IN SPORTS: Crestwood’s Blanding to play in North-South All-Star game B1 LOCAL Group shows its appreciation to Shaw airmen TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A5 Ex-spouse Community enjoys Thanksgiving meal arrested after volunteers overcome obstacles in killing of woman Victim was reported missing hours before she was discovered in woods BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] The ex-husband of the 27-year- old woman whose body was found in a shallow grave in Manchester State Forest last week has been charged in her death. James Ginther, 26, of Beltline J. GINTHER Boulevard in Columbia, was ar- rested on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky, for allegedly kidnapping and killing Suzette Ginther. Suzette’s body was found in the state forest about 150 feet off Burnt Gin Road by a hunter at about 4 p.m. on Nov. 16 — a few S. GINTHER hours after she was reported SEE ARREST, PAGE A7 Attorney says mold at Morris causing illness BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] The litigation attorney who filed a class-ac- tion suit on behalf of five current and former Morris College students against the college last week says the mold issues on the campus are “toxic” and that he wants the col- lege to step up and fix the prob- lems. Attorney John Harrell of Har- rell Law Firm, PA, in Charleston, made his comments Monday con- cerning the case after the lawsuit HARRELL was filed last week and the JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM college was notified. Six-year-old Daniel is ready to dig in at the annual Thanksgiving meal, headed up by Geraldine Singleton and the To- READ MORE Harrell said he first became day’s Ladies Club, held Sunday. Daniel was attending with his mom and siblings. aware of the alleged com- plaints of health issues related “We were a little bit late be- turkey, dressing, cake and See the full to mold infestation at the Mor- More than 1,000 cause the oven wasn’t work- more than the usual number of text of the ris campus about two months ing,” Singleton said. trimmings. complaint ago, when parents of students people fed during Singleton soon got some Singleton has been oversee- online. began to contact him in Sep- extra help. ing the holiday tradition for www.theitem.com tember. the holiday event “The firemen came and more than 30 years, starting Since then, Harrell said he helped us heat it up,” she said. with a small group of co-work- and his firm’s representatives BY JIM HILLEY “We have a lot of food to ers calling themselves the To- have been on the campus “multiple times” to [email protected] heat.” day’s Ladies Club. interview prospective clients who have contact- Despite the difficulties, Sin- On Sunday, she was busy in- ed his firm about the issues. Geraldine Singleton’s annual gleton and her many volun- structing volunteers and telling Students have also supplied him photographs Thanksgiving meal had to over- teers were busy sending out drivers where to make deliver- taken with their cellphones from their dormi- come some obstacles and got off plates even as people waited ies to those who are unable to tories illustrating mold and other hazardous to a late start Sunday at the Sal- for the OK to form a line. make it to the location. vation Army Boys & Girls Club, By 1 p.m., hungry Sumterites SEE MOLD, PAGE A7 but nobody was complaining. were diving into their plates of SEE MEAL, PAGE A7 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Suzette B. Ginther Roosevelt L. Singleton Bobby Porter A BIT OF RAIN 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 25 James E. Dingle Thomas J. McClary Joshua D. Jacob A passing afternoon J. Harold Rogers Faye L. Turner Shirley Phillips shower is possible today; Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Constance H. Mungin Joseph Williams Lillie Mae T. Lane cloudy tonight Comics A8 Television B5 Myles A. Holland Edward H. Jenkins Jr. Ethel H. Fink Dorothy Williams HIGH 64, LOW 46 Opinion A9 62 Years Of Mortgage Lending Ready To Work For You. Sumter: 803.469.0156 Manning: 803.433.4451 bankofclarendon.com ."//*/(t46.5&3t4"/5&&t46..&350/t8:#00 A2 | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Dingle Road near Olin Road LOCAL BRIEFS and struck a tree at about FROM STAFF REPORTS 11:45 p.m. He was traveling eastbound toward S.C. 260. Sumter City Council The man became entrapped meets today at 5:30 p.m. in the vehicle after the crash. It is unknown if he was Sumter City Council will meet wearing a seat belt. at 5:30 p.m. today in the fourth- The wreck is still under in- floor City Council Chambers of vestigation by S.C. Highway the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Patrol. Main St. Council will consider appoint- Help Sumter Police ments, and the final reading of Cram-a-Cruiser an ordinance rezoning a parcel of land at 3085 McCrays Mill The Sumter Police Depart- Road from Agricultural Conser- ment will be collecting new vation to Residential-9. toys for its Cram-a-Cruiser Reports from members and Toy Drive on the following the city manager will be heard, Saturdays leading up to and public comments will be re- Christmas — Nov. 25, Dec. 2, ceived. Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. Council may enter executive Toys can be dropped off at session, if necessary. Walmart, 1283 Broad St., For more information, call from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each (803) 436-2578. Saturday. All donations will benefit Dental records being The Salvation Army’s used to ID wreck victim Christmas toy drive for dis- tribution into the Sumter Clarendon County Coroner's community. IVY MOORE / SPECIAL TO THE SUMTER ITEM Office is working to identify a Wyatt Bunyea, 7, has a little fun with his mother, Callie, at Saturday’s eighth-annual Capt. Tom Garrity man who died in a wreck on City trash, recycling Firefighter BBQ Challenge. Callie said she and her husband, Capt. Aaron Bunyea of Beech Creek FD Saturday night that resulted in Station, had been up all night cooking their barbecue for the competition. Firefighters from 11 sta- a vehicle fire. pickup held Thursday tions across South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina participated in the fundraiser for the Red The coroner's office received Cross. dental records of the deceased The City of Sumter will be on Monday morning and could collecting garbage and recy- have a name by today, Coroner clables on Thanksgiving Day Hayes Samuels said. for those residents who have An autopsy for the man — a Thursday garbage and recy- Smells, tastes abound Summerton resident — has cling service. been scheduled for this morn- Residents are asked to have ing. their roll cart and recycling According to Lance Cpl. Matt bin at the curb by 7 a.m. for Southern with S.C. Highway Pa- collection. at annual BBQ contest trol, the man's vehicle caught For additional information, fire after the 1998 Ford Explorer call the Public Services Com- BY IVY MOORE Barbecue was judged on four criteria: ap- went off the right side of Moses plex at (803) 436-2558. Special to The Sumter Item pearance, aroma/taste, texture and tender- ness. Pale blue smoke rose over the Sumter The judges did not confer — most took Fairgrounds at 8 a.m. Saturday as dozens of pains to hide their scores. Sumter County Library, 111 firefighters watched their barbecue pork When the judging was done and most of CORRECTIONS N. Harvin St. Admission is butts finish cooking. The firefighters had the blue smoke had cleared, Will Fort an- In Sunday's story about free. Call (803) 773-7273. been up all night slowly cooking the meat, nounced the winners. Kwanzaa, the date of the first hoping to win the trophy and bragging Taking first place in the firefighters’ chal- day of the cultural obser- rights for having the best barbecue in the lenge was Wedgefield Fire Department. vance was incorrect. Kwanzaa 2017 Capt. Tom Garrity Firefighters BBQ Beech Creek FD in Stateburg took People’s begins on Dec. 26 which has In Sunday's Lend a Help- Challenge. Choice. as its theme Umoja (unity); ing Hand article, a pre- “These guys take this challenge very seri- In Friday’s Anything Butt competition, the second day is Dec. 27, Ku- Thanksgiving dinner was ously,” Mike Wright of the Southern Barbe- judged only by those attending, Big Red jichagulia (self-determina- listed as being a Salvation cue Network told his team of judges. “They Cowboys received the People’s Choice tro- tion). There are seven consec- Army Boys and Girls Club win no money — just a big trophy.” phy. utive days in the observance event. The dinner, which Rivalry is intense, he continued. The big winners, however, were those who of Kwanzaa, ending on the was held Sunday, was held “They do this only once a year," he said. strolled among the booths tasting the fire- seventh day, Imani (faith), on at the Salvation Army Boys SBN judges from across the state pre- fighters’ barbecue, seasoned by their secret Jan. 1, when gifts (Zawadi) are and Girls Club but is actual- pared themselves as individual serving recipes, and the local chapter of the Ameri- given. Natalie Williams will ly spearheaded by Geral- boxes of pork barbecue — and later, ribs — can Red Cross, who received the proceeds.