$6.6M plant, 59 jobs coming to Manning BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2014
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 32 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 37
Jack’s Shoes
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A Chinese-based manufacturing firm announced Tuesday it will build a $6.6 million facility in Manning which will eventually employ
professional engineers. Current needs include mechanical and hydraulic engineers, technical service employees, sales and marketing professionals and machine operators.
59 people. Peak Corp., which designs, manufactures and distributes automotive lifts, will build a 48,000-square-foot facility at 1931 Joe Rogers Blvd. The 15-year-old company primarily employs certified welders and
SEE PEAK, PAGE A10
CHILDREN OFFICIALLY ADOPTED
Home to call their own for holidays
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Poinsettia Festival brings myriad holiday events A3
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Lisa Colon, right, makes sure Brayden’s face is clean before getting a picture with her husband, Felix Colon, left, and Judge George M. McFaddin Jr. The judge takes pictures with the new families after adoptions are finalized.
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15 children now have new families after their adoptions on Monday BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com
DEATHS, B6 Ronald E. Webber Russell C. Hurst Lillie Benenhaley
Wilfred Ray Guest Elijah R. Jackson Sr. Mary Ann Pringle
M
any are thankful for family this time of year, but about 15
children are especially happy
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Their adoptions were finalized at Sumter County Judicial Center on Monday. “It’s great, a big relief, awesome,” said Felix Colon after officially adopting his second son. “We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”
The 6-year-old came to stay with Colon and his wife, Lisa, about eight months ago. He’d been in the foster care system for about twoand-a-half years. “Brayden had us at hello,” Lisa Colon said to Judge George M. McFaddin Jr. “I couldn’t love him more if I’d given birth to him myself.” They planned to go out to eat and have a big celebration later with family and friends, she said. Darrell Cumbee knows all about feeding growing boys. He completed the adoption of 14-year-old Claude on Monday. “He treats me right,” Claude said. “I feel like he’s a real parent.” “By ‘treating right,’ he means he gets to eat a lot,” Cumbee said. He originally met Claude through a mentoring program. When Cumbee learned the teenager was eligible for adoption, he
took steps to become a foster parent. “It was a long process, but everything was approved, and he was placed with me in July,” Cumbee said. Claude had been in the system since 2008. “It’s so hard to find a man that wants to be a daddy,” McFaddin said before applauding the single parent. He has served as the presiding judge on this special adoption finalization day since 2008. Families from Sumter, Clarendon, Kershaw and Richland counties were on the docket. About 2,500 children are in the state foster care system, according to www.heartfeltcalling.org. Of those, about 600 are eligible for adoption. For more information on adoption in South Carolina, visit www. dss.sc.gov.
NAACP leader reacts to Ferguson decision BY RAYTEVIA EVANS ray@theitem.com
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The nation responded in shock, disappointment and even anger after a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided on Monday not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wil-
son in the death of Michael Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old. The shooting in early August sparked weeks of protests — of both peaceful and violent nature — and sent social media into a frenzy and brought up even more conversation about the ev-
er-present issues with race in America and tensions between minorities and law enforcement. Ferdinand Burns, president of the Sumter chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,
SEE FERGUSON, PAGE A10
Buckle up, pay attention during your Thanksgiving travel BY MATT BRUCE matthew@theitem.com Experts are predicting a crowded highway this week with gas prices across the country at some of the lowest levels they have been in years. According to a statement from AAACarolinas released late last week,
more than 650,000 South Carolina residents are expected to take a trip of at least 50 miles from home this year, with 90 percent of those travelers expected to use driving as their mode of transportation. The Palmetto State is enjoying the lowest gas prices in the nation, with a state average of less than $2.56 per gallon at the pump. Analysts said this
year, motorists will see the gasoline at the cheapest price in five years when they hit the roads this week, down about 45 cents from last Thanksgiving. As the big travel holiday approaches, local authorities warned drivers to exercise safety on the roads. Sgt. Tony Rivers of Sumter Police Department said more vehicles on the roads often results in more crashes.
“One of the most important things for people to do is pay attention,” he said. “Driving a vehicle is a major responsibility. And one thing that we have to remember is that as we drive in a motor vehicle, our surroundings are constantly changing. It’s not static. So we have to pay attention; we have
SEE SAFETY, PAGE A10