LOCAL BASEBALL Dalzell, Sumter Flyers release schedules for league B1 FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.00 Business ‘Many are owners try to adapt putting to change all at risk’ BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] State health leader warns S.C. Sumter’s Patina Calhoun and residents to take precautions; Charlie Outlaw don’t know each other, but they are quite alike. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Thursday sets another record Both are local “mom-and-pop” Patina Calhoun of So Cool Italian Icee serves a treat to Morgan Woodcock as business owners trying their best Layla Marchese looks on Wednesday. Calhoun moved the business curbside for coronavirus cases per day to make a dollar during COVID-19 at Liberty Square Shopping Center, where she owns several small businesses. with their operations. Both thank BY KAYLA GREEN the people of Sumter for helping their businesses are faring and at 1190 Old W. Liberty St., near the [email protected] them stay afloat at this time. Both changes they have implemented intersection of Pinewood and also have low overhead costs — to their business models, given Wedgefield roads. One is a chil- On yet another record-breaking day for new “a great thing,” they say, during the coronavirus. dren’s boutique and semi-formal COVID-19 cases being announced, the state epi- this time — and each anticipates clothing store, Audri J’s; a second demiologist publicly urged South Carolinians a gradual and slow economic re- • • • is a Greek fraternity-sorority mer- to take precautions against a further spike. covery given the not-quite-post- chandise store, Elephants & More; While more testing is being done, the per- coronavirus world we live in. Calhoun owns and operates and a third is a shaved-ice food centage of those tests that test positive is in- Both sat down this week with multiple small businesses out of creasing and remaining high daily, as is the The Sumter Item to discuss how Liberty Square Shopping Center SEE CHANGES, PAGE A8 number of hospitalizations, ac- cording to state public health data. The state announced 987 new confirmed cases of the coronavi- rus Thursday, bringing the total Sumter Fire Department number of people known to have tested positive for the virus state- BELL wide to 21,533. Thursday’s total in- demonstrates COVID-19 cluded 34 from Sumter, only two from Clarendon County, which has seen relief from the virus turning deadly recently, and daily safety procedures seven from Lee County, which now remains with the state’s highest rate of known infec- tion. “Every one of us has a role to play in stop- ping COVID-19. This virus does not spread on its own. It’s spread around our state by infected people who carry it wherever they go — their work, the supermarket, the post office, a friend’s house. By not following public health precautions, many are putting all at risk,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in her statement Thursday. South Carolina started seeing an increase in new cases per day at the end of May, with a re- cord on May 29 of 396. June 5-9 saw three days with more than 490 cases, and a record of 677 cases on June 10 has been eclipsed by at least a hundred cases four times. In Sumter, previous highs of 17 cases per day on April and May 1 have been beaten six times and tied once since June 5. Sumter’s record for new cases announced in a day came on June 10 with 45. Bell said it is essential that everyone wears a mask in public and stays whenever possible physically distanced from others. “We understand that what we’re continuing to ask of everyone is not easy and that many are tired of hearing the same warnings and of taking the same daily precautions, but this virus does not take a day off,” she said. “Every day that we don’t all do our part, we are ex- PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM tending the duration of illnesses, missed work, Eddie Roberts disinfects an engine at Sumter Fire Department headquarters. They built the spraying system to make hospitalizations and deaths in our state.” the process quicker and more efficient. Above, Troy Lamontagne takes Hunter Cockerill’s temperature. Four additional deaths were also announced Thursday, bringing the death toll statewide to 621. Firefighters disinfect station twice each day, check temperatures The elderly and those with underlying health BY KAYLA GREEN ing to new policies and proce- and anyone else entering the conditions have been pegged as most at risk for [email protected] dures as a reason the virus has buildings and increased clean- developing complications from the virus if in- not spread further among front- ing of masks, equipment and ve- fected, and state data continue to show that Af- Two firefighters have tested line personnel. hicles. rican-American patients are more at risk than positive for COVID-19 and a third Some of those procedures in- According to Division Chief white patients because of a disproportionate is awaiting results since the coro- clude twice-daily disinfecting Joey Duggan, training at the de- prevalence of underlying health conditions in navirus broke out into a global and cleaning of the entire head- partment’s training grounds has the county’s black population. pandemic, and the Sumter Fire quarters station, required tem- Department is crediting its adapt- perature checks of both staff SEE SAFETY, PAGE A4 SEE VIRUS, PAGE A4 Sumter City Council to move to Opera House, open meetings for public since the pandemic began, government is taking slower with public comments, a criti- second emergency ordinance Local government South Carolina continues to steps as it reopens city and cal aspect of a democratic to hold boards’ and commis- reopen. county services in Sumter. local government, being re- sions’ public meetings and navigating openness Gov. Henry McMaster is- During Sumter City Coun- quested by emails that must hearings at the Sumter Opera as virus cases rise sued a seventh state of emer- cil’s Tuesday meeting, council be sent beforehand. House. Those groups need to gency declaration last week, voted to continue holding At the meeting, Mayor Joe hold public meetings to make BY SHELBIE GOULDING lifting any virus-related re- meetings remotely now McElveen said he thinks decisions and start city proj- [email protected] strictions on the number of through mid-August, but they council needs to continue so- ects, City Manager Deron Mc- people inside stores and open- plan for in-person meetings to cial distancing as the corona- Cormick said. Despite the state’s number ing bowling alleys. begin again soon. Public virus is still a threat. “Effectively, we need to of new COVID-19 cases, which Though the state is easing meetings have been closed to At the same meeting, coun- is seeing the biggest increases its restrictions, Sumter’s local the public but live-streamed, cil also unanimously passed a SEE MEETINGS, PAGE A8 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 INSIDE Frances Ann Servance Ralph A. House Jr. Nancy Carol Frederick 2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com Ollie Bell Brunson Leon Marshall Jr. Elijah Richardson VOL. 125, NO. 175 Issa Farmer John Earl Singleton Merian E. Johnson Rose Clarendon Sun B4 Sports B1 Bessie G. Mashore Shamya Siani Randolph James Alston Classifieds B7 Opinion A9 Katherine Cecile Rogers DeLavan James Stukes Deloris G. White Rufus Junior Felton Comics B6 Television A6 A2 | FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Parnell, Chamber to offer COVID-19 tax seminar for ‘micro-businesses’ BY BRUCE MILLS must have been “adversely [email protected] affected” by COVID-19. That means the busi- COVID-19 has changed nesses’ operations with everyone’s lives, and seem- employees were fully or ingly nowhere is that more partially suspended due to evident than in the work- a governmental order amid place for small businesses. the pandemic or had a sig- A group of lawyers nificant decline in gross re- wants to help ceipts compared to the small-busi- same quarter in 2019. ness owners “If businesses meet of less than 10 those suspension and loss- employees of-revenue tests,” Parnell navigate tax said, “and they didn’t get changes en- in the Payroll Protection acted by Con- PARNELL Program, then they can get PHOTOS BY KAYLA GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM gress to bene- up to $5,000 per employee.” Customers check out the merchandise at Tiller Ridge in the Second Mill Plaza. fit affected A Sumter native and res- businesses in response to ident, Parnell spent his ca- COVID-19. reer as an attorney in tax The chairman of the law for the federal govern- Sunglasses, outdoor store Sumter County Bar Asso- ment and Fortune 500 com- ciation’s ad hoc COVID-19 panies. Help Committee, Archie Thursday’s webinar will Parnell, spoke this week be via Zoom at noon and is opens in Second Mill Plaza about a virtual webinar being hosted by the Cham- scheduled for Thursday ber. Registration is still put on by the committee in open, but there is limited BY SHELBIE GOULDING To make their dream come shop for their sun protection conjunction with the space, and the free event is [email protected] true, Teresa Browder left her needs online amid the global Greater Sumter Chamber limited to Chamber mem- job of 18 years as an orthodon- pandemic. of Commerce. The webinar bers. Days in the sun and on the tist assistant to run Tiller “We didn’t plan on doing that is specifically for sole pro- Members can register water may be a whole lot better Ridge, while Jason Browder for like a year,” Teresa Browder prietors and small busi- through the Chamber’s now that Sumter has its very continues to work at Thompson said.