August 26, 2015 by The Sumter Item

IN PANORAMA: U-neek Flavur to perform at 4th Fridays C1

Remembering Rick Hines Retired Marine known as business owner, being civic minded A2

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

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Ruffle some feathers

County gives go ahead to $30.6M bond Focus of funds will be improvements to Enhanced 911 communications, more BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Sumter County Council approved final reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale of $30.6 million bond anticipation notes and no more than $40 million in bonds to fund a portion of the 2016 Capital Penny Sales Tax projects during its meeting Tuesday. County Administrator Gary Mixon said the county used the same strategy for the 2008 penny projects, and it was successful. He said the county will sell the bond anticipation notes in mid-September, and the

money will be available to the county after closing agreements are signed on Sept. 30. The county will receive an interest rate on the day of sale, he said. Mixon said once the bond anticipation notes have been sold, the county will have one year to sell the bonds, which will not exceed $40 million. The bonds will then be used to pay off the bond anticipation notes and the revenues from the penny sales tax that will be collected starting May 2016, will be

SEE COUNTY, PAGE A5

Law enforcement wants better way to subdue suspects KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Wendy Graiff bathes Loki, a Military McCaw, at her shop, For Pet’s Sake, on Tuesday afternoon. The salon works on guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits, dogs, cats and exotic animals.

Advisers: Most local investors can ride out market concerns BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Local investment advisers said the average investor shouldn’t be too concerned about the world stock markets’ recent weakness. This week’s sell off has been attributed to investors’ fears of a slowdown in China, the Associated Press reported, but China’s response and an encouraging survey of U.S. consumer confidence buoyed the markets for much of the day Tuesday. Unfortunately, the gains were given up by the end of the day as U.S. stocks closed lower after falling sharply in the final hour of trading. Stocks had surged early, rebounding from a big sell-off on Monday, after the Chinese cen-

tral bank said it was cutting interest rates to shore up its economy. Investor confidence remains fragile after a series of big drops in recent days and the market suffered a dramatic reversal in the final hour of trading, the AP reported. According to AP reports, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 204.78, or 1.3 percent, to 15,666.44 The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 25.60 points, or 1.4 percent, to 1,867.62. The Nasdaq composite dropped 19.76 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,506.49. Treasury bonds fell, pushing up the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.09 percent. The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce

SEE STOCKS, PAGE A6

Governors say ‘no’ to terrorist detainees COLUMBIA (AP) — The governors of South Carolina and Kansas wrote to the Obama administration on Tuesday, threatening to sue if detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are brought to military installations in either state. “We will not be part of any illegal and ill-advised action by this Administration, especially when that action relates

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to importing terrorists into our states,” Govs. Nikki Haley and Sam Brownback told Defense Secretary Ash Carter. “Please know that we will take any action within our power to make sure no Guantanamo Bay detainees are transferred to South Carolina or Kansas.” At a news conference last week, Haley said Defense Department officials were “wast-

ing their time” in evaluating the Naval Brig near Charleston as a potential site to house detainees and that she would not “allow South Carolina to be a magnet for terrorists.” The Pentagon has said it will send a survey team to the military prison in South Carolina by month’s end, and a similar assessment was conducted

SEE DETAINEES, PAGE A5

DEATHS, B7 Benjamin China Jr. Frederick M. Hines Harry M. Smith James Mark Roosevelt Cabbagestalk Christine Deas

Francis L. Newcomb Paul Bradley Jr. Chase W. Olson Edwin W. Oliver Jr. Harry L. English

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salvatore Emma Jr., president and CEO of Micron Products, displays Blunt Impact Projectiles, one ready for use, left, and another after being fired during a test at the factory in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on July 30.

Police pursue less-lethal weapons FITCHBURG, Mass. (AP) — Police in more than 20 North American cities are testing the latest in less-lethal alternatives to bullets — “blunt impact projectiles” that cause suspects excruciating pain but stop short of killing them. Or at least that’s the goal. Police have long had what they considered “nonlethal” weapons at their disposal, including pepper spray, stun guns and beanbag projectiles. But even those weapons have caused deaths, leading to a search for “less lethal” alternatives. The quest has taken on new urgency in the past year amid furor about a string of high-profile police shootings of black men. Micron Products Inc., based in Fitchburg, Massa-

chusetts, makes the new ammunition, which are much larger than rubber bullets and have silicone heads that expand and flatten on impact, enhancing the pain and incapacitating a suspect. One executive of the company that patented the technology was a guinea pig and described experiencing the business end of a BIP as the “equivalent of being hit by a hockey puck.” “It was like, ‘Ow!’ I had to shake it off,” said Allen Ezer, executive vice president of Security Devices International, a defense technology company that hired Micron to make the projectiles, which were developed by a ballistics engineering company in Israel.

SEE WEAPONS, PAGE A6

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

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LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS

FREDERICK ‘RICK’ MICHAEL HINES • 1943 - 2015

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Lee County court reporter dies in wreck near Dalzell

Sumter loses pilot, businessman

Frank Newcomb, 53, died Monday afternoon on Old Highway 521 near Dalzell after apparently suffering from a fatal medical condition before his vehicle left the road, Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock told The Sumter Item on Tuesday. According to Bullock, Newcomb worked as a court reporter in Lee County.

Man, at large, wanted for marijuana possession charges Sumter Police Department is looking for a local man who faces a possible drug charge after detectives said a quantity of marijuana was found inside his home. Officers are looking for 36-year-old Drayton Slater, of 55 Maxwell Ave., who could be charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, according to a news release from the department. Slater is about 6 feet 2 SLATER inches tall and weighs about 270 lbs. Anyone with information is asked to call Sumter Police Department at (803) 436-2700. Tips can be made anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718 or 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Deputy shoots dog that attacked, hurt 2 women GREENVILLE — A Greenville County sheriff’s deputy has shot and killed a dog that attacked two women. Master Deputy Jonathan Smith tells local media outlets that officers got a report at about 8 a.m. Tuesday that a dog had attacked a woman. A deputy arrived and saw a dog on a woman’s arm, which was almost severed. The deputy shot the dog, then applied a tourniquet to the woman’s upper arm and leg. A second woman was attacked before the deputy arrived, and both were taken to the hospital for their injuries. Smith says someone staying at the home where the women lived owned the dog. No charges have been filed. Authorities are still investigating.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Rick Hines, right, is seen in conversation at his store, Hines Furniture, as his son Donny listens.

Hines remembered as patriot with a passion for the Sumter community A well-known Sumter business owner, described as a dedicated citizen with a tireless passion for his community, Frederick “Rick” Michael Hines, died at age 72 on Sunday. Hines, a former officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, was the husband of Rosemary Dahlin Hines of 47 years. He was described by one of his closest friends, Ret. Brigadier Gen. Hugh C. Cameron, former vice commander of the Ninth Air Force, as civic-minded and devoted to improving the Sumter and Shaw communities. “Rick was a patriot and was extremely loyal to his friends, he loved his family and his community dearly,” Cameron said. Hines was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, and grew up in Ohio. He received a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University of Ohio and joined the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. After completing Naval Flight Offi-

“He was devoted to everything he ever got involved with,” he said. Steve Creech, former Sumter mayor, described him as a wonderful family man who cared about the community. “He understood the importance of Shaw Air Force Base to this community and was very active in maintaining a strong relationship between the military and the community,” said Creech. Hines served on numerous boards including: president of the Sumter Merchants Association; vice president of the Chamber of Commerce; Sumter County Airport Commission; Sumter Board of Zoning Adjustment; YMCA board; Sumter Rotary Club; Shaw/Sumter Community Council and chairman of the Sumter Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. Hines was a member of St. Anne Catholic Church. — Konstantin Vegnerowsky

cers School and F-4B Radar Interception Officer training, Hines participated in sustained combat operations in Vietnam. He accumulated more than 434 hours in the F-4B, 147 combat missions, earning nine Air Medals. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions to save an A-4 FAC Crew shot down over Laos in 1969. Hines moved to Sumter in 1971 and co-founded The Stuckey and Hines Furniture Co., today Hines Furniture, a private family business. Grier Blackwelder, former president and CEO of the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce, said Hines was a faithful member of the chamber and a great supporter of the business community. “He always wanted to move Sumter and the Shaw community forward,” Blackwelder said. “We lost a good friend.” Pete Flanagan served on various organizations with Hines.

Objectives and assessments discussed at school board meeting BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Christine Carnes, Sumter School District coordinator of gifted education, gave an update to the board of trustees on the objectives and assessments that are being implemented throughout the district at the school board meeting Monday. One of the goals, called Student Learning Objectives, is developing this year across the state and will not be required until the 2016-17 school year. Carnes said SLO will be implemented this year but won’t count for teacher evaluation until next year. SLO is mandated by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver as part of student growth measures within the teacher evaluation system. SLO encourages teachers to identify the most important learning standards for the year or semester, review

and analyze available student data, make informed decisions about instructional strategies, set academic goals for students and evaluate student progress toward those goals, according to the S.C. Department of Education’s Office of Educator Effectiveness. Carnes described SLO as a studentcentered goal that is written by each teacher intended to measure educational impact on a student’s learning. “The goal is projecting the growth that a student will make in a year’s time,” she said. Teachers will be able to write the SLOs for their classes, grade levels or content areas. Carnes said school leaders were updated on SLOs in July. Trainings will take place this week for evaluators who will then train school administrators and instructional coaches as well as teachers on writing the SLOs, she said.

Carnes also briefed the board on common assessments. “As most of you know, that was something we were lacking in the district, and principals and schools were asking for that,” she said. This summer, the district decided to use the services of TE-21, an education company that offers assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The district will use the company’s services to provide standard “benchmarks,” which are an assortment of evaluation tests administered throughout the school year that determine whether students are meeting specified academic standards. TE-21 is partnering with another company, MasteryConnect, to house and administer TE-21’s benchmarks. MasteryConnect is a cloud-based software platform that allows teachers to track student mastery of standards,

both state and Common Core standards. “It’s a digital platform that will be given online,” she said. Teachers will be able to use the program to identify standards in their grades or content areas and will be able to create their own assessments on a regular basis. “This is another way we hope to link the data to the SLOs, so when teachers write the objectives, they will be able to go into MasteryConnect and track their students’ progress towards meeting that goal,” she said. “As opposed to waiting until the end of the year and having an assessment of learning, we’re going to continually assess for learning throughout the school year. The good thing about this is it’s consistent throughout the district, and we’re all talking the same language when we look at data and students mastering their skills.”

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Sheriff ’s deputies grow beards for charity BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com A few Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies may look a little scruffier than usual for the next two months as they put away the razors to raise money for the families of local officers killed in the line of duty. Now through mid-October, deputies are allowed to grow out their facial hair, for a fee, in support of Charlie Kubala Memorial Trust, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Braden Bunch, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said this activity is similar to No Shave November,

an annual movement to raise awareness about men’s health issues. The Kubala trust, a non-profit organization, was established by local law enforcement in 1996 to provide financial assistance for the family of Sgt. Charlie Kubala, a 13-year veteran with the sheriff’s office who was fatally shot while on duty in 1995. The trust has since evolved to provide assistance for the children and spouses of other local law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as well as to provide annual scholarships for local high school students. Bunch said about 50 deputies are ex-

pected to participate in the hairy activity, which could lead to about $1,500 being raised for the charity. “Some of our deputies might not look as clean shaven as we prefer for the next few weeks, but if we can raise a few dollars for a good cause, then we can put off the razors for a little while,” Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. The beards will be shaved on Oct. 12, the same day as the 20th annual Charlie Kubala Memorial Golf Tournament, which will be held at Beech Creek Golf Club. The golf tournament first started in 1996, and has grown to be one of the

largest single-day charity golf tournaments in South Carolina, with approximately 300 golfers expected to participate this year, according to the release. Along with growing beards, Bunch said different divisions within the sheriff’s office are sponsoring holes for the tournament to help raise money for the cause. Anyone interested in sponsoring a hole or competing in the Charlie Kubala Memorial Golf Tournament can visit the organization’s website at www.kubalagolf.com, contact Senior Cpl. Ron Dodson at (803) 468-4102 or Lt. Lee Monahan at (803) 436-2161.

Public workers won’t pay more for health care in 2016

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Water flows through a series of retention ponds built to contain and filter out heavy metals and chemicals from the Gold King mine chemical accident, in the spillway about 1/4 mile downstream from the mine outside Silverton, Colorado. For more of this story, visit www.theitem.com.

EPA knew of ‘blowout’ risk for tainted water at gold mine WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials knew of the potential for a catastrophic “blowout” of poisonous wastewater from an inactive gold mine, yet appeared to have only a cursory plan to deal with such an event when a government cleanup team triggered a 3-milliongallon spill, according to internal documents released by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA released the documents late Friday following weeks of prodding from The Associated Press and other media organizations. While shedding some light on the

circumstances surrounding the incident, the newly disclosed information also raises more questions about whether enough was done to prevent it. The Aug. 5 spill came as workers excavated the entrance to the idled Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, unleashing a torrent of toxic water that fouled rivers in three states. A June 2014 work order for a planned cleanup noted the mine had not been accessible since 1995, when the entrance partially collapsed. “This condition has likely caused impounding of water

behind the collapse,” the report said. “Conditions may exist that could result in a blowout of the blockages and cause a release of large volumes of contaminated mine waters and sediment from inside the mine.” A May 2015 action plan produced by an EPA contractor, Environmental Restoration LLC, also noted the potential for a blowout. The May plan also called for a pond that would be used to manage the mine water and prevent contaminants from entering waterways. That pond was not completed.

COLUMBIA (AP) — The health care costs of South Carolina’s public employees will stay the same next year, but their employers will pay more. The State Fiscal Accountability Authority unanimously approved Tuesday the health care rates that legislators wrote into this year’s budget. It called for no change to employees’ monthly premiums, co-payments or deductibles. However, state agencies, school districts, public colleges and participating local governments will pay 4.5 percent more starting Jan. 1 to cover rising costs. The little overall change means the state remains grandfathered under the federal health care overhaul. The state health plan covers more than 465,400 people in South Carolina. They include roughly 185,000 public workers, 200,000 of their family members and 80,000 retirees, according to Public Employee Benefit Authority, the agency that doles out public benefits. Those covered by the plan will see additional benefits next year. Changes recommended by the benefits agency and approved Tuesday by the fiscal oversight board include the elimination of co-payments for contraceptives already covered by the health plan. Also starting Jan. 1, employees who smoke will pay nothing for prescription medicine to help them quit, such as Chantix. The goal is that helping them quit will ultimately cut

down on health care costs paid by taxpayers, said Peggy Boykin, executive director of Public Employee Benefit Authority. Employees can also reduce their premiums by quitting. Since January 2010, smokers have paid a surcharge. The cost has risen to between $40 and $60 extra monthly, depending on how many people their policy covers. Out-of-pocket costs will also be eliminated for colonoscopies and adult vaccines, including yearly flu shots. Those changes are among what would be required anyway if the state health plan had to comply with the federal law. There is one exception to what’s otherwise no additional cost for employees. People enrolled in a Medical University of South Carolina pilot plan will pay $10 more to visit a specialist, as approved by the benefits agency. The five-member fiscal oversight board has followed legislators’ recommendations on health coverage since 2012. That’s when Gov. Nikki Haley convinced a majority of the board, which she chairs, to split rising costs with employees, even though legislators designated money in the budget to cover workers’ premiums. The state Supreme Court overturned the decision, ruling in 2013 that the board overstepped its authority. Before a government restructuring law that took effect July 1, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority was named the Budget and Control Board.

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French-American, a new hero in attack, ‘would give anything’ PARIS (AP) — Mark Moogalian and his wife were seated facing each other on the high-speed train when he suddenly told her, “Get out, this is serious.” Then, Isabelle Risacher Moogalian said, she ducked behind some seats as he lunged to grab the assault rifle from the gunman’s hands. “When my husband collapsed, I saw across the seats. He looked at me and he said ‘I’m STONE hit, I’m hit.’ He thought it was over, and he was going to die,” she told Europe-1 radio. The bullet struck him in the back and exited through his neck. The American teacher and artist, who has lived in France for more than two decades, has emerged as another hero in the high-speed train attack thwarted by a group of quick-thinking men. According to French President Francois Hollande, a Frenchman was the first to encounter the gunman as he left the toilet, alerting others in the area. That person, Hollande said, wished to remain anonymous. Moogalian remained hospitalized Tuesday in the northern city of Lille, and his sister in Virginia said his role in trying to stop what French authorities are calling a terror attack was in character. “Mark would give anything for anybody,” Julia Allen told NBC News. “He’s just that kind of person.” Risacher said U.S. Airman Spencer Stone came across the wounded Moogalian and stanched the bleeding by holding his finger on the wound until paramedics could take over. Moogalian runs a language school from a houseboat on the outskirts of Paris, according to the school’s website. Music and art are clearly his passions, as his personal website attests, with its range of sculpture, paintings, photos and downloads of music he performs in a duo with his wife. In the couple’s biography, they describe themselves as “largely bicultural, bringing the best of both worlds.”

Harry Moogalian, a cousin in Richmond, Virginia, described him as a “free spirit” who tends to avoid the limelight and has loved music since childhood. The Virginia man, who hasn’t seen his cousin in a decade, spoke admiringly of his actions. “I think he’s very brave for doing that. I don’t know how I would react or anybody would react in that situation, but it seems like he reacted the right way,” Harry Moogalian said. His wife went further. “My husband is among the heroes of this story, and he nearly paid with his life because just a few millimeters closer and the bullet would have sliced his carotid in exiting,” Risacher said. Moogalian and the Frenchman will receive the Legion of Honor, as did Stone, U.S. Army Spc. Alek Skarlatos, their friend Anthony Sadler and British businessman Chris Norman.

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Koreas reach deal SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it got an apology. North Korea says its archrival learned a “serious lesson.” That’s how compromises are engineered on a peninsula that has technically been at war for more than 60 years. Seoul halted anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers on the border Tuesday, hours after North Korea expressed “regret” over two South Korean soldiers maimed by recent land mine blasts. The North’s carefully worded yet vague statement, produced after more than 40 hours of talks between the countries, helped bring the rivals back from threats that seemed set to spin out of control last week. The Koreas also struck an important humanitarian agreement by promising to begin talks in September to plan emotional reunions of families separated by the Korean War. The reunions could take place as early as October, considering the time needed to match relatives and agree on a venue,

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Korean presidential security adviser Kim Kwan-jin, right, shakes hands with Hwang Pyong So, North Korea’s top political officer for the Korean People’s Army, after their meeting at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Tuesday. said an official from Seoul’s Unification Ministry who didn’t want to be named, citing office rules. It’s unclear how long the good mood will continue: The Koreas have a history of failing to follow through on their promises and allowing simmering animosity to interrupt diplomacy. But in the short term at least, the deal was a relief, easing prospects of fighting between two countries that had seemed

equally unwilling to give ground to the other. “I hope the two sides faithfully implement the agreements and build up (mutual) confidence through a dialogue and cooperation and that it serves as a chance to work out new South-North relations,” chief South Korean negotiator and presidential national security director Kim Kwan-jin said in a televised news conference.

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2015 The Sumter Item is asking its readers to join in its efforts to help United Ministries of Sumter County. Please choose to donate to one of the following: CRISIS RELIEF, which assists people who have received eviction and utility disconnect notices, and helps provide food, furniture and appliances for domestic violence victims. HOMELESS SHELTER (Samaritan House), which gives a safe place to sleep for up to 20 men and eight women. HOME REPAIR AND WHEELCHAIR MINISTRY (SAM), which makes homes safe, dry, secure and accessible by repairing roofs, floors, etc. Name: Address: Phone:

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DETAINEES

too dangerous. Several members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford — Haley’s predecessor as governor — and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott have expressed concerns about the potential transfers. Both the House and Senate versions of the 2016 federal defense policy bill maintain prohibitions on transferring detainees to U.S. facilities. The Senate legislation, however, allows the restrictions to be lifted if the White House submits a plan to close the facility and it’s approved by Congress.

FROM PAGE A1 earlier this month at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center has been a priority for President Obama, but the effort has faced persistent hurdles, including staunch opposition from congressional Republicans and some Democrats. About 52 of the 116 current detainees have been cleared for release. The remaining 64 have been deemed

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

State police chief Mike Edmonson, right, embraces Robert Ledoux, the good Samaritan who helped capture a man accused of shooting a state trooper on Monday in Lake Charles, Louisiana. criminal damage to property back in 1997; burglarizing a church in 2001; assaulting a police officer in 2003; multiple counts of driving while intoxicated over the years; and disturbing the peace and arson in 2012, according to criminal records detailed by law enforcement officials across both parishes. “Two-thirds of his life in the last 18 years was spent incarcerated,” said Michael Cassidy, the district attorney whose office prosecuted Daigle for crimes in Jefferson Davis Parish. He’d only been free since March, when he served a few days in jail for disturbing the peace by intoxication, a misdemeanor. Before that, he’d served nearly two years in prison from 2012 to 2014 for a felony arson conviction and parole revocation for a third offense DWI, according to the state corrections department. The arson conviction, Cassidy said, “that one involved starting his mother’s house on fire.” “He burned his old mother’s house. He had told me he did it. When I told on him, he threatened me. He threatened

my son, threatened to burn his house down with his kids in it,” Diane Daigle said. “That’s when he was drinking. When he was drinking or messed up. But any other time he’d have given you the shirt on his back.” Kevin Daigle was apprehended Sunday evening by Robert LeDoux, who told AP he tackled Daigle after he saw the man riffling through the pockets of a bloodied state trooper and trying to take the officer’s handgun out of its holster. Three other men helped LeDoux handcuff and hold on to Daigle until police arrived. Daigle was booked on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a police officer.

Memorial Day

On September 13th we want to provide an opportunity for pet owners to memorialize their faithful friend.

COUNTY

FROM PAGE A1 used to pay off the bonds, he said. The bond anticipation notes will fully fund some projects that the county anticipates can be completed before the 2016 tax collection starts in May and partially fund a few projects in order to get a head start on engineering and architectural aspects, Mixon said. He said the county’s main focuses are upgrading the countywide Enhanced 911 communications infrastructure, constructing a new Sumter Police Department headquarters and constructing a new headquarters for the city and county fire departments. After discussing the bond anticipation notes, council approved several proclamations declaring awareness days and weeks during the month of September. Council approved proclamations declaring Sept. 5 Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Day; Sept. 10 National Anthem’s Day; Sept. 17-23 Constitution Week; and a proclamation

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20 N. Magnolia Street • Sumter, SC

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supporting “A Day of Remembrance — From Heartache to Hope” during the week of Sept. 25. Vice Chairwoman Vivian Fleming-McGhaney said the sentiments of the community are shown through the proclamations, which are a part of the quality of life in Sumter. Near the end of the meeting, Mixon presented designs for six purple heart signs that will be placed on major roadways entering the county. He said U.S. 15, U.S. 378 and U.S. 521 are a few of the locations where the signs will be placed. He said the county could receive a deal on the price of the signs if it opts to purchase a seventh which would bringing the total to about $4,000. In other news, council approved second reading of an ordinance authorizing the county to enter a fee agreement with Project Eagle, an undisclosed industry. County Attorney Johnathan Bryan said he would not release specific information about the fee agreement because the organization wishes to maintain confidentiality.

only!

pushed at least three lawsuits against the administration on matters ranging from voter ID laws to nuclear fuel production and illegal immigration. After a lawsuit in 2012, South Carolina’s law requiring voters to present identification was ultimately upheld in federal court. Last year, the state sued the U.S. Department of Energy for its plans to mothball a nuclear fuel repurposing project at the Savannah River Site. And South Carolina was one of more than a half-dozen states to sue Obama late last year over his executive order on immigration.

House and Senate negotiators are working to reconcile the two bills. The Navy brig has previously held an al-Qaida terrorism plotter before he was convicted. Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was held there for more than three years without charge as an enemy combatant before he was indicted in Miami. A jury found Padilla guilty in 2007. He’s serving a 21-year prison sentence. For Haley, the threat to sue the Obama administration is far from an empty one. Since she took office in January 2011, the governor has

Louisiana man accused of shooting trooper had long criminal history BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The man accused of gunning down a Louisiana state trooper who stopped to offer him roadside assistance spent much of the past two decades in and out of prison, including a stint for setting his mother’s house on fire. Burglary. Assault. Arson. A string of DWIs. Kevin Daigle’s criminal history, provided to The Associated Press by law enforcement officials across two parishes in southwest Louisiana, was lengthy. He’d only been out of jail since March. Alcohol was the switch, according to Daigle’s sister-inlaw. “Kevin was a good person until he started drinking. When he started drinking, he went bonkers,” said Diane Daigle. “All his life he was like that. The first drink he took in his mouth, it took everything out of him and he became like a Jekyll and a Hyde.” Police suspect Daigle, 53, had been drinking when they say he shot Senior Trooper Steven Vincent on Sunday evening. Vincent had stopped to offer Daigle help because his truck was in a ditch, but authorities say dashboard camera footage shows Daigle came out with a shotgun when approached. Vincent died from the gunshot wound Monday. Daigle also is suspected by officials in the death of another man with whom he was staying for the past few months. By the time he was taken into custody in Vincent’s shooting death, Daigle had been well known by law enforcement across Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis parishes in southwest Louisiana. He’d been arrested a dozen times. He’d been accused of

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THE SUMTER ITEM

STOCKS FROM PAGE A1 Board President Mitch Williams, who is an investment adviser at Edward Jones and Co., says most people who invest in the stock market should not be alarmed by day-to-day gains or losses. “For people who think they need to be panicking right now, I would tell them this, ‘Go back and look at what you are invested in right now and make sure that you are properly allocated and just leave it alone,’” Williams said. “Most of the folks who have stocks in the stock market, they’re invested in the long term. For most people, their portfolios represent their retirement.” He advised that investors simply make sure they are invested wisely. “If they have a well-balanced portfolio and it’s properly allocated, they don’t have to worry about it,” he said. Jessie Voisin, a licensed agent with Dillard Financial Solution Inc., agreed the market swings represent “a bunch of noise” but said the swings can have an effect on those nearing retirement. “You have to be in the stock market to save for your retirement if you’re young,” he said. “Where it matters is if you are within five years of retirement, because you just don’t have time

WEAPONS FROM PAGE A1 Sixteen law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and six in Canada have purchased the projectiles, including SWAT units of the Los Angeles County and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Departments in California; police departments in East Hartford, Connecticut; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. “They want an option that bridges the gap between baton, Taser and their service weapons,” said Salvatore Emma, Micron’s chief executive officer. The projectiles do not penetrate the skin, like conventional bullets, but they do cause pain and discomfort. Officers are trained to shoot the projectiles at arms and legs. A person hit in the torso at close range during a dis-

ALL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trader Christopher Lotito works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. U.S. stocks jumped at the open after China’s central bank cut interest rates to support its economy. to recover.” Voisin said previous stock market jitters have led some people to suggest a more conservative strategy for those who are within five years of their planned retirement. “If you go back to 2001, the S&P lost almost 50 percent; in 2008, the Dow

turbance in Canada got a large bruise but no lasting injury, said Gregory Sullivan, SDI’s chief executive officer. No one has been shot in the head with the projectiles at this point, and Sullivan acknowledged the possibility of a serious or deadly injury in the event of a close-range shot to the head. But “because of the accountability factor that exists today in the law enforcement field ... it just makes good sense and good risk management to use something that’s safer and the officers can have confidence in,” said Sullivan, a former Toronto police officer. The product has its limits. While it could subdue an armed suspect from a distance in a hostage or standoff situation, it probably wouldn’t be useful during sudden confrontations, said Toby Wishard, sheriff in Codington County, South Dakota,

lost almost 60 percent,” he said. “If that happens to someone who is that close to retirement you don’t have all those years to recover. If you look at 2008, it took almost a 160 percent gain to get back to level. People were just getting back to level last year from 2008. That is six years just to get back

whose department bought the projectiles several months ago but hasn’t used them yet. “This product is not practical to carry on a belt. You’d have to have the time to get it into place; then the opportunity would have to present itself for you to use it,” Wishard said. “I look at it as more of a specialized tool.” The projectiles, with an average price of $25, carry a variety of payloads, including a powder used in pepper spray,

to even.” Many investors turn to more secure, safer alternatives such as putting money in the bank or in Certificates of Deposit. “You are not going to get the returns (from the market), but you are not going to lose your shirt either,” he said. Another strategy is to invest in an annuity, Voisin said. “They are basically insurance on your money,” he said. “When the stock market goes down you don’t get anything, but you don’t lose any of your principal. Of course, you don’t get those nice gains like you get in the Dow or the S&P; you get some of the gain but not all of the gains.” Bonds are another alternative, he said. “You can buy bonds,” he said. “Bonds have a little bit of risk to them, too, but not like the stock market.” Williams said it is easy to get caught up in short-term market volatility, but that can be overreacting. “If they are affected it is mostly psychological,” he said. “A lot of people react to the market, and they don’t even know why. They think that if it’s down they are supposed to freak out.” The Associated Press contributed to this article.

marker rounds used to identify riot agitators and a malodorant that smells like sewage. Other companies are also marketing less-lethal alternatives, including: • A 12-gauge, two-shot launcher pistol that can fire beanbags, pepper spray and gas pellets, made by Bruzer Less Lethal International, in Elkhart, Indiana. The product has drawn interest because it is smaller than a shotgun and can be used to

force inmates out of a cell or suspects out of a car. “It’s like wasp-spraying; you hit the nest and the bees or the wasps come out,” said company founder Tommy Teach. • A gun attachment that slows down bullets, maintaining enough force to knock someone down but reducing the potential for death, made by Alternative Ballistics, a company outside San Diego. Critics argue the alternatives are merely a stopgap to a much bigger problem.

NOTICE

The Committee for Responsible Government meets each Monday morning at Shoneys Restaurant 8:00am to 9:00am. We discuss the crime and lies that are being perpetrated on our citizens by our local county government. The Item newspaper refuses to print committee news as well as letters to the editor. If you are concerned about what is going on locally come and get the facts about the crimes being committed and not investigated. PAID FOR BY COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOV.

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THE SUMTER ITEM N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item

Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor

20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894

The struggle for economic liberty

ere’s my taxi question: If a person is law-abiding, has a driver’s license, has a car or van that has passed safety inspection and has adequate liability insurance, is there any consumer-oriented reason he should not be able to become a taxicab owner/ operator? Put another way: If you wish to hire the services of such a person, what right does a third party have to prevent that exchange? Many cities have granted monopoly power to taxi companies — the right to prevent entry by others. Sometimes this monopoly takes the form of exclusive government-granted rights to particular individuals to provide taxi services. In Walter other cases, Williams the number of licenses is fixed and a prospective taxi owner must purchase a license from an existing owner. In New York City, such a license is called a taxi medallion. Individual medallions have sold for as high as $700,000 and corporate medallions as high as $1 million. In other cities, such as Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston, taxi licenses have sold for anywhere between $300,000 and $700,000. These are prices for a license to own and operate a single vehicle as a taxi. Where public utility commissions decide who will have the right to go into the taxi business, a prospective entrant must apply for a “certificate of public convenience and necessity.” Lawyers for the incumbent taxi owners, most often corporate owners or owner associations, appear at the hearing to argue that there is no necessity or public convenience that would be served by permitting a new entrant. Where medallions are sold, the person must have cash or the credit standing to be able to get a loan from a lender, such as the Medallion Financial Corp., that specializes in taxi medallion purchases. Medallion Financial Corp. has held as much as $520 million in loans for taxi medallions. So what are the effects of taxi regulation? When a person must make the case for his entry before a public utility commission, who is likelier to win, a single individual with limited resources or incum-

COMMENTARY bent taxi companies with corporate lawyers representing them? I’d put my money on the incumbent taxi companies being able to use the public utility commission to keep the wannabes out. Who is handicapped in the cases in which one has to purchase a $700,000 medallion in order to own and operate a taxi? If you answered “a person who doesn’t have $700,000 lying around or doesn’t have the credit to get a loan for $700,000,” go to the head of the class. A natural question is: Who are the people least likely to be able to compete with corporate lawyers or have $700,000 lying around or have good enough credit to get such a loan? They are low- and moderate-income people and minorities. Many own cars and have the means to get into the taxi business and earn between $40,000 and $50,000 annually, but they can’t overcome the regulatory hurdle. Enter Uber and Lyft, two ride-hailing services. Both companies use freelance contractors who provide rides with their own cars. The companies operate mobile applications that allow customers with smartphones to submit trip requests, which are then routed to Uber or Lyft drivers, who provide taxi-like services with their own cars. The legality of these companies has been challenged by taxi companies and politicians who do the bidding of established taxi companies. They allege that the use of drivers who are not licensed to drive taxicabs is unsafe and illegal. Uber and Lyft drivers like the idea of working when they want to. Some have full-time jobs. Picking up passengers is an easy way to earn extra money. Everyone is happy about the arrangement except existing taxi companies and government officials who do their bidding. Taxi companies retain much of their monopoly because Uber and Lyft are prohibited from cruising. They are also prohibited from picking up passengers at most train stations and airports. But that monopoly may not last much longer. Let’s hope not. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. © 2015 creators.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR 2ND AMENDMENT REASON OTHER FREEDOMS EXIST It was sad and shocking to read the comments on the Opinion page this past week of one who expressed much contempt for our American Constitution. He probably does not consider that his very right to vent his abhorrence for the Second Amendment was gained by citizens exercising its principle (i.e. citizens with the freedom to use their guns in defense). His reasoning should also have him campaigning against fuel and fire starters (matches, lighters, etc.) due to the fact of a massacre of 87 people in March, 1990, (Happy Land Disco, Bronx, New York) by a man with a can of gasoline. It is a gross offense to imply that the Second Amendment

is the cause of mass murder in this country. If it were not for this natural right, this country would be a lot worse than what it presently is. The ignorant should compare the violence of cities with the most stringent gun controls with those who recognize our God-given right to defend ourselves. The people who hate the Second Amendment are (1) criminals and (2) those who hate people who want to defend ourselves against criminals. Incidentally, the countries that don’t have the Second Amendment right wonder what their excuse is for mass murders? Perhaps those who abhor our Constitution should consider moving somewhere without it. RON WILSON Sumter

NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE

Keep asking ‘Why not Sumter?’ In “‘Why not Sumter?’ CEO of Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce shares his ideas,” The Sumter Item’s Konstantin Vengerowsky reports on a speech this week by the Sumter Chamber’s new CEO, Chris Hardy, to the Sumter Monday Rotary Club. Read it online at www.theitem.com: “We have to ask the question ourselves, ‘Why Sumter?’, why people or potential businesses would want to relocate here,” Hardy said. “There are a lot of things in our area we can be proud of. We’re going to expand on the things that have been going well and try to do some things new that’s going to move us forward in the future.” Hardy said there’s a lot of growth potential for the Chamber, and the organization will immediately start working on recruiting additional members. “I want us to be as inclusive as we possibly can be as an organization,” he said. “It does not matter what type of business it is. If you provide an economic impact to the community, you deserve the assistance of the Chamber. There’s only one color in business, and that’s green.” Successful collaboration was one of the major topics he discussed. That includes the relationship between various organizations such as the Chamber, economic development commission, the commission of visitors bureau, local government and education, he said. “Good collaboration makes our jobs a lot easier,” he said. Hardy said there are going to be some new things the Chamber has not done before. “I promise you, everything we do that we initiate is for the best; there’s a reason behind everything,” he said. He said one of those things includes providing videos in the future, with a primary focus of promoting members more. “Sumter’s already on the business map, we just want to make it bigger,” he said. “’Why not Sumter?’ That’s the question we always have to continue asking ourselves.”

masky writes, “You thought Clinton-Obama 2008 was bad? Wait until a white guy steps in a woman’s path and attacks her integrity.” Read it online at www.dailybeast.com: You’ve got to admit it was kind of a stroke of genius for Joe Biden to have that “secret” meeting with Elizabeth Warren over the weekend. The mind of course jumps instantly to the prospect of a Biden-Warren ticket, even to the idea that Biden could, when announcing his candidacy say next month, also announce that Warren will be his running mate. Game-changer is a hoary expression in this town, so forgive me, but that really would be one. I’d guess Biden would go instantly from his current 13 percent to at least twice that. His ego would have to adjust to having a running mate who is more beloved than he is and who draws crowds about four or five times the size of his. But even something short of an official alliance, a nudge-wink implication that Warren is somehow on team Biden, makes him a much more serious player. The media would be rooting for and trying to foment Democratic chaos every step of the way. Of 2008, I do think it’s fair to say that the press liked Obama and kinda wanted to see him win. “America Elects First Black President” was the best of the possible story lines on offer and it made (most) people feel good about the country. Well, today, the media want to see Clinton lose, it’s pretty obvious, and so they’d do everything they could to promote Biden and turn the campaign into allout war. And in contrast, the press likes Biden, and reporters will cut him lots of slack and lash into her for daring to attack Biden after the personal tragedy he’s suffered.

NOT YOUR GRANDPARENTS’ CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

HILLARY V. BIDEN: THINGS COULD GET UGLY

In The Washington Post, Barbara Reynolds writes, “I was a civil rights activist in the 1960s. But it’s hard for me to get behind Black Lives Matter.” Read it online at www.washingtonpost.com:

In “Hillary vs. Biden Would Get Ugly Fast,” the Daily Beast’s Michael To-

As the rapper Tef Poe sharply pointed out at a St. Louis rally in October pro-

testing the death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.: “This ain’t your grandparents’ civil rights movement.” He’s right. It looks, sounds and feels different. Black Lives Matter is a motley-looking group to this septuagenarian grandmother, an activist in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Many in my crowd admire the cause and courage of these young activists but fundamentally disagree with their approach. Trained in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr., we were nonviolent activists who won hearts by conveying respectability and changed laws by delivering a message of love and unity. BLM seems intent on rejecting our proven methods. This movement is ignoring what our history has taught. The baby boomers who drove the success of the civil rights movement want to get behind Black Lives Matter, but the group’s confrontational and divisive tactics make it difficult. In the 1960s, activists confronted white mobs and police with dignity and decorum, sometimes dressing in church clothes and kneeling in prayer during protests to make a clear distinction between who was evil and who was good. But at protests today, it is difficult to distinguish legitimate activists from the mob actors who burn and loot. The demonstrations are peppered with hate speech, profanity, and guys with sagging pants that show their underwear. Even if the BLM activists aren’t the ones participating in the boorish language and dress, neither are they condemning it. The 1960s movement also had an innate respectability because our leaders often were heads of the black church, as well. Unfortunately, church and spirituality are not high priorities for Black Lives Matter, and the ethics of love, forgiveness and reconciliation that empowered black leaders such as King and Nelson Mandela in their successful quests to win over their oppressors are missing from this movement. Notable & Quotable is compiled by Graham Osteen. Reach him at graham@ theitem.com.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your letter to letters@theitem.com, drop it off at The Sumter Item office, 20 N. Magnolia St., or mail it to The Sumter Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, SC 29151, along with the writer’s full name, address and telephone number (for verification purposes only). Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety at www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

SUPPORT GROUPS AA, AL-ANON, ALATEEN: AA — Monday-Friday, noon and 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 7751852. AA Women’s Meeting — Wednesday, 7 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852. AA Spanish Speaking — Sunday, 4:30 p.m., 1 Warren St. (803) 775-1852. AA “How it Works” Group — Monday and Friday, 8 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call (803) 4945180. 441 AA Support Group — Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 8:30 p.m., Hair Force, 2090-D S.C. 441. AA Summerton Group — Wednesday, 8 p.m., town hall. Manning Al-Anon Family Group — Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Behavioral Health Building, 14 Church St., Manning. Call Angie Johnson at (803) 4358085. C/A “Drop the Rock” Group — Thursday, 9:30 p.m., 1154 Ronda St. Call Elizabeth Owens at (803) 607-4543.

MONDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Vitiligo Support Group — second Monday of each month, 5:45-6:45 p.m., North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St. Call Tiffany at (803) 316-6763. Find us on Facebook at Sumter Vitiligo Support.

TUESDAY MEETINGS: Sumter Connective Tissue Support Group — 1st Tuesday of Jan., March, May, July, Sept. and Nov., 7 p.m., 180 Tiller Circle. Call (803) 773-0869. Mothers of Angels (for mothers who have lost a child) — First and third Tuesday, 6 p.m., Wise Drive Baptist Church. Call Betty at (803) 469-2616 or Carol at (803) 469-9426. Sumter Combat Veterans Group Peer to Peer — Every Tuesday, 11 a.m., South HOPE Center, 1125 S. Lafayette Drive. Veterans helping veterans with PTSD, coping skills, claims and benefits. Parkinson’s Support Group — Second Tuesday each month, 5:30 p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital cafeteria, 121 E. Cedar St., Florence. Call (843) 661-3746. Sumter Chapter Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) — Third Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m., Birnie HOPE Center, 210 S. Purdy St. For families or friends who have lost a loved one to murder in a violent way. Multiple Sclerosis Support Group — Third Tuesday each month,

5:30 p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital community meeting room, 121 E. Cedar St., Florence. Call (843) 6613746. Amputee Support Group — Fourth Tuesday each month, 5:30 p.m., Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital cafeteria, 121 E. Cedar St., Florence. Call (843) 661-3746. EFMP Parent Exchange Group — Last Tuesday each month, 11 a.m.-noon, Airman and Family Readiness Center. Support to service members who have a dependent with a disability or illness. Call Dorcus Haney at (803) 895-1252/1253 or Sue Zimmerman at (803) 847-2377.

WEDNESDAY MEETINGS: Sickle Cell Support Group — last Wednesday each month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., South Sumter Resource Center, 337 Manning Ave. Call Bertha Willis at (803) 774-6181.

THURSDAY MEETINGS: TOPS S.C. No. 236 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) — Thursdays, 9 a.m., Spectrum Senior Center,1989 Durant Lane. Call Diane at (803) 775-3926 or Nancy at (803) 469-4789. Alzheimer’s Support Group through S.C. Alzheimer’s Association — Every 1st Thursday, 6-8 p.m., McElveen Manor, 2065 McCrays Mill Road. Call Cheryl Fluharty at (803) 9057720 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 636-3346. Journey of Hope (for family members of the mentally ill), Journey to Recovery (for the mentally ill) and Survivors of Suicide Support Group — Each group meets every 1st Thursday, 7 p.m., St. John United Methodist Church, 136 Poinsett Drive. Call Fred Harmon at (803) 905-5620.

FRIDAY MEETINGS: Celebrate Recovery — Every Friday, 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program, Salt & Light Church, Miller Road (across from Food Lion). For help with struggles of alcohol, drugs, family problems, smoking, etc. Wateree AIDS Task Force Support Group — Every third Friday, 11:30 a.m. Call Kevin Johnson at (803) 778-0303.

SATURDAY MEETINGS: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Support Group — 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday, 3785 Blackberry Lane, Lot 7. Call Donna Parker at (803) 481-7521.

DAILY PLANNER

WEATHER

SUMTER CITY-COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Today, 3 p.m., fourth floor, Sumter Opera House, Council Chambers

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Initiate EUGENIA LAST changes that will help you feel healthier. Love is encouraged, and socializing and sharing your plans will bring you closer to the type of life you want to live.

The last word in astrology

TODAY

TONIGHT

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly cloudy with a t-storm

Clear to partly cloudy

A thunderstorm in the area

A thunderstorm in spots

An afternoon thunderstorm

Clouds and occasional sunshine

90°

70°

88° / 70°

86° / 71°

88° / 70°

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 25%

Chance of rain: 40%

Chance of rain: 50%

Chance of rain: 25%

ENE 6-12 mph

E 3-6 mph

ENE 6-12 mph

E 4-8 mph

ESE 4-8 mph

TODAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Get involved, make plans, network or do something special for someone you want to get to know better. Speak from the heart and express an interest in whatever you’re dealing with, and you’ll find out valuable information.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Stop and take note of what is going on around you. Look for unusual opportunities and search for answers to the unknown. Your curiosity will lead you to more fortunate circumstances. Don’t let choices others make lead you astray.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A practical approach to whatever you do is a much better approach than casting your fate to the wind and seeing what unfolds. Take control of the situations you face and harness what you want by using your skills strategically.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Expect to face difficulties if you try to push your ideas on others. If you want to make changes, focus inward and do whatever it takes to improve mentally, physically and emotionally.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Focus on partnerships. Discuss plans with others and explore options. Someone you meet through a friend or while traveling will spark your interest in something you might not have previously considered.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Emotions will be difficult to contain. Don’t hide the way you feel when expressing your opinions. Make a plan to do the things that will help you achieve greater happiness.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Abide by the rules and you’ll avoid LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You can make unexpected headaches. It’s important professional changes, but don’t leave one job until you’ve found another. It’s to put greater effort into the relationships you have with others. A important to be responsible and not change of attitude will encourage act impulsively. Collect information others to strive to improve as well. and update your skills before you Love is highlighted. decide to make a move. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Speak up and those around you will listen and take note of what you’re proposing. Your intelligence and dedication will be recognized and help you gain respect as well as an interesting position. Think big, but don’t lose sight of reality.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take a trip that will offer you a chance to learn something new or discover what you want to do next. Greater involvement in an effort to bring about positive reforms or improvements to your community should be on your agenda.

Gaﬀney 85/64 Spartanburg 86/66

Greenville 86/66

Columbia 92/70

Temperatures shown on map are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sumter 90/70

Aiken 89/65

ON THE COAST

Charleston 89/73

Today: A couple of showers and a thunderstorm. High 86 to 92. Thursday: Clouds and sun with a shower or thunderstorm around. High 84 to 88.

LOCAL ALMANAC

LAKE LEVELS

SUMTER THROUGH 4 P.M. YESTERDAY

Today Hi/Lo/W 84/66/s 74/56/s 94/72/s 72/55/pc 93/66/s 90/70/s 89/70/s 85/67/s 93/74/t 84/65/s 105/86/t 74/59/pc 84/67/s

SUN AND MOON 7 a.m. yest. 356.89 73.14 73.03 97.01

24-hr chg -0.02 -0.07 -0.04 +0.11

Sunrise 6:51 a.m. Moonrise 5:27 p.m.

RIVER STAGES River Black River Congaree River Lynches River Saluda River Up. Santee River Wateree River

0.61" 2.21" 4.21" 26.36" 25.57" 32.55"

NATIONAL CITIES City Atlanta Chicago Dallas Detroit Houston Los Angeles New Orleans New York Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC

Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

94° 74° 88° 68° 99° in 1975 56° in 1992

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 87/70/s 77/59/s 97/75/pc 75/58/s 95/69/pc 92/71/s 89/70/s 82/66/s 90/74/t 84/64/s 106/87/s 80/62/pc 85/68/s

Myrtle Beach 87/73

Manning 90/70

Today: Partly sunny and nice. Winds northeast 6-12 mph. Thursday: Partly sunny and nice. Winds east-northeast 6-12 mph.

Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Florence 87/70

Bishopville 88/68

Sunset Moonset

7:56 p.m. 3:18 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Aug. 29

Sep. 5

Sep. 13

Sep. 21

TIDES

Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr stage yest. chg 12 2.04 +0.20 19 2.51 -0.10 14 1.53 +0.10 14 2.26 -0.01 80 73.83 -0.01 24 4.56 -0.01

AT MYRTLE BEACH

High 6:11 a.m. 7:02 p.m. 7:10 a.m. 7:57 p.m.

Today Thu.

Ht. 2.9 3.5 3.1 3.6

Low Ht. 1:07 a.m. 0.5 1:10 p.m. 0.1 2:02 a.m. 0.2 2:08 p.m. -0.1

REGIONAL CITIES City Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville

Today Hi/Lo/W 81/60/pc 87/67/pc 91/64/pc 92/74/t 87/73/t 89/73/t 86/66/pc 87/69/pc 92/70/c 88/69/t 86/68/t 86/69/t 87/68/c

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 81/61/pc 88/68/s 87/69/pc 88/73/t 84/72/t 87/71/t 88/66/pc 86/69/pc 90/70/pc 87/69/t 83/67/t 83/69/t 85/68/t

Today City Hi/Lo/W Florence 87/70/t Gainesville 92/72/t Gastonia 86/65/pc Goldsboro 86/68/t Goose Creek 90/73/t Greensboro 83/64/pc Greenville 86/66/pc Hickory 84/64/pc Hilton Head 88/74/t Jacksonville, FL 92/71/t La Grange 87/64/s Macon 89/64/s Marietta 83/65/s

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 86/71/t 90/71/t 88/66/pc 84/68/t 86/72/t 84/66/pc 86/66/pc 84/64/pc 85/75/t 89/71/t 91/68/s 90/68/s 86/69/s

Today City Hi/Lo/W Marion 82/60/pc Mt. Pleasant 90/74/t Myrtle Beach 87/73/t Orangeburg 93/70/t Port Royal 91/74/t Raleigh 83/65/pc Rock Hill 87/65/pc Rockingham 87/65/pc Savannah 93/72/t Spartanburg 86/66/pc Summerville 90/72/t Wilmington 86/69/t Winston-Salem 83/63/pc

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 81/60/pc 86/74/t 84/73/t 87/70/pc 87/74/t 84/67/t 88/66/pc 86/65/t 88/72/t 86/65/pc 86/72/t 83/70/t 83/65/pc

Weather(W): s–sunny, pc–partly cloudy, c–cloudy, sh–showers, t–thunderstorms, r–rain, sf–snow ﬂurries, sn–snow, i–ice

For Comfort You Can Count On, Better Make It Boykin! 803-778-COOL (2665) www.boykinacs.com

SUMTER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARD Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 32 E. Calhoun St.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A transformation is taking place. Facing difficulties will open your eyes and mind to new opportunities. Don’t allow anyone to steer you away from a course that can bring you happiness. Believe in yourself and do as you please.

AccuWeather® ﬁve-day forecast for Sumter

PUBLIC AGENDA GREATER SUMTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Today, noon, chamber office

THE SUMTER ITEM

License #M4217

LOTTERY NUMBERS PALMETTO CASH 5 TUESDAY

POWERBALL SATURDAY

12-18-21-25-26 PowerUp: 2

4-12-14-21-55 Powerball: 7 Powerplay: 4

PICK 3 TUESDAY

PICK 4 TUESDAY

5-2-6 and 8-3-8

9-3-4-8 and 1-8-5-9

LUCKY FOR LIFE MONDAY 5-11-16-22-46; Lucky Ball: 12

MEGAMILLIONS TUESDAY Numbers were not available at press time.

SUMTER ANIMAL CONTROL PET OF THE WEEK Are you looking for an active and playful young dog to join your family? Well, come and take a look at Kayla in kennel 17 at Sumter Animal Control. This striking looking young girl is a real head turner. She is friendly, responsive and smart. Kayla would love a family to play ball with and then cuddle up with the kids to watch some television. Kayla is approximately 40-50 pounds and less than 2 years old. Call (803) 4362066 to ask about Kayla.

SECTION

Call: (803) 774-1241 | E-mail: sports@theitem.com

8 days until kickoff for Gamecocks football

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

PREP VOLLEYBALL

Promising punch to open the season Gamecocks blank rival Crestwood in opener BY EDDIE LITAKER Special to The Sumter Item Sumter High School volleyball head coach Warren Coker started his 16th year in that capacity in promising fashion on Tuesday as the Lady Gamecocks cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Crestwood at The Castle. Last season’s Gamecock squad, featuring seniors Brook Gentele, Courtney Price, Rayven Pringle, Holly Richardson and Rebecca Twitty, finished third in Region VI-4A with a 5-5 record and was 16-16-3 overall. It suffered a 3-0 loss to Lexington in the first round of the state playoffs. “We had a decent season,” said COKER Coker, who holds a 219-159-10 record entering his 16th season. “Hopefully we can build on that. We’re very young this year, some inexperience mixed with some experience, so it’s going to be a learning curve for all of us. I’m having to play some players out of positions that they are normally accustomed to, just because they’re stronger in those positions, and they’re adjusting to it as we go along.” One player that, at least

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter’s Aubrey Rickard hits a serve during the Gamecocks’ 3-0 victory over Crestwood on Tuesday at The Castle. Rickard led the team with 15 SEE GAMECOCKS, PAGE B3 aces, 10 assists and four kills.

PREP FOOTBALL

USC FOOTBALL

Swampcats to face Lions on road in opener

Soph Mitch named USC starting QB

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennis@theitem.com Returning just 12 players from a 36-man roster that played for the SCISA 3A football state title last season, Laurence Manning Academy wouldn’t mind a non-conferBRIGGS ence game or two before entering the all-important conference schedule. There is no such luck for the Swampcats and, even better, they get to take a 2-hour-plus drive to Martinez, Ga., on Friday to open the season against Augusta Christian School at 7:30 p.m. “We were scheduled to play Gray Collegiate (Academy) in Week Zero (last

Friday),” said head coach Robbie Briggs, who will be starting his third season at LMA. “They had some issues and couldn’t fulfill it, and we allowed them out of it, so we open with Augusta Christian. We’re going to have to play well if we hope to win.” Laurence Manning went 11-3 last season, losing to Hammond in the title game. That was the first time the Swampcats had reached the title game in 15 seasons. This year, an initial goal is to put together a winning season. That would give LMA three straight winning seasons and that would be the first time it had happened in 26 years. “I’m proud of how hard these young men have worked,” Briggs said.

SEE LMA, PAGE B3

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press

spot through turns three and four. Lawson looked to find a way around Duke, but couldn’t make his car stick. As the laps wound down, Duke continued to show the way with Lawson in tow. Duke held off Lawson and took the checkered flag and

COLUMBIA— Connor Mitch finally won the quarterback job at South Carolina, and Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday the sophomore has a chance to keep it well beyond next week’s season opener with North Carolina. Spurrier picked Mitch from a fourway quarterback competition that MITCH began during spring practice. Spurrier said Mitch played his way past junior Perry Orth, redshirt freshman Michael Scarnnechia SPURRIER and true freshman Lorenzo Nunez. Mitch was expected to take over the position after the departure of senior Dylan Thompson, who set the single-season record for South Carolina passing yards last year. Still, no one on the roster has much college experience — receiver Pharoh Cooper entered camp with the most passing yards on the team from appearances in the Gamecocks’ wildcat option. “The competition was really close,” Spurrier said. “But we’ve got to make a decision and we thought he was slightly ahead, maybe, and he’s ready to go. We’re going to give him all the support we can.” Mitch, a 6-foot-3 passer from Raleigh, North Carolina, said he had prepared himself for the job since the team returned

SEE SPEEDWAY, PAGE B3

SEE USC, PAGE B4

KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Cale Gamble is just one of 12 returning players for Laurence Manning Academy this season. The Swampcats, who finished as the SCISA 3A state runner-up will open the season at Augusta Christian on Friday.

LOCAL RACING

Duke wins $400 bounty in Crate Late Model feature BY CODY TRUETT Special to The Sumter Item Banjo Duke returned to the Crate Late Model division at Sumter Speedway for the first time on Saturday, and he made the most of his return. Duke picked up the victory and the $400 bounty that had been placed on Matt

Lawson, who had been dominating the division. Duke started the feature from the pole position after posting the fastest qualifying time. As the green flag

flew, he shot into the lead as Lawson dove to the inside. Duke held on to the top spot with Lawson alongside of him. Duke cleared Lawson and took control of the top

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

AREA SCOREBOARD FOOTBALL SUMTER TOUCHDOWN CLUB

The Sumter Touchdown club presented by FTC is accepting members as it prepares for the start of its weekly breakfast meetings on Sept. 4. The club will meet for 12 weeks through Friday, Nov. 29. Each meeting will feature a buffet breakfast, the recognition of The Sumter Item Players of the Week, a weekly devotional, a Pick ‘Em Contest, the Coaches Corner and a guest speaker. Membership is $100 and sponsorship levels start at $200. Meetings will be held each Friday from 7:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at The Quality Inn on Broad Street. For more information, go to www.sumtertdclub.com or call Lee Glaze at (803) 968-0773 or Talmadge Tobias at (803) 4914573 for more information.

ROAD RACING FORREST RAY 5K

The 10th Annual Forrest Ray 5K will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19. The race will begin at the Sumter County Library at 111 North Harvin Street.

Proceeds from the race will go support the Sumter County Library. Race day registration will begin at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 8. The registration cost prior to the race is $20 while race day registration is $25. Runners can visit strictlyrunning.com, the Sumter Family YMCA or any Sumter County Library location to register. For more information, call (803) 773-7273 or visit www.sumtercountylibrary.com.

GOLF HOLE-IN-ONE

Eighty-year-old Frank Morrone had his first career hole-in-one at The Links at Lakewood on Aug. 15. Morrone, who is from Longs , aced the 115-yard No. 17 hole with a pitching wedge. Playing along with Morrone were Del Atkins, Dennis Monrow and Curt Ward. 9-HOLE SCRAMBLE

The 9-hole Scramble event hosted by The Links at Lakewood will be held every Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per player and includes prizes and dinner. The cost is $12 for those attending just the dinner. To sign up, call the pro shop at (803) 4815700 up to 5 p.m. the day of the event.

SPORTS ITEMS

LAWYERS TRYING TO WIN OVER ‘DEFLATEGATE’ JUDGE

NEW YORK — Even as negotiations aimed at settling the NFL’s “Deflategate” scandal drag on, lawyers are seeking every legal advantage in a quest to win over a federal judge.

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO TODAY

1 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Houston at New York Yankees (MLB NETWORK). 2:30 p.m. – International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Playoff Second Leg Match – Manchester United vs. Club Brugge (FOX SPORTS 1). 2:30 p.m. – International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Playoff Second Leg Match – Lazio vs. Bayer Leverkusen (FOX SPORTS 2). 2:30 p.m. – International Soccer: UEFA Champions League Playoff Second Leg Match – BATE Borisov vs. Partizan Belgrade (FOX SPORTSOUTH). 4 p.m. – Youth Baseball: Little League World Series International Pool Winners Bracket Game from Williamsport, Pa. -- Barquisimeto, Venezuela, vs. Tokyo (ESPN). 6:05 p.m. – Talk Show: Sports Talk (WDXY-FM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240). 7 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Los Angeles Angels at Detroit or Minnesota at Tampa Bay (MLB NETWORK). 7 p.m. – WNBA Basketball: Los Angeles at Indiana (NBA TV). 7 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Colorado at Atlanta (SPORTSOUTH, WPUB-FM 102.7). 8 p.m. – Youth Baseball: Little League World Series United States Pool Winners Bracket Game from Williamsport, Pa. – Pearland, Texas, vs. Lewisberry, Pa. (ESPN). 8 p.m. – International Soccer: CONCACAF Champions League Match – Queretaro vs. San Francisco (UNIVISION). 10 p.m. – Major League Baseball: Chicago Cubs at San Francisco (ESPN). 10 p.m. – International Soccer: CONCACAF Champions League Match – Tigres vs. Herediano (UNIVISION). 5 a.m. – Professional Golf: European PGA Tour D+D Real Czech Masters First Round from Prague (GOLF).

Repeating arguments they made at a hearing one week ago, lawyers for the league, the players’ union and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady are sending Judge Richard Berman letters reminding him of their legal positions over the controversy stemming from deflated footballs at January’s AFC championship game, which New England won over the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. SERENA, DJOKOVIC ARE U.S. OPEN TOP SEEDS

NEW YORK — Topranked Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are seeded No. 1 for the U.S. Open. The U.S. Tennis Association announced the seedings Tuesday. The year’s last major tournament starts Monday, when Williams will seek to complete the first Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. She has

won the U.S. Open each of the previous three times she was seeded No. 1, including the past two years. NBA FINES CLIPPERS $250,000 BECAUSE OF JORDAN PITCH

NEW YORK — The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $250,000 after an investigation found the team had violated league rules while trying to re-sign DeAndre Jordan last month. The league said Tuesday that the Clippers had made a presentation to the thenfree agent on July 2 that improperly included a potential third-party endorsement opportunity. League rules prohibit teams from arranging for others to provide compensation for a player unless it is included in a contract or is otherwise permitted by the collective bargaining agreement. From wire reports

LLWS ROUNDUP

W New York 69 Toronto 69 Baltimore 62 Tampa Bay 62 Boston 57 CENTRAL DIVISION W Kansas City 76 Minnesota 63 Detroit 59 Chicago 58 Cleveland 58 WEST DIVISION W Houston 69 Texas 64 Los Angeles 63 Seattle 57 Oakland 55

L 55 55 62 62 68

Pct .556 .556 .500 .500 .456

GB – – 7 7 121/2

L 48 61 65 65 66

Pct .613 .508 .476 .472 .468

GB – 13 17 171/2 18

L 57 59 61 68 71

Pct .548 .520 .508 .456 .437

GB – 31/2 5 111/2 14

MONDAY’S GAMES

Chicago Cubs 2, Cleveland 1 N.Y. Yankees 1, Houston 0 Cincinnati 12, Detroit 5 Kansas City 8, Baltimore 3 Boston 5, Chicago White Sox 4 Oakland 11, Seattle 5

TODAY’S GAMES

Houston (McHugh 13-7) at N.Y. Yankees (Pineda 9-7), 1:05 p.m. Oakland (Bassitt 1-5) at Seattle (F. Hernandez 14-8), 3:40 p.m. L.A. Angels (Santiago 7-7) at Detroit (Verlander 1-6), 7:08 p.m. Milwaukee (Nelson 10-9) at Cleveland (Co.Anderson 2-3), 7:10 p.m. Minnesota (Duffey 2-1) at Tampa Bay (Archer 11-9), 7:10 p.m. Toronto (Price 12-4) at Texas (Lewis 14-5), 8:05 p.m. Baltimore (W.Chen 7-6) at Kansas City (Cueto 2-2), 8:10 p.m. Boston (Porcello 5-11) at Chicago White Sox (Sale 12-7), 8:10 p.m.

St. Louis Pittsburgh Chicago Milwaukee Cincinnati WEST DIVISION Los Angeles San Francisco Arizona San Diego Colorado

W 68 62 54 50 50

L 56 61 71 75 75

Pct .548 .504 .432 .400 .400

GB – 51/2 141/2 181/2 181/2

W 79 75 72 53 52

L 45 48 51 72 71

Pct .637 .610 .585 .424 .423

GB – 31/2 61/2 261/2 261/2

W 67 66 62 61 49

L 56 58 62 63 74

Pct .545 .532 .500 .492 .398

GB – 11/2 51/2 61/2 18

MONDAY’S GAMES

Chicago Cubs 2, Cleveland 1 N.Y. Mets 16, Philadelphia 7 Atlanta 5, Colorado 3 Cincinnati 12, Detroit 5 Pittsburgh 5, Miami 2 St. Louis 5, Arizona 3

MEXICO 11 TAIWAN 1

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Catcher Raul Leon drove in five runs with a homer and a single, and Mexico eliminated Taipei, Taiwan with an 11-1 victory on Tuesday at the Little League World Series. Mexico will face Japan or Venezuela, which are both unbeaten and play on Wednesday. Leon drove in only one

run during Mexicali’s first three games. He homered in the first inning for a 3-0 lead, spreading his arms in celebration as he rounded the bases. In the second inning, he came up with the bases loaded and singled sharply to center field for two more runs during a four-run rally. Mexicali second baseman Andres Villa made the highlight reels when he scooped a grounder with his glove to the shortstop to start a double play in the second inning. Villa hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Ernesto Rios followed with a solo shot to end it. From wire reports

Baltimore Cincinnati Pittsburgh Cleveland WEST

L 1 1 1 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .500 .500 .000

PF 35 37 33 40

PA 35 46 45 58

W 1 1 1 0

L 1 1 1 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .500 .500 .000

PF 33 35 51 21

PA 24 43 45 59

W 1 1 1 0

L 1 1 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .500 .333 .000

PF 47 34 48 27

PA 67 35 56 31

W 2 2 2 1

L 0 0 0 1

T 0 0 0 0

Pct 1.000 1.000 1.000 .500

PF 36 48 39 30

PA 30 32 26 23

Philadelphia Washington N.Y. Giants Dallas SOUTH Carolina Atlanta Tampa Bay New Orleans NORTH Minnesota Chicago Detroit Green Bay WEST San Francisco Arizona Seattle St. Louis

W 2 2 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct 1.000 1.000 .500 .000

PF 76 41 32 13

PA 27 34 35 40

W 2 1 1 0

L 0 1 1 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct 1.000 .500 .500 .000

PF 56 53 41 51

PA 54 54 37 56

W 3 2 1 1

L 0 0 1 1

T 0 0 0 0

Pct 1.000 1.000 .500 .500

PF 60 50 40 41

PA 31 21 24 35

W 1 0 0 0

L 1 2 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .000 .000 .000

PF 33 38 33 17

PA 29 56 36 45

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Washington 21, Detroit 17 Buffalo 11, Cleveland 10

FRIDAY’S GAMES

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Houston at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m. L.A. Angels at Detroit, 7:08 p.m. Milwaukee at Cleveland, 7:10 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m. Toronto at Texas, 8:05 p.m. Baltimore at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m. Boston at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. Oakland at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

New York Washington Atlanta Miami Philadelphia CENTRAL DIVISION

three walks and five wild pitches. Webb City showed a little defense, too, pulling off a slick double play in the second inning. Second baseman Mekhi Garrard had a nice pivot to complete the play.

Houston Jacksonville Tennessee Indianapolis NORTH

W 1 1 1 0

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

NATIONAL LEAGUE

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Devrin Weathers pitched into the fifth inning and hit a two-run homer on Tuesday, leading Webb City, Missouri to an 18-6 victory over Canada in a consolation game at the Little League World Series. Webb City completed its first victory with a ninerun sixth inning. Cole Gayman had a two-run double, and Jaystin Smith hit a two-run homer. Weathers gave up four runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out six. Webb City went ahead to stay with five runs in the third on only two hits — Cale McCallister’s RBI single and Gayman’s run-scoring double. Webb City took advantage of an error,

Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami SOUTH

EAST

EAST DIVISION

Missouri tops Canada in consolation game

AMERICAN CONFERENCE EAST

AMERICAN LEAGUE

THURSDAY’S GAMES

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NFL PRESEASON By The Associated Press

EAST DIVISION

L.A. Angels at Detroit, 1:08 p.m. Toronto at Texas, 2:05 p.m. Baltimore at Kansas City, 2:10 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m. Seattle at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

Devrin Weathers (19) of Webb City, Mo., is greeted by third baseman Kai Cuminskey (10) of White Rock, British Columbia, after Weathers hit a 2-run home run during the fifth inning of a consolation game in the Little League World Series on Tuesday in South Williamsport, Pa. Webb City won 18-6.

ray, 696. 11, Ryan Newman, 683. 12, Paul Menard, 674. 13, Jeff Gordon, 672. 14, Carl Edwards, 666. 15, Clint Bowyer, 655. 16, Aric Almirola, 620. 17, Kasey Kahne, 618. 18, Greg Biffle, 572. 19, Austin Dillon, 564. 20, Kyle Larson, 551. Money 1, Kevin Harvick, $6,668,896. 2, Joey Logano, $5,914,657. 3, Jimmie Johnson, $5,190,830. 4, Denny Hamlin, $4,703,742. 5, Dale Earnhardt Jr., $4,478,495. 6, Matt Kenseth, $4,353,609. 7, Brad Keselowski, $4,311,664. 8, Jeff Gordon, $4,157,894. 9, Martin Truex Jr., $3,856,946. 10, Clint Bowyer, $3,800,307. 11, Ryan Newman, $3,722,353. 12, Greg Biffle, $3,680,251. 13, Jamie McMurray, $3,586,554. 14, Aric Almirola, $3,555,769. 15, Austin Dillon, $3,487,532. 16, Trevor Bayne, $3,419,245. 17, AJ Allmendinger, $3,285,284. 18, David Ragan, $3,229,117. 19, Kyle Larson, $3,212,039. 20, Kurt Busch, $3,175,406.

Denver Kansas City San Diego Oakland

MLB STANDINGS By The Associated Press

Steelers sign QB Vick to 1-year deal PITTSBURGH — Michael Vick needed a job. The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a backup quarterback. One solid workout solved both problems. The Steelers signed the four-time Pro Bowler to a one-year deal on Tuesday night, hopeful there’s enough game left in the 35-yearold’s still dangerous legs to provide the deVICK fending AFC North champions some insurance should something happen to Ben Roethlisberger.

THE SUMTER ITEM

TUESDAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. San Diego at Washington, 7:05 p.m. Colorado at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee at Cleveland, 7:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Miami, 7:10 p.m. St. Louis at Arizona, 9:40 p.m. Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.

TODAY’S GAMES

N.Y. Mets (B.Colon 10-11) at Philadelphia (Eickhoff 1-0), 7:05 p.m. San Diego (T.Ross 8-9) at Washington (Scherzer 11-10), 7:05 p.m. Colorado (Flande 3-1) at Atlanta (S.Miller 5-10), 7:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (B.Anderson 7-8) at Cincinnati (Holmberg 1-3), 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee (Nelson 10-9) at Cleveland (Co.Anderson 2-3), 7:10 p.m. Pittsburgh (Locke 6-8) at Miami (Narveson 1-0), 7:10 p.m. St. Louis (Lackey 10-8) at Arizona (Corbin 3-3), 9:40 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 6-5) at San Francisco (Peavy 3-6), 10:15 p.m.

N.Y. Jets 30, Atlanta 22 Kansas City 14, Seattle 13

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Philadelphia 40, Baltimore 17 Carolina 31, Miami 30 New England 26, New Orleans 24 Chicago 23, Indianapolis 11 N.Y. Giants 22, Jacksonville 12 Minnesota 20, Oakland 12 Denver 14, Houston 10 San Diego 22, Arizona 19

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Pittsburgh 24, Green Bay 19 San Francisco 23, Dallas 6 Tennessee 27, St. Louis 14

MONDAY’S GAME

Tampa Bay 25, Cincinnati 11

FRIDAY

New England at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. Tennessee at Kansas City, 8 p.m. Detroit at Jacksonville, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Dallas, 7 p.m. Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. Atlanta at Miami, 7 p.m. N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, 7 p.m. Chicago at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m. Seattle at San Diego, 8 p.m. Philadelphia at Green Bay, 8 p.m. Indianapolis at St. Louis, 8 p.m. San Francisco at Denver, 9 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press BASEBALL

COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE — Suspended Tampa Bay 1B James Loney one game for making contact with an umpire. American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Placed C Steve Clevinger on paternity leave. Assigned RHP Eddie Gamboa outright to Norfolk (IL). Selected the contract of INF Paul Janish from Norfolk. LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Placed 2B Johnny Giavotella on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Friday. Recalled RHP Drew Rucinski from Salt Lake (PCL). TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Claimed RHP Donn Roach off waivers from Cincinnati. Transferred OF Michael Saunders to the 60-day DL. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Sent 3B Phil Gosselin to Reno (PCL) for a rehab assignment. CHICAGO CUBS — Agreed to terms with OF Quintin Berry on a minor league contract. MIAMI MARLINS — Placed RHP Kendry Flores on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Saturday. Reinstated OF Christian Yelich from the 15-day DL. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Sent OF Angel Pagan to Sacramento (PCL) for a rehab assignment. WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Optioned RHP Tanner Roark to Potomac (Carolina). Reinstated OF Denard Span from the 15-day DL. Sent 1B Tyler Moore and 2B Dan Uggla to Potomac for rehab assignments.

WNBA STANDINGS By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE New York Indiana Chicago Washington Connecticut Atlanta

W 18 17 17 15 12 11

L 8 9 11 11 15 16

WESTERN CONFERENCE

THURSDAY’S GAMES

W L x-Minnesota 19 9 x-Phoenix 16 11 Tulsa 13 14 Los Angeles 10 17 Seattle 7 20 San Antonio 7 21 x-clinched playoff spot

NASCAR By The Associated Press

No games scheduled

L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati, 12:35 p.m. Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, 3:45 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. San Diego at Washington, 7:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Miami, 7:10 p.m. St. Louis at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Sprint Cup Leaders Through Aug. 22 1, Kevin Harvick, 908. 2, Joey Logano, 865. 3, Dale Earnhardt Jr., 819. 4, Brad Keselowski, 793. 5, Jimmie Johnson, 792. 6, Martin Truex Jr., 771. 7, Matt Kenseth, 753. 8, Kurt Busch, 713. 9, Denny Hamlin, 712. 10, Jamie McMur-

Pct .692 .654 .607 .577 .444 .407

Pct .679 .593 .481 .370 .259 .250

GB – 1 2 3 61/2 71/2 GB – 21/2 51/2 81/2 111/2 12

MONDAY’S GAMES

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Atlanta 71, Connecticut 57

TODAY’S GAMES

Los Angeles at Indiana, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Phoenix at Connecticut, 7 p.m.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

PREP SCHEDULE TODAY

Varsity Girls Tennis Cardinal Newman at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m. Junior Varsity Girls Tennis Wilson Hall at Cardinal Newman, 4 p.m. Pee Dee at Thomas Sumter, 4 p.m. Varsity and JV Girls Tennis Laurence Manning at Williamsburg, 4 p.m. Varsity and JV Volleyball Robert E. Lee at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY

Junior Varsity Football Crestwood at Sumter, 7:30 p.m. Lakewood at Lake City, 6 p.m.

Manning at Scott’s Branch, 6:30 p.m. Wilson Hall at Orangeburg Prep, 7 p.m. B Team Football Chapin at Sumter, 6 p.m. Wilson Hall at Orangeburg Prep, 5 p.m. Middle School Football Thomas Sumter at Northwood, 6 p.m. Andrew Jackson Academy at Clarendon Hall, 6:30 p.m. Varsity Girls Tennis Sumter at Manning, 4:30 p.m. Wilson Hall at Heathwood Hall, 4 p.m. Holly Hill at Thomas Sumter, 4 p.m. Junior Varsity Girls Tennis Heathwood Hall at Wilson Hall, 4 p.m. Varsity and JV Volleyball East Clarendon, Lakewood at Sumter, 5:30 p.m.

GAMECOCKS FROM PAGE B1 judging from her performance in Tuesday’s match, will be a team leader is senior Aubrey Rickard. With the Gamecocks winning by scores of 25-8, 25-7, 25-4, Rickard closed with 15 aces, 10 assists and four kills. Rickard served for five points in the opening set before closing out the second set with the final 11 points and then accounting for 15 service points in the final set. “Aubrey has come a long way with her serving,” Coker said. “She’s consistent, one of the most consistent on the team now. She has her good nights and bad nights, and tonight was a good one. “There were several people that had good nights serving, and I’m real proud of how they played. When you don’t know what you’re facing to open up with, and what kinds of teams you’re facing, you just really want to see that they’re doing the small things -- the release off the net for a free ball, the transition game. You want to see the base release game, you want to see that they’re actually playing the net on a hit and getting some blocks. We got a lot of work on closing our blocks and setting the block on those outside hits, so that’s something that we’ll go to work at tomorrow and focus on. “There’s still some work to do on the release game off the net on a free ball, but overall, first time out (we did well). The first game we did OK and in that second game it was tight. I

LMA FROM PAGE B1 “They have been very enthusiastic and we’ve got some young guys who need to step into positions and play well for us.” Sophomore Braydon Osteen has earned the starting role at quarterback on Friday. Shakeel Robinson and Brandon Hutson will both see time at tailback. They will be looking to replace almost 4,000 rush-

FRIDAY

Varsity Football Crestwood at Sumter, 7:30 p.m. Lake City at Lakewood, 7:30 p.m. Scott’s Branch at Manning, 7:30 p.m. Marion at Lee Central, 7:30 p.m. East Clarendon at Green Sea-Floyds, 7:30 p.m. Orangeburg Prep at Wilson Hall, 7:30 p.m. Laurence Manning at Augusta Christian, 7:30 p.m. Thomas Sumter at Robert E. Lee, 7:30 p.m. Clarendon Hall at Patrick Henry, 7:30 p.m.

think it was 5-4 before we blew it open, so those are some things we’re going to have to really focus in on and just get better.” Rickard had plenty of assistance from some of her fellow seniors in the win. Annissa Brayboy finished with four aces and four kills while McLean Achziger added three kills and Ars’Breanna Tyler contributed eight kills and one block. Other standouts included sophomore McKenzie Michelson with eight assists and junior Mary Kate Shaffer with three aces. Senior Christina Hunn, an outside hitter who comes to Sumter High from Colorado, should join Brayboy, Michelson, Rickard, Tyler and eighthgrader Margaret McMahon as regular starters for Coker. “The scrimmage season helped me find those six that we know are ready to play,” Coker said, “and the others that are coming up and learning the system that we run, they’re starting to gel. Hopefully they will see what they need to be doing to get into that lineup more. I’ve kept a larger team than normal because I’m building for the future. We’re excited that we also have the JV program, and we have also started a middle school team that hopefully will grow and feed the high school teams in the future.” Coker has one more returning player from last year’s roster in junior Hannah Betten-

court and eight new additions, including senior Tiarra Abrams, a first-year volleyball player who Coker said is “learning the game, and has a lot of athleticism, but we’re trying to teach her that game very quickly.” Joining Abrams, Michelson and Shaffer as firstyear varsity Gamecock players are juniors Sydney Gray-McDonald, Taylor Myles, Jazmin Bradford and Haleigh Lewis, and sophomore Lindley Hodge. Coker said Region VI should once again be very competitive, with Sumter facing a big challenge in its efforts to better last season’s third-place finish. “Socastee is going to be another strong contender to win it again,” Coker said. “They have a really strong nucleus back, and their region player of the year last year is back. She was only a junior, and she could hit from all over the floor. Carolina Forest is always a contender, and West Florence and us have battled it out for third and fourth the last couple of years. I don’t know what they have, really. They lost a lot of their strong returning players, so we’ll see what they have in a few weeks. Conway and South Florence you never count out, but we’ll just have to see what they have. “Really right now we just have to take one match at a time, get better through the non-region schedule that we have here at the beginning, get it started right and grow as we go. We’re going to have to grow as we go and really pick up and advance our game.”

ing yards and 55 touchdowns that came from graduated tailback Tyshawn Epps and quarterbacks J.T. Eppley and Adam Lowder. “We’re going to be depending on our defense early in the season,” said Briggs, who returns six starters on a defensive unit that allowed just 149 points last season. The Lions went just 2-9 last season and were the lone

team of the nine SCISA 3A schools not to make the playoffs. That was the first time ACS had missed the playoffs in 20 seasons. Augusta Christian already has a game under its belt, beating Augusta Prep 14-13 last week. The Lions scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win the game, taking advantage of five fumbled lost to by Augusta Prep.

ACS had just 141 yards of total offense, 98 of it coming on the ground. Briggs thinks Augusta Christian is a better team than a year ago though. “They’ve got a really good running back (E’Mon Reeves, who rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries against Augusta Prep),” Briggs said. “They’ve got a quarterback this year (Hunter Beyersdoerfer) who does a better job of running

their offense. They have a big offensive line, so I think they will be a little more effective.” While he will have several newcomers on the varsity roster, Briggs thinks there will be a smooth transition with those players. “One thing that is nice is we can bring those fellows up from the junior varsity and they already know what we’re wanting them to do.”

before he got out front and cruised to the victory. Daniel Welch came home second with Anthony Nelson third, Jerry Knight fourth, Kyle Lynch fifth, Marty Horne sixth and Randy Creech seventh. Points leader Jason Hodge extended his Stock 4 division lead by picking up his third win of the season. Jim Onos came home second and Russell Lamberth was third. Lamberth also picked up the Danny’s Trophy Shop Hard Charger award. Casey Bryan was fourth with Landon Jeffreys fifth, Johnny Hall sixth and Taylor Geddings seventh. Robbie Disher picked up his second win of the evening by leading the Street Stock

main event flag to flag. Points leader William Disher came home second with Steven Bartlette third and Tim Roark fourth. The final points race of the season will be on Saturday. Along with the excitement of division and track champions being crowned, the Winged

Sprint Cars will also be in house and the vintage cars will be on hand. Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing starting at 6. Grandstand tickets are $15 for adults and pit passes are $25. Active duty military will be admitted to the grandstand free of charge.

SPEEDWAY FROM PAGE B1 the win. Lawson settled for second with Gene Kinard third and Kale Green fourth. Bubba Johnson picked up the win in the Extreme-4 division, leading flag to flag on his way to the victory. Points leader Luke Wilson came home second with John Ledwell third and Travis Poole fourth. David Rourk Jr. was fifth with Bubba Davis sixth, Ryan Belk seventh, Jason James eighth, CJ Deas ninth and Chelsea L’Huillier 10th. Robbie Disher added another win to his list in the Super Street division, making it nine on the year. Disher

Andrew Jackson Academy at Clarendon Hall, 4 p.m.

started from the front row and never looked back. JJ McKenzie came home second and picked up the Danny’s Trophy Shop Hard Charger award. Justin Timmons was third with Tim Roark fourth, Michael Butler fifth, Brian Welch sixth, Greg Murphy seventh, Chris Sturkie eighth, Joey Ayers ninth, Steven Bartlette 10th, Britt William 11th and Tony Terry 12th. The Stock V8 division continued to be dominated by Walter Anderson, who picked up his 10th win of the season. Anderson had his hands full in the early going of the race

PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

ABOVE: Crestwood’s Paige Billings (17) attempts to set the ball for her teammates during the Lady Knights’ match on Tuesday at The Castle. BELOW: Sumter’s Taylor Myles keeps her eye on the ball as she prepares to bump the ball to her teammates during the Lady Gamecocks’ victory on Tuesday.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

PRESEASON AP TOP 25 CAPSULES The Associated Press No. 1 OHIO STATE Conference: Big Ten 2014 Record: 14-1 2014 Poll Finish: No. 1 Games to Watch: @ Virginia Tech, Sept. 7; Penn State, Oct. 17; Michigan State, Nov. 21; @ Michigan, Nov. 28. Repeating is difficult, but few teams in recent memory have been better positioned to win back-to-back national titles than Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes. No matter who plays quarterback, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones, Ohio State’s offense has plenty of playmakers and one of the best lines in the country. All-American DE Joey Bosa leads a defense that returns seven starters, though Bosa will miss the opener at Virginia Tech because of a suspension. The Buckeyes haven’t lost a game since their 35-21 upset loss to the Hokies at home in the second week of last season. They’re looking extend to their 13-game winning streak by exacting revenge in the Labor Day night game in Blacksburg, Va. No. 2 TCU Conference: Big 12 2014 Record: 12-1 2014 Poll Finish: No. 3 Games to Watch: @ Minnesota, Sept. 3; West Virginia, Oct. 29; @ Oklahoma, Nov. 21; Baylor, Nov. 27 While everyone else wants to talk about the regular-season finale against Baylor, coach Gary Patterson is solely focused on the Sept. 3 night season opener at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers recovered from a 30-7 loss at TCU last September to finish 8-5 with wins at Michigan and Nebraska. The result of the opener can’t keep the Horned Frogs from winning another Big 12 title, but a loss could immediately damage their playoff hopes after coming oh so close last season. TCU has another Thursday night game, at home against West Virginia after needing a last-play field goal to win at Morgantown last season. Their only loss last season was 61-58 at Baylor after blowing a 21point lead the final 11 minutes, but the Frogs host the rematch the day after Thanksgiving. No. 3 ALABAMA Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 12-2 2014 Poll Finish: 4 Games to Watch: Mississippi, Sept. 19; Arkansas, Oct. 10; @ LSU, Nov. 7; @ Auburn, Nov. 28 Alabama is trying to do more than dominate much of the regular season after struggling to the finish line the past two seasons. The Tide has averaged 12 wins over the past seven seasons and is chasing a fourth national title under Nick Saban, but has dropped two straight bowl games. The iconic coach must replace nine offensive starters, including tailback T.J. Yeldon, WR Amari Cooper and QB Blake Sims. A crowded quarterback race might carry over into the season like it did last season. However, Derrick Henry figures to be the latest star runner and ArDarius Stewart and Robert Foster are among a group of highly touted young receivers. The defense is loaded on a front seven led by linebacker Reggie Ragland and tackle A’Shawn Robinson but has to replace safeties Landon Collins and Nick Perry. Kirby Smart’s defense struggled against both Ohio State and Auburn late last season though it still ranked among the nation’s best. No. 4 BAYLOR Conference: Big 12 2014 Record: 11-2 2014 Poll Finish: No. 7 Games to Watch: Texas Tech at Arlington, Texas, Oct. 3; West Virginia, Oct. 17; Oklahoma, Nov. 14; @TCU, Nov. 27. Left out of the first playoff last season, the Bears have another soft September slate before their Big 12 opener. They’ve went 9-0 in non-conference games the past three seasons while winning by an average margin of 45 points. The conference schedule opens with Texas Tech and Baylor last season had to hold on for a 48-46 victory over the Red Raiders at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, then later lost the Cotton Bowl there to Michigan State after blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech and TCU have basically traded slots on Baylor’s schedule. But before the dayafter-Thanksgiving rematch against TCU, the Bears have a mid-October game against West Virginia, the team responsible for their only regular-season loss last season, and are home against an Oklahoma team looking to avenge a 34-point loss. No. 5 MICHIGAN STATE Conference: Big Ten 2014 Record: 11-2

USC FROM PAGE B1 from Thompson’s last game, a 24-21 victory over Miami at the Independence Bowl last December. “I always had faith myself,” Mitch said. “The leader of the quarterbacks is the leader of the offense. That’s what I had to have.” The last time South Carolina and Spurrier entered a season with so little experience at quarterback was 2008, when untested Tommy Beecher was picked to start, then threw four interceptions in the opener against North Carolina State before backup Chris Smelley took over. Spurrier expects Mitch to have a better showing as starter on Sept. 3 when the Gamecocks face the Tar Heels in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mitch said he knows several players on North Carolina and can’t wait to battle them next week. “It’s going to be awesome,” he said. Mitch has had his issues at camp. He threw three interceptions in two stadium scrimmage sessions this month, something Spurrier acknowledged must end for the Gamecock offense to succeed. “As long as takes care of the ball and keeps his head calm, he can be the quarterback the entire year barring injury,” Spurrier said. Mitch played in two games last year in a mop-up role against Furman and South Alabama. He went 2 of 6 for 19 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

No. 6 AUBURN Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 8-5 2014 Poll Finish: No. 22 Games to Watch: @ LSU, Sept. 19; @ Arkansas, Oct. 24; Mississippi, Oct. 31; Alabama, Nov. 28. Auburn turns over the offensive reins to QB Jeremy Johnson and the defense to ex-Florida coach Will Muschamp. Defensive end Carl Lawson’s return from a knee injury supplies a huge boost. Other than Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, no SEC passer has drawn more preseason buzz than the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Johnson. No. 7 OREGON Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 13-2 2014 Poll Finish: No. 2 Games to Watch: @ Michigan State, Sept. 12; @ Arizona State, Oct. 29; @ Stanford, Nov. 14; USC, Nov. 21. Summary: Eastern Washington star QB Vernon Adams has transferred to Oregon for his final year of eligibility in hopes of picking up where Heisman winner Marcus Mariota left off. Among the players to watch this season is running back Royce Freeman, who rushed for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns last season as a true freshman. No. 8 SOUTHERN CAL Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 9-4 2014 Poll Finish: No. 20 Games to watch: Stanford, Sept 19; @ Arizona State, Sept. 26; @ Oregon, Nov. 21; UCLA, Nov. 28. In their first season after the conclusion of NCAA sanctions, the Trojan’s season gets serious quickly with Stanford’s usual September meeting. The trip to Notre Dame is Oct. 17. USC has seven home games, but back-to-back November games at Colorado and Oregon will keep the Trojans racking up air miles as they chase the Pac-12 title. No. 9 GEORGIA Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 10-3 2014 Poll Finish: 9 Games to Watch: Alabama, Oct. 3; @ Tennessee, Oct. 10; @Auburn, Nov. 14; @Georgia Tech, Nov. 28. The Bulldogs are expected to lean heavily on tailback Nick Chubb after leading the SEC with its school-record 41.3 points per game in 2014. Brian Schottenheimer takes over the leadership of the pro-style offense after replacing Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator. Alabama visits Athens for the first time since 2008. No. 10 FLORDIA STATE Conference: ACC 2014 Record: 13-1 2014 Poll Finish: Tied No. 5 Games to Watch: Miami, Oct. 10; Louisville, Oct. 17; @ Georgia Tech, Oct. 24; @ Clemson, Nov. 7. Life after Jameis Winston begins for the Seminoles, who are reloading and still expect to challenge for just about every trophy there is to win in college football. Florida State is in the midst of a historic run — winners in 46 of its last 50 games, three consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference titles, and a ridiculous 31-2 record in its last 33 outings against league foes. No. 11 NOTRE DAME Conference: Independent 2014 Record: 8-5 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: Georgia Tech, Sept. 19; @ Clemson, Oct. 3; USC, Oct. 17; @ Stanford, Nov. 28. Notre Dame returns 16 starters from a squad that started 6-0 last season before injuries and turnovers led to losses in five of their last six regular-season games. The Irish are counting on depth and a rushing game powered by a veteran line and QB Malik Zaire to make a run at their first national title since 1988.

Mitch said he maintained his composure throughout the summer, not letting a good outing by a rival or a poor one by himself slow his preparation. He was holding the door for Spurrier on Monday when the coach asked him, “You’d be happy if I named you the starter, right?” “Absolutely,” Mitch replied. A day later, Mitch got his wish. Spurrier could’ve easily handed Mitch the car keys weeks ago. Instead, he said the competition lifted backups Orth, Scarnecchia and Nunez and prepared them for action if needed this season. Orth and Scarnecchia, like Mitch, are drop-back passers, while Nunez, a 6-3 freshman, is a dual threat who can run and pass well. Spurrier said last week there will be a place for Nunez in the South Carolina offense this season. Mitch has the benefit of experienced playmakers in Cooper, a 1,000-yard receiver, and running backs Brandon Wilds, Shon Carson and David Williams. Spurrier thought it important to put the competition to rest nine days before kickoff so Mitch’s teammates can get used to him as the starter. Mitch had an edge, he said, in getting most of the practice snaps with first-team players. Winning at summer camp is one thing, but Mitch anticipates a tougher task during the season. “I can’t sit back and get lazy,” Mitch said. “I’ve got to win (the job) every day.”

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2014 Poll Finish: Tied No. 5 Games to Watch: Oregon, Sept. 12; @ Michigan, Oct. 17; @ Nebraska, Nov. 7; @ Ohio State, Nov. 21. The Spartans lost only twice last year — to the teams that played in the national title game, Ohio State and Oregon. Those figure to be the two biggest games on their schedule again this season, and Michigan State is certainly a contender to reach the four-team playoff after QB Connor Cook and DL Shilique Calhoun decided to pass on the NFL and return to school. The Spartans’ biggest loss might be defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, who left to take the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.

No. 12 CLEMSON Conference: ACC 2014 Record: 10-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 15 Games to Watch: @ Louisville, Sept. 17; Notre Dame, Oct. 3; Georgia Tech, Oct. 10; Florida State, Nov. 7. Clemson’s offense looks sharp as long as QB Deshaun Watson stays on the field. Last year, he missed five starts and much of two more games because of injuries to his throwing hand and left knee. Watson had ACL surgery in December, yet has had a stress-free camp preparing for season-opening games against FCS opponent Wofford and second-year FBS program Appalachian State. No. 13 UCLA Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 10-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 10 Games to watch: @ Arizona, Sept. 26; Arizona State, Oct. 3; @ Stanford, Oct. 15; @ USC, Nov. 28. The talent-laden Bruins open coach Jim Mora’s fourth season with respectable, winnable non-conference games against Virginia, UNLV and BYU. A trip to defending Pac-12 champion Arizona in late September should tell them where they stand. A chance for revenge looms in mid-October at Stanford, which won at the Rose Bowl in last year’s regular-season finale and took away the Pac-12 South title. No. 14 LSU Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 8-5 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: Auburn, Sept. 19; @ Alabama, Nov. 7; Arkansas, Nov. 14; @ Mississippi, Nov. 21. LSU coach Les Miles sounds confident he’ll get better quarterback play from either Brandon Harris or Anthony Jennings. That should open things up for running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette. Defensively, LSU hopes it won’t miss a beat under new coordinator Kevin Steele, who uses a similar scheme to his predecessor, John Chavis. No. 15 ARIZONA STATE Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 10-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 12 Games to Watch: Texas A&M in Houston, Sept. 5; USC, Sept. 26, @UCLA, Oct. 3, Oregon, Oct. 29; Arizona, Nov. 21 QB Mike Bercovici was superb filling in for an injured Taylor Kelly last season and the Sun Devils plan to use his big arm. D.J. Foster skipped a chance at the NFL for one more season and will move to slot receiver, but still get backfield touches. Defense could be the key as ASU has nearly everyone back, led by an impressive group of linebackers. No. 16 GEORGIA TECH Conference: ACC 2014 Record: 11-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 8 Games to Watch: @ Notre Dame, Sept. 19; @ Clemson, Oct. 10; Florida State, Oct. 24; Georgia, Nov. 28; Junior quarterback Justin Thomas is the perfect fit to execute triple-option plays in coach Paul Johnson’s spread-option offense. Thomas ran for 1,086 yards — a school record for QBs — and should be even better in his second season. Improved defense could bring the Yellow Jackets back to the ACC championship game. No. 17 MISSISSIPPI Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 9-4 2014 Poll Finish: No. 17 Games to Watch: @ Alabama, Sept. 19; @ Auburn, Oct. 31; Arkansas, Nov. 7; LSU, Nov. 21 Mississippi is trying to build on last year’s season with a nucleus of talented juniors that includes WR Laquon Treadwell, OT Laremy Tunsil, DL Robert Nkemdiche and DB Tony Conner. The Rebels return seven starters from a defense that gave up just 16 points per game, which ranked No. 1 in the country. No. 18 ARKANSAS Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 7-6 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, Sept. 26; @ Tennessee, Oct. 3; @ Alabama, Oct. 10; Auburn, Oct. 24 Arkansas ended last season as one of the hottest teams in the country, led by a defense that finished 10th nationally. The Razorbacks are a trendy pick to join the SEC’s elite this season, though they must now do so without

injured running back Jonathan Williams. No. 19 OKLAHOMA Conference: Big 12 2014 Record: 8-5 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: @ Tennessee, Sept. 12; @ Baylor, Nov. 14; TCU, Nov. 21; @Oklahoma State, Nov. 28 After a disappointing 2014, coach Bob Stoops fired some members of his coaching staff, including the co-offensive coordinators. He brought in Lincoln Riley, who at age 31 is one of the nation’s youngest offensive coordinators. Riley has brought back the Air Raid offense that helped Oklahoma return to college football’s elite the previous decade. No. 20 WISCONSIN Conference: Big Ten 2014 Record: 11-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 13 Games to Watch: Alabama in Arlington, Texas, Sept. 5; Iowa, Oct. 3; @ Nebraska, Oct. 10; @ Minnesota, Nov. 28 Former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst returns for his first year as head coach. Corey Clement takes over for Heisman runner-up Melvin Gordon as the lead tailback. But the offensive line, historically strong in Madison, faces questions because of injuries. Getting Dave Aranda back as defensive coordinator should be huge. No. 21 STANFORD Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 8-5 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: @ USC, Sept. 19; UCLA, Oct. 15; Oregon, Nov. 14; Notre Dame, Nov. 28 Senior QB Kevin Hogan is back and looks to build on a last season’s strong finish to get the Cardinal back into contention. Christian McCaffrey should provide a needed spark to the running game. Big questions linger on defense where Stanford will have to replace most of the line and secondary from the Pac-12’s top unit last season. No. 22 ARIZONA Conference: Pac-12 2014 Record: 10-4 2014 Poll Finish: No. 19 Games to Watch: UCLA, Sept. 26; @ Stanford, Oct. 3; @ USC, Nov. 7; @ Arizona State, Nov. 21 The Wildcats return a starting QB for the first time in four years under coach Rich Rodriguez, and Anu Solomon should be even better after putting up big numbers as a freshman. Dynamic RB Nick Wilson also returns while the receiving corps could be the nation’s best. All-everything LB Scooby Wright is back after sweeping last season’s national defensive player awards. No. 23 BOISE STATE Conference: Mountain West 2014 Record: 12-2 2014 Poll Finish: No. 16 Games to Watch: Washington, Sept. 4; @ BYU, Sept. 12; @ Colorado State, Oct. 10; @ Utah State, Oct. 16 The Broncos ran through the end of last season with nine straight wins, including a 38-30 upset of No. 11 Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. They claim a half-dozen players on the preseason all-Mountain West team and are favored to win the conference again. No. 24 MISSOURI Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 11-3 2014 Poll Finish: No. 14 Games to Watch: South Carolina, Oct. 3; @ Georgia, Oct. 17; Tennessee, Nov. 21; @ Arkansas, Nov. 2 Missouri’s schedule is conducive to a 4-0 start which should give QB Maty Mauk time to get acquainted with a new crop of wide receivers before the conference race begins in earnest. The Tigers, picked to finish third in the SEC East after winning it the past two seasons, get time to test an unproven defensive line, too. No. 25 TENNESSEE Conference: SEC 2014 Record: 7-6 2014 Poll Finish: Unranked Games to Watch: Oklahoma, Sept. 12; Arkansas, Oct. 3; @ Georgia, Oct. 10; @ Alabama, Oct. 24 The Volunteers ended a string of four straight losing seasons last year by winning four of its last five games, a surge that coincided with the emergence of QB Joshua Dobbs. Tennessee has a roster full of talented underclassmen but needs improvement from an offensive line that allowed 43 sacks last season.

CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Boyd appears to be heading ‘north of the border’ to CFL BY SCOTT KEEPFER GREENVILLE NEWS Goodbye, Greenville. Hello, Canada. Tajh Boyd’s professional football career may find new life “north of the border,” his marketing agent said Tuesday. “I think he’s going to move forward with Canada,” Andy Sink said. “The Canadian Football League is well-suited for his skill set — the field is wider and they throw the ball a lot. He can use his mobility and his arm, so it could turn out to be a good deal for him.” Boyd, a former Clemson

University standout and the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 18. He was battling with Landry Jones for the No. 3 quarterback slot on the Steelers’ roster but wasn’t afforded an opportunity to play in either of Pittsburgh’s first two preseason games. Sink said Boyd had “some options” with other NFL teams, but they were probably limited to practice squad status. Boyd, he said, wants to play. “He’s excited to have the chance to get back out there,” Sink said. “He’ll end up

somewhere and end up playing, so we can actually see him on the field. That’s what he wants — playing time.” The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have held Boyd’s CFL rights for the past two years. Boyd is expected to have a passport in hand in the next couple of days and could be in Canada by week’s end, Sink said. The nine-team CFL, which has been in existence since 1958, plays an 18-game regular-season schedule over 20 weeks, followed by a sixteam, three-week playoff. Hamilton is 6-2 and tied atop the Eastern Division standings.

Tigers’ defensive tackle Reader stepping away from football for personal issues GREENVILLE NEWS STAFF REPORTS CLEMSON— Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney announced Tuesday that senior defensive tackle D.J. Reader will be away from the Clemson football team for a period of time. Reader was listed as a starting tackle on the preseason depth chart. “D.J. Reader has decided to step away from football for a while,” said Swinney. “He has some personal issues he has to deal with at this time. We READER are not sure when he will return. We will support him any way we can. This is no different than a player being lost for a period of time due to injury.

“We will move forward at the tackle position. We have many players who will do an outstanding job in the defensive line.” “We are excited about preparing for our 2015 journey that starts September 5 with the opener against Wofford.” Sophomore Scott Pagano and freshman Christian Wilkins will be strong candidates to move into a starting role at defensive tackle opposite Carlos Watkins and Roderick Byers. Redshirt freshman Jabril Robinson and first-year player Albert Huggins will also be candidates for playing time at the tackle position. Reader is a fourth-year senior who started one game last year, but played 250 plays and had 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He is a veteran of 38 games over the last three years.

SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Whale Branch DL Pinckney chooses Tigers

efensive lineman Nyles Pinckney (6-feet-3-inches, 290 pounds) of Whale Branch High School in Beaufort kept his decision on which school he would be committing to play college football for until noon on Friday. That’s when he contacted Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to tell him he would join him in January of 2016. Pinckney committed to the Tigers over South Carolina, Georgia and Georgia Tech. “I chose Clemson because they’ve been with me since my freshman year, and they saw something in me when nobody else did,” Pinckney said. “They gave me my first opportunity and I really like what Coach Swinney is trying to do around there. Every time I go up there they make me feel welcome and they show me something new every time I go up there.” Pinckney plans to enroll in January so he can get started with Clemson’s coaches, and he’s hoping that will lead to some early playing time in the ‘16 season. “They plan to make me a better player and I plan to work hard and help make them a national championship contender,” he said. “Coach Swinney said they plan for me to make big plays on their defense.” Last season, Pinckney had 98 tackles with 22 tackles for loss and five quarterback sacks. Pinckney took multiple visits to Clemson and USC during the recruiting process. “It was very hard at first because all schools have something that I like,” Pinckney said. “I decided Clemson was the best place for me because they have all the things I needed, and they are planning on helping me get better as a man and as a player.” Pinckney said Clemson emerged as the frontrunner during his junior season and again this summer after he visited there and after he met with Swinney in his office and learned his plan for him. And Pinckney has his own plan for when he gets to Clemson. “I think I’ll bring hard work and I will hustle ever play and try to make a play

every chance I get.” Clemson offered ‘17 offensive lineman Tedarrell Slaton of Plantation, Fla., last week. USC

Wide receiver Cavin Ridley (6-2, 200) of Deerfield Beach, Fla., camped at USC this summer along with North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio State, UGA and Auburn. USC is also are one of his official offers along with Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. Ridley, whose brother, Calvin Ridley, is a WR at Alabama, has been in touch with USC WR coach Steve Spurrier Jr. “I know that they are lacking receivers,” Cavin Ridley said. “That’s what I’m really looking for in a school, a school that needs help in receivers. I see that South Carolina really needs a little help, and that’s why I want to take an official visit there to see what they have to offer; so I might take an official visit there, I’m not really sure yet.” Ridley said Spurrier Jr. has been selling him on the idea of early playing time at USC and he’s confident he could contribute early. “I’m a playmaker and I can go in and be a playmaker and I think he believes that, too,” Ridley said. Ridley said he’s looking at making a decision sometime after the season and might even wait until the Under Armour Game to announce. Last season, he had 1,500 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. WR Isaiah Graham of Bastrop, La., has set an official visit to USC for Oct. 10 for the Louisiana State game. He also has visits set for Arkansas and Texas Christian. USC target tight end Naseir Upshur of Philadelphia is closing in on his decision. He visited USC earlier this month. Florida State, Michigan, Alabama and Arizona State are some others he has cited as being strong with him. Defensive back Javon Jackson of Tyrone, Ga., will hold off on his decision between USC and Duke. He had planned to make the call blast week, but was not able to and will now wait until

after the season. “Two great schools, man,” Jackson said. He is planning to set official Phil Kornblut visits with the two and RECRUITING right now CORNER doesn’t have plans to open things up to other schools. OL Ashton Julious of Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania has returned to school from his home in Florence and is no closer on a decision than he was earlier this summer. Julious said he continues to talk with USC, TCU, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona State and North Carolina State. Julious said he doesn’t have a current favorite. Julious did get a chance to visit USC over the summer. He also visited Baylor and NCSU this summer and will take an official visit to Oklahoma this fall. He has not decided on any other official visits at this point. USC ‘17 target QB Jake Fromm visited Alabama on Saturday. WR Kelvin Harmon of Palmyra, N.J., has now set two of his official visits. He will go to NCSU on Sept. 12 when it plays Eastern Kentucky, and he will be at USC two weeks later for the Central Florida game. He has not decided on his other official visits from among UNC, West Virginia, Temple and Rutgers and there is no leader. CLEMSON AND USC

OL John Simpson of Fort Dorchester in North Charleston has been focused on his season. He has been communicating with schools via Twitter and those would include USC, Clemson, Alabama, Tennessee, UGA, UF and LSU. He has not scheduled any official visits and he’s not sure about all of them, but he said USC and Clemson most likely will get one. Simpson said he wants to take all of his official visits and he has no favorite right now. DL Rashan Gary of Paramus, N.J., is in the process of deciding where he wants to visit officially. Clemson and

USC were among his unofficial visits earlier in the year and the two are still in the conversation, according to his mother. “I hear him talk more about Clemson than South Carolina, but he knows more about Clemson than South Carolina,” Jennifer Coney said. “That doesn’t mean South Carolina isn’t in the mix.” Gary hears a lot about Clemson from his cousin, Jerome Coney, who is an assistant basketball coach at nearby Anderson University. “My nephew goes to Clemson a lot,” Ms. Coney said. Gary’s also friends with Clemson freshman defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Gary has met recently with his coaches and advisers to talk about official visits. “He will take his official visits and then decide,” his mother said. “He’s got some scrimmages coming up and then he’ll decide on his official visits. In another week or two, he’ll have his officials.” Some of his other offers include Alabama, UF, FSU, Maryland, Michigan, Miami, Penn State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. OTHERS

Tennessee offered Greer High DB Troy Pride, who is committed to Virginia Tech, last week. That’s his first Southeastern Conference offer and his ninth overall. DB Nick McCloud of South Pointe High in Rock Hill has not added any new offers to his list recently. He has official offers from Kansas State, Appalachian State, Northwestern, East Carolina, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan, Coastal Carolina and others. He’s not had any recent contact from USC and Clemson. McCloud has not set any official visits, but plans to set three with KSU, Northwestern and ECU. He said App State, KSU and Northwestern are recruiting him the hardest. He does not have a favorite. BASKETBALL

Point guard Seventh Woods from Hammond School in Columbia is in the final stages of his recruiting process and is down to a final four of USC,

Georgetown, UNC and UF. The 6-1 Woods recently visited USC and met with head coach Frank Martin, the latest in a series of meetings he has had with Martin, both on campus and in the home. UNC head coach Roy Williams also visited Woods in his home in April. Woods has visited USC and UNC unofficially. Brachen Hazen, a 6-8 small forward from Columbia City, Ind., made an unofficial visit to Clemson on Friday after being at Maryland on Thursday. Hazen said Clemson began recruiting him this summer and has stayed on him since then. “I’ve been in communication with them for over three months,” Hazen said. “I talk to (head) Coach Brad (Brownell) a lot. I like the coaches and the great conference (Atlantic Coast Conference) they’re in. I love the competition.” Hazen said he’s also considering Ball State, Valparaiso and UCF and there is no favorite. Jalen Johnson of High Point, NC, a 6-6 Clemson target, was offered by Alabama. Clemson target 6-4 Eli Wright committed to Mississippi State. Devontae Shuler, a ‘17 6-2 PG from Irmo, will transfer to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his final two seasons. Shuler announced his plans over the weekend at the Under Armour event in Brooklyn, N.Y. His early offers include USC, Clemson, Southern California and UF. Clemson offered ‘17 6-3 shooting guard Anthony D. Oliver of Daniel High in Central on Friday. His father played for Virginia and his mother is the women’s basketball head coach at Clemson. Oliver’s other offers include Wofford, Old Dominion, College of Charleston and Florida International. Clemson is showing interest in ‘18 SG 6-5 Rechon Black of Concord, N.C. BASEBALL

Clemson picked up commitments from ‘17 outfielder Kier Meredith of Winston-Salem, N.C., and ‘18 shortstop James Parker of T.L. Hanna High in Anderson.

AREA ROUNDUP

HORSE RACING

Wilson Hall sweeps Highlanders 3-0, improves to 5-1 on season

Triple Crown winner favorite in field for Travers Stakes

The Wilson Hall varsity volleyball team improved to 5-1 on the season with a 3-0 victory over Heathwood Hall on Tuesday at Nash Student Center. The Lady Barons won by the scores of 25-18, 25-16, 25-11. Catherine Clark led WH with seven kills, three blocks and two aces. Becka Noyes had six kills and a block. THOMAS SUMTER 3 TRINITY-BYRNES 0

DARLINGTON – Thomas Sumter Academy improved to 3-0 on the season with a 3-0 victory over TrinityByrnes on Monday at the T-B gymnasium. The Lady Generals won by the scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-18. Sydney Daniel led TSA with 14 assists, three kills and one block, while Josie Reed had 10 assists and two kills. Ashley Cookey-gam had 10 kills and two blocks, Haley Hawkins had 11 kills and two blocks and Bree Stoddard had five kills and six blocks. CAROLINA 3 LAURENCE MANNING 1

LAKE CITY – Laurence Manning academy lost to Carolina Academy 3-1 on Monday at the Carolina gymnasium. Carolina won by the scores of 1425, 26-24, 25-12, 25-21.

VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS

Ham 6-0, 6-0. 2 -- Caroline Strom (HH) defeated Mackenzie Ham 6-0, 6-1. 3 -- Francis James (HH) defeated Amanda Newman 6-2, 6-1. 4 -- Kelsey Rhea (HH) defeated Allie Johnson 6-0, 6-0. 5 -- Carter Smith (HH) defeated Kaela Johnson 6-1, 6-1. 6 -- Samantha Gaton (HH) defeated Corie Walton 6-0, 6-0. DOUBLES 1 -- Savoca/James (HH) defeated Mas. Ham/ Mac. Ham 8-0. 2 -- Strom/Rhea (HH) defeated Newman/A. Johnson 8-1. 3 -- Barr/Lord (HH) defeated K. Johnson/L. Johnson 8-1.

JV VOLLEYBALL WILSON HALL 2 HEATHWOOD HALL 0

Wilson Hall opened its season with a 2-0 victory over Heathwood Hall on Tuesday at Nash Student Center. Madison Reaves led the Lady Barons with nine service points, two aces and a kill. Betsy Noyes had six points, three aces and two kills and Cameron Duffy had four kills, two blocks and an ace. TRINITY-BYRNES 2 THOMAS SUMTER 1

DARLINGTON – Thomas Sumter Academy lost to Trinity-Byrnes 2-1 on Monday at the T-B gymnasium. Trinity won by the scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-19. Taja Hunley had three blocks and six kills for TSA, while Diamond Gibson had four assists and two kills and Lindsay Daniel had three kills. CAROLINA 2

HEATHWOOD HALL 9

LAURENCE MANNING 0

LAURENCE MANNING 0 Laurence Manning Academy opened its season with a 9-0 loss to Heathwood Hall on Monday at Palmetto Tennis Center.

LAKE CITY – Laurence Manning Academy lost to Carolina Academy 2-0 on Monday at the Carolina gymnasium. Carolina won by the scores of 2513, 25-12.

SINGLES 1 -- McKenna Savoca (HH) defeated Mason

BY RICHARD ROSENBLATT The Associated Press SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is the overwhelming 1-5 favorite in a 10-horse field for Saturday’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. American Pharoah will start from the No. 2 gate in an attempt to become only the second Triple Crown winner to go on to win the prestigious Travers. Whirlaway won the 1941 Travers after sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. At Tuesday night’s post-position draw, Frosted was made the second choice at 6-1 and Texas Red the third choice at 8-1. Frosted ran fourth in the Derby, second in the Belmont and second in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on Aug. 1. Texas Red won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Jim Dandy. American Pharoah, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, has won eight straight races after a career-opening loss and has earned more than $5.6 million. The 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile will be ridden by Victor Espinoza, competing in the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is a 1-to-5 favorite for the Travers Stakes which will be ran on Saturday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Travers for the first time. “We’re looking forward to watching him run,” Baffert said. “We’re excited. It’s a good field. It’s pretty solid. It would be more like running in the Kentucky Derby. I feel like it will be the same kind of excitement with the people and the horses and everything.” The field from the rail out is Upstart (15-1), American Pharoah (1-5), Mid Ocean (50-1), Texas Red (8-1), Frammento (30), Frosted (6-1), Keen Ice (12-1), Tale of Verve (30-1), King of New York (50-1) and Smart Transition (20-1). “Everything has to go smooth for him,” Baffert said. “We don’t take any-

thing for granted. We’re coming in there ready.” If American Pharoah starts, the purse increases by $350,000 to $1.6 million, with the winner’s share $850,000. American Pharoah, owned by Ahmed Zayat, would become the fourth of the 12 Triple Crown winners to run in the Travers. In 1930, Jim Dandy upset Gallant Fox at odds of 100-1, Whirlaway won in ‘41 and Affirmed finished first in 1978 but was disqualified to second with rival Alydar declared the winner. John Shirreffs, who trained the great Zenyatta, will send out Smart Transition with John Velazquez aboard to try and pull an upset.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

PRO FOOTBALL

THE SUMTER ITEM

Nelson aims to get young Packers WRs up to speed BY GENARO C. ARMAS The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis. — The shock of being out of the year has already worn off for Jordy Nelson. One of the first things to cross Nelson’s mind upon returning to Lambeau Field on Tuesday was to get into the classroom to help get the younger receivers up to speed at training camp. There’s a huge void to fill in the Packers’ potent offense with Nelson sidelined for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee on Sunday during a preseason game in Pittsburgh. “They’re going to be running the same plays we’ve always ran so (there are) little tidbits I can give them. I hope it would that it wouldn’t be any different from than when I was playing,” Nelson said. “I’d still be trying to coach them up as much.” It would be so much easier for the Packers if MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ top receiving target was around to torment secondaries again. Nelson led the highest-scoring team in the league with 98 catches for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago. “I think first off you have to recognize the fact that Jordy is, he is what you look for as far as a Green Bay Packer,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “When you have the opportunity to build a program, a championship program, and you talk about what you want your players to look like, act like, he’s a prime example of that.” Nelson walked into the lock-

er room on a pair of crutches, though he was moving relatively well for someone with a serious injury. Nelson said doctors were waiting for swelling in the knee to go down before scheduling surgery. Nelson sounded like a man at peace with his predicament. He was hurt after jumping to catch a short pass from Rodgers at Heinz Field. He landed first on his left foot before coming down on the right foot and turning to go upfield. He didn’t get hit. There wasn’t much pain, Nelson said. “That’s why I just ran off the field, didn’t think it was anything serious and obviously I was told different,” he said. By halftime, Nelson said he had an idea that his season might be done, even though McCarthy other Packers held out slim hopes that more tests in Green Bay might yield a more optimistic diagnosis. “It’s crazy how you can make that move a gazillion times — like I said over 18 years of playing football and probably more harsher moves than that — and be fine and take a hit and be fine,” Nelson said. “It’s the way it works out. Why? We don’t know. But we’ll move forward and be back next year.” For now, the focus shifts to young receivers who will need to step up behind Randall Cobb and promising secondyear receiver Davante Adams. Second-year players Myles White and Jeff Janis have limited experience, and rookie Ty Montgomery has had a

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promising training camp. “Guys have just got to step up. Plain and simple. Nothing else to be said. It just has to be done,” said Montgomery. Until Nelson’s injury, Montgomery seemed to have a hold on the No. 4 receiver slot. This will be a critical week for those younger receivers to develop the rapport and earn the trust that Rodgers had with Nelson, who was going into his eighth year in the league. The Packers host their first preseason game of the season on Saturday. White, Janis and Montgomery are “going to play even more football come Saturday night against Philadelphia,” McCarthy said. “So yeah, I think it’s loud and clear the opportunity that’s in front of them.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Green Bay wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) plans to help the young Packer receivers like Ty Montgomery (88) learn what they need to do to succeed since Nelson is out for the season after tearing the anterior collateral ligament in one of his knees.

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Sumter Locations

Barnettes Auto Parts • Bubba’s Diner Broad St. Chick-fil-A Broad Street DeMaras Italian Restaurant Hwy 441 D & L Diner 441 back gate at Shaw Duncan Dogs 5641 Broad Street El Cheapo Gas Station Hwy 76 Across from Shaw Gamecock Bowling Lanes Broad Street Georgios 5500 Sycamore at 5000 area of Shaw IGA Pinewood Rd. • IGA Wesmark Blvd. IHOP • Kwik Mart Hwy 441 Logan’s Roadhouse • McDonalds 76/441 at Shaw MRMA #441 Midlands Retirement Military Association Palmetto Oyster House (PO House) Parkway Shell Station Hwy 441 at Shaw Piggly Wiggly Pinewood Rd. Pita Pit 1029 Broad Street • Quiznos SHAW AAFES Gas Station & Shoppette SHAW Base Exchange • SHAW Commissary Sumter Cut Rate Drug Store 32 S. Main St. Tuomey Hospital TWO Main Entrances at Patton Hall 3rd Army YMCA Miller Road • Yucatan Mexican Restaurant

Summerton Locations United Convenience Store Young’s Convenience Store

Columbia Locations Chick Fil A Forest Dr. at Fort Jackson

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SPORTS

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

NASCAR

Bowyer holds head high to cling to final Chase berth BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press BRISTOL, Tenn. — All of the crew members who work on Clint Bowyer’s team know they’ll be out of a job in 12 more races. Like everyone else at Michael Waltrip Racing, they face an uncertain future in NASCAR following this BOWYER week’s announcement that the organization will close at the end of the season. Bowyer insisted that wouldn’t stop his No. 15 team from trying to win the championship.

It was a noble claim from the driver, who will likely be just fine and move on to another job in 2016. But there’s never any guarantee those around him won’t lose their desire to put forth full effort on behalf of an employer who is shuttering the organization. There was no quit Saturday night, though, as Bowyer grabbed a fifth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway to remain in contention for NASCAR’s playoffs. “We desperately needed a solid run,” Bowyer said. “Obviously, you’re hungry for a win with this organization. It’s fun to be a part of a group that can answer the call when you’ve got to dig down and reach

down and get a little bit more to get in that Chase and be a part of an elite group. Bowyer is 15th in the Sprint Cup standings with two races remaining to set the Chase for the championship field. He’s holding the final transfer spot into the 16-driver field, and his finish Saturday night gave him a 35-point advantage over Aric Almirola. It was a small victory for MWR, which learned Wednesday that co-owner Rob Kauffman had no plans to field cars in 2016. Bowyer was released from his contract, which still had two seasons remaining, and decided he didn’t want to follow Kauffman to Chip Ganassi Racing.

David Ragan’s deal was only to complete this season for Brian Vickers, who has been sidelined with health issues. He and Bowyer are both looking for new rides. But the rest of the MWR employees face a far more uncertain future. Two cars are dropping off the Sprint Cup Series grid, which means those jobs are vanishing. Some employees may land elsewhere, but there aren’t enough openings in the industry for everyone. It could be particularly difficult for the high-level employees to find similar work without another team expanding. MWR general manager Ty Norris has long worked with Michael Waltrip and

helped him launch the team in 2007; Scott Miller left Richard Childress Racing to be MWR’s competition director. Crew chiefs Brian Pattie and Billy Scott need those positions to open on other teams to find work. It makes for an unsettling atmosphere at a time when Bowyer and his No. 15 team need to be nearly flawless. Bowyer has little doubt they can stay focused and get him in the Chase. He noted that his team has been performing well for the last five weeks — four finishes of eighth or better, and he was inside the top10 before he wrecked at Michigan — and the group understands the stakes.

While in training at Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point, Lt. Hines reached a combat rating percentage that qualified him for deployment to Vietnam. In 1969, he was deployed to DaNang, Republic of Vietnam, for the first half of his tour and later Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam, for the second half, where he participated in sustained combat operations. In that time, Lt. Hines flew several different mission types that included Barrier Combat Air Patrol and High Altitude Bombing, but the primary missions for his squadron included Close Air Support missions and Close Air Support Hot Pad Alert missions. Following this, Lt. Hines was reassigned to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and in 1971, he separated from the corps as a captain. In 1969, Mr. Hines began his civil aviation career earning his pilot license. He advanced his single engine seaplane, commercial and instrument ratings. He flew several single engine aircraft types and flew his aircraft “Chesty” a C177B/G, across the country from South Carolina to Alaska. Additionally, Mr. Hines was also an active participant in the EAA Young Eagles program, personally providing initial flights for more than 30 fledgling aviation enthusiasts. He was also a proud member of the 51st Pursuit Group, an austere group of aviation aficionados in the Sumter community. Furthermore, Mr. Hines was voted into the Order of the Daedalians, a military pilot fraternity, as a friend of the 70th Flight. Capt. Hines was a NFO/RIO with more than 434 hours in the F-4 B and 147 combat missions. He amassed an impressive nine Air Medals and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions to save an A-4 FAC crew shot down over Laos in 1969. As a private pilot, Mr. Hines logged more than 800 hours in numerous single engine aircraft. Mr. Hines settled in Sumter and operated his successful private family business Hines Furniture since his arrival in 1971. Mr. Hines was an active member of the Sumter community serving on numerous boards including president of the Sumter Merchants Association, vice president of the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce, the Sumter County Airport Commission, the Sumter Board of Zoning Adjustment, the YMCA board, Sumter Rotary Club, ShawSumter Community Council as well as chairman of the Sumter Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. Mr. Hines was a member of St. Anne Catholic Church. In addition to his wife, Mr. Hines is survived by two sons, Donald “Donny” Michael Hines and his wife, Vanya, of Sumter and Lee Elliott Hines and his wife, Deidra, of Fort Mill; two sisters, Sandra Jean Holbert and her husband, Don, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Donna Lee Galloway of Venice, Florida.; and seven grandchildren, to whom he was affectionately known as “Poppy,” Justina, Christian, Mary Helen, Addison, Madelyn, Sarah and Caroline Hines.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at St. Anne Catholic Church with the Rev. Frank Palmieri, CRM officiating. A private interment will be held in St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be the Order of the Daedalians and the Marine Corps League. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Bullock Funeral Home, 1190 Wilson Hall Road, Sumter. Memorials may be made to the St. Anne Catholic School, 11 S. Magnolia St., Sumter, S.C. 29150. You may sign the family’s guest book at www.bullockfuneralhome.com. The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Williams Funeral Home Inc.

um of Sumter.

OBITUARIES BENJAMIN CHINA JR. ALCOLU — Benjamin China Jr., 80, widower of Mary White China, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter. He was born Nov. 3, 1934, in Alcolu, a son CHINA of the late Rev. Benjamin China Sr. and Mary McCray China. He received his formal education in the public schools of Clarendon County. In 1958 he moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, held various jobs and was employed by Yankee Metal Industrial Company until he retired. He was a member of Miracle Temple Church in Norwalk and later joined Temple of Praise Holiness Church in New York. Upon his return to South Carolina, he reunited himself with Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church where he served faithfully on the board of trustees and male chorus. He was also a member of the YMCA/YWCA lodge No. 15. Survivors are four loving sisters: Rhunette Little, Bertha (Pastor Arthur) Fairnot, Maggie Tindal and Ella Rea (Leroy) Gibson; three aunts; and two uncles. The YMCA/YWCA ceremonies will be held 6 p.m. today at Samuels Funeral Home LLC, 114 N. Church St., Manning. Celebratory services for Mr. China will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday at Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, 10331 Plowden Mill Road, Alcolu. The Rev. Hazel Charles, pastor, presiding; Bishop Anthony Gibson, eulogist; Pastor Matthew Singleton, assisting. Burial will follow in the churchyard cemetery. Mr. China will lie in repose one hour before funeral time. Online memorials may be sent to samuelsfuneralhome. com The family is receiving friends at the home of his sister Maggie Tindal, 1188 Heriott St., Manning. These service have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.

FREDERICK M. HINES Frederick “Rick” Michael Hines, 72, beloved husband of 47 years to Rosemary Dahlin Hines, died on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. Mr. Hines was born in WinHINES chester, Massachusetts, and he was the son of the late Wilfred Edward and Jean Eloise Murray Hines. He was a 1962 graduate of Fairborn High School, Fairborn, Ohio. Mr. Hines attended Miami University of Ohio on a General Arnold Scholarship and completed his studies in three-and-a-half years with a bachelor’s degree in education. He taught advanced economics at Fairborn High School for one year before joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967. Following basic officer training at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Lt. Hines completed naval flight officers school in 1968 and entered F-4B Radar Interception Officer training.

HARRY M. SMITH SMOAKS — Harry Mason Smith, 92, of 55 Ehrhardt Road, Smoaks, died Aug. 21, 2015. He was born March 24, 1923, to Joseph Howell and Bessie Kinard Smith. He was married to the late Shirley Ethel Dantzler for 66 years. He was a World War II veteran, serving our country from 1942-47, stationed at Pantanella, Italy. He was injured when his plane exploded in air. He was Missing in Action in Yugoslavia for six weeks before being rescued and treated for his severe burns. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal. He retired from Charleston Naval Shipyard. He was an avid NASCAR fan and enjoyed hunting and country living. He is survived by a sister, Mary Lucille Smith of Smoaks; four daughters, Patricia (Jack) Gunter of Leesville, Phyllis (Pat) Hegler of Smoaks, Debbie (Bill) Cherry of Smoaks, and Barbara (Donnie) Shumpert of Sumter; and a son, Steve (Maureen) Smith of Smoaks. He had 15 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by brothers Jack, Howell and Wendell Smith. A private family burial was held on Saturday. The family will receive friends Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the home of Bill and Debbie Cherry, 13656 Hunters Chapel Road, Smoaks, S.C. 29481. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Water Missions International P.O. Box 31258 Charleston, S.C. 29417 or to the American Legion. Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home of Walterboro assisted the family with arrangements.

JAMES MARK James Mark, 76, husband of Greta Chandler Mark, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter. Born Dec. 21, 1938, in Sumter County, he was the son of James Mark. The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 313 Wise Drive, Sumter.

ROOSEVELT CABBAGESTALK Roosevelt Cabbagestalk, 83, entered eternal rest on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. Born May 14, 1932, in Sumter County, he was a son of the late Henry and Irene Cabbagestalk. He retired from Georgia Pacific and was the last original singer of the Palmetto Singers. Survivors include his wife, Mary Lou Cabbagestalk; four daughters, Wanda (Alvin) Lawson, Rosa (Elmer) Cooper, Marilyn Wilson and Annie (Richard) Dupree; one son, Roosevelt Cabbagestalk; adopted son, Stephon (Brenda) Williams; one brother, Harry Cabbagestalk; 13 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Mulberry Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor Nate Brock and Pastor James Clark. The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 19 Dollard Drive, Sumter. Online memorials can be sent to comfhltj@sc.rr.com Community Funeral Home of Sumter is in charge of these arrangements.

CHRISTINE DEAS Christine Deas, 74, wife of Richard Deas, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, at her home. Born Feb. 28, 1941, in Sumter County, she was the daughter of James Henry and Sarah Watkins Bennett. The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 5705 Savannah Road, Wedgefield. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Williams Funeral Home, Inc.

FRANCIS L. NEWCOMB REMBERT — Francis “Frank” Leslie Newcomb, 53, died on Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Bullock Funeral Home.

PAUL BRADLEY JR. Paul Bradley Jr., 68, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, at Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia. Born Sept. 19, 1946, in Virginia, he was the son of Paul Bradley Sr. and Julia Ann Sinkler Bradley. The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 60 Pearl Court, Sumter. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc.

CHASE W. OLSON Chase W. Olson, 34, husband of Lauren B. Olson, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, in North Carolina. Services will be announced by Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematori-

EDWIN W. OLIVER JR. Edwin W. Oliver Jr., 81, loving husband of Jean E. Oliver and Jesus Christ, died Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. Services will be announce by Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter.

HARRY L. ENGLISH Harry L. “H. L.” or Bubba” English Sr., 85, answered his call from the Lord on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. Born Sept. 26, 1929, in Sumter, he was the son of the late Nelson English Sr. and Della Curtis Jenkins. Harry attended the public schools of Sumter County. He enlisted in the United States Army in February 1951 and served with the 148th Infantry Regiment at Camp Polk, Louisiana. After completing two years of service, he was honorably discharged in Feb. 1953 and returned to Sumter. During his military service, he was united in holy matrimony to Mammie Anderson on Oct. 10, 1952. Harry accepted Christ as his Savior at an early age. He was a lifelong member of St. Luke AME Church, where he served as trustee emeritus, class leader, Sons of Allen, lay organization and wherever his service was needed. Harry leaves to cherish his memories his wife of 62 years, Mammie; step-mother, Maggie English Pitts of Columbia; eight children, Eura Seabrook, Linda M. English, Idella Tindal and Harry L. English Jr., all of Sumter, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Norman (Pia) English of Radcliff, Kentucky, Bernard English Sr. of Sumter, Stacey (Bill) McCray of Alcolu and retired Senior Master Sgt. Randy English of Woodbridge, Virginia; two sisters, Dorothy English of Columbia and Maggie Hancock of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; a spiritually-adopted son, the Rev. Roger L. Washington; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; former daughter-in-law, Elizabeth English; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Home going celebration services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Luke A. M. E. Church, 2355 North St. Paul Church Road in Sumter with the Rev. Dr. Orlando McCauley Jr., pastor and eulogist, and assisted by the Rev. R. L. Washington, the Rev. Dr. Eliza E. Black, the Rev. Pamela Mack and the Rev. Clarence Hunter. The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 872 Twin Lakes Drive, Sumter. The remains will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. The funeral procession will leave from the home at 10:20 a.m. Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park, 802 North Guignard Drive, Sumter. Services are directed by the management and staff of Williams Funeral Home Inc., 821 N. Main St., Sumter. Online memorial messages may be sent to the family at williamsfuneralhome@sc.rr. com. Visit us on the web — www. williamsfuneralhome.com.

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CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements $1000 REWARD For info that leads to the recovery of missing items. 16ft dble axle trailer, Yamaha 4 Wheeler, Honda generator. Call 494-9887

OR TO PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE GO TO WWW.THE ITEM.COM/PLACEMYAD Help Wanted Full-Time

Unfurnished Homes

Manufactured Housing

Rusty's Diesel Service is looking for a FT Diesel Mechanic, Must have at least 2 yrs exp, Must have own Tools. Please apply in person @ Rusty's Diesel @ 874 S Guignard Dr. Sumter No Phone Calls Please

Nice 2BR 1BA home. Safe neighborhood. Reasonable. No pets. Sec. 8 OK. Close to Shaw. 803-983-0043

TIRED OF RENTING? We help customers with past credit problems and low credit scores achieve their dreams of home ownership? We have 2,3, & 4 bedroom homes. Call 843-389-4215 AND also visit our Face Book Page (M&M Mobile Homes)

Live in Caregiver for Elderly man. Manning Area. No smoking, must have valid Driver license. Room & Board plus salary. Call 803-478-4285 Pilgrims Pride Hiring for Live Hang Dept. Experience required. Contact 803-518-2600. Aftr 5pm

BUSINESS SERVICES Home Improvements Purvis's seamless & leafless gutters, windows & vinyl siding. Pressure washing & free estimates. call 803-825-7443.

H.L. Boone, Contractor: Remodel paint roofs gutters drywall blown ceilings ect. 773-9904 Professional Remodelers Home maintenance, ceramic tile, roofing, siding & windows doors, etc. Lic. & Ins. (Cell) 803-459-4773 JAC Home Improvements 24 Hr Service. We beat everyone's prices, Free Estimates Licensed & Bonded 850-316-7980 803-968-5528

Lawn Service Got Termites/ Moisture Problems! Call Grassbusters 803-983-4539 Licensed/ Insured Lifestyles Lawn Service! Disc. for home sellers, residential & commercial. Erik 968-8655

Legal Service Attorney Timothy L. Griffith 803-607-9087, 360 W. Wesmark. Criminal, Family, Accident, Injury

Roofing All Types of Roofing & Repairs All work guaranteed. 30 yrs exp. SC lic. Virgil Bickley 803-316-4734.

Tree Service STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721 Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal, trimming & stump grinding. Lic/Ins 803-316-0128

MERCHANDISE Garage, Yard & Estate Sales LARGE GARAGE SALE Every Weekend Tables $2 & $3 FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every weekend. 905-4242 or 494-5500

For Sale or Trade

POSITION: Full-time Automotive Mechanic HOURS: Monday-Friday (40-hour work week) QUALIFICATIONS: One year exp. as an automotive mechanic; a high school diploma; valid SC driver's license DUTIES: Provides preventive maintenance on apx. 40 vehicles; train staff on operation of vehicle lifts and wheelchair tie downs; compiles monthly/quarterly data. SALARY: $11.00 per hour BENEFITS: State insurance and retirement; vacation and sick leave; paid holidays. IF INTERESTED: Send resume and cover letter to Lee County Disabilities and Special Needs Board, POB 468, Bishopville, SC 29010 through 9/4/2015. Retail Management (Keyholder) Position with local shoe store. Exciting career opportunity. Retail experience preferred. Apply at SHOE SHOW, Sumter Mall. EOE M/F

Medical Help Wanted CAREGIVER NEEDED Thurs 9am to Sun 9am. Private quarters. Must be able to do stand & pivot transfers & be a non-smoker 478-7434 Secure your future in the medical field. Register now for up coming classes. •Aug. 17th CNA •Aug. 18th Medical Billing & Coding •Pharmacy Tech - Aug. •Sept. 14th Phlebotomy Pee Dee Medical Training Center of Lake City 115 N. Matthews Rd. Lake City, SC 29560 843-374-0070 Hiring CMA's, CNAs, PHLEB, formally trained med asst.'s. Fax resume to 803-774-7009

RENTALS Unfurnished Apartments Nice Area 2BR 1.5BA large duplex, Appliances. New carpet, paint. No Pets/Smoking $625mo. & dep. 803-983-8463.

Expert Tech, New & used heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, warranty; Compressor & labor $600. Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364

EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted Full-Time Salesman for busy car lot. Sales experience required. Salary negotiable. Apply in person at 1282 N Lafayette Dr, Sumter. No phone calls, please.

Happy Ads

Palmetto Farm Supply OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY 8AM - 6PM

DEER CORN 50 LB. BAG

599

Sumter home needs TLC. Lg lot,good foundation cosmetic work needed. Make me an offer. Make me grand again. 803-938-5622 3 & 4 Br homes & MH, in Sumter County & Manning area. No Sect. 8. Rent + dep. req. Call 803-225-0389.

Mobile Home Rentals Fall Special(Dalzell) MHP 2BR 1BA, washer, dryer, sewer & garbage P/U. No Pets. $355/mo + $355/dep. Mark 803-565-7947. S/W MH 3Br,2 full 2Ba , All appls included w/big bckyrd, Summerton Area. Central A/C, Voucher Accepted. Available Sept 1, 2015 804-360-4355 or 804-543-0003 14x70 2BR 1.5 BA Fncd Lot, clean, Shaw Area . $450 Mo + $450 Dep Call 840-3371 or 494-3573

Houses & Mobile Homes for rent. 2, 3 & 4 bedrooms. Section 8 OK. Call 773-8022. 2BR, 1BA, No pets, Scenic Lake MHP, call 9-5 803-499-1500

STATEBURG COURTYARD

7 acres for sale. Off Patriot Parkway. Call 803-305-8011. 1550 Stephen Tindal Dr. 1 acre vacant lot. $8,000. Owner financing. Call 404-895-3972.

Abandoned Vehicle Notice The following vehicle was abandoned at ESM Enterprises, LLC, 2191 Clarence Coker Hwy., Turbeville, SC 29162. Described as a 2003 Dodge Pickup R1500, VIN # 1D7HU18N53S115544. Total Due for storage is $2,632.00 as of July 28, 2015, plus $30.00 per day thereafter. Owner is asked to call 843-659-8945. If not claimed in 30 days. it will be turned over to the Magistrate's Office for public sale.

Reconditioned batteries $45. New batteries, $56 - $98. Auto Electric Co., 102 Blvd. Rd. Sumter, 803-773-4381

LEGAL NOTICES

Mopeds / ATVs / Motorcycles

Legal Notice

2006 Suzuki Motorcycle (Blvd) Mint condtn. garage kept, low mi. reasonable. 803-905-1220.

NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO APPLY FOR A CERTIFICATE OF NEED

Autos For Sale 2009 BMW 528i for $17,500. Never been in accident, perfect condition. Fully loaded. Call 803-478-4711.

REAL ESTATE Real Estate Wanted Back to School Specials Small cars start at $1900 $$$ Price is Right Auto Sales 3210 Broad St 803-494-4275

2BR 1BA SW on Rental Lot for sale $3800. All appliances incl. 803-464-5757 Financing available

Abandon Vehicle / Boat

Miscellaneous

TRANSPORTATION

Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water /sewer/garbage pk-up incl'd. RV parking avail. Call 803-494-8350

Homes for Sale

We will be happy to change your ad if an error is made; however we are not responsible for errors after the first run day. We shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the printing or omission of an advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or cancel any ad at any time.

Land & Lots for Sale

2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

I buy homes. Repairs needed ok. Call 803-972-0900

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES

11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition. 9:30 a.m. Friday for Saturday’s edition 11:30 a.m. Friday for Sunday’s edition.

This is to provide official notice to the S. C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and all interested parties, in accordance with Regulation No.61-15, Section 201, 2012, that NHC HomeCare-Low Country owned by NHC HomeCare-South Carolina, LLC,intends to file an application for a Certificate of Need for the: Addition of Clarendon County to the existing licensed home health agency known as NHC HomeCare-Low Country to serve the residents of Clarendon County. The applicants existing licensed home care office is located in leased office space at 109 Burton Avenue, Suite D, Summerville SC. The existing home care license currently serves the residents of Bamberg, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Dorchester and Williamsburg Counties, SC. The licensed agency currently participates in both the Medicaid and Medicare Programs. The estimated capital cost of the project is $1,000. The anticipated date of filing of the application is within 20 days of this notice or around 09/10/15. The contact person for this project is: Bruce K. Duncan, who may be reached at 100 Vine Street, 12th Floor, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 615/890-2020

3 Marlborough Court in Marlborough Estates by Kingsbury Elementary. 4 Br, 2 Ba, new roof & new carpet, 2 car garage, 1.6 ac. 10x10 storage shed. $149,900. Call 803-481-0096 or 236-9777

Summons & Notice SUMMONS AND NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 2015-CP-43-1816 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Roshell D. Dunham, Plaintiff, -vSaritha Dachepalli, Defendant. TO THE DEFENDANT: Dachepalli

Saritha

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint for damages in an automobile accident, the original of which has been filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County, on the 3rd day of August, 2015, a copy of which will be delivered to you upon request; and to serve a copy of your answer to the said complaint upon the undersigned attorney for the Plaintiff, John D. Clark at the Clark Law Firm L.L.C., at Post Office Drawer 880, 22 E. Liberty Street, Sumter, South Carolina 29151-0880, within thirty (30) days following the date of service upon you, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the complaint within the time stated, Plaintiff will move for an Order declaring you, the Defendant in default on the ground that Defendant failed to timely answer or otherwise submit responsive pleadings to the Complaint filed with this Court on August 3, 2015. In addition, the Plaintiff will seek the relief requested in the Complaint previously filed in this matter. John D. Clark, Esquire Attorney for Plaintiff 22 East Liberty Street P.O. Drawer 880 Sumter, SC 29151

4 br, 2.5 ba, 0.49 acre lot, laminate & carpet, all appliances, fenced, rear deck, $99,900. Call 803-464-1775 or 469-9791.

First Day of School!

1BR Apt, LR, kitchen w/ all appliances. Parking in fenced yard w/ screen porch. 803-236-0948 Senior Living Apartments for those 62+ (Rent based on income) Shiloh-Randolph Manor 125 W. Bartlette. 775-0575 Studio/1 Bedroom apartments available EHO

Auctions

For Sale: Washer & Dryer, Dining room table with 4 chairs. Call 803-275-7143

803-774-1234

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

AUCTION STANLEY WELCH TRADITIONAL CLOTHIERS 434 N. Guignard Dr. Sumter, SC

ANTIQUE & FINE FURNISHINGS PREVIEW TIMES: 2-5PM 8/28, 8/30, 9/1 BID ONLINE ONLY THRU 9/1/15 DETAILS AND BIDDING AT: WWW.JRDIXONAUCTIONS.COM J. RAFE DIXON, SCAL 4059 (803) 774-6967

On Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Item will publish a special First Day of School Picture page and for $10.00 your child can be included in this special lineup. Deadline is: Noon, Monday, August 31, 2015

1. Please Print Child’s Name____________________ Grade__________________________ Hometown______________________

2. Your Name_____________________ Address_______________________ Home Phone___________________ Work Phone____________________

3. Method of Payment Check enclosed $10.00 per photo Money order (Payable to The Item) VISA MASTERCARD DISCOVER AMEX Card Number________________________ Expiration Date________________ Signature______________________________________

Name: William & Max Cockerill Grade: K4 & 1st Grade Hometown: Sumter

Complete all of the information above and enclose your payment and photo of your child (with your child’s name on the back) and a self addressed stamped envelope to mail your picture back.

Call for additional information 803-774-1284 Mail to: The Item • Classified Dept PO Box 1677 • Sumter, SC 29151

PER BAG

LIMIT 20 BAGS PER DAY

335 Broad Street • Sumter, SC

803-775-1204

Mayo’s Summer Clearance Sale! Spring & Summer Sports Coats

50% Off - Reg. Price

Linen & Seer Sucker Suits Sizes 36-46 $99.95 Sizes 48-60 $109.95

If your suits aren’t becoming to you, It’s a good time to be coming to Mayo’s! Wesmark Plaza • 773-2262 • Mon-Sat 10-7 • www.MayosDiscountSuits.com

SECTION

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015 Call Ivy Moore at: (803) 774-1221 | E-mail: ivy@theitem.com

‘There’ll be dancin’ in the street’ U-neek Flavur brings its extensive playlist to 4th Fridays BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com

owntown Sumter continues to bring accomplished bands whose music offers something for all tastes. And that’s working out well for the monthly Fourth Fridays concerts/street parties, said Downtown Development Coordinator Leigh Newman. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about this year’s schedule,” she said. “We tried to have a little something to suit everybody’s musical tastes, and I think people appreciate that.” The size of the crowds is an indication of the popularity of the schedule, which brings the band U-neek Flavur to downtown from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday. Despite the heat, “The crowds have been great,” Newman said. “We have been getting really lucky this year; even through the extreme heat the concert evenings have been relatively pleasant.” The bands have been appreciative of the crowds, as well. “The bands we have seem impressed by our location, crowds and band accommodations,” she said. “Our crowds really get into the concerts, and the bands like that interaction. “Our July Band, the Root Doctors, even played later than they were scheduled to play.” U-neek Flavur, this Friday’s musical guest, is a Charlotte band and a brief look at its playlist reveals it to be unique, too. The six-piece band plays Top 40, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, hiphop, oldies, beach music, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, rap, funk and even some disco and a bit of country. Their music is highly danceable, too. A few of the artists whose music U-neek Flavur covers include Bruno Mars, John Legend, The Black-Eyed Peas, The Temptations, Prince, George Clinton, Justin Timberlake, The Drifters, Gnarls Barkley, Etta James,

PHOTO PROVIDED

U-neek Flavur from Charlotte plays a wide range of music, from funk and jazz to hip-hop and beach music. They’re also known for their harmonies and choreography. Hear them from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday on the Main Street green space across from the Sumter Opera House. Nat King Cole and many, many others. Guitarist Dale Huntley, keyboard player Ronald Mitchell, vocalists Clarence “C-Leak” Leak and Richard “Riche Rich” Figueroa, drummer Demond Curry and bass guitarist Jim Bathe are also known for their high energy, harmonies and choreography that’s gained them a share of stages with such national acts as Boyz to Men, Midnight Starr, Evelyn “Champagne” King and others. The Cut Rate Soda Fountain will be on hand selling hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches and cold drinks, Newman said, “and we will also have Italian Ice available, perfect for those warm summer nights.” U-neek Flavur will play from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday in the green space across from the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Main will be closed to traffic from Liberty Street to Hampton Avenue during the concert. Admission is free to all Fourth Fri-

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Fourth Friday’s band, U-neek Flavur, will play a wide variety of music, including a cover of Marcia Griffiths’ “Electric Slide,” the dance these concert goers were doing at a past Fourth Fridays concert. days concerts, which are family friendly. No coolers are permitted, but bring a lawn chair or a blanket.

There are three Fourth Fridays remaining this year. They are: • Aug. 28 — U-neek Flavur

• Sept. 25 — Darrell Harwood • Oct. 23 — Mystic Vibrations

Richard Anderson: From MGM to the $6 Million Man BY NICK THOMAS Tinseltown Talks

eteran actor Richard Anderson appeared in more than 200 films and TV shows during his career. But for Anderson, who turned 89 on Aug. 8, it’s not just his wellknown role as security chief Oscar Goldman in “The Six Million Dollar Man” that elicits fan questions at classic film/TV conventions. “They always ask about ‘Curse of the Faceless Man’ which we made in 1958 and was my first lead film role,” Anderson said from Los Angeles. “It was a low-budget remake of ‘The Mummy’ two decades earlier, featuring a stone monster rather than one wrapped in bandages. We spent a week filming in a big old house on the way up to Malibu – the house is still there. I really just learned my lines and tried not to bump into the furniture.” Two years earlier, Anderson appeared in the venerable sci-fi classic “Forbidden Planet.” “That was the last of two dozen movies I did for MGM,” he said. “Sci-fi feature films were rather new in 1956, and it changed the genre forever. The whole movie was shot on one stage and as filming progressed, the studio gave us more money and the best

PHOTO PROVIDED

Richard Anderson, right, is shown in a scene with Alan Oppenheimer, left, and Lee Majors, center, in a scene from “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Anderson played Oscar Goldman and also recited the show’s famous opening line: “Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology.” His autobiography is now available. production staff. We turned out a first-class movie that’s still impressive today.” Born in New Jersey and raised in New York, young Dick and his brother Bob were weekend matinee regulars at the 96th Street Motion Picture Theater, absorbed in their favorite films: westerns. “The stories had heroes and happy endings – I really wanted to live in that world,” recalled Anderson. “I was especially drawn to one actor who never said much, but used his body language to

tell the story. That was Gary Cooper, who inspired me to get into the business.” Anderson never worked with Cooper, but the two met years later at a Mexico City film festival. “When I asked him about acting he said he didn’t know much about it, and advised me to never get caught doing it!” He also co-starred with other greats, including Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. “Tracy would mumble his lines in rehearsal, then do it perfectly in one take when the camera rolled,” he re-

called. “Gable left work at 5 o’clock; it was in his contract. But on the set, he worked very hard rehearsing and made it look easy on the screen.” More anecdotes from Anderson’s career appear in his May biography, co-written with Alan Doshna, “Richard Anderson: At Last ... A Memoir, From the Golden Years of M-G-M to The Six Million Dollar Man to Now” (see www.bionik.com). Anderson wasn’t the only celebrity in his family. “Katharine, my second wife, was the daughter of Norma Shearer and MGM producer Irving Thalberg,” noted Anderson. Richard and Katharine were married in 1961, so he never knew Thalberg who died in 1936, but says he was close to his mother-in-law. “Norma Shearer was very nice to me, she liked and respected me,” he said. “She gave us a party when we were married – Judy Garland was one of the guests. Norma had a house on the beach and when we visited her, she would talk about her career and how she ‘had it all’ at one time. She won a Best Actress Oscar (‘The Divorcee’ in 1930) and we still have it.” While Shearer found fame in film and retired just as television was coming of age in the early ‘40s, it was TV that made Anderson a house-

hold name when “The Six Million Man” exploded on the small screen in 1974 for five seasons. “It was a show that brought back the hero and happy endings, so I told my agent I wanted the part even if I had to pay the producers to let me do it!” laughed Anderson, who also narrated the show’s famous introduction. “‘Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology,’” quoted Anderson. “You can’t imagine how many fans come up to me and say that. It’s the best TV show introduction ever written.” Anderson continued his Oscar Goldman role in three seasons of “The Bionic Woman,” becoming one of the few actors to portray the same character in different television series. And on Sept. 17, Anderson will be a guest at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Churchville, Maryland, where he can expect more questions from admirers, including why he took so long to write a book about his life. “My answer is simple,” he says. “I’m still living it.” Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 600 magazines and newspapers. Follow @ TinseltownTalks

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

FOOD

THE SUMTER ITEM

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A fuss-free chicken that doesn’t skimp on flavor BY ALISON LADMAN Associated Press ometimes we think

minutes, this is your recipe. A savory-tangy sauce made from hoisin, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes too hard about the mixes up in a flash and imparts big, bold flavor in no food we toss on the time. It also acts as a great dipgrill. Brine this, rub that, ping sauce once the chicken comes off the grill. marinate for 12 days. As for the chicken itself, Enough! what to buy all comes down to how easy you want to make For those days when you just things. You can buy chicken want something simple and de- breast tenders so that all you licious to pop onto the grill and have to do is thread the meat onto the skewers. They cost a get to the table in under 30

bit more, but the convenience might be worth it to you. Or you can save a little cash and buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then thinly slice them into strips. It will take an extra 5 to 10 minutes, but you’ll save cash. Either way, it’s easy to turn these skewers into a complete meal. Make a giant salad tossed with a robust vinaigrette (something with berry jam whisked in), then pile the skewers over individual servings of the salad.

HOISIN-DIJON CHICKEN SKEWERS Start to finish: 20 minutes Servings: 6 3/4 cup hoisin sauce 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 pounds chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into thin strips) Kosher salt and ground black pepper Count out the number of chicken strips you have, then soak an equal number of bamboo skewers in warm water for 15 minutes. Heat the grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin sauce, mustard, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Divide

the sauce into two portions, one for basting the raw chicken, another to serve with the chicken after it is cooked. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers and brush all over with one portion of the hoisin mixture. Grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side, basting with more of the hoisin mixture as it cooks. As the skewers finish cooking, reaching 165 F at the thickest part, transfer them to a platter. Serve with the reserved sauce. Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories; 30 calories from fat (12 percent of total calories); 3 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 90 mg cholesterol; 1020 mg sodium; 17 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 36 g protein.

Turn summer’s fruit bounty into easy, refreshing ice slush BY ALISON LADMAN Associated Press One of our favorite ways to beat the heat at the end of summer is to turn some of the season’s abundant produce into beautiful, delicious frozen fruit slushies. It’s fun and easy to get creative. Not only can you experiment with different fruits and juices, you also can get fancy (or fanciful) with the glasses and bowls (though clear glass is almost mandatory) you serve them in.

DOUBLE MELON AND PINEAPPLE FRUIT SLUSHIES Start to finish: 4 hours (20 minutes active) Servings: 6 1 cup cubed honeydew melon 3/4 cup apple juice, divided 6 tablespoons honey, divided Kosher salt 1 cup cubed cantaloupe melon 1 cup cubed pineapple In a blender, combine honeydew melon, 1/4 cup apple juice, 2 tablespoons of the honey and a small pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into 6 glasses, filling each about a quarter to a third of the way full. Freeze for 30 minutes. Repeat the blending and layering process with the cantaloupe, using another 1/4 cup of apple juice, 2 tablespoons of honey and a small pinch of salt. Freeze for another 30 minutes. Finally, blend the pineapple with the remaining apple juice, honey and a pinch of salt. Add the third layer to the glasses. Freeze until desired slushiness, about 2 hours. Nutrition information per serving: 110 calories; 0 calories from fat (0 percent of total calories); 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 55 mg sodium; 29 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 27 g sugar; 1 g protein. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FOOD

THE SUMTER ITEM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

The secret to the perfect poached egg BY J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor COPENHAGEN, Denmark — It took nearly 20,000 miles to discover this secret, but cracking the code of the perfect poached egg made every one of them worth it. And I’ll save you the travel trouble. I was on the tail end of a culinary circumnavigation of the globe. I was hungry and jetlagged and slowly eating my way through Copenhagen, home to some of the most innovative chefs in the world. Lunch on my second day in this almost painfully romantic and beautiful city was at Relae, a casual restaurant — and one of the world’s top 50 — that specializes in no-fuss, organic food with big, bold flavors and beautiful (but unpretentious) platings. The meal included a bendthe-mind sort of dessert — fantastically tart lemon sorbet topped with a warm poached egg. It sounds crazy, but it was right in every possible way. Yet it wasn’t the unusual combination that caught my attention (though I highly recommend you try that, too). It was the egg itself. From my seat at the bar overlooking the kitchen, I watched as the chefs cracked my poached egg onto the icy sorbet directly from the shell. Which is to say, the egg had been perfectly poached in the shell. The soothing runniness of a warm poached egg is just this side of heaven, and it is something I have long worked to perfect. Yet despite my struggles, the crack-the-egg-intosimmering-water method — no matter how many tricks and tips I’ve employed — has never produced that Platonic ideal of a sumptuously smooth poached egg I desired. This egg in this restaurant in this Danish city was that egg. And the chefs were kind enough to explain to me their trick. And then I went to dinner at

Amass, Matt Orlando’s brilliant take on Nordic cuisine. And he served me yet another perfectly poached egg cracked directly from the shell, this time onto fermented grains. And like the folks at Relae, he and his team were happy to share their technique. Frustratingly, it’s a method that is hard to replicate at home. These folks use sous vide cookers (heaters that maintain set temperatures in bins of water to gently, slowly and uniformly cook food to within tenths of a degree). The technique actually was simple. Whole eggs get submerged in 145.5 F water for between 45 minutes to an hour. That’s it. Under these conditions, the whites are delicately cooked,

while the yolks remain lusciously supple and runny. Sadly, most of us don’t have sous vide cookers at home. So I decided to hack the system for a home solution. And while this can be a bit fussy and certainly takes longer than traditional poaching methods, the result is vastly better than any poached egg you’ve ever made. Also, these eggs are easily prepped ahead of time, then reheated when you wish to eat them. Simply follow the recipe, then plunge the poached eggs (in the shell) into a bowl of ice and water. When the eggs are cool, refrigerate for up to three days. When you want to serve the eggs, set them in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes to warm.

PERFECTLY POACHED EGGS You will need a digital thermometer for this recipe. They are inexpensive and widely available. This recipe produces a very delicate poached egg. For a firmer egg, increase cooking time to 45 to 50 minutes. Start to finish: 45 minutes Servings: 6 6 eggs In a medium saucepan over the lowest possible heat, bring 6 cups of water to 145 F. On a gas stove, this should take 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the saucepan off the heat, then set a large skillet on the burner. Set the saucepan into the skillet. The skillet diffuses the di-

rect heat of the burner, making it easier to maintain a consistent water temperature. Carefully set the eggs into the water. Check the temperature. It should drop down to between 135 F to 138 F. Let the eggs cook in this manner for 40 minutes, checking the water temperature about every 5 to 10 minutes. The water temperature should slowly increase. If it gets above 145 F, add cool water 1/4 cup at a time to maintain 145 F. After 40 to 45 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water. Run under cool water until easily handled. To serve, gently crack the shells and set the poached egg onto your desired dish.

Grilled cauliflower is hearty meal THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The trick to slicing cauliflower steaks is to use only the center of the cauliflower head. Basically, you trim away the sides, then cut the center into slabs. In this recipe, use every bit of the cauliflower head, and add a touch of feta to the topping for a little salty goodness.

GRILLED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH LEMON-LIME FETA GREMOLATA Servings: 6 2 small heads cauliflower 1 clove garlic 1 lime 2 lemons 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese Kosher salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil Heat the grill to medium-high. Trim off and discard the cauliflower leaves, then flip each head over so that the stem end is facing up. Trim about 1/4 inch from each side to flatten, then cut each head in 3 thick slabs. Reserve 1 cup of the side florets you trimmed away. Using a fine wand-style grater, grate the garlic into a medium bowl. Grate in the zest of the lime and 1 lemon, then juice the lime and 1/2 of the lemon into the same bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and reserved cauliflower bits and add to the bowl along with the feta. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and juice from the reserved lemon half. Brush one side of the cauliflower steaks with the lemon oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place them oiled side down on the grill. Cook for 4 minutes, brush the top sides of the steaks with additional lemon oil, flip and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly charred and tender. Slice the remaining lemon into 6 wedges. Spoon several tablespoons of the gremolata over the steaks and serve with a lemon wedge.

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COMICS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE SUMTER ITEM

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTS

ANDY CAPP

GARFIELD

BEETLE BAILEY

BORN LOSER

BLONDIE

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE

DOG EAT DOUG

DILBERT

JEFF MACNELLY'S SHOE

Wife in loveless marriage longs for intimate romance DEAR ABBY— The wedding night I had dreamed about forever was supposed to be the most romantic Dear Abby and amazing of my life ABIGAIL with the one VAN BUREN person I can't live without. Instead, it was the most humiliating experience I have ever had. I dressed in a beautiful negligee, and my husband didn't even take a second look at me. I was so embarrassed, I rolled over and pretended to fall asleep. That was my big night, the one night I'll never get again.

JUMBLE THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME By David L Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

This same man brags about the sexual encounters he had with his ex-wife, cyber sex and his 13-hour sexathon. When I try to touch him, he seems repulsed and pulls away. My heart can't take the never-ending rejection and the nights of crying because I don't know what I have done wrong. The sad thing is, I'm pretty sure he has never even noticed. Even an intimate kiss would be enough for me now. I dream of a man who loves me so much he stares at me from across the room, who can't wait to get his hands on me even if it's just for a second. Unfortunately, that's not my marriage. Don't I deserve happiness? And will this

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ever change? Untouched in Texas DEAR UNTOUCHED— Of course you deserve happiness. But nothing will change until you start asking questions and demand answers. The only thing you have done "wrong" is to have tolerated the status quo. Has it occurred to you that your husband has been lying to you about his sexual exploits? He may be impotent, gay, or so hooked on cyber porn that there is nothing left for you. Make it your business to find out. Ask him. And if he isn't forthcoming, talk with his ex-wife. If your marriage was never consummated, you may be entitled to an annulment.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.

By David Poole

ACROSS 1 Moments, briefly 5 God with a bow 9 Like some elephants 14 Jai __ 15 "Game over," to Kasparov 16 Forrest's shrimp-loving friend 17 Make fun of boxing gear? 19 Lusitania sinker 20 StyleBistro and Slate 21 "Into the Woods" (2014) director Marshall 23 Schlep 24 Arles article 25 Make fun of Harleys? 27 "Gigi" novelist 30 Barcelonaborn muralist 31 MouthHealthy .org org. 32 Line from the sun 34 Ristorante desserts 38 Make fun of sweater styles? 42 Came afterward 43 Roller in Vegas 44 Low digit 45 Lively dance

8/26/15 47 Adopt, as a cause 50 Make fun of tunes? 54 Ga. neighbor 55 Numbered musical piece 56 Colorado native 57 Human rights advocate Sakharov 60 "¿Cómo __?" 62 Make fun of Porky and Petunia? 64 Requests for Friskies, maybe 65 Half of zwei 66 Rules, to GIs 67 Proverbial reason for a break? 68 Schedule opening 69 Bone, in Rome DOWN 1 Benefit 2 16th/17thcentury Eng. queen 3 Eldorados, e.g. 4 One of the Declaration of Independence's 56 5 "Famous" cookie guy 6 Big D cager 7 "SNL" alumna Cheri 8 Patches, as a lawn

9 __ Dhabi 10 Foreign film feature 11 Discontinued Apple laptop 12 Let up 13 Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA 18 For fear that 22 "Saturday Night Fever" group 25 Raise 26 Machine gun partly named for the Czech city in which it was designed 27 Showed up 28 Take too much of, for short 29 "Doonesbury" creator 33 Pay stub abbr. 35 Insurance risk assessors 36 Ring stats 37 "Understood"

39 "Rashomon" director 40 Many a "Divergent" reader 41 "It's all false!" 46 Petrol measures 48 Huff and puff 49 One who knows the ropes 50 Sonnets, say 51 Unexpected victory 52 Sylvan Learning employee 53 Work on, as a stubborn squeak 57 No. 2 58 Frittata ingredients 59 "That __ last week!" 61 Sacramento-toSan Jose dir. 63 365 días

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

8/26/15

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Slightly subversive ‘Carmichael’ more than meets the eye BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH Topicality looms large in the new sitcom “The Carmichael Show” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG). At first blush, the reliance on hotbutton issues of black identity seems like a crutch. We see Jerrod (Jerrod Carmichael) and his girlfriend, Maxine (Amber Stevens West), trying to out-sing each other. Their choices (rap vs. pop) immediately announce that he is “blacker” than his more bourgeois girlfriend. Later, they visit his parents’ house, where his dad, Joe (David Alan Grier), is seen wearing an Obama T-shirt and breaking into Al Green songs when not channeling Samuel L. Jackson’s character in “Pulp Fiction.” But the parade of “black” references is both less and more than it seems. Joe’s Tshirt actually says “NeoBama,” a mashup of the president and “The Matrix” character, and Joe’s and Jerrod’s attitudes toward both Barack Obama and liberal pieties are more nuanced than you might first expect. “Carmichael” is an extension of the comic’s stand-up work, where he takes a sly, individualistic, even libertarian, view of life and racial politics. One of the recurring gags in his 2014 HBO comedy special was his supposed debt to the black community. “What did I get from the community?” he mused. “The community stole my bike.” Carmichael’s character is not so much selfish as he is self-interested. He wants to define his own identity and not have it foisted on him by a racist society, or by a black “community.” Somewhat audaciously oldschool, “Carmichael” is a three-camera comedy shot mostly on two sets. Carmichael and Grier share great chemistry and timing. As Jerrod’s mother, Cynthia, Loretta Devine quite literally steals the show from time to time, playing her over-thetop, bursting-into-song, church-going, Obama-loving character. Lil Rel Howery plays Bobby, Jerrod’s dim and hapless brother, a man who still lives with his strident wife (Tiffany Haddish) long after their divorce. The stories are rather thin,

FRANCISCO ROMAN / NBC

Amber West stars as Maxine and Jerrod Carmichael as Jerrod in the new NBC sitcom “The Carmichael Show” premiering at 9 p.m. today. incidental backdrops to the topical fireworks. In the pilot, Maxine insists to Jerrod that they tell his parents they’ve moved in together. In the second, Jerrod discovers that his birthday celebration has been eclipsed by a demonstration against a police shooting of an unarmed black man. Maxine sees this as her chance to join “the movement.” Jerrod just wishes it had happened on another day. Like many smart comedies, “Carmichael” laces laughout-loud moments with more tragic insights. At one point, Joe decides to teach his sons how to “walk” so they won’t get shot or harassed by the police. This is where you see how difficult it must be for Jerrod to transcend stereotypes and forge his own identity. In addition to making me think, this is the first NBC comedy this season that made me laugh. It just says something about the network that it’s chosen the last week in August to debut, or exile, “The Carmichael Show.”

CULT CHOICE Spike Lee returns to New Orleans on the fifth anniversary of the Katrina disaster in the 2010 documentary “If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise” (8 p.m., HBO Signature).

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • A Hollywood sequel is pitched on “Key & Peele” (9 p.m., Comedy Central, TV14). • Molly has a vision she cannot un-see on “Extant” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14). • The semifinals continue on “Last Comic Standing” (10

p.m., NBC, TV-14). • A hack from Elliot’s past has grim repercussions on the season finale of “Mr. Robot” (10 p.m., USA, TV-14).

SERIES NOTES Date night woes on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TVPG) * Nick Swardson cameos on “The Goldbergs” (8:30 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) * Couples compete on “Home Free” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) * Manny gets a tutor on “Modern Family” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) * Temptation on “A Wicked Offer” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) * An important holiday on “black-ish” (9:30 p.m., ABC, r,

TV-PG) * A suspicious crash on “Criminal Minds” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT Jeffrey Tambor, Al Madrigal and Ashley Monroe appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) * Craig Robinson, Michael Ian Black and Christina Tosi visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) * Adam Pally, Jeffrey Tambor, Nicole Richie and Laura Marling appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r). Copyright 2015, United Feature Syndicate

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Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Butter and Cookie Crumbs

Heat brings out sweetness of peach BY ELIZABETH KARMEL Associated Press

f you are anything like me, you look forward to summer peaches all year. But unless

you live near an orchard and can get them when they are at their best, even “fresh” summer peaches can be under-ripe. That’s mostly because the fruit is picked before it is ready in order to make it easier to transport. Trouble is, that means peaches often disappoint when we bite into them. Luckily, the grill comes to the rescue! The heat of the grill intensifies the natural sugars in peaches — as well as other under-ripe fruit — as well as softens the flesh. The end result is a sweet, slightly caramelized and soft peach. Delicious! The key to grilling peaches is to cut them in half and remove the pits. You must brush the fruit all over with untoasted nut oil or olive oil to

keep the juices inside and prevent the fruit from drying out. For added flavor, you can replace the pit with a bit of flavored butter (as I do in the recipe below), or sprinkle the cut side with a simple “dessert rub” of cinnamon, sugar and a pinch of salt. Other than that, there is little to know. Make sure the cooking grates are brushed clean and use a mediumlow direct heat. Sugar — natural or added — burns quickly and any food with a high sugar content requires a gentle, low heat. I love serving grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream and a pecan streusel topping that I bake similar to granola. It tastes like pie! But my favorite way is this recipe for grilled peaches with raspberry butter and amaretti cookie crumbs. Peach melba inspired the raspberry butter that I place inside each peach half to melt and sauce the peach. The addition of amaretto deepens the flavor and adds a sophisticated side to the dish. The crumbled amaretti cookies echo the amaretto flavor and add a welcome crunch to the dessert that is made perfect by a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

GRILLED PEACHES WITH RASPBERRY BUTTER AND AMARETTI COOKIE CRUMBS Start to finish: 20 minutes Servings: 4 4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted Un-toasted walnut or hazelnut oil (or olive oil) 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, to serve 8 amaretti cookies, crumbled Heat the grill to medium-low. Brush the cut side of each peach half with the oil. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, butter, amaretto and jam until smooth. Spoon a bit (about 1/2 tablespoon) of the mixture into the center of each peach half. Place the peaches, cut side up, on the grill. Cover the grill and cook until the skins begin to pull away from the flesh, about 5 minutes. About halfway through the grilling time, brush the melted butter mixture at the center of each half all over the cut side. Remove the peach halves from the grill, being careful not to spill the butter mixture from the centers. Set aside to cool slightly, then serve warm or at room temperature topped with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and a sprinkle of amaretti cookie crumbles. Nutrition information per serving: 360 calories; 170 calories from fat (47 percent of total calories); 19 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 55 mg cholesterol; 120 mg sodium; 46 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 37 g sugar; 4 g protein.

Grilled plantains are crowd-pleaser BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN Associated Press In the summer, we eat outside nearly every day. Which translates into three months of meals to cook on the grill; more if you live in San Diego, like we do. Throw in Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day, and even the heartiest of recipe repertoires can be stress-tested. We grill fish, meats, veggies, bread for crostini, lemons for garnish, and even leafy greens for trendy salads. Desserts on the grill are part of the plan, too. We toss on slabs of sweet juicy pineapple, slender triangles of mango or papaya, and give char marks to thick slices of watermelon. This year, though, we grilled

GRILLED TROPICAL PLANTAINS Start to finish: 15 minutes Servings: 4 2 large, yellow-brown plantains 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon coconut sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts

something new for the first time — a plantain. It all started at my daughters’ slumber party. A gaggle of girls decided they wanted to do an impromptu s’mores roast in the backyard. Since we didn’t have any gluten-free graham crackers on hand for my daughter Valentine, I had the idea to use a banana instead. It worked, but the smokiness overwhelmed the delicate banana a little more than we had hoped. Enter the plantain! It’s a relative of the banana, but it’s a bit sturdier and starchier. Plantains can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, and can range from potato-like when unripe (green skin) to downright sugary if very ripe (black skin). For

1 lime, quartered Heat the grill to medium-high. Slice the plantains in half lengthwise, keeping the peel intact. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil and vanilla. Brush the cut side of each plantain half with the coconut oil-vanilla mixture, then sprinkle the halves evenly with coconut sugar and salt. Use an oil-soaked paper towel held with tongs to oil the grill grates, then place the plantains,

most sweet recipes, look for skin that is a mix of yellow and black. Plantains are a good source of vitamins C and A, and like bananas they are an excellent source of potassium. While they are relatively high in calories (about 200 per plantain, with 28 grams of sugar), half a plantain makes for a very satisfying dessert. Feel free to top the plantain with chocolate chips and marshmallows for a slumber party. Or make my (healthier) grilled tropical plantains, which get their richness from coconut oil, unsweetened coconut and macadamia nuts. Since this recipe takes just minutes to make, these are perfect for entertaining.

cut side down, on the grill. Grill for 6 minutes, then flip and sprinkle the shredded coconut and macadamia nuts over the top of the cut sides. Grill for an additional 3 minutes. Serve immediately with a wedge of lime for squeezing over the tops. Nutrition information per serving: 200 calories; 70 calories from fat (35 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 250 mg sodium; 34 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 2 g protein.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Grilled Tropical Plantains get their richness from coconut oil, unsweetened coconut and macadamia nuts.