -- College Softball: College World Series Game Seven from Oklahoma City -- Baylor vs. Florida State (ESPN2).

Noon -- Major League Baseball: Texas at Washington or Minnesota at New York Yankees (MLB NETWORK).

12:30 p.m. -- NASCAR Racing: Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Practice from Dover, Del. (FOX SPORTS 1).

12:30 p.m. -- PGA Golf: The Memorial Tournament Third Round from Dublin, Ohio (GOLF).

1 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Regional Game (ESPNU).

1 p.m. -- American Legion Baseball: Murrells Inlet at Sumter Doubleheader (WWHM-FM 92.3, WWHM-FM 93.3, WWHM-FM 1290-AM).

2 p.m. -- NASCAR Racing: Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 from Dover, Del. (ESPN, WEGXFM 92.9).

2 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: San Diego at Chicago White Sox (WGN).

2:30 p.m. -- College Softball: College World Series Game Eight from Oklahoma City -Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Oklahoma (ESPN2).

2:30 p.m. -- LPGA Golf: ShopRite LPGA Classic Second Round from Galloway, N.J. (GOLF).

3 p.m. -- PGA Golf: The Memorial Tournament Third Round from Dublin, Ohio (WLTX 19).

3 p.m. -- International Soccer: Mexico vs. Ecuador from Arlington, Texas (ESPNEWS).

3:30 p.m. -- IRL Racing: IndyCar Series Indy Dual in Detroit Race 1 from Detroit (WOLO 25).

3:30 p.m. -- Track and Field: Prefontaine Classic from Eugene, Ore. (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

4 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: Atlanta at Miami (FOX SPORTS 1, WPUB-FM 102.7).

4 p.m. -- Professional Boxing: Carl Froch vs.

George Groves for the IBF/WBA Super Middleweight Titles from London and Simpiwe Vetyeka vs. Nonito Donaire for the WBA Super World/IBO Featherweight Titles from Macau, China (HBO).

4:30 p.m. -- Track and Field: Prefontaine Classic from Eugene, Ore. (WIS 10).

5 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Regional Game (ESPN2).

5 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Regional Game (ESPNU).

5 p.m. -- Senior PGA Golf: Champions Tour Principal Charity Classic Second Round from Des Moines, Iowa (GOLF).

7 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: Pittsburgh at Los Angeles Dodgers (WACH 57).

7 p.m. -- MLL Lacrosse: Ohio at Chesapeake (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

7 p.m. -- College Softball: College World Series Game Nine from Oklahoma City -- Florida or Oregon vs. Baylor or Florida State (ESPN).

7 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Columbia Regional Game Four from Columbia -- Maryland vs. South Carolina (WNKTFM 107.5).

8 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Regional Game (ESPN2).

8 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Regional Game (ESPNU).

8:30 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Western Conference Playoffs Final Series Game Six - San Antonio at Oklahoma City (TNT).

9:30 p.m. -- Arena Football: San Jose at Arizona (CBS SPORTS NETWORK).

9:30 p.m. -- College Softball: College World Series Game Ten from Oklahoma City -- Kentucky or Alabama vs. Louisiana-Lafayette or Oklahoma (ESPN).

10 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: Detroit at Seattle or Los Angeles Angels at Oakland (MLB NETWORK).

11 p.m. -- College Baseball: NCAA Tournament Corvallis Regional Game Four from Corvallis, Ore. (ESPNU).

Colorado at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.

Texas at Washington, 7:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Miami, 7:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee, 8:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

San Francisco at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

Cincinnati at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Pittsburgh at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

Texas (Tepesch 2-0) at Washington (Fister 2-1), 12:05 p.m.

San Diego (T.Ross 5-4) at Chicago White Sox (Rienzo 4-1), 2:10 p.m.

San Francisco (M.Cain 1-3) at St. Louis (Wacha 3-3), 2:15 p.m.

Colorado (Morales 3-4) at Cleveland (Bauer 1-2), 3:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (deGrom 0-2) at Philadelphia (K. Kendrick 1-5), 3:05 p.m.

Atlanta (E.Santana 4-2) at Miami (Ja.Turner 1-2), 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Hammel 5-3) at Milwaukee (W.Peralta 4-4), 4:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Cumpton 0-1) at L.A. Dodgers (Ryu 5-2), 7:15 p.m.

Cincinnati (Cueto 4-4) at Arizona (McCarthy 1-6), 10:10 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Colorado at Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Miami, 1:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia, 1:35 p.m.

Texas at Washington, 1:35 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee, 2:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.

San Francisco at St. Louis, 2:15 p.m.

Cincinnati at Arizona, 4:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at L.A. Dodgers, 8:05 p.m.

NBA PLAYOFFS

By The Associated Press

CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Miami 3, Indiana 2 May 18: Indiana 107, Miami 96 May 20: Miami 87, Indiana 83 May 24: Miami 99, Indiana 87 Monday: Miami 102, Indiana 90 Wednesday: Indiana 93, Miami 90 Friday: Indiana at Miami (late) x-Sunday: Miami at Indiana, 8:30 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Antonio 3, Oklahoma City 2 May 19: San Antonio 122, Oklahoma City 105 May 21: San Antonio 112, Oklahoma City 77 May 25: Oklahoma City 106, San Antonio 97 Tuesday: Oklahoma City 105, San Antonio 92 Thursday: San Antonio 117, Oklahoma City 89 Today: San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. x-Monday: Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 9 p.m.

NHL PLAYOFFS

By The Associated Press

CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal 2 May 17: N.Y. Rangers 7, Montreal 2 May 19: NY Rangers 3, Montreal 1 22: Montreal 3, NY Rangers 2, OT May 25: NY Rangers 3, Montreal 2, OT Tuesday: Montreal 7, NY Rangers 4 Thursday: NY Rangers 1, Montreal 0

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Los Angeles 3, Chicago 2 May 18: Chicago 3, Los Angeles 1 May 21: Los Angeles 6, Chicago 2 May 24: Los Angeles 4, Chicago 3 Monday: Los Angeles 5, Chicago 2 Wednesday: Chicago 5, Los Angeles 4, 2OT Friday: Chicago at Los Angeles (late) x-Sunday: Los Angeles at Chicago, 8 p.m.

GOLF The Associated Press MEMORIAL PAR SCORES

MLB STANDINGS

By The Associated Press AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST DIVISION Toronto New York Baltimore Boston Tampa Bay CENTRAL DIVISION Detroit Chicago Kansas City Minnesota Cleveland WEST DIVISION Oakland Los Angeles Texas Seattle Houston

W 32 28 26 24 23

L 23 24 26 29 31

Pct .582 .538 .500 .453 .426

GB – 2½ 4½ 7 8½

W 30 28 25 24 24

L 20 27 28 27 30

Pct .600 .509 .472 .471 .444

GB – 4½ 6½ 6½ 8

W 32 30 28 26 23

L 22 23 26 27 32

Pct .593 .566 .519 .491 .418

GB – 1½ 4 5½ 9½

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Texas 5, Minnesota 4 Detroit 5, Oakland 4 Kansas City 8, Toronto 6, 10 innings Boston 4, Atlanta 3 Houston 3, Baltimore 1 L.A. Angels 7, Seattle 5

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Colorado at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Texas at Washington, 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 7:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Houston, 8:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

Detroit at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

Texas (Tepesch 2-0) at Washington (Fister 2-1), 12:05 p.m.

Minnesota (Correia 2-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Tanaka 7-1), 1:05 p.m.

Kansas City (Brooks 0-0) at Toronto (Hutchison 4-3), 1:07 p.m.

San Diego (T.Ross 5-4) at Chicago White Sox (Rienzo 4-1), 2:10 p.m.

Colorado (Morales 3-4) at Cleveland (Bauer 1-2), 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore (Tillman 4-2) at Houston (Keuchel 6-2), 4:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Odorizzi 2-4) at Boston (R.De La Rosa 0-0), 7:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Skaggs 4-2) at Oakland (Milone 3-3), 10:05 p.m.

Detroit (Smyly 2-3) at Seattle (C.Young 4-2), 10:10 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Colorado at Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees, 1:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Toronto, 1:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 1:35 p.m.

Texas at Washington, 1:35 p.m.

Baltimore at Houston, 2:10 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.

Detroit at Seattle, 4:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST DIVISION Atlanta Miami Washington New York Philadelphia CENTRAL DIVISION Milwaukee St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago WEST DIVISION San Francisco Colorado Los Angeles San Diego Arizona

W 28 28 25 25 23

L 25 25 27 28 28

Pct .528 .528 .481 .472 .451

GB – – 2½ 3 4

W 32 29 24 23 19

L 22 25 29 29 32

Pct .593 .537 .453 .442 .373

GB – 3 7½ 8 11½

W 35 28 29 24 23

L 19 25 26 30 33

Pct .648 .528 .527 .444 .411

GB – 6½ 6½ 11 13

THURSDAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Mets 4, Philadelphia 1 Boston 4, Atlanta 3 San Francisco 6, St. Louis 5

Friday At Muirfield Village Golf Club course Dublin, Ohio Purse: $6.2 million Yardage: 7,392; Par: 72 Second Round Paul Casey 66-66—132 Bubba Watson 66-69—135 Chris Kirk 66-70—136 Hideki Matsuyama 70-67—137 Martin Flores 69-68—137 Thorbjorn Olesen 71-67—138 Hunter Mahan 68-70—138 Ryan Moore 68-70—138 Scott Langley 72-66—138 Camilo Villegas 71-68—139 Scott Brown 70-69—139 Brendon Todd 71-68—139 Gary Woodland 71-68—139 Adam Scott 69-70—139 Robert Streb 72-67—139 Marc Leishman 71-68—139

-12 -9 -8 -7 -7 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5

SHOPRITE CLASSIC PAR SCORES

Friday At Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, Bay Course Galloway Township, N.J. Purse: $1.5 million Yardage: 6,177; Par: 71 (37-34) First Round Jennifer Johnson 34-28—62 -9 Haru Nomura 32-31—63 -8 Christina Kim 33-31—64 -7 Na Yeon Choi 33-33—66 -5 Inbee Park 33-33—66 -5 Chella Choi 35-32—67 -4 Laura Diaz 36-31—67 -4 Sandra Gal 36-31—67 -4 Sarah Kemp 34-33—67 -4

PRINCIPAL CHARITY CLASSIC PAR SCORES

Friday At Wakonda Club Des Moinse, Iowa Purse: $1.75 million Yardage: 6,910; Par: 72 (36-36) First Round Mark Calcavecchia 34-32—66 Wes Short, Jr. 34-32—66 Bobby Clampett 33-34—67 Peter Senior 35-32—67 Steve Lowery 33-34—67 Doug Garwood 35-33—68 Scott Simpson 35-33—68 John Riegger 36-32—68 Tom Pernice Jr. 35-33—68 Michael Allen 35-33—68

-6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4

TENNIS

By The Associated Press FRENCH OPEN RESULTS

Friday At Stade Roland Garros Paris Purse: $34.12 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Clay-Outdoor Singles Men Third Round Ernests Gulbis (18), Latvia, def. Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Roger Federer (4), Switzerland, def. Dmitry Tursunov (31), Russia, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic (2), Serbia, def. Marin Cilic (25), Croatia, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4.

John Isner (10), United States, def. Tommy Robredo (17), Spain, 7-6 (13), 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Tomas Berdych (5), Czech Republic, def. Roberto Bautista Agut (27), Spain, 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), France, def. Jerzy Janowicz (22), Poland, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Milos Raonic (8), Canada, def. Gilles Simon (29), France, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Marcel Granollers, Spain, leads Martin Klizan, Slovakia, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (4), susp., darkness.

Women Third Round Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia, def. Agnieszka Radwanska (3), Poland, 6-4, 6-4.

Sam Stosur (19), Australia, def. Dominika Cibulkova (9), Slovakia, 6-4, 6-4.

Carla Suarez Navarro (14), Spain, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, 6-2, 6-2.

Garbine Muguruza, Spain, def. Anna Schmiedlova, Slovakia, 6-2, 6-4.

Maria Sharapova (7), Russia, def. Paula Ormaechea, Argentina, 6-0, 6-0.

Eugenie Bouchard (18), Canada, def. Johanna Larsson, Sweden, 7-5, 6-4.

Pauline Parmentier, France, def. Mona Barthel, Germany, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Angelique Kerber (8), Germany, def. Daniela Hantuchova (31), Slovakia, 7-5, 6-3.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

B3

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PRO TENNIS

Federer takes control at French Open

BY CHRIS LEHOURITES The Associated Press

PARIS — In what seemed like a flash, and in what surely felt like a flash of pain for his opponent, Roger Federer went from vulnerable to commanding.

It was that quick.

Federer lost a second-set tiebreaker Friday to Dmitry Tursunov, and that surely did not bode well for the 17-time Grand Slam champion. Then Tursunov felt a split second of discomfort in his left hip.

And that was it.

Federer was back on track at the French Open, on his way to a 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and into the second week of a major tournament yet again.

“Everything that was out of his control, like moving defense, that’s when it got difficult,’’ said Federer, who advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros for the 10th straight year. “Clearly, on the clay, it’s difficult to hit three great shots in a row. So I tried to extend the rallies, but serve nice and stay aggressive throughout. And I think that was a bit too much for his hip, or whatever it was.’’

It was something of an escape for Federer, who lost a set for the first time at this year’s tournament. Then again, Novak Djokovic also lost a set Friday before advancing with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win over 25th-seeded Marin Cilic.

With eight-time champion Rafael Nadal and 2013 finalist

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Roger Federer returns the ball during his 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4, victory against Dmitry Tursunov on Friday in the third round of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris.

David Ferrer perfect through their opening two matches, the pressure is on the others to keep their level high.

“It wasn’t easy because once you start being passive, you lose kind of the confidence to step in,’’ Djokovic said of his win. “That’s what happened maybe in the end of the third and a little bit of the fourth.’’

Of course, that’s nothing compared to the women’s tournament, where thirdseeded Agnieszka Radwanska

followed defending champion Serena Williams and Li Na out of the tournament.

That leaves Simona Halep, who plays today, as the highest-seeded player in the draw at No. 4. It also leaves 2012 French Open champion Maria Sharapova as the favorite after her 6-0, 6-0 rout Friday.

The woman who beat Williams, Garbine Muguruza of Spain, also advanced to the fourth round.

Federer and Djokovic,

PRO BASKETBALL

JETS FROM PAGE B1

Spurs rout Thunder for 3-2 lead

BY RAUL DOMINGUEZ The Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stared blankly at a reporter, dumbfounded as he often is when dealing the media.

Is there any way to explain the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of the Western Conference finals, where the home team has won each game in a blowout?

“You’re serious?’’ Popovich said. “You really think I can explain that? Good Lord. And they pay you, don’t they?’’

Tim Duncan had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 19 points and San Antonio rolled to a 117-89 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 5 Thursday night, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-ofseven series to put the Thunder on the brink of elimination.

The latest lopsided loss in the West finals came two days after the Thunder used their superior athleticism to fluster the veteran Spurs in Oklahoma City in Game 4.

“We’ve just got to worry about the next game,’’ Kevin Durant said. “We’re guaranteed 48 more minutes. It’s been an up-anddown series, but we’ve got to find a way to win it in Game 6. If we want to get to where we want to get to, we’ve got to win in San Antonio, but we’ve got to get to the next game.’’

The series resumes Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Durant scored 25 points, but Russell Westbrook had only 21 points and seven assists after finishing with 40 points and 10 assists in Game 4.

“Nothing,’’ changed defensively, Westbrook said.

Yet, he was unable to charge the lane as effectively as he did while putting up 24 shots and reaching the free throw line 14 times on Tuesday.

He shot 6 for 12 from the field and 7 for 9 on free throws while again being guarded primarily by 6-foot-8 forward Kawhi Leonard.

“I think I did OK,’’ Leonard said. “We all did well as a group defensively, by just

though, were expected to win, and they did. Tursunov, with an 0-4 record against Federer heading into the match, wasn’t, and he didn’t.

“Overall, the first two sets ... I felt that it was a fairly even battle out there,’’ said Tursunov, who was broken only once in the first two sets.

“It’s hard for me to predict, but definitely playing on one leg is not going to make things easier. Tough luck for me, but hopefully I’ll get him

couldn’t come up with the ball, making it 1-0.

Stokes, who was 3-for-5 with four runs batted in, followed with a 2-run single to make it 3-0.

Post 175 got five runs in the second thanks to four hits and an error by Bryant Salmond in left. York and Andrew Wrenn singled to start the inning and King walked David Hayden to load the bases. Ryan Miller’s single drove in York to make it 3-1, leaving the bases loaded with no outs.

After Michal Hoge popped up on the infield, Juan Gardner hit a single down the left field line. It scored two and when Salmond let the ball get by him, Miller came around to score as well, making it 4-3.

A Holloman sacrifice fly made it 5-3.

Post 17 tied the game in the fourth. Gunner Smith singled to start the inning before Aldridge retired the next two batters. However, Salmond doubled home Smith and Radcliff ’s RBI triple tied the game at 5-5.

An RBI single by Holloman in the fourth put Dalzell back in front at 6-5.

Stokes had the 2-run triple

somewhere else.’’

It’s still not completely clear what happened to the 31st-seeded Tursunov, but it most certainly led to a bit of a meltdown a few minutes later.

“It was right after the changeover of the second set,’’ he said. “We sat down and then got up and then he was serving, and then right after the first serve was kind of like, ‘Something is not right.’’’

LEAGUE III STANDINGS Team Sumter Camden Cheraw Dalzell Hartsville Manning

W 2 1 1 1 1 0

L 0 1 1 1 1 2

Pct. 1.000 .500 .500 .500 .500 .000

GB -1 1 1 1 2

MONDAY’S GAME

Hartsville 3, Cheraw 2

TUESDAY’S GAME

Sumter 14, Manning 12

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Sumter 5, Manning 4 Dalzell 12, Camden 2 Cheraw 4, Hartsville 0

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Camden 13, Dalzell 7 Sumter vs. Manning, ppd., rain

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Camden 10, Dalzell 6 Hartsville at Cheraw, ppd., rain

TODAY’S GAMES

Murrells Inlet at Sumter (DH), 1 p.m.

Manning vs. Duplin, N.C. (in Whiteville, N.C.), 11 a.m.

Manning vs. Wilmington, N.C. (in Whiteville, N.C.), 1:30 p.m.

in the fifth to put Post 17 on top for good at 7-6. An RBI single by Serpas in the sixth made it 8-6 and Camden scored two more in the seventh.

Junior P-15’s split pair of games THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili (20) shoots over Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (35) during the Spurs’ 117-89 victory on Thursday in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in San Antonio. keeping a hand up and forcing difficult shots for everyone.’’

That added aggression was key to winning, Popovich said before Game 5, and his team responded.

The Spurs had 23 assists, shot 30 free throws and outrebounded the Thunder 4835. San Antonio also was 13 for 26 on 3-pointers and limited Oklahoma City to four fast-break points after giving up 21 in Game 4.

Leonard and Danny Green each had 14 points, Boris Diaw added 13 and Tony Parker scored 12 for the Spurs, who are a win away from returning to the NBA Finals after losing in seven games to Miami last

year.

After losing twice in Oklahoma City by an average of 11 points, San Antonio upped its winning margin in San Antonio to 26.7 points.

Reggie Jackson had 11 points, but Serge Ibaka was held to six points and two rebounds after dominating the interior in Oklahoma City.

“It’s tough,’’ Ibaka said.

“It’s a tough loss for us, and you need to give them a lot of credit. They played their best basketball tonight. They were better than us, they were more aggressive, but this happens sometimes.

Now our focus is on the next game.’’

The Sumter Junior American Legion baseball team defeated Oswego 10-0 on Friday at Riley Park to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Dustin Frye and Ryan Moore combined on a nohitter. Frye tossed four innings and had nine strikeouts while Moore tossed the fifth inning and fanned two.

Tradd James led Sumter offensively with three hits and three runs driven in.

Hunter Donley, Daniel Twitty, Courtland Howard and Caleb Larrimore all had hits and drove in runs as well.

On Thursday, Sumter lost 6-0 to the South Florence Blue team in Florence.

James, Twitty, Edward McMillan and Josh Whitley registered hits for Sumter in the loss.

The Junior P-15’s return to action on Monday when they host Camden.

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B4

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NCAA BASEBALL

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

NCAA BASEBALL REGIONALS

By The Associated Press Double Elimination; x-if necessary

AT DAVENPORT FIELD

Charlottesville, Va. Friday Game 1 — Virginia 10, Bucknell 1 Game 2 — Liberty (41-16) vs. Arkansas (38-23), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Bucknell (30-20-1) vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.

Game 4 — Virginia (45-13) vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.

AT CAROLINA STADIUM

Columbia Friday Game 1 — Maryland 4, Old Dominion 3 Game 2 — South Carolina 5, Campbell 2 Today Game 3 — Old Dominion (36-25) vs. Campbell (40-20), 1 p.m.

Game 4 — Maryland (37-21) vs. South Carolina (43-16), 7 p.m.

AT ALFRED A. MCKETHAN STADIUM

Gainesville, Fla. Friday Game 1 — Long Beach State 6, North Carolina 1 Game 2 — Florida (40-21) vs. College of Charleston (41-17), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — North Carolina (34-26) vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.

Game 4 — Long Beach State (33-24) vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.

AT A-ROD PARK AT MARK LIGHT FIELD

Coral Gables, Fla. Friday Game 1 — Texas Tech 3, Columbia 2 Game 2 — Miami (41-17) vs. Bethune-Cookman (26-31), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Columbia (29-19) vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.

Game 4 — Texas Tech (41-18) vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

South Carolina designated hitter Max Schrock connects on one of his three hits on Friday during the Gamecocks’ 5-2 victory over Campbell in an NCAA regional game at Carolina Stadium in Columbia.

MONTGOMERY FROM PAGE B1 with a 4-0 postseason mark and a 0.59 earned run average. He also had a streak of 27 2/3 scoreless postseason innings thrown, but that was broken up by Seth LaRue’s 2-out solo homer in the fourth.

“I just (want to) win,” Montgomery said of his mindset going into a postseason start. “I just want to compete and battle.

I take every at-bat serious because I feel like every batter is trying to be better than me.”

The top-seeded Gamecocks also kept their NCAA tournament home winning streak alive -- 28 straight which dates back to Game 3 of the 2002 Super Regional versus Miami.

Montgomery retired 21 of the last 25 batters he faced dating back to the second inning when LaRue reached on an error. A leadoff single in the ninth to Matt Nadolski ended his night, giving way to closer Joel Seddon with a 5-1 lead. Seddon allowed a 1-out RBI triple to Will Albertson and a walk to LaRue, but struck out the next two batters to earn the save.

Marcus Mooney’s 2-out, 2-run single in the eighth gave USC a nice 5-1 cushion and was the biggest play of the game, according

to Camels head coach Greg Goff.

“Overall, the biggest play was the 2-out, 2-strike hit,” Goff said.

“To me that was the biggest play because we were only down two runs and we were going to have our Nos. 3, 4 and 5 (batters) coming up (in the ninth), and I thought that was going to be the best shot for us.”

The Gamecocks took an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Kyle Martin 2-run single and a sacrifice fly

by DC Arendas. Back-to-back singles by Mooney and Max Schrock and a walk by Joey Pankake loaded the bases with nobody out for Martin. The USC first baseman hit a high infield single over the head of Campbell first baseman LaRue. Arendas hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Pankake.

USC’s offense was sparked by its top four batters, who combined to go 8-for-20.

Campbell starter Heath Bowers kept the Camels in the game, allowing three earned runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one while hitting a batter.

Former Hammond School product Brooks Borders had a chance to put his team on the

TIGERS FROM PAGE B1 NCAA postseason. That dubious distinction belongs to the 1999 team, which lost to Missouri State 23-5 to open a regional — only to top Delaware and host Arkansas before beating back Missouri State twice and advancing to Leggett’s third super regional in his sixth year leading the Tigers.

It’s going to require some kind of Music City miracle for Clemson to come back against the likes of Oregon (43-18), host Vanderbilt and Xavier, particularly coming off the program’s most lopsided loss since the 2006 season when Georgia Tech smashed the Tigers 22-4.

“Everyone’s got to be 100 percent behind all their teammates, every at-bat, every pitch,” senior second baseman Steve Wilkerson said. “We’ve got to believe in ourselves.”

Not to suggest a 17-run drubbing came down to an extra base here or there, but that basically sums how Oregon turned an early lead into a hefty cushion, and then a downright laugher.

The Ducks pride themselves on getting on base by any means necessary, moving the man over and occasionally providing the big blast.

In eight innings at the plate Friday, Oregon tallied two home runs, three triples, three doubles, three sacrifice bunts, five stolen bases and five Ducks getting hit by a pitch.

“They got a lot going with the bunt game - that’s kind of the game they play, West Coast-style,” Wilkerson said. “We were ready for it, we had a gameplan; the bottom line was they executed what

scoreboard in the second with two outs and a runner on third, but he grounded out to shortstop, leaving a man in scoring position for the second straight inning for the Fighting Camels.

LaRue reached on an error by Pankake to lead off the top of the second. He went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a Clayton Brown groundout.

The Camels also missed opportunities the first two innings and left a total of six runners on base but Carolina proved to be too much at home.

MARYLAND 4 OLD DOMINION 3

COLUMBIA — Old Dominion closer Brad Gero hit batters with the bases loaded in the ninth to bring home the tying and winning runs in Maryland’s 4-3 victory.

The Terps (37-21) trailed 3-1 entering the final inning when Charlie White’s RBI single started the 3-run rally. Gero then loaded the bases with a walk to LaMonte Wade and hit Brandon Lowe with a pitch to make it 3-all. With the very next pitch, Gero plunked Maryland third baseman Jose Cuas and touched off a celebration as the Terps won in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1971.

they were doing; we were ready for it.”

Oregon catcher Shaun Chase (2-for-5, 4 RBI) and right fielder Tyler Baumgartner banged back-toback home runs in the fourth inning, quickly extending a 3-1 edge to 7-1 and chasing sophomore left-handed starter Matthew Crownover.

Crownover (8-6) sustained his worst start in a Clemson uniform, knocked around for eight runs (all earned), though he struck out seven Ducks.

Entering Friday with the fourth-lowest team batting average (.259) among 64 NCAA teams, Oregon hit 10-for-20 against Crownover, who allowed more than two earned runs for just the sixth time in 30 career starts.

“This is not something you dream about,” Crownover said. “It’s baseball, it happens. I picked a heck of a day for it to happen.”

Once Clemson rolled out its bottom-of-the-barrel relievers to preserve its bullpen, Oregon kept raking with a seven-run sixth inning.

“It’s not an ideal feeling,” Wilkerson said. “At some point, you just feel helpless.”

Wilkerson provided Clemson’s lone run, a twoout single plating Tyler Slaton in the top of the first. Clemson was stymied by Ducks southpaw Tommy Thorpe (11-4), scattering five hits over seven innings.

The Tigers will try to prolong their season in the double-elimination format today at 2 p.m. against Friday night’s loser of Vanderbilt and Xavier Clemson’s top pitcher, righty Daniel Gossett (7-1, 1.78 ERA), will take the mound, looking to ensure the Tigers win at least one NCAA tournament game for the 27th time in 28 years.

AT DICK HOWSER STADIUM

Tallahassee, Fla. Friday Game 1 — Kennesaw State 1, Alabama 0 Game 2 — Florida State (43-15) vs. Georgia Southern (39-21), 6 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Alabama (34-23) vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.

Game 4 — Kennesaw State (38-21) vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.

AT JIM PATTERSON STADIUM

Louisville, Ky. Friday Game 1 — Kansas 10, Kentucky 6 Game 2 — Louisville (45-15) vs. Kent State (36-21), 6 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Kentucky (35-24) vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.

Game 4 — Kansas (35-24) vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.

AT BART KAUFMAN FIELD

Bloomington, Ind. Friday Game 1 — Stanford 8, Indiana State 1 Game 2 — Indiana (42-13) vs. Youngstown State (16-36), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Indiana State (35-17) vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.

Game 4 — Stanford (31-23) vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.

AT HAWKINS FIELD

Nashville, Tenn.

Friday Game 1 — Oregon 18, Clemson 1 Game 2 — Vanderbilt (41-18) vs. Xavier (29-27), 8 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Clemson (36-24) vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.

Game 4 — Oregon (43-18) vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.

AT SWAYZE FIELD

Oxford, Miss.

Friday Game 1 — Georgia Tech vs. Washington, ppd., rain Game 2 — Mississippi vs. Jacksonville State, ppd., rain Today Game 1 — Georgia Tech (36-25) vs. Washington (39-15-1), 2 p.m.

Game 2 — Mississippi (41-18) vs. Jacksonville State (36-25), 6 p.m.

AT ALEX BOX STADIUM

Baton Rouge, La. Friday Game 1 — LSU 8, Southeastern Louisiana 4 Game 2 — Bryant (42-14) vs. Houston (44-15), 8 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Southeastern Louisiana (37-24) vs. Game 2 loser, 3 p.m.

Game 4 — LSU (45-14-1) vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.

AT M.L. ‘TIGUE’ MOORE FIELD

Lafayette, La. Friday Game 1 — Mississippi State 5, San Diego State 2 Game 2 — Louisiana-Lafayette (53-7) vs. Jackson State (3123), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — San Diego State (42-20) vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.

Game 4 — Mississippi State (38-22) vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.

AT ALLIE P. REYNOLDS STADIUM

Stillwater, Okla.

Friday Game 1 — Cal State Fullerton 5, Nebraska 1 Game 2 — Oklahoma State (45-16) vs. Binghamton (25-25), 7 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Nebraska (40-20) vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.

Game 4 — Cal State Fullerton (33-22) vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.

AT CHARLIE AND MARIE LUPTON STADIUM

Fort Worth, Texas Friday Game 1 — Sam Houston State 2, Dallas Baptist 1 Game 2 — TCU (42-15) vs. Siena (26-31), 8 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Dallas Baptist (40-20) vs. Game 2 loser, 3:30 p.m.

Game 4 — Sam Houston State (42-17) vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.

AT RECKLING PARK

Houston Friday Game 1 — Texas 8, Texas A&M 1 Game 2 — Rice (41-18) vs. George Mason (34-20), 8 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Texas A&M (33-25) vs. Game 2 loser, 4 p.m.

Game 4 — Texas (39-18) vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.

AT GOSS STADIUM AT COLEMAN FIELD

Corvallis, Ore. Friday Game 1 — UC Irvine 10, UNLV 3 Game 2 — Oregon State (42-12) vs. North Dakota State (2524), 11 p.m.

Today Game 3 — UNLV (35-24) vs. Game 2 loser, 5 p.m.

Game 4 — UC Irvine (36-22) vs. Game 2 winner, 11 p.m.

AT BAGGETT STADIUM

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Friday Game 1 — Pepperdine 3, Arizona State 2 Game 2 — Cal Poly (45-10) vs. Sacramento State (39-22), 9 p.m.

Today Game 3 — Arizona State (33-23) vs. Game 2 loser, 4 p.m.

Game 4 — Pepperdine (40-16) vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m.

REGIONALS ROUNDUP

Bergen leads Kennesaw State to 1-0 victory over Alabama TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Travis Bergen gave up just five hits in a careerhigh 8 2/3 innings as Kennesaw State defeated Alabama 1-0 on Friday.

VIRGINIA 10 BUCKNELL 1

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Artie Lewicki limited Bucknell to three hits in seven shutout innings, and Virginia had a 7-run sixth inning in its 10-1 victory.

LSU 8 SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 4

BATON ROUGE, La. — Christian Ibarra reached base on a throwing error in the bottom of the eighth, scored the go-ahead run on another throw-away, and LSU rallied to beat Southeastern Louisiana 8-4.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 5

Texas beat old rival Texas A&M 8-1.

SAN DIEGO STATE 2 LAFAYETTE, La. — Myles Gentry pitched four perfect innings of relief and Mississippi State made a 4-run second inning stand up in a 5-2 victory over San Diego State.

LONG BEACH STATE 6 NORTH CAROLINA 1

KANSAS 10

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Eric Hutting and Carlton Vaughn each drove in two runs to lead Long Beach State to a 6-1 victory over North Carolina.

KENTUCKY 6

TEXAS TECH 3

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tucker Tharp’s RBI double in the seventh inning drove in the go-ahead run for Kansas, and the Jayhawks defeated Kentucky 10-6.

COLUMBIA 2

TEXAS 8 TEXAS A&M 1

HOUSTON — Brooks Marlow hit a leadoff homer, Nathan Thornhill pitched seven strong innings and

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Eric Gutierrez’s 1-out double scored Zach Davis with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Texas Tech defeated Columbia 3-2.

PEPPERDINE 3 ARIZONA STATE 2

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Aus-

tin Davidson had a 2-run double, Corey Miller pitched into the seventh and Pepperdine held off Arizona State 3-2.

STANFORD 8 INDIANA STATE 1

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Cal Quantrill threw a 4-hitter, and Jack Klein hit a 3-run homer to lead Stanford to an 8-1 victory over Indiana State.

CAL STATE FULLERTON 5 NEBRASKA 1

STILLWATER, Okla. — J.D. Davis hit a 2-out, eighth-inning grand slam, lifting Cal State Fullerton to a 5-1 victory over Nebraska.

From wire reports

TELEVISION

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The Blacklist Former agent Raymond WIS News 10 at (:29) Saturday Night Live Sketch “Red” Reddington offers to help track 11:00pm News comedy, celebrity hosts & music. and weather.

(HD) down a terrorist. (HD) The Mentalist: Golden Hammer Car- 48 Hours (N) News 19 @ 11pm (:35) CSI: Miami: Raging Cannibal Mike & Molly Inside Edition (N) Paid Program Mike & Molly: The news of the The team takes on the Russian mob.

Shot during rob- tographer discovers spy ring. (HD) (HD) Sponsored.

Shoeless Molly (HD) day. bery. (HD) Flynn (HD) Wheel of ForJeopardy! (HD) Bet on Your Baby A three year old is Sing Your Face Off Sebastian Bach performs as Adam Levine, Landry Fields ABC Columbia White Collar: Veiled Threat Peter tune: Dad’s Week given a time limit of six rings to pick as Lionel Richie, Jon Lovitz as Elton John, China Anne McClain as Rihanna News at 11 (HD) and Neal hunt a black widow. (HD) (HD) up a phone. (N) (HD) and Lisa Rinna as Dolly Parton. (N) (HD) Moone Boy: An- Spy: Codename: Father Brown: The Laws of Motion Doc Martin: Old Dogs Martin gets a Jammin at Hippie Sun Studio Ses- Austin City Limits: Miranda LamNature: American other Prick in the Pulp Friction (HD) Sullivan wants to stop Brown’s med- new secretary and does Joan a favor Jack’s: Whitey sions: Nicole bert; Jeff Bridges Country music art- Eagle (HD) Wall (HD) dling. (HD) by examining her friend.

Johnson Atkins ists perform. (HD) MLB Baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers from Dodger Stadium z{| (HD) WACH FOX News The Middle: The (:15) Axe Cop: 28 (:45) Golan The Ring of Honor at 10 Nightly Legacy Axl Days Before (HD) Insatiable: Ragin’ Wrestling (N) news report. grounded. (HD) Fun (HD) (HD) Community: Crit- Community: The First Family The First Family Mr. Box Office Mr. Box Office Access Hollywood (N) (HD) The Arsenio Hall Show From Futurama: Teenical Film Studies Competitive Wine President’s family. President’s family. Star must teach. Star must teach.

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‘Halt and Catch Fire’ recalls PC clone wars of 1980s

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH “Mad Men” (now on midseason hiatus) may never get out of 1969, but television drama has fallen in love with the 1980s. Both “The Americans” and “The Normal Heart” take place during Ronald Reagan’s first term. Add “Halt and Catch Fire” (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC, TV-14) to the list of new dramas set in the era when PacMan ruled the Earth.

Set in 1983, “Halt” explores the birth of the personal computer, a time when fortunes were made and lost selling consumers on the idea that a PC on their desks and in their homes would change their lives forever.

Lee Pace stars as former IBM executive Joe MacMillan, who sells himself to a Texas computer firm and then proceeds to subvert that corporation from within. He enlists brilliant but depressed engineer Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy) to tinker with the justreleased IBM personal computer. They hope they can figure out the guts of that industry-standard to create knockoff “clones.” MacMillan also enlists young, pretty visionary prodigy Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) to round out their Three Musketeers.

“Halt” is rather long on atmosphere, musical montages and moody, damaged characters. We learn that Clark didn’t merely leave IBM, but went AWOL for a year, causing his former employers to file a missing persons case.

Brash and attractive in ways that used to be called “preppy” or “yuppie,” MacMillan frequently comes off as a creep.

Clark is first seen getting bailed out of the drunk tank by his miserable wife, Donna (Kerry Bishe), an underpaid and underappreciated engineer. Howe is simply “edgy.”

She never takes off her Walkman headphones and plays endless arcade games while pretending to be bored by a world and a computer culture that doesn’t recognize her unproven genius.

Not unlike “The Americans,” “Halt” captures the rather muted tones of the era.

Gone are the candy colors of “Mad Men” interior decoration or the Harvest Gold- and Avocado Green-colored telephones of “The Brady Bunch”

years. The 1980s were submerged in browns and beiges.

If that weren’t understated enough, more than half of the show takes place at night.

Professionally made and thoughtfully written, “Halt and Catch Fire” sinks under the weight of its grim characters, dour interiors, ugly clothes and humorless dialogue.

The period was pivotal and the PC clone wars deserve revisiting. But neither these people nor this show are as fascinating as some may think.

• Saturday nights offer something for everything, including the return of one of the most annoying shows of 2013, “Bet on Your Baby” (8 p.m.

Saturday, ABC, TV-PG).

“Bet” asks proud parents to wager on the behavior of their barely toddling children. Can junior be coerced into spinning in a circle seven times in 20 seconds? Are you willing to lose money if he doesn’t?

Would anybody else care to watch? Melissa Peterman (“Baby Daddy”) hosts.

• “Sing Your Face Off” (9 p.m.

Saturday, ABC, TV-PG) is about as attractive as its title sounds. Host John Barrowman helps transform celebrities and semi-famous faces into quasi-recognizable singers from the past. In short, do you want to see and hear Jon Lovitz transformed via makeup and voice training into Elton John? Then this is the show for you! Debbie Gibson and Darrell Hammond are the judges.

• The cornier the story, the more enigmatic the title. It just sounds more “profound” that way. Lacey Chabert (“Party of Five” and “Mean Girls”) stars in the 2014 madefor-television movie melodrama “The Color of Rain” (9 p.m.

Saturday, Hallmark Movie Channel).

She’s Gina, the widow of a man who recently died of cancer. If that weren’t sad enough, he expired on Christmas day. Channeling her grief into volunteer work, she encounters a child whose mother recently died of the same disease. Do you think her daddy is grieving? And handsome?

• Gosh, it’s a good thing that deteriorating relationships with Vladimir Putin’s oligar-

AMC FILM HOLDINGS LLC

Scoot McNairy, left, stars as Gordon Clark and Lee Pace stars as Joe MacMillan in the new AMC drama “Halt and Catch Fire,” premiering at 10 p.m. on Sunday. chic government didn’t put the kibosh on vital programming like “Russian Yeti: The Killer Lives” (9 p.m. Sunday, Discovery, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE Cary Grant bickers and bonds with eccentric beauties (Katharine Hepburn and Ann Sheridan, respectively) in consecutive screwball comedies “Bringing Up Baby” (8 p.m. Sunday, TCM) and “I Was a Male War Bride” (10 p.m.).

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS • “Mariah Carey: At Home in Concert with Matt Lauer” (8 p.m., NBC). I’m confused. Is she at home? In concert? Or with Matt Lauer?

• A divorced mother (Ashley Jones) finds 50 shades of online distraction in the 2014 melodrama “The Secret Sex Life of a Single Mom” (9 p.m., Lifetime).

• Ferocious felines on “My Cat From Hell” (8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Animal Planet, TV-PG).

• The “2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony” (8 p.m., HBO).

• Mysteries endure on “Orphan Black” (9 p.m., BBC America).

• Infidels besiege Rome in the season finale of “Da Vinci’s Demons” (9 p.m., Starz, TV-

MA). Starz invites viewers to catch up with the entire second season, with a nine-episode marathon, beginning at noon.

• A veteran of Afghan combat joins a frisky team in a hospital hothouse on the pilot episode of “The Night Shift” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).

• The FBI locates the mansion on “Crisis” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• Daunted by the competition on the season finale of “Silicon Valley” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

• Debate prep on “Veep” (10:30 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

SATURDAY SERIES SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS • Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS, r): how a high school coach saved students from a gunman; a freelance photographer’s slice of history; the F-35 warplane and its rising price tag.

• A military tragedy explored on “America’s Secret D-Day Disaster” (8 p.m., Smithsonian).

• A leak leads to Bishop’s arrest on “The Good Wife” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

• Winter digs in on “Believe” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) discusses the greenhouse effect.

• A plan to purge Setauket of rebels on “Turn” (9 p.m., AMC).

• Mole’s Town receives unexpected visitors on “Game of Thrones” (9 p.m., HBO, TVMA).

• Illuminating moments on “Nurse Jackie” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

On two episodes of “Mike & Molly” (CBS, r, TV-14): shopping problems (8 p.m.), Mike takes a bullet (8:30 p.m.) * Maps and murder on “The Mentalist” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV14) * “Dateline NBC” (9 p.m.) * “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS).

SUNDAY SERIES Auditions on “America’s Got Talent” (7 p.m., r, TV-PG) * Hedge funds and murder on “Elementary” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * Sideshow Bob bonds with Lisa on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) * Roses wilt at the sight of “The Bachelorette” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * Harmony on “Family Guy” (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * Fracking can be murder on “The Mentalist” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * Superpowers on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).

Copyright 2014, United Feature Syndicate

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COMICS

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Refusal to drink makes woman feel out of step DEAR ABBY — I’m 20 years old. My boyfriend and I don’t drink.

Almost every person my age does, and it’s Dear Abby starting to get to me. I’d ABIGAIL love to have VAN BUREN friends besides my boyfriend I can hang out with, but I find that I only connect with him because everyone else always wants to go out and party. He is an introvert, so the seclusion doesn’t bother him. I, on the other hand, am greatly bothered by it.

I have always been ahead of the curve in terms of people

THE SUMTER ITEM

my age. I have more in common with 30-year-olds than people in college. Unfortunately, I would feel weird spending time with 30-yearolds, and I’m sure they’d feel the same about spending time with me. Most of my spare time is spent with my family.

They just seem to get me.

How can I find people my age who think the way I do? I don’t want to be the kind of girl who only spends time with her boyfriend. I would appreciate other relationships.

Liz in New Jersey DEAR LIZ — I agree that it’s time to expand your circle of acquaintances. That’s why I’m advising you to join a gym or some other physical activity group and start meet-

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ing people who are involved in physical fitness. None of the ones I know want to spend their time drinking and partying because they are more interested in eating and living healthfully. I’m sure if you try it, you will meet others who think the way you do.

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

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

For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order “How to Be Popular.”

Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 610540447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

JUMBLE

SUDOKU

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

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

ACROSS 1 California/ Arizona border reservoir 11 Has yet to settle 15 “Let a new chapter begin” 16 Salinger’s “__ Stories” 17 Yellow sticky, often 18 With 3-Down, Wingey Wallace’s comic strip girlfriend 19 __’acte 20 Pkg. measures 21 Wife of Jacob 23 Ominous time 25 Smiley creator 26 Treated with malice 29 57501 preceder, on envelopes 30 Place 31 __ ball 32 A little freedom?

33 Lea grazers 34 Star of the 1931 film “M” 35 Film 36 Yet, poetically 37 Toon lead singer in a

leopardprint leotard 38 Outlook 39 Building and grounds 41 Comprehend 42 Post-reaping sights 43 Japanese sandal 44 Bunches 45 Thrice, in Rx’s 46 Egyptian Christian 50 Nonexistent 51 Blew up 54 “Gotcha” 55 Liven up 56 Experiment 57 Number that’s physically impossible to write out in standard form DOWN 1 __ drive 2 “The company for women” company 3 See 18-Across 4 Honored retiree 5 Selling fast 6 Swore 7 Sleeveless garments 8 Summer quaffs 9 Nuevo __: Peruvian

currency 10 Remove restrictions from 11 Like many a garage 12 Enthusiastically 13 Signs, as an agreement 14 Type of headlight 22 Start to bat?

24 __ Arc, Arkansas 25 Petrol purchase 26 Weighs options 27 Dominant team 28 Winter soil phenomena 29 Trojan War figure 31 Law recipient 34 Takes a bath

35 It merged with Travelers in 1998 37 Tease, in slang 38 Irreg. spelling 40 Xylophonist’s tool 41 Antecede 43 1983 Woody Allen title role 45 TV watcher’s convenience 47 Like zero 48 Best of the Beatles 49 Big natural history museum attraction 52 Bride in 1969 news 53 N.Z. currency

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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014