Byrd, Disney Are New Members

LOCAL: Chris Rock’s mother will speak to parents in Sumter on Saturday A3 TELEVISION 8-part series on Unabomber begins tonight TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents B5 Byrd, Disney are new members school board on Monday night serve as short-term political ap- Delegation appoints 2 to school board in a public meeting at Central pointments on the board until Carolina Technical College. the November 2018 election, BY BRUCE MILLS members of the Sumter School With the two additions, the when the public will vote on the [email protected] District Board of Trustees. The Sumter school board now ex- two at-large seats. Both will be Sumter County Legislative Del- pands from seven voting mem- eligible to run for that election. BYRD DISNEY William Byrd and Bonnie egation unanimously voted bers to nine. Disney are the two newest both as at-large members to the Both Byrd and Disney will SEE MEMBERS, PAGE A4 Getting their orders for deployment New nuclear plants in S.C. are scrapped Billions wasted after owners decide to abandon partially built reactors BY SEANNA ADCOX The Associated Press COLUMBIA — Billions of dollars spent on two new nuclear reactors in South Carolina went up in smoke Monday when the owners nixed plans to finish them after years of delays and cost overruns, dealing a severe blow to the industry’s future. The reactors were set to be among the first built in the U.S. in decades. While the decision will save customers billions in additional costs, customers of the two utilities — Santee Cooper and South Carolina Electric & Gas — may get little to nothing refunded of the billions they’ve already paid for the now-abandoned project. “I’m disappointed today not just for Santee Cooper and its customers but for our country and the industry as a whole,” said Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter. “If you really believe we need to reduce carbon, this was the way to do it.” Energy demands are far less than the utility’s pre-Great Recession projections that fac- tored into the initial decision to build. But Monday’s decision may eventually result in the utility putting a coal-fired unit idled earlier this year back in operation. Another option for supplying power needs in the decades to come includes building a natural gas unit. “Absolutely, this pushes us back to more carbon, whether it’s natural gas or coal,” Carter said. PHOTOS BY JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM Santee Cooper’s board said the decision to Children of military personnel at Shaw Air Force Base had a good time on Friday learning about the processes their end construction will save customers an esti- parents might go through when they deploy, such as getting dog tags, filling out numerous forms and getting their mated $7 billion. The utility had already spent gear. The process is meant to make it easier for the children to understand the deployment process, which can be dif- about $5 billion for its 45 percent share of the ficult for those deploying and those left behind. project, and completing it would have cost an additional $8 billion, plus $3.4 billion in inter- Sgt. Wendell Walker est. It also likely wouldn’t have been finished shows the children a until 2024. Under a timeline adopted in 2012, chemsuit at Hangar 1200 the first reactor was supposed to be operational on the base as part of a earlier this year. kids’ deployment day put South Carolina Electric & Gas, which owns on each year by the Air- 55 percent, announced its plans shortly after man and Family Readi- Santee Cooper’s unanimous vote. SCANA, ness Center at the base. SCE&G’s parent company, will seek approval from regulators today about its abandonment plans. Under the approved Santee Cooper resolution, all work will end within six months. How quickly within that time frame workers at the site will lose their jobs is uncertain. The project has been shrouded in doubt since earlier this year, when primary contractor Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy protection. The utilities announced last week that SEE REACTORS, PAGE A6 Construction ministry is a blessing to local mother, 3 children BY ADRIENNE SARVIS three chil- Her home was clearly dam- was also able to build an addi- us this year for their first time [email protected] dren whose aged — the eaves of the house tion at the back of the house working with Sumter United home was were falling apart, and the by adding a pitch to the roof Ministries,” she said. This summer, the Sumter damaged by roof was in bad shape, she that was previously flat. “I thank everyone that United Ministries construc- Hurricane said. What a blessing it is to do came out and helped — how- tion ministry was able to com- Matthew in As the team was working on God’s work for the many ever they did so,” Koenig said. plete work on eight houses, 2016. her home, two of her children churches that support the Summer of Caring is a way said Aaron Koenig, construc- Koenig began helping and said they construction ministry by for the community to help tion ministry director. said the woman filed a claim would like to help work on an- working on these homes, Koe- support the ministries of One of those houses be- through her insurance com- other house next year. nig said. longed to a single mom of pany but was only given $400. The construction ministry “We had four churches join SEE CARING, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Willie E. Montgomery Edward W. Davis SUNNY TODAY 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com VOL. 122, NO. 206 Lawrence D. Sweatt Sr. Willie McFadden Sr. Mostly sunny today; Joan H. Douglass Isabel M. Timmons patchy clouds tonight Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Irfan S. Amanuddin James T. Mays Sr. HIGH 90, LOW 65 Comics A5 Television B5 Julia ‘Judy’ Davis Louis Johnson Opinion A7 Mildred Scott A2 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] City council Marsh Tacky stolen horses back home; to consider annexations thieves have not been apprehended BY IVY MOORE on good grass," she said. [email protected] Marsh Tackies are known Downtown Service for their ability to survive and Award to be presented Jackie McFadden had been even thrive in harsh environ- living with a broken heart ments. Brought to the S.C. BY JIM HILLEY since April 23, when her be- Lowcountry almost 500 years [email protected] loved Marsh Tacky horses ago by Spanish explorers, the were stolen from Rembert. small horse thrived in the Sumter City Council will But since Thursday, she's feel- marshes and swamps, and have a regular meeting at 5:30 ing much better, as Yago and riding them gave a distinct p.m. today in City Council "Little Miss" River were re- advantage to Gen. Francis Chambers on the fourth floor turned, apparently none the Marion and his men in that of the Sumter Opera House, 21 worse for their experience. difficult environment, as they N. Main St. When McFadden first real- evaded British soldiers dur- Council will present a Down- ized her horses were gone, ing the American Revolution. town Service Award from she described them as " ... my Keehn has been involved Main Street South Carolina to body and soul, my best with horses from an early a downtown merchant and friends." age, she said. As a licensed will consider appointments Both McFadden and her PHOTO PROVIDED BY JACKIE MCFADDEN jockey, she said she worked and vacancies. friend Nora Keehn are grate- Yago and “Little Miss” River, Marsh Tacky horses stolen in April, with "the greatest horse train- The final reading of an ordi- ful to have Yago and River were returned to their owner, Jackie McFadden, on Thursday, er who ever lived. I was just nance to amend the Communi- back. largely because of the persistence of Nora Keehn of Camden. lucky." She was inducted into ty Development Block Grant Keehn, a 92-year-old horse the Arizona Quarter Horse Entitlement Budget will be lover and former jockey, was a miracle. Her love for horses there and have yet to be ap- Racing Hall of Fame in 2002. considered. largely responsible for the re- brought River and Yago prehended. Horses, she said, are "so Council will consider first covery of Yago and "Little home. We are ecstatic and so "Nobody knows who stole wonderful. Churchill said, reading of annexation re- Miss" River, according to Mc- grateful to Ms. Nora to have them," she said. "It was a case 'The outside of a horse is good quests for .62 acres of property Fadden. But Keehn, the sec- our beloved horses back of mistaken identity. They for the inside of a man.'" at 1735 U.S. 15 S. and 1.25 acres ond woman to become a li- where they belong." were supposed to steal two Keehn praised McFadden at 1750 U.S. 15 S. censed jockey, said, "I was Keehn said when McFad- mares." for her persistence in the A procurement resolution lucky. You know that Beatles den called her, "I made it my She speculates that the search: "She is so wonderful for a high-density storage fil- song, 'A Little Help from My mission to find the horses for thieves might have aban- and loves them so much." ing and storage system for the Friends?' I have good connec- her one way or another." doned Yago and River where The nonprofit organization police department in the new tions, and I put together a Keehn said the horses, they were found.

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