Beer lovers, this book of ‘hacks’ is for you C1 IN FOOD: Pile apples high SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 in this deep-dish pie C4 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 $1.00 Finding a ‘community wrap around you’ MQ-9 Reaper unit at Shaw welcomes new airmen in 1st expansion of group BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] Shaw Air Force Base’s new- est unit, which flies remotely piloted aircraft to protect Americans and their allies throughout the world, recently welcomed a new group of air- men to the East Coast. Base leaders, airmen, their families and community mem- bers attended an activation of command ceremony Tuesday morning at Hangar 1200 on the base for the 25th Attack Group, the airmen who pilot the Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper aircraft. The addition of these air- men marked the initial expan- sion of the MQ-9 Reaper enter- CREATING THE prise at Shaw after the first FULL SQUADRON round arrived and activated in What happened on Tuesday: Phase II February. “Through intelligence sur- What it involved: Beefing up the combat lines, adding more airmen in veillance and reconnaissance, rotation it sounds like big fancy words, but they’re guarding and pro- Build-out: Larger portable trailers tecting those on the ground When: Scheduled for this fall, activated against those that would do us on time harm,” said Col. Travis Nor- What happened before: Phase I ton, commander of the 25th Shaw Air Force Base’s What it involved: Two combat lines ATKG, who took command at MQ-9 Reaper unit held an Build-out: Small trailers the ceremony Tuesday. activation of command “They’re able to sit out there When: Activated in February ceremony for the 25th At- and loiter and be airborne for What they’ve done so far, tack Group on Tuesday. a long time.” by the numbers: The unit flies remotely The Air Force has promoted • 400+ missions piloted aircraft to protect the MQ-9 Reaper as an armed, America and its allies. The • multi-mission, medium-alti- 7,000+ flight hours ceremony was held in tude, long-endurance RPA • 75+ air strikes Hangar 1200 on the base. that can target enemy systems • 134 enemies killed in action and serve as an intelligence What’s happening next: Phase III PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE collection asset, according to SUMTER ITEM previous reports and fact What it involves: Full 487-person unit, eight combat lines sheets. The “M” is the Depart- ment of Defense designation Build-out: $50 million building for for multi-role, while the “Q” housing, training, dwell and operations means it is remotely piloted, When: 2021 SEE REAPER, PAGE A3 Van Hobbs ran the Gulf and BP full-service station Clarendon 3 leads area on the corner of Liberty and Guignard for 37 years until he retired in 1997. This picture is from on career readiness test October 1973. Ready to Work 11th-grade assessment PHOTO PROVIDED with soft skills section used for 1st time BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] READY TO WORK ASSESSMENT VAN HOBBS SR. • 1934 - 2018 Clarendon School District 3 students District Percent scoring based in Turbeville scored the highest silver or higher in the tri-county region on a new ca- Clarendon 3 71 reer readiness assessment that also in- Sumter 49.4 Sumter gas station owner cludes a soft skills component, accord- Clarendon 1 49.2 ing to state Department of Education Clarendon 2 46.2 test results released this week. Ryan Brown, chief communications Lee 31.4 ‘cared about everybody’ officer with the state department, dis- State 63.3 cussed scores from the first-year ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS BY BRUCE MILLS erty Street and Guignard Drive in Ready to Work assessment. The as- ASSESSMENT [email protected] Sumter, Hobbs passed away Sept. 18 sessment was administered last spring at the age of 84. and sponsored by Worldwide Interac- District Percent passing A great friend and family man, It was through that gas station — tive Network. WIN Ready to Work re- Clarendon 3 76 good business man, tremendous which he operated for 37 years — placed ACT WorkKeys last year as the Sumter 70.4 University of South Carolina that everyone knew Hobbs, long- state’s official career readiness assess- Clarendon 2 64.4 Gamecocks fan and a man who time friend Kent Mims said. ment, which is administered to all Clarendon 1 59.6 cared about everybody and loved Mims described Hobbs as “a man 11th-graders. his church are all descriptions of his word who didn’t know a Like WorkKeys, Ready to Work as- Lee 52 friends used to detail the life of Van stranger.” sesses the areas of applied mathe- State 76.9 Hobbs. Their friendship developed matics, reading for information and Source: S.C. Department of Education A longtime business owner and through their love of the Gamecocks, operator of the Gulf and BP full- SEE TEST, PAGE A6 service station at the corner of Lib- SEE HOBBS, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Franklin Don Smith AT LEAST THE NIGHTS 3 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Sam Ramsey Jr. VOL. 123, NO. 248 Classifieds: 774-1200 Donald Dean Jaxtheimer ARE COOLER Delivery: 774-1258 Jennie Watford Cook Mostly sunny, warm Classifieds B6 Opinion A7 News and Sports: 774-1226 Alfred Jarrett Harvin and humid; mainly clear Comics C2 Panorama C1 Waymen Cantey and humid tonight Food C4 Television C3 Lila Mae Oliver Brock HIGH 88, LOW 66 Michael Allen Whitaker A2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Community concert band opens new season Sunday Take a musical tour at Patriot Hall Robert Sheldon, and the SCCB trumpet sec- tion is featured in James D. Ployhar’s “Trav- BY IVY MOORE elin’ Trumpets.” Special to The Sumter Item Medleys will include “The Magic of An- drew Lloyd Webber” and “The Music of Dis- The Sumter Community Concert Band be- neyland,” arranged by the prolific Jerry gins its 2018-19 season at 3 p.m. Sunday in Brubaker. Tunes from “Jesus Christ Super- Patriot Hall, with a theme and music select- star,” “Evita,” “Cats” and “The Phantom of ed by its longtime director. James H. the Opera” will represent Webber’s works, “Jimmy” Mills will lead the band in playing while the Disney music, much by brothers music based on the theme “A Musical Tour Robert and Richard Sherman, includes eight with the Sumter Community Concert selections. Hear the upbeat “Zip-A-Dee-Dah” MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Band.” and “Mickey Mouse March” and the wistful Airman 1st Class Jwanaque Triplett is an aircraft armament specialist in Band spokesman and trumpet player Rick “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” the United States Air Force. Mitchum said the SCCB selections will rep- plus five other familiar tunes. resent both American and Mexican music. Warren Barker’s arrangement of Broad- As always, he said, “The band will open with way tunes includes “People,” “Try to Re- Aircraft armament specialist ‘Star-Spangled Banner.’” member,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” The SCCB concert will perform both fa- and three other tunes from classic shows. miliar music and some pieces that may not Emmett Anglin, trumpet player and fre- joined for education, travel be as well known, but Mitchum said, “It’s all quent arranger of pieces for the SCCB, is really good music, and the band loves it.” He represented by his setting of the 1861 “Mary- Why I Serve, presented by thinks the audience will, as well. land Guard Gallop,” a Civil War piece. With These Hands Natural “You don’t hear much of this music live A circus piece, a Mexican march and sev- Gourmet Foods, is a monthly anymore,” he said. “Good music sticks eral other pieces will conclude the approxi- series that brings you a glimpse around, though.” mately one-hour concert. into the life of a different mili- Among the most familiar is the 1945 jazz Mitchum said the band has added several tary service member stationed classic “Autumn Leaves,” written by Hun- new musicians for the season, including at Shaw Air Force Base. garian-French composer Joseph Kosma. The trumpet, baritone, tenor saxophone and per- SCCB will play the arrangement by Alfred cussion players. Name: Airman 1st Class Jwa- Reed and Mark Rogers. “We’ve got around 45 musicians,” he said, naque Triplett ‘I serve for my family The band traditionally performs at least “but we can always use more who play any Assignment: Aircraft arma- one march, and this year 1928’s “New Mexi- instrument.” ment. "We're pretty much the co March” by John Phillip Sousa is on the SCCB musicians come from Sumter, Shaw people who load the munitions and for our freedom.’ program. The tune hasn’t been available for Air Force Base and various locations in sur- onto the aircraft, and we also bands in many years. Sousa composed it for rounding counties, and Mitchum said they fix the launchers. It's not the Where are you from? "Louis- the residents of New Mexico. While it is a include teachers, doctors, farmers, retirees, area I would say that I wanted ville, Mississippi. I'm the first march, the piece includes representative students, lawyers and others. to be in, but I wanted to join person in my family to join the phrases from Native American, cavalry and Mitchum said anyone interested in joining the Air Force right away, and I Air Force.