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Packing lunches again? Here’s what you should know. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016
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Races for November elections now set
A new beginning at kindergarten
Mayor, Ward 4 seats contested; 2 city council incumbents unopposed BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com With the filing period for Sumter city elections now over, the field of candidates for the municipal election Nov. 8 is set. In the mayoral race, incumbent Joe McElveen faces challenges from William “Dutch” Holland and Charles Jones. In the Ward 4 race Randolph Black, Steve Corley, Melissa Evans and Jim McKinney have declared their candidacy for the seat being vacated by Colleen Yates. In two Sumter City Council races, the incumbents will be unopposed. Councilwoman Ione Dwyer, representing Ward 2, and Councilman David Merchant, representing Ward 6, did not draw any opposition on the November ballot. Dwyer said she would continue to work to serve the residents of Sumter to the best of her ability.
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Kindergartner Joshua Lawson Jr., 5, gives his mom, Tiffany Lawson, a hug as she prepares to leave him on the first day of school Monday at Pocalla Springs Elementary School. Tiffany Lawson won’t be far away — she teaches second grade at the school.
HARRY BRIGGS JR. • 1941 — 2016
Petitioner in Briggs v. Elliott dies at 75
“There is a lot that we have to do,” she said. “We want to continue to grow and make improvements. We want to continue to improve downtown and attract more industry.” She said she would like to see all residents of Sumter feel included and not just those in certain neighborhoods. Merchant could not be reached for comment. City council is composed of six council members who are elected from six separate wards and a mayor, elected atlarge. Terms for councilors and the mayor are four years, with council elections staggered so Wards 1, 3 and 5 will be on the ballot in 2018. Regular city council meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Council Chambers on the 4th floor of Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St.
1st student applies for care at clinic BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
Summerton native Harry Briggs Jr., a lead plaintiff in the “Harry Briggs Jr. et al v R.W. Elliott, chairman, et al” case, widely known as Briggs v. Elliott, died Aug. 9 at the age of 75 in the Bronx, New York. The landmark case asked the Clarendon County school district to provide a bus for black students, who often had to walk miles in inclement weather, and with other petitioners led to the important Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court making “separate but equal schools” illegal. The case was instrumental in the eventual desegregation of all public institutions in the U.S. AP FILE PHOTO His parents, Harry Briggs Harry Briggs Jr., of New York, who signed the Briggs petition, points to his father, Sr. and Eliza Briggs, also Harry Briggs Sr., in a 1949 group photo of those who signed the petition which signed the petition.
The decision by Sumter United Ministries Free Medical Clinic to expand its patient base to include full-time students has been met with interest from many people in the community, according to Jacqueline Butler, the medical clinic’s director. The mission of the clinic is to provide uninsured Sumter County residents with quality medical care, she said. “During a meeting with several members of the medical committee, we discussed possibly expanding the patient base to include full-time students that may not be working,” Butler said. “It was felt that we definitely want to help students in Sumter who may not have access to care.” Sumter has several institutions of higher education including Central Carolina Technical College, University of South Carolina Sumter and Morris College, she said, and it wants to
led to desegregation of public schools, as descendants of those who signed gathSEE BRIGGS, PAGE A8 ered for a reunion in Summerton in May 2002.
SEE CARING, PAGE A8
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