HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Lee opens SCISA Region II-1A play B1 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.00 ‘Everything changed immediately’ PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM From left, Col. Roy D. Banzon, USARCENT command inspector general, Keon Horton, USARCENT public affairs, and Matthew Lepage, USAR- CENT analyst, stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, sat down with The Sumter Item to talk about their experience in the military and how it was shaped by the terrorist attacks against the United States 19 years ago. by the plume of smoke growing over lower “Everything changed immediately,” said 3 military members Manhattan. Col. Roy D. Banzon, commander inspector reflect on how Sept. 11, Nineteen years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, general for U.S. Army Center, which is head- four coordinated terrorist attacks by 19 quartered at Shaw Air Force Base and over- 2001, attacks shaped members of the terrorist organization Al- sees operations in the Middle East and Cen- their lives and service Qaeda hijacked four American commercial tral Asia. “I was immediately deployed.” airplanes. One crashed into each of the Banzon sat in a room at USARCENT this BY KAYLA GREEN World Trade Center North and South towers, week with two other soldiers to reflect on [email protected] a third into the Pentagon. A fourth was that morning 19 years ago and how it has On base in Honolulu, Hawaii, 3 a.m. In Mr. headed for Washington, D.C., but crashed altered their lives since. Hanson’s middle school history class, Room into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers Uncle. High school friend. Service as it was 403. Wherever a 9-month-old would be. derailed the hijackers. before. Three people in different stages of life, at It was the single deadliest terrorist attack All three lost something that can be con- different moments in their day, located ever, killing 2,977 and causing tens of thou- nected to the string of events since 9/11. across the country had no idea, like the rest sands of injuries and long-term health prob- Banzon, the oldest of the three, is the only of the nation, how the day would unfold. lems. It was also the single deadliest inci- one who was in the military at the time. Be- That the phone would start ringing, the TV dent for firefighters and law enforcement of- fore, the 52-year-old said, “we were just turned on. That their lives, immediately and ficers in the nation’s history, killing 343 and being the best Army in the world.” They down the road, would be changed forever 72, respectively. SEE 9/11, PAGE A8 In a year of social distancing, virus alters Sept. 11 remembrances, too BY JENNIFER PELTZ cherished tradition of relatives The Associated Press reading victims’ names in per- NEW YORK — In a year when the coronavi- son. Vice President Mike Pence rus pandemic has reshaped countless Ameri- is expected at both those re- can rituals, even the commemoration of membrances in New York, 9/11 could not escape unchanged. while President Donald Trump The 19th anniversary of the terror attacks and Democratic challenger Joe will be marked by dueling ceremonies at the Biden plan to attend a truncated Sept. 11 memorial plaza and a corner near ceremony at the Flight 93 National the World Trade Center, reflecting a divide Memorial in Pennsylvania. about the memorial’s decision to suspend a SEE TRIBUTES, PAGE A8 South Carolina public health director heads to Ohio BY MICHELLE LIU of Health and En- she is going to be closer to her state health department since stressed, however, that there Associated Press/Report for America vironmental Con- family,” acting DHEC Direc- the start of the outbreak. In is no confirmed date for when trol as public tor Marshall Taylor said at a May, director Rick Toomey such a vaccine will be avail- WEST COLUMBIA — One health director in news conference Thursday. announced he was stepping able to the general public. of South Carolina’s top health April, has agreed Taylor said he learned of the down for health reasons less That plan will prioritize high- officials is leaving for Ohio, to head the Ohio news the day of the an- than 15 months after he took risk individuals, frontline less than five months into the Department of nouncement. “Actually, this is over the agency. health care workers and criti- DUWVE job helping to direct the Pal- Health, Ohio Gov. a promotion for Dr. Duwve, State leaders also an- cal infrastructure employees metto State’s coronavirus Mike DeWine and so we’re very happy for nounced Thursday that a plan when limited doses of the vac- pandemic response. tweeted Thursday. her.” is in the works for distribut- cine first arrive, said Stephen Joan Duwve, who joined “My understanding is that Duwve is not the first high- ing a COVID-19 vaccine when South Carolina’s Department she has family in Ohio and ranking official to leave the it becomes available. They SEE DUWVE, PAGE A8 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Kathy Johnson DuBose Robert Louis Presley RAINY FRIDAY 2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com VOL. 125, NO. 235 Larry Durant Queen Elizabeth McCain A shower and storm around Richmond James Washington today; a storm possible Clarendon Sun B4 Religion A5 Ursula Vogel Guest Joseph S. Vance Jr. early tonight, then cloudy Classifieds B7 Sports B1 Gloria Simon Ferguson Clara Alston Dennis and humid Linda Ann Myers Marion Pearson Comics B6 Television A6 HIGH 89, LOW 74 Opinion A9 A2 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Item’s new contest series to honor Teacher of the Month FROM STAFF REPORTS community give to their students. Sept. 30, the fifth Wednesday) in The The Sumter Item is premiering But in this season of living in a pan- Sumter Item’s print edition and on Teacher of the Month, a new contest demic, the teachers are standing in website and social media. series presented by Carolina Grove. the gap for students everywhere. The winning teacher will be pre- Each month, the public can nomi- They are teaching in person, from sented with a $50 gift certificate to Month will be announced on nate their favorite public and private behind a mask or shield or in front Carolina Grove, one of Sumter’s Wednesday, Sept. 30. school teachers from Sumter County of a camera in an empty classroom. newer restaurants, which features To submit a nomination, go to online at www.theitem.com/teacher. The time, attention and sacrifices contemporary Southern dishes in a www.theitem.com/teacher and upload Four finalists will be chosen each made could never be measured. We family home atmosphere on Alice a headshot or photo of the teacher, month, and the public will then be thank you!” Carolina Grove co-owner Drive. his or her name, school, position and able to vote on their top teacher. Jim Mayes said. Nominations are open now a brief bio. Selection emphasis for fi- “A designated week or month is The Teacher of the Month will be through Friday, Sept. 18. Then, vot- nalists will be put on teachers whose never sufficient to show adequate announced on the fourth Wednesday ing will be open through Sept. 25. nominations demonstrate an above- gratitude for what teachers in our of each month (this month will be The inaugural Teacher of the and-beyond effort during COVID-19. Democrat report: Medicare chief Charter board to discuss used fed money to bolster image enrollment campaign at WASHINGTON (AP) — range an interview that re- stockpile CMS with hand- monthly meeting Monday Private consultants to the sulted in a Verma profile in picked consultants or pro- federal official who oversees AARP The Magazine, the re- mote Administrator Verma’s Medicare billed taxpayers port said. public profile and personal BY BRUCE MILLS a public participation form. almost $6 million in less The contractors were brand,” the report said. [email protected] Or, an individual can email than two years to bolster her “handpicked” “Given the reckless disre- comments to be read aloud to personal image, including by Verma’s gard she has shown for the Liberty STEAM Charter board@libertysteamcharter. efforts to win awards, place aides, the re- public’s trust, Administra- will have its monthly found- org. With emails, individuals her on lists of powerful port said, cre- tor Verma should reimburse ing board of directors’ meet- must include their contact in- women and arrange meet- ating “a shad- the taxpayers for these inap- ing Monday at the Central formation. ings with influential people, ow operation” propriate expenditures,” it Carolina Technical College At the meeting, COVID-19 a report by congressional that sidelined said. Advanced Manufacturing safety protocol will be fol- Democrats said Thursday. the communi- Agency officials did not Technology Training Center lowed to include temperature The consultants, many VERMA cations staff of immediately respond to on Broad Street. checks, face coverings, hand with Republican Party ties, the federal emails and phone calls A charter school official sanitizer and social distanc- billed taxpayers up to $380 Centers for Medicare and placed to them seeking com- distributed the meeting agen- ing. per hour on work largely Medicaid Services. ment. da on Thursday. The meeting will be the fifth aimed at polishing the pro- The consultants’ work When similar findings A community outreach up- public meeting of the charter’s file of Medicare administra- often had nothing to do with were unveiled by the in- date, monthly financial re- founding board, dating back to tor Seema Verma, the inves- running Medicare, Medicaid spector general of the De- ports and information on the May.