IN SPORTS: Barons tennis makes 3A semis with sweep of Cardinal Newman B1 Put all Storm Debris on curb for PICK-UP by FEMA Contractors. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
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Sumter police purchase body cameras Mayor asks community to help town of Nichols JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark III told City Council his department has used $304,000 from South Carolina Department of Public Safety to purchase body cameras, storage space and management software to meet the
state’s body camera law passed in the 2015 General Assembly. “We began looking at this two years ago,” Roark said. “We knew by our research that it was a three-pronged issue,” he said. The body cameras are not very expensive, he said, but the storage of the data can be very expensive. It is software to manage the data that is the most important aspect of using body cameras, he said. “Otherwise, you would have a volu-
minous amount of data on a server, and it would be impossible to manage,” he said. After talking with several companies, Roark said the department selected Taser, a company known for making electric stun guns, but that also is in the body-camera industry. He said the department would receive cameras for all the departments officers, eight terabytes of storage, use of cloud space for storage of data beyond eight terabytes, docking stations
and management software. All the equipment and software would be replaced every 30 months, he said. “We are paid up until 2020,” he said. Roark said his department received the largest disbursement of any agency in South Carolina. “The reason we received the largest disbursement is we did an extensive study on data storage and data management, so not only did we ask
Sumter, Lee added to FEMA list
SEE CITY, PAGE A6
Trial underway in 2004 club shooting BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
such as medical and dental expenses. Eligibility is determined on a case-bycase basis by a FEMA inspector. To be eligible for this assistance, homeowners, renters and business owners must have storm damage and losses that occurred as a result of Hurricane Matthew, according to FEMA. If not for her homeowner’s insurance with United Services Automobile Association, Kim MacLean of 34 Swan Lake Drive would be contacting FEMA for individual assistance. Heavy winds and rain from the hurricane caused a large oak tree to fall onto her roof and through the ceiling in various rooms of her home on Oct. 8. Her insurance adjuster estimated the tree weighed between 85,000 and 95,000 pounds and the home damage at $300,000. MacLean said she will be staying in a temporary furnished rental house for potentially a year while repairs are made.
COLUMBIA (AP) — Residents of Sumter and Lee counties who became unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Matthew may now be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, according to an announcement by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce on Tuesday. A total of 17 counties have been declared eligible to date, according to the state agency. The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program also is available to small business owners and the self-employed, including 1099 contract workers, who lost personal income due to the disaster. According to DEW, workers or business owners meeting the following
The trial for Muttaquin Abdullah, a Columbia man charged with allegedly shooting into a crowd outside of Club Lion Pitt in March 2004, killing one man and injuring another, started on Tuesday at Sumter County Judicial Center. Abdullah, 44, is charged with murder, assault and battery with intent to kill, felon ABDULLAH in possession of a firearm and possession of a weapon during a violent crime for allegedly killing 26-year-old David Way and injuring 21-year-old Marrell McBride. The trial, overseen by Third Circuit Judge D. Craig Brown, began with Third Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III bringing a witness to the shooting to the stand. Thurston Lane, who planned an event that was held at the club the night of the shooting, said the incident started when the club was about to close when a man was escorted from the building after having a confrontation with a bouncer. The bouncer, Coral Scott, later testified that while he was outside, other people got upset that he made the man leave the club. He said that was when Abdullah came out of the club with a black Hi-Point handgun and started shooting. Scott and Lane identified the defendant as the shooter. Lane said Abdullah fired his weapon seven or nine times into the crowd of people leaving the club and he saw someone fall to the ground.
SEE FEMA, PAGE A5
SEE BENEFITS, PAGE A5
SEE TRIAL, PAGE A5
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
A home on Hasel Street was hit by a large tree during Hurricane Matthew, knocking several holes in the home’s roof.
Counties join 13 others in eligibility for federal disaster assistance FROM STAFF REPORTS Residents in Sumter and Lee counties can now get financial help from the federal government to repair homes or businesses that were damaged or destroyed in Hurricane Matthew. On Monday night, the Federal Emergency Management Administration approved that homeowners, renters and business owners in Sumter, Lee and 13 additional counties in the state could become eligible for federal aid under its Individual Assistance program. The assistance can take many forms, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs as well as for other serious disaster-related needs
Residents unemployed because of storm may be eligible for benefits
Social Security recipients to get 0.3 percent increase WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Social Security recipients and federal retirees will get a 0.3 percent increase in monthly benefits next year, the fifth year in a row that older Americans will have to settle for historically low raises. The adjustment adds up to a monthly increase of less than $4 a month for an average recipient. The cost-of-living adjustment, announced by the government Tuesday, will affect more than 70 million people
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DEATHS, B7 Joseph D. Coulter II Henry M. Turbeville Sr. Peggy L. Floyd Fatowe John D. Heath Frampton ‘Frank’ Mathews
Annie D. Hardy Ollie Mae McBride Cory J. Scott Lee Ernest Nelson
— about 1 in 5 Americans. For recipients, the average monthly Social Security payment now is $1,238. Unfortunately for some seniors, even the small increase will probably be wiped out by an expected increase in Medicare Part B premiums, which are usually deducted from Social Security payments. By law, rising premiums for most Medicare recipients cannot exceed their Social Security cost-of-living increase. That’s known as the
“hold harmless” provision. However, new enrollees and high-income retirees are not covered by that provision, so they could face higher Medicare premiums, which will be announced later this year. There was no Social Security benefit increase this year, and next year’s will be small because inflation is low, driven in part by cheaper fuel prices. The low inflation rate should help keep some older folks’ bills from rising very rapidly.
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