CLARENDON SUN Private Christian school remodels facility, could expand FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A7 More congressmen Payday with to donate their pay during shutdown no pay hits Norman, Scott among S.C. delegation BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] THE ASSOCIATED PRESS As federal employees prepare themselves Groups opposed to border walls along for their first missed paychecks today after 800K workers the Texas-Mexico border, and groups lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to in support, gather outside the McAllen end a partial government shutdown on its Government shutdown over border wall continues International Airport as they wait for 20th day, a growing list of congressmen the arrival of President Donald Trump have decided to join them in a show of BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS gressional Democrats remain at an who visited the southern border unity and turn down their own paychecks. impasse over his demand for $5.7 bil- Thursday in McAllen, Texas. As of Thursday, at least 64 members of OGDEN, Utah — Payday will lion for a wall on the southern bor- Congress had said they will refuse their come today without any checks for der. Critics say Trump overstates the migration as he argued for more paychecks during the shutdown, according about 800,000 federal employees af- security risks and that the adminis- border wall funding. to a CNN analysis. Officially, by the U.S. fected by the government shut- tration is at least partly to blame for Trump announced he was nixing Constitution, all congressmen must get down, forcing workers to scale the humanitarian situation. his trip to Davos, Switzerland, later paid, so many have said they will instead be back spending, cancel trips, apply Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico this month. He blamed Democrats’ denoting their paychecks to various causes. for unemployment benefits and border Thursday to highlight the “intransigence” on border security, Among congressional members from the take out loans to stay afloat. dangers posed by drug trafficking, President Donald Trump and con- human smuggling and illegal im- SEE SHUTDOWN, PAGE A9 SEE DONATE, PAGE A9 years of serving those 25 in need in Sumter Sumter United Ministries reflects on how it has grown with community BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] hough Sumter United Ministries’ lo- cation and services have changed Tduring the last couple decades, the mission and foundation remain the same after 25 years. “I’m amazed at how it’s grown,” said Katy Greenawalt, the ministry’s first executive di- rector, who served for 13 years. “The minis- try has grown and has become much bigger than I ever expected.” United Ministries of Sumter opened its doors in January 1994 with less than $2,000, she said, and about 30 people showed up for the first volunteer training session. Though the start was slow, Greenawalt found confidence knowing God would pro- vide the people and resources needed to make the ministry successful. The volunteers, money and facility showed up, she said. SEE SUM, PAGE A9 SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTOS VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Helen Mae Cooke Randy Lee Scriven SUNNY BUT COOL 3 SECTIONS, 24 PAGES the .com William Dow Harrington Sharol Ann Nash Patrick VOL. 124, NO. 60 Nora Lee Richardson Wright Danny Eugene Eppling Mostly sunny today; Rosa Mae Pack Smith Betty Dwyer partly cloudy tonight Sports B1 USA Today C1 Tomicka Y. Eley-Maddox Cora Lee Pack HIGH 49, LOW 29 Classifieds B5 Opinion A11 James Lawson Sr. Darren Anthony Knight Sr. Comics C6 Television C4 Jennifer Lynn Mood Pillsbury Robert Carl Wells David H. Wright Jr. Dolly A. Lesane A2 | FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] 2 men in custody after heroin death of salesman Traffic stop leads to arrest Sumter and staying at a Information gathered iew Drive in Sumter, was taken into local motel before he was during that stop provided custody on Aug. 13, 2018, and charged reported missing by his officers with areas where with grand larceny for vehicle theft. BY ADRIENNE SARVIS employer and associates Ross might be found, she As the investigation continued, offi- [email protected] on Aug. 10, 2018, said said. cers determined Buck and co-defen- Tonyia McGirt, public in- The search led officers dant Edward Frederick Williams, 28, of Two Sumter men are facing drug formation officer for BUCK WILLIAMS to a wooded area off 66 Milton St., provided heroin to Ross charges after an investigation indicated Sumter Police Depart- Dicks Street where Ross' prior to his death. they reportedly provided heroin to a ment. body was found the day Buck and Williams, who was arrest- traveling salesman who was found Two days after he was reported miss- after the traffic stop, she said. ed this week, are each charged with dead of an overdose in August of last ing, she said, officers conducted a traf- An autopsy determined Ross died of distribution of heroin and conspiracy year. fic stop on the vehicle Ross was last a drug overdose, McGirt said. to distribute heroin. The victim, 37-year-old Louis Ross of seen driving, only another man was be- She said the man driving the vehicle, Both men are being held at Sumter- North Myrtle Beach, was working in hind the wheel. Joseph Rakeem Buck, 26, of 115 Lakev- Lee Regional Detention Center. New pest found in Residents’ complaints end Darlington; some in heroin trafficking arrest states quarantine Police still seeking school or park. He also is charged with three counts information on South of distribution of heroin, S.C. sweet potatoes second offense, and three Salem Street shooting counts of distribution of BY JONATHAN VEIT BY RHONDA BARRICK heroin within a half mile of Clemson University [email protected] a school or park. Public Service and Agriculture Josey is being held at IMAGE COURTESY OF LSU AG CENTER A 51-year-old Sumter man Sumter-Lee Regional Deten- Seen are bumps, knots and cracking of a sweet faces heroin-related charges tion Center. DARLINGTON — A new pest detected potato storage root from the guava root-knot after months of investiga- According to the release, in two farm fields in Darlington County nematode. tion according to Tonyia M. local law enforcement agen- has resulted in a quarantine of South McGirt, public relations of- cies have been focusing the Carolina sweet potatoes by Louisiana ficer for Sumter Police De- past few months in southern and Mississippi. pest spread. partment. and western portions of Guava root-knot nematode was detect- “For all practical purposes, the quar- The investiga- Sumter city and county ed in the Darlington County fields during antine affects all soil, all nursery stock tion was in re- after multiple calls about a routine survey by Clemson University’s and any equipment that’s ever been in sponse to resi- shootings, one of which re- Department of Plant Industry in Septem- South Carolina soil. So, while it is a dents' com- sulted in a death. ber 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. De- quarantine based on sweet potatoes, plaints and an Marcus Brown, 54, was sit- partment of Agriculture in January 2018. these states are also trying to protect cot- ongoing effort to ting in a vehicle on South Louisiana has prohibited the import of ton and soybeans,” Long said. end crimes re- JOSEY Salem Street on Oct. 30 fresh market sweet potatoes and sweet Because the nematode’s range in the sulting from when he was fatally wound- potato seeds and slips from S.C. The Southeast is currently unknown, Long drug activity ed. Brown, who was not the state also is blocking the entrance of soil said DPI will conduct a statewide two- and neighborhood rivalries, intended victim, was not in- from S.C. In addition, all S.C. commer- part survey to determine how wide- according to a news release volved in the illegal activity cial planting and harvesting equipment spread it is in S.C. A market-based sur- from the department. that led to his death. entering Louisiana must be accompanied vey will test sweet potatoes on store Tyrone Josey, of 9 Creed An up to $5,000 reward re- by a DPI-issued certificate of inspection. shelves, and a field-based survey will test St., was taken into custody mains available for informa- All S.C. nursery stock entering the state more than 10 percent of all S.C. fields when officers served a war- tion that could lead to an ar- must have a soil sample and certificate where sweet potatoes have been grown rant and searched the resi- rest in that case. from DPI indicating the sample is free of since 2016. DPI will issue its findings dence on Wednesday. Found Residents are strongly en- the nematode. shortly after the survey is completed. were more than 15 grams of couraged to report suspi- Mississippi has applied the same re- Because the quarantine could expand heroin, 300 grams of mari- cious activity in their neigh- strictions, but specific to Darlington to other states, Clemson DPI has created juana and nearly $2,000 in borhoods. County rather than statewide. a webpage to keep growers up to date cash. Josey was charged Anyone with information Steven Long, DPI assistant director for with the latest information. It’s also pos- with trafficking heroin; pos- is asked to call the depart- plant protection and organic certifica- sible, pending survey results, that S.C. session with intent to dis- ment at (803) 436-2700. Tips tion, said farmers of the fields where the will enact its own quarantine later this tribute marijuana, second can also be given anony- nematode was found are cooperating and year.