August 27, 2016

Page 1

IN SPORTS: Sumter crushes Crestwood in rivalry game at Memorial Stadium B1 INSIDE

New neighbors? Scientists claim to have found Earth-like planet ‘only’ 25 trillion miles distant A6 SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016

| Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894

75 cents

‘The right thing to do’ Law school to file civil suit in Stinney case

BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com

BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com The 1944 trial and execution of 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. continues to reverberate through the South Carolina legal system. A civil suit is now expected to resurrect the case, in which the Alcolu boy was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in a trial that lasted less than three hours before an allwhite jury in the Clarendon County Courthouse. In December 2014, South Carolina

PHOTO PROVIDED

Fourteen-year-old George Stinney Jr. is seen in the mugshots from his 1944 arrest. Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen issued a 30-page order ruling that there was a “fundamental, Constitutional violation of due process” in

the prosecution of George Stinney Jr. and vacated the conviction.

SEE STINNEY, PAGE A7

Protection gets easier, cheaper

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Lisa Robinson, a sales manager at Lowe’s, talks about the customizable Iris security system the store sells on Friday afternoon at the Sumter store. The system can be set up with individual components or can be purchased as kits.

Wireless home security less expensive, more interactive BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Securing a home is no longer a time-consuming or expensive project with the sale of wireless security systems that can monitor a property after just one trip to the hardware store. Patrick Flaherty, assistant store

Students get to work in virtual reality lab

manager at Lowe’s, said wireless, app-based home security systems are very popular because some only require a one-time purchase fee to allow homeowners to remotely control various elements inside the home with a smart device. He said the WiFi system is also much safer because homeowners do not have to worry about connec-

tions being cut as with land lines. Iris, a smart security system offered at Lowe’s, allows homeowners to customize the level of security to their needs and preferences, he said. First, homeowners need to purchase the Iris Smart Hub for about

Students at Alice Drive Middle School had the opportunity to dissect different animals, explore organs and viruses and assemble and take apart machines in a virtual 3-D world on Friday. The zSpace Mobile STEM Lab is a bussized lab equipped with 10 computers and a 24-inch high-definition screen with virtual reality technology. “It is an open, collaborative virtual reality STEM platform,” said Sam Lucchese, Mid-Atlantic sales director for zSpace. “It allows for the virtual exploration of STEM and STEAM courses.” A student can virtually work on a project in many science, technology, engineering and math subjects, such as anatomy, chemistry, earth science, microbiology, mechanical engineering, paleontology and more. Wearing 3-D glasses and operating with a stylus, students can virtually dissect different animals or assemble and take apart different machines. There are sensors in the glasses and stylus, which facilitate the use between the user and the program. “Everything is virtual, though to the students it looks and feels as if they are interacting with these objects in real life,” said Lucchese. “It helps promote noble failure in a safe environment. As the user, you realize these objects are virtual. For example, if you make an incorrect incision on a frog or accidentally pull a cylinder out of a working motor, you can reset that.” Lucchese said the program integrates immediately with the existing curriculum of teachers, kindergarten through grade 12. It includes more than 500 activities and more than 2,500 models, aligned with national and state standards. Lucchese said zSpace adds 30 to 40 more activities every few months, and all of them come with activity plans. “More importantly, we really put the power back into the hands of the district or teachers,” he said. “They can tweak any of our activities or create their own from scratch.” Lucchese said the lab allows students access to many models they may not get to work with in real life. Prices range from about $22,000 for a lab of 10 units to $50,000, which also includes software, professional development, instruction, etc. Alice Drive Middle School Principal Jeannie Pressley said she was excited for the virtual lab to visit the school. In May 2015, the school became one of only two schools in the state, and one of 12 in the nation, to receive the AdvancED certification for being a STEM school. “If we are able to purchase this lab, it will enhance our STEM program even more, with students using the virtual technology as though they are working in real life,” Pressley said. Sumter School District Superintendent Frank Baker said the lab “ties in perfectly with infusing technology into instruction.” Baker said the district may explore the possibility of purchasing the lab.

SEE SECURITY, PAGE A7

FDA expands Zika screening to all U.S. blood centers WASHINGTON (AP) — The government told all U.S. blood banks Friday to start screening for Zika, a major expansion intended to protect the nation’s blood supply from the mosquito-borne virus. Previously, blood testing was mostly limited to parts of Florida and Puerto Rico, where Zika is spreading. Screening will initially extend to states along the Gulf Coast and a few others. “There is still much uncertainty

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

.com

MORE INFO ONLINE Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika

regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission,” Dr. Peter Marks said in a Food and Drug Administration release. “At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion.”

Blood banks already test donations for HIV, hepatitis, West Nile and other blood-borne viruses. The Zika virus stays in the blood for about one week but is thought to remain in other bodily fluids longer. While Zika is primarily spread through mosquito bites, there have been reports in Brazil of Zika transmission through transfusion. No such cases have been reported

CONTACT US

DEATHS, A7

Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1246 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News and Sports: 774-1226

Amanda R. Frierson LaJean O. Kinder Willie Lee Davis Harley J. Huggins

SEE ZIKA, PAGE A7

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Dillon Lamothe, an eighth-grader at Alice Drive Middle School, uses virtual reality to disassemble a rocket car during the zSpace visit to the school on Friday afternoon.

WEATHER, A8

INSIDE

CARBON COPY

2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 264

About the same today — hot, humid, partly cloudy, little chance of rain; tonight, warm and humid, patchy clouds. HIGH 95, LOW 73

Classifieds B6 Comics B5 Reviews A4-A5 Television A4-A5


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
August 27, 2016 by The Sumter Item - Issuu