March 8, 2014

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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour on Sunday.

History in the making? Crestwood girls will play for 3A state basketball title today SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

B1

75 CENTS

Pinewood will choose its new mayor Tuesday

1 dead, 4 injured in Friday afternoon head-on wreck

Seat vacated by Pridgen will be filled for 9 months

BY TYLER SIMPSON tyler@theitem.com (803) 774-1295

BY TYLER SIMPSON tyler@theitem.com (803) 774-1295 With all the confusion involving the Pinewood special election finally settled, town residents are preparing to head to the polls Tuesday to decide who will fill the town’s empty mayoral seat for the next nine months. Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Mathis and Pinewood resident Manley C. Dubose are both running in the special election to serve as Pinewood’s mayor. The town’s mayoral seat has been vacant since November 2013 when former Mayor Al Pridgen resigned to seek medical attention in North Carolina. The elected DUBOSE individual will serve as mayor until this November when the next general election is scheduled. Mathis said her reason for running was that she simply wanted to continue to serve Pinewood, even though she MATHIS knows that she will serve as mayor for a short period. “Pinewood could use some improvements, and I would like to make a difference on it,” Mathis said. “It’s like every day, no matter what you do, everything could use some improvements.” Mathis has served on Pinewood Town Council for three terms, having served her first term a few years after she moved to Pinewood in 1997. She said the reason for her move to Pinewood was because she wanted to live in Sumter County, though not necessarily in the city of Sumter. “As far as I remember, the highlights of my time on the council have been just being able to serve the people of Pinewood,” Mathis said. Dubose, who has been a resident of Pinewood for a majority of his life, said he decided to run for mayor out of dissatisfaction with how council has been handling issues, ranging from not directly informing the public about Pridgen’s resignation last November to placing the town in debt for not paying bills. “I just want to get it back like it ought to be according to town ordinances and town policies,” Dubose said. “I want to make sure that we follow procedure, and there are just some things that need changing. I want to talk to the people and see want they want to do.” Dubose hopes to be the next member of his family to serve on council, as his father and cousins have served on council. As a longtime resident who says he knows Pinewood in and out, he feels that he is an ideal candidate to serve as mayor. There were issues that needed to be addressed before Pinewood holds its special election, such as how the town’s election commission was lacking two members after its chairman, Patrick Lester, resigned in May 2013 and another member, Charlotte Smoak, resigned last month. During their last council meeting, members elected two local residents, Elizabeth Hinson and Lavaron Johnson, to fill the empty election commission seats. They were sworn into their positions during a meeting on Feb. 21. Though the new members of the Pinewood election commission have not been trained to run the special election, Sumter County Election Director Patricia Jefferson said they will have to run the election. The Sumter County Election Commission, however, will provide council with the equipment needed to hold the election, which Jefferson said is its duty. Mathis said the equipment will arrive in Pinewood on the day of the election.

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A head-on collision along U.S. 378 claimed the life of a 66-yearold Lynchburg woman Friday afternoon, while four additional victims were hospitalized, some with serious injuries. Clara Wilson, who was riding in the rear passenger side of a

light blue Kia with her three sisters, died after the vehicle she was riding in collided with a red Dodge Dart. Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock responded to the scene of the wreck and confirmed that Wilson died upon impact. According to Bullock, the Kia was traveling eastbound out of Sumter on U.S. 378, while the

Dodge Dart was traveling west and tried to exit the highway onto East Liberty Street. Bullock said the Dodge Dart failed to yield to the Kia. Two other victims in the Kia sustained critical injuries and were both airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia. The

SEE WRECK, PAGE A8

Locals storm Wild Game Night

PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

Crawfish are laid out at the annual Men’s Wild Game Night at First Baptist Church in Sumter on Friday evening. About 900 people bought tickets to the event that showcased foods from chicken to frog legs and alligator. Besides an opportunity to try a variety of wild game meats, attendees saw trucks, boats and ATVs and won door prizes at the event. Joshua Niswonger, left, takes aim at a target in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources booth during the event.

Alice Drive Elementary, principal win award BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 In a surprise ceremony Friday morning, Alice Drive Elementary School and Principal Sheree Nelson Boozer were honored with the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Former teacher Laura Fleenor nominated Boozer and the school for the award. After many years of teaching, Fleenor decided to join the military at the age of 39 and because of this had to leave her position as a teacher at Alice Drive Elementary. However, she received much support from her co-workers as she left her position for basic training and then again for deployment. Boozer assured Fleenor that she

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SEE PATRIOT, PAGE A8

RAYTEVIA EVANS / THE SUMTER ITEM

Alice Drive Elementary School Principal Sheree Boozer, Laura Fleenor of the U.S. Air Force and former teacher and Assistant Principal Suzanna Foley present the awards the school received for supporting Fleenor in her decision to join the military.

DEATHS, A7 Dorothy J. Boykin Ruth Jones Paul R. Dandridge Edgar N. Heady Mary Hall

Ruth A. House Willie L. Conyers Jerry Harrison Tiffany R. Franklin

WEATHER, A8

INSIDE

FINALLY, NO RAIN

2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 122

Pleasant and warmer; patchy clouds tonight HIGH 67, LOW 44

Classifieds B7 Comics B6 Lotteries A8 Television B5


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March 8, 2014 by The Sumter Item - Issuu