2 Men Drown During July 4 Weekend

IN PANORAMA: Grant helps DAR group repair cemetery C1 NATION ‘We conquered Jupiter’ Juno now orbiting solar system’s largest planet, reporting back to NASA A5 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 75 CENTS 2 men drown during July 4 weekend fishing alone in the small stream on him and noticed that his vehicle Both bodies found Monday afternoon when he died. had not been moved from when they According to friends, Peak was last last saw it. Logan said an autopsy is FROM STAFF REPORTS On Monday afternoon, the body of seen about 11 p.m. on Sunday when he being conducted, but foul play is not 32-year-old Jonathan Peak was found announced plans to go fishing on suspected. Two Sumter County men lost their in a stream behind Holman Road in Monday, Logan said. Also on Monday, divers located the lives during the Independence Day Lee County. Lee County Coroner After not hearing from Peak for weekend when they drowned. Larry Logan said Peak was apparently some time, his friends went to check SEE DROWNINGS, PAGE A6 Hot temperatures may stick around for S.C. Local officials offer tips for staying cool BY JIM HILLEY [email protected] It’s hot, and it is going to stay hot throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service forecast office in Columbia. Sumter Police Department officers will be implementing the department’s Operation Hydration program this week as temperatures remain near the century mark in the Mid- lands, said Barron Hite of the department’s communication services. Officers will have cold bot- tled water and tips for people to stay safe in the hot condi- tions, she said. Senior Cpl. Warren Davis will be checking on seniors who have signed up for the city’s CheckMate program as well, she said. “Davis will be making sure they have access to cool air and giving tips on staying cool and avoiding heat-related illnesses,” she said. Brenda Chase, marketing and government relations di- rector at Black River Electric Cooperative, said Tuesday they have not had any prob- lems with electric demand because of the high temperatures. “So far everything seems to be running smoothly,” she said. One tip she offered for cus- tomers is to avoid coming home from work to a hot house and turning the thermo- stat down lower than it nor- mally would be. “Especially if you have a KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM heat pump, that will only Children scream with delight as water jets turn on at the splash pad in Bobby Richardson Park on Tuesday afternoon. The girls are cousins with the Casper and Ramos families. SEE HEAT, PAGE A6 At least 7 cases of Zika virus confirmed in the state BY JIM HILLEY Prevention, but no known cases have repellent during the games. to get in the habit of getting rid of [email protected] been spread by mosquitoes in the U.S. Officials in South Carolina are not mosquito-breeding areas. A lot of concern has been raised waiting for mosquito-borne cases to Heading into the summer months, South Carolina has seven confirmed about the effect the disease will have begin locally to urge preventive mea- the spread of the Zika virus by mos- cases of Zika virus, with six cases at- on the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio sures. In May, Dr. Teresa Foo, a con- quitoes was confined to South Ameri- tributed to travel to infected areas and de Janeiro beginning Aug. 3. The host sultant with DHEC, strongly recom- ca and Central America and some is- one case transmitted by sexual con- country, Brazil, has been the hardest mended people take precautions to lands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pa- tact, S.C. Department of Health and hit of the approximately 60 countries avoid being bitten. cific Ocean, according to the CDC. Environmental Control media rela- that have reported an outbreak of “We are educating the public that With the types of mosquitoes that tions representative Robert Yanity Zika, with more than 90,000 cases re- they need to prevent mosquito-borne can spread the disease present in said. ported in 2016. illnesses because mosquitoes carry South Carolina, however, experts ex- More than 150 people have been test- A news release from SC Johnson, lots of diseases,” she said. pect local transmission of the disease ed for the virus, he said, with 30 cases makers of OFF! Brand insect repel- Among the mosquito-reducing prac- to occur at some point. awaiting results. lent, said the brand had been named tices Foo recommended is to dump Transmission occurs when a mos- There are now nearly 800 cases of the “official” insect repellent for the any containers with water, such as quito bites an infected person and Zika in the continental U.S., according Olympics, and competitors, staff and birdbaths, flower pots and old tires. to the Centers for Disease Control and media would be provided with OFF! She said they are trying to get people SEE ZIKA, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Peter M. MaDan Geraldine C. Freeman STORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN 3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES the .com VOL. 121, NO. 220 Willie Floy Phillips Heyward Scott Sr. Hot today and chance of a Lillie Davis Fred Thomas Purvis Jr. thunderstorm; humid tonight Classifieds B5 Opinion A7 Betty Bunch James Evans Jr. with thunderstorms possible. Comics C6 Sports B1 Blanch Rush Mack Carissa D. Miller Shawn Hamilton Willis Thames HIGH 95, LOW 76 Food C8 Television C7 Bernard Brown Jr. Oscar Joe Brunson A2 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] LOCAL BRIEFS Sheriff’s office seeks help finding FROM STAFF REPORTS Fireworks suspected suspect in Broad Street break-ins cause of house fire Fireworks are the possible cause of a home fire early Tuesday at 750 Radi- FROM STAFF REPORTS without getting inside the busi- jacket in all four incidents and cal Road, according to Sumter Fire De- ness. appeared to be a man in his 20s, partment. Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Just before 5 a.m. on Monday, a about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 Firefighters responded to the call is seeking the public’s help in deputy responding to an alarm at inches tall. about 1 a.m. and found a small fire identifying a suspect thought to a business in the 4400 block of “Based on the evidence we have burning on the outside rear of the res- have been involved in at least Broad Street discovered that a collected, it appears that these idence and extending up and inside a four business break-ins during front window was broken and a four break-ins were all committed wall, according to a preliminary re- the past few weeks, including one door knob had been damaged. by the same person,” Sumter port. Firefighters used fire extinguish- Tuesday morning. Sometime during the night of County Sheriff Anthony Dennis ers to halt the blaze and pikes to open About 2 a.m. Tuesday, a deputy June 7, two businesses in the 4300 said. “We need to apprehend this the wall to check for flames inside. responded to an alarm at a busi- block of Broad Street were bro- person before he hurts someone Damage to the structure was esti- ness in the 4300 block of Broad ken into. or gets hurt himself.” mated at $1,500. The residents were re- Street and discovered someone Surveillance cameras captured Anyone with information is portedly able to find shelter at another broke out a section of a window what appeared to be the same per- asked to call the sheriff’s office at location for the night. using a cinder block. The suspect son involved in all four incidents. (803) 436-2700 or CrimeStoppers at fled when the alarm sounded The suspect wore a hooded (803) 436-2718. Coldwell Banker Commercial honors local broker Davis Coldwell Banker Commercial has named local broker Jay Davis of Cold- well Banker Commercial Cornerstone Read all about it: The Sumter Item is moving of Sumter to its Circle of Distinction for 2015, the company announced recently. The Circle of Distinc- tion honors the top-rank- ing producers among all Coldwell Banker Com- mercial affiliated sales DAVIS professionals based on their transaction revenue for 2015. Davis has won the award nine of the last 10 years. Davis has previously been recog- nized by Coldwell Banker Commercial four times as the top producer in South Carolina and three times as one of the top 2 percent of brokers in the world. For more information about Cold- well Banker Commercial Cornerstone at 2 N. Main St., go to www.cbcorner- stone.com or call (803) 778-1139. ‘Tortoise and Hare’ at Sumter library today Sumter County Library, 111 S. Har- vin St., presents the Aiken-based the- ater company Porkchop Productions in “The Tortoise and the Hare” at 10 a.m. today. The high-energy program involves audience members, and the theme of the Aesop fable it’s based on fits in nicely with the library’s summer reading program’s theme, “On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!” The company, now in its 25th year, is known for putting its own comedic twist on fairy and folk tales and fables and is in demand throughout the Southeast. Porkchop Productions is on the Ap- proved Artists Roster of the South Caro- lina Arts Commission as well as the Southern Artist Registry.

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