CLARENDON SUN Firefighters recognized for their service FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A7 A (snow) day to play Weather makes heaters hot item Portable units, piping materials big sellers at hardware stores BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] With unseasonably low temperatures at night in the tri-county region since Monday, residents have been buying up portable space heaters and pipe fittings and related parts for burst pipes, according to local hardware stores. Staff at Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Simp- son Hardware & Sports said Thursday that space heaters have been big sellers all week. Simpson was the only one that reported Thursday afternoon to still have an assort- ment of heaters on hand. After Wednesday’s snowstorm dropped 4 to 6 inches of snow throughout Sumter County and about 3 inches in Clarendon and Lee counties, utility providers only re- ported a limited number of home power PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM outages in the tri-county region. Banks Smith, 9, hauls a sled down an icy street on Thursday morning in Sumter after the snowfall Wednesday. Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said the provider only had a handful of reported Residents take advantage of canceled class, work to enjoy winter weather outages associated with the cold and snow- storm on Wednesday night in the three coun- BY KAYLA ROBINS ties. Black River Electric Coop. representa- [email protected] tive James Moye said the co-op had about 95 home outages in the area, but everyone had he fire truck red of the their power back on by 5 a.m. Thursday. The stretch of cold nights seem to be boys’ sleds was still causing more problems than Wednesday’s bright and shiny, un- snowfall. T According to National Weather Service scathed by having not experi- enced day after day, winter SEE STORES, PAGE A5 after winter of snow day races. The wood wasn’t worn. Their riders, cold, bright-eyed. Sumter may not have the rolling hills found in cities farther north, but one neighborhood road be- tween Alice Drive Elementary School and Second Mill Pond was slanted enough for those barely Grayson Sanders, 8, sleds past some friends down an icy road in Sumter. broken-out speedsters to provide hours of entertainment the morn- sleds with their friends. The storm may have passed by ing after a handful of inches of The children playing all attend Thursday, leaving sled-friendly snow powdered, then iced, the Wilson Hall, which was closed roads and a winter wonderland area. Thursday because of Winter across the Midlands, but the The Associated Press reported Storm Grayson. height of it Wednesday evening the largest snowfall — 8 inches — Paige Sanders, 10, stood among was not so fun for Smith’s hus- was found in Williamsburg County the Jones brothers and their band. near Andrews but claimed areas friends, laying out the rules for the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office around Sumter picked up 7 inches. race. You go there, and you go and South Carolina Department of There were about 4 inches on the there. Transportation reported traffic lawns lining the street where a “Yesterday, we tried to go out was backed up on U.S. 378 because group of kids were playing Thurs- here, but it was too powdery,” of cars sliding off the road, getting day morning. Sarah Smith said. Her sons, 9-year- stuck and being unable to make it BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM “I think it caught us all off old Banks and 7-year-old Eli, were up an icy hill. Smith said her hus- Sumter resident Freddie Mobley, left, listens guard,” said Robert Jones, whose also taking turns racing. “Now band was in traffic for two hours. Thursday as Simpson Hardware’s Mike Brown two sons, Wyatt, 8, and Jeremiah, that there’s a layer of ice, it’s per- explains which pipes would be best to purchase 12, were taking turns racing on fect.” SEE SNOW DAY, PAGE A5 at the store, 32 W. Liberty St. Cold temps and ice remain across state after storm COLUMBIA (AP) — The sun came back out eight years. Thursday in South Carolina, and temperatures But there were so many roads covered with rose above freezing, but many major highways ice. Parts of Interstate 95 from mile marker 77 in the eastern part of the state remained an icy around St. George south to the Georgia state mess. line remained closed Thursday afternoon be- Gov. Henry McMaster authorized 20 Nation- cause of icy patches. Dozens of other roads re- al Guard members to use their equipment to mained treacherous, according to the DOT. help rescue stranded motorists on Interstate 95 Major roads less traveled were even worse. and to the east and push vehicles out of the And troopers warned any water from melted way so the roads could be reopened. ice left behind after dark would refreeze as South Carolina Department of Transporta- temperatures across the state again fell below THE ASSOCIATED PRESS tion crews worked 24 hours a day in shifts to freezing. Finley Bork, 7, uses a boogie board, typically used on the beach, for try to clear the ice and snow off roads that sledding down a hill on a golf course at the Isle of Palms on Wednesday. had not dealt with a major winter storm in SEE STATE, PAGE A5 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Robert Billie James Amos Sr. Veronica S. Alletto ANOTHER COLD DAY 3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO.56 James Preston Jr. Darlene S. Lewis Jacqueline L. Mesidor Mostly sunny and chilly today; Charles L. Shaw Simone A. Glover Catherine G. Brown very cold tonight Clarendon Sun A7 Opinion A9 John E. McKnight Dorothy B. Willis Barbara B. McInnis Classifieds B5 Television C4 Robert Walters Walter R. Straw Louis Davis Jr. HIGH 40, LOW 17 William A. Cook James A. Jones Hulean M. Kinder Comics C6 USA Today C1 A2 | FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Icy roads keep Sumter law enforcement busy BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] Along with bright, fluffy snow, Winter Storm Grayson brought poor road conditions to the Sumter area, resulting in more than 200 calls for ser- vice for Sumter Police Depart- ment. Sumter police responded to 44 stranded motorists and 71 motor vehicle incidents — in- cluding five hit-and-run inci- dents — between noon on Wednesday and noon on Thursday. The department's telecom- municators answered more than 1,650 calls in total during the same 24-hour period. Stay at home if you can, Tonyia McGirt, Sumter Police Department public informa- tion officer, said. Some businesses will be open, but drivers should take their time on the road, she said. Drive very slowly if you have to be on the roads, and leave space between you and the vehicle in front of you, Mc- Girt said. Parts of the road that are MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM constantly shaded will have Local law enforcement advises drivers to stay home if at all possible, but if you have to be on the roads, drive slowly and leave space between more ice than other portions you and the vehicle in front of you. of the road, she said. Keep an eye on the ice while driving through any area of Deputies normally don't unable to reach Sumter’s 911 the city, and don't panic if you work wreck investigations, but Center — which receives HELPFUL INFORMATION do slide — steer into the slide, there were so many vehicles emergency calls for all first- EMERGENCY SHELTER she said. If the rear of the ve- off the roadways they had to responder agencies — call Sumter United Ministries’ emergency shelter opens at 6 p.m. every night. The hicle is sliding to the right, pitch in, he said. Sumter Police Department's shelter normally closes at 7 a.m. but will remain open if temperatures are below turn the wheel to the right; Also, traffic on U.S. 378 was non-emergency number at freezing. Meals and beds are provided. turn the wheel to the left if the held up for about three hours (803) 436-2700 and Sumter SERVICE DELAYS rear of the vehicle is sliding to because drivers could not get County Sheriff's Office non- • All city sanitation services scheduled for Thursday were cancelled and will the left. over a bridge that had iced emergency number at (803) resume on regular schedule next week. Today’s routes will be picked up as McGirt said officers are also over, Bell said. Traffic started 436-2000. normal. checking in with residents — to pick up again after S.C. De- Although the majority of • The U.S. Postal Service will attempt to deliver mail that was not delivered especially the elderly — to partment of Transportation snow and ice on the roads because of poor road conditions caused by the snow storm. Questions can be make sure they have what crews put down salt, he said. melted on Wednesday after- directed to call toll-free 1-800-275-8777. they need. Any bridge or overpass will noon, freezing temperatures FOOD STORAGE Out in the county, some become dangerous very quick- and cool breezes were expect- Sumter County Sheriff's Office ly after dark when the melted ed to turn some roads into an • Keep a few days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or deputies were working outside ice and snow will freeze again, interconnected ice rink.