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Death stirs County mulls new subdivision more bridge discussion BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Local law enforcement officials say educating the public is the best option they have in response to pedestrian deaths on the Robert E. Graham Freeway near Sumter. The problem has become an issue in the Gamecock City since the death of 17-year-old Terrica Butler on the bypass near Miller Road on Sept. 5. South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. David Jones said his department will work with the Sumter Police Department to conduct an education campaign in the area. “We have teamed up with the City of Sumter to go out and educate some of the citizens and offer some different avenues and safety tips on being seen and what’s right and what’s wrong as far as attempting to cross the road,” he said. Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said officers will be in the neighborhood asking residents to use “common sense.” “We are putting in place an education campaign to deal with the housing development and apartment complexes across the street on the bypass from where this incident took place,” he said. “We think that the majority of pedestrians are from that neighborhood or the two apartment complexes.” Roark said his department allows officers to have discretion when enforcing laws against pedestrians on the bypass rather than having a set policy. “Any time an officer comes in contact with a traffic violation, whether it is a pedestrian or a motorist, that officer uses a totality of the circumstances to make a decision whether to give them a verbal warning — which still must be documented with a contact ticket — or actually issue a summons ticket, which would be a traffic ticket to appear in court.” Jones said highway patrolman usually stop and talk to pedestrians who are violating the law. “What we issue is a public contact (ticket) any time a trooper or DPS officer encounters the public, and we have a reason to talk to that person,” he said. “It might be a pedestrian walking and not doing the right thing. We are going to get out and talk to that person and try to educate them.” Jones said officers must issue a public contact ticket whenever they talk to a person. “Some see it as a warning ticket but on top it says ‘public contact,’” he said. “We have to document that we talked to that person and that person has our information in case they want to file a complaint.”
SEE SAFETY, PAGE A8
The majority of Sumter County Council’s meeting on Tuesday focused on a request to rezone approximately 223 acres of land on Queen Chapel Road for the future development of a subdivision. Sumter Planning Department Director George McGregor said the applicant intends for the parcel to hold about 245 single-family houses
after the land is rezoned from agricultural conservation to residential-15. He said planning staff has reached out to county services in the area to gather information regarding the subdivision’s proximity to the agencies and how the distance could impact future home buyers. He said the planning department has not received information from all agencies yet. Council posed several questions
concerning multiple accesses to the neighborhood, the speed limit on Queen Chapel Road and the density of the area based on a concept plan provided by the applicant. McGregor said the image is not the final plan and only served as a visual aid. Councilman Charles Edens asked if the speed limit on Queen Chapel Road could be reduced from 55 mph
SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A8
Haley speaks at Kent
KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY / THE SUMTER ITEM
Binbin Wu, a Chinese interpreter, translated Gov. Nikki Haley’s speech to a group of bicycle parts companies’ representatives from China and other nations at Kent International Inc. in Clarendon County on Tuesday.
Governor welcomes international representatives to Manning, talks of foreign companies’ success BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Gov. Nikki Haley spoke about the success of foreign companies’ investment in South Carolina in the last three years at a supplier event program at Kent International Inc. in Clarendon County on Tuesday. The meeting included 70 representatives from 25 bicycle parts manufacturers from all around the world, including China, Belgium, Holland and Taiwan, who came to
tour the Clarendon County facility. The companies have an existing relationship with Kent International Inc. “We have been the number one state in the country for foreign direct investment in the last three years,” said Haley, addressing a group of representatives from the various companies. “We focus on the customer and what we can do to build those relationships. We take all the work and confusion from you so you could focus on starting
the process of getting your industry here.” Haley said the state’s local workforce has a 96 percent success rate of being hired by companies that come to South Carolina. “Our focus in South Carolina is not putting the shovel in the dirt or cutting the ribbon,” Haley said. “It’s about making sure that you’re successful. South Carolina is in the customer service business, and you
SEE HALEY, PAGE A8
88 percent of 11th-graders earn work-skills certificate BY SEANNA ADCOX The Associated Press COLUMBIA (AP) — About 88 percent of South Carolina’s 11th-graders scored high enough on a work-skills test last spring to receive certificates they can take to employers, with many students qualifying for lower-wage work, according to scores released Tuesday by the state’s education agencies. The scores establish a baseline for comparison in future years. Last spring was the
first time all 11th-graders took ACT’s WorkKeys, which awards certificates in four levels of proficiency. “These young people are now armed with information that can help them, their families and potential employers make decisions about their future,” said Melanie Barton, director of the Education Oversight Committee.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The certificates can help inform employers of potential hires’ skills, while providing
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• Forty percent earned silver certificates, qualifying them for 67 percent of jobs. Their additional prospects include being cooks, bookkeepers, administrative assistants and graphic designers. • Twenty-two percent earned gold certificates, matching 93 percent of jobs in the database. Their skills allow them to pursue jobs as accountants, database administrators and aircraft mechanics. • Less than 1 percent earned a platinum certificate, meaning they’re qualified for 99
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job seekers something tangible to show they’re ready. If post-high-school education is needed, the certificate can complement other credentials, said ACT spokesman Ed Colby. • A quarter of South Carolina’s 11th grade test-takers earned a bronze certificate. Those students have skills matching 17 percent of jobs in the WorkKeys’ national database, such as hospital housekeeping, packaging, soldering and truck driving, according to examples provided by ACT.
Craig Alan Davis Minnie B. House Janice Carter Zahmiar Williams Elloree Nowlin Mary Ann Session
Norma Brooks Lukeisha Slater-Singletary Dorothy Ann Hudson Fannie B. Times Leon Walker Sr. Margaret P. Driffin
Vermelle Smith Kate A. Turner Ora Lee B. Britton Robert Wall Timothy Nathaniel Jr.
percent of the jobs, to include information security analyst. The percent of jobs matching the certificate level periodically changes as ACT evaluates job requirements and makes adjustments, Colby said. Broken down, Fort Mill schools posted the best scores statewide. It was the only district where more than 80 percent of 11th-graders earned a silver- or higher-level certificate. On the opposite end,
SEE CERTIFICATE, PAGE A8
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Equinox occurred at 4:20 a.m., and the first day of fall will feel just right. Cloudy and cool today and tonight. HIGH 78, LOW 66
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