Man stabbed in the face with screwdriver. A2
Bobby Richardson, C.A. Wilson reflect on the passing of former USC head football coach and A.D.
B1 VOL. 118, NO. 289 WWW.THEITEM.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
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2013
School board takes up activity, nurse policies BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com
FAIR SCHEDULE
TODAY, Sept. 25 Hand stamp permits wearer to ride all rides until closing. Can be purchased for $20 with The Item coupon at specially marked booths; $25 without coupon. 4 p.m. to midnight — Gates open to public 4 to 10 p.m. — All exhibits on display 5 p.m. — Judging: Mule and Donkey Show 5, 7:30 p.m. — Magic of Lance Gifford 5:30, 8:15 p.m. — Hermann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions 6:15, 9 p.m. — Staples Safari 7, 9:30 p.m. — Swifty Swine Racing & Swimming 6 to 9 p.m. — One Man Band, Carl Brunson THURSDAY, Sept. 26 Hand stamp permits wearer to ride all rides until closing. Can be purchased for $20 with The Item coupon at specially marked booths; $25 without coupon. 4 p.m. to midnight — Gates open to the public 4 to 10 p.m. — All exhibits on display 5 p.m. — Judging: Beef Show 5, 7:30 p.m. — Magic of Lance Gifford 5:30, 8:15 p.m. — Hermann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions 6:15, 9 p.m. — Staples Safari 7, 9:30 p.m. — Swifty Swine Racing Pigs 6 to 9 p.m. — One Man Band, Carl Brunson FRIDAY, Sept. 27 Hand stamp day. Ride all day for $20 with stamp purchased at specially marked midway booths with The Item Item’s’s coupon, $25 without coupon. 4 p.m.-midnight — Gates open to the public 4 to 10 p.m. — All exhibits on display 5, 7:30 p.m. — Magic of Lance
Gifford 5:30. 8:15 p.m. — Hermann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions 6:15, 9 p.m. — Staples Safari 7, 9:30 p.m. — Swifty Swine Racing Pigs 6 to 9 p.m. — One Man Band, Carl Brunson
The Sumter School District Board of Trustees approved changes to one policy as well as the creation of another at a short workshop on Monday at the district administrative office on Wilson Hall Road.
The board will need one more reading of an amended student activities policy that governs which extracurricular activities a charter school student may participate in outside of his or her school and which interscholastic activities home school students may participate in within the district.
A new policy being adopted by the district involving school nurses will require two more readings before finalization, Chairman Keith Schultz said. The policy specifically allows “a licensed nurse employed by or contracted to work for the district (to) trail SEE POLICIES, PAGE A8
MAN WITH SEVERE BURNS AIRLIFTED
SATURDAY, Sept. 28 Hand stamp day. Ride all day for $20 with stamp purchased before 6 p.m. at specially marked midway booths with The Item Item’s’s coupon, $25 without coupon. 10 a.m. to midnight — Gates open to the public 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. — All exhibits on display Noon — Judging Pony and Horse Show 1, 3:30, 6:30 p.m. — Magic of Lance Gifford 1:30, 4, 7 p.m. — Hermann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions 2:15, 5, 7:45 p.m. — Staples Safari 2:15, 5:45, 8 p.m. — Swifty Swine Racing Pigs 6 to 9 p.m. — One Man Band, Carl Brunson LAST DAY SUNDAY, Sept. 29 1:30 to 9 p.m. – Gates open to the public, $6 general admission 6 a.m. — Livestock removed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Commercial exhibits removed 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Poultry and baby animals removed 2 to 3:30 p.m. — Individual entries removed, premium checks picked up 2, 4 p.m. — Magic of Lance Gifford 2:30, 4:30 p.m. — Hermann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions 3, 5:15 p.m. — Staples Safari 3:30, 6 p.m. — Swifty Swine Racing & Swimming Pigs 9 p.m. — Midway closes Every day is Hand Stamp Day.
ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM
Sumter EMT paramedics and firefighters help on Monday to get 58-year-old Robert S. DeWitt into a helicopter across from his home on Melvin Avenue. DeWitt set himself on fire shortly after 3 p.m. in a storage room behind his home during a domestic dispute with his wife, according to Sumter Sheriff Anthony Dennis. DeWitt was airlifted to Augusta Burn Center and was described by Dennis as having burns on 95 percent of his body and in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
Greenhouse shelter welcomes volunteers, donations BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com The Greenhouse Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter has served some of Sumter’s neediest for nearly 30 years. “If people have ever wondered what happens to homeless or runaway kids, this is where they are,” said
Evelyn Bradford, director since May 2011. “When they notice there aren’t any kids wandering the street committing crime, it’s because the Greenhouse is here. We try to decrease the number of potential perpetrators and victims. We know a lot of kids get exploited. A lot of them have been abused, abandoned or
neglected and/or have witnessed violence. We’re a safe environment for them.” The shelter off North Wise Drive serves boys and girls ages 10 to 17, but mostly it sees children between the ages of 14 and 17 and averages eight to nine children a month. A dozen staff members provide three
meals and two snacks a day. A house parent resides on location, and a full-time counselor is available for group and individual therapy. Some come in off the streets, and law enforcement brings in others, Bradford said. If they come on their own, guardians are
Located off North Wise Drive, Greenhouse Runaway Shelter will celebrate 30 years in December. People are often surprised to learn of its location, said Director Evelyn Bradford. JADE ANDERSON / THE ITEM
SEE SHELTER, PAGE A7
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