School Board Adopts $131.8M Budget Alternative School Most Likely Will Start School Year Aug
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P-15’s to face Lexington for 2nd place in League 3 ahead of playoffs B1 SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2018 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.75 School board adopts $131.8M budget Alternative school most likely will start school year Aug. 20 at Mayewood site BY BRUCE MILLS million budget Thursday night after a before final adoption at Thursday’s to $6 million. [email protected] final reading. board meeting at the district office. As had been discussed before, The vote on the new fiscal year bud- In his financial report to the board, Mabry attributed most of the $5.2 mil- After the big news earlier in the get was expected because it had al- interim district finance director Bill lion in total net savings to unfilled week of Sumter County Council vot- ready passed two readings from the Mabry detailed that the district proj- classroom teacher positions through- ing down its millage increase request board in late April and mid-May. ects to close the 2017-18 fiscal year out the school year. Mabry worked to help achieve some bigger-picture The budget was already balanced with a net income — or surplus — of with the district in June after Chris goals, Sumter School Board unani- within the district’s existing millage, about $5.2 million, which will lift the mously adopted its balanced $131.8 so nothing had to be removed from it district’s ending general fund balance SEE BUDGET, PAGE A10 Tips for having a fun, safe July 4 BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] ndependence Day is right Iaround the cor- ner, and as that day is one to remember, peo- ple should take caution when lighting fireworks and cooking on the grill to make those memories good for years to come. Take the time to read the instructions for each firework, Sumter Fire Department Battal- ion Chief Johnnie Rose said. Safety information about the fireworks is clearly stated on the packaging, he said, and adults — people 18 and older — should be the only ones lighting fireworks. Once the firework is lit, Rose said, you have no control over it, so be aware of your sur- roundings. You could be liable for damage if any fire- work you ignite damages someone else’s property, he said. People should also be courteous to their SEE SAFE, PAGE A10 Bomb threat Political newcomer suspect ID’d, says he’s running for charged school board Area 3 BY BRUCE MILLS BY BRUCE MILLS ees. He said he wants [email protected] [email protected] to bring true fiscal re- sponsibility and over- After a second bomb threat in He’s an outsider in sight to the district. three days to the same public fa- the political realm, Coleman, 37, spoke cility on Friday morning, police MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM but Sumter native Friday after a news arrested and Shaw personnel and a K-9 responded Friday to a bomb threat at the Sumter Josh release was distribut- charged a Sumter branches of DHEC and DSS, the second such threat in three days. Coleman ed saying he planned man late Friday. says — to run for the seat. In a Saturday news partment public information offi- day and again Friday morning given his Filing for four non- release, the Sumter cer Tonyia McGirt. to the downtown-area building passion partisan area seats — Police Department He faces two counts of bomb that houses local offices of the for local plus the two at-large said it collected in- threat and is being held at Sum- Department of Health and Envi- education trustees’ seats — up SAMUELS formation leading to ter-Lee Regional Detention Cen- ronmental Control and Depart- COLEMAN — he’s for election in Novem- the arrest of James ter, where bond was denied Satur- ment of Social Services when announc- ber on the school Lee Samuels, 51, of day. employees there received the ing his candidacy now board runs July 16 1021 Huddersfield Drive. Samuels Sumter Police Department of- threats. for the Area 3 seat on through Aug. 15. was taken into custody Friday ficers and other first responders Sumter School Dis- without incident, according to de- were called about noon Wednes- SEE THREAT, PAGE A10 trict’s Board of Trust- SEE COLEMAN, PAGE A10 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B6 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Zebedee Alexander Pack Robert E. Pack Jr. HOLDING PATTERN 4 SECTIONS, 30 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 181 Gertrude W. Dix John K. Poisey Thunderstorms around this Classifieds C7 Reflections C4 Troy L. Baker Samuel Holladay afternoon, hot and humid; Lillie B. Sanchez Donald L. Bowen tonight, patchy clouds. Comics D1 Sports B1 Matthew Dease Panorama A5 Yesteryear C5 HIGH 91, LOW 73 Opinion A11 USA Today C1 Outdoors C6 Choose The Bank That Works Hard For You It’s a world of difference when you bank with someone who lives and works in your community. When you need a car loan, checking account, credit card, or home mortgage, we speak your language. And we make decisions locally, not in a board room hundreds of miles away. We’re all the bank you’ll ever need. As the bank’s president, I make sure of that every day. Barry Ham Sumter: 803.469.0156 Manning: 803.433.4451 bankofclarendon.com ."//*/(t46.5&3t4"/5&&t46..&350/t8:#00 A2 | SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Republicans Science meets the wild West propose using tax money for new tax cuts JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court rul- ing making it easier to collect online sales taxes could yield billions of dollars for state and local governments — if they decide to keep it. Rather than spend the wind- fall on schools, prisons or other government services, some Republican governors and lawmakers are proposing to give it away in the form of tax cuts. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, running for re-election this year, has suggested the extra revenue could be used to ex- pand tax breaks for seniors or households with children. Ne- braska Gov. Pete Ricketts, also on the November ballot, wants to put it toward property tax relief. Some Kansas lawmakers are eyeing a reduction in the food sales tax; the Tennessee House speaker wants to lower the state's 7 percent sales tax rate; and a Missouri lawmaker plans to sponsor an individual income tax reduction to negate the sales tax expansion. "To just take that revenue would be a tax increase," said Missouri Sen. Andrew Koenig, echoing the reasoning of many tax-adverse Republicans leery of simply spending or saving the expected influx. The court ruled June 21 that South Dakota could enforce a law compelling many out-of- state businesses to collect taxes on sales made to its resi- dents. The ruling overturned a decades-old precedent stating that businesses without a physical presence in a state — like a store, office or ware- house — didn't have to collect sales taxes on behalf of the state. In such cases, customers technically were responsible for paying the tax, but most didn't. As online commerce has PHOTOS BY ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM grown, some large retailers Children helped conduct science experiments and learned such as Amazon already had more about the world around them while listening to an en- begun collecting sales taxes for gaging story about the wild West during a performance by all 45 states that charge them. Doug Holley with ScienceTellers at Sumter County Library's But others with a physical Wesmark Branch recently. ScienceTellers was one of the many presence in only a few places activities scheduled for Sumter County Library's 2018 Summer haven't been doing so. Reading Program. For more information or a list of upcoming How quickly that will change activities, go to www.sumtercountylibrary.org and click the could vary by state. In the past "Calendar of Events" tab. two years, 15 states have enact- ed laws attempting to require out-of-state companies to col- lect sales taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many other states may have to wait until legislatures recon- Rembert man charged with attempted murder vene in 2019 to set specific re- quirements for out-of-state FROM STAFF REPORTS of John Leary Lane and The release stated the initial inves- sellers. Most states already Reginald “Reggie” Durant, 30, of Mayrant Road in Rem- tigation indicated that the incident have set their budgets for the 5420 Mayrant Road, Rembert, is bert, the deputies found happened inside of the victim’s home 2019 fiscal year. charged with attempted murder after EMS treating a female in the 5400 block of John Leary Lane. State and local governments he allegedly stabbed a woman Thurs- for multiple stab wounds. Durant was read his Miranda rights stand to gain $8 billion to $13 day evening. The suspect, who had and taken to Palmetto Health Tuom- billion annually by collecting According to a news release from DURANT bloodstained clothing ey for treatment of his injuries. He is taxes from all remote sellers, Sumter County Sheriff's Office Public and an apparent lacera- being held in Sumter County Sher- according to a report issued Information Officer Ken Bell, depu- tion on his right hand, iff’s Office Detention Center awaiting last fall by the Government Ac- ties responded to a call about a re- was pointed out to the officers by a a bond hearing. The alleged weapon countability Office. Other esti- ported stabbing about 6 p.m.