PRO TENNIS Fahey upsets Mateas at tennis tourney in Sumter THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents B1 Admiral travels home to Sumter Alston: ‘When [U.S. Sen.] McCain passed last year, I was Council reminded last year of how much holding of a public servant he was, and I was district inspired to do more.’ ‘hostage’ Trustee backs up his comments made at Monday board meeting BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] A Sumter school board member said Sumter County Council is holding the school district “hostage” and holding onto a past deficit as ra- tionale to not approve its tax increase request. While reviewing next year’s budget and possi- ble millage rate scenarios at Mon- day’s board meeting, Area 1 Trust- ee Brian Alston asked fellow board member and Finance Committee Chairman Johnny Hilton if he felt “county council was holding our school district hostage?” The school district does not have ALSTON fiscal autonomy under state law, so council is in charge of approving district mill- age rate requests. The county has turned the school district down two consecutive years for additional local tax revenue. Council members will vote on June 25 on the district’s request for an additional $1.2 million in tax revenue for the 2020 budget via a 9.01-mill increase. Hilton’s response to Alston on Monday was “hostage” is a strong term and that it’s in the best interest of the board to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money because constituents talk MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM about issues with their council members. On Wednesday, The Sumter Item asked Alston Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle visited Sumter High School, his alma mater, on Monday on a trip to promote careers in the if he stood by his words from Monday in claim- Navy. He graduated from the school in 1986 and said students interested in STEM fields might be a good fit in the Navy. ing denying an increasing in funding via taxes is holding the district hostage. He said he did. Official visits alma mater SHS to promote Navy opportunities He said if Sumter County wants to grow, it must have an educated workforce, that educa- BY KAYLA ROBINS technology,” the San Diego-based Expeditionary tion must be fully funded and that children [email protected] Strike Group 3 commander said. “I was always in- must be each governing body’s top priority. spired by STEM topics, and the way we do He added he thinks county council is inhibit- He may sail the world business in the Navy just ing development “by holding onto the events of and command an expe- fit into that mold very the past,” referencing the district’s financial cri- ditionary strike group, well.” sis from two years ago when the fiscal 2016 offi- but the U.S. Navy ad- Pringle, who cial audit report revealed $6.2 million in over- miral returned home labels him- spending. this week to revisit his self as a life- “I say that because that has been the common humble beginnings. time Game- theme of why council does not feel comfortable Rear Adm. Cedric Prin- cock between with giving us the millage increase. They say, gle stopped through Sumter his Sumter ‘Well, you didn’t properly use the money in on Monday during an execu- High and which you have been given in the past, so how tive outreach trip to his home- University of can we trust that you are going to do right with town and the Columbia area that involved meeting South Carolina alumni the money going forward?’” Alston said. “As with local leaders in government, diversity, education status, said he was inspired to enlist in long as we have that mindset, we’re not going to and veterans groups. Sumter High School has grown the Navy by his four-years-older brother, who would be moving the county or the district forward.” and been renovated since his 1986 graduation, but he travel to various places in South America with his The superintendent at the time the overspend- still sees a connection between the school’s education- Naval assignment and send postcards back to his ing occurred and was discovered, Frank Baker, al opportunities and his duties in the Navy. brother in high school. was elected to an at-large seat on the school “We’re always looking for students who have an eye for STEM topics and are interested in next-generation SEE NAVY, PAGE A6 SEE ALSTON, PAGE A6 ‘Complete distrust’ amid recent Air Force child sex assault case BY JUSTIN PRITCHARD markable — the neighborhood her kids inside. and FOSTER KLUG was full of kids — except that The first girl to report had The Associated Press young girls were starting to to wait six days for officials on report the boy had led them the largest Air Force installa- To the mothers, the 13-year- from play and molested them. tion in the Pacific to provide old boy appeared largely un- “We were like, ‘How is this counseling. The mothers did supervised as he roamed OK?’” the mother of one not sense much urgency from among the clusters of town- 5-year-old girl told The Associ- Air Force criminal investiga- AP FILE PHOTO homes on the U.S. Air Force ated Press, which granted her tors either. The air traffic control tower for Kadena Air Base airfield is seen in Japan base in Japan. anonymity to protect her in 2018. For decades, justice has been elusive on American bases when It would have been unre- daughter’s privacy. She locked SEE ASSAULT, PAGE A6 the children of service members sexually assaulted each other. VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Patricia Ann Scott Buckman DRYING OUT 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Marie McCants VOL. 124, NO. 166 Classifieds: 774-1200 Mostly sunny and warmer Albert Lee Rhodes Sr. today; clear sky tonight Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Delivery: 774-1258 Micah Kion Cooper HIGH 85, LOW 60 Comics B4 Television B5 News and Sports: 774-1226 Moses Richburg Jr. Frank Pride Laidler Opinion A7 A2 | THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Beach, Boogie & BBQ event to raise money for YES Scholarship Fund Sumter’s Footnotes will perform BY DANNY KELLY to play music with people you [email protected] grew up with. We started playing at the Teenage Can- If you like music and help- teen in 1967, which was a ing kids out, then you may Community Center thing want to consider attending with local bands.” Beach, Boogie and BBQ at La The Footnotes are now in Piazza in Downtown Sumter the South Carolina Beach at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Music Hall of Fame. For just a $5 donation, pa- Beer, wine and BBQ will trons can come see The Foot- also be available for pur- PHOTOS BY CORBETT MOORE / THE SUMTER ITEM notes, a Sumter original chase, and all proceeds will A Sumter firefighter puts out the flames of a burning car that hit a power pole and flipped on East band, with returning mem- go toward the Youth Educa- Red Bay Road on Wednesday afternoon. bers Hugh Hodge (singer), tion Scholarship Fund, which Charlie Stafford (guitarist) makes it possible for under- and Mark Bradley (lead sing- privileged children to attend er), who have been away from Sumter Opera House concert Bystanders help pull the band recently until now. programming. “We all grew up in Sumter “To raise money for these and played all through high kids is a way to give back,” school and college,” Foot- Morris said. “It felt like the notes trombone player and perfect fit. If it goes good, teenager from car fire band promoter Steve Morris we’ll do it again next year. I said. “We didn’t play for 28 hope people come and have a BY KAYLA ROBINS years (after that), but we’ve good time.” [email protected] been back together for 20 Outside food and drinks, years. It’s been fun being coolers and chairs are not Smoke billowed into the tree line, past the back together and being able permitted at the event. broken power pole and over the vehicles with flashing lights, the puffs turning from black to white as the water diluted the flames. Witnesses said they were thankful the crash didn’t end in more tragedy. A gold sedan carrying four people, who witnesses said were teens in- cluding one who just graduated from Sumter High School and one rising senior, crashed into a power pole on East Red Bay Road just east of the railroad tracks and power station at Brent Street. The overturned BLANDING vehicle came to a rest upside down and quickly became en- gulfed in flames. Ashley Blanding, of Sumter, was driving behind the car when she said she could see it begin to lose control. She slowed down to give herself space. Then it ran off the road, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS flipped and crashed, she said. ter Fire Department personnel pummeled it Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas Congressman “I couldn’t not stop,” she said. with water. Beto O’Rourke speaks during the 2019 California Democratic Party When she got out, one person was trapped A woman who lives on Reaves Street near- State Organizing Convention in San Francisco on June 1. inside, she said. Flames were already crawl- by and didn’t want her name used said she ing onto the top of the car over him.