USA TODAY: Trump says he will announce Supreme Court pick tonight C2 LOCAL Get your tickets now for Journey tribute band TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A3 Suspect charged with 6 counts of murder attempted murder. Deschamps, an official with a refugee More than 50 people were at the Man arrested in Quebec Alexandre Bissonnette was known advocacy group, said he was known Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre for taking right-wing, nationalist posi- for his far-right views. when the shooting erupted. In addi- mosque terror attack tions and supporting the French far- “It’s with pain and anger that we tion to the six who died, five were in BY TRACEY LINDEMAN right party of Marine Le Pen. learn the identity of terrorist Alexan- critical condition, and 12 others suf- and ROB GILLIES The shooting during evening dre Bissonnette, unfortunately fered minor injuries, University of The Associated Press prayers Sunday left six people dead in known to many activists in Quebec Quebec Hospital Centre spokeswom- an attack that Canada’s prime minis- for taking nationalist, pro-Le Pen and an Genevieve Dupuis said Monday. QUEBEC CITY — The 27-year-old ter called an act of terrorism against anti-feminist positions at Laval Uni- The dead ranged in age from 39 to suspect in a terrorist attack against Muslims. versity and on social media,” he 60. Muslims at a Quebec City mosque was Bissonnette has Le Pen and U.S. wrote on the Facebook page of the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and charged Monday with six counts of President Donald Trump as likes on group Bienvenues aux Refugiés, or first-degree murder and five counts of his Facebook profile, and François Welcome to Refugees. SEE ATTACK, PAGE A9 Looks almost tropical RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM Clouds mixed with the sunset present a distinct reflection on the Alex Heise Building recently. The building houses South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Con- trol and Department of Social Services. Help from Fireside can mean lasting change for someone BY JIM HILLEY [email protected] Fireside Fund donations to Sumter United Ministries have given the min- istry more flexibility in finding the best possible solutions to the heating needs of clients, according to Crisis that reason. Relief Director Kevin Howell. “Since natural gas is more efficient Howell said the generosity of the and typically safer than the use of ker- JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM Sumter community has provided the osene, SUM considered what options Architectural historian Allison Blanton explains at a meeting Thursday in City resources to make choices that can were available,” Howell said. “Instead Centre how the city has begun to update its historic design guidelines for the have a long-term, instead of tempo- of simply fulfilling the kerosene re- city’s two historic districts. rary, effects. quest, which would have been less This week, a client in her 50s with time-consuming, a few phone calls an adult, special-needs son requested were made to local vendors and to kerosene assistance from the ministry, South Carolina Electric & Gas.” City’s historic preservation Howell said. The ministry provided two new “She lives in a family property, a natural gas floor heaters for the cli- small, older home that did not have a ent and then assisted with connect- guidelines under review heat pump,” he said. “She cools the ing SCE&G to the house, Howell said, home with window air conditioners providing a credit to last for the first BY JIM HILLEY houses in the district that are not and heats with kerosene.” month. [email protected] being maintained and the lack of fi- As the client shared her circum- “Not only did this decision provide a nancial incentives to preserve stances, she explained she had two better alternative for the client, but it Residents of Sumter’s historic homes in the districts. natural gas floor heaters in her home. gives us the ability to continue provid- districts took the opportunity at a More than 50 people attended the One was broken, she said, but both ing adequate and safe heat for many Historic District Design Guideline meeting featuring representatives were too old to operate safely, and the review meeting Thursday evening natural gas account was closed for SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A9 to express their concerns about SEE GUIDELINES, PAGE A9 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE William N. Bradford Jr. James P. Belser Jack Gainey A LITTLE WARMER 3 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES the .com VOL. 122, NO. 77 Donald R. Fink Robert A. Smith Dr. Carl B. Ramsey Sunny, breezy Ella Mae S. Maple Vivian B. Edwards Geneva M. Montgomery and warmer; partly Classifieds B6 Opinion A8 Vernese W. Lowery Diane C. Carter William Conyers cloudy tonight Comics C4 Television B5 Laureen Duren Lillie Mae P. Frazier Randy Lowery Larry A. Turientine HIGH 68, LOW 45 A2 | TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Family of School districts missing man routinely use tax still has hope BY JIM HILLEY anticipation notes [email protected] BY BRUCE MILLS tion on TANs from the lead- Seven years after Brandon [email protected] ing municipal financial advi- Rodriques Graves disappeared sory firm in South Carolina, outside of a club west of Sum- Outside financial consul- Compass Municipal Advisors ter, family and friends gath- tant Scott Allan has said LLC of Columbia. Compass ered for a ceremony Saturday Sumter School District will will serve as Sumter School to remember the young man need to issue a tax anticipa- District's financial adviser and encourage anyone with in- tion note in the range of $20 for its TAN, according to offi- formation on the case to come million to $22 million by June cials. forward. 30, given its debt crisis and For 2016, 21 of the 82 school “We haven’t low general fund balance. districts in the state issued a given up hope; we The loan serves as a cash- TAN as an operational loan, haven’t forgot- flow management tool for ranging from $584,000 to $82 ten,” said Vassie school districts, given that million, according to Mike Lloyd, the missing property tax revenues and Gallagher at Compass. Galla- man’s sister. other funding streams are gher said Thursday that the Graves, who GRAVES often unevenly distributed to 21 total was a fairly average was nicknamed districts throughout the year; number for a given year. “Peanut” because JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM however, expenses are gener- Compass provides financial he was so small, attended Mor- Martha Graves, who, along with her sisters, helped raise Brandon ally similar each month, ac- services to school districts ris College and graduated Graves from the age of 3, holds on to seven balloons which were re- cording to school board at- and other public agencies in from Coastal Carolina Univer- leased in the missing man’s memory Saturday. torney William "Bick" Halli- the state. sity with a degree in sports gan. A TAN helps a school Given the Federal Reserve management, according to his not call someone,” Lloyd in God. district pay its bills, until its Bank's indications to raise family. said. “We’re still searching Sumter County Sheriff’s revenues are received later interest rates this year, Gal- “Peanut wasn’t that tall,” for my brother; we haven’t Office Public Information Of- and used to pay back the lagher wasn't able to esti- said his brother Reggie Ger- had any luck.” ficer Ken Bell assured those loan. mate last week what Sum- man. “He didn’t let that deter Brandon Graves’ mother gathered the case has not School districts in the state ter's short-term interest rate who he was. He had the big- died when he was 3 years old, been forgotten. generally issue TANs togeth- on its TAN will be. He was gest heart, and he was a deter- so he was raised by his aunts. “We are still working on er as a pool in August or Sep- also unable to estimate the mined person.” “I had him since he was 3,” this case,” he said. tember. Allan has said Sum- extra costs Sumter will face Brandon Graves was visiting said his aunt Martha Graves. He said deputies would be ter will need to issue its TAN for issuing its TAN early Sumter during the 2009 Morris “Me and my sisters raised distributing fliers with on its own earlier, given the and not in the pool with College homecoming when he him and his two brothers.” Graves’ picture and informa- debt crisis and its need for other school districts. He walked out of the club at 3289 She said Peanut was the tion about the case. cash to pay bills. said some firm fees may be Broad St. that was then called youngest of the three boys. In Peanut’s memory, the Last week, The Sumter negotiated because of the Sebastion’s, went around a “If it had not been for the group released seven bal- Item obtained more informa- district's financial crisis. corner and vanished. Lord, I don’t know where I loons at the ceremony. The After transferring to Coastal would be,” she said. brisk wind quickly whisked Carolina, he came back to Reggie German said the them eastward. Sumter for reunions. seven years of not knowing “We will not give up until “Even though he trans- what happened to Brandon we have closure,” said Larry ferred, he would always come have been difficult.