Happening Now
Shoppers at Simpson Hardware and Sports attend a Black Friday event in 2019. This year, the store is pointing more customers to online shopping and spreading out sales as retailers try to keep the coronavirus from spreading during what is typically a busy time of year for shopping.
Retailers gear up for unique season of shopping in Sumter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Vincent Gibens stands in line with other Black Friday shoppers waiting to enter an electronics store in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas, on Friday.
Virus keeps Black Friday crowds thin this year
LEE
Election of new chair on tap for Sumter school board's organizational meeting
Manning man charged with attempted murder following shooting outside McLeod Clarendon Health
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after participating in a video teleconference call with members of the military on Thanksgiving at the White House in Washington.
Trump may be coming to terms with election loss

Superintendent: Talk with students helped in weighing options for spring classes

Students in Jayne Evenich's fifth-grade class at Willow Drive Elementary participate in LEAP days in August.
A conversation with an elementary school classroom helped Sumter's superintendent in her recent decision to consider adding more hybrid days with the start of the spring semester in late January. After distributing a letter to parents and …

BREC members may get credit, check for failed Santee Cooper project
Mark Champagne is seen in his office on Wednesday amid the ministry’s Giving Thanks program.
Sumter United Ministries’ Champagne receives McElveen’s final Gamecock City Award
Volunteers distribute dinner boxes filled with turkeys and other Thanksgiving food items at Sumter United Ministries on Tuesday.
Sumter United Ministries sends over 150 families home with Thanksgiving turkeys, trimmings

Saturday-Monday, Nov. 28-30, 2020

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Studio Sumter

Sumter Today: Sumter United Ministries gives thanks this holiday season.

Sumter United Ministries helps those in need year-round, but they go above and beyond for the holidays.

The faith-based emergency services nonprofit held its annual Giving Thanks program this week …

South Carolina quarterback Luke Doty (4) and the Gamecocks host No. 13 Georgia on Saturday.
Georgia's Smart, USC's Bobo share roots, college, friendship
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book (12) hands off to running back Kyren Williams (23) as the Fighting Irish beat North Carolina 31-17 on Friday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Book, defense help No. 2 Notre Dame beat No. 25 UNC 31-17
Sumter running back Nathan Harris-Waynick (26) finds a hole during the Gamecocks' 24-0 loss to Dutch Fork in the 5A lower state title game on Friday.
Sumter falls to Dutch Fork 24-0 in 5A lower state title game
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs for a first down during Tigers' 52-17 win over Pittsburgh at Memorial Stadium in Clemson on Saturday.
No. 4 Clemson, QB Lawrence throttle Pittsburgh 52-17
Coastal Carolina's CJ Marable (1) runs for a touchdown during the Chanticleers' 49-14 win over Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, on Saturday.
No. 16 Coastal Carolina tops Texas State, wins Sun Belt East
Poll of the Week

This May 2019 photo shows a plate of turkey, mash potatoes and gravy and a side of sauteed broccoli rabe, corn and onions with crispy bacon, on a table in New York. If you remember that the turkey breast will take less time to cook than the legs, and that you can get a head start on your gravy, Thanksgiving will be a whole lot less stressful. (Cheyenne Cohen/Katie Workman via AP)

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

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

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More local news
Grady Ervin and Co., at 2 N. Main St., opened this week and carries Hickey Freeman, Samuelsohn, Peter Millar, Barbour and Martin Dingman. Hand-made leather goods and accessories are also available.
Downtown Sumter development, golf course key to men’s store addition
BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Grady Ervin and Co., at 2 N. Main St., opened this week and carries Hickey Freeman, Samuelsohn, Peter Millar, Barbour and Martin Dingman. Hand-made leather goods and accessories are also available.
Development, golf course key to men's store addition
Thanksgiving Schedule: Friday, Nov. 27, 2020
Sumter County Council: Dollar General likely landing on Pinewood Road
Sumter Police Department to help Santa Claus collect children's Christmas wishes

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More Sports
BOTTOM LEFT: A closer look at Champagne's award. This is the 38th award given in McElveen's 20 years as mayor.
Ministries' Champagne receives McElveen's final Gamecock City Award
PHOTOS BY KAREEM WILSON / THE SUMTER ITEM Military personnel distribute Thanksgiving dinner boxes on Tuesday inside families' cars at Sumter United Ministries.
Charity sends over 150 families home with Thanksgiving turkeys, trimmings
Sumter running back Nathan Harris-Waynick, center, and the Gamecocks will travel to Irmo on Friday to face off against 4-time defending state champion Dutch Fork in the 5A lower state championship game beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Gamecocks to battle against 4-time defending state champ Dutch Fork
East Clarendon's Talaysia Cooper (10) was named one of the top eight girls basketball players in the state as the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association released its preseason awards and polls.
EC's Cooper elite player; SHS girls ranked second
Wilson Hall sweeps in season opener

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Panorama
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A fiberglass replica of Bruce, the shark featured in Steven Spielberg's classic 1975 film "Jaws," is lifted into a suspended position for display at the new Academy of Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. The museum, celebrating the art and science of movies, is scheduled to open on April 30, 2021.

Bruce, the last 'Jaws' shark, docks at Academy Museum

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Bruce, the fiberglass shark made from the "Jaws" mold, is ready for his close-up. The 1,208 pound, 25-foot-long, 45-year-old shark, famous for being difficult to work with on the set of Steven Spielberg's classic …

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Nation & World
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Nov. 5 in Washington.
Appeals court rejects Trump challenge of Pennsylvania race

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - President Donald Trump's legal team suffered yet another defeat in court Friday as a federal appeals court in Philadelphia roundly rejected the campaign's latest effort to challenge the state's election results. Trump's …

Experts: Virus numbers could be erratic after Thanksgiving weekend MILWAUKEE (AP) - The coronavirus testing numbers that have guided much of the nation's response to the pandemic are likely to be erratic over the next week or so, experts said Friday, as fewer people get tested during the Thanksgiving holiday …
President-elect Joe Biden speaks Nov. 5 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden's win hides a dire warning for Democrats in rural U.S. DES MOINES, Iowa - Democrats once dominated Koochiching County in the blue-collar Iron Range of northern Minnesota. But in this month's presidential election, President Donald Trump won it with 60% of the vote. That's not because voters there are …
Envelopes addressed to "Pere Noel" - Father Christmas in French - decorated with love hearts, stickers and glitter, are displayed by postal workers in Libourne, southwest France, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. Letters pouring by the tens of thousands into Santa's mailbox offer a glimpse into the worries and hopes of children awaiting a pandemic-hit Christmas. Along with usual pleas for toys and gadgets, kids are also mailing requests for vaccines, for visits from grandparents, for life to return to the way it was. The office estimates that one letter in three mentions the pandemic.
In Santa’s mailbag, a peek into children’s pandemic worries LIBOURNE, France — Jim, from Taiwan, slipped a face mask inside the greeting card he sent to Santa and marked “I (heart) u.” Alina, 5, asked in her Santa letter written with an …
A researcher in a laboratory at the Jenner Institute in Oxford, England, works on the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
AstraZeneca error clouds vaccine preliminary results LONDON - AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. A statement describing the error came days after the company …

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State News
Rapid COVID-19 tests for S.C. schools in place 1st of week

COLUMBIA (AP) - The new rapid result COVID-19 tests promised to South Carolina schools by Gov. Henry McMaster should be at some districts by the start of school next week, education officials said. McMaster signed an executive order Wednesday …

Former executive faces prison time in S.C. nuclear debacle
COLUMBIA - The executive who spent billions of dollars on two South Carolina nuclear plants that never generated a single watt of power is almost certain to spend time in prison. Former SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh signed a deal Tuesday agreeing …
3-day ticket blitz, 130 $100 citations for going maskless in Columbia COLUMBIA (AP) - A three-day ticket blitz in South Carolina's capital city brought 130 citations for going unmasked in public places despite the coronavirus pandemic - and the fire chief says more are coming. "I don't mind tipping my hand," …
South Carolina officials eye single drug for execution plan COLUMBIA (AP) — The state of South Carolina says an inmate scheduled to be executed next week could be put to death with a lethal dose of just one drug if officials cannot get hold of all three …
Rate of rejected S.C. ballots without signatures drops in 2020 COLUMBIA (AP) - Absentee ballots in South Carolina were turned in without required signatures at a lower rate in the 2020 election than the presidential election four years ago. About 0.7% of mailed-in ballots lacked witness signatures this …

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Obituaries
GWENDOLYN GARDENIA OLIVER WESLEY

FLORENCE - On Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, Gwendolyn Gardenia Oliver Wesley, wife of Fredric "Fred" Alonzo Wesley Jr., heard her Master's call at McLeod Hospice House in Florence. Born on July 21, 1949, in Manning, she was a daughter of the late …

LULA MAE MAHONEY JENKINS

Lula Mae Mahoney Jenkins, 76, wife of Earnest Jenkins, was born on Aug. 9, 1944, in Sumter, a daughter of the late Samuel Sr. and Mary Gooden Mahoney. She departed this life on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at his residence. Public viewing will be …

LEE ERNEST EPPS

ALCOLU - Lee Ernest Epps, 67, husband of Rosa Smalls Epps, died on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, Columbia. He was born on Sept. 14, 1953, in Alcolu, a son of the late Lee Odom Epps and Inez Epps. Due to COVID-19, …

GREGORY LEE

Gregory Lee, 32, died on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born on Feb. 15, 1988, in Sumter, he was a son of Gregory Martin and Nikki Lee. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the management of …

B.C. RICHBURG

B.C. Richburg, 82, widower of Rosa Lee Blair Richburg, departed this life on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, at his residence. He was born on April 3, 1938, in Paxville, a son of the late Timothy and Alethia Wilder Richburg. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, …

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Celebrations
MR., MRS. JIMMY GRIFFIN
Griffins celebrate 50 years Jimmy and Nancy Griffin, of Sumter, celebrated their 50th anniversary on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, at their home. Their two children are Lacey Griffin Ray of Apex, North Carolina, and Leigh Griffin Carter and her husband, Ross, of Cary, North …

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Faith
Church News: Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 211 Alice Drive, announces: * Thursday, Dec. 3 - Blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 401 Dingle St., announces: * Sunday, Dec. 6 - A drive-in service of Holy Eucharist will …
Church News: Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 211 Alice Drive, announces: * Thursday, Dec. 3 - Blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Pinewood Baptist Church, 10 E. Fulton St., Pinewood, announces: * Tuesday, Nov. 24 - The church will host a community …
Church News: Friday, Nov. 13, 2020 Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 211 Alice Drive, announces: * Thursday, Dec. 3 - Blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, 3285 Peach Orchard Road, Dalzell, announces: * Saturday - A celebratory parade for the …
Church News: Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 211 Alice Drive, announces: * Thursday, Dec. 3 - Blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Knitting Hearts Community Ministry, which meets at Bethesda Church of God, 2730 Broad St., announces: * Saturday, Nov. 14 - …
Dear Abby
Pets for adoption
Apollo is playful, fun with a laid-back side as well

LEFT: Apollo is a housebroken 9-month-old black-and-white male American shorthair. He is great with other cats and even dogs. Apollo is a sweet guy who is active, playful and fun, but can be a laid-back lazy boy as well. He would make a great new …

Weddings
MRS. DUSTIN PARSHLEY
Horton-Parshley Sierra Horton of Turbeville and Dustin Parshley of New Zion were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at Perry's Pond. The bride is the daughter of Robbie Horton of Manning and Heidi Horton of Turbeville, and the granddaughter of …
MR. AND MRS. BRYAN THOMPSON
Richburg-Thompson ALCOLU - Dixie Richburg of Davis Station and Bryan Joseph Thompson of Manning were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, at Lakewood Plantation. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allan Craig Richburg of Davis Station and …
MRS. MATTHEW JOSEY
Cromer-Josey SaraLouise Cromer of Sumter and Matthew Samuel Josey of Florence were united in marriage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Sumter. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Paul Cromer III, the …
MRS. JONATHAN hunter AYRES
Catoe-Ayres Emma Suzanne Catoe of Sumter and Jonathan Hunter Ayres of Howell, New Jersey, were united in marriage at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at First Baptist Church in Sumter. The bride is the daughter of Allen and Lisa Catoe and the granddaughter of …

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Engagements
MISS LYNCH, MR. COKER
Lynch-Coker Mr. and Mrs. Neal C. Lynch of Alcolu announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Lorena Lynch of Alcolu, to Zachary Scott Coker of Turbeville, son of Mr. A. Lanair Coker and Ms. Lucia Welsh Coker, both of Turbeville.The bride-elect is the …
MISS WILSON
Wilson-Davis Mr. and Mrs. John Joe Wilson Jr. announce the engagement of their daughter, Olivia Dean Wilson, to Raymond Bradley Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Lee Davis, all of Manning. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Kay McFaddin Gibbons and …
MISS WILLIAMS, MR. JORDAN
Williams-Jordan Mr. Ernest and Mrs. Cherell Butler of Aiken and Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Williams of Saluda announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy D. Williams of Simpsonville, to Derrick L. Jordan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jordan of …
Bultman-Satterfield Ms. Cynthia D. Bultman of Sumter announces the engagement of her daughter, Megan Bultman of Sumter, to William Satterfield of Heard County, Georgia, son of William and Kelly Satterfield of Heard County. The bride-elect is also the daughter of Mr. …
Reflections
The last of 200 turkeys comes out of the oven at the Consolidated Mess on Thanksgiving morning. Enlisted men at Shaw Field in 1942 ate 3,000 pounds of turkey that year on the holiday and also attended a service conducted by Chaplain Frank Brasington of Post Chapel No. 1.

Reflections by Sammy Way: Thanksgiving, a time for family and traditions

Reflections looks back on how our city has celebrated what is often referred to as the beginning of the "holiday season." Wikipedia Encyclopedia notes that "In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast …

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Yesteryear
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Special Operations Force Commander Brig. Gen. LeRoy J. Manor, left, attends a briefing given by Lt. Col. James G. Wyatt at Shaw Air Force Base's headquarters for joint Army-Air Force exercise Orbit Wing VII.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Sumter library seeks interns; club formed for German shepherd fans 75 YEARS AGO - 1946 May 24 - 28 - Chief E. H. Lynam, of the Sumter Fire Department, today warned returning veterans and other prospective home owners that it is better to wait until good building materials are available than to attempt to …
Cedrick Gipson, a fifth-grader at Scott's Branch Elementary School, dances with Suzy Connolly, a senior at Dreher High School in Columbia, on Nov. 15, 1995. Students and 12 performing teachers from Dreher traveled to Summerton to perform the "Nutcracker" for students and give them dance instruction. Connolly said Dreher's outreach helps students make the best of their natural abilities by not being afraid to express themselves through dance.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: Sumter sailors have reunion at Trinidad; man lights up intersections 75 YEARS AGO - 1946 May 20 - 23 - Youths still are required to register for the draft upon reaching the age of 18, in spite of the fact that a law has been passed temporarily banning their induction, R.T. Brown Jr. of local selective service …
Clemson's Jeremy Bauer (44) and Coastal Carolina's Durwood Owens go up for the tap on Jan. 15, 1971. Other players are Clemson's Bobby Rickard, left, and Coastal's Hucks (31). CUS lost, 81-62.
Yesteryear by Sammy Way: New Tuomey lobby, entrance open; Turbeville gets new mayor 75 YEARS AGO - 1946 May 14 - 18 - Three games are scheduled in the softball leagues, weather permitting. Booth Motor Co. meets Boyle Hardware Co., followed by the girls' game with the WACS meeting Royal Crown. A second men's game follows the …

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From the opinion pages
Columnists
 Editorial cartoon: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020
Editorial cartoon: Friday, Nov. 27, 2020
OPINION: Normalcy resumes when leadership unites
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