Brewington Move Is Likely Next Step for Sumter School District
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Brewington move is likely next step for Sumter School District ternative instructional program, Davis Elementary School campus, Alternative program was which was housed at Mayewood, is which is less than two miles away, still operational on campus a next step to work on. this school year. However, Brew- Hamm and Canty spoke last ington Academy, the district’s al- of Mayewood this year week after the district’s board of ternative school for middle and trustees voted 5-3-1 on Monday to high school children with disciplin- BY BRUCE MILLS SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 $1.75 approve the administration’s new ary issues, remained open on the [email protected] financial recovery plan to include Mayewood campus after adminis- SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 middle school students remaining tration couldn’t find a suitable fa- With the closure of Mayewood at this year’s newly named R.E. cility to house the program last Middle School now settled, Sumter Davis K-8 College Preparatory year. School District Interim Superinten- Academy. Brewington’s enrollment fluctu- dent Debbie Hamm and school After the school board voted to ates because it’s considered a board Chairman the Rev. Ralph close Mayewood in April 2018, mid- Canty say moving the district’s al- dle-schoolers moved to the R.E. SEE BREWINGTON, PAGE A9 4 SECTIONS, 26 PAGES | VOL. 124, NO. 150 IN TODAY’S EDITION ‘My policeman’ See you at the festival Our guide lists event and entertainment schedules, pageant winners and more for this year’s Iris Festival LOCAL Edgy ‘Avenue Q’ play opens Thursday A5 PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Senior Cpl. Warren Davis with Project Checkmate, a program created through Sumter Police Department, meets Mildred SPORTS Byrden at her home on Wednesday in Sumter. Davis checks up on 43 seniors living alone across Sumter each week, often also helping with tasks such as changing lightbulbs and driving them to doctor appointments. Cavaliers finish off dominating season B1 Sumter police officer checks on DEATHS, B5 43 seniors in Project Checkmate Henry Wells Jr. BY KAYLA ROBINS communications between law en- Pamela M. Rogers [email protected] forcement and those who may need Christopher B. McCall help, Police Chief Russell F. Roark Fena Margaret S. McDaniel hen the ice storm III realized there was a continued Edna D. Gregg need to support this demographic. Gloria M. Regocki took the power out, He wanted to create a program Jerry E. Cromer Sr. ‘A senior called the lightbulb went on. where an officer, the same officer, Jaylen D. Bradshaw W would check on seniors and help Henretta Y. Stokes The Sumter Police Department them with tasks like changing light- me late last night. James W. Holladay Sr. had already been running its I’m OK bulbs and smoke detector batteries. Eddie Charles Sr. Program with the Sumter County That’s where it started, but it has All she wanted Edna S. Harris Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 grown from a bulb to a shining chan- years. Officers checked on elderly delier since. was someone residents, often those living indepen- “I think about 13 people signed up dently but alone, if they did not call at the beginning. Now I have 43 se- to talk to.’ WEATHER, A12 into the station by 10 a.m. niors,” Senior Cpl. Warren Davis SUNNY AND HOT That was the extent of the job de- said of Project Checkmate. SENIOR CPL. Lots of sun today; partly cloudy tonight. scription. Check in. Davis does it all. He does still WARREN DAVIS In 2014, after using that list to HIGH 90, LOW 68 check on seniors when a storm froze SEE CHECKMATE, PAGE A9 Project Checkmate INSIDE CONTACT US Classifieds C4 Info: 774-1200 Comics D1 Advertising: 774-1237 Opinion A11 Classifieds: 774-1200 Reflections C2 Delivery: 774-1258 Sports B1 News and Sports: Television A10 774-1226 Yesteryear C3 VISIT US ONLINE AT the .com Davis holds Byrden’s hand as she moves through her home. “Besides Teresa Lewis lives alone and said the his wife and his momma, I’m next in Davis can be seen around town driving Project Checkmate program is a bless- line,” she said about the officer who the Project Checkmate Tahoe to help the ing to her. “If I don’t know where to checks on her every week. Sumter area’s seniors. turn, he’s where I turn to.” For more than 75 years, the Iris Festival has been providing entertainment, arts & crafts, great food and family fun! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! SUMTER at Swan Lake Iris Gardens Memorial Day Weekend MORE INFO AT IRISFESTIVAL.ORG A2 | SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Here is the church, here is the steeple ... PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Painters freshen the steeple of First Presbyterian Church, 9 W. Cal- houn St., on Wednesday. According to the church’s website, First Pres- byterian Church was first organized in 1823 and was the second church in what was then called Sumterville. The present church sanc- tuary was dedicated on Nov. 10, 1907. The Rev. Nicholas Cheek has served as the church’s pastor since August of 2016. Baron Bulletin wins again Sheriff: Mom charged with dumping daughter in ’90, dumped son in ’89 Tip from The Greenville News led deputies to reopen infant boy’s case COLUMBIA (AP) — A South Carolina mother trash bag in April 1989, investigators said. already facing a murder charge for abandoning Graham’s lawyer did not answer an email her baby daughter in 1990 is now charged with seeking comment Friday. dumping the body of her infant son nearly a Graham faces up to 10 years in prison on year earlier. each of the new felony charges involving the DNA tests determined the two babies had the baby boy. She faces up to life in prison if con- same mother and father, leading to Thursday’s victed of murder in the death of the baby girl. arrest of Brook Graham, Greenville County A tip from The Greenville News led deputies Sheriff’s Lt. Ryan Flood said. to reopen the baby boy’s case, Flood said. In the latest case, Graham is charged with The father of the two babies has not been desecration of human remains and unlawful charged. neglect of a child because the medical examiner The DNA in the infant girl case was com- PHOTO PROVIDED in 1989 couldn’t determine if the baby was born pared to DNA samples in family genealogy sites Wilson Hall’s student newspaper, The Baron Bulletin, won the alive, Flood said Thursday in a statement. and first led police to the father, Greenville Po- Best in State award in the S.C. Independent School Association Graham, 53, was charged with murder in the lice Chief Ken Miller said. State Publication Competition. This is the 26th time the news- death of the baby girl given the name Julie Val- The father then helped investigators find paper, for which senior Holly Poag (pictured) served as the edi- entine after the infant was found dead inside a Graham, the chief said. tor-in-chief, has won this award. The newspaper also won the vacuum cleaner box in a vacant lot in Green- The father hasn’t been charged in either case, award for Best Artwork, Best Photography and Best Layout and ville in February 1990 by a man picking Valen- but investigators for both police agencies say Design. Poag won the award for Best Editorial, and junior Eliza- tine’s Day flowers for his wife, authorities said. more charges are possible. beth Kirby won the award for Best News Article. The faculty ad- Ten months earlier, girls playing in woods Graham has two adult children and investiga- visers for the newspaper are Sean Hoskins and Elizabeth Hyatt. about 5 miles away found the body of a baby tors said they are reviewing how they were boy who appeared to be fully developed inside a raised as a part of the case. HOW TO REACH US IS YOUR PAPER MISSING? TO BUY A SUBSCRIPTION 36 W. Liberty St., Sumter, S.C. 29150 ARE YOU GOING ON VACATION? Call (803) 774-1200 (803) 774-1200 The Sumter Item is published Call (803) 774-1258 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week except for Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Vince Johnson Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Publisher Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and New Years Day (unless those [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION RATES fall on a Sunday or Wednesday) by Osteen Publishing Co., 36 W. (803) 774-1201 TO PLACE A NEWSPAPER AD Standard Home Delivery plus Digital Liberty St., Sumter, SC 29150. Kayla Robins Rhonda Barrick Call (803) 774-1200 Monday through Friday, Subscription Executive Editor Newsroom Manager 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY PLUS Periodical postage paid at [email protected] [email protected] SUNDAY Sumter, SC 29150. 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