October 29, 2014

School board OKs 2 more years for superintendent Chairman cites performance as reason for contract extension WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

75 CENTS

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 13

FOOD

BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com The Sumter School District board of trustees voted to extend Superintendent Frank Baker’s contract by two years Monday night.

Two board members — Larry Addison and Vice Chairwoman

Patty Wilson — abstained, and the Rev. Ralph Canty was not present.

“We decided to extend the contract based on his performance,” said Chairman Keith Schultz, speaking for the four in favor.

There were no other changes to the contract beyond the 24-month extension, he said.

Wilson was surprised this matter was being brought up considering the upcoming elections, she said.

“This may be the last time we meet as the same board,” Wilson said. “If I was the new board coming in, I’d want you to leave that to

SEE BAKER, PAGE A11

Trunk or treat with law enforcement Friday

Dust off your slow cooker These recipes are sure to make you drool C8 SPORTS

Wilson Hall baseball, golf standouts set to make collegiate picks B1 NATION

Lava river is a slow-motion disaster for Hawaii town A4

MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Authorities decorate the front of the Law Enforcement Center on Tuesday in anticipation of the trunk or treat event Friday.

C

ity, county and state public safety agencies are working together to provide a trunk or treat event from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday outside Sumter Law Enforcement Center at 107 E. Hampton St. This year, Sumter Police Department and Sumter County Sheriff’s Office will

be joined by Sumter Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services and state agencies including Highway Patrol; Probation, Pardon and Parole; and Department of Corrections to host a Halloween event with a safe environment where parents can bring their children. There are no designated hours for trick-or-treating in the city or county.

DEATHS, B7

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

Florine B. Dingle Jimmy Lee Choice Georgia Mae Weeks Linda Nelson Evelyn F. McPherson A.J. Moore James Linwood Ross Donna Jean Y. Thompson Freddie Mickel

• Use reflective tape on costumes and treat bags, wear light colors and carry flashlights with fresh batteries for extra visibility.

• Stay alert, look in all directions and listen for traffic before crossing.

• Cross at corners, not between parked cars or mid-block.

• If there are no sidewalks, always walk facing traffic, on the left side of the road.

• Talk to your children about safety issues, such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, walking and not running, looking and not approaching houses that don’t have outside lights on or have dogs in a fenced yard.

WEATHER, A12

• Younger children should always be accompanied by an adult or trustworthy teen; older children should be given boundaries and should communicate with their parents along the way.

• Parents should inspect all treats before allowing children to eat. Do not eat anything that appears to have been tampered with.

• Parents should ensure that children trick-or-treating door to door stay in areas they are familiar with and stick to friends and neighbors they know. Parents are encouraged to check the sex offender registry, http://bit.ly/1yGPVrR, if planning to trick-or-treat in unfamiliar areas.

Source: Sumter Police Department

INCREASING CLOUDINESS It will be warm and cloudy today; expect a thunderstorm early this evening

Tuomey retains ‘B’ hospital safety score

HIGH 83, LOW 54

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Clarendon holds on to ‘C’ rating

BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com Both hospitals in the tri-county area maintained the same grade in hospital safety scores through The Leapfrog Group measuring system between spring and fall scoring this year.

Tuomey Healthcare System retained a B rating while Clarendon Memorial Hospital in Manning stayed steady with a C. Leapfrog, a not-for-profit organization that administers the Hospital Safety Score, assigns letter grades of A through F to hospitals based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries and infections, according to a news release from the group.

“The Leapfrog score is

one of numerous safety and performance measures that exist for hospitals,” said Dr. Gene Dickerson, Tuomey vice president. “No single score or grade is sufficient to reflect the quality of care provided at any health care institution. We will continue to strive to improve performance and will never be satisfied even when we receive an ‘A.’” In South Carolina, 43 hospitals participated in

the Leapfrog system. Of those, 14 earned As; 13 earned Bs; 14 earned Cs; and two — Conway Medical Center in Conway and GHS Laurens County Memorial Hospital in Clinton — earned Ds. None were graded F. Like Tuomey and Clarendon, the majority of the hospitals in South Carolina remained steady, 27 of them. Nine declined by

SEE HOSPITALS, PAGE A11

Costs create construction delays Work on CCTC training center resumes after cuts keep project within budget

BY RAYTEVIA EVANS ray@theitem.com Construction for Central Carolina Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center has started up again after the project was at a standstill for a little more than two months.

CCTC had project delays in August after Rodgers Builders Inc.

started accepting bids for plumbing, electrical and other work for the space.

Terry L. Booth, vice president of business affairs, said Tuesday that CCTC and Rodgers received bids from local businesses, but many were over the budget for the individual projects. With the help of the contractors and architects, Booth said they worked on cutting

costs to meet the budget before resuming construction.

Federal and state monies along with a college capital fund campaign will fund the $13.2 million project.

Rodgers resumed construction on the facility last week after meeting with steel, concrete and electrical

SEE CCTC, PAGE A11

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Construction on Central Carolina Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center has resumed after cutting costs to keep the project within budget. The construction had been on hold for more than two months.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

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

Fire victim flown to burn center

LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

NAACP to provide Election Day rides The Sumter branch of the NAACP will provide rides to the polls from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday for Election Day. Volunteer drivers are also needed.

For more information, to help or to sign up to receive a ride, call the office at (803) 7759215 or (803) 968-4464.

Dementia workshop for caregivers offered The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center Dementia Committee will hold a free seminar on Nov. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Dorn VAMC Auditorium, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia.

The seminar “The Journey of Caregiving for Veterans with Dementia” is for professional and non-professional caregivers and family members of those who are experiencing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and will provide information on dementia, community and VA resources, management of difficult behaviors and quality of life.

Jolene Brackey, orator and author of the book “Creating Moments of Joy: A Journal for Caregivers,” will be keynote speaker.

Nursing and social work continuing education units are available free of charge, and registration is required to participate in the seminar.

Contact Dorn VAMC Social Work Supervisor Marsha Ward at (803) 776-4000, extension 4325, to register for the seminar.

City fire hydrant tests start today The City of Sumter will perform fire hydrant flow tests between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. today and Thursday on Murphy Street, Brent Street, Dant Street, East Patricia Drive, Webb Avenue, Wilder Street, Manhattan Avenue, Bass Street, Nathaniel Street, Gamble Street and Reaves Street. Water customers in the surrounding area may experience temporary discolored water.

Direct any questions or concerns to the City of Sumter Public Services Department at (803) 436-2558.

CORRECTION In Tuesday’s article “Apex employees learn more about making Gamecock City home,” the Apex Tool Group spokeswoman was incorrectly identified as Kelly Blazek. Her correct spelling is Kelly Blask.

Also, the company is not planning any future consolidation of plants nationwide, as might be inferred in the final paragraph. The consolidation of the Dallas and Springdale plants was announced in August.

Man in critical condition after early morning home blaze

BY MATT BRUCE matthew@theitem.com A man remains in critical condition after authorities flew him to Georgia to treat him for injuries he suffered during a house fire early Tuesday morning in Sumter.

The blaze ignited in a wooden cottage in the 600 block of Floride Street just before 5 a.m. Reports indicate two men were in the home at the time.

According to a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office report, one of the residents was sitting in the living room of the residence when he smelled smoke from a back room.

The resident tried to rescue the second victim from the back room, but smoke and heat had already overwhelmed the building, he said.

That’s when he fled the scene and called 911.

When officers arrived, the back bedroom was already in flames, as authorities said 30 percent of the structure was fully involved.

Sumter Fire Department responded and used an aggressive fire attack to enter the premises and pull the man from the home. Department officials said the man was unconscious, unresponsive and had no heart rate when they rescued him from the burning home.

Crews performed CPR on the victim to resuscitate him and continued reviving the man until EMS arrived to

the scene and transported him to Tuomey Regional Medical Center. Sheriff’s office reports indicated he showed no signs of life while en route to the Sumter hospital.

Tuomey officials indicated authorities subsequently transferred the victim to Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia. Spokespeople at the burn center said he remained in critical condition there late Tuesday afternoon.

Sumter fire investigators determined the fire sparked because the victim was smoking in bed. A report from Sumter Fire Department noted crews found smoking material in the rear bedroom of the house where blaze began.

The fire caused an estimated $15,000 in structural and content damage to the home.

Black River Electric introduces its new CEO

BY JOE KEPLER joe@theitem.com Black River Electric Cooperative board members announced Tuesday that Charles Allen will be promoted to chief executive officer in January when current CEO Charles H. Leaird retires.

Allen currently serves as vice president of engineering and operations.

Allen began working at Black River in 2004 after working for 10 years at Carolina Pipeline and Progress Energy.

He has spent 35 years in the industry.

“What we looked for when we went through 71 applications that came from all across the United States was an individual that could keep the course of Black River on this mission of focusing on three key parts: customer service, energy costs and also equity,” said Rowland Alston, chairman of the board for the co-op.

Allen’s appointment was met with sustained applause from the crowd of employees, and he addressed the group to PHOTO PROVIDED talk about the challenges the Charles Allen was introduced as the soon-to-be new chief exec- organization will have in the future. He said when people utive officer for Black River Electric Cooperative on Tuesday started receiving Black River morning. He is an industry veteran who is currently the vice president of engineering and operations and will take over for service in 1940, they were paying simple monthly payments current CEO Charles H. Leaird in January.

of $5 just to power a light, and there weren’t concerns about the impact of solar, coal and nuclear energy. He said those new industries, coupled with climate change concerns, are hard to control, but “the thing we can control is service.”

“I’ve been in this industry for 35 years, and the one thing that’s kind of unique about our industry is we have converted service to a noun,” Allen said. “Service for us in the utility business is that last wire from our facilities to the customer’s facility. We count services, we talk about ‘we have 30,000 services’ and ‘we’ve added so many new services,’ but one of the things I want us to focus on going forward in the future is that service is a verb. Service is how we are able to distinguish ourselves from the other utilities.”

Along with his work at Black River, Allen is the chairman of Sumter Utility Coordination Committee and sits on boards with Salvation Army and Rotary Club. He also serves as a member of the Industrial Association for the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Carol, have four children.

Leaird retires after 32 years with Black River Electric Cooperative.

Teenagers, do you want to get paid to talk?

Local Legion post sponsors high school oratorical contest FROM STAFF REPORTS The Dalzell-Shaw American Legion Post 175 is giving teenager orators a chance to win money for college.

Set to take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the post’s home, 3625 Camden Highway, Dalzell, the Oratorical Speech Contest is open to all high school students — public, parochial, military, private or home school — who are under the age of 20 as of the date of the national contest. Participants

must also be a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the United States and must have his or her principal’s approval.

The form is available at p175.org.

Deadline for entries is Dec. 2.

The winner will be awarded a $250 scholarship and will advance to the quadrant contest in Florence in February next year. The quadrant winner receives a certificate and advances to the state finals scheduled for March in Columbia.

The state winner receives a $2,000 scholarship and will advance to the national competition in Indianapolis, Indiana, in April. The American Legion

will pay the expenses of state winners at the national contest.

There are two parts of the competition at each level.

The prepared oration is an eight- to 10-minute speech on some aspect of the Constitution with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen. The second part is a three- to five-minute speech based on a subject given to the student approximately five minutes in advance and will consist of either Amendment 5, Amendment 6, Amendment 8 or Amendment 19.

For complete details of the competition or to register, visit p175.org.

HOW TO REACH US IS YOUR PAPER MISSING? ANNOUNCEMENT ARE YOU GOING ON Birth, Engagement, Wedding, VACATION? Anniversary, Obituary 20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, S.C. 29150 (803) 774-1200 Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher jack@theitem.com (803) 774-1238 Rick Carpenter Managing Editor rick@theitem.com (803) 774-1201 Waverly Williams Sales Manager waverly@theitem.com (803) 774-1237

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The Sumter Item is published six days a week except for July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day (unless it falls on a Sunday) by Osteen Publishing Co., 20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, SC 29150.

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LOCAL

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’

Kevin Boles plants flowers made from recycled materials in the gazebo area between Patriot Hall and Sumter Recreation Department for a Fall for the Arts display.

The community project “How Does Your Garden Grow?” encouraged the community to create objects normally found in a garden — bugs and flowers — out of everyday materials such as plastic cups and aluminum cans.

Many Sumter schools took part in the exhibit, as did individual members of the community.

Payton Elmore sets out flowers for the display on Saturday morning.

PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

JOE KEPLER / THE SUMTER ITEM

POLICE BLOTTER CHARGE Ahmad Grant, 21, of Duncan, was arrested and charged with driving under suspension, third offense, after a traffic stop near the 4800 block of Broad Street just after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

STOLEN PROPERTY Two box speakers valued at $800 and a microphone valued at $200 were reportedly stolen from a home in the 3000 block of North Main Street between 4 and 5 p.m. Friday.

A 47-inch flat-screen TV valued at $600 as well as a tool box and an assortment of tools valued at $800 were reported stolen from a home in the 1800 block of Dunbarton Drive about 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

A washing machine and dryer set valued at $850 was reported stolen

from a laundry room in the 700 block of Shedricks Lane just after 4:45 p.m. Friday.

A 5-by-8-foot trailer valued at $1,000, four Chevrolet rims and tires valued at $200 and a stainless steel sink valued at $100 were reported stolen from a home in the 1000 block of Morton Street about 8 a.m.

Saturday.

Several electronic items valued at $1,500 and various other items valued at $949 were reportedly stolen from a barbershop and adjacent restaurant in the 200 block of Manning Avenue between 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday. The shop reportedly sustained $1,420 in estimated damage during the alleged break-in.

A 1996 Chevrolet Lumina valued at $5,000 was reportedly stolen from the back lot of Cut Rate Drug

Halloween Dance and Costume PARTY

Friday, October 31st

Gamecock Shrine Club 1865 Hwy 15 S. • Sumter, SC

$10 PER PERSON AT THE DOOR

THE Event is at 10am-3pm Saturday

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, November 13, 2014, at 6:00 p.m., the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, on behalf of Clarendon County, the City of Manning, and the Towns of Summerton, Turbeville, and Paxville, will hold a Public Hearing at the City Hall, Manning, S.C. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to review and solicit public comment on the afore-mentioned Citizens Participation Plan, and to solicit public input on community needs and priorities for housing, public facilities, economic development, water/sewer facilities, and job creation with a Needs Assessment Survey. Results of this Survey and the activities which might be undertaken to meet identified needs, including the estimated amount proposed to be used for activities that will benefit person of low and moderate income, may be provided at the Public Hearing.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITIZENS PARTICIPATION PLAN/NEEDS ASSESSMENT Communities anticipating participation in the State of South Carolina’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, Economic Development Program, and the Federal HUD HOME Program must provide for participation of their citizens in the planning and implementation of CDBG, Economic Development, and HUD HOME-funded projects, in accordance with Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended through 1987. Therefore, a Citizens Participation Plan has been developed for Clarendon County for the purpose of providing the citizens of this locality with a written, detailed plan for their participation in the planning and implementation of community and economic development projects which may involve CDBG and HOME funds.

DAMAGED PROPERTY A 2008 Ford Escape reportedly sustained an estimated $1,500 in damage during an alleged domestic dispute in the first block of West Red Bay Road about 4:15 p.m. Sunday.

A 2005 Ford F-150 pickup truck was reportedly spray painted and sustained an estimated $1,500 in damage between 6 and 10:30 a.m. Monday in the 300 block of Wesmark Boulevard.

Hey Eggheads!

Doors open at 7pm Band “Chaos” at 8pm

Dress in your BEST Costume to win a prize!

Serving Heavy Hors d’oeuvre

bracelets valued at $4,000 were reportedly stolen from a home in the 400 block of Loring Drive between midnight and 1:50 a.m. Tuesday.

A pair of 42-inch flat-screen TVs and a cellphone, all valued at $2,100, were reported stolen from a Wedgefield home in the 5600 block of Peach Tree Road just before 8 p.m. Monday.

Store, 32 S. Main St., between Oct. 21 and Thursday.

A .380-caliber handgun valued at $300 was reportedly stolen from a home in the first block of Hatfield Street between 1 and 1:30 p.m. Friday.

A tiller valued at $500 and a bag filled with legal documents valued at $100 were reported stolen from a yard in the first block of East McLeod Street in Rembert about 5:20 p.m. Monday.

An assortment of electronic appliances valued at $3,100 and shotguns valued at $1,035 were reportedly stolen from the 3100 block of Leonard Brown Road about 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Several electronic appliances valued at $2,950, a set of 24-inch vehicle rims valued at $2,500 and an array of gold rings, necklaces and

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Opening in Sumter November 3rd

The Citizen Participation Plan is available for review at the Clarendon County Administrative Offices, Manning, SC and the Santee-Lynches RCOG Office, 129 S. Harvin Street (temporary location), Sumter, SC between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Persons with questions or comments concerning the Public Hearing or the Citizen Participation Plan may contact Kyle Kelly, Director, Economic and Community Sustainability Department, Santee-Lynches RCOG, (803) 774-1377.

Clarendon County does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability in the admission of, access to, or treatment regarding employment in its federally assisted programs or activities. The following individuals have been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regulations: CLARENDON COUNTY: CITY OF MANNING: TOWN OF SUMMERTON: TOWN OF TURBEVILLE TOWN OF PAXVILLE

Thomas Harvin - 803-435-9354 Mary Adger/James Pringle - 803-435-8477 Donald Bagnal - 803-485-2525 Dwayne Howell - 843-659-2781 Wade McLeod - 803-452-5113

Dr. John Baker

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385 W. Wesmark Blvd. • Sumter, SC 29150

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NATION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

River of lava creeps toward Hawaii town PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — After weeks of slow, stop-andgo movement, a river of asphalt-black lava crept within yards of a home in a Big Island community on Tuesday.

The lava crackled and smoked as it advanced toward the two-story structure in Pahoa Village, smothering an expanse of vegetation.

Residents of the small town have had weeks to prepare for what’s been described as a slow-motion disaster. Most have either already left or are prepared to go. At least 50 or 60 structures — including homes and businesses — are in the area likely to be hit.

Imelda Raras lives on Apaa Street, which was hit by the lava Sunday. She said she and her husband are ready to go to a friend’s home if officials tell them they should leave.

“We are still praying,” Raras said. “I hope our home will be spared.”

During the weekend, the lava crossed a road in Pahoa Village, a main town in the island’s rural Puna district. On Tuesday morning, civil defense officials said it was about 510 yards from Pahoa Village Road, which goes straight through downtown.

Josiah Hunt, who has a farm in a part of Puna not immediately threatened by the lava, described the sounds, smell of burning grass and the warmth of the lava.

“The popping and sizzling and all the methane bursts that are happening in the distance ... mixed with the birds chirping and the coqui frogs,” he said.

hour, depending on topography, said Janet Babb, a spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

On Tuesday, it was averaging about 5 yards per hour.

The couple living in the house closest to the flow left, but they have returned periodically to gather belongings, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said.

At one point they allowed civil defense workers to view the lava from their balcony.

Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active, has been erupting continuously since 1983.

WATCHING THE FLOW County officials are making arrangements for those living in the lava’s path to be able to watch the lava destroy their homes as a means of closure.

“You can only imagine the frustration as well as ... despair they’re going through,” Oliveira said.

Hunt watched last week as it crept toward Pahoa and saw a woman whose house is near its path put a ti leaf lei at the front of the flow.

“It helps a person come to grips with the reality of the situation,” he said. “I found it to be oddly comforting in a really strange way.”

The lava flow from Kilauea Volcano is seen recently. Residents of the small town have had weeks to prepare for what’s been described as a slow-motion disaster.

PREPARATIONS Sporadic suspensions in the lava’s movement have given emergency crews time to build alternate routes to town.

Raras said they began put-

ting their belongings in storage in September. What they aren’t able to take with them, they’re photographing for insurance purposes.

NOTICE OF FUND AVAILABILITY

SLOW-MOTION DISASTER Scientists began warning the public about the lava Aug. 22. At the time, residents were cleaning up from a tropical storm that made landfall over the Puna district.

The flow’s advancement has been inconsistent, ranging from about 2 to 20 yards per

PHOTOS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Hawaii Volcano Observatory geologist maps the margin of the June 27 lava flow in the open field below Cemetery Road near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii recently. Dozens of residents in this rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as flowing lava continued to advance.

The Sumter County Regional HOME Consortium (SCRHC) has been designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a Participating Jurisdiction in accordance with regulations at 24 CFR Part 92.105.

As a Participating Jurisdiction, the counties of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter, City of Sumter, Town of Mayesville, Town of Pinewood, City of Camden, Town of Bethune, Town of Elgin, City of Bishopville, Town of Lynchburg, City of Manning, Town of Paxville, Town of Summerton, and Town of Turbeville are eligible for HOME Investment Partnership funds. Fifteen (15%) percent of the funds received by the SCRHC each year are “Set-Aside” and made available to eligible Community Housing and Development Organizations (CHDO) as recognized by the Sumter County Regional HOME Consortium Board. The amount of FY 2013 Set-Aside funding for the period April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014 is approximately $86,335.20.

Distributions of the FY 2013 fifteen (15%) percent Set-Aside will be dependent upon approval of project proposals by the SCRHC. Eligible CHDO organizations may contact Sharon Durden, Economic and Community Sustainability Department, Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, 129 S. Harvin Street (temporary location), Sumter, SC 803-774-1988 for information on submitting project proposals.

Private, non-profit organizations interested in a CHDO designation may contact Sharon Durden for information on the specific qualifying CHDO criteria.

Let’s be

Honest YOU DESERVE A

C

Free

Installation

Carolina Diabetes & Kidney Foundation is sponsoring the

18th Annual Community

Diabetes Fair Saturday, November 8th, 2014 1:00-5:00pm at Wilson Hall School 520 Wilson Hall Road, Sumter, SC The corner of Wise Dr. & Wilson Hall Rd.

Exhibits • Grand Prizes Free Health Screenings Door Prizes • 6 Lectures Refreshments

200+

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For more information, please call Carolina Diabetes & Kidney Center @ 803-469-7500 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITIZENS PARTICIPATION PLAN/NEEDS ASSESSMENT

THAT’S WHY YOUR MODEM AND WI-FI ARE FREEand onnection

ing on what side of the flow students live, they’ll either go to a newly built temporary facility or other area schools.

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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Plus

An elementary school projected to be in the lava’s path will close starting today.

Other schools will close starting Thursday. Depend-

Communities anticipating participation in the State of South Carolina’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, Economic Development Program, and the Federal HUD HOME Program must provide for participation of their citizens in the planning and implementation of CDBG, Economic Development, and HUD HOME-funded projects, in accordance with Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended through 1987. Therefore, a Citizens Participation Plan has been developed for Sumter County for the purpose of providing the citizens of this locality with a written, detailed plan for their participation in the planning and implementation of community and economic development projects which may involve CDBG and HOME funds.

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, November 6, 2014, at 6:00 p.m., the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, on behalf of Sumter County, the City of Sumter, and the Towns of Mayesville and Pinewood, will hold a Public Hearing at the Regional Transit Authority, 129 S. Harvin Street, Sumter, S.C. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to review and solicit public comment on the afore-mentioned Citizens Participation Plan, and to solicit public input on community needs and priorities for housing, public facilities, economic development, water/sewer facilities, and job creation with a Needs Assessment Survey. Results of this Survey and the activities which might be undertaken to meet identified needs, including the estimated amount proposed to be used for activities that will benefit person of low and moderate income, may be provided at the Public Hearing.

The Citizen Participation Plan is available for review at the Sumter County Administrative Building, Sumter, SC and the Santee-Lynches RCOG Office, 129 S. Harvin Street (temporary location), Sumter, SC between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Persons with questions or comments concerning the Public Hearing or the Citizen Participation Plan may contact Kyle Kelly, Director, Economic and Community Sustainability Department, Santee-Lynches RCOG, (803) 774-1377.

Sumter County does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability in the admission of, access to, or treatment regarding employment in its federally assisted programs or activities.

The following individuals have been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regulations: SUMTER COUNTY: CITY OF SUMTER: TOWN OF MAYESVILLE: TOWN OF PINEWOOD:

Lorraine Dennis – 803-436-2102 803-436-2372 Randolph Anderson – 803-453-5358 Sarah Mathis – 803-452-5878

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REGION | WORLD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

18 miners trapped in coal mine in Turkey

BY SUZAN FRASER The Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — Surging water trapped at least 18 workers Tuesday in a coal mine in Turkey, officials and reports said — an event likely to raise even more concerns about the nation’s poor workplace safety standards.

Initial reports said flooding inside the Has Sekerler mine near the town of Ermenek in Karaman province caused a cave-in, but subsequent reports said workers were trapped by the water.

Turkey’s emergency management agency, AFAD, said a broken pipe in the mine

Sheriff: 2 shot at N.C. courthouse 1 suspect caught after manhunt in small town NASHVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A gunman opened fire on two men in front of the courthouse in this small North Carolina town on Tuesday, sending panicked lunchtime shoppers ducking into shops along the normally quiet main drag.

The suspect was caught in the late afternoon after a manhunt that included dozens of armed officers searching the woods along a state highway with a police helicopter flying overhead. A second suspect was still on the loose Tuesday night.

Authorities didn’t offer a motive but think the victims were targeted. Both were expected to survive.

The shooting shattered the calm of the sunny lunch hours along Nashville’s main street, which is flanked by the courthouse on one side and one-story shops across the street. Witnesses on the strip that includes a flower shop, cafĂŠ and furniture store said violence is unusual in the town of about 5,500. “We heard gunshots, like: Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!â€? said Judy Winstead, who works at a real estate office across from the court. “It was very loud, and when we came out we even smelled gunpowder.â€?

Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said he thinks the gunman targeted his two victims when he opened fire about 11:15 a.m.

The suspected gunman was arrested Tuesday afternoon, and police identified him in a news release as 23-year-old Ontarious Montre Lewis of Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

The release gave no information on possible charges.

Nashville Police Chief Thomas Bashore said in the same statement Tuesday night that police were also seeking a second suspect, 36-year-old Demond Levar Morris, also of Rocky Mount. Authorities haven’t said what Morris’ role in the crime may have been.

Bashore said the gunman ran up in front of the courthouse, shot several times and ran away before he got into a light-colored car and escaped.

Authorities said one victim ran inside the Nash County Courthouse and collapsed after being hit in the hand and leg.

The other victim ran down the street and was found in a lot with a back wound. Bashore said the victims, both men, didn’t work at the courthouse.

Officers found four or five bullet casings at the scene. “It’s senseless to me that anybody would shoot anything, let alone in front of the courthouse,� Jenkins said.

At the real estate office nearby, Winstead said she heard the gunshots as she sat at her desk. She ran to the front door and locked it as an uninjured woman screamed on the courthouse steps.

Uyar said the trapped workers’ chances of survival were slim unless they had managed to reach a safety gallery.

Turkey’s ministers for energy and transportation immediately left Ankara, the capital, to oversee the rescue operation. AFAD said it had sent 225 people to join rescuers from neighboring mines and regions.

In May, a fire inside a coal mine in the western town of Soma killed 301 miners in Turkey’s worst mining disaster. The fire exposed poor safety standards and superficial government inspections in many of the country’s mines.

caused the flooding but did not elaborate.

Gov. Murat Koca said about 20 other workers escaped or were rescued from the mine, some 300 miles south of Ankara, close to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

Sahin Uyar, an official at the privately owned coal mine, told private NTV television that the miners were stuck more than 330 yards underground. “At the moment, 18 of our colleagues are trapped. We are working to pump water out from three sections of the mine,� he told NTV, adding that rescue crews had made no contact with the miners.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rescue workers use pipes to pump water out of the mine after water flooded a section of a coal mine near the town of Ermenek, 300 miles south of Ankara, on Tuesday.

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A7

India slides, U.S. gains in equality ranking of sexes

BY KATY DAIGLE The Associated Press NEW DELHI — Indian women still face some of the world’s worst inequality in access to health care, education and work, despite years of rapid economic growth, according to a survey of 142 nations released Tuesday.

The annual Gender Gap Index by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum showed India falling to 114th place, after being ranked 101st out of the 136 countries surveyed last year. That puts India below other fast-developing nations including South Africa, ranked 18th, China at 87 and Brazil at 71.

Nordic nations led the world in promoting equality of the sexes, as they have for many years, with Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark occupying the top five spots.

The United States climbed three places to 20th, thanks to a narrowing wage gap and more women occupying political offices.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Schoolgirls play at a government school in Hyderabad, India, on Tuesday. Indian women still face some of the world’s worst inequality in access to health care, education and work, according to the annual Gender Gap Index by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum released Tuesday.

“Achieving gender equality is obviously necessary for economic reasons. Only those economies who have

full access to all their talent will remain competitive and will prosper,” Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive

chairman, said in a statement.

Yemen, Pakistan and Chad remained at the bottom of

Relatives, strangers in Turkish villages give refugees hope ALANYURT, Turkey (AP) — Just eight families used to inhabit this small hamlet jutting into no-man’s land on the Turkish-Syrian border, eking out a living from the land, living in mud-brick houses yards away from Turkish army lookout posts.

Now, as thick black smoke rises from the besieged Kurdish Syrian town of Kobani in the distance, the village’s population has more than doubled.

In mid-September, up to 80 terrified refugees streamed into Alanyurt — which locals call by its Kurdish name of Zahwan — fleeing an onslaught by extremists from the Islamic State group on Kobani and surrounding villages. Most left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Bader Uzgar, head of the village, took them in.

Nearly 200,000 people have fled into Turkey from Kobani, which sits right on the border. While many have found refuge in camps set up by authorities around the nearby Turkish town of Suruc, the vast majority have been taken in by relatives, friends or even total strangers.

They live in people’s homes, in empty storehouses or in construc-

A Syrian Kurdish refugee family from Kobani sits in the village of Alanyurt on the Turkish side of the Turkey-Syria border on Monday.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

tion sites.

At a conference Tuesday in Berlin, Syria’s neighbors urged European countries to open their doors to more refugees from the 3½-year civil war and asked for immediate financial and technological help as their infrastructures buckle under the massive refugee influx. More than 3 million people have fled Syria because of the conflict, and an additional 6 million are displaced within Syria.

For one young couple, Suruc resident Bozan Sudun came up with a novel idea. With no room at home, he built a tent on his roof for a newlywed couple and three of their relatives.

“They were just sitting there, the two of them,” looking for an empty house, he explained. “I told them there was no house, but I could build a tent for them and they could eat

with us every day.”

Now the makeshift tent, lined with rugs and a few cushions, is home for 20-year-old Mays Osman, a nurse from Kobani, and her carpenter husband. Their three relatives work in the cotton fields and return every few days.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, or AFAD, provides three hot meals per day for 60,000 people in the Suruc area, said agency spokesman Dogan Eskinat.

But there are so many refugees scattered across the region’s towns and villages that many rely on locals.

“I will help the Syrian people until I die,” said Uzgar, whose village now houses and feeds 10 refugee families, all distant relatives. “We don’t know how long we can continue like this, but they are our relatives. Whatever we have, we will give them.”

the index, which ranks countries based on data reported by international organizations in four categories: health and survival, access to education, economic opportunity and political participation.

Overall, the report said equality is improving worldwide, with 105 countries becoming more equal since the forum launched the index in 2006 and health and education access being the most egalitarian across the globe.

“Much of the progress on gender equality over the last 10 years has come from more women entering politics and the workforce,” said the report’s lead author, Saadia Zahidi, who heads the forum’s Gender Parity Program.

India ranked a high 15th for female political participation, with some of its most powerful positions in government recently occupied by women.

But it was among the bottom 20 in terms of income, literacy, workforce participation and infant survival.

Kurdish fighters travel to Syria to combat militants IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Dozens of Iraq’s Kurdish peshmerga fighters were flying to Turkey on Tuesday and from there crossed into the Syrian border town of Kobani to help fellow Kurds fight Muslim militants, a spokesman for the Kurdish force said.

According to the spokesman, Halgurd Hekmat, the peshmerga fighters were leaving the city of Irbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. He gave no further details.

Last week, the local Iraqi Kurdish government authorized the peshmerga forces to go to neighboring Syria and help fellow Kurds combat Islamic State militants in Kobani.

A total of 150 peshmerga fighters were authorized to go to Kobani through Turkey.

Turkey, which has riled Kurdish leaders and frustrated Washington by refusing to allow fighters or weapons into Kobani, said last week it would help Iraqi Kurdish fighters cross into Syria.

The unprecedented deployment will provide much-needed boots on the ground in Kobani, although it is not clear whether the fighters will be allowed to carry enough weapons to make an impact.

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NATION | WORLD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

Ebola raises questions about quarantining rights States hold power to isolate sick people

BY JOSH LEDERMAN The Associated Press WASHINGTON — For Americans wondering why President Obama hasn’t forced all states to follow a single, national rule for isolating potential Ebola patients, the White House has a quick retort: Talk to the Founding Fathers.

A hodgepodge of state policies, some of which directly contradict Obama’s recommendations, has sowed confusion about what’s really needed to stop Ebola from spreading in the United States. While public health advocates denounce state quarantines as draconian and scientifically baseless, anxious residents in non-quarantine states are asking whether they’re at greater risk because their governors

the best practices to stop Ebola’s spread. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did just that.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at National Institutes of Health, defended the Washington policy Tuesday but said that states have a right “to go the extra mile” if they wish.

In an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Fauci declined to criticize the more stringent quarantine policies implemented in New York and New Jersey by Govs.

Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie. “They’re doing it in good faith.”

Christie said Tuesday he feels the CDC’s latest guidance is “incredibly confusing.”

“The CDC is behind on this,” he said on NBC’s “Today” show. “Governors ultimately have responsibility to protect the public health of people within their borders.”

Although the Constitution empowers the federal government to isolate sick people entering the U.S. or traveling between states, it’s the states themselves that have the bulk of the authority to regulate public health in America — including the decision to enforce quarantines within their borders.

“I guess you can take that up with James Madison,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, referring to the fourth president and key drafter of the Constitution, when asked why there was no binding federal policy. That’s ironic, perhaps, coming from an administration that RepubliTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS cans typically accuse of exQuarantined nurse Kaci Hickox meets Sunday with New York civil ceeding its legal authority on rights attorney Norman Siegel, seated, at the isolation tent at Univer- issues such as immigration, sity Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, where Hickox was confined after health care and foreign policy. flying into Newark Liberty International Airport after her work in West With states and localities Africa caring for Ebola patients. Hickox was released Monday. having broad authority to impose quarantines themselves, across the country aren’t sing- Earnest said the federal govand the president have adopting the same tune, that may be ernment’s role was to “mared a lesser level of caution. shal scientific evidence” for If public health departments by design.

‘Patient zero’ in current outbreak was Guinean toddler LONDON (AP) — In the Guinean village where the current West African Ebola outbreak began, 14 graves mark the spot where the lethal virus began to spiral out of control.

International aid workers who recently visited Meliandou say nothing is normal anymore and that families have been ripped apart by the devastating toll of the virus.

The first known victim of the current outbreak was 2-year-old Emile Ouamouno, who lived in the picturesque forest village with his parents and three sisters, including 4-year-old Philomene. The boy fell sick in December with a

mysterious illness that caused fever, black stools and vomiting. About a week after his death, Philomene got sick and died. She was shortly followed by the children’s pregnant mother and grandmother.

It would be months before international health officials identified little Emile as West Africa’s “patient zero” in a deadly outbreak that continues to double in size every few weeks. So far, Ebola has been blamed for the deaths of nearly 5,000 people among more than 10,000 cases, the vast majority in West Africa.

“Emile loved to dance, and Philomene liked to carry little babies on her back and pre-

tend she was a mom,” said Suzanne Beukes of UNICEF, who spoke with their father, Etienne, during her trip earlier this month to Meliandou, a village without any health facility, more than a two-hour drive from the capital, Conakry.

Etienne burned the clothing and blankets of his two children killed by Ebola but kept the small red radio that Emile often asked him to switch on so he could dance to the music.

The bodies of Emile, Philomene and their mother are buried next to the tworoom house where Etienne lives with his second wife and three daughters.

Beukes said Ebola has killed at least 14 people in the settlement of about 500, though health officials say the actual case count is probably two to four times higher than official numbers.

“When we asked him what Emile was like, his face changed,” Beukes said. “It’s almost like a mask had been removed, and the trauma of what he had been through became very visible.”

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NATION

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

|

A9

Just how well did Federal Reserve’s stimulus work?

Economists say that for the most part, the program did what it aimed to do

BY MATTHEW CRAFT AP Business Writer

the Fed’s action to a famous scene in the movie “Pulp FicAP FILE PHOTO tion” when Vincent, played by Specialist Charles Boeddinghaus works his post at the New York Stock Exchange on April 28.

Economists John Travolta, revives a NEW YORK — Soaring inagree, for the most part, that the Fed’s bond-buying program aimed at lowering borrowing costs and enwoman near death. flation. A collapsing dollar. couraging spending worked to keep the economy afloat.

“It was like Travolta slamBubbles in financial markets ming the needle into her that would soon pop. One money” ahead of the election. 101 percent, powered by a billion in U.S. government heart,” Sonders says. “It was presidential candidate even Perry told an Iowa crowd “we stronger economy, higher bonds that November to loud suggested that the Federal Re- clearly the right thing to do.” spending and record corpowould treat him pretty ugly protests.

The Fed’s second round of serve chairman should be rate profits.

QE3 followed the next year, down in Texas.” quantitative easing, dubbed roughed up.

• The dollar has held up Here’s what has actually and the heated rhetoric inQE2, received a hostile recepDuring the past five years, against most major currenhappened since Bernanke creased. tion. as the Fed has pumped evermade the case for the Fed’s ex- cies. One widely used meaJohn Boehner, the speaker In late August 2010, the econmore money into the financial sure, the dollar index, is 3 perpanded effort in August 2010: omy had slowed to a crawl, and of the House, argued that the system, critics have warned cent higher.

• The unemployment rate Fed risked creating “hard-tothe big worry was deflation — that it would lead to all kinds • Inflation has remained control” inflation, a weak U.S. has fallen to 5.9 percent, the a dangerous spiral of falling of disasters. Yet the central tame, despite all the warnlowest level since July 2008. dollar and market bubbles. bank kept extending its bond- prices and wages. During a Back in August 2010, it was 9.6 ings. During the past year, After entering the presidenspeech that month in Jackson buying program, known by overall prices have climbed a percent.

Hole, Wyoming, Fed Chairman tial campaign in 2011, Texas the wonky name of quantitamodest 1.7 percent, still below • The stock market has Ben Bernanke outlined a turn- Gov. Rick Perry said that it tive easing, or QE. It was an the 2 percent annual increase would be “almost treasonous” soared. The Standard & unprecedented effort aimed at around plan.

Poor’s 500 index has returned that the Fed targets. if Bernanke “prints more The Fed began buying $600 lowering borrowing costs, encouraging spending and reviving a dormant economy before it could slip back into recession.

Now, $4 trillion later, QE is drawing to a close, so the question is: Did it work?

Southern Cooking with a Cajun Kick Economists have plenty of quibbles, but many agree that Join us in celebrating the museum’s the Fed accomplished the 25th anniversary on bulk of its goals.

“Look at us now,” said AnThursday, October 30, 2014 thony Chan, chief economist Festivities begin at 6pm Stories at 6:30pm for Chase Private Client in Bring the family, a blanket or lawn chair, and listen New York. All of the jobs lost during the financial crisis to historic, funny, and even spooky tales of Sumter have been recovered. The from our well-known residents: stock market has more than doubled, and inflation has remained tame.

Don Cann “I have to say it was a pretty John Duffie impressive success,” Chan said. “But other people define Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hugh McLaurin, III success differently.”

Bobby Richardson At the tail end of 2008, the Colleen Yates Fed cut its benchmark shortterm lending rate to a record Master of Ceremonies: Sammy Way low to spur growth, then made a historic move. It began the s first round of QE, buying $100 Event also includes the opening of our new exhibit billion in bonds backed by - A Shadow Over the Earth: The Life and Death mortgages every month. The of the Passenger Pigeon in the Heritage Education Bush administration had alCATERING • GIFT CARDS • TAKE OUT ready hatched a number of Center, refreshments, a 25th anniversary cake, and rescue programs aimed at 65 W. Wesmark Blvd other activities to celebrate the museum’s milestone. patching up the banking sys(ACROSS FROM BILTON LINCOLN) tem, and so the Fed’s initial FREE ADMISSION 803-469-8502 step met little resistance.

Sun., Mon., Tues. 11:00am-2:30pm Liz Ann Sonders, the chief 122 N. Washington St., Sumter, SC 29150 Wed. and Thur. Lunch 11:00am-2:30pm • Dinner 5pm - 9pm investment strategist at 775-0908 Fri. and Sat. 11:00am-9:00pm Charles Schwab, compared

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

THE SUMTER ITEM

H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

Vote ‘yes’ if you want more investment, jobs

I

will vote for both the extension of the Penny for Progress and the Sunday Alcohol Sales referendums.

Sumter’s economy is transitioning, as is the diversity of our economy.

With industrial initiatives underway and military growth at Shaw Air Force Base, we are no longer a small town. We have grown, and we should accept this as fact and allow for our community to have the same economic opportunities as our sister communities in South Carolina. To restrict these opportunities is community sabotage.

Throughout my 18-year career as a professional economic developer, I have been a part of hundreds of deals.

With a myriad development prospects, opportunities, and projects in many communities and states, there is one very consistent item in the decision making matrix that always plays into effect: Executives simply aren’t interested in investing in communities that refuse to invest in themselves.

These are some of the reasons why a yes vote is critical to our future: • Sumter needs continued investments in infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer and also in non-utili-

GUEST COLUMN ty infrastructure such as parks, police and fire, community centers and other quality of life improvements. If we want to remain competitive, this is a must. Development simply doesn’t happen without public infrastructure in place first. The state and federal governments will not provide nearly the amount needed to make these improvements, thus leaving only ourselves to Jay fund these crucial Schwedler projects.

• Sales taxes spread the burden to all consumers, including those simply passing through.

Each day, thousands of people drive into Sumter County from every surrounding county, and even though they use our roads, the only local tax they pay is the sales tax.

• Increasing property taxes hurts our community’s competitiveness for industrial development projects, while sales taxes are rarely even asked about.

• We have witnessed a mini-spurt of positive growth. To continue moving the community forward and maintaining momentum, these projects must be a priority for all voters, whether or not they directly benefit each of the 110,000 residents of Sumter County.

This is a “rising-tide-floats-all-boats” moment in our present and for our future. This will re-write history.

Here is why I support the Sunday Alcohol Sales referendum: • National franchise restaurants — those same ones I hear mentioned daily — have indicated a willingness to build in Sumter, but a continued prohibition on Sunday sales will prevent this.

• Again, a competitiveness issue — even our existing local restaurants miss out on 52 days per year of potential revenue. That’s almost two full months of income that our citizens drive elsewhere to spend. It sounds like small potatoes, but it’s not to those trying to earn a living as entrepreneurs.

• We all want options. Will we be the “unique” city? Sumter is one of only two out of the top 25 cities in South Carolina that doesn’t allow adults to legally have a drink on Sunday (the

other is Easley). And our competing neighbor cities (Florence and Columbia) both allow this, so we will continue to lose those revenues.

• In benchmarking us against “the others,” the prohibition on Sunday sales is seen as antiquated and not in sync with what consumers expect.

• There is no scientific data that shows crime increasing as a result of allowing Sunday alcohol sales. In fact, more data suggests that nothing negative resulted in other communities when their prohibitions were lifted.

Ultimately, it’s a choice. This is all about jobs, investment, opportunities and progress. If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got. Is this how we want to shape our future, Sumter?

Our goal is to make the place better after we leave it. This is our chance to invest in our community and take the necessary steps to making positive changes.

If you want our community to positively grow, please consider joining me in voting “yes” on Nov. 4.

Jay Schwedler is the president/CEO of Sumter Economic Development

SOUTHERN WITH A GULF COAST ACCENT

Velveeta, I know you not

I

t was a harsh reality I wasn’t ready to accept.

My children had been raised in the “New South” and there was no one to blame but myself. My son looked at the kitchen counter with a mix of intrigue and disgust and asked, “What is it?”

“What do you mean? It’s Velveeta,” I told him, knowing good and well my son was joking. But the thing is, he wasn’t.

Southerners are forever being placed at the top of such lists as the “Most Unhealthy-Overweight-Sickly-Early Dying” people in the country, (Woo! We’re No. 1, we’re No. 1!) so there’s a new Leslie Anne generation of Harrison us who have been attempting to raise our children without (many) fried foods or (much) lard or (too many) creamy soup casseroles. Our children have lower cholesterol, stronger bones and healthier hearts than those who were brought up on traditional Southern fare. But as Granny used to say, “Somethin’ just ain’t right.”

We’ve created little homogenized monsters who don’t know the pleasures of an orange brick of processed cheese product, especially when plopped into a crockpot and stirred over low heat with a can of Ro*Tel mixed in.

Bacon, grits and biscuits have been replaced by granola, fresh fruit and wholewheat toast. I honestly think in 21 years of marriage, I’ve only owned one can of Crisco and it lasted for about three years. There is a Mason jar of bacon drippings in my refrigerator, but it’s there mostly out of obligatory habit, and doesn’t get filled or emptied often.

When I do fry foods, such as okra, chicken or squash, it’s a rare treat that my family likes. I don’t think I ever had a meal at my grandmother’s house where there wasn’t something fried, buttered and smothered. There were always at least two kinds of bread on her table; either biscuits, corn bread or just plain sliced white bread stacked on

COMMENTARY a plate. I’ll make corn bread every now and then, mostly to accompany a pot of (turkey) chili in the winter, but rarely biscuits and never, ever white bread.

But not wanting to be the terrible mom and cut them off from all that is good, I decided to make the best football-watching snack ever invented. I have a friend who lives in Seattle who says it’s difficult to find Velveeta in her stores, let alone anyone who has heard of VelveetaRo*Tel dip. She thinks it’s a Southern snack, but I can’t imagine the rest of the country hasn’t caught on yet.

Since I’ve raised my boys in a semi-healthy house, one kid thinks a good snack is a big carrot and the other prefers strawberries, so when I decided to make the Velveeta dip, they looked at me like I was trying to poison them. “What do you do with it?” asked one. “Do you eat it like soup?” the other wanted to know. I put chips in a big bowl and told them to dig in, then stepped back to watch.

Hallelujah! The angels began to sing. They thought I was some type of culinary muse who had brought cheesiness to a new level. But then something strange happened.

After a minute of stuffing their faces, they stopped.

“Don’t you want some more?”

I asked. “No thanks, it’s really heavy,” said the oldest.

They younger one agreed and said it was really good, but he wanted to know if I had some sliced bell peppers to dip into the cheese instead of chips.

The new face of Southern connoisseurs, have the best of both eras. They can occasionally enjoy the traditional richer dishes, but know to balance it all with newer, slimmed-down fare. And unlike their poor great-grandparents, who only lived to be 89 and 102, my kids will live long and healthy lives.

Leslie Anne Harrison is a contributing writer for The Sumter Item and Gulf Coast Newspapers — www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com. She also has a popular website — Fairhope Supply Co. — which can be found at www. fairhopesupply.com. She can be reached at la@fairhopesupply.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LOOK AT COST BEFORE CASTING SUNDAY ALCOHOL SALES VOTE

DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN

BY PENNY FOR PROGRESS

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, the residents of the City of Sumter will have the opportunity to vote to allow restaurants to sell alcohol on Sundays. The supporters of this proposal state that by passing this, Sumter will benefit by having more jobs, more revenue and more restaurant choices. What will be the effect on the smaller local businesses when large box stores and more large franchise restaurants come to Sumter? Will they be forced to shut the doors on their businesses? Will families that have loved ones who struggle with alcohol dependency suffer as a result of more access to alcohol? These are only two of the potential cost of voting for more.

The first deception in the Bible occurred as a result of a promise for more without looking at what more would cost. It is my hope that the citizens of Sumter would not vote for this proposal without looking at the potential cost. I was raised by two loving parents that helped me to realize that more does not always equal better. I was also raised to follow what your heart tells you or to put it another way let your conscience be your guide. Sumter, on Nov. 4, you will have an opportunity to let your conscience be your guide. Please look at the cost before you decide.

BUBBA JOHNSTON Sumter

Penny for Progress? Vote no. Don’t be fooled twice by the council’s inability to actually manage their budget. Just because they say it is a good idea does not make it a good idea.

Sumter county and city councils are advertising the Penny for Progress as something other than a new tax; in fact they have actually said “It is not a new tax” in a full page advertisement in The Sumter Item; however, it is a tax and it is new. The original Penny for Progress was approved by the people fouryears ago for a finite period (not to exceed 6-years) and now they are attempting to exploit a loophole in the law to extend it for six more years; therefore this is new, and it is a tax, a new tax contrary to how council advertises it. Council members that were in office at the time insisted it would only be needed once for critical projects to make Sumter safer and more business friendly to grow Sumter and the tax base. What it has done is increase the county and city capital tax liabilities, now existing taxes are needed to maintain the items built with the Penny of Progress funds, making it harder to balance the budget with current taxes. If you vote to approve Penny for Progress again, you will be voting for increased taxes now and you will be voting to increase taxes again in four to six more years to pay for the items built by the Penny for Progress version 1 and 2. Trust your instincts and common sense: do not vote for the Penny HILTON IS A DEDICATED, for Progress. Make our county and city counEXPERIENCED EDUCATOR cils do their job. Make them manage the budget with existing taxes. We need to increase I believe Dr. Johnny Hilton is the best choice for Sumter School Board. He is a ded- the tax base by lowering taxes to bring in business and more jobs, and to keep people icated and experienced educator. He befrom moving out of Sumter County to live in lieves that money given for pay raises for board members should be used to hire more surrounding counties. Common sense says more people with good jobs with lower tax liateachers and reduce class size. He will also bilities would stay in Sumter and pay taxes make sure all students have textbooks on and the tax base would increase. the first day of school.

BILL STRICKLAND DR. PHIL BRANDT Sumter Sumter

ELECTION 2014 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DEADLINE Letters to the editor pertaining to the Nov. 4 election must be received by The Sumter Item no later than 5 p.m. TODAY, whether by regular mail, email or hand-delivered to the newspaper’s office at 20 N. Magnolia St. The mailing address for The Sumter Item is: 20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, 29150, or P.O. Box 1677, 29151. The email address for letters to the editor is letters@theitem.com. All letters must contain the full name plus address and telephone number of the writer for verification purposes only. Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety online at http://www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor. The deadline will be strictly enforced — no exceptions.

LOCAL

THE SUMTER ITEM

BAKER

CCTC FROM PAGE A1

FROM PAGE A1 my discretion and not take charge before I get there. If it was four months before now and that discussion had come up, I would have readily approved it. He (Baker) is doing a good job. I’m all for him being there, but I’m not going to do that to somebody else. I wouldn’t want them to do it to me. The timing just wasn’t feasible.”

Previous votes concerning Baker’s employment BAKER as the superintendent have fallen along similar lines. In November 2013, the board voted 4 to 3 in favor of changing his status from interim to permanent with the Rev. Daryl McGhaney, Karen Michalik, Barbara Jackson and Schultz affirming the vote and Addison, Wilson and Canty dissenting. Baker was named interim superintendent in July 2013 after the previous superintendent, Randolph Bynum, stepped down.

In January, when Baker was awarded the original contract that included an annual salary of $182,070, the same four were in favor of the agreement while Addison, Wilson and Canty abstained.

Though the announcement was unexpected, Baker said he appreciates the extension that will now carry his contract through June 30, 2018.

The board of trustees did unanimously approve a 15year extension on the Tax Incremental Financing, a city initiative that provides money for improving urban areas and has largely been used on Sumter’s downtown, said Gary Mixon, county administrator.

The three area taxing entities — City of Sumter, Sumter County and Sumter School District — had the option to sign off on the extension, and the school district was the final one to do so.

Though the TIF agreements can last 30 years, this one was on a cycle for half that, Mixon said, so this extension just stretches the arrangement to the 30-year mark.

In other news: • The board unanimously approved a $1.7 million contract with Cayce Mechanical Contractors of Florence for the installation of a new HVAC system at Kingsbury Elementary School.

• Trustees also unanimously approved first reading of an amendment to the school wellness policy. A second reading is needed for it to pass.

subcontractors and started work on plumbing for the building, according to the contractors’ weekly updates. In August, Booth said the building was expected to be completed by next June, but CCTC and Rodgers moved the expected completion to mid-summer in time for fall 2015 classes.

For the past few months, Sumterites have watched the progress of construction and have driven by the cavernous building, waiting for some major change to the façade of the facility that will take up the space where Walmart was once lo-

HOSPITALS FROM PAGE A1 one letter grade, and five improved by one letter. Only two changed significantly by improving or declining by two or more letter grades.

“Yes, we did maintain a ‘C’ rating,” said Paul Schumacher, chief operating officer with Clarendon Health System.

“While this shows a consistent level of care, we will continue our organizational efforts to raise this grade as high as possible. Also, bear in mind that the Leapfrog methodology is skewed more toward larger health care facilities, specifically those criteria which are volume-based.”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

|

A11

cated. Booth said according to their construction schedule, Steel Erection will begin work on the exterior and roof of the facility in November, and the community will soon be able to see those changes from Broad Street.

The building will be instrumental in the college and county’s efforts to prepare students for jobs with companies in surrounding areas that require skills in a certain trade for companies such as Eaton, Caterpillar and Continental Tire the Americas.

CCTC previously received $350,000 in federal equipment grant money for new mechatronics training equipment and also received $1 million

from the state budget this year for the pilot program in partnership with Sumter School District, which now has more than 30 students participating in the mechatronics program at Sumter Career and Technology Center.

Wells Fargo Bank also contributed $12,500 in grant funds to support the college’s job training and workforce development initiative.

President Tim Hardee said funds from Wells Fargo Bank will go directly toward training and resources for students and faculty in the four-county area where CCTC is available, including Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter.

Nationally, 2,520 hospitals were issued a Hospital Safety Score. Of those, 790 earned an A; 688 earned a B; 868 earned a C; 148 earned a D; and 26 earned an F. Similar to South Carolina, more than half the hospitals surveyed maintained the same letter grade between spring and fall, 63.4 percent, said Ashley Duvall with Leapfrog. An additional 30.2 percent changed by one letter grade, and less than 3 percent of medical centers showed significant change of two or more letter grades.

With the Ebola outbreak and the virus making an appearance in the United States, more attention is being paid to hospitals’ efforts to prevent errors. But the Dallas hospi-

tal that made headlines for not correctly diagnosing a man with Ebola earned an A on the Fall 2014 Hospital Safety Score, according to the news release.

“Even ‘A’ hospitals make mistakes, and sometimes patients are harmed,” said Leah Binder, Leapfrog president and CEO. “Based on the data Leapfrog used in the Hospital Safety Score, Texas Health Presbyterian is among the safer hospitals in the nation. The recent mishandling of Ebola cases proves that as a country, our hospitals must work harder to become prepared for this and any future threats.”

For more information, visit hospitalsafetyscore.org.

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Cannons roar as Redcoats & Patriots face off on the battlefield. The camps are alive with soldiers and colonial demonstrators. Tavern Tales, Artillery Demos, Period Fashion Show, Kershaw House Tours, “War in the Backcountry” Discussion, Sutlers Row Shops, Colonial Games & King’s Army Enlistment for kids and more. Great outing for all ages! Food concessions. Free Parking. Dress Comfortably! No pets, please.

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A12

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

SUPPORT GROUPS AA, AL-ANON, ALATEEN: AA — Monday-Friday, noon and 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 7751852.

AA Women’s Meeting — Wednesday, 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852.

AA Spanish Speaking — Sunday, 4:30 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852.

AA “How it Works” Group — Monday and Friday, 8 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 4945180.

Al-Anon “Courage to Change” Support Group — Tuesday, 7 p.m., Alice Drive Baptist Church, Room 204, 1305 Loring Mill Road. Call Dian at (803) 316-0775 or Crystal at (803) 775-3587.

441 AA Support Group — Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 8:30 p.m., Hair Force, 2090-D S.C. 441.

AA Summerton Group — Wednesday, 8 p.m., town hall.

Manning Al-Anon Family Group — Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Behavioral Health Building, 14 Church St., Manning. Call Angie Johnson at (803) 4358085.

C/A “Drop the Rock” Group — Thursday, 9:30 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call Elizabeth Owens at (803) 607-4543.

HIV/AIDS: Positive Outlook, through Wateree AIDS Task Force, will meet at 11:30 a.m. third Friday of each month. Support group for those living with HIV / AIDS as well as their friends and family. For meeting location, contact Kevin at (803) 778-0303 or at watereeaids@sc.rr.com.

(803) 469-9426.

EFMP Parent Exchange Group — Last Tuesday each month, 11 a.m.-noon, Airman and Family Readiness Center.

Support to service members who have a dependent with a disability or illness. Call Dorcus Haney at (803) 8951252/1253 or Sue Zimmerman at (803) 847-2377.

WEDNESDAY MEETINGS: Sickle Cell Support Group — last Wednesday each month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., South Sumter Resource Center, 337 Manning Ave. Call Bertha Willis at (803) 774-6181.

THURSDAY MEETINGS: TOPS S.C. No. 236 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) — Thursdays, 9 a.m., Spectrum Senior Center,1989 Durant Lane. Call Diane at (803) 7753926 or Nancy at (803) 4694789.

Asthma Support Group — Every 1st Thursday, 6 p.m., Clarendon County School District 3 Parenting Center, 2358 Walker Gamble Road, New Zion.

Call Mary Howard at (843) 659-2102.

Alzheimer’s Support Group through S.C. Alzheimer’s Association — Every 1st Thursday, 6-8 p.m., McElveen Manor, 2065 McCrays Mill Road. Call Cheryl Fluharty at (803) 905-7720 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 636-3346.

Journey of Hope (for families members of the mentally ill), Journey to Recovery (for the mentally ill) and Survivors of Suicide Support Group — Each group meets every 1st Thursday, 7 p.m., St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive. Call Fred Harmon at (803) 905-5620.

MONDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Vitiligo Support Group — second Monday of each month, 5:45-6:45 p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. Call Tiffany at (803) 316-6763.

Find us on Facebook at Sumter Vitiligo Support.

TUESDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Connective Tissue Support Group — 1st Tuesday of Jan., March, May, July, Sept. and Nov., 7 p.m., 180 Tiller Circle. Call (803) 773-0869.

Mothers of Angels (for mothers who have lost a child) — Every Tuesday, 6 p.m., Wise Drive Baptist Church. Call Betty at (803) 469-2616 or Carol at

FRIDAY MEETINGS: Celebrate Recovery — Every Friday, 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program, Salt & Light Church, Miller Road (across from Food Lion). For help with struggles of alcohol, drugs, family problems, smoking, etc.

SATURDAY MEETINGS: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Support Group — 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday, 3785 Blackberry Lane, Lot 7.

Call Donna Parker at (803) 481-7521.

DAILY PLANNER

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEATHER

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2014

AccuWeather® five-day forecast for Sumter TODAY

TONIGHT

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Increasing cloudiness

A t-storm early; mostly cloudy

Sunny and pleasant

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Plenty of sun, windy and cooler

Plenty of sun

83°

54°

72° / 44°

69° / 41°

59° / 37°

60° / 35°

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 10%

Chance of rain: 0%

Chance of rain: 5%

Winds: SW 6-12 mph

Winds: NNW 6-12 mph

Winds: NNE 6-12 mph

Winds: NNE 4-8 mph

Winds: NNW 12-25 mph

Winds: ENE 6-12 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

Gaffney 72/44 Spartanburg 72/45

Greenville 71/45

Columbia 83/52

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

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 83/54

Aiken 82/51

ON THE COAST

Charleston 84/60

Today: Partly sunny, very warm and pleasant. High 79 to 83.

Thursday: A morning shower; not as warm in central parts. High 70 to 74.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 70/46/t 51/35/pc 77/53/s 53/35/pc 82/59/pc 85/63/s 83/60/pc 68/49/pc 86/64/s 69/47/pc 90/63/s 77/59/s 68/48/sh

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest.

356.06 74.90 74.80 97.23

24-hr chg -0.02 -0.02 -0.04 +0.03

Sunrise 7:39 a.m.

Moonrise 12:52 p.m.

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

0.00" 0.72" 3.17" 31.34" 43.49" 40.41"

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

86° 58° 71° 46° 86° in 2014 29° in 1957

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

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 68/46/s 52/36/c 80/55/s 52/38/c 79/55/s 80/60/s 76/54/pc 59/44/pc 85/64/s 60/43/pc 92/67/s 73/60/pc 63/44/pc

Myrtle Beach 81/58

Manning 83/56

Today: A couple of thunderstorms. Winds west-southwest 4-8 mph.

Thursday: Sunshine and pleasant. Winds east-northeast 3-6 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 83/54

Bishopville 82/53

Sunset 6:32 p.m.

Moonset 11:42 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Oct. 30

Nov. 6

Nov. 14

Nov. 22

TIDES

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 2.43 -0.06 19 4.37 +1.00 14 2.50 -0.10 14 2.30 +0.07 80 75.92 +0.01 24 6.43 -0.02

AT MYRTLE BEACH

High 1:02 a.m.

1:44 p.m.

2:01 a.m.

2:47 p.m.

Today Thu.

Ht. 3.0 3.4 3.0 3.4

Low 7:58 a.m.

8:53 p.m.

8:58 a.m.

9:52 p.m.

Ht. 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.5

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

Today Hi/Lo/W 62/37/t 73/45/t 84/51/pc 82/60/pc 76/61/pc 84/60/pc 74/46/t 73/46/t 83/52/t 82/51/pc 81/54/pc 81/55/pc 82/53/pc

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 61/35/s 68/41/s 73/40/s 74/50/pc 65/55/pc 74/49/pc 66/40/s 67/44/s 72/42/s 71/42/s 67/45/pc 70/44/pc 69/44/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 83/54/pc Gainesville 84/59/pc Gastonia 73/45/t Goldsboro 80/54/pc Goose Creek 84/59/pc Greensboro 74/43/sh Greenville 71/45/t Hickory 67/42/t Hilton Head 79/59/pc Jacksonville, FL 84/60/pc La Grange 77/43/t Macon 80/45/t Marietta 67/43/t

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 72/44/s 80/55/t 66/40/s 67/43/s 74/49/pc 64/40/s 65/41/s 63/39/s 72/53/pc 79/55/pc 71/41/s 72/40/s 67/44/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 67/39/t Mt. Pleasant 83/61/pc Myrtle Beach 81/58/pc Orangeburg 83/54/pc Port Royal 81/60/pc Raleigh 77/48/pc Rock Hill 76/46/t Rockingham 80/49/t Savannah 84/60/pc Spartanburg 72/45/t Summerville 80/61/pc Wilmington 82/57/pc Winston-Salem 70/43/sh

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 64/37/s 73/51/pc 71/49/pc 72/44/s 72/52/pc 65/40/s 66/39/s 68/39/s 76/50/pc 65/41/s 71/51/pc 70/47/pc 63/40/s

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

FYI

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Call Boykin Air Conditioning Services for complete details. Ends Dec. 15, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t fight EUGENIA LAST back when you should be intent on doing the best you can and letting your actions speak for you. Put more into the physical aspects of life. Get involved in activities that challenge you and make you strive for perfection.

The last word in astrology

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Get out and do things in your community.

Interacting will help you realize what you want to pursue and whom you want to spend time with. Travel and communication will lead to friendships and valuable information.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take a closer look at your financial papers and reassess your status. Offer your services in a way that will help you bring in extra cash. Positioning yourself for advancement will bring good results. Mix business with pleasure and forge ahead.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It’s what you do for others that will count.

Focus on love, dedication and loyalty, and you will be respected for your convictions and strong beliefs. Romance will heighten your appeal and attract an unusual response from someone special.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Control whatever situation you face, even if it means doing a little extra work. If you let someone else meddle, it will be difficult to reach your goals.

Make changes that leave an impression and separate you from any competition you encounter.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take care of business. Get discussions underway that will help you follow through with plans, leaving a little time to do something special for you and the ones you love. You can

803-795-4257

make a difference. Romance is in the stars.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t let things get to you. Setbacks can be expected, especially when dealing with friends and family. Invest time and energy into self-performance and improving your future. Change will bring you hope, and helping others will give you a purpose.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can take control and make things happen that will turn your home into something special. Speaking up and sharing your intentions with others will help weed out who is with you and who isn’t. Romance will improve your love life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take a broad look at what’s going on around you and protect your interests. A false impression is present, making it vital for you to question what others offer. Don’t be fooled by empty promises.

LOTTERY NUMBERS PALMETTO CASH 5 TUESDAY

POWERBALL SATURDAY

MEGAMILLIONS FRIDAY

3-9-20-30-31 PowerUp: 3

6-10-51-54-57 Powerball: 12 Powerplay: 2

2-14-21-28-55 Megaball: 3 Megaplier: 3

PICK 3 TUESDAY

PICK 4 TUESDAY

8-1-4 and 5-9-6

1-6-0-0 and 5-4-3-1

PICTURES FROM THE PUBLIC The Rev. Dr. Stewart “Lindy” Lane and his wife, Libby, caught this smiley face snapping turtle in Lane Pond at South Lynchburg.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Listen carefully. Size up what’s said before you assess and take action.

Doing more and saying less will put you ahead of anyone trying to advocate a stronger position. Search for the right strategy based on what others do and say.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Someone from your past will disrupt your day. Keep enemies at a distance until you have a good idea how to handle the situation effectively. You’ll only get one chance, so wait, watch and strike when the time is right.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Focus on having fun. Getting together with peers will lead to new opportunities. Look for an unusual project that you feel you can contribute to. The connections you make will help develop your skills and knowledge.

HAVE YOU TAKEN PICTURES OF INTERESTING, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL OR HISTORICAL PLACES? Would you like to share those images with your fellow Sumter Item readers? E-mail your hi-resolution jpegs to sandrah@theitem.com, or mail to Sandra Holbert c/o The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29150. Include clearly printed or typed name of photographer and photo details. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your photo. Amateur photographers only please.

SECTION

Vols still deciding on which QB will face Gamecocks B3

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

B

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

PREP FOOTBALL

Tyler, Cruz, Ard, Watkins honored as players of the week

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennis@theitem.com Ky’Jon Tyler has had some huge football games for Sumter High School over the past three years. That’s evidenced by his selection to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives North-South all-star football game on Monday or his pick as The Sumter Item Area Player of the Year in 2013.

However, in the Gamecocks’ 63-41 victory over Carolina Forest on Friday, Tyler had a game in which he trumped all of his previous performances.

Tyler had 473 all-purpose yards and scored six touchdowns — three on the ground, two via passes and another on a kickoff return. That performance led to the SHS wide receiver being selected as The Sumter Item Offensive Player of the Week.

The defensive player is Laurence Manning Academy safety Tony Cruz, while Wilson Hall center Walker Ard is the offensive lineman and Sumter long snapper Bradley Watkins the special teams pick.

The players are selected based on nominations from local high school coaches.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

TYLER OFFENSIVE PLAYER

CRUZ DEFENSIVE PLAYER

The quartet will be honored at the weekly breakfast meeting of the Sumter Touchdown

ARD OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

WATKINS SPECIAL TEAMS

Club Presented by FTC on Friday beginning at 7:15 a.m. at the Quality Inn on Broad

Street Extension. Clemson athleti director Dan Radakovich, a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee, is the guest speaker.

Tyler’s exploits as a wide receiver and kick returner are well known, and he didn’t disappoint in that regard against the Panthers. He had 10 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns — all the completions quarterback James Barnes threw — and he returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score.

SEE PLAYERS, PAGE B2

USC FOOTBALL

Adjusting for what’s next Spurrier looking at bowl bid for Gamecocks

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press COLUMBIA — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said the Gamecocks have plenty to play for, just not the championship goals they had entering the season.

South Carolina (4-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) was the preseason favorite to win the SEC East, yet saw those dreams slip away the first month of the season with losses to Texas A&M, Missouri and Kentucky. After falling 42-35 at No. 4 Auburn last Saturday night, Spurrier is simply looking to close strong enough to make the postseason.

“We didn’t have six (wins) on the list at the beginning of the year,” Spurrier said Tuesday. “We thought were going

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, right, walks off the field after the team’s 42-35 loss to Auburn last Saturday in Auburn, Ala. The GameSEE USC, PAGE B3 cocks, who were picked as preseason favorites to win the SEC East, must now refocus their goals with four games left in the season.

PREP ATHLETICS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Choosing what’s best

Mississippi State tops first College Football Playoff poll

BY RALPH D. RUSSO & STEPHEN HAWKINS The Associated Press

Belk to announce college pick on Nov. 12; Salzer already decided on future

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS justin@theitem.com One Wilson Hall athlete isn’t announcing his collegiate choice until Nov. 12, the first day of the early signing period.

Another made his choice a full year and half before he had to.

Wilson Hall senior pitcher Chase Belk has narrowed his options to three schools while Barons junior golfer Christian Salzer made his commitment to North Carolina State during the summer.

The Citadel, Furman and the Air Force Academy made Belk’s final list, and though he SALZER has a firm decision on where he wants to go, it was not an easy one.

“Definitely the toughest one I’ve made in my life,” Belk said. “I visited all three of the schools and it really just came down to the best academic fit for me with my future plans and where I felt the most at home.”

Aside from having the academic major he wanted, Belk also said school size was important, having grown up in a small-school environment. On the diamond, Belk had

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Wilson Hall senior pitcher Chase Belk will announce his decision on where he will play collegiate ball on Nov. 12. Belk helped the Barons capture the SCISA 3A state championship last season. nothing but good relationships with all three coaches and liked the direction of their programs.

Though he had contact with Brown, Yale, Duke and Wofford, it was with the final trio of schools that he developed the strongest bond, he said.

“I really liked all three coaches, so that

SEE BEST, PAGE B2

GRAPEVINE, Texas — The College Football Playoff selection committee has spoken — and it likes the SEC. At least for now.

Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Mississippi are the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

The first of seven Top 25 rankings compiled by a 12-member selection committee was released Tuesday night. The selection committee will ultimately pick the four teams to play in the national semifinals and set the matchups for the other four big New Year’s Day bowls that are part of the playoff rotation.

“It was extremely difficult, more difficult than any of us had expected having gone through our mock selections before,” Arkansas athletic director and committee chairman Jeff Long said. “There are 18 one-loss teams in FBS at this point in time, and the difference between many of them is very slim.”

Oregon was fifth and Alabama was sixth, giving the Southeastern Conference’s

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs find themselves atop the first College Football Playoff poll, which was announced on Tuesday. The 12-member selection committee will announce the final rankings on Dec. 7 and the schools that will compete in the 4-team playoff.

West Division four of the top six teams. There are still four games remaining matching those SEC West rivals, starting with Saturday’s matchup

SEE POLL, PAGE B3

B2

|

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

SPORTS ITEMS

Bates’ OT win sets up title game against undefeated Hillcrest Bates Middle School pulled out a 20-14 overtime victory against Mayewood on Tuesday at the Vikings field to earn a berth in next week’s Sumter Middle School Conference title game.

The Bantams will face Hillcrest next Wednesday at 6 p.m. at a site to be determined.

Ontra Harvin led Bates with 70 yards rushing, a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. He also had five tackles on defense.

Isaiah Levy had 35 yards rushing and a TD while Dimone McKnight had 50 yards rushing, three tackles and an interception.

Terry Carson led the Bantams defense with 10 tackles followed by Marek Robinson-Rogers with nine.

HILLCREST 60 CHESTNUT OAKS 0

DALZELL -- Hillcrest remained undefeated with a 60-0 victory over Chestnut Oaks on Tuesday at Donald L. Crolley Memorial Stadium in Dalzell.

Hillcrest advances to face Bates in next Wednesday’s Sumter Middle School Conference championship game at 6 p.m. at a site to be determined.

Imari Hurte had touchdown runs of 42, 45, 8 and 18 yards for the Wildcats. He also threw a 55-yard touchdown pass and scored a 2-point conversion.

Josh Simon had a TD reception, scored a touchdown on a blocked punt and had a 2-point conversion as well. Datrick Neal scored on a 26-yard interception return also scored a 2-point conversion. Stephen Barron had a 10-yard touchdown run.

Jvonte Kirkland had eight tackles for the Wildcats.

BAILEY CALLS IT A CAREER AFTER 15 YEARS IN NFL

DENVER — Former

teammate Brian Dawkins called Champ Bailey “a great conserver of energy,” a rare superstar who was never in a rush to get anywhere “unless it was on a football field.”

In that dawdling, you can count retirement.

That finally came Tuesday, 60 days after Bailey was released by the New Orleans Saints when a nagging foot injury prevented him from displaying the speed and skills that led to his cornerback-record dozen Pro Bowl berths in Washington and Denver.

WOMAN ASKS TO END FSU PLAYER INVESTIGATION

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The lawyer for the woman involved in the domestic battery investigation of Florida State running back Karlos Williams has asked police to end the investigation.

Nathan Prince said Tuesday the woman never filed a complaint and wants everything to “blow over.” He said Florida State contacted the Tallahassee Police Department about the case.

Prince thinks the university found out about the incident through social media.

Prince said his client “at no point made a complaint to any law enforcement agency, never gave an interview or anything like that.”

Florida State spokesman Rob Wilson didn’t immediately confirm whether the university reported the incident or if Florida State would conduct its own investigation of possible student code of conduct violations.

TAMPA TRADES BARRON, CASILLAS AT NFL DEADLINE

TAMPA, Fla.— Mark Barron will get an opportunity to shed a label as an underachiever with a new team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday gave up

on the plan that the thirdyear safety would develop into an impact player on their struggling defense, trading him to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for fourth and sixth-round picks in the 2015 draft.

The Bucs also made one other move at the NFL trade deadline, sending reserve linebacker Jonathan Casillas to the New England Patriots.

FLYING DRONES NEAR STADIUMS COULD END IN JAIL TIME

WASHINGTON — Operators who fly drones or model planes near or over large sports stadiums and auto racetracks are breaking the law and can be fined and imprisoned for up to a year, the Federal Aviation Administration warned in a notice posted on the agency’s website.

The notice marks the first time the FAA has sought to criminalize the use of drones and model planes, attorneys representing drone users said.

HOCKEY GREAT HOWE RESTING AFTER STROKE

DETROIT — Hockey great Gordie Howe has lost some function on the right side of his body after having a stroke Sunday in Texas.

Howe’s daughter Cathy said Tuesday night the 86-year-old Detroit Red Wings legend had lost much use of his right arm and right leg. Howe suffered the stroke in Lubbock, where his daughter lives.

Howe’s daughter said his speech is slurred, but he’s been looking at family pictures and pictures from his playing days, and he’s able to recognize and identify people he played with. His three sons were on the way there to see him.

From staff, wire reports

THE SUMTER ITEM

SCOREBOARD

Green Bay Chicago Minnesota West

TV, RADIO TODAY

11 a.m. – Professional Golf: Asian Tour Venetian Macau Open Final Round from Macau, China (GOLF).

1 p.m. -- College Basketball: Media Days (ESPNU).

6:05 p.m. – Talk Show: Sports Talk (WPUB-FM 102.7, WDXY-FM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240).

7 p.m. -- Women’s College Volleyball: Florida at Georgia (SEC NETWORK).

7 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Milwaukee at Charlotte (SPORTSOUTH).

7 p.m. -- High School Football: Robert E. Lee at Williamsburg (FTC NOW 26).

7:30 p.m. -- NHL Hockey: Detroit at Washington (NBC SPORTS NETWORK).

8 p.m. – Major League Baseball: World Series Game Seven – San Francisco at Kansas City (If Necessary) (WACH 57).

8 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Chicago at New York (ESPN).

8 p.m. -- Women’s College Volleyball: Tennessee at Kentucky (ESPNU).

10:30 p.m. -- NBA Basketball: Oklahoma City at Portland (ESPN).

11 p.m. -- PGA Golf: CIMB Classic First Round from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (GOLF).

2 a.m. -- NHL Hockey: Nashville at Edmonton (FOX SPORTSOUTH).

3 a.m. -- LPGA Golf: LPGA Taiwan Championship First Round from Taipei, Taiwan (GOLF).

NASCAR

By The Associated Press SPRINT CUP LEADERS

Through Oct. 26 Points 1, Jeff Gordon, 4,044. 2, Ryan Newman, 4,041. 3, Joey Logano, 4,040. 4, Matt Kenseth, 4,039. 5, Denny Hamlin, 4,037. 6, Carl Edwards, 4,024. 7, Brad Keselowski, 4,013. 8, Kevin Harvick, 4,011. 9, Kyle Busch, 2,230. 10, AJ Allmendinger, 2,198. 11, Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2,196. 12, Jimmie Johnson, 2,186.

13, Greg Biffle, 2,178. 14, Kasey Kahne, 2,173. 15, Kurt Busch, 2,155. 16, Aric Almirola, 2,124. 17, Kyle Larson, 981.

18, Clint Bowyer, 923. 19, Austin Dillon, 910. 20, Jamie McMurray, 906.

Money 1, Brad Keselowski, $7,089,223. 2, Jeff Gordon, $6,722,862. 3, Joey Logano, $6,382,967. 4, Jimmie Johnson, $6,233,592.

5, Kevin Harvick, $6,094,298.

6, Matt Kenseth, $6,027,076. 7, Jamie McMurray, $5,882,846. 8, Kyle Busch, $5,806,229.

9, Dale Earnhardt Jr., $5,716,030. 10, Denny Hamlin, $5,189,339. 11, Greg Biffle, $5,062,484. 12, Austin Dillon, $5,031,773. 13, Kyle Larson, $4,970,400.

14, Clint Bowyer, $4,888,344. 15, Brian Vickers, $4,753,519. 16, Aric Almirola, $4,733,883.

17, Paul Menard, $4,669,767.

18, Carl Edwards, $4,637,813. 19, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., $4,478,485. 20, Marcos Ambrose, $4,391,735.

NBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION W Boston 0 Brooklyn 0 New York 0 Philadelphia 0 Toronto 0 SOUTHEAST DIVISION W Atlanta 0 Charlotte 0 Miami 0 Orlando 0 Washington 0 CENTRAL DIVISION W Chicago 0 Cleveland 0 Detroit 0 Indiana 0 Milwaukee 0

L 0 0 0 0 0

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 0 0 0 0 0

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 0 0 0 0 0

BEST FROM PAGE B1 made the decision really difficult,” Belk said. “I talked with a number of recruits and really thought that all three programs were on the rise. I’m anxious to get there and help win some ball games.”

Belk helped the Barons win a lot of games last season. Wilson Hall went 28-1 and captured the SCISA 3A state crown.

Belk was 8-1 on the mound with a 0.78 earned run average in 54 innings pitched.

He had 71 strikeouts compared to 17 walks and had one save. Belk also batted .286 with six runs batted in and a homer in 21 at-bats.

Salzer was the SCISA 3A golfer of the year last season on a Barons squad that went 35-1 and finished as state runner-up.

The result was a lot of interest from bigname colleges – including South Carolina, Clemson, Auburn and Florida State. But in

PLAYERS FROM PAGE B1 While Tyler has had some success taking the football on a handoff and running with it, he’d never had the success like he did on Friday. He ran the ball three times, each one for a score and 156 yards.

“I like to run the ball a little bit too,” Tyler said. “I like the chance to show my speed coming out of the backfield, get the chance to get in open space like the running backs do.”

Sumter head coach John Jones was happy to see his star have a huge game.

“He did a great job of getting the ball out into space,” Jones said of Tyler. “When he’s able to get out in space, he’s something to watch. He’s worth the price of admission.

“When he’s able to get to the edge, he’s able to make things happen by himself.”

With all of the points the Gamecocks put on the board against Carolina Forest, that made for a busy night for Watkins. He was perfect on all nine snaps on extra-point attempts as well as the two times he snapped on punts.

That’s nothing unusual for Watkins though as he also handles the snaps on field goals for his brother, placekicker Vincent Watkins. He’s been perfect in all three phases, according to Jones.

“He hasn’t been healthy all year,” Jones said of Bradley Watkins. “We were without him for about three games and we missed

the end, the visit to the Raleigh campus turned the tide in favor of the Wolfpack.

“The facility there was really the best I’ve ever seen,” Salzer said. “It blew me away. The city of Raleigh was awesome too, and another big thing was I really liked the coaches.”

The coaching staff was a big influence, Salzer said, considering his pro aspirations.

“I really thought that they could make me a better golfer,” he said. “So hopefully I’ll go up there and work hard and get better and move on to the PGA Tour.”

Salzer verbally committed in August, but doesn’t plan on changing his mind any time before next year’s signing period.

“It’s a firm commitment – I don’t plan on looking anywhere else,” Salzer said. “I didn’t expect to commit this early, but after they offered me I knew it was where I wanted to go.

“Now that pressure is off and I can just go out and concentrate on my game.”

him. He’s just such an important part of the special teams, to know you can count on him.

In LMA’s 15-10 victory over Porter-Gaud on Friday in Charleston. Cruz had 21 total tackles, including 14 solo stops, one interception and he broke up a pass as the Swampcats clinched at least a home game in the first round of the SCISA 3A state playoffs.

“He is the most improved player I’ve ever coached in 21 seasons,” Laurence Manning head coach Robbie Briggs said of Cruz.

“The game was set for him to have a big night, and he didn’t disappoint.”

Cruz helped limit the Cylcones to just 237 yards of total offense. On the season, Cruz has 121 total tackles, four picks and eight PBUs. In Wilson Hall’s 38-21 victory over Heathwood Hall on Friday in Columbia, Ard graded out at 92 percent as the Barons had 370 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground.

Wilson Hall head coach Bruce Lane said the performance was Ard’s best in his two years as a starter.

“Walker just played a great game for us,” Lane said. “He’s been a very important contributor for us the past two years. We run a lot of shotgun (with the quarterback away from the center) and priority No. 1 is for him to get the ball to the quarterback. He does that well, and then priority No. 2 is to go get someone to hit, and he does that.”

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 0 0 0 0 0

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 0 0 0 0 0

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 1 3 3 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .857 .571 .571 .286

PF 164 158 172 136

PA 139 165 150 210

THURSDAY’S GAME

Denver 35, San Diego 21

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Detroit 22, Atlanta 21 Kansas City 34, St. Louis 7 Houston 30, Tennessee 16 Minnesota 19, Tampa Bay 13, OT Seattle 13, Carolina 9 Cincinnati 27, Baltimore 24 Miami 27, Jacksonville 13 New England 51, Chicago 23 Buffalo 43, N.Y. Jets 23 Arizona 24, Philadelphia 20 Cleveland 23, Oakland 13 Pittsburgh 51, Indianapolis 34 New Orleans 44, Green Bay 23 Open: N.Y. Giants, San Francisco

MONDAY’S GAME

Washington 20, Dallas 17, OT

THURSDAY, OCT. 30

New Orleans at Carolina, 8:25 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 2

Arizona at Dallas, 1 p.m.

Philadelphia at Houston, 1 p.m.

N.Y. Jets at Kansas City, 1 p.m.

Washington at Minnesota, 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

Jacksonville at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

San Diego at Miami, 1 p.m.

St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.

Oakland at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.

Denver at New England, 4:25 p.m.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m.

Open: Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Tennessee

MONDAY, NOV. 3

Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants, 8:30 p.m.

NHL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W Montreal 9 7 Tampa Bay 9 5 Detroit 8 4 Boston 10 5 Ottawa 7 4 Florida 7 2 Toronto 8 3 Buffalo 9 2 METROPOLITAN DIVISION GP W N.Y. Islanders 8 6 New Jersey 8 4 Washington 8 4 N.Y. Rangers 9 5 Pittsburgh 7 4 Columbus 8 4 Philadelphia 8 3 Carolina 7 0

L OT Pts 2 0 14 3 1 11 2 2 10 5 0 10 2 1 9 2 3 7 4 1 7 7 0 4

GF 25 27 18 26 17 10 21 11

GA 25 23 17 24 15 16 25 29

L 2 2 2 4 2 4 3 5

GF 32 25 25 27 25 23 26 14

GA 27 25 19 30 19 25 30 29

OT 0 2 2 0 1 0 2 2

Pts 12 10 10 10 9 8 8 2

WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L OT Pts GF GA Nashville 8 5 1 2 12 19 16 Chicago 8 5 2 1 11 22 14 Dallas 8 4 2 2 10 29 29 Minnesota 7 4 3 0 8 23 11 St. Louis 7 3 3 1 7 16 15 Colorado 9 2 4 3 7 20 29 Winnipeg 8 3 5 0 6 15 21 PACIFIC DIVISION GP W L OT Pts GF GA Anaheim 9 7 2 0 14 30 19 Los Angeles 8 6 1 1 13 22 12 Calgary 10 5 4 1 11 26 22 San Jose 10 5 4 1 11 32 28 Vancouver 8 5 3 0 10 27 26 Edmonton 9 4 4 1 9 26 32 Arizona 7 3 3 1 7 18 25 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

MONDAY’S GAMES

Pct GB .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 – .000 –

L 0 0 0 0 0

W 6 4 4 2

N.Y. Rangers 5, Minnesota 4 Edmonton 3, Montreal 0

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Minnesota at Boston, 7 p.m.

Winnipeg at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Arizona at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

St. Louis at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

San Jose at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Montreal at Calgary, 9 p.m.

Carolina at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST DIVISION W Dallas 0 Houston 0 Memphis 0 New Orleans 0 San Antonio 0 NORTHWEST DIVISION W Denver 0 Minnesota 0 Oklahoma City 0 Portland 0 Utah 0 PACIFIC DIVISION W Golden State 0 L.A. Clippers 0 L.A. Lakers 0 Phoenix 0 Sacramento 0

Arizona San Francisco Seattle St. Louis

5 3 0 .625 222 191 3 5 0 .375 180 222 3 5 0 .375 139 173

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Detroit at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Nashville at Edmonton, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Winnipeg at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Arizona at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Anaheim at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

San Jose at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Montreal at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

MONDAY’S GAMES

No games scheduled

TUESDAY’S GAMES

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press

TODAY’S GAMES

American League TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Claimed IB Justin Smoak off waivers from Seattle.

Can-Am League QUEBEC CAPITALES — Exercised the 2015 contract option on LHP Ari Ronick.

Orlando at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Dallas at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Houston at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Washington at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Atlanta at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Chicago at New York, 8 p.m.

Detroit at Denver, 9 p.m.

Houston at Utah, 9 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Golden State at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Portland, 10:30 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Washington at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

New York at Cleveland, 8 p.m.

Utah at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

NFL STANDINGS

By The Associated Press AMERICAN CONFERENCE EAST W 6 5 4 1

L 2 3 3 7

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .625 .571 .125

PF 238 178 174 144

PA 177 165 151 228

W 5 4 2 1

L 3 4 6 7

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .625 .500 .250 .125

PF 250 185 137 118

PA 187 166 202 218

W 4 5 5 4

L 2 3 3 3

T 1 0 0 0

Pct .643 .625 .625 .571

PF 161 217 205 163

PA 164 131 196 152

W L T Pct Denver 6 1 0 .857 San Diego 5 3 0 .625 Kansas City 4 3 0 .571 Oakland 0 7 0 .000 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct Dallas 6 2 0 .750 Philadelphia 5 2 0 .714 N.Y. Giants 3 4 0 .429 Washington 3 5 0 .375 South W L T Pct Carolina 3 4 1 .438 New Orleans 3 4 0 .429 Atlanta 2 6 0 .250 Tampa Bay 1 6 0 .143 North W L T Pct Detroit 6 2 0 .750

PF 224 205 176 105

PA 142 149 128 181

PF 213 203 154 171

PA 167 156 169 200

PF 167 199 192 133

PA 208 188 221 223

New England Buffalo Miami N.Y. Jets South Indianapolis Houston Tennessee Jacksonville North Cincinnati Baltimore Pittsburgh Cleveland West

PF PA 162 126

BASEBALL

FOOTBALL

National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed RB Zach Bauman to the practice squad.

Released CB Anthony Gaitor from the practice squad.

BUFFALO BILLS — Placed S Kenny Ladler on the injured reserve list.

CAROLINA PANTHERS — Signed S Robert Lester from the practice squad and OT Mike Remmers from the St. Louis practice squad. Placed LB Chase Blackburn on injured reserve. Waived RB Darrin Reaves.

Canadian Football League EDMONTON ESKIMOS — Signed DE Leon Mackey to the practice roster.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS — Agree to terms with LB Cory Greenwood.

Arena Football League ORLANDO PREDATORS — Agreed to terms with WR Brandon Thompkins.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League CALGARY FLAMES — Announced D Corey Potter cleared waivers and was assigned to Adirondack (AHL).

CAROLINA HURRICANES — Activated C Eric Staal from injured reserve. Reassigned F Patrick Brown to Charlotte (AHL).

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Placed G Sergei Bobrovsky on injured reserve.

Recalled G Anton Forsberg from Springfield (AHL).

DETROIT RED WINGS — Assigned C Stephen Weiss to Grand Rapids (AHL) for conditioning.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Placed F Rich Clune on waivers. Assigned F Viktor Stalberg to Milwaukee on a conditioning assignment.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Recalled RW Tom Wilson from Hershey (AHL). Reassigned RW Chris Brown to Hershey.

American Hockey League AHL — Suspended Binghamton F Brad Mills has 20 games for violating the terms of the AHL/PHPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

SPRINGFIELD FALCONS — Recalled G Scott Munroe from Kalamazoo (ECHL).

ECHL ECHL — Suspended Elmira’s Andrew Conboy two additional games for his actions in an Oct. 24 game against Reading.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

USC FROM PAGE B1

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley (14) is listed as one of three options for the Volunteers this weekend along with sophomores Nathan Peterman and Joshua Dobbs who could start against South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia.

Vols waiting to decide on starting quarterback

BY STEVE MEGARGEE The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s depth chart reflects the uncertain status of its quarterback situation heading into Saturday’s game with South Carolina.

The Volunteers’ starting quarterback is listed as senior Justin Worley or sophomore Nathan Peterman or sophomore Joshua Dobbs.

Peterman started last week’s 34-20 loss to Alabama in place of an injured WorPETERMAN ley, while Dobbs entered the game on Tennessee’s third series and remained in the rest of the way.

“We’ll name a starter when we need to, but we’re in no rush,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. “Depth charts are a thing of the past.

They’ve gone out about 10 years ago.”

Jones hasn’t ruled out a two-quarterback system.

“I haven’t (done that) in the past just because I like to have a quarterback get into the rhythm of the game and get a feel for it, but right now we’re scratching and clawing for every victory we can,” Jones said. “Whatever it takes to win football games right now, that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Part of the issue is whether

POLL FROM PAGE B1 of Auburn and Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

The final rankings will be released Dec. 7, the day after the most of the conference championships are decided.

“Everyone on the selection committee recognized that our rankings will change over the next six weeks,” Long said. “I think that’s important for us to emphasize.

We expect our rankings to change over the next six weeks. One week’s rankings won’t influence the next week’s rankings.”

TCU was seventh, Michigan State was eighth, Kansas State ninth and Notre Dame was 10th.

Mississippi State and defending national champion Florida State are the only undefeated teams left among the Big Five conferences.

“It’s cool,” Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott said. “That’s something you can never take away from the university or this program. First-ever ranking, first team to be No. 1, so that’s pretty cool for the university.”

The Bulldogs and Seminoles also hold the first two spots in the AP Top 25. No. 3 was where the differences started between the playoff rankings and the media poll.

The AP voters had Alabama at No. 3 and Auburn at No. 4. Oregon was fifth, Notre Dame was sixth and Ole Miss was seventh after losing for

Worley is healthy enough to play. Jones said after the Alabama game that Worley couldn’t play after tests showed “he didn’t have the zip and velocity that you would need to play at this level.” Even if Worley is cleared this week, Jones said there’s no guarantee the senior would get the start when Tennessee (3-5, 0-4 SEC) visits South Carolina (4-4, 2-4).

“The best players who have the best week of performance, they’ll play on Saturday,” Jones said.

Dobbs provided a spark last week for a slumping offense by rushing for 75 yards and going 19 for 32 for 192 yards passing with two touchdowns. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

After starting Tennessee’s final four games in place of an injured Worley last season, Dobbs hadn’t played at all this year until the Alabama game. Jones intended on redshirting Dobbs until Worley got hurt again.

“I feel like I played well,” Dobbs said after the game.

“Of course, there is always room for improvement. I know we had two turnovers tonight, so we’ve got to eliminate that.”

That room for improvement includes accuracy issues that have bothered Dobbs since his arrival at Tennessee. Dobbs has completed 59.5 percent of his career pass attempts.

“Make the routine throws, not the ‘Oh, my God’ plays, but the routine plays,” Jones said. “Why do shortstops in major league baseball make millions of dollars? Because they make the routine throw to first base over and over and over and over again. ...

Josh is still a very young football player. He’s still learning as we go.”

Tennessee also has an unclear situation on its offensive line after injuries to guard Marcus Jackson and tackle Coleman Thomas forced the Vols to use their fourth different starting combination of the season last week. Tennessee ran the ball and protected the passer pretty effectively against Alabama with a group that included left tackle Brett Kendrick, left guard Kyler Kerbyson, center Mack Crowder, right guard Jashon Robertson and right tackle Jacob Gilliam.

Jones said Jackson should return this week and that Thomas also has a chance to play. The depth chart features a first-team line that includes Kendrick at left tackle, Jackson at left guard, Crowder at center, Robertson at right guard and Kerbyson at right tackle. But Jones said the depth chart doesn’t necessarily reflect how Tennessee will actually start the game.

“It’s just names on a list,” Jones said. “The best five will play.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF POLL

‘One week’s rankings won’t influence the next week’s rankings.’

Record 1. Mississippi St. 7-0 2. Florida St. 7-0 3. Auburn 6-1 4. Mississippi 7-1 5. Oregon 7-1 6. Alabama 7-1 7. TCU 6-1 8. Michigan St. 7-1 9. Kansas St. 6-1 10. Notre Dame 6-1 11. Georgia 6-1 12. Arizona 6-1 13. Baylor 6-1 14. Arizona St. 6-1 15. Nebraska 7-1 16. Ohio St. 6-1 17. Utah 6-1 18. Oklahoma 5-2 19. LSU 7-2 20. West Virginia 6-2 21. Clemson 6-2 22. UCLA 6-2 23. East Carolina 6-1 24. Duke 6-1 25. Louisville 6-2 The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will issue weekly rankings each Tuesday, with the final rankings being announced Sunday, Dec. 7. The playoff semifinals will match the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 4 seed, and No. 2 will face No. 3. The semifinals will be hosted at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015.

The championship game will be on Jan. 12, 2015 at Arlington, Texas.

the first time this season at LSU on Saturday. Ole Miss beat Alabama at home earlier this month.

This is the first year for the playoff format in college football, and the list is the first indication of how the committee is evaluating teams’ playoff potential.

While Ole Miss received a better ranking than Alabama, head-to-head victories weren’t always the deciding factor for the committee.

Arizona, which won at Oregon, is 12th. Baylor, which beat TCU, is 13th.

Long said in both cases the head-to-head loser had the

JEFF LONG Arkansas athletic director and committee chairman better overall resume. Long said Oregon’s victories against Michigan State and UCLA stood out. And Baylor’s lack of quality opposition so far held back the Bears.

“They have not had a strong schedule outside of their win against TCU,” Long said.

The committee creates small groups of teams, debates their merits and ranks the teams using as many votes as needed to come up with a consensus. Members are given reams of data on each FBS team and each member is allowed to judge those numbers however they determine is best.

The committee members gathered Monday at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, just outside of Dallas, and did most of their work on Day 1.

Long said the committee worked for about 10 hours total on the rankings. By the time the rankings were released on ESPN at 7:30 EDT, most of the committee members were already on their way home.

to be pretty good.”

Spurrier’s assessment looked flawed from the start after a season-opening, 52-28 beat down by Texas A&M. The Gamecocks squandered double-digit, fourth-quarter leads in the Missouri and Kentucky defeats.

South Carolina and Auburn were tied at 35-all entering the final period, but Gamecocks quarterback Dylan Thompson threw two interceptions down the stretch as the Tigers held on.

“It was worst red zone offense we’ve had around here in a long time,” Spurrier said. “I can’t remember three times inside the 20 without getting any points and as it turned out that was a big thing that really hurt us. But it’s happened, and you try to learn from it, and try not to repeat the same mistakes that occurred in the last game. So, hopefully, we can move on.”

That starts Saturday night against Tennessee (3-5, 0-4), which was defeated the Gamecocks a year ago for one of its two SEC victories in 2013.

Spurrier said the Vols have come close to beating Georgia (35-32 loss) and

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Florida (10-9 loss) and play much harder than their record.

“If we’re going to have a chance this week, we’ve got to match their intensity and effort level,” he said.

South Carolina must stay mentally strong after losing out on many of their preseason goals, said receiver Pharoh Cooper.

“It’s tough,” he said. “We lost our first game and planned to be 11-1. We lost two more and we planned not to lose anymore. I guess from here on out we’ll focus on one at a time on Tennessee and try and finish out 8-4 or 9-4 on the season.”

It won’t be a simple road with games at Florida and No. 22 Clemson still left for the Gamecocks. Combined with Tennessee, those three rivals were part of what South Carolina fans feared as the team’s annual “Orange Crush” stretch where the Gamecocks struggled to win.

These days, Spurrier’s had the number of all those rivals: South Carolina’s won three of four against the Vols and Gators, and five in a row against Clemson.

“We’ve got to play a lot better than what we’ve been doing to give ourselves a chance,” the coach said.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE The Associated Press (Subject to change)

THURSDAY

SOUTH Troy (1-7) at Georgia Southern (62), 7:30 p.m.

Florida St. (7-0) at Louisville (6-2), 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

SOUTH Tulsa (1-6) at Memphis (4-3), 8 p.m.

Cincinnati (4-3) at Tulane (2-5), 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 1

EAST Air Force (5-2) at Army (2-5), 11:30 a.m.

CCSU (2-6) at Bryant (6-1), Noon Rhode Island (0-8) at Delaware (4-4), Noon Lehigh (1-6) at Georgetown (2-6), Noon Jacksonville (7-1) at Marist (2-6), Noon Maryland (5-3) at Penn St. (4-3), Noon Duke (6-1) at Pittsburgh (4-4), Noon Wisconsin (5-2) at Rutgers (5-3), Noon East Carolina (6-1) at Temple (43), Noon UCF (5-2) at UConn (1-6), Noon Yale (5-1) at Columbia (0-6), 12:30 p.m.

Princeton (3-3) at Cornell (0-6), 12:30 p.m.

Lafayette (3-5) at Bucknell (6-1), 1 p.m.

Colgate (4-4) at Fordham (7-1), 1 p.m.

Charleston Southern (5-3) at Monmouth (NJ) (5-2), 1 p.m.

Brown (3-3) at Penn (1-5), 1 p.m.

Duquesne (5-3) at St. Francis (Pa.) (3-5), 1 p.m.

NC State (4-4) at Syracuse (3-5), 3 p.m.

Harvard (6-0) at Dartmouth (5-1), 3:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart (6-2) at Wagner (43), 3:30 p.m.

TCU (6-1) at West Virginia (6-2), 3:30 p.m.

Elon (1-7) at Towson (3-5), 4 p.m.

Albany (NY) (6-2) at New Hampshire (6-1), 6 p.m.

Notre Dame (6-1) vs. Navy (4-4) at Landover, Md., 8 p.m.

SOUTH Rice (4-3) at FIU (3-5), Noon North Carolina (4-4) at Miami (53), 12:30 p.m.

Villanova (7-1) at Richmond (6-2), 12:30 p.m.

Boston College (5-3) at Virginia Tech (4-4), 12:30 p.m.

Stetson (3-5) at Campbell (4-4), 1 p.m.

Delaware St. (2-7) at Howard (17), 1 p.m.

Savannah St. (0-8) at SC State (53), 1:30 p.m.

Furman (2-6) at VMI (1-8), 1:30 p.m.

Morgan St. (4-4) at Hampton (26), 2 p.m.

UT-Martin (4-5) at Murray St. (35), 2 p.m.

Liberty (5-3) at Presbyterian (53), 2 p.m.

Chattanooga (5-3) at W. Carolina (6-2), 2 p.m.

E. Illinois (3-5) at Tennessee Tech (3-5), 2:30 p.m.

Norfolk St. (3-5) at Florida A&M (2-6), 3 p.m.

W. Kentucky (3-4) at Louisiana Tech (5-3), 3 p.m.

Concordia-Selma (2-6) at Samford (4-3), 3 p.m.

E. Kentucky (7-1) at Tennessee St. (4-5), 3 p.m.

Georgia St. (1-7) at Appalachian St. (2-5), 3:30 p.m.

Coastal Carolina (8-0) at GardnerWebb (4-4), 3:30 p.m.

Florida (3-3) vs. Georgia (6-1) at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m.

Virginia (4-4) at Georgia Tech (62), 3:30 p.m.

William & Mary (5-3) at James Madison (5-3), 3:30 p.m.

BYU (4-4) at Middle Tennessee (53), 3:30 p.m.

NC Central (4-4) at BethuneCookman (6-2), 4 p.m.

Austin Peay (1-7) at Jacksonville St. (6-1), 4 p.m.

The Citadel (2-6) at Mercer (5-4),

4 p.m.

Houston (4-3) at South Florida (35), 4 p.m.

South Alabama (5-2) at Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3), 5 p.m.

UAB (4-4) at FAU (3-5), 7 p.m.

Alabama A&M (2-6) at Jackson St. (3-5), 7 p.m.

Incarnate Word (1-7) at Nicholls St. (0-9), 7 p.m.

McNeese St. (5-2) at Northwestern St. (4-4), 7 p.m.

Alabama St. (4-4) at Southern U. (5-3), 7 p.m.

Old Dominion (3-5) at Vanderbilt (2-6), 7 p.m.

Auburn (6-1) at Mississippi (7-1), 7 p.m.

Arkansas (4-4) at Mississippi St. (7-0), 7:15 p.m.

Tennessee (3-5) at South Carolina (4-4), 7:30 p.m.

MIDWEST Northwestern (3-4) at Iowa (5-2), Noon Morehead St. (3-5) at Butler (3-5), Noon Oklahoma (5-2) at Iowa St. (2-5), Noon Valparaiso (2-6) at Dayton (5-2), 1 p.m.

Cent. Michigan (5-4) at E. Michigan (2-6), 1 p.m.

Missouri St. (4-4) at Indiana St. (5-3), 1 p.m.

San Diego (6-1) at Drake (5-3), 1:30 p.m.

South Dakota (2-6) at Youngstown St. (6-2), 2 p.m.

W. Michigan (5-3) at Miami (Ohio) (2-7), 2:30 p.m.

Indiana (3-4) at Michigan (3-5), 3:30 p.m.

S. Dakota St. (5-3) at N. Dakota St. (8-0), 3:30 p.m.

Purdue (3-5) at Nebraska (7-1), 3:30 p.m.

Kentucky (5-3) at Missouri (6-2), 4 p.m.

Illinois St. (7-0) at N. Iowa (4-4), 5 p.m.

Oklahoma St. (5-3) at Kansas St. (6-1), 8 p.m.

Illinois (4-4) at Ohio St. (6-1), 8 p.m.

SOUTHWEST Louisiana-Monroe (3-4) at Texas A&M (5-3), Noon Cent. Arkansas (5-4) at Abilene Christian (4-5), 3 p.m.

MVSU (2-6) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (25), 3:30 p.m.

Kansas (2-5) at Baylor (6-1), 4 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin (6-2) vs. Sam Houston St. (4-4) at Houston, 4 p.m.

Grambling St. (5-3) at Texas Southern (5-3), 6:30 p.m.

Houston Baptist (2-6) at Lamar (5-3), 7 p.m.

Texas (3-5) at Texas Tech (3-5), 7:30 p.m.

Southern Miss. (3-5) at UTEP (43), 8 p.m.

FAR WEST Washington (5-3) at Colorado (26), 1 p.m.

Sacramento St. (4-4) at Montana (5-3), 2 p.m.

N. Arizona (5-3) at Weber St. (0-8), 3 p.m.

Texas St. (4-3) at New Mexico St. (2-6), 4 p.m.

Southern Cal (5-3) at Washington St. (2-6), 4:30 p.m.

Arkansas St. (4-3) at Idaho (1-6), 5 p.m.

North Dakota (3-5) at E. Washington (7-2), 5:05 p.m.

New Mexico (2-5) at UNLV (2-6), 5:30 p.m.

Colorado St. (7-1) at San Jose St. (3-4), 7 p.m.

N. Colorado (2-6) at UC Davis (16), 7 p.m.

Stanford (5-3) at Oregon (7-1), 7:30 p.m.

Idaho St. (5-3) at Portland St. (35), 7:35 p.m.

Montana St. (6-2) at Cal Poly (53), 9:05 p.m.

San Diego St. (4-3) at Nevada (53), 10:30 p.m.

California (4-4) at Oregon St. (43), 10:30 p.m.

Arizona (6-1) at UCLA (6-2), 10:30 p.m.

Wyoming (3-5) at Fresno St. (3-5), 10:45 p.m.

Utah (6-1) at Arizona St. (6-1), 11 p.m.

Utah St. (5-3) at Hawaii (2-6), 11 p.m.

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

WORLD SERIES

Royals lead Giants 8-0 after 3 innings

BY BEN WALKER The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eric Hosmer chopped a two-run double as the Kansas City Royals turned bloops, bouncers and a botched grounder into an early blowout, bolting past the San Francisco Giants 8-0 Tuesday night after three innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

Trying to force a Game 7, the Royals BIG LEAD chased Jake Peavy while For more on scoring seven Game 6 of the times in the World Series second. visit When Omar www.theitem.com Infante doubled in the third, every Kansas City batter already had a hit.

If the Series does indeed go the limit, it would be Tim Hudson starting for the Giants against Jeremy Guthrie on Wednesday night. And that bodes well for Kansas City: Home teams have won the last nine Game 7s in the World Series.

Royals rookie Yordano Ventura made the one big pitch he needed to keep it a rout.

After walking the bases loaded with one out in the third, he got Buster Posey to ground into a first-pitch double play.

Shut out by Madison Bumgarner in Game 5 at AT&T Park, and facing a 3-2

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain hits a 2-run single in the bottom of the second as the Royals took an 8-0 lead over San Francisco in Tuesday’s Game 6 of the World Series in Kansas City, Mo. deficit, the Royals hoped for a break to bust loose at Kauffman Stadium. Instead, they got lots of them as everything seemed to go Kansas City’s way.

How much did things tilt in the Royals’ favor? Hosmer

came up with two runners on base in the second, and hit what appeared to be a hard RBI single off Yusmeiro Petit.

But time had been called just before Petit released the ball, and the hit didn’t count.

Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg pat-

NASCAR

ted Hosmer on the chest, as if to say, better luck next time.

And Hosmer did have better luck. He reached out, chopped a ball in front of the plate and it hopped over shortstop Brandon Crawford’s head, with Hosmer hustling and

diving headfirst for a double that made it 6-0.

Before the game, in fact, the Giants and Royals both talked about how the infield in Kansas City was much harder than the dirt in San Francisco.

PRO BASKETBALL

Front-office success has Jordan’s Hornets rolling

BY STEVE REED The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tony Stewart (14) passes Matt Kenseth (20) during Sunday’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at MartinsvilleSpeedway in Martinsville, Va. Kenseth and Ryan Newman could still make the Chase cut based on points.

Points still matter in new championship format

BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. — When NASCAR chairman Brian France revealed the changes to the championship format, he vowed that winning would be the most important element and would ultimately reward “the most worthy, battletested” driver with the Sprint Cup title.

“Riding around and being pleased because the (previous) format rewards consistency, those days are going to be pretty much over,” France said in January.

Yet here we are in late October and Sunday’s race winner at Martinsville Speedway won’t win the championship. Dale Earnhardt Jr., a four-time race winner this season, was eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship last week.

His victory at Martinsville means none of the eight remaining drivers in the championship field earned an automatic berth into the championship round. Four drivers will race for the title on Nov. 16 at Homestead, and at least two of the spots will be decided by points.

It means there’s a very real possibility that Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth, two drivers who have yet to win a race this season, will

be eligible to race for the championship at Homestead.

Newman finished third at Martinsville to notch his fifth consecutive top-10 finish in the Chase. He’s now second in the Chase standings headed into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, the second of three races in this third round of the playoffs.

Newman has had a nondescript first season with Richard Childress Racing.

Nothing really stands out about it — he’s not won any poles and has led just 41 laps all year.

But Newman has been consistent. He has 15 top-10 finishes in 33 races and it was enough to get him into the Chase — as the 16th and final seed — and it’s helped him work the system to keep his title hopes intact.

“It has played to our advantage mathematically, no doubt,” he said.

Kenseth, winner of seven races last year, hasn’t made it to Victory Lane yet this season. But his 20 top-10 finishes had him waffling between second and fourth in the standings during the regular season, and his sixth-place finish has Kenseth ranked fourth in the standings.

Kenseth wasn’t in the mood to celebrate his position on Sunday, which he called “one of the lowlights

of my career.” He spun just past the halfway point and it collected Kevin Harvick, whose car suffered considerable damage.

Harvick, who had started 33rd and last of all the Chase drivers, had worked his way into the top 10 and appeared headed to a strong finish. Instead, the winner of three races this season finished 33rd and is now last in the Chase field. He likely needs to win either this weekend at Texas or at Phoenix to avoid elimination. Should he get knocked out, Harvick said he won’t stand for Kenseth winning the title.

“He won’t win this championship. If we don’t, he won’t,” said Harvick in an apparent promise of retaliation.

Kenseth and his Joe Gibbs Racing team understood the frustration from Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Harvick crew chief Rodney Childers posted on Twitter after the race that he’d lost respect for Kenseth, “the one person in the field that I never thought would have taken us out.”

It was an error on Kenseth’s part, hardly intentional, but it may cost one of the strongest teams this year a shot at the title. Harvick, to France’s preseason promise, is now racing for wins and one of the two automatic berths into the Chase.

CHARLOTTE — Michael Jordan is learning how to win without scoring a basket.

His Charlotte Hornets are winning and enter the season with high expectations. Jordan appears to be finally changing the losing culture around his franchise.

Looking relaxed, the six-time NBA champion smiled Tuesday as he talked about how gratifying winning a seventh would be — as if he knows something the rest of the NBA doesn’t.

Jordan said JORDAN helping the Hornets win their first NBA title as an owner is something that drives him in his post-playing career. The Hall of Famer said it would be more rewarding because it’s tougher being an owner than it is being a player.

“I can impact the game in shorts and tennis shoes,” Jordan said at a press conference at the team’s downtown arena.

“When I had those on it was easy to prove people wrong.

It’s hard to do that now when I have a suit on. I have to rely upon other people understanding my message and my focus.”

But he can take some satisfaction knowing he has the Hornets heading in the right direction.

Charlotte is coming off a 43-39 season and Jordan hopes that with Lance Stephenson joining Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, the building blocks are place for his smallmarket team to make a run at the title.

Jordan took over as the Hornets primary owner in 2010 and made a commitment shortly thereafter to “strip things down.” For him, that meant breaking up a playoff team he felt was decent, but not good enough to win a championship. So Charlotte jettisoned players like Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson and began the process of rebuilding.

It meant suffering through a 7-59 season, the worst in NBA franchise history.

“That is tough for a competitor like me,” Jordan said. “But

it left me even more determined to turn thing around.”

And things seem to be headed in that direction — with Jordan often helplessly sitting courtside in a suit.

Mark Price, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, said he can relate to how hard it is for Jordan not to be able to throw on a No. 23 jersey and take the floor.

“Mike wouldn’t have achieved what he achieved in his life if he hadn’t been a super competitive person,” said Price, now an assistant coach for the Hornets. “You don’t lose that. So he’s trying to have an impact as an owner.”

Trying to find how to do that has led to criticism of Jordan — that his hands-on involvement has resulted in poor personnel decisions and losing records.

But the Hornets recent success and promising outlook is vindication for Jordan.

“We all want to be a part of something successful and do to that you have to make a mistake here or there,” Jordan said. “There’s not one successful person in his life that has not made mistakes. You try to learn from those mistakes and make sound decisions going forward.”

Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Jordan is learning how to successfully compete from the front office.

The coach points to the free agent acquisitions of Jefferson — a third-team All-NBA selection last season — and Stephenson the last two years as examples of him upgrading the team’s roster.

The coach said Jordan won’t ever accept losing and that’s the main reason “he’s done everything an owner can do to help his team.”

“I know there is only so much he can do, and I know he’d like to suit up and come out and play with us — and we would like that, too,” Jefferson said. “But he’s having an impact in other ways.”

Jordan invested $41 million over three seasons in Jefferson last year and $27 million over three years in Stephenson. Jordan said Tuesday the team is trying to sign Walker to a longterm extension before Wednesday night’s season opener against the Bucks.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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Spring Valley’s Dozier visits Gamecocks P

J Dozier, a 6-foot-6-inch basketball player from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, made his official visit to the University of South Carolina over the weekend, the fourth of the five trips he will take before making his decision.

His parents joined him on the visit. For his father, Perry Dozier, a former USC player, it was a trip back in time to some degree.

“It was pretty neat to go on an official visit to a school that I thought I knew so much about,” Perry Dozier said. “I realized there’s a whole lot more I didn’t know. It’s absolutely beautiful. The money that South Carolina has put into that school; I’m telling you I was totally impressed and blown away by how much they have done down there.

It’s just amazing.”

Of course, the focus of the visit was to let PJ Dozier see the program from the inside and get closer to the staff and players.

“I think the relationship with the players and the coaches is what he really got out of the visit,” Perry Dozier said. “The gelling and that good feeling. He sees that the program is on the upswing and I think he sees where he can come in and make a huge impact. Looking at the future, he likes what he sees.”

The Doziers have visited Michigan, North Carolina and Georgetown and will visit Louisville this weekend. The decision will be made within a week of the Louisville visit and the plan is to make the announcement in Charlotte via ESPN. “I think every time he takes a visit he gets a feeling (about a favorite),” Dozier said. “One may be a little bit stronger than the others, but for the most part they’ve all been pretty good feelings. I think right now if he had to pick from the schools that he has visited without taking the last visit, he could, but I think his intentions are to make sure each school gets the proper look.”

The UNC academic scandal has been discussed by the Doziers, and they talked it over with Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams on the official visit there. So far, the news hasn’t scared them away from the Tar Heels.

“I think he’s putting all that aside and just trying to find out is this the program he wants to go play at, does he feel good about the staff, does he feel good about the players there, is that where he wants to be,” Perry Dozier said.

The elder Dozier said he’s not aware of any coaches coming for visits this week, but he expects his son to be on the phone with representatives from all the schools during the week.

Tevin Mack, a 6-5 player from Dreher High in Columbia, recently went to USC to watch practice and talked briefly with head coach Frank Martin. Mack also had in-person visits recently from Clemson head coach Brad Brownell and Georgia assistant Philip Pearson, and he talked with Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie. Also, Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart and his entire staff were in for a visit as well.

As for where he is in the decision-making process Mack said, “I’m not 100 percent sure yet. (National) Signing Day is

not until Nov. 12, so it will be before that, but I don’t know exactly when. It really is any day now. It could be tomorrow or the day after that or two weeks from now.” Mack said there is no leader among the five.

Rozelle Nix, a 7-0 center, committed to Pittsburgh on Sunday after his official visit.

Nix was also considering USC and Loyola Marymount.

Clemson has offered 3-star 6-2 point guard Justice Kithcart from Lynchburg, Va. He reportedly has offers from Clemson, James Madison, North Carolina Wilmington, Northern Arizona and Old Dominion.

Christian Adams, a 6-4 player from Winston-Salem, N.C., committed to Coastal Carolina.

FOOTBALL 2015

USC USC lost one of its top commitments from the 2015 recruiting class last week when linebacker Davon Durant, the Greenwood native who attends Butler Junior College in Kansas, de-committed from the Gamecocks and committed to Arizona State.

“It’s nothing they did,” Durant said of USC. “I was thinking about it, and I thought it wouldn’t be the best choice for me. They’ve got a lot of linebackers and a lot of guys coming back. I’m going to give other people a chance.”

USC and Durant have a long relationship going back to his Shrine Bowl days at Greenwood High. He wanted to go to USC out of high school, but didn’t have the grades. This time, according to Durant, academics was not an issue in his decision to rescind his commitment.

“I’m going to get out in December,” Durant said. “They (USC) already had my transcript. It’s nothing with grades. (USC assistant) Coach (Kirk) Botkin came out here on his bye week, and I talked to him last night. He wanted me to enroll in January. He said if I change my mind give him a call. I doubt I will. I never gave anybody else a chance and after thinking about it and talking to other people, I figured I’d give others a try.”

Durant took an official visit to Arizona State in the summer and was impressed by what he saw. Durant said he has scheduled official visits to Oregon and Texas A&M for the last two weekends in November, but with his commitment to Arizona State, it remains to be seen if he will take those trips.

The Gamecocks are going to have to fend off a pair of Southeastern Conference Western Division rivals to hold on to one of the two remaining JC commitments in the class. Defensive end Marquavius Lewis of Hutchinson JC, who like Durant is a native of Greenwood, has been a Gamecock commit since July 27. He said the commitment remains firm, but he’s getting a strong pull from Louisiana State and Auburn also remains in the picture.

“I recently talked to LSU,” Lewis said. “They are going to come at me hard. They said they had a need for someone with some experience because they are about to lose two ends this year.”

Lewis has not visited any schools this season, but said

he will take one to LSU if he gets the opportunity. “I’m going to check it out and see if what they are offering is better than what South Carolina is offering,” he said.

Right now though, USC is still in the driver’s seat with the commitment. “No other school has made me change my mind right now so it is pretty strong,” Lewis said. He talked to USC recruiter Deke Adams recently and Adams was also out to visit him a couple of weeks ago. “He just let me know how big of a need they have (for defensive ends),” Lewis said.

Lewis said he’s also talking to Auburn practically on a weekly basis. He visited there last summer, but has not scheduled an official visit yet.

Lewis took his official visit to USC last summer.

Going into this past weekend’s game, Hutchinson was ranked fouth in the country and Lewis was fifth on the team in total tackles with 47, including 17 for loss. He also has 10 quarterback sacks and 12 pressures.

Defensive lineman DJ Jones of East Mississippi JC took an official visit to Auburn over the weekend. He has been committed to Florida State, but said he’s still considerPhil Kornblut ing USC, Auburn and RECRUITING Mississippi.

CORNER He plans to visit Ole Miss before finalizing his decision.

USC commitment LB Sherrod Pittman of Jacksonville, Fla., suffered a broken leg in his game on Friday.

DE Quandeski Whitlow of Opelika, Ala., has been committed to USC since June, and he’s held to that pledge thus far. However, schools are still coming at him hard and Whitlow is listening. Whitlow has set his official visit with USC for Jan. 24, and he’s also set one with Louisville on Jan. 17.

He also plans to set official visits with Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Despite those plans, Whitlow doesn’t foresee breaking his pledge to the Gamecocks.

“It’s still good,” Whitlow said.

“Even though the season probably ain’t what they expected or wanted, I’m a 100 percent commitment. I just come from a small town and want to get out while I can.

“Me and Coach Botkin have built a good relationship and we talk every week. When you make a commitment to the team you have to be a man of your word. Coach told me if I work I can get up to No. 2 on the depth chart my freshman year, so it’s a great possibility for me to play.” Whitlow has not been to any games this season.

Stanford commit wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside of Dorman High in Roebuck recently was named one of the finalists for Mr. Football in South Carolina. Arcega-Whiteside committed to Stanford earlier this year, but expects to hear from USC soon.

“They still send me letters and stuff like that and, I think they want me,” Arcega-Whiteside said. “I’m not sure what is going on and what is going to happen, but I am definitely curious to find out.”

Arcega-Whiteside added that he is firmly committed to

Stanford, but will listen to what the Gamecocks have to say. His most recent trip to Columbia was for the Missouri game. He has not taken any other visits. He expects to speak more with USC coaches following the season and said he should have a better idea of their intentions at that point. Arcega-Whiteside also said that he is not speaking to any other schools and is focusing on football.

If USC decides to add another piece to its ‘15 secondary recruiting haul, Rashad Fenton of Miami could become a target. The Gamecocks offered Fenton several months ago, but his last contact with secondary coach and recruiter Grady Brown came early in the season. Fenton has not been to any games this season and has talked with Brown about visiting USC in January, but nothing has been firmed up on that. He said he will take official visits to Arkansas and Central Florida.

OTHERS

Former Clemson QB Chad Kelly, who now attends East Mississippi JC, was offered by Virginia Tech on Saturday.

JUNIORS CLEMSON AND USC

Clemson and USC are among the top five for athlete Mecole Hardman of Elberton, Ga. Hardman visited USC when the Gamecocks hosted UGA and he was at Clemson on Saturday. Tennessee leads for Hardman with Clemson, USC, UGA and Florida all even after the Volunteers. He plans to return to Clemson for the USC game. His other visits this season have been to Tennessee and Georgia Southern.

He also plans to attend the UGA-Auburn game and the Tennessee-Mizzour game this season.

LB Tre Lamar (6-3, 230 pounds) of Roswell, Ga., remains strong on USC and Clemson. Both are among his top five. Lamar attended the USC-UGA game and plans to attend the Clemson-USC game at the end of the season. It will be his second trip to Clemson. Lamar attended the South Carolina State game at Death Valley earlier in the season.

USC, Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi State and Tennessee are his top five in no order. Lamar planned to visit Tennessee over the weekend for the Alabama game. Each of his top five schools has offered. Boston College and Duke are the latest to offer, bringing his total to 16.

CLEMSON

Clemson had several prospects on campus Saturday night for its game with Syracuse, including highly touted DE Rahshaun Smith (6-3, 230) of Baltimore. Smith has over 30 offers, and right now he’s looking the hardest at Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama, VT, UF, Tennessee and Notre Dame, though he’s not closed the door to any school. Smith camped at Clemson last summer and his experience there turned him on to the Tigers for the first time.

“I loved it,” Smith said. “It definitely was an eye-opening visit. It changed my mind about Clemson and got me thinking about them. Their coaching staff is great. They work well with the players.

It’s not only about football, it’s a family-based program.”

Smith is listed as a DE, but can play all of the LB positions. He envisions a good fit for himself at Clemson. “I look at their D(efense) and I see my defense” he said.

“Clemson’s defense is fast, physical, aggressive and they swarm to the ball.”

Smith also has visited Maryland, Penn State twice and Oklahoma this season.

USC also has offered and he has talked with recruiter GA Mangus.

“We’re trying to build a relationship,” Smith said. Smith doesn’t plan to make a decision until his senior season, and he plans to graduate early.

Junior QB Bowman Sells of Allen, Texas, visited Clemson on Saturday. He camped at Clemson last summer and was offered then. He also has offers from Ohio State and Iowa.

USC

DE Ron Johnson (6-3, 235) of Camden, N.J., has an offer from USC and has already visited Columbia. Johnson spoke highly of his time in Columbia in late March and likes what the Gamecocks offer.

“I like the defensive end coach (Adams) and (head coach) Steve Spurrier,” Johnson said. “They’re telling me that I would have a chance to play early and contribute. It’s a nice area and I like the SEC and Big 10 (Conference).

South Carolina is definitely a school that I am interested in.”

His other offers include Ohio State, Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, Temple, PSU, Virginia, Michigan State and West Virginia.

One of four teams will get an early Christmas present from tight end Isaac Nauta of Buford, Ga. The heavily recruited Nauta has his list down to USC, FSU, Ole Miss and UGA and will announce his decision on Dec. 15. Nauta was at FSU for the ND game and was at Auburn this past weekend. He’s also been to games at USC and UGA his season and plans to get to Ole Miss as well.

BASEBALL

Clemson picked up a commitment for the ‘16 class from third baseman Carter Kieboom (6-2, 175) of Marietta, Ga. He’s the brother of former Tiger star catcher Spencer Kieboom, who is now in professional baseball. Another brother, 3B Trevor Kieboom, signed with the Tigers in ‘12, but is now at UGA. According to PerfectGame.com, Carter Kieboom also was recruited

by Georgia Tech, FSU, UF, UNC, UVa and Vanderbilt.

Kieboom gives Clemson five commitments for the ‘16 class.

The Tigers lost one of their commitments last week when pitcher Sawyer Bridges of Summerville High de-committed.

Spartanburg Methodist JC right-handed pitcher Hayden Heflin (5-9, 146) committed to USC last week for the ‘15 class. As a freshman last season at SMC, Heflin appeared in nine games. He was 2-0 with one save and a 3.86 earned run average. He struck out 14 and walked eight in 18 2/3 innings.

Heflin played his high school baseball at Pinewood Prep in Summerville and originally committed College of Charleston while in high school.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Texas A&M may bench starting quarterback Hill

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN The Associated Press COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill may be headed for the bench.

Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said Tuesday that Hill and freshman Kyle Allen have been taking snaps with the first team this week and a starter for Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe will be decided later this week.

“We opened it back up and we’ve had some good experiences through-

out last week in live scrimmage situations,” Spavital said. “We’ve put them in different scenarios ... and are still challenging them in different ways.

It’s still wide open.”

Hill won the job over Allen in fall camp and got off to a great start, throwing for a school-record 511 yards in his debut and leading the Aggies to a 5-0 start. He even earned the Kenny Trill nickname after two years of Johnny Football at Texas A&M for Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

Texas A&M has since dropped three straight, including a 59-0 loss to Ala-

bama — the team’s first shutout since 2003.

Allen has thrown for 264 yards and three touchdowns in four games.

“I’m pleased with how he’s handled the whole situation from fall camp through those eight games leading up to this point,” Spavital said of Allen.

“He shows up every day, he gets extra work in and you can tell he’s really trying to exert himself to try to go out there and try to win this job.”

Spavital said Allen was stunned when he called him into his office to deliver the news.

“(He) asked me if this was for real and I said: ‘Yeah, it is,’” Spavital said.

“And he was like: ‘Good, because I’m going to try to go get it.’”

The conversation with Hill, who is a sophomore, was much more difficult.

“That is tough, especially when you’ve started for eight games and then you’re thrown in that situation where your job is on the line,” Spavital said. “I think he’s handled it pretty well. He’s out there competing. He’s motivating those younger guys when he’s going with the No. 2 offense and I see that as leadership.”

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PRO FOOTBALL

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

McCoy memorable as Redskins top Cowboys

BY SCHUYLER DIXON The Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas — If this is Colt McCoy’s only start for the Washington Redskins, it sure was memorable.

The small-town West Texas kid calmly led another winning drive at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, this time for the Washington Redskins five years after the former Texas Longhorn star beat Nebraska on a march to a last-play field goal in the Big 12 championship game.

McCoy directed Washington to Kai Forbath’s 40-yard field goal in overtime and Dallas was unable to answer after Tony Romo came back from an injury to his surgically repaired back, sending the Redskins to a 20-17 victory on Monday night that snapped the Cowboys’ sixgame winning streak.

Two weeks ago, the last thing McCoy’s family and friends expected was him making his first NFL start in nearly three years in his home state. But then McCoy replaced an ineffective Kirk Cousins at halftime and led a comeback win over Tennessee in Week 7, and Robert Griffin III still wasn’t ready to return from a dislocated left ankle.

“I had to tell a lot of people, ‘No,’” McCoy said of the influx of ticket requests. “I didn’t make any money this game with all the tickets I bought.”

It was quite likely a limited engagement. If the Redskins (3-5) decide Griffin has recovered enough from an injury that has sidelined him since Week 2, the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year and former Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor will start against Minnesota on Sunday. The Redskins have their bye the following week.

“Robert’s our starter,” coach Jay Gruden said. “I haven’t wavered off of that in my mind. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready to go.”

It was McCoy’s first appearance at the home of the Cowboys since his Texas-record 45th victory for the Big 12 title against Nebraska — 13-12 on a last-play field goal. And he won after beginning the night with a career NFL record of 6-15.

“Last-second wins, right?”

McCoy said, laughing. “But

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington’s Colt McCoy (16) and Roy Helu (29) celebrate a touchdown run by McCoy during the Redskins’ 20-17 overtime victory over Dallas on Monday in Arlington, Texas. The third-string quarterback, who got his first start on Monday, was 25 of 30 for 299 yards passing.

I grew up as the game went on. I felt more and more comfortable and I started seeing the defense right. We made some plays down the stretch that good teams have to make to win games.”

The Cowboys (6-2) had one last chance after Forbath’s kick, but didn’t get a first down. Romo’s final pass on fourth down was knocked away by rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland.

“Well, it’s terribly disappointing,” owner Jerry Jones said. “Jay Gruden and his staff, their organization, they came in here and took it to us and they won the game. We couldn’t get it done.”

Things to consider after the Redskins snapped an eight-game losing streak against NFC East teams with their first win since beating Dallas in the 2012 finale with a playoff berth on the line. They also ended a

seven-game losing streak in prime time and won in backto-back weeks for the first time since that win over Dallas almost two years ago.

ROMO’S BACK

Romo left after getting sacked by Keenan Robinson in the third quarter but returned for the final Dallas drive of regulation.

The 34-year-old Romo, who had surgery for a herniated disk last December after getting injured against the Redskins, reached for his back after the hit and stayed flat on the ground before trainers rolled him to his side. He walked to the locker room mostly under his own power. Coach Jason Garrett said X-rays were negative and Romo had a back contusion.

“Even if I hadn’t had back surgery, I probably would have felt that one pretty good,” said Romo, who was

17 of 28 for 209 yards and a touchdown while getting sacked a season-high five times. “It was a direct shot.”

Backup Brandon Weeden led two scoring drives with Romo out to help force overtime.

He had 141 yards rushing and another 80 receiving, but also had his fifth fumble of the season at the end of a 36-yard screen pass inside the Washington 10 in the first half.

WINNING DRIVE

Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather had two of the sacks on Romo to go with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Breeland had four pass breakups for a secondary that held Dez Bryant to a season-low 30 yards receiving on three catches, although Bryant did have a touchdown.

McCoy, who was 25 of 30 for 299 yards, threw 23 yards to Pierre Garcon to get the winning drive going. On third-and-3 from midfield, he fled the pocket, pointed to Jordan Reed to run up the field and lofted a pass that Reed caught while tiptoeing inbounds. Another 16-yarder to Reed made Forbath’s job much easier.

MURRAY STILL ROLLING

Dallas running back DeMarco Murray extended the record he took from Jim Brown a week ago with his eighth straight 100-yard rushing game to start the season.

Veteran’s

Day

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS

SEASON-ENDING INJURY

Dallas linebacker Justin Durant sustained a seasonending injury when he tore an arm muscle in the fourth quarter. The starting trio of Durant, Rolando McClain and Bruce Carter never made it through a full game together.

Maxcy G. Cockerill, Jr. Air Force Rank: Airman First Class

$10 per ad

Honor our service men and women on their special day THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo sustained a back contusion after a sack in the third quarter of Monday’s 20-17 loss to Washington. His status is uncertain for Sunday’s game against Arizona.

Dallas awaiting word on latest Romo back injury

BY SCHUYLER DIXON The Associated Press

IRVING, Texas — Dallas coach Jason Garrett says Tony Romo’s latest back injury is unrelated to the herniated disk he sustained last season and the team is waiting on further testing to see if the quarterback will be available Sunday against Arizona.

Garrett said Tuesday that

Romo “seemed good” when the two talked, but he hadn’t seen Romo before he went for a CT scan.

Romo sustained what Garrett called a back contusion on a sack in the third quarter of Monday night’s 20-17 overtime loss to Washington.

He returned for the final series of regulation and the only Dallas possession of the extra period.

November 11, 2014

Publish Date: Tuesday, November 11 Deadline: Tuesday, November 4 Submitted by _______________________________ Phone ________________ Address ___________________________________________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________ Zip _____________ Veteran’s name ______________________________________________________ Rank _________________________ Branch _____________________________ Payment must accompany order: Total $ ______________ ❐ Check ❐ Visa ❐ Mastercard If paying with credit card: Card No.______________________ Exp. date_________________ Signature _______________________________________________________________________

20 N. Magnolia Street • Sumter, SC

803-774-1284 mary@theitem.com

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

FIFA monitoring Ebola, Club World Cup goes ahead ZURICH (AP) — Preparations for the Club World Cup in Morocco in December are continuing and there is currently no Ebola threat to cause it to be canceled or postponed, FIFA said Tuesday.

“Should the situation change we will be in touch with the participating

AREA SCOREBOARD SOFTBALL USCS 100 INNING GAME

The University of South Carolina Sumter softball program will have its annual 110 Inning Game on Saturday, Nov. 8, beginning at 10 a.m. at Palmetto Park’s Field 6.

The Fire Ants will play teams from the USC Sumter faculty and staff, the USCS student team, the Fire Ants softball alumni, Sumter Fire Department, Sumter Police Department and Tuomey Rehabilitation Services.

For more information, go to www.uscsumter.edu.

SCISA UMPIRES NEEDED

The South Carolina Independent School Association is looking for anyone who might interested in becoming a softball umpire.

Experienced umpires are preferred.

For those who are interested, contact SCISA District Director of Umpiring, Teddy Weeks at TWeeks51@aol.com.

clubs accordingly,” FIFA said.

The world soccer body said it is in contact with Moroccan authorities and is “constantly updating its position” with regard to Ebola on the advice of the World Health Organization.

Morocco has no reported cases of the deadly virus that has killed nearly

TENNIS SUMTER JUNIOR CHALLENGER

The Sumter Junior Challenger Level 4 tennis tournament will be held Nov. 7-9 at Palmetto Tennis Center.

The tournament is open to boys and girls age 10 and under. Deadline for entry is Nov. 2.

For more information, call PTC at (803) 774-3969, send an email to palmettotennis@ sumter-sc.com or go to www. palmettotenniscenter.com or www.sumtersc.gov.

ROAD RACING TURKEY TROT

The 32nd Annual Turkey Trot 5K and Gobbler Dash will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27.

Early registration for the event will run through Nov. 24. The entry fee is $20 per individual, while the cost for a family is $20 for the first member and $10 for each additional family member from the same househould age 10 or older. The fees increase by $5 for those who register Nov. 25-27.

People can register online

5,000 people in West Africa, almost all in the three worst-affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The Club World Cup, which will feature Champions League winner Real Madrid and South American champion San Lorenzo of Argentina, is scheduled for Dec. 10-20.

at www.ymcasumter.org.

For more information, call the Sumter Family YMCA at (803) 774-1404.

BASKETBALL CHURCH LEAGUE BASKETBALL

Late registration is being taken for the Sumter Family YMCA Church League Basketball.

The cost is $60 for members and $85 for non-members.

Practice begins on Nov. 10 with the season starting on Dec. 5.

For more information, call the Sumter Family YMCA at (803) 773-1404.

BOWLING GAMECOCK LANES WEEKLY HIGH SCORES WEEK OF OCT. 12

Industrial Mixed: Tom Thompson 269; Phil June 256; Lee Taylor 211-515; Thomas Jackson 256; Rowland Yates 266; Leo Mickens 214-585.

Friday Night Mixed: Michael Gregg 252-703; Pherneco Myers 200-459; Lewis Washington 256; Sam Green 254; Wardell Stevenson 232-630; Gene Jenkins 216-583; Loretta Friday 212-512; Tim Hudnall 630; George Russ 568; Norvell Jackson Sr. 534; Sean Chapman 693; Jerry Simon 573.

Bumper Bowlers: Shaniya Gideon 152.

Bantams/Preps: Mia Sims 127-308; Autumn Grigg 98.

Jr./Maj./Sr.:Tristan Krug 161; Connor Batey 180-515; Ryan Wolfe 207; Shy-

FIFA also said it agrees with the Confederation of African Football’s decision to move games out of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, but it didn’t comment on Morocco’s request for the African Cup of Nations in January and February to be postponed because of Ebola.

kee Washington 168-487; Julius DeMunn 158-453; CKody Lambert 177506; Justin Yates 393; Brooklyn Horner 363-Jordyn Griffin 341.

Sunday Night Mixed: Ron Poole-222587.

Holy Bowlers: Jim Kaczmarczyk 225560; Rick Marion 455; Ellen Monarch 433; Mary Lou Simmons 408.

Hot Shots: Gracie Holmes 394; Les Shaw-Rembert 493.

Tuesday Night Mixed: Ambra Hodge 201-533; Melissa Burke 303; Ethel Faragi 524; Madi Meeker 413; Ricky Grimmett 256-691; Scott Keisling 267673; Billy Prioleau 233-614; Brad Vohs 257-695; Dustin Hodge 264; Wendell Rogers 643; Richard Whisnant 568; Richard Allen 697; Phillip June 256668; Troy Blake 232; Jay Gillion 233613; Bobby Hagood 583; Rose Wilson 428.

Close Encounters: Johnny Evans 229; Mike Barnes 194-498; David Timmons 234-607; Brian Kelly 148-385; Sarah Evans 214-519; Jerry Candee 492; Willie Watson 504; Kathy Stafford 503; Louise Cunningham 470; Anita Barnes 360; Lisa Kirk 401.

Possibilities: Geraldine Singleton 189; Rosa Davis 225/578.

Afternoon Delight: Les Delahunt 192; Sly McMillan 223-566; Bill Cockerill 548.

Thursday Night House: Kevin Drost 633; Von Carraway 585.

provided.

The registration and payment deadline is Nov. 21.

For more information, call Lakewood baseball head coach Mike Chapman at (843) 685-0568 or (803) 506-2700 (Ext. 1001) or email him at Chapmonis@gmail.com.

4-PERSON SCRAMBLE

The Links at Lakewood Golf Course will host a 4-person scramble every Thursday.

The cost is $25 per person and includes golf, prizes and food following the scramble.

Call the pro shop at (803) 481-5700 before 4 p.m. on Thursday to sign up.

BASEBALL SCISA UMPIRES NEEDED

GOLF LAKEWOOD TEE IT UP CLASSIC Lakewood Baseball’s First Tee It Up Classic will be held on Dec. 6 at The Links at Lakewood.

The format for the tournament will be 4-man Captain’s Choice and will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.

The cost is $200 per team or $50 per player. Lunch will be

The South Carolina Independent School Association is looking for anyone who might interested in becoming a baseball umpire.

Experienced umpires are preferred.

For those who are interested, contact SCISA District Director of Umpiring, Teddy Weeks at TWeeks51@ aol.com.

OBITUARIES FLORINE B. DINGLE COLUMBIA — Florine Bennett Dingle, 86, widow of Beasley Dingle, died on Monday morning, Oct. 27, 2014, at the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia.

Born on July 3, 1928, in the Jordan community of Clarendon County, she was a daughter of the late Arthur and Susan Stukes Bennett.

The family is receiving friends at her residence, 1910 Joseph Lemon and Dingle Road, Manning.

These services are entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

JIMMY LEE CHOICE Jimmy Lee Choice was born on March 23, 1958, in Sumter, to the late Elijah “Bo” and Earline Prioleau Choice. He departed this life on Oct. 24, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

He received his education in the public schools of Sumter County. He was a former employee of Brown Utility Co. in North Carolina and Santee Print in Sumter. He was an outspoken, caring and kind hearted young man who didn’t mind lending a helping hand when he saw someone in need.

He leaves to cherish his memories: two godsons that he loved as his own, James China and Chester China of Wedgefield; one sister, Betty (Malcolm) Blanding of Sumter; one brother, Robert Choice of Wedgefield; two caregivers of 13 years, Erwin and Loria China of the home in Wedgefield; five godbrothers, Eddie (Shirley Ann) Mack Jr., Roosevelt (Stella) Mack, Richard (Michelle) Mack and Chris (Crystal) Mack, all of Sumter, and Julius (Carolyn) Mack of Raeford, North Carolina; one aunt, Ethel P. Everly of White Plains, New York; one uncle, George Choice of Sumter; one nephew, Terrance Choice of Sumter; one niece, Courtney Shantae Blanding of Sumter; one godmother, Elizabeth J. Mack of Sumter; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Public viewing will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Job’s Mortuary.

The body will be placed in the church at 11 a.m. on Thursday for viewing until the hour of service.

Funeral service will be held at noon on Thursday at Salem Chapel and Heritage Center, 101 S. Salem Ave., Sumter,

with the Rev. Frankie Thomas officiating. Interment will follow in Walker Cemetery.

The family is receiving friends at 10 Bell St., Wedgefield.

Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements.

Online memorials may be sent to the family at jobsmortuary@sc.rr.com or visit us on the web at www.jobsmortuary. net.

GEORGIA MAE WEEKS Georgia Mae Weeks, 57, died on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, 2014, at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Born on May 16, 1957, in Manning, she was a daughter of Virginia Butler Weeks and the late Clarence Weeks.

The family will receive friends at her residence, 1127 Ernest Lane, Manning.

These services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

LINDA NELSON Linda Darnell Canty Nelson, of 914 S. Harvin St., died on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

She was a daughter of John and Wilhelmenia Hammond Canty.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Sumter Funeral Service Inc. The family will receive friends at the home of her parents, 350 Palmetto St.

EVELYN F. MCPHERSON Evelyn Frierson McPherson passed away on Oct. 24, 2014, at McCoy Memorial Nursing Center in Bishopville.

Viewing services will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Cousar Memorial Presbyterian Church. Internment will follow in Barnettesville Church Cemetery.

Online condolences can be made at www.newlifefuneralservices.com.

Services are entrusted to New Life Funeral Services LLC of Bishopville.

A.J. MOORE A.J. Moore died on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at Tuomey

Regional Medical Center.

He was a son of James and Carrie Holloway Moore of Sumter.

The family will receive friends at the home of his brother, James Lee Moore, 322 Council St., Sumter.

Sumter Funeral Service Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

JAMES LINWOOD ROSS FLORENCE — James Linwood Ross, 65, of Florence, passed away on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at his residence.

Mr. Ross was born in Sumter, a son of the late Linwood Clinton and Ada Plummer Ross. He was a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy, receiving his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy. Mr. Ross was employed with Carolinas Hospital System in Florence and was a member and past president of the Pee Dee Pharmacy Association.

Surviving are his wife, Kathleen Willis Ross; two sons, Lucius Clinton (Ashley) Ross of Florence and Linwood Matthews (Gwen) Ross of Fort Mill; a daughter, Peyton Kathleen Ross of Florence; and two brothers, John Paul (Debbie) Ross of Florence and Jerry Hawkins Ross of Rembert.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Florence Memorial Gardens, directed by StoudenmireDowling Funeral Home.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the home of his son, Lucius Clinton Ross, 2200 Timberlane Drive.

Memorials may be made to JDRF, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004.

Please sign the tribute wall for Mr. Ross at the obit section of www.stoudenmiredowling. com.

DONNA JEAN Y. THOMPSON Donna Jean Young Thompson, 67, wife of Willard “Darrell” Thompson Sr., died on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at her home.

Born in Georgetown, she was a daughter of the late Henry Lewis Young Sr. and Hazel West Young. She was a proud homemaker and continued her mother’s artistic talents of cake decorating and sewing. She also had a passion for family history and genealogy. Her greatest legacy was her children, grandchil-

dren, and her close-knit family that she loved and adored.

Surviving are her husband of Sumter; one son, Willard Darrell “Will” Thompson Jr., M.D., and wife, Leigh Sotos Thompson, M.D., of Savannah, Georgia; three daughters, Stacia Thompson King and husband, Charles “David” King, of Sumter, Lillian “Lilly” Thompson DuBose and husband, Theodore Marion “Ted” DuBose V, M.D., of Columbia and Crystal “Cristy” Estelle Thompson of Charleston; five brothers, Henry Lewis Young Jr. and Johnnie Joseph Young, both of Georgetown, Marion Lamar Young of Atlanta, James Larry Young Sr. of Litchfield and Deryl Don Young of Yauhannah; one sister, Jacqueline Young Gould of Los Angeles, California; and five grandchildren, Thompson Mitchell DuBose, Willard Darrell Thompson III, Henry Hampton DuBose, Cole Ellis Thompson and Tyler John Thompson.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Lloyd Michael Young Sr. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday at

Mt. Tabor Baptist Church in the Yauhannah community of Georgetown County with the Rev. Ronald Ward officiating.

Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home.

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) 775-9386.

FREDDIE MICKEL Freddie Mickel entered eternal rest on Oct. 28, 2014, at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Hartsville.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by Wilson Funeral Home, 403 S. Main St., Bishopville.

Christmas Open House Sunday, Nov. 2 • 1:30pm 20% OFF ALL CHRISTMAS ITEMS 40% OFF ALL FALL ITEMS Wreaths • Garlands Floral Arrangements • Ornaments Gift Items and much more!

Come Enjoy an afternoon of Fun, Shopping & Holiday Cheer.

A Ring Around The Roses

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Mayo’s Suit City “Think Pink in October!”

With any purchase of $100 or more, get get PINK tie and handkerchief set FREE!

Wesmark Plaza • 773-2262 • Mon-Sat 10-7 • www.MayosDiscountSuits.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements $500 REWARD for return of property & info leading to conviction of person(s) responsible for theft of a Polaris 4 wheeler & trailer from the Hudson Graham Rd. area, Sumter on Mon., 10/21/14. Call Sumter County Sheriff's Dept

Tree Service

Help Wanted Full-Time

Mobile Home Rentals

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net

Full time maintenance position available full benefits, vacation, sick leave, insurance, paid holidays. Call 803-435-4492

Clean 2BR 1BA pvt lot , part. furn., no pets, nonsmoker, H15S., perf for ind.$400 + $300 Sec. 481-2868

Ding Dong Avon Calling Avon by Vi, ISR. $15 to start. Let's talk 803-934-6292 or join online today! www.startavon.com Ref: Viola

DW 3 BR 2 BA, new paint throughout. $650 Mo. + $650 Dep Call Live Oak Realty 803-469-8147

A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721

NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal, trimming & stump grinding. Lic & Ins.

803-316-0128

Lost & Found Found: Male beagle in Oswego & Foxworth Mill Rd. area. Owner call 491-8893 to identify.

Found Shepard / Morris Way area.

803-968-1263

Husky Please

Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

Mention this ad & get 10% off.

Mix call

PETS & ANIMALS

In Memory Dogs

Teacher/Caregiver needed in a Christian childcare & pre-school (ages 6wks-5 yrs). Exp. needed. Min. qualification GED. College degree /college credits preferred not req.

E.C.D. 101 preferred. Contact: Director Mecca Emery at 803-469-9575 or email: memery.thegloryofgodacademyyahoo.com Local Insurance Agency representing major auto insurer seeks P & C agent. Experience in auto and home preferred. Excellent oral, written and organizational skills required. Reply with resume to: rarmfieldgeico.com

Help Wanted Part-Time

OBEDIENCE TRAINING 28 Yrs Exp. Call 803-972-0738 or 803-972-7597

$$$ AVON $$$ FREE TRAINING! 803-422-5555

Farm Products

Flowers Farm Produce 2037 Summerton Hwy 1 mi. N of Summerton, Hwy 15 M-F 9-5 Sat 9-3.

Homegrown fresh vegetables. U pick tomatoes.

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales LARGE GARAGE SALE 1st & 3rd Weekend Tables $2 FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every weekend.

905-4242 Christmas Bake Sale & Craft Fair @ Wise Dr. Church of the Nazarene, 302 N Wise Dr., Sat Nov.1, 9am-3pm. All proceeds help the ladies go to retreat. Photographer will be present for Christmas photos.

Sarah Mayrant It's been four years since God called you home to be with him. Mom, thank you for a life that has made a difference in so many lives. We will always remember you with love, Your Daughter, Shirley Mclane and Family

BUSINESS SERVICES Business Opportunities Business for sale.Call 803-494-5613 for details

Business Services Bonner's Bush-hog Service Cut shooting lanes, food plots, winter cuts, commercial, residential. 40 years experience. 481-4225

Home Improvements Small Repairs & Painting at reasonable prices! Licensed. Contact D. Sims 778-1963

Lawn Service GrassBusters Lawn Maintenance, leaves & pine straw. Pest Control.

Insured and Lic. 803-983-4539, Four Seasons Lawn Care Serving Sumter for almost 20 yrs!

Free est. 494-9169/468-4008

Roofing J&J Roofing tack driven shingles no air gun. All construction done pertaining to a house. 803-331-6441

Estate Sale 516 N Nettles St Bishopville SC Sat Nov 1, 2014 7am-? Furniture, hshld items, clothes & home for sale.

Contact 803-229-0368 for more info.

Hampton Pk Hist. Dist Clean,attractive 3 Rm (1Bdrm) Range, Refrig.,Washer & Dryer Ceiling fans, No pets.

Off Street parking $410 Mo. +Sec Dep w/Yr Lease Credit report & Refs Req. Call 773-2451

Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette.

775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO W. Calhoun 2BR//1.5BA, newly renovated. Full kit, C//H//A. water incl, $525. Prudential 774-7368.

Unfurnished Homes

Furmished 14x70 MH w/Florida Room facing water on deeded water front lot, boat house, owner may finance. Call 803-473-4382

SUPER SALE Chevy Z71 4x4 Dodge Ram 4x4 Ford F-150 Starting at $3,900 Price is Right Auto Sales 3210 Broad St 803-494-4275 97' Ford Ranger, 4 cyl, AT , Extd long bed, 136K Mi. $2700 Call or txt for pics or more info 803-968-4718 R & R Motors has reopened for business.

3277 Broad St. 803-494-2886 10% off all vehicles thru end of October.

2012 Impala, exc. cond. GM warranty, fully equipped. Priced $11,500. Call 803-840-7633.

N. Guignard 3BD 2BA lg. back yard,. $900 + $900 dep.

1590 S. Guignard Pkwy close to Continental Tires 3BD 2BA $900 + $900 dep.

41 Inglewood Dr. 3BD 1BA $750 + $750dep All are like new brick homes include, washer/dryer hookup, hardwood floors, appliances.

Call 803-773-1838 or 803-316-7958 3BR 1BA lrg rooms, C/H/A, $600 Mo. Pet OK. Off Hwy 441 803-983-8172 LV msg No Sec. 8

Network Administrator Sumter, SC SAFE Federal Credit Union

Mobile Home Rentals

For details, please visit our website at: http:/www.safefed.org

4495 Bethel Church Rd. 3BR 2BA, stove, refrig. Lg. yard. $700 mo. Call (803) 506-4600

STATEBURG COURTYARD

2 Br, 1 ba, MH near Ind. Pk. Quiet, private lot, no pets. Background check. $375 mo. + dep. 481-2836 before 8 pm.

NEW ARRIVALS

ASSORTED COMFORTER SETS

Full .................$35 per set 29 Progress St. - Sumter Queen.............$40 per set King ...............$45 per set 775-8366 Ext. 37 BATH SHEETS.... $5 each BATH TOWELS.... $4 each

1987 Singlewide, 2 br, 1.5 ba, on rented lot, make offer. Call 803-607-9301.

THE DEAS LAW FIRM Garryl Deas 201 N. Main Street Sumter, South Carolina 29150 Attorney for petitioner

SUMMONS (JURY TRIAL DEMANDED) IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 2014-CP-43-313 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Elonda Blyther, individually and as Personal Representative for the Estate of Isabella Shannon, Plaintiff, vs.

Tyrone Willie Dennis and Javonna E. Daniels, Defendants.

Miscellaneous

Reconditioned batteries $35. New batteries, UBX 75-7850. Golf cart batteries, 6V. exchange $300 per set, while they last. Auto Electric Co. 803-773-4381

LEGAL NOTICES Bid Notices Bid Notice

2 ac, Manning, Lake Marion. Will perk, 5 mins. to water. M.H. welcome. Paved road, lightly wooded. $19,900. Owner will finance.

Down payment. $2,000. Payment, $202. Call anytime. 473-7125 For Sale by Owner 31ac. farm 5 miles from Sumter call 803-427-3888

Halloween Special No Payment Til Nov. As Low As $175.00 Per Mo. On Site Rent. For A Limited Time Only.

Why Rent When You Can Own? “Close to Everything” • Free Appliances • AC/Heat • 3 Months Free Cable Bring back this ad & receive FREE application fee.

Call Now! 469-8515

2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

YOU ARE HEREBY summoned and required to answer the Petition to Determine Heirs in this action which was filed in the Office of the Probate Court for Sumter County, South Carolina, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the subscriber at 201 N. Main Street, Sumter, SC 29150 within THIRTY (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service. If you fail to answer the Petition within that time, the relief requested therein will be granted.

TO: THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED:

Land & Lots for Sale

2BR 2BA Brick home with garage, sun porch, quiet cul de sac, conv. to shaw $800 mo. 803-847-2813

Store Hours Mon. - Sat. • 9:30 - 5:00 Closed Sunday

Commercial Rentals

3BR 1BA on 1 acre of land $49,000 Call 803-775-5638

PETITIONER v.

RODNEY COOPER AND ANY UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF JEANETTE BLAIR COOPER A/K/A ANNETTA BLAIR, RESPONDENTS, TO: THE RESPONDENTS ABOVE-NAMED:

Christmas, Birthday, Parties, etc.

Large room available. Call Bobby Sisson at 464-2730

Manufactured Housing

Cemetery Plots- Two plots with vaults, opening/closing fees and granite marker with vase in Evergreen Memorial Park, Sumter, SC. Save thousands. Call 803-469-9763

Please visit our website at www.brist ol-companies.com to view the full job description and to apply.

Resumes will not be accepted.

Business Rentals

Lynchburg 3BR 2BA (one handicap). HUD installed insulation, wiring, plumbing, heat pump: exterior needs much work. $20,000 OBO call for appt. 803-469-3022 or 840-4327

4 br, 2 ba, Living/Dining rm. Den & Laundry rm. dble carport. 200 Crestwood. $900 mo. w/ 1 yr lease.

Will owner finance to qualified buyer. h- 775-8840 or c- 491-4026

Bristol General Contractors, LLC has openings for both Carpenters and Laborers located at Shaw Air Force Base, SC. This is a regular, full-time, benefit-eligible position and is expected to last approximately 18 months.

Scenic Lake West- 2BR 2BA No pets Call 499-1500 9am-5pm Only

1989 Palm Harbor MH- brick foundation, 3BR 2BA All Kit Appliances, on 2 acre corner lot, 1797 Sq Ft. $68,500 Call 236-0865

SUMMONS IN THE PROBATE COURT CASE NO.: 2014ES4300567

EASTER BLAIR,

Nice 1BR Apartment $475/mo & $325/dep. No pets. 803-775-5638

Expert Tech, New & used heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, warranty; Compressor & labor $600.

Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364

Help Wanted Full-Time

Found Rottweiler in the Cox Rd. area. Call to identify 803-481-8161

Homes for Sale HOLLY COURT APARTMENTS located in Manning, currently have spacious one and two bedroom apartments for rent. Fully carpeted with central air and heat, water and sewer included. Please call to inquire about our Move in Special. ( 803) 435-8786 or (803) 983-9281.

304 Haynsworth 3BR 2BA , Hrdwd flrs, fenced yard. $795/mo + $1,000 Dep. Good credit needed. Agent owned 468-1612

EMPLOYMENT

Industrial Park area 14 x 60, 2Br 2Ba. No Pets. $400/mo & $400 sec dep. 803-478-3635

REAL ESTATE

Summons & Notice

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER

Guns / Ammunition

Unfurnished Apartments

For Sale or Trade

Firewood for Sale Will Deliver. Call 803 651-8672

Duracraft Jon boat, high lift trailer, seats, $600 firm. Call 468-2472.

2BR for rent. $450/month. Call 803-983-8084.

4,000 sq ft retail space available.

Call Bobby Sisson, 464-2730.

RENTALS

In Loving Memory Donald K. Zeigler 06/14/1962 - 10/29/2012 You have been gone 2 years but you are not forgotten. We miss you daily.

Love, Mama & Norma

Boats / Motors

34 Bridge Court, Unit 4 & 5. This is a 3,500 sq. ft. warehouse w/ 2 office spaces. Rent is $850 per Mo. Call C-21 Hawkins & Kolb 803-773-1477

MERCHANDISE

Fall Sale Palmetto Cornish Chickens (2nds) $12.00/box (12 birds a box) Palmetto Farm Supply 335 Broad St. Sumter, SC 29150 Oct. 27 - Nov 8, 2014 While supplies last.

RECREATION

Project: ITB #25-14/15 Wedgefield Rd. @ Pitts Rd. Roundabout Waterline project Invitation for Sealed Bids for City of Sumter will be received until Monday, November 10, 2014 at 2:00 pm. For bid documents, plans and specifications contact the Office of the City Engineer at 803-436-2558 or visit www.sumtersc.gov/purchasing.aspx for more information.

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, of which a copy is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint on the subscribed, 35 South Sumter Street, Post Office Box 370, Sumter, South Carolina 29151, within thirty (3) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the date of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF FILING TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE NAMED: TAKE NOTICE that the Summons in the above mentioned action, together with the Complaint, was filed with the Sumter County Common Pleas Court on the 18th day of February, 2014.

Garryl L. Deas, Esquire The Deas Law Firm, LLC 201 North Main Street Post Office Box 1211 Sumter, South Carolina 29151 (803) 775-7004 Attorney for the Plaintiff

SALES PEOPLE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY SIGN ON BONUS UP TO $5,000

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2601 Paxville Hwy. (1-95 & Hwy 261)

Manning, SC • 803-433-5400 santeeautomotive.com

SAVE THE DATE!!

FAMOUS WAREHOUSE SALE!

SLIGHTLY IRREGULAR SHEET SETS Full ...................$4 per set Queen/King ......$6 per set

HUGE SAVINGS! CASH ONLY PLEASE

FABRIC TABLECLOTHS All Sizes $8 each

SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 2014 8AM - 5PM

SECTION

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 Call Ivy Moore at: (803) 774-1221 | E-mail: ivym@theitem.com

‘The Spiritual: An American Legacy’

PHOTO PROVIDED

The Palmetto Voices, directed by Sonja Sepulveda, front center, will present a concert focusing on the American Spiritual Friday night at St. James Lutheran Church on Alice Drive and at 11 a.m. Sunday at St. John United Methodist Church on Poinsett Drive.

Palmetto Voices present 7th Sumter concert

BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com

T

he Palmetto Voices will present their 7th Annual Sumter Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at St. James Lutheran Church. The professional choir, whose core comprises alumni of Sumter High School choirs, has been performing together since 2006.

The concert is titled “The Spiritual: An American Legacy.”

When the Palmetto Voices perform in Sumter, Director Sonja Sepulveda always adds informative insights to the music included in their program.

Spirituals are a specialty of the versatile choir, whose vocalists also include alumni of Brewton Parker College of Mt. Vernon, Georgia, where Sepulveda taught, and Salem Choirs of Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she currently teaches, and others.

The spiritual evolved from African music, she said, by way of Europe, where the European hymn influenced it greatly. Once in the U.S., it gradually became the spiritual we know today.

While the main focus will be on the

progression from African music to the American Negro Spiritual, Sepulveda said the Voices will also sing contemporary composer Eric Whitacre’s “Fly,” which she said “is about letting your spirit fly.”

The choir will also sing a few gospel songs, which are quite different from spirituals, Sepulveda explained.

“Ninety-nine percent of spirituals are a cappella,” she said, “and 100 percent of gospel songs have accompaniment, usually some combination of drums, piano, tambourine and sometimes saxophone.”

Sepulveda said, “We do some of Jester Hairston’s music, written in the ’40s that’s not gospel; gospel had not taken root in the 1940s. Hairston wrote for the movies in the ’40s, and while it’s not gospel, there’s a little reference to it.”

The Palmetto Voices are recognized as one of the most accomplished choirs singing spirituals today. Since its inception, the group has been in great demand for concerts and as a demonstration choir in the U.S. and abroad. Among its solo concerts was the 2010 preview performance of British composer John Rutter’s Requiem

at Carnegie Hall. The Voices have also been called upon to perform at several American Choral Directors Association conferences on both regional and national levels. Just this year, the group performed in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the home church of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then in July, they were the solo choir at the Alabama ACDA convention in Tuscaloosa; the Voices have been the demonstration choir for several programs and lectures, including Sepulveda’s presentation on the spiritual.

The Palmetto Voices will again serve as Sepulveda’s demonstration choir as she talks about the history and theory of the spiritual.

Among the pieces to be performed are several that have become recognized as the Voices’ “signature songs.”

“Some of these are ‘Soon I Will Be Done,’ ‘In That Great Gettin’ Up Morning’ and the gospel piece, ‘He Never Failed Me Yet,’” Sepulveda said.

Herbert Johnson will have the solo on “In That Great Gettin’ Up Morning.”

“He’s so wonderful,” Sepulveda said of her former Sumter High choir stu-

PALMETTO VOICES CONCERT WHEN AND WHERE: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at St. James Lutheran Church, 1137 Alice Drive 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive COST: Free admission to both

dent who now is the choir director at Lakewood High School. “His choir will perform two pieces during the concert. It’s good to see things go full circle. I taught Herbert, he’s teaching, and his students will perform at our concert. In a few years, some of his students may be teaching and singing with the Voices. So our students see us as both teachers and as performers. That’s so gratifying. I’m so proud of him.”

Johnson’s choir will sing at Carnegie Hall next year, she said.

The Palmetto Voices will also perform several African pieces that are new to their repertoire.

In addition to Saturday’s concert at St. James Lutheran Church, the choir will also sing at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive. Admission is free to both performances.

Barbara Bain’s many missions

BY NICK THOMAS Tinsel Town Two decades ago, Barbara Bain embarked on a mission many might have considered impossible: to convince children that books and reading could be fun.

“I volunteered in a daycare and just started reading to the kids one day as we sat on the lawn,” said Bain, who starred in the TV series “Mission: Impossible” and “Space 1999.”

“They seemed to really enjoy it and were very responsive.”

The actress soon recognized the potential of her simple act of kindness.

“I thought of all my acting colleagues in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG),” she said.

“Every one of them has to read well in order to get a role and, of course, actors love an audience. So I went to SAG and our mayor, and we created BookPALS.” (See http://bookpals.net).

Today, the program has branches around the country with some 2,300 volunteer actors reading to students in classrooms, shelters and hospitals.

“The readers love it and the kids are absolutely enthralled,” said Bain. “Who better to take the words from a page and bring them to life than actors!”

At 83, Bain can also still bring words from a script to life in a theater or on the big screen.

Her latest film, “Silver Skies” (see www.roarproductionsinc.com), had a private screening for cast and crew in August and is due to hit the film festival circuit in the coming months.

“It’s about a group of retirees who are getting thrown out of their apartment complex,” explained Bain. “It’s a wonderfully written story with each character incredibly well-defined. The casting was brilliant

with veteran actors like George Hamilton, Mariette Hartley, Alex Rocco and Howard Hesseman. At times we would look at each other and laugh, because we were still making movies and having such a good time.”

Unlike many TV stars from the ’60s and ’70s whose careers were often defined by a single role in a popular series, Bain is recognized for creating two iconic characters: scientist Dr. Helena Russell in “Space 1999” and Cinnamon Carter in the spy series “Mission: Impossible.”

She is especially proud of the Carter character, which led to Emmy Awards each year between 1967-69, the first actress to win three consecutive Emmys.

“Very few shows at the time depicted strong women characters,” she said. “You either played a wife stirring a pot in the kitchen in a sitcom, or the dance hall girl in a western – a

PHOTO PROVIDED BY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER NESTOR RODRIGUEZ

Barbara Bain and Alex Rocco on the set of “Silver Skies .” good girl or bad girl.”

Even today, 45 years since she undertook her last impossible mission, Bain continues to hear stories from women inspired by the character.

“They stop me at the supermarket and explain how they got into law school or some other profession because of the character,” noted Bain.

“Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard wrote in her autobiography that the character also inspired her. So no question it was a groundbreaking role.”

But away from the cameras,

Bain’s off screen mission to promote an interest in reading amongst children has proven to be a possible and sustainable one.

“I hope the kids involved in the BookPals program have been inspired to learn,” she said. “I’ve always found joy in my work and hope they will too.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for more than 450 magazines and newspapers.

Southern authors set for ‘Girls’ Night Out’ at museum

BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com Sumter readers seem to love books whose authors and protagonists are Southern women, even so-called Southern belles, particularly if their stories are rife with characters from the Deep South. Two such authors will read and speak BOYKIN about their new novels at a Girls’ Night Out event on Nov. 6 at the Sumter County Museum.

The museum’s executive director, Annie Rivers, said the author events, such as Oct. 15’s

luncheon with Cassandra King, are a fun way to raise funds for the museum.

“The Mary Alice Monroe event we had in July was very successful,” Rivers said. “We sold out of tickets. Everybody seemed to have a great time. We also sold out for the Cassandra King luncheon. “ From 5:30 to BYRD 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, authors Kim Boykin and Olivia DeBelle Byrd will read from their works at a wine and cheese reception in the reception hall at the museum.

Boykin’s new book is “Palmetto Moon,” and Byrd’s debut novel is “Save My Place.”

“Palmetto Moon” is the 1947 story of “Southern belle” Vada, daughter of upper crust Charlestonians and the man deemed to be her appropriate match, Justin McLeod. But Vada’s not sure she wants the Southern aristocrat lifestyle — or Justin. Readers will likely empathize with Vada as she strives to make her decision, even as she’s walking down the aisle.

Boykin is a native of the Lowcountry who now lives in Charlotte. She credits her storyteller grandfather with her love of writing. After publish-

ing her first book at the age of 53, Boykin has to produce. Her novels include “The Wisdom of Hair,” “Steal Me,” “Cowboy” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”

“Save My Place” is Byrd’s only published novel to date, but she previously published “Miss Hildreth Wore Brown — Anecdotes of a Southern Belle,” with stories and tales heard from family and friends in the Deep South. Of that volume, she says, it comprises “ ... stories that are sometimes inspired by real life and not necessarily the God’s honest truth.”

She wrote on her website, www.oliviadebellebyrd.com that “’Save My Place’ ... is a love

story that will pull at your heartstrings and bring back wonderful memories of a South gone by.”

Also a love story, “Save My Place” is set in the South during the Vietnam War. During the reception, participants will also be able to buy the books from Books-A-Million representatives and get them signed by the authors.

Local shops will have clothing and gifts available, as well.

Tickets for the Girls’ Night Out are $5 for museum members and $10 for non-members and can be purchased by calling (803) 775-0908 or at the Sumter County Museum website, www.sumtercountymuseum.org.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

FOOD

THE SUMTER ITEM

Beans in stew make it deliciously leaner

BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press Picture this: After a long day at the office (or at the kids’ soccer field or wherever) you turn the key to open your front door, and you are greeted by the heady aroma of a steamy, meaty stew. You have been richly rewarded for spending mere minutes in the morning assembling dinner in your slow cooker.

Fall officially kicks off the season of soups, roasts and stews. And that means it’s time to dig out your slow cooker. My favorite dish is an oldie but goodie — beef stew. But how to make a batch that satisfies without being too heavy?

Enter today’s star ingredient — the chickpea!

This delightful little legume is my secret for adding lots of lean protein and fiber to many dishes. It’s hearty enough to hold its own alongside other proteins (so add it to soups, chilies and sautés). Or toss some chickpeas into salads or stir them into pasta dishes to boost the nutrition. You even can puree them and add a few creamy spoonsful to brownie or muffin batters (not to menTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS tion make hummus).

Fall officially starts off the season of soups, roasts and stews. Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Chickpeas is a perfect recipe to add to your And, did I mention how darned cheap these little guys collection. are?

This beef stew with chickpeas is an earthy ode to fall — SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW WITH CHICKPEAS beef cubes briefly sautéed golden brown with turmeric, Start to finish: 4 or 8 hours (depending on slow cooker setting), plus 15 minutes prep then simmered in red wine, Servings: 4 beef stock, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour prunes (which add richness 1 teaspoon ground turmeric and just enough sweetness) in Kosher salt and ground black pepper a relationship that can only be 1 pound lean stew beef (such as top round), cut into 1-inch cubes described as symbiotic. To re1 tablespoon olive oil duce saturated fat, I use a 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped leaner cut of meat and less of 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes it. The filling chickpeas and 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped plenty of veggies mean you 1 medium zucchini, chopped won’t miss the extra meat.

3 cloves garlic, minced I leave you with two final Zest and juice of 1 lemon slow-cooker tips. For busy 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger weekdays, consider prepping 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) the ingredients and adding 1/3 cup red wine them to your slow-cooker in1 cup beef stock sert the night before, then 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed sticking it in the refrigerator In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, turmeric and a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the beef cubes and toss to coat evenly. overnight. In the morning, you In a large saute pan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the beef and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside. just set the insert into the Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, then arrange the onion on the bottom and the beef over it. Add the remaining ingredients, base, turn it on and walk away. then cover and cook until meat is tender, about 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Also, misting the insert with Nutrition information per serving: 450 calories; 110 calories from fat (24 percent of total calories); 12 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 50 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrate; 9 cooking spray before filling it g fiber; 14 g sugar; 33 g protein; 800 mg sodium. makes cleanup way easier (and faster).

4 cookbooks I didn’t want to like but do anyway

BY J.M. HIRSCH The Associated Press Over the years, I’ve developed a simple system for processing the hundreds of cookbooks that cross my desk every year. It’s the six-pile process.

Pile No. 1 is where the books get stacked as soon as they are delivered.

There they await consideration. Pile No. 2 — by far the largest — is the ain’t-gonna-happen pile. This is where the “5,000 Soup Recipes” and “Glorious Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Sprouted Vegan Raw Cooking” books (and so many, many less extreme others) land. From there, they are dispatched to a table at my son’s school where anyone can help themselves.

Pile No. 3 is the gonna-do-something stack. These are the books that merit attention in some way. Gabrielle Hamilton’s book inspired by her New York City restaurant, Prune, is a fine example. Ditto for Yotam Ottolenghi’s new ode to vegetables, “Plenty More.” These books get stories assigned.

Pile No. 4 is a step up from that.

These are the books that are in the running for my end-of-year list of the best cookbooks of the year. At the moment, there are 17 books in this pile. Once the herd is culled, probably only about 10 or 12 will make the cut. I’d give you some examples, but then I’d have to kill you.

Pile No. 5 is the interesting-butprobably-not-newsworthy-but-I’ll-trycooking-from-it-anyway stack. These are books that intrigue me, but unless they blow my mind when I get around to cooking from them they probably won’t amount to much.

Books from this pile sometimes move into Pile No. 3. Charles Phan’s “The Slanted Door” is a recent example, which made the move in part on the strength of the book’s cocktail recipes.

But today, I want to share the contents of a little known, and frankly kind of embarrassing, pile — Pile No.

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“Will it Waffle?” by Daniel Shumski includes 53 recipes of strange things you can make in a waffle iron.

6: the books I didn’t want to like but kind of did. These are books that either seemed too silly or too narrow or were created by a source with questionable credentials or just seemed to have too little mainstream appeal. And yet, the more I looked at them, the more I somehow liked them.

At the moment, Pile No. 6 has four residents. They are: • “Will it Waffle?” by Daniel Shumski (Workman, 2014) The title kind of says it all. It’s 53 recipes of strange things you can make in a waffle iron. I wanted to

hate this book. Really. But I had to admit, I wanted to make the waffle iron crab cakes. And waffled tamale pie. And the waffled sweet-and-sour shrimp wontons. And the waffled onion rings. And the stuffing waffles (called stuffles). And the waffled chocolate-stuffed French toast. And the ... well, you get the point.

This book clearly is all about the schtick, but amusingly so. I forgive it.

And I’d also like to try the waffled sweet potato gnocchi.

• “Cooking with Gochujang” by Naomi Imatome-Yun (Countryman Press, 2014) The only thing I hate more than

books with 5,000 soup recipes is books dedicated to single ingredients.

They just don’t reflect the way people cook. But I let this one slip through because I love gochujang, an ingredient on the cusp of being discovered by the rest of America. And that’s a good thing.

Gochujang is a Korean chili paste that tastes like a blend of savory Japanese miso and spicy Sriracha sauce.

In other words, it’s crazy delicious.

And once people learn how to use it, they’ll love it. Part of this book’s redeeming quality is that it doesn’t limit itself to Korean recipes. For example, it uses gochujang on a smoked salmon pizza, in a mayo for asparagus, and on grilled corn on the cob.

• “Bourbon and Bacon” by Morgan Murphy (Oxmoor house, 2014) Recall what I said about single-ingredient books? Two-ingredient books aren’t much better. Unless those two ingredients happen to be bourbon and bacon. They do, after all, make everything better.

There are no mysteries about this book. The first half is dedicated to a primer on bourbon, followed by numerous recipes, most of them for cocktails, but also some sweet treats.

The second half of the book is dedicated to America’s favorite meat, also with numerous recipes. This isn’t a book you’ll cook from every day, but it sure will get you thinking about some lovely pairings.

• “How to Eataly” by Oscar Farinetti (and a host of big-wig chefs) A cookbook inspired by a chain of Italian food halls? Doesn’t exactly scream out to me. But my assumption that it would be either a glorified advertisement for Eataly or an ode to all things Batali (as in Mario) and Bastianich (as in Joe and Lidia) — the guiding forces behind the halls — was wrong. It’s actually a quite nice guide to how to buy and cook Italian food, with a heft of respectable recipes tossed in.

Again, not a book you’ll cook from regularly. But a lovely book for lovers of Italian food to salivate over.

FOOD

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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Taking the tedium out of making pumpkin risotto

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press If you’ve never made risotto before, you’re missing out on a great candidate for a weeknight meal. With no more at hand than the right rice, an onion, some broth and a wedge of Parmesan, you have dinner.

Like omelets or tortillas, risotto is attractive as a weeknight dinner because of its flexibility; you can augment it with anything, your choice of veggies and/or proteins, leftovers definitely included.

And, yes, I know that the Italians think of risotto as a first course, like soup or pasta. But in this country there aren’t many working folks preparing multi-course meals during the week.

Let’s start with the basic risotto technique. For a family of four to six, you’ll need about 1½ to 2 cups of the correct rice, half a chopped onion, 6 cups of broth and about a cup of cheese.

There are three proper rice choices — carnaroli, vialone nano and arborio, with arborio being the easiest to find.

All three are much starchier than the long-grain rice we usually cook with, which means they produce a wonderful creamy sauce when cooked properly.

In the standard prep method, you start by sautéeing the onion in a bit of fat (butter or olive oil or both) until softened. You then add the rice and “toast” it, that is, coat it thoroughly with the fat. Next, the liquid is added — no more than ½ cup at a time — and brought to a simmer. And stirred. And stirred. And stirred ... until most of the liquid has been absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pan when you stir.

Then you do it again. And again. Again. The point of this method is to coax as much starch out of the rice as possible. The whole process takes about 20 plus minutes of constant stirring. All that non-stop stirring is what makes some people shy away from making risotto. It’s just too much doggone work.

Happily, if heretically, there’s a less labor-intensive way to get the job done. It’s a method I was taught by Andrew Carmellini, a wonderful New York chef and restaurateur with an Italian background. He adds the broth just twice, half in the beginning and the remaining half after the first batch has been absorbed, which cuts way down on the stirring. Try it yourself and see if the resulting risotto isn’t satisfyingly creamy.

After you’ve added the broth, when the grains of rice are just al dente, it’s time to put in the cheese, and perhaps an extra dab of butter. It’s also at this point that I sometimes pour in a little additional broth, which makes the risotto saucier. You can add the cooked veggies or protein at the beginning or end of this process.

I cast pumpkin as the star of this dish because this is the season for it. But I’m not talking about Charlie Brown’s great pumpkins; I’m working with the mini guys. Most folks think these cute little squashes are just for decoration, but they happen to be super tasty.

I roasted them, cut side down, until they were very tender, then discarded the seeds — a chore that’s much easier to do after the pumpkins are cooked. Finally, I scooped out and mashed the pulp and stirred it into the risotto. If you can’t find the tiny pumpkins, you can substitute 1½ to 2 cups of mashed roasted butternut squash.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO WITH FRIED SAGE Start to finish: 45 minutes Servings: 6 Vegetable oil About 2 pounds small pumpkins, halved top to bottom 36 fresh sage leaves (from 1 small bunch) Salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth 2 cups Arborio rice

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Like omelets or tortillas, risotto is attractive as a weeknight dinner because of its flexibility. ½ cup dry white wine 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve Ground black pepper Heat the oven to 350 F.

Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil. Arrange the pumpkins, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 45 to 60 min-

utes, or until a knife can pierce the flesh with ease. Using tongs, turn the pumpkin halves to face cut side up, then let cool until they are easily handled. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl and mash it with a potato masher. Set aside.

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat 1-inch of vegetable oil to 360 F. Add about 6 sage leaves (don’t crowd the pan) and fry them for 10 to 15 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper towel, then immediately sprinkle them with salt. Repeat with remaining sage. Set aside.

Discard the oil from the saucepan, then return it to medium heat.

Add the butter and onion, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a bare simmer.

When people die, the body usually begins to decay. Soft parts, such as the skin and other organs, soon rot away. But in mummies, the body does not decay.

Sometimes the bodies were preserved on purpose. Other times, the body is preserved by accident. It might have been frozen, left in a very dry place or even covered by a peat bog.

This mystifying mummy is trying to trick you. Can you separate fact from fiction? Follow the mummy’s wrappings to check your mummy memory.

False. Mummies, or preserved dead bodies, have been found in such places as the Alps, in Florida and in southern Peru.

Egyptians used a process called embalming to preserve people’s bodies.

It took a long time and had many steps.

Below are some of the steps, but they are in the wrong order. Solve each math problem, then cut out each step and paste them in order from lowest to highest on another sheet of paper.

5 + 8 - 10

How many scarabs can you find on today’s Kid Scoop page?

Standards Link: History: Analyze the religious and social structures of the early civilizations of Egypt; discuss features of Egyptian art.

MUMMIES EGYPT EMBALMED PRESERVE BOGS SCARAB BEETLE MICE BRAIN SALT HEART TOMBS SKIN ROT

=

The body w with a kind as covered of sa left to dry. lt and

9 - 2 - 1 - 2 = pped

as wra The body w linen. in layers of arms Good luck ch es were sometim yers. e la wrapped in th

False. They made animal mummies to give the dead food or companionship in the afterlife.

Find the words in the puzzle, then in this week’s Kid Scoop stories and activities.

S A E M S B M O T A L S D M E T R A E H I

I E T B N E V G Y

R P L I B A R A C S T A T R M E L R O T S M A N S M U M P M O I

I E G I U Y E M

N K R I O C G M E D S P S V B E E T L E Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognizing identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

23 - 11 - 11 =

True. They preserved dead bodies so each spirit would recognize its body.

False. People in Chile were mummifying their dead 2,000 years before the Egyptians.

The embalmers took out the brain, lungs, stomach, liver and intestines. The heart was left in the body and all of the organs were saved, except for the brain. It was thrown away. What does this tell you about the importance Egyptians put on the brain?

Go on a Hysterical Adventure Look through the classified ads to find something to help you pass each obstacle along the path to the treasure-filled tomb. The obstacles are: • A pit full of tarantulas • A polluted river • A 20-foot tall wall of stone • A 30-foot long tunnel with spikes on the floor.

Standards Link: Research: Understand the organization of newspapers and how to use print materials.

9 + 5 - 12 = They filled th e “empty” body sawdust and with spices.

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Students identify text that uses sequences; restate facts in text to clarify and organize ideas.

Send your story to: Imagine that you could interview Santa Claus. What would you ask him? Write one question and make up an answer for the questions as if Santa had answered it.

Standards Link: History: Students analyze the religious and social structures of the early civilizations of Egypt.

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Nutrition information per serving: 400 calories; 90 calories from fat (23 percent of total calories); 11 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 61 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 13 g protein; 1290 mg sodium.

For Egyptians, the scarab beetle was a symbol of life after death. It is found on masks, jewelry and decorations that adorn the tombs holding their mummies.

© 2014 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 30, No. 46

What is a mummy? A mummy is a dead body that has been preserved.

Add the rice to the softened onions and cook, stirring, until well coated. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until most of the wine is absorbed. Add half of the warm broth, return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the broth has been absorbed, about 9 to 10 minutes.

Add the remaining broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the broth has been absorbed, about another 9 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and pumpkin puree. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until just heated through. Divide between 6 serving plates, then top each with additional cheese and the fried sage leaves.

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COMICS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY’S SHOE

Season signals time to change batteries, clocks DEAR ABBY — Smoke alarms are one of the greatest fire safety success stories of our time.

Since they Dear Abby were introduced in ABIGAIL 1975, home VAN BUREN fire deaths have been cut in half, even as the nation’s population has increased by half. But far too many people let the batteries in their smoke alarms wear out, or even remove them to avoid occasional nuisance alarms. And too many people — and their families — pay for their neglect or poor judgment with their lives.

About 2,500 people a year

THE SUMTER ITEM

die in structural — mostly residential — fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 60 percent of them -- over 1,500 people — are dying in homes that had either no smoke alarms or no working ones. That’s more than three people a day.

This fall marks the 27th consecutive year the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) will partner with Energizer, the manufacturer of batteries, flashlights and lanterns, in the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program. Together, we’re asking people to test their existing batteries or install fresh ones in their smoke alarms in conjunction with the end of daylight saving time on Sunday, Nov. 2. It takes only a few minutes. This will not only give families critical early warning

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

time to escape a fire, but also helps to protect our firefighters by reducing the likelihood they’ll have to enter a burning home to rescue someone still inside.

Your daily column helps people improve their lives.

Please help me save lives by printing my letter. Thank you, Abby.

Fire Chief G. Keith Bryant, IAFC President DEAR CHIEF BRYANT — Readers, I’m giving you notice. Friday is Halloween, and Saturday night at bedtime is when you’ll be turning your clocks back to standard time. Please remember to add smoke detector batteries to your shopping list this week. That way, they’ll be at hand when we check our smoke alarms to ensure they are working properly.

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 Part of 10/29/14 6 With the bow, to a violist 10 “The Godfather” novelist 14 Its strings are tuned in perfect fifths 15 Gulp (down) 16 Alternative to Windows 17 Geometric products 18 Patron saint of Norway 19 Evening, informally 20 Classic country song with the lyric “I’ve lived my life in vain” 22 Pass the welcome mat 23 Gambler’s method 24 Image handlers, for short 26 “Clueless” actress Donovan 29 Ice cream treat 32 L x XLVIII 35 Support for a weak joint 37 Deforestation remnant 38 __-Locka, Florida 39 Manners expressed in letters 41 Queen Victoria’s realm,

e.g.: Abbr.

42 Kibbutz teacher 44 Steady fellow 45 U.K. mil. awards 46 Buzzard’s grippers 48 Big name in appliances 50 Les __-Unis 52 California wine region 56 Newsletter choice 58 Writer/director known for his coming-of-age films 61 Genesis son 62 Golden rule word 63 Showy flowers, for short 64 “Deadliest Catch” narrator Mike 65 Not quite dry 66 Eagle’s hideaway 67 Place for private dining?

68 First name in mysteries 69 Political essay DOWN 1 Picket line crossers 2 “Bad, Bad” Brown of song 3 A’s and Jays 4 Not on the level 5 Inexpensive lodging 6 Missing reveil-

le, perhaps 7 Chewy candy brand 8 Purse fastener 9 Bids 10 Strong-smelling 11 Deduction on many paychecks 12 Rigatoni alternative 13 Field team 21 Drops 25 Rumple, with “up” 27 “Born From Jets” automaker 28 Sleep __ 30 Arsenal supply 31 “Love & Basketball” actor Omar 32 Media mogul Zuckerman 33 Film-rating org.

34 24/7 informa-

tion provider 36 Mild cheese 39 Colada fruit 40 Suppress 43 Pop holders 45 Pendant earring, say 47 Children’s hosp. cofounded by Danny Thomas 49 Chewy candy 51 Sub tracker 53 “BUtterfield 8” novelist 54 Physician at the front 55 It’s a good thing 56 Growing concern?

57 Double-reed woodwind 59 Standard Web page code 60 “You wish”

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Bridge (HD) plans.

Yokel Hero scams.

112 Buying and Selling (HD) Property Brothers (HD) Buying and Selling (N) (HD) Hunters (N) Hunters (N) Property Brothers (HD) Buying (HD) 110 American Pickers (HD) American Pickers (HD) American Pickers (N) (HD) (:03) American Pickers (HD) (:03) American Pickers (HD) American (HD) Cold Case: The Lost Soul of Herman Cold Case: Resolutions Hit-and-run. Cold Case: Late Returns One murder Cold Case: Greed 1985 death of a Cold Case (HD) 160 Cold Case: Volunteers Bodies that went missing in 1969. (HD) Lester Athlete slaying. (HD) (HD) is linked to another. (HD) corrupt stockbroker. (HD) The Notebook (‘04, Romance) aaac Rachel McAdams. A woman chooses between a man of whom her par- (:02) True Tori Tori focuses on heal- (:02) The Note145 (6:00) Movie ents approve and her first love. (HD) ing herself. (HD) book (‘04) (HD) 76 Hardball with Chris (N) (HD) All in with Chris Hayes (HD) The Rachel Maddow Show (N) Lawrence O’Donnell (HD) All in with Chris Hayes (HD) Maddow (HD) 91 Thunderman Deadtime (HD) Full Hse Full Hse Full Hse Full Hse Prince Prince Friends (HD) Friends (HD) How I Met 154 Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Impact Wrestling (N) (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Cops (HD) Ghost Hunters: Phantoms of the Town: Zombie Town Ghost Hunters: Phantoms of the Ghost Hunters 152 Ghost Hunters: 200th Episode: Grant Is Back TAPS celebrate 200th episode by visiting Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. (HD) Opera (N) (HD) Stunt Double Opera (HD) (HD) Seinfeld: The Big Family Guy Peter Family Guy In the The Big Bang The Big Bang The Big Bang The Big Bang Conan (N) (HD) Cougar Town 156 Seinfeld (HD) Salad (HD) buys a tank.

Army.

Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) Theory (HD) (HD) 186 (6:45) The Dick Cavett Show: Alfred Psycho (‘60, Horror) aaaa Anthony Perkins. A fugitive woman stops at Touch of Evil (‘58, Thriller) aaac Charlton Heston. A Mexican cop be- Act of Violence Hitchcock Alfred Hitchcock. a motel run by a recluse and his tyrannical mother. comes involved in a battle of wills with a corrupt policeman. (‘48) aaa 157 Outrageous Outrageous Extreme (HD) Extreme (HD) Extreme (N) Extreme (HD) Outrageous Outrageous Extreme (HD) Extreme (HD) Outrageous 158 Bones: The Party in the Pants Male 300 (‘07, Action) aaac Gerard Butler. Three hundred Spartans fight to the death against (:31) 300 (‘07, Action) aaac Gerard Butler. Three hundred Spartans stripper. (HD) the formidable Persian army. (HD) fight to the death against the formidable Persian army. (HD) 102 S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach S. Beach (N) Barmageddon (N) (:01) Pawn (:31) Pawn (:02) S. Beach 161 Hillbillies Hillbillies Fam. Feud Fam. Feud Fam. Feud Soul Man (HD) The Exes (HD) Cleveland Friends (HD) Friends (HD) Queens (HD) (:31) Partners in Paul (‘11) Simon 132 NCIS: Witch Hunt A Marine’s daugh- NCIS: Code of Conduct Prankster Ma- NCIS: Cracked Abby’s connection to NCIS: Oil & Water Investigating an oil Partners in ter is kidnapped. (HD) rine found dead. (HD) victim runs deep. (HD) rig explosion. (HD) Crime (N) Crime (N) Pegg. (HD) Law & Order: Mayhem (HD) Law & Order: Wager (HD) Law & Order: Sanctuary (HD) Law & Order: Nurture (HD) Law & Order: Doubles (HD) Law (HD) 172 Funniest Home Videos (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD) Hope (HD)

BBC America’s ‘Poet’ recalls Dylan Thomas’ bitter end

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH Television has rarely made much room for poets and poetry. So attention must be paid to “A Poet in New York” (8 p.m., BBC America), an ambitious glance at the painful final months and weeks of the life of brilliant but dissipated Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

Tom Hollander (“Rev.”, “In The Loop”) makes the most of this contradictory character, a wheezing wreck of a man who insists on drinking, carousing and womanizing like a boy half his age. Written by the acclaimed Andrew Davies (“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “House of Cards”), “Poet” bounces back from a rich period evocation of 1953 New York to flashbacks of Thomas’ Welsh boyhood and tempestuous relationship with his fiery — if unstable — wife, Caitlin (Essie Davis, “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”).

Further flashbacks to a deathbed reconciliation with his schoolteacher father illustrate the inspiration for Thomas’ most quoted line, “Do not go gentle into that good night * Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

It also serves to explain, if not excuse, some of the unpleasantness of Thomas’ character. “Poet” includes extensive recital scenes and performances of key passages from his drama “Under Milk Wood.” But in many ways, it unfolds like a poet’s version

of what we’ve come to know all too well as rock ‘n’ roll or Hollywood tales of excess, self-destruction and early death. Thomas was only 39 when he went ungently into that good night.

• There was a time when you appeared on television in order to get elected to office.

Politicians from Ronald Reagan (“Death Valley Days”) to Sonny Bono (“The Sonny and Cher Show”) graduated from the small screen to the big stage. Now the order has been reversed. Not content to enact laws and belong to the world’s most exclusive club and debate society, Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) appear on “Rival Survival” (10 p.m., Discovery).

“Survival” follows these politicians from opposing parties and neighboring states as they spend six days and nights on a deserted island.

Can they put aside partisan differences to spear fish, build shelter and find enough water to survive for one week? And if they do, will their viewing audience resemble that of “Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS) or CSPAN? It’s interesting to note that Discovery’s stab at reality bipartisanship follows the season premiere of its survivalist series “Dude, You’re Screwed” (9 p.m., TV-14).

• Jane Lynch narrates “To Russia With Love” (8 p.m., Epix, TV-14), a look at Olympic sports from the point of view

es on “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (10 p.m., FX, TVMA).

SERIES NOTES

DISCOVERY CHANNEL

Sen. Jeff Blake (R-Arizona) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) sift water on a deserted island on “Rival Survival,” airing at 10 p.m. today on Discovery. of gay athletes who compete in nations with a decidedly homophobic agenda — particularly in cases like the recent Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

• If necessary, the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals meet in game seven of the World Series (8 p.m., Fox).

If not, see “Series Notes” below.

Family” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• “American Pickers” (9 p.m., History, TV-PG) enters a new season.

• A costume party gives a sicko an advantage on “Stalker” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

• Juliette makes Avery an offer on “Nashville” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

• Elsa’s German past emerg-

If the World Series ends early, a Kennel Club charity sets the menu on “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) * Brick’s Halloween “date” terrifies Frankie and Mike on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TVPG) * Pops has to move in on “The Goldbergs” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Charlie’s story unfolds on “Red Band Society” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) * Signs of a Halloween abduction on “Criminal Minds” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) * A basketball star is accused of heinous crimes on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) * Abby performs emergency surgery on “The 100” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) * The kids rebel from Dre’s Halloween traditions on “black-ish” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Internal Affairs looks into Voight on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV14).

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • Signs of a gambling racket appear on “The Mysteries of Laura” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

• In pursuit of the Dark Archer on “Arrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).

• Claire subcontracts Halloween to Phil on “Modern

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE SUMTER ITEM

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me o Ho

These fall recipes will make a slow cooker fan out of you

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Slow cookers have legions of fans. I am not among them.

It’s partly philosophical, partly practical. Let’s start with the latter. Truth is, I’m just not good at producing food that tastes all that great in a slow cooker. Whatever I make ends up either tasteless mush or wildly overcooked or — on days when I’m really shining — both mushy and wildly overcooked.

The philosophical side is even worse. I resent it when slow cooker recipes require me to pre-cook ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker.

And so many recipes seem to require this. If I need to brown the meat and toast

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Red Wine Braised Slow Cooker Ribs

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RED WINE-BRAISED SLOW COOKER SHORT RIBS This recipe tastes even better a few days after you make it. And if you make it ahead, it is easier to remove the fat. Here is what you do: After the ribs are tender, transfer them to a bowl and strain the cooking liquid over them, discarding the vegetables. Let the mixture cool, then cover and chill overnight. The fat will solidify on top and be very easy to scrape off and discard.

Then you just gently reheat the ribs and the liquid in a large saucepan until the ribs are warm. Strain the liquid and set it aside. Discard the bones and trim the excess fat and gristle from the ribs. Thicken the liquid following the instructions in the recipe, then add the ribs to the thickened liquid, heat and serve.

Start to finish: 4 to 5 or 9 to 10 hours, depending on slow cooker setting (1 hour active) Servings: 8 5 pounds English-cut beef short ribs (bone-in), divided Salt and ground black pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow onion 2 medium carrots, medium chopped 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme) 1 bay leaf 750-milliliter bottle red wine 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/3 cup water 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice Horseradish sauce (recipe below) Season the ribs with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over high, heat half of the oil. Add half the ribs, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the ribs are browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs and most of the oil to a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining ribs and oil. Transfer the second batch of ribs to the slow cooker, but leave about 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low and add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf and saute for 2 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the wine. Bring the wine to a boil and simmer until it is reduced to about 1 cup.

Transfer to the slow cooker, then add the broth. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

Use tongs to transfer the ribs to a platter and let stand until they are cool enough to be handled.

Meanwhile, strain the liquid in the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a large saucepan, discarding the solids. Skim off any fat that floats to the surface, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Whisk together the flour and water. In a steady stream while whisking, add half of the flour mixture to the cooking liquid. Bring the sauce to a boil and whisk in more of the flour mixture, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency. The sauce should be thick, but still easily poured. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Whisk in the mustard and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, discard the bones and trim any excess fat and gristle from the rib meat.

Add the ribs to the saucepan and cook gently just until heated through. To serve, arrange rib meat on each plate and spoon some of the pan sauce over and top with some of the horseradish sauce.

Nutrition information per serving: 790 calories; 460 calories from fat (58 percent of total calories); 51 g fat (23 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 230 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 52 g protein; 640 mg sodium.

HORSERADISH SAUCE Start to finish: 5 minutes Makes 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons bottled horseradish 6 tablespoons sour cream 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest Kosher salt and ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the horseradish, sour cream and lemon zest.

Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 25 calories; 15 calories from fat (60 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 0 g protein; 75 mg sodium.

Smoky Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

BY J.M. HIRSCH The Associated Press

Dine-In Only 6:30-9:00 pm

Combos • Milkshakes • Ice Cream Local Favorites • Snacks & Sides

M

any people love the idea of a slow cooker because it seems so simple — open the pot, insert ingredients, cover the pot, turn on the heat, then leave it alone. Eight hours later, after a hard day at the office or chasing the kids, you uncover the pot and spoon out a perfectly cooked, and perfectly delicious, dinner. It’s a miracle.

And indeed that’s exactly the way it works with some slow cooker dishes, such as poule au pot (braised whole chicken with vegetables) or bean soups.

But if it’s a deeply flavored meat dish, you’ll have to spend as much time prepping it as you would if you were cooking it on top of the stove or in the oven.

There’s just no way to brown your meat or vegetables within the moist confines of a slow cooker, which means that those ingredients will require some time in the skillet beforehand.

Searing meat in a small amount of hot oil creates what’s known as the Maillard reaction — the meat turns a pleasing brown color and tastes that much better in the finished dish. The same is true for the low and slow browning of onions; the process not only tenderizes the onions, it deepens their color and concentrates their flavor. (Think French onion soup).

In this recipe, the garlic and tomato paste also benefit from a little time in the skillet before joining their confederates in the slow cooker.

After sautéing all of these items and transferring them to the cooker, there will be some brown bits left in the bottom of the skillet. These are concentrated meat and onion juices that you’d be crazy not to take advantage of. So the next step is to deglaze the pan, meaning to pour some liquid into it and scrape up those tasty little bits so that they’ll dissolve. In this case I used red wine — red wine and beef are a match made in heaven — but any liquid will do the trick.

I turned up the heat to simmer and reduce some of the wine, which tamps down its alcoholic edge and concentrates its flavor. Then I added just a few cups of chicken broth. Admittedly, this doesn’t seem like much liquid for all those short ribs.

But one of the advantages of a slow cooker — compared to a Dutch oven or any kind of similar pot in which you’d braise something in an oven — is that none of the liquid escapes or evaporates.

On the contrary, any of the liquid produced as the ingredients cook is going to accumulate in the pot. That’s why, when using a slow cooker, you want to cut in half the amount of liquid you add to an oven-braised or stew recipe. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a bland and watery sauce.

At this point, you might be wondering why anyone would bother to make short ribs with a slow cooker if it requires as much hands-on effort as braising them in an oven. It’s because nothing beats the low and steady temp of a slow cooker when it comes to producing the tastiest and most tender short ribs you’ve ever eaten.

Eat In or Take Out

TUESDAY NIGHT WING SPECIAL

Featuring

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press

f the Chicken Wing!

the spices and simmer the sauce all in different pans before I’m even allowed to touch the device that’s supposed to be making my work easier, I might as well just finish (more quickly!) the dish on the stove.

But I accept that I am in the minority. I understand that many people who are not me somehow find these devices useful. I applaud those people.

And in their honor, I created a slow cooker recipe that is everything I think so many are not — easy and tasty. No browning or other pots needed for this dump-and-go vegetarian chili that truly takes just 10 minutes to assemble in the morning. It then can be ignored until you get home from work.

SMOKY SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN CHILI Does everyone in the family prefer a different heat level in their chili? With this recipe, the solution is easy. Just leave out the hot sauce and let each person add it at the table.

Start to finish: 4 to 8 hours (depending on slow cooker) Servings: 12 1 large yellow onion, diced 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about a 2 1/2 poundsquash) 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 3 cups vegetable broth 1/2 cup red wine 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained 15-ounce can great northern or other white beans, drained 8-ounce bag frozen bell pepper strips 6-ounce can tomato paste 6 cloves garlic, minced Juice of 1 lime 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

No browning or other pots are needed for this Smoky Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili.

Salt and ground black pepper Hot sauce, to taste Sour cream, to serve Chopped fresh cilantro, to serve Tortilla chips, lightly crushed In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except the salt and pepper, hot sauce, sour cream, cilantro and tortilla chips. Stir well, then cover and turn on the cooker.

Let cook for on high for 4 to 6 hours

hor on low for 6 to 8 hours. The chili can be served any time after the squash and sweet potato are tender.

When ready to serve, taste, then season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Alternatively, leave out the hot sauce and offer it at the table for each diner to adjust heat as desired. Serve topped with sour cream, cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.

Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories; 60 calories from fat (24 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 9 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 9 g protein; 670 mg sodium.