SPORTS Ex-SHS standout Green commits to South Carolina TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents B1 Dads, students, Community gardeners help beautify school is opposed Willow Drive’s atrium helps grow knowledge of plants and animals BY ADRIENNE SARVIS to proposal [email protected] A few of Sumter’s most knowledgeable ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM gardeners along with local fathers and stu- Members of Poinsett-Bland Garden Club, stu- dents started another phase of upgrading dents of Willow Drive Elementary School and Rafting Creek Elementary in Rembert Willow Drive Elementary School’s atrium their fathers volunteered to clean up the during the Dads’ Spring Workday on Satur- school’s atrium Saturday. would close under current draft plan day. The workday was a partnership between Principal Trevor Ivey said Saturday’s BY BRUCE MILLS Sumter School District’s sixth the school, the Heart of Sumter and Poin- work included laying gravel for the paths in [email protected] and last in a series of public sett-Bland Garden Club to beautify the the atrium, cleaning up some of the exist- meetings, for now, on a school school’s atrium and provide a space for the ing plants and pressure washing the brick REMBERT — Same propos- consolidation proposal here students to enjoy and learn from nature. and stone elements at the school’s entranc- al. Same questions and con- Sunday night at Rafting Creek Students and fathers were also encour- es. cerns. Just larger audience Elementary School. aged to take part in the beautification proj- and more vocal. ect to learn about nature. SEE WORKDAY, PAGE A7 That about summed up SEE REMBERT, PAGE A7 Easter egg hunt meets color run PHOTOS BY ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM Many of Sumter’s children were all smiles as they collected Easter eggs during Christ Community Church’s Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday. Older children challenged themselves during the egg hunt by picking up eggs while running through bright-colored clouds during the color run. See more photos from the church’s event on A3. Volunteers clean up trash from downtown, ask others to help BY ADRIENNE SARVIS and pick up litter downtown. keeping the city clean. who are considering bringing their [email protected] Clean-up efforts were focused in the “Downtown is very important to businesses to Sumter. Central Business District area, bor- me,” said Neil Neaderhiser, chairman It also hurts people’s mentality, With growing concerns regarding dered by Washington, Bartlette and of Main Street Society. “And it’s very Neaderhiser said. When you live litter, the city of Sumter held a com- Calhoun streets. important to our efforts.” around trash, you get used to it, and it munity event on Saturday where resi- The city provided the supplies while Trash hurts the community, he said, dents were encouraged to come out volunteers provided their pride in especially when it comes to people SEE TRASH, PAGE A7 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Charles E. Land Jr. COOL BUT NICE 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Charles R. McCreight VOL. 123, NO. 113 Classifieds: 774-1200 Richard L. Gavin Partly sunny and cool; low Delivery: 774-1258 Willie McCray clouds tonight Classifieds B6 Sports B1 News and Sports: 774-1226 Lulabell Epps HIGH 62, LOW 47 Comics A8 Television B5 Samuel Levy Opinion A9 Jerry Tennant Robert H. Ruffin A2 | TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Lincoln Alumni to honor activist-lawyer BY IVY MOORE activism, according to Jim Felder of Sampson’s client base mainly in- ation, U.S. District Court of South Special to The Sumter Item the alumni society. The Sampson cluded “the downtrodden,” Felder Carolina, U.S. Court of Appeals of the twins were members of Williams’ said, and she did it “with whistles and Fourth Circuit, the U.S. Supreme The Lincoln High School Preserva- legal team. bells.” It is widely reported that she Court, American Bar Association, the tion Alumni Society will celebrate the Two of the state’s most respected did more pro bono work than any National Association of Women Law- life and service of the first black lawyers — and later judges — Mat- other lawyer in Sumter. yers, S.C. Democratic Party and con- woman to practice law in Sumter. A thew J. Perry and Ernest A. Finney Sampson ran against State Sen. tributing member of the National special forum for Women’s History Jr. represented Williams in Federal Henry “Punch” Richardson in 1974 Democratic Committee. Month will recognize the contribu- Court. Williams won the case, and the when no one else would and put up a Sampson died in 2013 at the age of tions of the late Dorothy Vermelle judge ordered the school district to re- good fight but did not win, Felder 94. Sampson at 6 p.m. Thursday in the instate her. She continued to teach said. The Lincoln High School Preserva- Historic Lincoln Center, 22 Council until she retired. Among Sampson’s community affil- tion Alumni Society invites the public St. Felder noted that Dorothy Sampson iations were memberships in Good to attend its Women’s History Month Born in 1919, Sampson had a twin “was fearless and tangled with the Shepherd Episcopal Church, Federat- forum celebrating the late Attorney brother who preceded her in the field Sumter Police Department on numer- ed Club of Sumter Green Thumb Gar- Dorothy V. Sampson at 6 p.m. Thurs- of law as the first black male lawyer ous occasions.” den Club, Community Action Adviso- day at the Historic Lincoln Center, 22 in Greenville. Both were active in civil Many of her run-ins with the police, ry Board of Child Development Cen- Council St. Admission is free, and rights, as was their younger sister, he said, were because they addressed ter, Board of S.C. Commission of light refreshments will be served. Irene Sampson Williams, who sued her as “Dorothy,” rather than as Ms. Farm Workers Inc., Sumter County For more information contact Jim Sumter School District 2 in 1965 for Sampson or Attorney Sampson, a Cancer Society, YWCA Board of Di- Felder at (803) 261-0167, or email firing her because of her civil rights courtesy extended to other lawyers. rectors, Sumter and State Bar Associ- [email protected]. LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS S.C. led U.S. in Alzheimer’s deaths in 2015 Lee County School District CHARLESTON (AP) — A new Projections estimate that number Southern Studies, says the state names director of personnel report shows that South Carolina will increase to 120,000 by 2025. has recently improved its record- led the nation in the percentage of One reason South Carolina's rate ing of Alzheimer's as a primary Tiniece Javis has been named director its population that died of Al- is so high may be partly because cause of death. She says that's of personnel for Lee County School Dis- zheimer's disease. of a rapidly aging population. probably why the state leads the trict effective March 19. Javis most re- The report from the National Al- About 17 percent of the state's res- nation. cently served as dean of Richland One zheimer's Association shows that idents are 65 or older. "It's bad news, but it's news that Middle College in Columbia. 2,453 South Carolinians died of the "As we are seeing the silver tsu- we needed to know," Spencer said. According to a news release from Lee disease in 2015, the most recent nami crest, more people are get- There is no cure for Alzheimer's, County School District, the Orangeburg year with complete totals, The Post ting diagnosed," said Taylor Wil- although it may take years to native earned a Bachelor of Science de- and Courier of Charleston report- son, director of communications progress. gree in Mathematics from South Caroli- ed. for the South Carolina chapter of "Unfortunately, the disease will na State University and both a Master's South Carolina ranked 8th in the Alzheimer's Association. eventually win out," said Dr. Nich- in Education and a Mas- 2014. Mindi Spencer, an associate pro- olas Milano, a neurologist with the ter's in Mathematics from About 89,000 people in South fessor with the University of Medical University of South Caro- the University of South Carolina have Alzheimer's Disease. South Carolina's Institute for lina in Charleston. Carolina in Columbia. Ad- ditionally, Javis holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova JAVIS Southeastern University in Sumter pianist receives Federal money for opioid Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Javis served as assistant principal of both Summit Parkway Middle and Dre- highest rating in division crisis a small step forward her High schools in Columbia and served as human resources director for Richland School District Two in Colum- CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) States also have begun bia. — The federal government putting money toward the In the release, Lee County School Dis- will spend a record $4.6 bil- opioid epidemic. The office trict Superintendent Dr. Wanda An- lion this year to fight the of Ohio Gov. John Kasich drews stated, “We welcome Dr. Javis to nation's deepening opioid estimates the state is Lee County School District. I know she crisis, which killed 42,000 spending $1 billion a year will do an outstanding job. She is goal- Americans in 2016. to address the crisis. Last oriented, driven by results and an effec- But some advocates say year, New Jersey allocated tive leader.” the funding included in the $200 million to opioid pro- spending plan the presi- grams, and the budget pro- Child hero to be honored dent signed Friday is not posal in Minnesota calls by Sumter County Council nearly enough to establish for spending $12 million in the kind of treatment sys- the coming fiscal year.