NUTRITION: Counting calories might be a flawed method, research shows A3 FREE ENTERTAINMENT Catch Swift Creek Band this Friday downtown A2 TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents Polls open for today’s Special Election BY JIM HILLEY Republican Ralph Norman of 1 and 2, Delaine, Manchester Harmony, Stone Hill, South District Special Election but [email protected] Rock Hill as well as several Forest, Pinewood and St. Paul Red Bay, Savage Glover or not the S.C. House District 70 minor party and independent precincts will be eligible to Bates precincts are not eligi- Special Election. Today is Special Election candidates. vote in both the 5th Congres- ble to vote in the Special Elec- The 5th Congressional Dis- day for voters in South Caroli- Seeking S.C. House District sional District and the S.C. tion. Those precincts are nei- trict seat opened when former na’s 5th Congressional Dis- 70 are Democrat Wendy Braw- House District 70 special elec- ther in the 5th Congressional U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney was trict and in South Carolina ley of Hopkins and Republi- tions. District nor S.C. House Dis- appointed to a position in the House District 70. can Bill Strickland of Sumter. Voters who live in the trict 70. Trump administration, and In the congressional race, Voters in the Horatio, Hill- Mayesville, Salem, St. John, Registered voters in all the S.C. House seat became Democrat Archie Parnell of crest, Oakland Plantation 1 Morris College, Crosswell, other precincts are eligible to Sumter is competing against and 2, Dalzell 1, McCrays Mill Loring, Lemira, Magnolia- vote in the 5th Congressional SEE ELECTION, PAGE A7 ‘Hero Central’ includes Jesus and Batman, too Plant will be open by September BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] Despite some normal delays associated with any new busi- ness line and operation, Sum- ter’s newest manufacturer, Mount Franklin Foods, is gearing up to open its local plant by September. Mount Franklin’s Chief Op- erating Officer Jay David was in town last week and made his comments during a plant tour of the facility. That facili- ty is the former Ausome candy plant in Live Oak Industrial Park and is in the process of getting a facelift with major renovations. In October, Mount Franklin — based in El Paso, Texas — formally announced that it would be bringing 225 new jobs to Sumter and would be operating out of the former Ausome plant. Ausome abruptly closed in March 2016 because of bank- ruptcy. Ausome’s product line in Sumter included fruit nug- gets and, at the time of its clo- sure, there were about 60 em- ployees remaining in the oper- PHOTOS BY CAITLAN WALZER/ THE SUMTER ITEM ation. Young girls at First Presbyterian Church’s “Hero Central” Vacation Bible School gasp as a flame shoots out of the back of Lane Latham’s David said Mount Franklin hand-built Batmobile on Wednesday. The church’s event, “Hero Central: Finding Your Strength in God,” brought more than just music will also produce fruit nuggets and fun when Latham awed young children with his Batmobile that he built in seven-and-a-half years. using Ausome’s old product line, but the major focus of the new operation will be gummy multi-vitamins, and that has necessitated part of the facili- ty upgrades and new equip- ment. Most candy companies just dabble in a gummy vitamin product line on the side, but David said the Sumter facility will be dedicated to that mar- ket, and that will be unique in its industry. The company sees the gummy vitamin market as a definite growth segment be- cause the sugar-candy market overall is not growing because of sugar-conscious consumers, according to David. Even the parent company has decided to change the Above left, Topanga Battilana, in blue shirt, and Lawton Hill, in striped shirt, look over the Batmobile. name of the Sumter operation Above right, Latham of Sumter enjoys showing his car to others and last week was at First Presbyterian Church’s Vacation Bible School. SEE PLANT, PAGE A6 Donations help hardworking mother keep electricity on BY ADRIENNE SARVIS an electric bill of In addition to caring for her mother, The young woman continues to [email protected] more than $200. the young woman has three children work in Manning — commuting each The young and pays for childcare services each day — and is looking for a job in Sum- Temperatures continue to rise as woman moved to day that she works. A court ordered ter. Summer of Caring season takes off. Sumter from Man- that child support be provided for the In April, the first electric bill at her As energy usage escalates during ning in April to live children, but she does not receive it. Sumter residence was almost $300, the hottest months of the year, clients a block away from After nearly six weeks of balancing which caught her by surprise. on small, fixed incomes often struggle her mother, who all of those responsibilities, the young Sumter United Ministries was able to to keep their electric bills in check. had become very ill. She also main- woman’s mother suddenly passed counsel the young mother about energy Recently, Sumter United Ministries tained her job as a waitress in Man- away, and she and her siblings were assisted a client in her mid-20s with ning and commutes to work. responsible for the funeral costs. SEE CARING, PAGE A7 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Shirley B. Watkins Sheila L. Reardon COOLING OFF 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com Gwendolyn E. Diaz Eleanor J. Justice VOL. 122, NO. 177 Thomas Mahoney Jr. Tom Sanders Cooler with a thunderstorm; Johnny Lee Bradley Jean W. Johnson overcast with a storm Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Rosetta J. Pearson Edward D. Porter tonight and humid Comics A9 Television B5 Calvin T. Yost John B. Raffield III HIGH 80, LOW 69 Opinion A8 Vonnie Mae McLeod Doris E. Reynolds Rosa S. Houser A2 | TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Suspect not identified in fatal Rembert hit-and-run FROM STAFF REPORTS South Carolina Highway Pa- trol is continuing its investiga- tion into the fatal hit-and-run incident that left a Rembert man dead on Sunday morning. According to SCHP Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins, 56-year-old Dwain Andrew Wright of Rem- bert was struck by a vehicle about 12:35 a.m. while walking along Ellerbe Mill Road in Rem- bert. Collins said the agency is still working to determine the type of vehicle involved in the inci- dent and will report more infor- mation once a vehicle has been PHOTO PROVIDED identified. Swift Creek Band brings its mix of country and Southern rock to Downtown Sumter’s Fourth Fridays concert this week. The 6:30 to 9 Anyone with information on p.m. Friday show will be presented on the lawn of the Sumter County Courthouse on North Main Street. the incident is asked to call *HP. LOCAL BRIEFS Swift Creek’s modern, classic FROM STAFF REPORTS Road shift planned on U.S. 76/378 on Thursday country comes to Fourth Fridays Motorists driving on U.S. 76/378 between Sumter and Co- BY IVY MOORE Swift Creek's popularity lumbia should be aware of a [email protected] FOURTH FRIDAYS ON MAIN has led the band to pursue traffic shift planned for Thurs- WHERE: Lawn of Sumter County Courthouse recording. day at the Mill Creek Bridge Re- Downtown Sumter's "We are currently in the WHEN: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Fourth Fridays placement project in Richland Fourth Fridays on Main studio working on our County, the South Carolina De- concert series continues COST: Free first album, called 'Caroli- partment of Transportation an- its focus on local bands SCHEDULE: June 23, Swift Creek; July 28, Joe Sanford Band; Aug. 25, Jus na Y'all,' and our first sin- nounced Monday. this week with the variety Tru Black; and Sept. 22, Terence Lonon & the Untouchables gle is 'My Girl,'" he said. Westbound traffic will be group Swift Creek Band. ADDITIONAL: Food and beverages available for purchase. Bring lawn "My Girl" can soon be shifted onto the newly con- The five-piece band plays chairs or blankets for seating. heard on Itunes, Spotify structed roadway and bridge at a mix of country and and Google Play. the construction site, while Southern rock, and it has Hear Swift Creek from eastbound traffic will remain been in demand at venues 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday on the on the detour roadway and across the Midlands and lawn of the Sumter Coun- bridge. The traffic shift will af- beyond. On Friday, they'll Band members are lead ago when we started the ty Courthouse. Admission fect westbound traffic from Old be playing on the Sumter vocalist Andrew Moseley, band." is free, and food and bev- Hopkins Road to Old Garners County Courthouse lawn lead guitarist and vocalist Not all the band mem- erages will be available for Ferry Road. for the second concert of Dillon Ellis, Allan Craw- bers are from Sumter, purchase. The existing eastbound Sumter's 2017 outdoor ford on rhythm guitar and Ellis said. Downtown Sumter's out- bridge will then be removed summer concert series. vocals, Josh Button on "Andrew, the lead sing- door summer concert se- and replaced. The band has been busy bass and Brian Cook on er, has been with us for ries continues on the The final phase of construc- since it formed about two drums.