IN SPORTS: Wilson Hall’s J.P. Sears drafted by Seattle Mariners in 11th round B1 INSIDE Louisiana’s Rep. Steve Scalise shot outside D.C. A3 THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents Dalzell man identified as Pack’s Landing drowning victim FROM STAFF REPORTS forcement Division said dive before entering a ditch going tle boy started yelling out. have a life jacket available but teams from SCDNR and Sum- back to the landing. The wit- The guy came back up with are not required to wear Sumter County Coroner ter County recovered Miller’s ness said the man was bass his fishing pole in his hand them, McCollough said. Robbie Baker identified the body about 10:15 a.m. on fishing with some other men and then went back under “We encourage boaters to man who drowned after falling Wednesday. Miller fell off the and a boy. and didn’t come back up.” wear them,” he said. off of a boat on Lake Marion boat about 8:45 p.m. on Tues- He said the boat was using a McCollough said initial re- This was the second drown- near Pack’s Landing on Tues- day. trolling motor and the current ports state the boat may have ing in Lake Marion in the last day as 27-year-old Marquille A man who said he wit- was moving pretty fast. hit a stump or a log, causing week. Kenyata Miller of Dalzell. nessed the incident told The “I think he got pushed over Miller to fall out of the boat. According to a news release Capt. Robert McCollough of Sumter Item he saw the boat further to the side,” the wit- He said it is not known wheth- from the coroner’s office, an South Carolina Department coming around a railroad ness said. “From there, he fell er Miller was wearing a life autopsy on Miller is sched- of Natural Resources Law En- trestle while crossing the lake over and the men and the lit- jacket. Boaters are required to uled for today. Drone racing buzzes Sumter Columbia’s WWI boxcar Pilots don VR goggles, guide craft finds home in remotely through obstacle course Bishopville BY CAITLAN WALZER BY JEFF WILKINSON [email protected] The State At the MultiGP drone The historic World War I race that took place Satur- boxcar that’s been on dis- day afternoon at Crosspoint play for decades at Colum- Baptist Church, 18 freelance bia’s American Legion Post individuals and three 6 is taking a ride to Bishop- teams, consisting of more ville. than four individuals each, The South Carolina Cotton gathered to race drones in Museum has hammered out and out of an obstacle an agreement to transfer the course. boxcar, a gift from France to Hosted by Mid Carolina South Carolina after World FVP, the pilots of the drones War II, to the Lee County Vet- were required to sit in a des- eran’s Museum, which is ignated tented area where housed at the cotton muse- they would race their drones um. behind a protective fence. “We thought it would be a With virtual reality gog- great addition to our veteran’s gles placed over the pilots’ museum,” Executive Director eyes, each of the pilots Eddie Grant said. would fly their drones and During both World Wars I view the obstacle course and II, the narrow-gauge box- from a small camera on the cars were a main mode of drone. transportation in France and The drone event, designed much of the rest of Europe. and put on by Matthew Tick- They were called Forty and el, took more than three Eights because they were big months of planning. enough carry 40 men or eight “It took me nearly one horses. month to map out and de- The boxcars moved troops, sign the obstacle course,” hauled supplies, evacuated Tickel said. wounded and, in their darkest However, after months of use, transported Jews and planning, Tickel said that he other victims of the Holocaust was proud to see it finally in World War II to concentra- unfold. tion camps. At the race, each pilot Four years after the war, races five rounds which con- France shipped 49 ceremonial sist of five heats each. boxcars in a “gratitude train” During each heat, four to the United States, one to racers would place their each of the then-48 states and drones on the designated the District of Columbia, filled starting line and when the with gifts as thanks for Ameri- count down reached zero, ca’s participation in the war the pilots would begin flying and the country’s aid after- their drones through the ob- ward. stacle course for two min- France was leveled during utes. the war. So in 1947, a group in At the end of each heat, Los Angeles filled up eight the official would count the CAITLAN WALZER / THE SUMTER ITEM boxcars with donated food, Dave Schlitter races his drone through an obstacle course Saturday afternoon at the MultiGP and Mid clothing and other supplies to SEE RACE, PAGE A5 Carolina FVP drone race. be shipped to France. Word got out, and by the time the “freedom train” reached New York, there were 700 boxcars filled with $40 million in do- 11-year-old cancer survivor goes to CAMP KEMO nations. The gratitude train was a gesture of thanks for that Sumter broth- BY CAITLAN WALZER quickly realized that his private aid drive. Each box- ers, Jacob [email protected] childhood would be very car was filled with 52,000 Moyer, 12, left, different from others. gifts, from food to artwork to and cancer sur- What started out as a According to Sharon toys. vivor Timothy normal day ended with Moyer, Timothy’s mother, Today, many of those box- Moyer, 11, horror as 5-year-old Tim- she took her son to Sum- cars are on display in memo- leave for CAMP othy Moyer realized that ter Pediatrics to get it rial parks, state museums and KEMO 2017. what he thought was an checked out. other public places in each injury from a soccer “The morning of his state. But South Carolina’s is PHOTO PROVIDED game was really a tell- doctor’s appointment, he in the parking lot of the tale sign of cancer. was running a low-grade American Legion Post 6 on Finding out that he had fever, so Dr. Grier Pickens Street in Columbia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia checked his blood for largely unknown and unno- (AML) with a FLT3 muta- meningitis and found his ticed. tion, Timothy, also known as Timmy, of Sumter, SEE CAMP, PAGE A5 SEE BOXCAR, PAGE A5 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Ruthy McBride Moore Vernice Epps Rufus SPOTTY STORMS 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Mary Felder Miller Eugene Forgune Partly sunny today VOL. 122, NO. 174 Classifieds: 774-1200 Andrea W. Himes Frank H. Wells with strong chance of Classifieds B6 Delivery: 774-1258 Thomasena P. Adams Nellie J. McFadden News and Sports: 774-1226 storms in spots, lasting Comics B5 Johnny Lee Bradley Ron K. Wilson through tonight. Lillian Mitchell James Lee Scott Opinion A9 HIGH 92, LOW 72 Television A8 A2 | THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Little Theatre to Council approves 1st reading of hold auditions for ‘Barefoot agreement with Project Volcano Later during the regular millage increase would not purposes. According to the in the Park’ Company to meeting, Councilman be used to balance the dis- ordinance, the county does Gene Baten said council trict’s budget because it not have plans to use the FROM STAFF REPORTS invest at least should continue to discuss would be balanced without property; how to improve security at the added funds. He said • Authorize a permanent Sumter Little Theatre will hold audi- Sumter-Lee Regional De- the district is able to re- easement between the tions for its 2017-18 season opener, Neil $37 million tention Center and ad- ceive a 1.27 percent mill- county and Black River Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park,” at 6 dress the increasing abuse age increase according to Electric Cooperative Inc. p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the BY ADRIENNE SARVIS of opioids and possibly state law. for a 27.8-acre parcel on SLT rehearsal room, 14 Mood Avenue. [email protected] create a task force to edu- In other news, county North Wise Drive. The Heather Osborne Turner will direct the cate and help those who council approved first agreement will allow Black play, which is scheduled to run Aug. 31 Sumter County Council abuse the drugs. reading of an ordinance to: River to install electric dis- through Sept. 10. approved a resolution and During the budget work- • Rezone a .49-acre por- tribution lines over or un- Simon’s play concerns newlyweds first reading of an ordi- shop on Tuesday, Baten tion of a 7.12-acre parcel derneath the property; Paul and Corie Bratter, who seem to be nance to enter into a fee- asked if it could be possi- from general residential to • Amend the county a bad match. He’s a straight-laced law- in-lieu-of-tax agreement ble to grant Sumter School general commercial. The code of ordinances to in- yer, and she’s a fun-seeking free spirit. with a company referred District fiscal autonomy to property is connected to clude language stating Soon after their short honeymoon, Co- to as Project Volcano at control its own finances property under the same there are equal opportuni- rie’s eccentric mother drops in, and the Tuesday’s meeting.