IN SPORTS: Wilson Hall’s James among The Sumter Item’s Players of the Week B1 FOOD
Some new takes on stuffing the holiday turkey C8 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
| Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894
75 cents
Celebrate veterans BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Ninety-seven years ago, “the war to end all wars” came to a halt at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and many breathed a sigh of relief that such a destructive war had come to an end. The next year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those
James Prosser receives the Legion of Honor from French dignitary Marie Bernard during a ceremony at Sumter County Courthouse in September 2014. Prosser will serve as grand marshall of today’s parade in Sumter. For a full list of Veterans Day observances in the area, see A10.
who died in the country’s service …” Nearly 100 years later, we know Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, but the pride in the heroism and sacrifice of those who have served the nation remains the same. Americans have been encouraged to reflect on that heroism and sacrifice through the years, and the people in the Sumter area will have the opportunity to do so as Veterans Day is celebrated in the Gamecock City.
SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO
SEE VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCES, PAGE A10
Cut Rate says ‘thank you’
County extends debris removal pact with DOT Council also addresses yard maintenance code BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
imaging camera to check inside the store’s walls. “I found a couple of hot spots,” LaMontagne said. Goins said it was an old light receptacle near the front of the building by the pharmacy. “The building could have burnt pretty good,” he said. “There was an old neon light that shorted out over a period of time.”
During Sumter County Council’s meeting on Tuesday, County Administrator Gary Mixon said the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Relief Center will be moving to another, smaller location sometime soon because of a reduced number of visitors. He said about 30 people are visiting the center each day. Mixon said the county has sent off information regarding the emergency money it spent for flood rescue and recovery. He said the majority of the $114,000 is overtime for county employees. He said the county has also extended its memorandum of understanding with South Carolina Department of Transportation for debris pickup to remove the debris from the county’s landfill. He said some residents have been dropping off debris at the landfill on their own, and more than 2,000 tons of debris has accumulated. Mixon said the debris would consume about eight months to a year of landfill space if the memorandum had not been extended. He said contractors have already started removing the debris, and the county can receive a higher percentage of reimbursement from FEMA if the debris is removed in a short amount of time. While considering final reading of amendments to the county’s code of ordinances regarding yard maintenance, council discussed working with City of Sumter officials to enforce city yard maintenance regulations for county council constituents living within city limits.
SEE CUT RATE, PAGE A10
SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A10
JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM
A hungry crew from Sumter Fire Department enjoys a meal at Sumter Cut Rate Soda Fountain Tuesday in appreciation for their successful efforts in saving the building from a fire shortly after the recent flooding.
Downtown institution treats firefighters for saving building BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
smoke, but they couldn’t find anything burning. At the end of the day, when they cut off the fans over the grill, it became more pronounced, he said, so they called the Sumter Fire Department. “I think the exhaust fans threw us off,” he said. When the fire crew arrived, there wasn’t any visible smoke or fire, so engineers Chase Goins and Troy LaMontagne began using a thermal
Todd Touchberry, manager of Sumter Cut Rate Soda Fountain, has a special reason for treating more than a dozen firemen to lunch Tuesday at the store’s oldfashioned lunch counter. A few days after the 1,000-year flood doused the Midlands in early October, he and others working at the store began smelling whiffs of
Superintendent discusses district’s test scores BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Sumter School District Superintendent Frank Baker said he was not satisfied with the district’s test scores on various state and national assessments during the school board meeting on Monday at Millwood Elementary School. South Carolina Department of Education recently released test scores for South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards, ACT Aspire and the ACT from the spring 2015 administration. The department also released
VISIT US ONLINE AT
the
.com
End of Course Test scores from the 2014-15 school year, in four separate subject areas for middle and high school students. “We were certain we would see a decline in some of the new testing methods,” Baker said. “We won’t give any excuses, however.” BAKER ACT Aspire assesses student readiness in English, math, reading, science and writing, according to the ACT Aspire LLC website, the administrator of the test. The test measures
RELATED State Department of Education releases End of Course Test scores. See A2.
student growth from grades three through eight and early high school in the areas of college and career readiness, the website states. The ACT test and ACT WorkKeys were administered for the first time to all 11th grade students in the state in spring 2015. The S.C. General Assembly passed legislation in 2014 requiring that all 11th grade students take
CONTACT US
DEATHS, B5
Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1237 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News and Sports: 774-1226
Rose Finnegan Lula Davenport George Mickens II Charlotte L. Gordy
WorkKeys as well as an assessment that measures college readiness. The ACT was chosen as a result of a state procurement. The legislation covered the cost of the administration of the ACT, making it free for all students. The new assessment reflected more rigorous academic standards and expectations, according to State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “These are new ways to measure student achievement and cannot be compared to previous assessments,”
SEE SCORES, PAGE A10
WEATHER, A12
INSIDE
GREAT FIERY BALL RETURNS
3 SECTIONS, 26 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 24
No water will fall from the sky today as legendary heavenly object returns to provide warmth; clear and cool tonight HIGH 70, LOW 50
Classifieds B6 Comics C6 Lotteries A12
Opinion A11 Panorama C1 Television C7