Happening Now
CANTY
Sumter school board votes to transfer $1.7M for completion of new stadium at Crestwood
Chris Hardy resigns from Sumter Chamber of Commerce
Sumter may see new Dollar General in Dalzell
Bryn Eddy, Deirdre Currin
Sumter Item's Bryn Eddy takes fulltime editor role at Lexington Chronicle
Check out the June / July 2024 issue of The Sumter Item Impact

Celebrating freedom at Shaw Air Force Base

Team Shaw family members perform with Sofie Lynn, an American country music singer, during Freedom Bash at Shaw Air Force Base on Saturday, June 29. More than 3,000 service members and their families attended the annual event, which celebrated the 248th anniversary of the United States' independence.
Freedom Bash was held at Shaw Air Force Base on June 29. The event was hosted by the 20th Force Support Squadron to celebrate Independence Day and honor the contributions and continued sacrifice of service members who ensure the security and …
State fire marshal shares Fourth of July fireworks safety tips
Ryan Barrs of Munnerlyn Pyrnotechnics sets up ahead of a Fourth of July fireworks show at Dillon Park on Saturday, June 29.
Crowd celebrates independence at Dillon Park
The Palmetto Optimist Club's Youth Optimist Bike Club has 30 members who will go on their first club ride on Saturday, July 6.
Youth Optimist Bike Club is new for South Sumter
PHOTO PROVIDED Current Sumter School District Teacher of the Year Kelli Howard, left, is honored by American Legion Post 15 Commander Ken Mixon as the local teacher of the year in a ceremony Monday at American Legion Post 15 headquarters, 34 S. Artillery Drive. The district will name its teacher of the year for the upcoming school year on July 30 at its Back to School Rally.
Cheers for a job well done

Wednesday-Friday, July 3-5, 2024

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Studio Sumter

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Local stories through a local lens.  

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Friends to Follow
SPORTS
Sumter's Dubose Rembert throws the ball around the diamond on Monday.
Sumter P-15’s let lead slip away against Florence in 4-3 loss
Former Clemson star C.J. Spiller, left, will be inducted into the school's Ring of Honor.
Spiller, Graham to be inducted into Clemson Ring of Honor
Manning-Santee's Kaleb Lee connects for a base hit against Horry on Monday. He finished with four hits in the Post 68 win.
Manning-Santee rallies against Horry as they fight for their playoff future
Javelin throwers for Sumter Speed gear up for their event at the USATF state meet last weekend.
Sumter Speed athletes gear up for USATF regionals this weekend
The Lakewood track and field team will host its first youth camp on July 12.
Lakewood to host 1st youth track camp July 12
National Data Trends
In this June 19, 2016, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers fans celebrate after the Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the NBA basketball Finals in Cleveland. Since the moment superstar LeBron James and the Cavaliers clinched the NBA championship with an historic comeback to quench the city's 52-year professional title drought, Cleveland has been celebrating like never before.
69 great summer sports moments
Christian Bale, left, and Matt Damon attend a premiere for "Ford v Ferrari."
Most popular movies on Hulu this week
Top 10 dangers associated with the Fourth of July
States that recorded the biggest increase in homelessness last year
Most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

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More local news
LOGO PROVIDED
March of Dimes to kick off March for Babies campaign at Prisma Health Tuomey
Celebrate the start of Sumter's newest farmers market on Saturday, July 6.
Things to do around the Midlands: Celebrate July 4 this week and a new Sumter farmers market with official grand opening this weekend
Fireworks and furry friends: A guide to pet safety this July 4
Bishopville held its annual Lizard Man Stomp on Saturday, June 29 in downtown.
Celebrating the legendary Lizard Man
Sumter County Library encourages fun and creativity through its Summer Reading Program, happening June 3-July 25. Youth have built kites, rigamajig and competed in Teen Game Clubs. More events will happen in July alongside various other summer events.
Sumter library summer reading events encourage fun, creativity

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More Sports
Former Clarendon Hall star Kylic Horton, seen coaching the Lady Saints basketball team during the SCISA state semifinals, is transferring from South Carolina to South Carolina State after two years with the Gamecock football team.
Former Clarendon Hall standout Horton headed to S.C. State
Manning-Santee's RJ Cantey celebrates on third base after hitting a game-winning RBI triple against Horry on Wednesday.
Manning-Santee rallies to take down Horry; strengthen playoff odds in the process
PHOTOS: Manning-Santee hosts Horry in American Legion baseball
Sumter's Sean Rouse had the P-15's only extra base hit in their loss to Florence on Tuesday.
Sumter, Manning-Santee drop League 2 matchups
The Sumter Lady Patriots and Lady Legends will compete in the South Carolina American Legion state playoffs next week. The Lady Legends play Camden on Monday with the winner facing the Lady Patriots on Tuesday.
Legion softball playoff brackets set, tournament begins Monday

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Arts & Entertainment
This image released by Discovery shows a scene from “Belly of the Beast: Bigger and Bloodier,” part of 21 hours of programing celebrating "Shark Week."

Massive makos, Queen Bosses and a baby angel shark on Discovery 'Shark Week,' where women shine

NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine stepping into a life-sized whale carcass decoy and steering it into deep water. You're looking — yes, looking — for a group of hungry sharks to spark a …

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Nation & World
A Lake County police officer walks down Central Ave in Highland Park, Ill. on Monday, July 4, 2022, after a shooter fired on the northern suburb's Fourth of July parade.
Why mass shootings and violence increase in the summer

Violence and mass shootings often surge in the summer months, especially around the Fourth of July, historically one of the deadliest days of the year. A flurry of shootings around the holiday a …

Furniture store employees board up windows for protection ahead of Hurricane Beryl's expected arrival, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
Hurricane Beryl roars toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs in Jamaica, jumbled fishing boats in Barbados and damaged or destroyed 95% of homes on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the …
In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm «Giatsint-B» howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Ukraine's army retreats from positions as Russia gets closer to seizing strategically important town KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A spokesperson for Ukraine's military said its army has retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk …
President Joe Biden speaks during a Medal of Honor Ceremony at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, posthumously honoring two U.S. Army privates who were part of a daring Union Army contingent that stole a Confederate train during the Civil War. U.S. Army Pvts. Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson were captured by Confederates and executed by hanging.
Biden vows to keep running as signs point to rapidly eroding support for him on Capitol Hill WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday to keep running for reelection, rejecting growing pressure from Democrats to withdraw after a disastrous debate performance …
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
Palestinian death toll from Israel-Hamas war surges past 38,000, Gaza Health Ministry says DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday that the Palestinian death toll from nearly nine months of war has surged past 38,000. The ministry …

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State News
S.C. Department of Agriculture is now in charge of restaurant inspections, milk safety and more

COLUMBIA - As of July 1, many food safety duties that were part of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are now handled by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA).The change is a result of legislation …

Art entries were plentiful at the 2023 South Carolina State Fair.
S.C. State Fair accepting entries for 2024 competitive exhibits The South Carolina State Fair is now accepting entries for its annual competitive exhibits, which will be on display Oct. 9-20, during the S.C. State Fair. Exhibitors from across South Carolina are invited to submit their entries now …
Four of South Carolina's Sister Senators, from left to right, Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Walterboro, Sen. Mia McLeod, I-Columbia, Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, and Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, stand in front of the Senate with their John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. The three Republican women Sister Senators were all voted out in their party's primary.
Voters kick all the Republican women out of the South Carolina Senate COLUMBIA (AP) — The only three Republican women in the South Carolina Senate took on their party and stopped a total abortion ban from passing in their state last year. In return, they lost …
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., at a campaign event in Concord, N.H., Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.Scott's life has been a series of people offering a hand that helped him get ahead. Now the senator from South Carolina waits to see if former President Donald Trump gives him another boost and makes him the vice presidential nominee.
Tim Scott has benefited from mentors along the way. He's hoping for another helping hand COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — When Tim Scott was a teenager, a Chick-fil-A manager named John Moniz offered him a sandwich, a job, and four years of indispensable mentoring about how to be a …
South Carolina state Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, gives his going-away speech after 48 years in the Senate on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Columbia.
South Carolina General Assembly ends 2024 session with goodbyes and a flurry of bills COLUMBIA — The South Carolina General Assembly met for what is expected to be the final day of the 2024 session Wednesday, taking up a flurry of bills and giving several lawmakers a chance to …

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Obituaries

LLOYD

FRED LEON LLOYD JR.

WEDGEFIELD — Fred Leon Lloyd Jr., 79, husband of Marie E. “Penny” Webster Lloyd, died Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at Prisma Health Tuomey in Sumter. Born Jan. 3, 1945, in Florence, he …

BETTY JEAN JOHNSON TILLER

Betty Jean Johnson Tiller, 77, wife of Dudley Tiller Jr., and daughter of the late Eugene Johnson and Mary Louise Pearson Johnson, was born on Dec. 23, 1946, in Sumter.  She departed this life …

PAULINE ANN FRYER

BISHOPVILLE — Pauline Ann Fryer, 80, passed away on Monday, July 1, 2024, at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family’s guest …

MCCANTS

GWENDOLYN JONES MCCANTS

Gwendolyn Jones McCants, 59, wife of Derrick McCants and daughter of Earline Montgomery Jones and the late Matthew Jones Sr., was born on March 10, 1965, in Sumter. She departed this life on Sunday, …

DWIGHT ANTHONY BROOKS

Dwight Anthony Brooks, 69, husband of Fiesta Witherspoon Brooks and son of the late Howard Brooks and Calanthia Olevia Gould McEachin, was born on Nov. 27, 1954, in Denton, Maryland.  He …

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Faith
SMITH
Column by the Rev. Clay Smith: Fourth of July .... This Fourth of July will be a quiet one for me.  I will catch up on some chores, take a nap, feed my cows and grill some hamburgers.  It is my right as an American to spend the day as I …
Church news: Wednesday, July 3, 2024 First Baptist Missionary Church, 219 S. Washington St., Sumter, announces: - Friday, July 12, Food Pantry Giveaway at 1 p.m. while supplies last. Hearts United (formerly Knitting Hearts for Christ Ministry), meeting at Bethesda Church of God, …
Two volumes of the over 500-year-old Gutenberg Bible are pictured in New York in April 1978. Johannes Gutenberg planned on printing 150 Bibles, but increasing demand motivated him to produce 30 extra copies, which led to a total of 180. Currently known as the "Gutenberg Bibles," around 48 complete copies are preserved.
What is a Gutenberg Bible? And why is it relevant 500 years after its printing? NEW YORK - It's not just a book. Back in the 1450s, when the Bible became the first major work printed in Europe with moveable metal type, Johannes Gutenberg was a man with a plan. The German inventor decided to make the most of his new …
HOLLAND
Column by Minister Billy Holland: Remembering the cost of our independence This week we celebrate Independence Day which is also commonly known as the Fourth of July. It’s a federal holiday commemorating America’s independence from the British empire which over …
Celebrations
Shumperts celebrate 50 years PHOTO PROVIDED Donnie Shumpert and Barbara Smith Shumpert celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 16, 2024. Donnie Shumpert from Sumter and Barbara Smith Shumpert from Smoaks met in Sumter while Barbara was living with her sister and her …

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Dear Abby
Pets for adoption
PHOTO PROVIDED
SPCA'S MJ is great with children, other dogs

 MJ is a 4-year-old, black-and-tan, female German shepherd. She is housebroken and spayed and is great with children and other dogs. MJ follows commands well and needs a big, privacy-fenced yard …

Weddings
MRS. JAMES TYLER NEWMAN JR.
Walton-Newman EASTOVER - Corie Lorraine Walton and James Tyler Newman Jr., both of Sumter, were united in marriage at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Magnolia Way Venue. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wade Walton Jr., and the …

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Engagements
BARWICK, MISS WELCH
Welch-Barwick Allison Lynn Welch of Sumter and Stephen Daniel Barwick of Dalzell announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Welch and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Tschorn Sr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. …
Reflections
Sumter Christian Church and residence of Dr. W.C. Cheyne on Calhoun Street are seen, looking toward Washington Street.

Reflections by Sammy Way: Sumter's historic homes

Reflections revisits the period from 1890 to 1940, in which the city of Sumter experienced a period of unprecedented growth and development brought on by the influx of new businesses and the expansion of the rail industry. Fortunately, a few …

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Yesteryear

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From the opinion pages
Columnists
BARONE
Column: Voters don't want 8-year presidency
BARONE
Opinion: European 'far right' issues stinging rebuke to elites
Opinion: S.C. Freedom Caucus wastes money, blocks serious work with stunts
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