Sumter votes align with all but 1 primary winner County election commission certifies results, 1 of 5 provisional ballots BY KAYLA ROBINS tified results were tallied and ap- in Sumter, the number of possible [email protected] proved. ballots cast went from 65,952 to an FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2018 75 CENTS The drop was due to there being official 71,642, according to the SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 After the unofficial numbers more registered voters than the Sumter County Election Commis- came in to show Sumter County South Carolina Election Commis- sion data, bringing the turnout to had the sixth-lowest turnout in the sion listed. After Tuesday night, 15.74 percent. 3 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES | VOL. 123, NO. 170 state, the percentage of voters when numbers were tallied to CLARENDON SUN dropped even further after the cer- show a 17.1 percent voter turnout SEE VOTES, PAGE A11 Long journey home ‘Church folks done gone krazy’ Pastor’s 3rd humorous play delivers a message A7 Antarctic ice melting 3 times faster than before A5 PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Sumter Police Department’s Honor Guard raises the U.S. flag at the new Public Safety Complex on North Lafayette Drive on DEATHS, B5 Thursday, which was Flag Day. Police Chief Russell Roark III, below left, is seen during the ceremony. See more photos on A11. Norma Lee Canty Georgia Jeremiah Jones Jr. Essie Mae Ceasar Wheeler Rollerson Flag travels thousands of miles before flying at new Public Safety Complex Frances Croom Norfleet BY ADRIENNE SARVIS The flag’s journey started on Academy and the Police Officers Carrie Lee Arthur [email protected] July 6, 2017, when it was flown Hall of Fame. Lillie Mae Randolph above the United States Capitol at And though the flag had finally Mary Jo Chapman Kinne Members of Sumter Police De- the request of Sen. Tim Scott, made its way to the state where it Tyshe Lynica Mae McKnight partment’s Honor Guard raised a R-SC, in honor of the men and will most likely fly for the rest of U.S. flag at the agency’s new loca- women of the local department its days, its journey did not end tion on North Lafayette Drive in and in commemoration of the there. WEATHER, A12 recognition of Flag Day on Thurs- opening of the agency’s new facili- To add further value to the flag, day. ty. members of Shaw Air Force Base SAME OLD, SAME OLD Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 After leaving Washington, D.C., took the flag to Afghanistan aboard A stray afternoon storm is possible; in commemoration of the adoption the flag made its way south where an F-16 Falcon during a combat partly cloudy and humid tonight of the U.S. flag on that same date in it was flown above the Yorktown mission against terrorism on Oct. HIGH 89, LOW 72 1777. Battlefield in Virginia and was 30, 2017. Before settling into its new home later flown above the South Caroli- Upon returning to the United at the Public Safety Complex, the na State Capitol in Columbia on States, the flag was flown above new location of the police depart- Aug. 30, 2017. Shaw Air Force Base on Feb. 2, INSIDE CONTACT US ment and Sumter Fire Department, From the state capitol, the flag 2018, before making its way to its Clarendon Sun A7 Info: 774-1200 it crossed multiple borders and was moved to the grounds of the permanent home at the Public Classifieds B6 Advertising: 774-1237 traveled thousands of miles. South Carolina Criminal Justice Safety Complex on Thursday. Comics C6 Classifieds: 774-1200 Opinion A10 Delivery: 774-1258 Television C4 News and Sports: USA Today C1 774-1226 VISIT US ONLINE AT the .com Parnell regrouping for election Holy Comforter priest: Sumter native doesn’t expect voters to overlook his past ‘God is not wringing BY BRUCE MILLS him to withdraw After The Post and Courier [email protected] in recent weeks of Charleston obtained in May after revelations divorce records from 1973 in His hands about this’ After handily winning the surfaced about which Parnell’s ex-wife ac- Democratic primary nomina- his past domestic cused the then-University of Kaiser not too worried after court decision tion Tuesday for South Caroli- violence from de- South Carolina student of na’s 5th Congressional dis- PARNELL cades ago. beating her, Parnell admitted BY BRUCE MILLS denied a state church dis- trict, Sumter native Archie Parnell took 60 the revelations were true but [email protected] trict’s petition for a hear- Parnell says he wants people percent of Tues- also said he wouldn’t drop out ing on property ownership. to look him in the eye and day’s primary votes in a race of the primary. He said quit- The priest of a local par- Church of the Holy Com- fairly assess him for the U.S. against three political new- ting the race would send a ish said he’s not extremely forter, 213 N. Main St., is House of Representatives seat. comers who were largely un- negative message to anyone worried if his congregation part of the Protestant Epis- Parnell talked Thursday known in the district. The who has also made mistakes loses its right to property it copal Church in the Diocese about regrouping his cam- closest challenger, Sidney in his or her past. has held for more than a of South Carolina, which paign now after many leaders Moore of Rock Hill, earned century after the U.S. Su- in his own party called for 17.2 percent of the vote. SEE PARNELL, PAGE A6 preme Court on Monday SEE CHURCH, PAGE A6 A2 | FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Former 20th Fighter Wing commander promoted Guastella nominated for third star, AFCENT assignment as lieutenant general; he may oversee war on terror BY KAYLA ROBINS Guastella was stationed at general and would succeed Lt. ties into the operational level Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt [email protected] Shaw as vice commander of Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, who of war.” II, has served multiple com- the fighter wing from August has been head of AFCENT Mission areas in that role bat tours and has instructed A former commander of the through October of 2008 be- since July 2016. include missile warning, at the U.S. Air Force Fighter 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air fore being promoted to com- Guastella is the director of space control, space-lift and Weapons School, according to Force Base in Sumter is likely mander, in which integrated air, space, cyber- range operations, satellite his biography. He command- about to become the Air capacity he space and intelligence, sur- command and control, nucle- ed the 555th Fighter Squad- Force’s head of the war served through veillance and reconnaissance ar event detection, airfield op- ron, “Triple Nickel,” at Avia- against terrorism in the Mid- June 2010, accord- operations at Air Force Space erations, offensive and defen- no Air Base in Italy, which is dle East. ing to his Air Command headquarters at sive cyber operations, Depart- where the 20th Fighter Maj. Gen. Joseph Guastella Force biography. Peterson Air Force Base in ment of Defense Information Wing’s most recently promot- Jr. was nominated on Tuesday He left Shaw Colorado, where he is respon- Network Operations and ISR. ed former commander, Col. for his third star and assign- GUASTELLA when he was sible for organizing, training He executes an annual opera- Daniel Lasica, just assumed ment as commander of U.S. called to work on and equipping the Air Force tions and maintenance budget command. Air Forces Central Command behalf of the Air Force at the Space Command units for of $1 billion. Guastella has also com- at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Pentagon. “globally integrated space, cy- He graduated from the Air manded the 455th Air Expedi- according to a Pentagon an- If confirmed, Guastella berspace and ISR operations Force Academy in 1987. He tionary Wing at Bagram Air- nouncement. would become a lieutenant and for assimilating capabili- has flown the F-16 Fighting field in Afghanistan. cent leave. Covered service members having a Air Force child by birth, adoption or surrogacy will determine which parent is the pri- mary and secondary caregiver. Desig- nations for caregiver status should be implements made as early as possible and follow Department of Defense guidance. Each parent can only hold one care- new parental giver status per birth event or adop- tion; for example, a secondary cannot transfer his or her leave to the prima- ry caregiver. leave policy Airmen should submit their caregiv- er leave as determined by their local unit commanders. Until LeaveWeb is Secondary caregivers altered to allow for a caregiver leave category, members will request the will be given 21 days non-chargeable caregiver leave by se- lecting (T) Permissive on the type BY AIR FORCE NEWS SERVICE dropdown menu, and then choosing Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs rule 18 for primary and rule 19 for sec- ondary. Until the AF Form 988 is al- WASHINGTON — In accordance tered, airmen who cannot use with the Department of Defense Mili- LeaveWeb should check “Other” in tary Parental Leave Program, the Air block 8 and specify primary or second- Force announced an expansion to its ary in the remarks. parental leave policy on non-charge- AIRMAN 1ST CLASS KATHRYN R.C. REAVES / SPECIAL TO THE SUMTER ITEM For all three types of parental leave, able leave entitlements after the birth U.S.