IN TV: CNBC launches new season of ‘Adventure Capitalists’ B7 LOCAL Vigil supports mental health awareness TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A3 Parnell renews Dist. 5 campaign Sumter resident almost won seat in June special election BY JIM HILLEY bright future ahead,” he said. child in every community, large [email protected] “While this community and this and small across this state, should state have meant so much to all of have access to the ladder of oppor- Archie Parnell, a Sumter resident us, for me it means not only the tunity that makes America great.” who came close to pulling off a generations of my family who have In a special election held June 20, huge upset in the South Carolina called South Carolina home, it also 2017, to replace former Rep. Mick Congressional District 5 Special means an education — from the al- Mulvaney, Parnell came within 4 Election earlier this year, an- phabet and numbers in elementary percentage points of upsetting Re- nounced Monday he would seek the school to tax law at the University publican candidate Ralph Norman. seat again in 2018. of South Carolina.” The election was held to replace Standing on the steps of Patriot Parnell said he was able to see Mulvaney because he was selected Hall, formerly Edmunds High the world and enjoy a successful to be director of the U.S. Office of School, the Democrat was intro- and enriching career because of his Management and Budget by Presi- duced by his wife, Sarah. education, and he said every South dent Trump. Mulvaney, an incum- Parnell said the location of his Carolinian should have a chance to bent Republican, had won re-election JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM announcement has a special mean- be successful. in November 2016 by more than 20 Archie Parnell, who announced Monday he will ing to him. “Every child born in South Caro- percent over Democrat Fran Person. again seek election to the U.S. House, greets former “I walked out of this building at lina should have the chance to pur- state Sen. Phil Leventis during the event at Patriot 17 as a high school graduate with a sue their dreams,” he said. “Every SEE PARNELL, PAGE A6 Hall announcing his campaign plans. Father bestows blessings to pets at Holy Cross Norman visits Sumter Rotary Pro-business qualities will benefit state, congressman says BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] A businessman, not a career politician — those are the words new U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., used to de- scribe himself Monday to local Rotarians during a luncheon at The O’Donnell House with Sumter Rotary Club. Norman said his pro-busi- ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM ness qualities are just what Father Michael Ridgill blesses two dachshunds during the annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony at Church of the Holy Cross on Saturday. America needs right now and are shared by many in the Re- publican Party, including Yearly event BY ADRIENNE SARVIS cis of Assisi, known as the It’s such a blessing to be President Trump. [email protected] patron saint of animals. with these folks and their After winning the special Father Michael Ridgill pets every year, he said. election for South Carolina’s is held in On Saturday, locals took greeted familiar and new He said the Feast of St. 5th Congressional District on their pets to Church of the fluffy faces before he Francis is an opportunity to June 20 over Democratic chal- Holy Cross in Stateburg to blessed them with holy celebrate God’s creation, lenger Archie Parnell, Nor- recognition receive a blessing in recog- water. This year, Ridgill’s the animals. man is a little more than three nition of the Feast of St. guests were the usual do- The fact that God created months into his congressional of Feast of Francis. mestic pets, dogs and cats, animals for people to watch term in Washington. Previous- The Feast of St. Francis, but in the past he has over and those animals give ly, he served 10 years as a which is observed on Oct. 4, blessed horses, spiders and love in return is amazing, member of the S.C. House of St. Francis is held in honor of St. Fran- snakes. Ridgill said. Representatives. A Rock Hill native and for- mer commercial real estate de- veloper, Norman is serving on the Small Business Committee in the U.S. House of Represen- Monument would recognize black Confederates tatives and also on the House Committee on Science, Space BY SEANNA ADCOX and Technology. The Associated Press ‘Black Confederates have been overlooked because He said those committees fit COLUMBIA — Blacks in South Caro- some people will say they were fighting on the wrong side. SEE NORMAN, PAGE A6 lina who served in the Confederate mil- itary, many of them slaves pressed into That’s not true. Some had no choice in the matter. ...’ duty, would be recognized with a State- house monument under a proposal by WALTER CURRY two white Republican lawmakers. State Reps. Bill Chumley and Mike Great-great-great grandmother was a black Confederate Burns said Monday they want to recog- nize blacks whose courage has been forgotten and purposely discounted in plications of more than 300 black resi- were far less than what white veterans history books. dents who sought the $25 annual pen- and widows received. “These people need to be honored,” sion allotted under a 1923 law — $357 in While incomplete, the archives show Burns said. today’s dollars — are preserved at the most black Confederates were slaves BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM They point out that hundreds of state Department of Archives and His- given no choice but to serve the Confed- U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., black South Carolinians applied for tory. Eligible black pensioners had to eracy as cooks, laborers and personal speaks Monday to Sumter Rotary state-provided Confederate pensions. serve in a South Carolina regiment for Club at The O’Donnell House in Exact numbers are unknown. The ap- at least six months. Their pensions SEE BLACK CONFEDERATES, PAGE A6 downtown Sumter. VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Hazel G. Reynolds Corinthia Ann Washington RAINY AND MUGGY 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com VOL. 122, NO. 256 Mack Bartlette III Edith Johnson Expect showers this Robert T. Hudson Edith Reeves Heath morning and thunderstorms Classifieds C8 Opinion C7 Elouise B. Moses Alice H. Thompson this evening Comics C6 Television C7 Joseph W. Ham William Toney Willard Pack HIGH 88, LOW 72 A2 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Man dies Groups in mobile introduce pickleball home fire to Sumter BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] BY IVY MOORE [email protected] On Sunday morning, Sumter Fire Department and Sumter Police De- Pickleball is becoming a partment responded to a single-wide phenomenon across the coun- mobile home fire on Lincoln Avenue try, yet many people have no that resulted in one fatality. idea what the sport with the A news release from Sumter Coun- odd name actually is. That’s ty Coroner’s Office identified the about to change, Mary Jean victim as 67-year-old Willard Pack. Sturgis thinks. He was pronounced dead at 8:10 a.m. Although she lives in Sum- An autopsy will be performed at a ter, Sturgis drives to Camden later date in Newberry, according to to play the game she describes the release. as “a combination of tennis, Battalion Chief Joey Duggan said ping pong and badminton.” there were seven people living in the “I’ve been interested in residence, and six of them managed starting pickleball here for a to escape. while,” she said. “Now Jea- The victim was a single-leg ampu- nette (Roveri Smith, director tee, and he was not able to make it of the Shepherd Center of out, he said. Sumter) and the (Sumter When firefighters arrived on County) recreation depart- scene, they were told that the other ment are cooperating to try to residents did attempt to get the vic- get a league started here.” tim out of the house. Sturgis explained that pick- Duggan said one of the six surviv- leball is especially popular ing residents was transported to the with people who used to play hospital for treatment of burns and tennis but are no longer able smoke inhalation. PHOTO PROVIDED to play competitively because He said that person is not expect- A fire Sunday morning in this mobile home on Lincoln Avenue claimed the life of one res- of physical issues. ed to be in the hospital for a long ident and did considerable damage to the structure, which according to Sumter Fire De- “They might have bad joints time for the injuries. partment Battalion Chief Joey Duggan was a complete loss. Six other residents escaped. or old injuries, for example,” Duggan said investigators deter- she said, giving herself as an mined the cause of the fire was an He said the mobile home was a was contacted to assist the resi- example. “I play regularly, and electric cord in use in a bedroom. complete loss, and the Red Cross dents. I have had both knees and both hips replaced.” Even though the game is gentler and slower than ten- nis, “You can work up a sweat,” Sturgis said. “It’s very Expert gives tips on speaking to children about tragic events good exercise.” Teams are coed, she said.