Happening Now
One of the five monuments to be unveiled at the Sept. 3 Briggs v. Elliott National Park Dedication in Summerton is seen covered. The monuments will honor the Rev. J.A. Delaine, Levi Pearson, Harry Briggs, the plaintiffs and attorneys and the petitioners in the lawsuits that ended racial segregation in public schools nationwide.
5 monuments to be unveiled at Briggs v. Elliott National Park Dedication in Summerton
Zyan Gillmore and Wells Robinson with the Clarendon Hall Saints speak during The Sumter Item's first Media Day in 2019.
Sumter Item's Media Day returns on Wednesday
Sumter couple charged in death of newborn
Aldersgate United Methodist Church member Lynn Wallace talks Thursday during a church council meeting concerning sharing its existing space with Liberty STEAM Charter School.
Aldersgate Church Council votes to share space with Liberty STEAM
Clarendon County Council on Aging to receive equity funding to fight COVID-19

Peers reflect on Sumter city councilman's 20 years of service; Lowery will end his 20-year tenure serving Ward 1 this year

Ernest A. Finney Jr., the first African American Supreme Court justice appointed to the South Carolina Supreme Court, swears in Sumter City Councilman Thomas "Bubba" Lowery after Lowery's reelection to council. Lowery has served for 20 years as a city councilman but decided not to run for a sixth term.
In my time as a local government reporter, I've only heard the longtime Sumter Ward 1 councilman speak once or twice. The first time, he asked a question, got an answer from the city manager and nodded in response with steady eyes and a stoic …
Public participation, reports before Sumter school board on Monday
Resurrection: A Journey Tribute returns to Sumter Opera House
LOGAN
Sumter' Liberty STEAM Charter School primary academy leader resigns abruptly

Saturday-Monday, Aug. 6-8, 2022

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Studio Sumter

Sumter Today: Back to School Extravaganza with Liberty STEAM Charter School

Liberty STEAM Charter school is one weekend away from opening up for their second year in action. On Thursday, the 300+ scholars and their families were welcomed to the campus in a pre-back-to-school …

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Friends to Follow
SPORTS
Former Sumter High Athletic Director and Sumter P-15's player and coach Curtis Johnson, left, saw both sides of the broadcast work of Kevin Ireland, right. He appreciated the excitement Ireland brought to the program during his playing days and his professional attitude once Johnson took over as the Sumter High AD.
Coaches thankful for first-class work of Ireland and Glaze
Zyan Gillmore and Wells Robinson with the Clarendon Hall Saints speak during The Sumter Item's first Media Day in 2019.
Sumter Item's Media Day returns on Wednesday
Lee Glaze, left, and Kevin Ireland shared the airwaves in Sumter for 25 years, first teaming up for Sumter High football in 2007. When the Gamecocks saw the 2021 season come to and end, Ireland and Glaze hung up their headphones for the last time in local radio.
Signing off: Ireland and Glaze retire from radio broadcasts with P-15's, Sumter football
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey.
Proposed NCAA transfer rule changes kicked back to transfermation committee
The Cleveland Browns are left in limbo as the legal situation for quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to shift.
Browns in limbo while QB Watson's saga shifts again
Fact Checks From The Associated Press

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked …

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Palmetto Voices Spiritual Ensemble performed at the Sumter Opera House for first time in two years for its 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' concert on July 30.
Palmetto Voices, Sumter residents sing together again after 2-year hiatus
School supplies to be given away Saturday at Southside Park
From left, Chip, a squirrel voiced by Diego Luna; PB, potbellied pig voiced by Vanessa Bayer; Krypto, voiced by Dwayne Johnson; Ace, voiced by Kevin Hart; and Merton, a turtle voiced by Natasha Lyonne, are seen in a scene from "DC League of Super Pets."
Movies with Isaiah: 'DC League of Super-Pets' is pure fun
Back-to-School Bash to start Lee County students off right
"Come Chill with Us" will kick off on Aug. 9 at Rex Josey Park on Lee Street behind the Manning High School baseball field on Pine Street. The event is an opportunity for the community to "chill" and chat with the officers with the Manning Police Department while enjoying a fun evening of food and friendship.
'Come Chill with Us' kicks off on Aug. 9 in Manning

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More Sports
The New York Yankees traded former Wilson Hall pitcher JP Sears to the Oakland A's on Monday.
On the move: Former Wilson Hall pitcher Sears gives insight on his trade to the A's
Palmetto Tennis Center played host to the 12's Zonal National Tournament last week.
Palmetto Tennis Center hosts USTA junior tournament
Alice Drive Middle School's Sydney Blanton took part in the AAU Junior Olympics on Monday and Tuesday.
Alice Drive's Blanton places 5th in discus at AAU Junior Olympics
Sumter Speed thrower Wilkes Burnette took part in the USATF Junior Olympics last week.
Wilson Hall's Burnette throws in USATF Junior Olympics
Laurence Manning Academy's Sanders named Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year

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Arts & Entertainment
This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Brandon Perea in a scene from "Nope."

Movies with Isaiah: Peele brings horror masterpiece with 'Nope'

Jordan Peele started with humble beginnings in his comedic collaboration with Keegan-Michael Key during their popular comedy sketch series titled "Key and Peele." Little did anyone know that Peele would branch out into the world of cinematic horror. …

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Nation & World
Migrants hold Red Cross blankets after arriving at Union Station near the U.S. Capitol from Texas on buses April 27 in Washington.
Pentagon denies D.C. request for National Guard migrant help

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon rejected a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in what the mayor has called a "growing humanitarian crisis" prompted by thousands of migrants being bused to the city from two southern …

U.S. employers add 528,000 jobs; unemployment falls to 3.5% WASHINGTON - America's employers added a stunning 528,000 jobs last month despite raging inflation and anxiety about a possible recession, restoring all of the positions lost in the coronavirus recession. Unemployment fell to 3.5%, the lowest level …
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, are seated close together during an east Asia summit foreign ministers meeting at Sokha Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Blinken is on a ten day trip to Cambodia, Philippians, South Africa, Congo, and Rwanda.
Blinken: China military drills are 'significant escalation' PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that China's military exercises aimed at Taiwan, including missiles fired into Japan's exclusive economic zone, represent a "significant escalation" and that he has urged …
Butterfly milkweed is a native plant to the Sumter area, according to the Audubon Society’s Native Plants Database. Visit www.audubon.org/native-plants to find more plants and which ones attract your favorite birds.
What's a garden without birds? Offer water, native plants, feed so they thrive As I write this, I can hear a cardinal trilling in the backyard. I don't have to look out the open window to confirm the source of the sounds that come through it; I've come to recognize the songs and their singers. I know it's the mourning dove …
MUSK
Musk countersuit accuses Twitter of fraud; case goes to trial Oct. 17 Associated Press Elon Musk accused Twitter of fraud in a countersuit over his aborted $44 billion deal for the social media company, which he said held back necessary information and misled his team about its true user base. The countersuit by …

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State News
This photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state's death chamber in Columbia, including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. S.C. lawmakers added the firing squad to the state's execution methods in 2021, and a judge will decide whether the state can start executing prisoners again.
Judge to decide if firing squad or electric chair is cruel

COLUMBIA - Whether South Carolina can start executing prisoners again either with a firing squad or electric chair is now in the hands of a judge after a trial over whether shooting or electrocuting inmates is cruel and unusual punishment banned by …

Couple alleges illegal detainment after raid COLUMBIA - Police illegally detained a South Carolina man and woman when they raided the sleeping couple's home outside of their jurisdiction in the middle of the night, a lawsuit alleges. Officers with the Holly Hill and Santee police …
From left, Bakari Sellers, Lakeshia Butler and Audia Jones speak during a news conference at Strom Law Firm in Columbia on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. A federal lawsuit alleges that unsanitary conditions and staff negligence caused the death of a 27-year-old man detained in a South Carolina jail. Police arrested Lason Butler on Jan. 31 on charges of reckless driving, failure to stop for blue lights and driving with a suspended license.
Lawsuit: Unsanitary conditions killed man in S.C. jail COLUMBIA - Unsanitary conditions and staff negligence caused the death of a 27-year-old man in a South Carolina jail earlier this year, a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges. Richland County officials sent Lason Butler - who displayed …
HALEY
Wall Street Journal: Families of Haley, Clyburn got casino shares The husband of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and brother of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Sumter native, were given shares of a company that leased slot machines to a North Carolina tribal casino that needed political help to open last year, The …
POMPEO
Pompeo to headline fundraiser in early voting South Carolina COLUMBIA (AP) - Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to headline a major gathering of Republicans in South Carolina this month as he considers a 2024 White House bid that could pit him against his onetime boss, former President Donald …

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Obituaries
TAMMY MICHELE WHEELER

SCRANTON - Tammy Michele Wheeler, 50, died on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at her residence, 1533 N. Floyd Road, Scranton. She was born on June 16, 1972, in Florence, a daughter of Leroy Durant and Regina Wheeler McCray. The family is receiving …

MINNIE LORENE ROSE SALKA

Minnie Lorene Rose Salka, 60, wife of Jeffrey D. Salka, died on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, at her home. Born on Sept. 25, 1961, in Sumter, she was a daughter of Albert Rose Jr. and the late Alberta Arledge O'Neal. She was a counselor and volunteer …

ANTHONY GIPSON

Anthony Gipson, 54, died on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at the home in Manning. He was born on Feb. 12, 1968, to Buelah Mae Gipson and the late William "Bill" Gipson Jr. Beginning Monday, the family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. daily at the …

DONALD EUGENE LOVELACE

Donald Eugene Lovelace, age 66, beloved husband of the late Angela Louise Freeman Lovelace, died on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, at his residence. Born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, he was a son of the late John Eugene and Eva Nell Hyatt Lovelace. …

WERFELE

TRACY SKINNER WERFELE

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Tracy Skinner Werfele, age 54, went to be with the Lord on Friday, July 29, 2022, in San Antonio. A memorial service for Tracy is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church, 805 S. Harvin …

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Faith
Sumter Pastor Clay Smith: Who weeps with you? It was one of those uncomfortable moments in the store. A young mother with three small children was trying to get her shopping done. The middle child by size (about 2, I'd say) was not happy. She was ready to go home. I understand that feeling. …
Church News: Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 Allen Chapel AME Church, 471 Lynam Road, announces: * Sunday, Aug. 14 - Homecoming at 10 a.m. The Rev. Dr. Thomas Bowman will speak. Grace Full Gospel Church, 1540 Bradham Blvd., announces: * Saturday - Community back-to-school bash from 3 …
DURHAM
Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Jesus is love's priceless gift Today's devotion continues on the subject of love with this thought, "Love's Priceless Gift," and my text is John 3:14-17, where we read, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever …
SMITH
Column by Sumter Pastor Clay Smith: Spitting worms... I was working late in my study this week. My desk looks out a window onto a field behind the church building, where I often see our students doing games. This evening, however, was different. The student leaders brought in a big sound system, and I …
Celebrations
HENRY BLAKE EVERETT BALLARD
Ballards announce birth of a son Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Ballard, currently stationed with the U.S. Air Force at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, announce the birth of a son, Henry Blake Everett Ballard, on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at 48th Medical Group, RAF Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk, …
ELIZABETH and stewart LANE
Lanes celebrate 70 years Stewart and Elizabeth Lane, of Sumter, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Monday, July 4, 2022.

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Dear Abby
Pets for adoption
Looking for a sweet and playful dog? Meet the Sumter SPCA's Jackson

FAR LEFT: Jackson is a 2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix. He is a sweet, affectionate and playful boy who is wonderful with other dogs and children. Jackson loves to cuddle and enjoys kisses and being held. He would make a great couch …

Weddings
MR. AND MRS. TODD A. MILLS
Brown-Mills BINGHAMTON, New York - Virginia E. Brown and Todd A. Mills, both of Whitney Point, New York, were united in marriage at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4, 2022, at PAL Camp. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Roy of Sumter and Melvin Brown …
MRS. SETH WAGGONER
Cromer-Waggoner Madeline Rose Cromer and Seth Daniel Waggoner, both of Sumter, were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Church of the Holy Comforter in Sumter. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Paul Cromer III, the granddaughter …
DR. AND MRS. JOHN E. JAMES IV
Flynn-James COLUMBUS, Georgia - Sara Carter Flynn and Dr. John Evans James IV, both of Columbus, Georgia, were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28, 2022, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Lewis Flynn …
MRS. CODY CLEPPER
Zilch-Clepper Mary Peyton Zilch and Cody Scott Clepper, both of Sumter, were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sumter. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Dwayne Chase and Mr. and Mrs. …

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Engagements
MR. ALLEN, MISS SMITH
Smith-Allen Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith of Sumter announce the engagement of their daughter, McKenzie Rose Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina, to Connor William Allen of Charlotte, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Allen of Charlotte. The bride-elect is the …
MR. HARDY, MISS DuRANT
DuRant-Hardy Dr. Eddie C. DuRant Jr. of Wedgefield and Ms. Debbie Bramlett DuRant of Sumter announce the engagement of their daughter, Dixie Gloria Bell DuRant of Sumter, to Travis Allen Hardy of Sumter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore A. Hardy also of …
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 …
Reflections
Sumter's most successful inventor, C.T. Mason Jr., second from left, is seen with U.S. Army aviators during World War I, when Mason's magnetos were widely used on military aircraft. Mason inherited his father's inventive genius and, unlike his father, was able to enjoy greater recognition and monetary rewards from his talents.

Reflections by Sammy Way: Sumter graced with a long line of inventors

Reflections revisits several of Sumter's notable inventors and their contributions that assisted in the growth of our community and country. The information and photos used to prepare this brief report were resourced from The Sumter Item archives …

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Yesteryear
Thomas Sumter's Steve Hammond (33) is about to be tackled by an unidentified Mims player during action on Sept. 24, 1972. The Generals had little trouble with Mims, winning 26-0 for their third win of the season.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Finney Jr. addresses Morris students; Shaw holds Fighter Pilot for a Day 75 YEARS AGO - 1948 Jan. 11 - 17 - Tuomey Hospital officials reported today that E. H. Lynam Jr., better known as Billy, is in "good condition" after an accident at the Sumter Airways in which his left arm was broken. The accident occurred …
Will Webster displays one of the many types of cigars he sells at his Discount Tobacco store at Colony Square on July 26, 1997.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Barter Theater brings play to Sumter; Unity program recognized 75 YEARS AGO - 1948 Jan. 4 - 10 - Condensed reports from the Department of Agriculture proved interesting to South Carolina farmers: Domestic prices of cotton rose sharply in November and in mid-December and middling was around 36 cents in …
Allen Jackson, a 10-year employee of Southeastern Caseworks, drills out the holes for hinges in a cabinet door on June 19, 1997.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Sumter Area Teen Crusade held; Neeses teen sees 8-foot 'Bigfoot' creature 75 YEARS AGO - 1947 - 1948 Dec. 30 - Jan. 3 - Observance of New Year's Day by Sumter establishments will be scattered and not as widespread as the Christmas Day holiday. Postmaster J.C. Pate announced that no mail deliveries, city as well as …

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From the opinion pages
Columnists
 Editorial cartoon: Friday, Aug. 5, 2022
BARONE
Opinion: West's long-lasting enemies can't be cajoled
Editorial cartoon: Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022
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