Happening Now
 Mother, daughter arrested for mob, disturbing schools at Ebenezer Middle School
WRIGHT
William Wright named new Sumter School District superintendent
Sumter School District's Board of Trustees
Sumter school board plans to ask county council for 10.9 mills
The Red Clay Strays will return to the Sumter Opera House to perform their debut album, "Moment of Truth," on May 27.
Red Clay Strays to share 'Moment of Truth' at Sumter Opera House on May 27
Voting open for May High School Teacher of the Month contest, presented by Morris College

Community shines at Best of Sumter 2022

The Best of Sumter 2022 red carpet gala event was held at the Sumter Original Brewery on Tuesday night, celebrating the year's more than 300 readers choice contest winners. See more photos from the annual event on A6.
The red carpets rolled. The drinks flowed. The celebration was joyous and a welcome sight. The Sumter Item held the red carpet gala for Best of Sumter 2022 at Sumter Original Brewery on Tuesday night, celebrating more than 300 winners in the …
Wilson Hall club goes scuba diving
'Large fight' being gang-related at Sumter High School was rumor, officials say
Alice Drive Elementary School Teacher Laura Lyles and her first-grade class stand Monday with a letter they received from a school in Cary, North Carolina, as part of their `Hearts Around The World Project.'
Bringing smiles back: First-graders’ ‘Hearts Around The World Project’ collects postcards from all 50 states and beyond

Thursday, May 19, 2022

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Studio Sumter

Sumter Today: Best of Sumter 2022!

Sumter Original Brewery was packed to the brim last night to recognize the winners of our annual Best of Sumter contest. Thank you to all the presenting sponsors for a great night, and thank you to …

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Friends to Follow
SPORTS
The Clarendon Hall softball team gathers after beating Wardlaw for the SCISA 1A state championship on Tuesday.
Wells sisters deliver as Clarendon Hall wins SCISA 1A title over Wardlaw
Laurence Manning's Lily Wellborn was promoted to the varsity team for the playoffs, going 5-11 as the Lady Swampcats opened the postseason with a 3-0 record.
HINES FURNITURE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week: Laurence Manning's Wellborn called up from JV to shine on the playoff stage
The Wilson Hall softball team celebrates its second consecutive SCISA 3A state championship on Tuesday.
Back 2 Back: Wilson Hall outlasts Laurence Manning to win second straight SCISA 3A title
Laurence Manning's Bryce Acord delivers against Ben Lippen on Tuesday.
Laurence Manning baseball falls to Ben Lippen, deciding Game 3 Thursday at Riley Park
East Clarendon's Grant Barrineau pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings as the Wolverines beat Branchville on Tuesday to advance to the 1A lower state championship.
East Clarendon blasts Branchville 9-0, face Johnsonville for 1A lower state title tonight
Poll of the Week

American households can now request a set of four free at-home COVID-19 tests to be delivered in the mail. Does your household plan to order a set?

Have a question you'd like us to ask? Email editor@theitem.com.

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More local news
Nilda Comas, the sculptor of the statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, speaks in front of the statue in Mayesville, where Bethune was born, on Dec. 17 before it makes its way to Washington D.C.
Gossett Jr., more special guests will attend Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Festival in Mayesville
Sumter County Veterans Association invites residents to 2 Memorial Day celebrations
After a quick confrontation with police, protestors for George Floyd marched, with an escort, around downtown Sumter on Sunday, May 31. Brittany Martin is seen in yellow.
Jury finds Sumter woman guilty of breach of peace, not guilty of inciting riot in 2020 protests
Poinsett-Bland Garden Club recognizes Sumter Yards of the Month for May
Col. Kristoffer R. Smith takes the role as commander of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base during a ceremony to honor the change in command from Col. Lawrence Sullivan to Smith on Monday.
Col. Kristoffer Smith returns to Sumter 20 years later as new 20th Fighter Wing commander

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More Sports
Wilson Hall’s Zuri Anderson, center, signs his letter of intent to take part in track and field at Wingate University on Monday. He was joined by (from left to right) former Baron head basketball coach Eddie Talley, his parents, Robert and Angela Anderson, and head track and field coach Rip Ripley.
Wilson Hall’s Anderson signs at Wingate for track and field
East Clarendon's Cade Cook took the loss as the Wolverines fell to Johnsonville on Monday in the lower state tournament.
Bad 4th inning sinks East Clarendon against Johnsonville; Wolverines face Branchville in elimination game tonight
PHOTOS: Clarendon Hall wins SCISA 1A state championship series opener against Wardlaw
Clarendon Hall assistant coach Billy Carlisle lifts Calli Yount in celebration after the Lady Saints defeated Wardlaw in Game 1 of the SCISA 1A state championship series on Monday.
Clarendon Hall takes 1-0 lead in SCISA 1A championship series with rout of Wardlaw
PHOTOS: Wilson Hall takes Game 1 of SCISA state championship series against Laurence Manning

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Arts & Entertainment

5th Dimension concert postponed until 2023; original ticket purchases to be honored

The Sumter Opera House has postponed The 5th Dimension show scheduled for May 18 until next year but will honor tickets originally purchased. The legendary music group was originally set to perform at the Opera House in February but postponed its …

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Nation & World
President Joe Biden speaks about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington.
Biden warns of 'another tough hurricane season'

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) - President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that the country will likely see "another tough hurricane season" this year, and he pledged that his administration was prepared to respond to the storms and help Americans recover …

United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivers the Tommaso Padoa Schioppa Lecture at the Brussels Economic Forum 2022 in Brussels on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Secretary Yellen focused on the way forward for the global economy in the wake of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, and discussed the unmet challenges that would benefit from multilateral cooperation in the years ahead.
U.S., banks unveil plan to ease food crisis from Russia's war BONN, Germany - The U.S., several global development banks and other groups on Wednesday unveiled a multi-billion-dollar plan to stave off a worldwide food security crisis worsened by Russia's war in Ukraine, a key danger facing an increasingly …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a welcoming ceremony for his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, May 16, 2022.
NATO talks with Finland, Sweden falter but will continue BRUSSELS - NATO envoys failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday about whether to start membership talks with Finland and Sweden, diplomats said, as Turkey renewed its objections to the two Nordic countries joining. The envoys met at NATO …
Visitors gather at the main entrance to the Ringling Bros. Circus on Aug. 17, 1951, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Ringling Bros. to tour without animal acts MIAMI (AP) - "The Greatest Show on Earth" is making a comeback featuring extraordinary humans and no animal acts five years after shutting down its three-ring circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced Wednesday. Talent teams have …
Officials say more areas of U.S. may see mask recommendations WASHINGTON (AP) — COVID-19 cases are increasing in the United States – and could get even worse over the coming months, federal health officials warned Wednesday in urging areas hardest …

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State News
S.C. tries early voting as other states restrict

COLUMBIA - South Carolina election officials are preparing for early voting for the first time in next month's primaries, expanding the ability to vote in an era when many other states are passing laws to make it harder to cast …

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster
McMaster signs transgender sports ban bill into law COLUMBIA - South Carolina's governor has quietly signed into law a bill that would ban transgender students from playing girls' or women's sports in public schools and colleges as the state joins about a dozen others that have passed similar laws in …
Grace Church in Greenville, South Carolina, has purchased a dormitory building from Greenville Technical College to convert into affordable housing as part of a special program to address the local housing crisis.
Greenville church to rent out affordable homes to help with housing crisis GREENVILLE - Grace Church has purchased a dormitory building from Greenville Technical College to convert into affordable housing as part of a special program to address the local housing crisis. The church will serve as the landlord for the …
The remains of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel of New York were found last Wednesday in Georgetown. Drexel went missing in 2009 while visiting Myrtle Beach on spring break.
N.Y. teenager found dead in Georgetown after 13 years; S.C. sex offender charged COLUMBIA (AP) - The body of a 17-year-old girl from New York who disappeared while visiting South Carolina's Myrtle Beach on spring break 13 years ago has been found and a sex offender has been charged with murder, kidnapping and rape, authorities …
Responders congregate near where two people drowned the evening before when they were locked in a Horry County Sheriff's department transport van in Marion County, S.C. A deputy charged in the deaths ignored barricades and drove into rapidly rising floodwaters against advice from his supervisors and officials on the South Carolina highway, a prosecutor said Monday, May, 16, 2022.
Deputy stands trial after S.C. women drowned in police van COLUMBIA (AP) — A deputy charged in the deaths of two women who drowned in a locked police van in 2018 ignored barricades and drove into rapidly rising floodwaters against advice from his …

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Obituaries
VERMELL ROBINSON WILLIAMS

Vermell Robinson Williams, 88, died on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at her home. Born on May 4, 1934, in Sumter County, she was a daughter of Bowman and Nora Wells Robinson. In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, the family is requesting no …

CINDA MAE LEWIS ROBINSON

Cinda Mae Lewis Robinson, age 72, beloved wife of 32 years to Robert D. Robinson, died on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at her residence. She will be remembered as a very loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She will be dearly missed by …

GOFF

G.P. GOFF SR.

George Paul "G.P." Goff Sr., 77, husband of Karen Lacy Barnhill Goff, died on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital. Born on Jan. 25, 1945, in Pinewood, he was a son of the late Andrew Lloyd Goff and Louise Bradley Goff. He was …

NICHOLS

RUBY CATHERINE SPRINGS NICHOLS

Ruby Catherine Springs Nichols, 86, widow of William Edward Nichols, died on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at her home. Born in Coward, she was a daughter of the late Clen Springs and Bertha Broach Sims. Mrs. Nichols was a member of Sumter Freewill …

JOHN DALE WEIBLE

John Dale Weible, 89, died on Monday, May 16, 2022, at Prisma Health Tuomey. Born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late John R. Weible and Laura Barry-Weible. John served in the United States Air Force for over four years. He was a …

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Faith
SMITH
Sumter Pastor Clay Smith: Somebody thinks you matter... My wife and I went to a minor league baseball game a few weeks ago. Baseball is not my favorite sport, but it was a beautiful night, we had great seats, and the price was reasonable. We've had several players from our community get drafted and …
Church News: Friday, May 13, 2022 Howard Chapel AME Church, 6338 Old Manning Road, New Zion, announces: * Sunday, May 15 - Community prayer vigil at 3 p.m., sponsored by the Sumter District of the Seventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Sons …
LIVINGSTON
Manning Pastor Sam Livingston: The next chapter The average book is broken up into chapters. Each chapter somehow corresponds to the preceding chapter. The book is not a book unless the reader can put all of the pieces together after needling through all of the chapters. Some of the best authors …
DURHAM
Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Face your fear with the strength of God Our devotion today is on this thought, "What Time I Am Afraid," and my text is Psalm 56:3, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (KJV) The setting of this verse is the time when David was taken by the Philistines in Gath, which caused him …
Celebrations
MR., MRS. ANTHRIEST HILL
Hills celebrate 60 years of marriage Mr. and Mrs. Anthriest Hill celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on March 3, 2022. A special dinner with family and friends was held in their honor at Travinia Italian Kitchen in Columbia. Their three children are Angela Hill Harmon of …
Ernest J. Porter Sr. celebrates 100th birthday Sgt. Ernest J. Porter Sr. celebrated his 100th birthday on Sunday, March 27, 2022. He was born in Sumter and currently resides at Sumter East Health and Rehabilitation Center. He is a U.S. Army veteran, having served in World War II and in …

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Dear Abby
Pets for adoption
Sweet, loving Berger is waiting to meet his new family at Sumter Animal Control

TOP: Berger is a sweet, loving fella. He came to animal control as a stray and, sadly, has not been claimed. He is gentle, quiet and testing well around other dogs. This handsome boy is 4-5 years old and weighs 50 pounds. Berger will make a perfect …

Weddings
MRS. PAUL J. KROUSE JR.
Munn-Krouse Elizabeth Harris Munn of Sumter and Paul Joseph Krouse Jr. of Columbia were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sumter. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Rhett Munn Jr. of …
MRS. PATRICK SMITH
Smith-Smith Nancy Cameron Smith and Patrick Kershaw Smith, both of Washington, D.C., were united in marriage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2022, at First Presbyterian Church in Sumter. The Rev. Canon Dana Colley Corsello and the Rev. Robert Montgomery …
DR. AND MRS. JAMES DECKER
Teseniar-Decker MOUNT PLEASANT - Laila Teseniar and Dr. James Decker, both of Pearl, Mississippi, formerly of Charleston, were united in marriage at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, at Creek Club at I'on. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Teseniar …

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Engagements
MR. AMICK, MISS BURNETT
Amick-Burnett Mr. and Mrs. Brian Franklin Amick of Sumter announce the engagement of their son, Brian Franklin Amick Jr. of Aiken, to Grayson Dodd Burnett of Southport, North Carolina, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Luther Burnett III of Southport, North …
MISS BROWN, MR. MILLS
Brown-Mills Mr. and Mrs. Robert Roy of Wedgefield and Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Brown Jr. of Oswego announce the engagement of their daughter, Virginia Brown of Whitney Point, New York, to Todd Mills of Whitney Point, New York, son of the late Edward Mills, Shari …
MISS BROGDON, MR. WATFORD
Brogdon-Watford Mr. and Mrs. William Turner Brogdon III announce the engagement of their daughter, Kendall Morgan Brogdon, to Samuel Larand Watford, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Benjamin Watford, all of Sumter. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Lillis …
MR. McDUFFIE, MISS HENNEN
McDuffie-Hennen Dr. and Mrs. Scott Ramsey McDuffie of Sumter announce the engagement of their son, Parker Bradley McDuffie of Charleston, to Abigail Jo Hennen of Charleston, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc Ernest Hennen of Greensboro, North Carolina. The …
Reflections
Richard Bradham, 1953's star quarterback for the Sumter Gamecocks, is shown at Elon College where he is passing off to his brother Whitney, one of Elon's top backfield threats. Richard signed up to go to Furman but switched to Elon, where he joined brother Whitney.

Reflections by Sammy Way: Bradham brothers excelled in athletics

Reflections recalls the outstanding accomplishments of the Bradham brothers throughout their coaching and athletic careers. These gifted young men mirrored each other's achievements, and their level of accomplishments in athletics remains exemplary …

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Yesteryear
This group of men was the first championship bowling team in Sumter for the 1912-13 season. From left are Hal W. Harby, H.L. Birchard, Harry Reid, O.H. Folley, J.A. McKnight, Willie Cuttino and Waverly Levy.
Reflections by Sammy Way: Bowling becomes a favorite sports activity Reflections recalls when bowling became one of Sumter's favorite recreational activities. According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, "The earliest form of bowling known to exist has been traced back to ancient Egypt around 5,000 B.C. The ancient Egyptians …
Master Fireman Robert M. Baker of the Sumter Fire Department, left, is presented the American Legion Outstanding Fireman of the Year award by the department commander during the Legion's annual convention in Charleston on June 24, 1972.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: School safety patrols treated to film viewing; Trav-L-Park opens in Santee 75 YEARS AGO - 1947 Oct. 21 - 25 - "Driver education courses in many of our high schools is now assured," said chief highway commissioner C.R. McMillan in emphasizing the importance of safety education to achieve a reduction in traffic …
Sumter County Superintendent of Education Buford Mabry peeks over the shoulder of W.L. Mills, assistant business manager of School District 17, as he tallies the votes cast in a school board election in June 1972. Mrs. Roy Reams, county attendance supervisor, appears to share Mabry's keen interest in the vote counting.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Scouts get Pinewood racers ready; Sumter Green recognizes those beautifying area 75 YEARS AGO - 1947 Oct. 14 - 20 - The 24th-annual Sumter County Fair will be held at the county fairgrounds beginning Monday evening, Nov. 3, and running through Saturday, Nov. 8, J. Cliff Brown, county fair secretary, announced. The fair, …

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From the opinion pages
Columnists
 Editorial cartoon: Thursday, May 19, 2022
DURHAM
Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Jesus wants to be your friend
PATRICK BUCHANAN
Opinion: Why would U.S. give war guarantee - to Finland?
Your view
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