LOCAL
THE SUMTER ITEM
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014
Chamber membership drive
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POLICE BLOTTER STRONG ARM ROBBERY A 19-year-old told officers a black male with a beard, a white male and a white female robbed him in the 1000 block of McCrays Mill Road between 8 and 8:10 p.m. Monday. The victim said the black male and the white male held him down while the black male continuously punched him in the face, demanding money. The suspects fled with $60 in cash.
PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
Electa Riggs is sprayed with Silly String every time she signs up a new member at the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce annual membership drive. As of Wednesday, 130 members had joined the chamber during this year’s event. Jimmy Cusano, right, builds relationships between business leaders and the chamber. “You cannot create business yourself, cannot get jobs to your community by yourself or stand in front of a legislature and fight on behalf of business by yourself like 1,100 members can. That’s why you have a chamber,” Cusano said.
STOLEN PROPERTY A 1999 light blue Dodge Durango valued at $6,000 was reportedly stolen between 3 p.m. Feb. 3 and 3:50 p.m. Tuesday from a residence in the 400 block of Love Street. A maroon 2003 Mitsubishi Galant valued at $3,000 was reported stolen at 5:59 p.m. Tuesday from a residence in the 200 block of Watkins Street. A 42-inch flat-screen TV and a Nintendo DS handheld gaming system were reportedly stolen between 9 p.m. Tuesday and midnight Wednesday from a residence in the 300 block of North Magnolia Street. The items are valued at $1,156. DEBIT CARD FRAUD Officers spoke with a woman who said her debit card was stolen Sunday while the victim was at church. An unknown suspect reportedly made a $579 purchase with the card between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday at a business in the 1000 block of Broad Street. Officers responded to the 900 block of Parsons Lane at 1:56 p.m. Monday in reference to a victim who said an unknown suspect stole her debit card and made multiple purchases totaling $2,610. SUSPICIOUS FIRE An officer was called at 2:49 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a suspicious house fire in the 10000 block of Nero Circle, Olanta, after an investigator reported the fire patterns were not consistent with a normal fire. The fire department responded to the fire at 12:55 p.m. and managed to control it at 1:22 p.m. Damage is estimated at $100,000.
Anthony drops out of S.C. education superintendent race BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 The race for South Carolina Superintendent of Education recently got a little lighter after Rep. Mike Anthony, DUnion, announced that he would end his campaign for the position. Anthony made the announcement Wednesday afternoon, stating that he would be running for re-election to the S.C. House of Representatives. “Since announcing my candidacy for Superinten-
dent of Education, I have enjoyed traveling around the state and meeting so many others who share my commitment to improving public education in South Carolina,” said Anthony in a prepared statement ANTHONY Wednesday afternoon. “During this time I have come to the conclusion that I can be more effective at improving our schools by remaining in the House of Representatives, where I
presently serve on the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee as well as the K-12 sub-committee. “As superintendent, one of my main goals would have been to put more money into the classroom. By remaining in the House and continuing to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, I have a voice, and more importantly a vote, to put more money in the budget for our schools.” Furthermore, Anthony said he enjoys serving his community in the legislature but has not enjoyed being away from
Union and his family as much. Anthony’s announcement to end his campaign comes not too far behind longtime educator Molly Spearman’s announcement that she is throwing her hat into the race for the position. Spearman joins seven other candidates hoping to get the GOP nomination. Those other candidates are Sally Atwater, a former Colleton County teacher; Gary Burgess, Anderson County Board of Education member; Charmeka Childs of Columbia and former S.C.
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Education Department deputy superintendent; Amy Cofield, a Lexington attorney; Sheri Few, a Lugoff Republican activist; Don Jordan of Columbia, a University of South Carolina professor; and Elizabeth Moffly, a Charleston County School Board member. Now that Anthony has ended his campaign, Montrio Belton, former principal and teacher from Fort Mill, is the only candidate running as a Democrat. Current S.C. Superintendent of Education Dr. Mick Zais is not seeking re-election.