IN FOOD: Sweet, fruity treats that won’t bust your diet
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Tickets are still available 5th annual Porches of Sumter set for Thursday A2
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Baker superintendent through 2020 School board approves 2-year contract extension in 5-2 vote BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Sumter School District Board of Trustees extended Superintendent Frank Bak-
er’s contract through June 2020 in a 5-2 vote after a performance evaluation was delivered in an executive session during Monday’s board meeting. Trustees Johnny Hilton and the Rev. Ralph Canty
were the dissenting votes. Even without an evaluation last year, Baker’s contract was extended on Nov. 3, 2014, through June 30, 2018, with an annual compensation of $182,070. Board Chairman the Rev. Daryl F. McGhaney said it is up to whatever the board decides, but since consolidation, the standard practice has been to extend the contract by
two years. A performance evaluation is required annually by the board but was deferred in the summer of 2014 until fall of 2015 BAKER because the board was unable to decide which evaluation instrument to use, McGhaney said. He said the district decided on using a
goals-based evaluation, rating the superintendent’s performance in seven categories. Board members were asked to come to Monday’s meeting with their individual assessments of how the superintendent performed in the areas of board/superintendent relations; human resource management; public relations and
SEE SUPERINTENDENT, PAGE A5
A shouting good time at the fair D-Day arrives for Tuomey BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
JB Duncan, 2, yells as he rounds the curve on the NASCAR Speedway ride at the Sumter County Fair on Tuesday. 4-10 p.m. — All exhibits on display 6 p.m. — Judging: beef show 6 and 8 p.m. — Bear Mountain Wildlife Shows Midnight: Midway Closes
Today, Sept. 30 4 p.m. — Gates open to public 4-10 p.m. — Exhibits on display 5 p.m. — Judging: mule and donkey show 6 and 8 p.m. — Bear Mountain Wildlife Shows Midnight — Midway closes Thursday, Oct. 1 4 p.m.— Gates open to public
Friday, Oct. 2 4 p.m. — Gates open to public 4-10 p.m. — Exhibits on display 6 and 8 p.m. — Bear Mountain Wildlife Shows Midnight — Midway closes Saturday, Oct. 3 10 a.m. — Gates open to public 10 a.m.-9 p.m. — Exhibits on display Noon — Judging: pony and horse show Noon, 6 and 8 p.m. — Bear Mountain Wildlife Shows Midnight — Midway closes
South Carolina Department of Revenue will extend a free credit monitoring program for tax filers whose information was compromised by a security breach in 2012. In October of that year, the department announced that approximately 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers had been exposed in
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ALL DAY, EVERY DAY • Rockin’ a Ranch Petting Zoo • Lawton Trout Farm • Red Dragon Laser Tag • Farm and Garden Show • Sports Expo • Art Show • Flower Show
SEE TUOMEY, PAGE A6
State credit monitoring extended through 2016 BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
LAST DAY – Sunday, Oct. 4 1:30 p.m. — Gates open to public 6 a.m. — Livestock removed 9 a.m.-2 p.m. — Commercial exhibits removed 2-3:30 p.m. — Individual entries removed 2-3:30 p.m. — Premium checks picked up 3, 5 and 7 p.m. — Bear Mountain Wildlife Shows 9 p.m. — Midway closes
Thursday is expected to be a historic day for Tuomey Healthcare System, but it remains unclear when any official announcement will be made concerning a settlement between Tuomey and the Department of Justice or the hospital’s planned partnership with Palmetto Health. Tuomey has been working privately toward a final settlement agreement with the Department of Justice after the U.S. Fourth Circuit of Appeals affirmed a decision awarding damage and civil penalties totaling $237.4 million against Tuomey. The penalty, likened to a “death penalty” by a member of the three-judge court panel, resulted after the court found contracts which the hospital signed with physicians violated the Stark Law, which governs how hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds can make physician referrals, and the False Claims Act, which penalizes fraudulent claims for federal funds. In the case, Federal Judge Margaret
a cyber attack. To protect taxpayers, the state said it would provide those affected with a year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. In September 2013, it was announced that CSIdentity Corp. was awarded a contract to provide the year of free credit protection for eligible individuals. The program has since been
SEE CREDIT, PAGE A5
Senate propels stopgap spending bill to keep government open past this month
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.
DEATHS, B7 Shirley S. Curry Marjorie Dew Rauch Nellie Jean Black Wilbur Scriven Kenzie Alston
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Having dodged the immediate threat of a government shutdown, congressional Republican leaders are looking ahead to talks with President Obama on a long-term budget pact. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday that he and House Speaker John Boehner spoke with Obama recently and that he expects talks to get underway soon. McConnell spoke as the Senate wraps up a debate he engineered on a temporary spending bill that would keep the government open while the negotiations
SEE CONGRESS, PAGE A6
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