LOCAL
THE SUMTER ITEM
JOBS FROM PAGE A1 10,000 people found work in the month of December and are now providing for themselves,” Stanton said. “There are nearly 67,000 current job openings in the state. We must continue to build a trained workforce to fill these openings and to meet our employers’ future needs.” Richard Kaglic, a regional research economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, tossed out a football metaphor to describe the state’s job growth. “The job growth engine in South Carolina is almost as impressive as the play of the Carolina Panthers — it’s not quite super, but it’s very, very strong,” he said. “Job growth in South Carolina is remarkable, 15,100 net new jobs this month (seasonally adjusted numbers); that’s up 3.3 percent year over year.” The national average is 1.9 percent, he said. Much of the job growth is in large metropolitan areas, Kaglic said. “Charleston is driving it, but it is more than just Charleston,” he said. “In all the big metropolitan areas you are seeing job growth. Where we continue to see struggle is in smaller metropolitan areas, including Sumter, and also in rural areas.” In Sumter County, the December 2015
AMISH FROM PAGE A1 On Tuesday, four Amish carpenters were carefully measuring, marking, sawing, cutting and placing wooden pieces to replace the floor in Joe Rodenberg’s home on Millwood Road. That kind of precise woodwork comes naturally for David Fisher, the chief of a crew that included his son, a nephew and a family friend. In Lancaster, Fisher builds bedroom furniture and sells his work at wholesale to the public. He said he wanted to use his skills to help other people. “Since we’ve been richly blessed ourselves, we thought we should give to people who are less fortunate,” Fisher said. Rodenberg and his wife watched floodwaters creeping toward their house near the runoff of Second Mill Pond. Within 45 minutes of starting to see the first sign of flooding, there was 4 feet of water in their home and in their yard on Oct. 4, 2015. They acted quickly enough to move their vehicles above what would become the height of the flood, and they moved as many possessions as they could, but the damage to their home was extensive. “Water was flowing so rapidly between my house and the one next to us that I could have surfed on it,” Rodenberg said. He applied for FEMA funds, but the $15,000 received doesn’t cover the $40,000 estimate that contractors gave him for the repairs.
COUNTY
unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, up slightly from 6.3 percent in November but down significantly from 7 percent in December 2014. Clarendon County, which was at 8.3 percent unemployment a year ago, is now at 7 percent, up from 6.8 percent in November 2015. Lee County’s unemployment rate increased to 7.5 percent from 7.3 percent in November 2015, but that is still an improvement from 8.6 percent in December 2014. Economists caution, however, that employment numbers on a county level can be very volatile because of the small sample size used in the survey. Van Nessen said a lot of the state’s employment growth is coming from the professional and business services sector. “That sector has really blossomed this year, and December over December it grew at 7.5 percent,” he said. “Contained in that sector are high-wage jobs like architects and engineers and computer designers, a large portion of the high-wage jobs that are in the economy are housed in this sector.” He said that shows more high-wage jobs are being created. “We are seeing broad-based wage growth across most industries in 2015,” he said.
By working with Sumter United Ministries, the Rodenbergs have been able to cover their living expenses while volunteers repair their home. When their FEMA money run out, the Christian charity picks up the remaining construction costs, most of which involve manual labor. That’s where the Amish labor expertise pays off. But getting them here posed a problem because the Amish don’t own or drive automobiles, relying on horse-drawn transportation and farming methods. An employee of Fisher’s furniture business agreed to drive the crew here. Mennonite Disaster Services Storm Aid
Van Nessen said that while manufacturing numbers seem to be stagnant, that is partly because of the decline of the textile industry. “When you break those numbers down, durable good growth is doing very well, growing around 6 percent last year,” he said. Durable goods include automobiles, airplanes and other similar items, he said. “The areas that have been sustaining our growth over the past six years are doing very well,” he said. Kaglic said that while the manufacturing numbers are flat, several recent announcements of large operations coming to South Carolina should indicate manufacturing numbers will pick up. “Even though we haven’t had a lot of manufacturing jobs over the past year, those announcements will soon be creating jobs instead of just getting press,” he said. Kaglic acknowledged it has been a tough year for agriculture in the state, but he said he doesn’t think the farmer’s struggles will bring down the overall numbers. “Some of the close ancillary industries such as storage and transportation will be affected by that, but the overall strength of the economy should be able to overcome that,” he said.
provides their living expenses while they are here. Mark Champagne, director of Sumter United Ministries, said Mennonite Disaster Services has been sending crews of 15 to 30 workers a week. They’re working on eight homes, and while they apply their skills to woodworking, hanging drywall, painting and other labor-intensive construction, homeowners or Sumter United Ministries has to pay for licensed electricians, plumbers and HVAC installers to meet building permit standards. Through donations from Central Carolina Community Foundation, United Ministries
and local residents, the charity has collected about $150,000 it reserves for finishing the construction of homes. Champagne said that might sound like a lot of money, but it doesn’t go far. He estimates each house, after applying a homeowner’s FEMA money, will cost about $15,000 to repair. Meanwhile, Amish volunteers and other organizations are continuing to travel to the state to provide free labor to help repair homes, but United Ministries will need more donations from the community to continue providing construction supplies for their work, Champagne said.
|
A5
TSA FROM PAGE A1 Students from the Rembert campus and Columbia campus will be able to interact at events such as pep rallies in Rembert, she said. Open house events will be held at the Columbia campus on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m., March 20 at 2 p.m. and April 9 at 10 a.m. Founded in 1964, Thomas Sumter Academy is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school for students in prekindergarten through grade 12. The school is part of the South Carolina Independent School Association and enrolls 423 students at the Rembert campus. For information on how to apply, call the school’s admissions office at (803) 499-3378. Thomas Sumter Academy is at 5265 Camden Highway, Rembert.
NEED HELP OR WANT TO HELP? FEMA estimates there are more than 600 homes needing repairs in the Sumter area. If you have a home that needs repairs, you may be eligible for assistance from Sumter United Ministries. The charity does not repair rental property. In addition, Sumter United Ministries is seeking financial donations and volunteers to help repair homes. To donate, volunteer or seek assistance, contact Sumter United Ministries at (803) 775-0757.
Fall
at JACK’S
PRICES GOOD JANUARY 27TH - FEBRUARY 6TH IN STORE ONLY
DANSKO LADIES LADIES NATURALIZER LADIES CLARK DRESS EASY STREET LADIES DRESS & CASUAL SHOES SEASON END SALE DRESS & CASUAL SHOES & CASUAL SHOES VALUES TO $ $80.00
$39.99 99
VALUES TO $100.00
VALUES TO $50.00
WIDE UP TO SIZE 12
VALUES TO $80.00
11 - 12
VALUES TO $80.00
$24.99
CHILDREN’S SAUCONY BEARPAW GIRLS BOOTS ADULTS NEW BALANCE INFANTS SIZES ATHLETIC SHOES $19.99 WX & MX 401 $29.99 5 - 10 VALUES TO $50.00
SOME WIDE AVAIL.
$29.99
SANUK SHOES CHILDREN’S ADULTS
MEN’S NUNN BUSH $19.99 SHOES UP TO SIZES 15
$29.99
SIZES 5 - 12
$39.99
LADIES FLEECE BOOT TAN OR BLACK
$19.99
GIRLS SIZES 11 - 4
MX 608 & 624
MEN’S BRASS BOOT DRESS LOAFERS
PERFECT FOR SHAGGING
MEN’S CLARKS SIZES 7 - 14
$49.99
SOME WIDE AVAIL.
CK LADIES WESTERN BOOTS LADIES “DUCK” BOOTS BY DURANGO, LAREDO & JUSTIN
$49.99
LADIES “RAIN” BOOTS BROWN, BLACK OR BLUE
$19.99
$39.99
$29.99
$69.99 WIDE $39.99 SOME AVAIL.
WOMEN’S CLARKS
UP TO SIZE 16 D & EXTRA WIDE AVAIL.
$39.99 $79.99
$19.99
VALUES TO $90.00 SIZES 10 1/2 - 4 1/2
$79.99
LADIES SKECHER SLIP MEN’S LAREDO RESISTANT SHOES WESTERN BOOTS ALSO PERFECT FOR RESTAURANT WORK
$39.99
CHILDREN’S NEW GROUP” BALANCE “SELECT ATHLETIC SHOES
VALUES TO $140.00
$29.99
$39.99
LADIES SKECHER “MEMORY BOYS DEAR STAG FOAM” ATHLETIC SHOES “BOAT” SHOES SIZES
FROM PAGE A1 features to enhance patient and flight crew safety. He said the organization also offers memberships as low as $12.50 per household per year, with a county-wide plan, and $65 per household per year for individual plans. Ward said the air medical transport organization is looking to invest about $6 million to set up a base in the county. At the start of the meeting, a public hearing was held regarding the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships programs offered by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Kyle Kelly, economic and community sustainability director at Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, said the agency serves as the county’s agent in carrying out the program. Money provided through the HOME program can be used to build, buy or improve affordable housing for rent or home ownership and the CDBG funds can be used for infrastructure improvements, economic development opportunities and community services to low-income areas. Kelly said Sumter County has to share the provided federal funds for the HOME program with the other counties served by Santee-Lynches — Clarendon, Kershaw and Lee counties. Though Santee-Lynches would receive approximately $500,000 from HUD, Sumter County would receive about $125,000 for the program, he said.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016
NAVY/TAN N
SIZES 5 - 10
$29.99 99
LADIES MINNETONKA MOCASSINS
$24.99 SHORT BOOTS
$34.99 TALL BOOTS
$44.99
Jack’s Shoes
LADIES LIFE STRIDE ZIPPER BOOTS AVAILABLE IN WIDE/ WIDE CALF
$29.99
GIRLS MINNETONKA MOCASSINS
$19.99 SHORT BOOTS
$29.99 TALL BOOTS
$39.99 jacksshoes789@yahoo.com Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
337 W. Liberty • 773-7933 • Voted Best Shoe Store 15 Years In A Row!