ELECTION DAY: Find updated midterm election results tonight at theitem.com SPORTS Baseball brothers make the trip of a lifetime to Fenway TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents B1 Turnout numbers turning up ly-morning rush beforeore duringdu the day’s voter turnout will follow Sumter election officials hope ballots work, the lunchtime threeth expect- the trend of absentee voting rush and a 4-to-5 ed rushes. in the county ahead of today. cast today will follow absentee trend o’clock rush,” Jef- Another Mid-afternoon Monday, Jef- ferson said. “So, if key point, ferson projected total absen- BY BRUCE MILLS Pat Jefferson, director of you can go in be- she said, to tee voting — there is not tech- [email protected] Sumter County Voter Regis- tween those times, speed the nically early voting — in Sum- tration and Elections, said on you’ll be better off.” process for ter in this midterm to be Amid the busy final day of every election day there are That means try to everyonee is about 3,500 above the last mid- absentee voting on Monday, typically three voter-rush pe- go vote between 9 to 11 to have your term election in 2014. Sumter County’s top elections riods. All polling places will a.m. or about 2 to 4 p.m., photophot ID out and She estimated there were official offered pointers for be open today from 7 a.m. to 7 Jefferson said. Votersrs can ready.ready about 5,200 absentee ballots voters to avoid lengthy lines p.m. still go to the polls any time “This will expedite the pro- cast in Sumter County in 2014. at precincts in today’s Gener- “I tell citizens all the time, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., cess,” Jefferson said. al Midterm Election. ‘You are going to have the ear- there just may be longer lines She said she’s hoping to- SEE VOTE, PAGE A6 A screaming good time tasting wine TY CORNETT / THE SUMTER ITEM Greg Thompson, chairman and CEO of Thompson Industrial Services, third from left, checks out the foosball table in the new Crosswell Drive Elementary School rec room. Crosswell’s new rec room puts focus on good behavior, grades Thompson Family of Companies builds room to be new resource BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] Students can now play pool, arcade and video games at an elementary school if they get good grades, and the room is a result of a community part- nership aimed at increasing student engagement. Thompson Family of Companies worked with Crosswell Drive Elementa- ry School to build a rec room to pro- mote behavioral learning in the new, one-of-a-kind school resource. Greg Thompson, chairman and CEO of Thompson Industrial Services, said People were shrieking with the rec room is not just about good laughter as they strolled the grades. streets of downtown Sumter two It’s about developing good behavior, a days after Halloween for Sumter safe space for students to hang out in Senior Services’ annual Sip and and learning to work for positive rein- Stroll, renamed Sip and Scream forcement. this year. Wine testers ate hors Students at the elementary school at- d’oeuvres, mingled and toured tended a pep rally Wednesday morning local businesses as they sampled to celebrate the opening of the rec wines from 14 countries. room, filling the hallways and cheer- ing. PHOTOS BY ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM Big screens and comfortable places to hang out are featured in the rec room. Thompson is one of two businesses that have officially adopted a Sumter School District school to provide com- munity partnerships and additional re- sources to in-need campuses. Sumter tribe will celebrate heritage Crosswell’s students benefit from the partnership with mentoring and access to learning about future jobs in the in- 3rd Native American Indian Festival is Saturday at Sumter County Museum dustrial field, but the positive rein- BY IVY MOORE members of the tribe invite the present to talk to visitors to the festi- forcement of the new rec room is some- Special to The Sumter Item public to learn about their culture val, and “Chief Truesdale will dem- thing the school district is focusing on. and heritage through demonstra- onstrate the sacred fire.” Hudson Thompson said focusing on young The Sumter Tribe of Cheraw In- tions and exhibits at Sumter Coun- said there will also be a traditional children creates a connection to their dians will celebrate and share its ty Museum. “smudging” for anyone interested. company that, ideally, in the future will heritage Saturday with the third of Tribal Council member Karen Smudging involves the burning of build a positive connection for the com- its Native American Indian Festi- Hudson said Chief Ralph Oxendine pany’s future workforce. vals. From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Chief George Truesdale will be SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Harry Arnold Myers TAKE AN UMBRELLA TO 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com VOL. 124, NO. 16 Advertising: 774-1246 Allison C. Stevens YOUR POLLING PLACE Classifieds: 774-1200 Janie Blackwell White Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Delivery: 774-1258 Harriett Ann Brown Crowe A p.m. shower or storm News and Sports: 774-1226 Emma Lee James today; a storm in some Comics A5 Television B5 Young Derieux Long areas early tonight Opinion A7 Marjorie Kay Donovan Jones HIGH 82, LOW 56 A2 | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] This month in S.C. History FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Henry Laurens, right, and John Rutledge, left, were among the “Unanimous Twenty-Six” that supported the Massachusetts Circular in 1768. November 1768, the ‘Unanimous PHOTOS BY DANNY KELLY / THE SUMTER ITEM Twenty-Six’ anger Gov. Montagu The By Name Project has been serving people in the Sumter community with food, clothes and BY THE S.C. HISTORICAL friendship for almost two years. SOCIETY American colonies. Goods that were taxed included British On Nov. 19, 1768, the South glass, china, paint, paper and Carolina House of Commons tea. The colonists objected to ordered several items to be pub- this and labeled the acts “taxa- Local group gives back lished, among them a circular tion without representation.” from the Massachusetts House Montagu didn’t call another and another from the House of session of the assembly for Burgesses in Virginia. Gov. seven months. In the mean- to Sumter community Lord Charles Greenville Mon- time, most of the members of tagu warned the House to ig- the Commons had signed a nore the Massachusetts Circu- non-importation agreement Starbucks donates leftover lar and threatened “disagree- pledging to boycott British able consequences” if the mem- goods. A committee of 39 mem- bagels; organization seeks bers did not obey him. This bers was appointed to imple- warning, some historians have ment the agreement. According constant meal provider noted, may have convinced sev- to Walter Edgar, this was the eral representatives to skip the first of several “extralegal bod- BY DANNY KELLY meeting on the 19th. Because ies that appeared in the last six [email protected] those who did attend all voted years before the American Rev- in favor of publishing the letter, olution.” Edgar explains that The By Name Project is helping give they became known as the the governor could sway or dis- back to the Sumter community by provid- The By Name Project collects clothes to give to “Unanimous Twenty-Six,” and solve the assembly but did not ing food and clothes to those who need it. those who need them. their ranks included Christo- have authority over these revo- “On the first and third Saturdays (of pher Gadsden, Henry Laurens, lutionary organizations that every month), for a couple hours, we have Charles Pinckney, John Rut- worked as a “shadow govern- meals made, with tents set up in the park “(Some people) slip through the cracks, ledge, William Moultrie and ment.” (next to Walgreens) with food and cloth- have bad luck and make bad choices; Thomas Lynch. Hearing that All the Townshend Acts, ex- ing,” The By Name Project vice president we’re the net that catches them. We’ve es- these representatives voted in cept the one on tea, were re- Adam Anderson said. “It’s an awesome tablished relationships, and they have re- favor of publishing the circular, pealed in 1770. This tax, and the way to come out and interact with those spect for us.” the governor dissolved the monopoly that Parliament al- people (who need it); we’ve been doing it Anderson wants to grow the program to South Carolina General Assem- lowed the agents of the British just shy of two years.” help reach more people. bly. East India Company, was a Anderson is happy with how many peo- “I want to blossom into different pro- The letter from Massachu- major source of colonial dis- ple have helped volunteer for the cause. grams, (such as) counseling, addictions, setts was signed by Thomas content. Thirteen days before “We have a multitude of regular volun- (have a) kids’ department (and collect) Cushing, who was speaker of the well-known Boston Tea teers,” he said. “(Sometimes we have) 25 bookbags and books,” he said. “(I also the House of Representatives of Party, a mass meeting was held to 30 volunteers at a time, (but) sometimes want) a building, some place to call home Massachusetts Bay.