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THE ITEM
SECOND FRONT
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Contact the newsroom at 803-774-1226 or e-mail news@theitem.com
Local men’s shelter officially set to shut down Friday BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com The men’s shelter ordered to shut down by the county planning department will officially close its doors Friday. The Lighthouse of Hope, a shelter operating for the past seven years out of a house on Laverne Street, will cease operations on Feb. 15 after receiving a one-week extension on the 20-day notice mailed almost a month ago. “We’re just trying to abide by the
laws and not start any trouble,” said Jeff Yarborough, who operated the shelter on a residential street. Yarborough received a letter from the Sumter County Planning Department on Jan. 18 after complaints from neighbors led to an inspection. Planners determined the use of the house as a “group dwelling” made up of “several unrelated persons” was not allowed under the county zoning ordinance which designates Laverne Street as a single-family residential area. Five men were staying in the house
at the time the notice was mailed, many of them recently released from jail or otherwise with nowhere else to go. Only two remained in the home as of Friday. The house had been donated by its previous owner to the Lighthouse of Hope for use as a men’s shelter. The facility focused on treating men with alcohol or substance abuse problems in a supportive and structured environment. Yarborough said previously the shelter had never had a complaint about its operations prior to last month’s inspection.
It was unclear if the Lighthouse of Hope will try to re-open the shelter at another location or if Friday will be the last time the non-profit will ever be able to offer this service. Efforts to reach planning department officials were unsuccessful. Yarborough thanked members of the community for their support over the years and in the weeks since the shelter was told to close. “I appreciate any prayers and good wishes that anybody has sent us,” he said.
Steak thief sentenced to 90 days
LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS | FROM STAFF & WIRE REPORTS
School board to meet at Ebenezer Middle The Sumter School District Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting Monday at Ebenezer Middle School, 3440 Ebenezer Road, Sumter. Executive session to receive a personnel report and a proposed property contractual matter will begin at 6 p.m. Open session begins at 6:45 p.m. If warranted, action will be taken on executive session items. Trustees will also vote on a 2013-14 board meeting schedule and Early Head Start prioritization guidelines. They will receive a financial update, a chamber retreat update and an S.C. Alliance of Black School Educators update. Principal Marlene De Wit is scheduled to make a school presentation.
Spartanburg teacher faces sex charge SPARTANBURG — A former Spartanburg High School teacher and coach is accused of sexually touching a student. The Spartanburg Herald Journal reported Friday that authorities had charged Courtney Clark Kay third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under age 16. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after a parent complained that the 29-year-old teacher inappropriately communicated with her 14-year-old child through Facebook. Kay was the student’s science teacher. She also previously coached the girls’ junior varsity volleyball team. Investigators say they later determined that Kay touched the victim in a sexually inappropriate manner while on the school campus and that the teacher confessed to most of the victim’s allegations. Kay was booked into jail Friday about 9:45 p.m. It was not immediately clear if she yet had an attorney.
BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com
will be on the letter we give the schools,” McKellar said. Huggins said the supplies will be appreciated. “They will love that,” he said. “We can always use supplies. The more we have, the more we’re able to do. It’s not just now. Teachers have always taken money out of their own pockets for necessary class purchases. Some of those involved are retired educators so they know how much this means.” For more information or to donate, contact Mariah McKellar at (803) 316-3249 or Tammi Soles, (803) 5654215.
BISHOPVILLE — Cynthia Hicks told a circuit court judge that she was “stupid” and “wrong” in stealing three packs of steak from the Piggly Wiggly in Bishopville shortly before Christmas. Third Circuit Judge George C. James sentenced Hicks on Tuesday to 90 days for the shoplifting enhanced charge she received on Dec. 19, 2012, after the Lee County Sheriff’s Department was notified that a woman took the steaks from the grocery store. Hicks was identified from video surveillance footage. She told James she returned the packages to the deputies. Third Circuit Assistant Solicitor Cliff Scott said that Hicks’ charge was enhanced because of a prior criminal record that included multiple property offenses. “There is a record dating back to 1989,” Scott told James. Hicks’ charge is listed as a third or subsequent offense, according to the Lee County Public Index. Her record includes a strong arm robbery conviction from February 2011, where she was sentenced to six years in prison, suspended to two years of probation and $500 in restitution. James told Hicks she could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison for the shoplifting enhanced offense, telling her any subsequent property offense will automatically guarantee her 10 years. He revoked 30 days of the probation Hicks was serving for the strong arm robbery and extended it for a year so she can continue to pay the restitution. Hicks’ attorney, 3rd Circuit Assistant Public Defender L. McGill Bell, had asked James for a lenient sentence. “We believe she has a good chance to get out and hopefully get her life back on the straight and narrow,” Bell said.
Reach Jade Anderson at (803) 774-1250.
Reach Robert J. Baker at (803) 774-1211.
JADE ANDERSON / THE ITEM
From left, Joye Wilson, Sumter Education Task Force member and retired Sumter School District employee; Mariah McKellar, SETF board member; Rose-Marie Richardson, Crestwood High School assistant principal; and Tammi Soles, SETF president, gather around a box of treats. Richardson said the teachers would really appreciate the gesture.
Group collects supplies in ‘Friendly Fridays’ launch BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com Teachers in six local schools got a treat Friday — literally. In the third installment of what the group has termed “Friendly Fridays,” members of the Sumter Education Task Force took boxes of goodies to the three Sumter high schools — Crestwood, Lakewood and Sumter High — as well as Oakland Primary, Hillcrest Middle and Ebenezer Middle. “We believe this will help to boost the morale of our teachers here in Sumter School District,” said Tammi Soles, task force president. “We knew we wanted to do a supply drive, but that was a big endeavor. We wanted to do something now.” Mariah McKellar, a task force board member, came up with the idea of taking notes of appreciation and bags of treats to the schools. Other members soon joined in looking on Pinterest for ideas. “Joye (Wilson) and Albertha (Bannister) have a Cricut, and they know how to use it,” Soles joked about the two retired educators. A Cricut is a cutting machine for crafts. At Crestwood, every teacher in the school received a purple bag — one of the school’s colors — with a pack of popcorn and a note that said “For a very POPular teacher.” “You have heard morale has been bad for one reason or another,” said John Huggins, Crestwood’s principal. “Too frequently, we appreciate people but don’t say anything. This says, ‘We see
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what you are doing, and today, we are saying thank you.’ Any teacher or administrator can tell you, you can have five or six bad things happen, and at exactly the right moment, something good can happen that makes up for everything else.” McKellar and Soles agreed it is important to honor all levels of school. “In elementary, parents are often really involved,” Soles said. “In middle school, they start to break away, and in high school, they’re not too involved. High schools don’t feel the same love and affection (as elementary).” Other items have included nuts and “We’re NUTS for our teachers” notes and mints with “You were MINT to teach.” Oakland Primary received tea bags for “TEArrific teachers.” The group previously visited Willow Drive Elementary, Alice Drive Elementary and Alice Drive Middle. “The first day, they looked at us like we were crazy,” McKellar said. “Last week was fun. This is so much fun.” Schools interested in getting a visit should have their principals contact Soles, she said. The supply drive is also under way. “These teachers are out of supplies now,” Soles said. “We’re a 501(c) 3, so gifts are tax deductible.” Besides individuals, the task force wants to enlist businesses and church organizations. “When we deliver the supplies, who contributed
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Needed Supplies • No. 2 pencils with erasers • ink pens • colored pencils • jumbo crayons • markers • highlighters • Expo markers, erasers and cleaner • pencil boxes • glue sticks • rulers • protractors • scissors • calculators • white/colored copy paper • white/colored construction paper • notebook paper • folders • 5-tab folder dividers • spiral/composition notebooks • large Post-It easel pads • paperclips • Kleenex and hand sanitizer • staples • transparent tape • USB drives • zip-around binders • monetary donations and gift cards are also accepted
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