Afghan Plan Involves 3,900 More Troops Officials Say Trump Could Deploy Extra Boots on the Ground Within Days
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IN SPORTS: Swampcats await Florence Christian B1 PANORAMA ‘They are a very talented group’ CCTC hosts Sumter Digital SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 C1 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 $1.00 Camera Club exhibition Afghan plan involves 3,900 more troops Officials say Trump could deploy extra boots on the ground within days BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Trump reversed his past calls for a the public’s most pressing question Although the Pentagon’s plans are AND MATTHEW PENNINGTON speedy exit and recommitted the Unit- about his strategy. In interviews with based on 3,900 additional troops, the The Associated Press ed States to the 16-year-old conflict, television networks Tuesday, Vice exact number of those arriving will saying U.S. troops must “fight to win.” President Mike Pence similarly vary as conditions change, senior U.S. WASHINGTON — President He warned against repeating what he wouldn’t give any clear answer, but he officials said. Those officials weren’t Trump’s plan to end America’s longest said were mistakes in Iraq, where an cited Pentagon plans from June call- authorized to speak publicly on the war and eliminate Afghanistan’s rising American military withdrawal led to a ing for 3,900 more troops. figures and demanded anonymity. extremist threat involves sending up to vacuum that the Islamic State group “The troop levels are significant, They said the Pentagon has told 3,900 additional U.S. troops, senior offi- quickly filled. and we’ll listen to our military com- Trump it needs that increase, on top cials said Tuesday. The first deploy- Trump would not confirm how manders about that,” Pence said. of the roughly 8,400 Americans now in ments could take place within days. many more service members he plans “And the president will make that de- In a national address Monday night, to send to Afghanistan, which may be cision in the days ahead.” SEE TRUMP, PAGE A7 First day of school PHOTO PROVIDED Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of the popular HGTV show “Fixer Upper,” are seen in this screenshot taken while the Gaineses were talk- ing via Facetime with Mary Francis Newman and sisters Mary Kate and Rebekah Killen. ‘Fixer Upper’ stars make Sumterites’ trip worth talking about BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] Because of a tweet that was meant as a joke, a few Sumter residents had a chance encounter with two TV personalities and <UNICODE-WIN> gained another story to tell about their <vsn:5> summer vacation. <pstyle:BODY COPY> The story starts when Rebekah Killen, a teacher at Sumter High School; her sis- ter, Mary Kate; and a friend, Mary Fran- ces Newman, took a trip to Waco, Texas, so they could visit Magnolia Market at the Silos, property owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines, hosts and stars of the popular TV show “Fixer Upper.” Killen said she usually visits her parents and grandparents in Waco twice a year, and a friend suggested they visit the Gaines’ property. She said she has watched the Gaineses’ show since it first aired and enjoyed her time at the Gaineses’ store. On the show, the Gaineses help families pick a house and then renovate it to turn it into their dream home. Their stores are filled with home decor items. The day before the group’s departure from Waco, Killen tweeted Chip Gaines, the husband of the home-renovating duo, asking him for a ride to Waco Regional RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM Airport. U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jeff Zell gives his daughter, Eva, 5, a kiss before leaving her in a kindergarten class at Alice Drive Elementary School on Tuesday morning. Zell said the family moved here from Italy just two weeks ago. He assured Eva SEE TWEET, PAGE A7 she would make new friends on the first day of school. Morris College senior and Morris senior to carry it forward student government association President Alton College’s student body president wants to help kids as he’s been helped Butts talks recently about his BY BRUCE MILLS leader — his fifth-grade class- be at the head of the class and background in [email protected] room teacher, Cory Green. not the last, and you always the college’s new Butts said Green was the want to be a leader and not a administration Morris College senior Alton first male teacher he ever had follower.’” building on Butts has a passion for helping in school, and he inspired stu- Green influenced Butts’ de- campus. Classes kids succeed, just like he has. dents that “you can be any- cided to go to college and major for the fall An Atlanta native, Butts thing you want to be. in elementary education. semester began grew up the older of two boys “That was probably the best He says he selected Morris last week at in a single-parent home led by experience I ever had,” Butts because the college offered Morris. his mother. said. “He was so warming and him the most scholarship op- He lights up when describing welcoming and inspirational. portunities. PHOTO BY BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM whom he considers his first He built a kind of standard of and best role model in life as a excellence: ‘You always want to SEE MORRIS, PAGE A7 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B7 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Messiah T. Pugh HOT AND STORMY 3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 William Jones Heavy afternoon storms VOL. 122, NO. 222 Classifieds: 774-1200 Bonnie L. Williams predicted today; tonight, Classifieds B8 Opinion A9 Delivery: 774-1258 Juanita Tucker storms ending early, Comics C2 Television C3 News and Sports: 774-1226 Terika Canty partly cloudy and warm. Food C4 HIGH 95, LOW 73 A2 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Bluegrass legends open Lee County arts series FROM STAFF REPORTS ly the Steve Martin Prize for Excel- old-time and country, she emigrated to lence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Nashville as a songwriter and musical Bluegrass musicians Eddie and From a musical family, Martha instrument craftsman in 1973. Martha Adcock will open Lee County Hearon Adcock began playing classi- Martha met Eddie there, and they Arts Council’s Ruth Josey Bell Per- cal piano at age 5 and studied for 11 began their partnership and career to- forming Arts Series at 7 p.m. Thurs- years while growing up in cotton gether on the cutting edge of blue- day. The evening at the Bishopville country near Bishopville. In the mean- grass in the genre-bending Second Opera House begins with a wine and time, a friend’s ukelele captivated her Generation “newgrass” band and have cheese reception for the artists at 6 at age 8, from which point she also fo- been together through many different p.m., followed by the concert at 7. cused on string music, all the while musical configurations since. Eddie Adcock is recognized as one listening to many different types of Now these multi-Grammy finalists, of bluegrass music’s legends, a super music, including a great deal of blues. partners for more than four decades, picker, long considered a pioneer of Artistic, intellectual and athletic in- are carrying the torch of originality “new acoustic” music. Creator of the terests were Martha’s early focus. together, fusing the elements of blue- unique Adcock style of playing banjo While attending Bishopville High grass with jazz, folk, gospel and even a and guitar, he’s been a major force in School, she was a cheerleader, she won touch of rockabilly, all the while evok- the field since the 1950s. The Rich- the State Latin Derivatives champion- ing the spirit of the fabled close-har- mond Times-Dispatch recently called ship, was installed in the high school’s mony sibling duets of the past. Adcock “a patriarch of modern blue- Hall of Fame, named “Most Original” The couple make their home near grass music.” And after a 2008 brain PHOTO PROVIDED as a senior, and graduated at 16 years Nashville and tour internationally surgery implant, he’s also “The Bionic Eddie and Martha Hearon Adcock will old. She studied first at Coker College, with their music, which they’ve la- Banjo Man.” open the Lee County Arts Council’s Ruth where she received the Elizabeth Boat- beled “TwoGrass.” After selling a calf he’d raised to buy Josey Bell Performing Arts Series at 7 p.m. wright Coker Creative Writing Award, Season tickets for the Ruth Josey his first banjo and still in his teens, Ad- Thursday in the Bishopville Opera House. and then at the Ringling School of Art. Bell Performing Arts series include cock played with such musicians as Before committing to music as a ca- four additional concerts and are $40. If Mac Wiseman and Bill Monroe and in his former group, the groundbreak- reer, she worked as a television and you would like to purchase a ticket was remembered by Monroe as being ing “Classic” Country Gentlemen. Dur- newspaper journalist and photogra- just for Eddie and Martha Adcock, or his favorite baritone singer. A member ing his 12-year tenure with them, they pher, as a cook, a commercial artist one of the other concerts in the series, of several music halls of fame, includ- became the group who took bluegrass and in accounting. Martha is a certi- tickets are available at $15 each, and ing the International Bluegrass Music uptown to wider audiences and fied welder, and she was the first NAS- as always, students are admitted to Association and the Society for the changed it forever.