IN SPORTS: Crestwood takes on Lower Richland in high school basketball B1 THE CLARENDON SUN Elected county officials, deputies sworn in A6 THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents Committee provides recommendations have already been addressed and will School board superintendent to present emergency financial plan be presented officially to the board to- night at a special called meeting BY BRUCE MILLS 2015-16 audit report, released last closely as possible, and conducting a where he will present an emergency [email protected] month, showed the district had gone mid-year budget review, which was financial plan. The board requested over budget by $6.2 million in the fis- initially recommended by Poston the plan from Baker at a special called Sumter School District Finance cal year ending June 30. The audit when she presented the audit report meeting Dec. 20 in the wake of the au- Committee recommended the board of also revealed the district had $106,449 in December. dit’s findings. Tonight’s special called trustees address staffing, review fi- in its general fund at the end of the Committee Chairman and board meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the dis- nancial reports and consolidate fiscal year — a critically low level, ac- member Johnny Hilton also suggested trict office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road. schools as solutions to a district debt cording to auditor Robin Poston. that cost-cutting measures should af- Per instruction from the board, crisis on Wednesday at its monthly Other committee recommendations fect classroom instruction as little as Baker worked with the auditor at the meeting. Wednesday included freezing capital possible. end of December to produce a mid-year The committee’s list of recommen- spending, adding an appropriate full- Superintendent Frank Baker told dations to the board for cost-saving time person in the district’s finance committee members Wednesday that measures come after the district’s department to monitor spending as several of their recommendations SEE COMMITTEE, PAGE A10 Snowfall Baker wants could be in to improve forecast for learning Sumter experiences BY ADRIENNE SARVIS BY JIM HILLEY [email protected] [email protected] Sumter School District Su- Snow may be in Sumter’s perintendent Frank Baker did forecast for the weekend. not touch on the subject of the While the prospect for snow school district’s budget while is still uncertain, cold temper- he spoke during Sumter Vi- atures are not, said National sion in Progress’ meeting on Weather Service Columbia Wednesday but discussed ways Warning Coordinator John to improve learning experienc- Quagliariello. es for students. “Whether it snows or not, it Baker said the AP FILE PHOTO will be cold,” he said. Lastrhodesian.com district’s efforts Saturday’s high temperature This undated photo that appeared on , a website investigated by the FBI to introduce tech- may not get out of the 30s, he in connection with Dylann Roof, shows him posing for a photo holding a Confederate flag. nology in the said. Roof, who would later admit he wanted to start a race war, fatally shot eight black worship- classrooms has “Overnight lows next week- pers and their pastor at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. been a success by end and next week may be in providing laptops the 20s, so it’s really going to BAKER for students. be a cold spell we are looking The concept be- at for the weekend,” Quagliari- Roof talks to jury hind providing the computers ello said. is to prepare students for col- As of Wednesday morning, lege where technology is heav- he said forecasters are seeing ily integrated into assign- a mix of sleet and possibly ments, he said. some freezing rain late Friday Claims ‘nothing wrong with me psychologically’ Baker said teachers are able into Saturday morning. to monitor what the students “It’s questionable where CHARLESTON (AP) — Convicted spoken 22-year-old white man said calm- are doing on their computers that transition occurs at this Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof ly as he stood in front of a podium, occa- during class, and parents have point,” he said. “Does it be- spoke to the jury for the first time at his sionally glancing at notes. “I am not been educated on how stu- come all snow, is there a mix, death penalty trial Wednesday, telling going to lie to you. ... Other than the fact dents should be using the lap- do we get some sleet in them there’s nothing wrong with him that I trust people that I shouldn’t and tops while at home. there?” psychologically and that he is not trying the fact that I’m probably better at con- Another project the district Quagliariello said the big- to keep any secrets from them. stantly embarrassing myself than any- is tackling is trying to stay gest impacts will probably But perhaps most important is what one who’s ever existed, there’s nothing ahead of the state’s Read to come Saturday morning. he didn’t say: He didn’t ask jurors to wrong with me psychologically.” Succeed law, which requires “We could see sleet and spare him from the death penalty. The Roof’s attorneys have indicated that he teachers to retain students freezing rain mixing in, turn- jury last month unanimously found Roof chose to represent himself during the who are not able to read at ing over to snow on Saturday,” guilty of hate crimes and other charges sentencing phase of his trial because he grade level by the time they he said. in the shooting deaths of nine black was worried they might present embar- complete the third grade, “We still want to monitor for church members during Bible study. The rassing evidence about himself or his Baker said. some accumulating snow on jurors will now decide whether he family. District administration is Saturday morning, but right should be sentenced to life in prison or As early as last summer, they said discussing ways to identify now it is still limited confi- death. dence as to where that transi- “My opening statement is going to tion will occur.” seem a little bit out of place,” the soft- SEE ROOF, PAGE A10 SEE BAKER, PAGE A10 Snow requires the atmo- sphere to be at or below freez- ing from the ground to the clouds, and that appears to be likely for this weekend, he said. City residents seeking answers to discolored water woes “You start getting things like sleet if you have a layer of BY JIM HILLEY Carter attended the meeting with warm air just above the sur- [email protected] a friend, but she said she had no face so the snow melts,” Qua- idea her neighbors who have had the gliariello said. “In this case, Orange sidewalks and stained same problem would show up as we are looking at tempera- driveways and lawn statues marked well. tures near or just below freez- with a rich, rust-colored patina are “I am glad they did,” she said. ing from the clouds down to some of the signs that something Carter and other people who the surface.” isn’t right on Sun Valley Drive. spoke at the council meeting said He said besides the timing, a After complaining to City of Sum- they are tired of not getting an- lot of uncertainty in the fore- ter numerous times about the red swers. cast is if there are any warm discolored water that has reportedly “We were dumbfounded when the layers and how deep they plagued the area for years, some res- mayor (Joe McElveen) and Mr. Har- might be. idents say they’ve had enough. ris (Assistant City Manager Al Har- He said the good news is that KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM “We are fighting right now,” said ris) said they knew about the prob- if it snows, it will be during Brianna Carter talks about the rust stains that are Brianna Carter, who lives on the street. lem,” she said. “Harris even has a the weekend. discoloring her home off Kolb Road. Carter has At Tuesday night’s regular city “That limits the potential for tried pressure washing and industrial cleaners council meeting, several residents traffic problems,” he said. but has had no luck removing the stains. showed up to air their concerns. SEE WATER, PAGE A10 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B4, B5 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Raymond Holliday Roosevelt Miller Roberta Boatner SUNSHINE 2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 William E. Smith Ruby B. Williams Theodore Wright Jr. VOL. 122, NO. 59 Classifieds: 774-1234 Mostly sunny and a bit Lillian J. Ghrael Margaret P. Parker Peggy Ann Wilson colder. Tonight there will Classifieds B8 Delivery: 774-1258 Samuel Jefferson Lillian R. Tarvin Clara W. Carter be considerable clouds. Comics B7 News and Sports: 774-1226 Ethel P. Edwards Beulah T. Hollis Turner A. Green HIGH 55, LOW 39 Tracy Morales Martha Bennett Jesse J. Stuckey Opinion A11 William J. Epps Annie Oaks Television B6 A2 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Legislators Economist sees manufacturing to outline rebound in rural metro areas plans for BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] 2017 session A recent report shows more rural metropolitan areas in the Carolinas, such BY JIM HILLEY as Sumter, have lagged the [email protected] larger metro cities in job growth in the last year, but a The South Carolina Gener- regional economist thinks a al Assembly will host its an- rebound in U.S.