Police Seek Info After Man Hurt in Home Fire Caused by Fireworks
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
IN ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Victoria’ returns, spunkier than ever C5 CLARENDON SUN Popular oyster roast is back Get tickets now for annual SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 A7 FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 75 CENTS Clarendon fundraiser Police seek info after man hurt in home fire caused by fireworks Roman candle ignited disabled man’s house BY KAYLA ROBINS a home and severely injured a near the intersection of Jor- PHOTO PROVIDED A 47-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation and burns when a [email protected] disabled man. dan Street, said Ken Bell, pub- A group of people reported- lic information officer for Roman candle was shot into his home from a car driving down Curtis Investigators are seeking in- ly in a small black or dark Sumter County Sheriff’s Of- Drive on Jan. 1. formation on a New Year’s sedan drove down Curtis fice. Day fireworks celebration in Drive about noon on Jan. 1 A Roman candle landed the attic, Bell said. able to get out of the home,” Sumter that turned tragic shooting fireworks out of the next to the home, causing “There was a person inside he said. when someone shot a Roman windows of their moving ve- flames to climb up the side of who, because of a disability, candle from a car that ignited hicle, resulting in a house fire the structure and spread into was on oxygen and was un- SEE BLAZE, PAGE A11 Clarendon Lady of silver, man of pearl senator wants option to start school earlier Bill would let boards choose as early as 2nd Monday in August BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] If one Sumter County lawmaker has his way, public schools may start earli- er next year. District 36 State Sen. Kevin Johnson introduced legislation to this year’s South Carolina General Assembly that would allow school boards to choose an opening date for students to be as “early as the second Monday in August.” The provision in Senate Bill 823, also sponsored by JOHNSON state Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, would take effect next year. PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM “I was on the school board for 12 The Charleston Silver Lady, also known as Dawn Corley, is seen at The Silver Pearl in Bishopville on Tuesday afternoon. years, and I just really feel that those types of decisions are best to be made by the school board,” Johnson said. Bishopville shop features items from The Manning Democrat said starting earlier or later may be better suited the Charleston Silver Lady, Pearl Fryar for certain areas of the state. Myrtle Beach, for example, may like to start BY KAYLA ROBINS where patrons can admire and buy later still so high school students can [email protected] an array of pieces in her collection, continue summer jobs and “help finish from silver candelabras to knives out the tourism season, so starting Bishopville’s newest Main Street with porcelain handles to fabric earlier may not work for them like it shop is shining silver, pearl and por- with her own painted flowers. may work for my district in Clarendon celain. “I love watching these things pass County.” The Silver Pearl has been open for from generation to generation, but I Districts may like the appeal of an business since December, but Tues- don’t want it to pass without the in- earlier start date so the entire first se- day marked a special occasion when formation about it,” Corley said. mester can be completed, including both namesakes of the collectibles “It’s so much more personal than testing, so students can go on winter and antiques gift shop were on hand people realize. It’s like your neck- break and not have to study for final to talk about their work with shop- lace, your ring, your purse, those exams. The Charleston Silver Lady poses for a pers. Johnson and Fanning also proposed portrait at the shop Tuesday. Dawn Corley visited the store SEE SILVER PEARL, PAGE A11 changes to the South Carolina 1976 law that made a “uniform start date for public schools” to allow for what would be next year’s possible early starts. Senate Bill 826 would delete lan- Sumter County gets positive audit guage requiring the start date for pub- lic schools to be “not before the third Monday in August, except for schools Report also shows $4M County’s 2017 audit report, which previous year. operating on a year-round modified also showed a $4 million increase in Sumter County ended the fiscal school calendar.” increase by staying under the municipality’s net position, or year with a positive difference of The code would still require 190 days value. $800,000 in general funds after col- of school a year and three professional budget during fiscal year Webster Roger LLP, the auditing lecting $51.8 million in revenue and development days for teachers, which BY ADRIENNE SARVIS agency, reported the county ended spending approximately $51 mil- may be make-up inclement weather [email protected] the fiscal year with a net position — lion. days. a combined value of the county’s Nearly $24 million of the county’s The bills are being examined by the An unmodified opinion is not the assets and deductions — of $80.4 Senate Committee on Education. only positive result in Sumter million, $3.9 million more than the SEE AUDIT, PAGE A11 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE David E. Oliver Mary E. Brown Leon A. Hamblin Sr. MORE RAIN AHEAD 3 SECTIONS, 24 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 61 Daniel D. Rogerson Sr. Deloris Manning- Janice D. Hudson Rain and drizzle in the Pharish Pinckney Stephens Lawrence B. Wilson afternoon; rain and a storm Classifieds B5 Opinion A10 Jason B. Brown Eddie Gordon Jr. Perry Lee Walker possible early tonight Comics C6 Television C4 Karen Wilson Doug Mathis Anthony Green Charles Peterson Eugene Canty HIGH 75, LOW 46 Sports B1 Mamie R. Rodwell Mabel Dukes A2 | FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Fire takes life of 65-year-old Gable man 4 engines, 20 firefighters from Clarendon respond to blaze; additional help from Sumter, Olanta BY SHARRON HALEY nary results of the autopsy could be added. “The Clarendon County Sher- their arrival. Special to The Sumter Item released as early as next week, Mock iff’s Office also had deputies on scene Four fire engines and 20 firefighters added. to assist.” responded from Clarendon County, GABLE — An early morning fire Clarendon County Fire Chief Fran- Richbourg said her department was Richbourg said. Wednesday claimed the life of a ces Richbourg said Wilson’s body was dispatched to the call around 8:40 a.m. “We also received mutual aid from 65-year-old Gable man. found inside the home near the after a passerby called in the fire. Sumter County and the Olanta Fire Clarendon County Deputy Coroner home’s rear entrance. “I believe the person saw heavy Station,” she added. “They brought Bucky Mock identified the deceased as Richbourg said she called in the fo- smoke and was traveling that way water to us, and we appreciate their Lawrence Wilson, who lived in the rensic team from the State Law En- when they saw the fire and called it help.” doublewide mobile home alone. forcement Division to assist in the in- in,” she said. “The caller said they Richbourg said that Wednesday’s Mock said an autopsy was held at vestigation. could see a lot of fire inside the struc- fire fatality was the first of the new the Medical University of South Caro- “I asked for SLED’s help due to the ture.” year for Clarendon County, which lina on Thursday to determine the degree of damage to the evidence and Firefighters reported that the matched the number of fire deaths the exact cause of Wilson’s death. Prelimi- since there was a fatality,” Richbourg structure was “well-involved” on county had for the entire 2017 year. Pedestrian, 7, seriously injured Flood victim has mixed emotions in hit-and-run about new home she qualified for on U.S. 15 South BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] In November and December, Sumter resident Barbara Harris was upset. A 7-year-old boy was seriously Earlier this week, she was beyond injured in a hit-and-run Wednes- upset. day evening, officials said. A flood-damage victim from the his- South Carolina Highway Pa- toric 1,000-year flood in October 2015, trol Lance Cpl. David Jones said Harris had finally signed a contract the boy was struck in the road- with a nonprofit agency for a new way and that the vehicle drove home to be built for her 20 months away from the incident, which later on June 7 of last year. occurred at U.S. 15 South near Officials with the St. Bernard Proj- Cockerill Road about 6:35 p.m. on ect, a nonprofit disaster relief organi- Wednesday. zation that repairs and builds homes The child was airlifted to Pal- for qualified residents, had determined metto Health Richland in Co- Harris' original home couldn't be re- lumbia with serious injuries. paired to proper standards. As a senior It is not yet known what led up with limited income, Harris qualified to and caused the collision, for a free newly constructed home, ac- Jones said. cording to Mark Smith, the agency's Troopers have since located program manager for South Carolina.