IN SPORTS: Sumter, Conway face off for region lead REMINDER
Turn the clocks back
Daylight saving begins Sunday
Remember to move your clocks 12 1 11 back one 10 2 hour. SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2015
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AP
Fewer insurance choices in S.C. 3rd year of signups under health care law starts Sunday COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolinians who buy their health insurance through the federal exchange will see higher costs and fewer choices in 2016.
Annual Fantasy of Lights still a go
The third year of signups for private, taxpayer-subsidized coverage sold through HealthCare.gov begins Sunday. The state’s largest provider, BlueCross BlueShield, and its HMO subsidiary, BlueChoice, are offering more options, mostly second-lowestcost silver plans. “We know that one of the strains on South Carolina families are health
care costs and affording insurance to begin with, so we wanted to make sure we’re expanding our offerings,” said company spokesman Brian Scoles. But two companies will no longer offer any. Consumers’ Choice announced last week it’s shutting down, making it the ninth insurance cooperative formed nationwide under President Obama’s health care law to fold.
The decision leaves 67,000 individuals and business customers in South Carolina looking for new coverage in 2016. Assurant Health announced in June plans to exit the health insurance market altogether, as of Dec. 31, in South Carolina and 15 other states where it provides medical coverage
SEE INSURANCE, PAGE A6
When you can, be Batman
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Sumterites can expect to add a bit of normalcy to their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin during the annual Fantasy of Lights at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens this December. Sumter Communication Director Shelley Kile said the lights are still in the installation phase. She said the horseshoe at the park is open, and families can still expect to see lights down Garden Street leading to Heath Pavilion. Families can begin enjoying
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
SEE LIGHTS, PAGE A3
Shery Dizon, a paraprofessional at Willow Drive Elementary School, created a mini-Batmobile for Brandon Harvin, 5, who has muscular dystrophy, and the real Batman, Dr. Lane Latham Jr., came to the school Friday for a visit.
Time to stock the shelves Walmart Neighborhood Market will open Nov. 11 BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com Workers at the new Sumter Walmart Neighborhood Market at 615 N. Bultman Drive are stocking shelves in preparation for a Nov. 11 opening. The 41,000-square-foot store has been a beehive of activity as workers read maps of how each shelf should be stocked. So far, workers stocked non-perishable goods such as canned goods, frozen food and over-the-counter drugs. Store manager Jason Woodlief said perishable goods such as fresh produce and meats will be the last items stocked. Woodlief said the Neighborhood Market differs from Walmart Supercenter on Broad Street because it focuses on groceries while the Supercenter has home furnishings and other items that grocery stores don’t usually carry. He said customers can still order anything from Walmart’s website, www.
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Simon Grant stocks Flonase in the drug store of Walmart Neighborhood Market which opens on Nov. 11. walmart.com, and pick it up at the store. The store employs about 100 people, most of whom are new to Walmart. Woodlief said he has a leadership team of about a dozen employees including several retired military personnel. He said a handful of employees transferred to the Neighborhood Market from the Supercenter. The store will offer a bak-
ery, a deli and fresh cooked meats such as ribs and pork tenderloin. He said the store will offer an area where customers can pick out ingredients for pizzas that will be made on site but taken home to bake. “We’re just about ready — stocking the shelves and preparing to open our doors,” said Woodlief in an earlier news release. “We’re
SEE WALMART, PAGE A6
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Shelly Pyle, left, a volunteer with HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, and her dog, Cocky, meet Gov. Nikki Haley at the Statehouse.
Dogs comfort flood victims BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Shelly Pyle and her Chesapeake Bay retriever, Cocky, have been traveling across
South Carolina comforting victims of the flood that hit the state earlier this month. Pyle, a resident of Aiken County, is a volunteer with
SEE DOGS, PAGE A6
WEATHER, A8
INSIDE
ANOTHER NICE DAY
2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 15
It should be mostly sunny today, but considerable cloudiness is expected tonight. HIGH 71, LOW 56
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