USA TODAY: Jewish communities threatened, desecrated C1 TELEVISION Trump, reality TV and the media President will speak to SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 Congress tonight B6 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 75 CENTS School board’s meeting gets heated Board member responds cord of integrity and service marks in a prepared statement alley a place where business is Monday night in response to re- during the board communica- done with favors,” Michalik said. on the ‘favors’ allegation cent comments made by black tions’ portion of Monday’s Sum- “Well, I don’t hang out in back clergy in a newspaper article ter School Board of Trustees’ alleys, and neither would I asso- BY BRUCE MILLS that referenced she showed par- work session at the district of- ciate with people of little to no [email protected] tiality and allegiance to the dis- fice, 1345 Wilson Hall Road. integrity that operate that way.” MICHALIK A Sumter School District trict superintendent. “Maybe there exists in some board member defended her re- Karen Michalik made her re- underbelly of some seedy back SEE BOARD, PAGE A7 Owner arrested in Compass fire Man charged with arson reportedly got $700K BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] On Monday, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies ar- rested and charged Ronald Clifton Cantey, co-owner of The Compass restaurant in Gable, with arson in connec- tion to the blaze that destroyed the family run business at 7885 Myrtle Beach Highway on July 26, 2016. During the joint investiga- tion conducted by the sheriff’s office and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, investi- gators found evidence placing Cantey, 57, of 589 Cooktown Road, Lake City, at the scene of the fire within minutes of SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO the 911 call. A SLED agent and his arson dog check through the rubble of The Compass restaurant in July 2016 after a fire destroyed the business. Ronald Clifton Cantey, 57, of Lake City was charged Monday with arson and related charges in connection with the July 26 blaze. Cantey reportedly SEE COMPASS, PAGE A7 collected about $700,000 in fraudulent insurance claims in the incident. Sheriff’s office seeks man in 2016 shooting death FROM STAFF REPORTS tion with the September shooting being heard shortly after midnight shot wound to the back. death of Jaquell Dinkins, 17, of on the morning of Sept. 14, 2016, in According to an incident report, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Sumter. the 200 block of Apollo Street in witnesses said they and Dinkins is asking for the public’s help in lo- According to a news release Wedgefield. knocked at the door of a residence cating 24-year-old Asaad Jamal from the sheriff’s office, deputies Responding deputies found Din- McNeil, who is wanted in connec- responded to a call about gunshots kins unresponsive with one gun- SEE SUSPECT, PAGE A7 McNEIL Man on limited income S.C. Chamber head gets help with heating expects veto of tax BY JIM HILLEY increase for roads [email protected] Pension reform also gets focus Sumter United Ministries BY JIM HILLEY continues to assist deserving [email protected] residents of Sumter County who request help with heating wide mobile home. The resi- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce CEO needs. dence does not retain warm Ted Pitts told Sumter Rotary Club on Monday Because of the generous air very well, and his average that the South Carolina General Assembly is contributions to Fireside bills in this ‘warm’ winter focused on two big issues during this session: Fund, the ministry is able to thus far have exceeded $200 a pension reform and infrastructure funding. provide assistance to those month.” Pitts said the House will take up a roads bill who need help, said Crisis Re- The $200 average heating this week which will phase in a gas tax in- lief Ministry Director Kevin bill is made more complicated crease and increase the sales tax maximum on Howell. by the client’s income, Howell automobiles from $300 to $500 as well as raise As unseasonably warm tem- said, which is a meager $521 some alternative fees. peratures continue, it does not monthly and includes $18 in However, he said he thinks Gov. Henry Mc- buffer against the overnight food stamps. JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM Master will veto any roads legislation involv- drop in temperatures in many “It takes 40 percent of his South Carolina Chamber of Commerce CEO ing a tax increase. homes, he said. income to heat his home,” Ted Pitts speaks to Sumter Rotary Club on Pitts gave the General Assembly credit for “Recently, a disabled man in Howell said. Monday at The O’Donnell House. He pre- investing in the port at Charleston but said if his 60s requested help with his Recently, the client has had dicted Gov. Henry McMaster would veto any the state does not have the infrastructure to electric bill,” Howell said. “He road funding measure that includes a gas lives in a 1970s-model, single- SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A8 tax increase. SEE PITTS, PAGE A8 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 William B. Collins Jr. STORMS POSSIBLE 3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Margaret P. Amerson VOL. 122, NO. 97 Classifieds: 774-1234 A thunderstorm possible Henry Richardson Jr. in the area today; mostly Classifieds B7 Opinion A9 Delivery: 774-1258 Mattie H. Hurst cloudy and mild tonight Comics C4 Television B6 News and Sports: 774-1226 Lee Earl Colclough John A. Burris HIGH 80, LOW 62 Daisy L. Caraway A2 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Y.E.S. program brings arts to young people BY IVY MOORE [email protected] About 200 high school students sat rapt in the Sumter Opera House on Fri- day morning as the Virginia Rep on Tour — the country's second-largest touring company for young audiences — presented a live performance re- counting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Before the play started, one of the actors asked the students from Lakewood and Crestwood high schools how many of them had seen a profes- sional company perform. Only a few raised their hands. The students' attention did not waver throughout the one-act play. "I Have a Dream — The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." was made accessible to the students through the Opera House's Y.E.S. (Youth Education Scholarship) pro- gram. Begun in 2016, the fund will bring a live, professional performance to the Opera House stage each month of the school year. Seth Reimer, Sumter cultural man- ager, said the fund makes attendance possible for students whose families might not be able to afford tickets to PHOTOS BY IVY MOORE / THE SUMTER ITEM the shows. In addition, he said, "The Members of Virginia Rep on Tour, front row left, pose for a photo with students from Crestwood and Lakewood high schools follow- grant money we receive from the Duke ing Friday’s performance at the Sumter Opera House. The program sponsored by the Opera House’s Youth Education Scholarship Energy Foundation also pays the ex- (Y.E.S.) program covers the cost of admission for students and provides educational materials for teachers to use with students. pense for Sumter School District buses to transport the students, and it pays the performance groups." personal stories. rooms. Y.E.S. also provides education- play "really interesting. I didn't know Private donors also make it possible "The arts educate and unite chil- al materials to teachers so they can which parts of (King's) history were for some students to attend the perfor- dren across all boundaries. Think of prepare students for the shows. true before. Blending the play and the mances. Reimer said about 2,500 stu- reading about anti-bullying tech- Shandra Koger, who teaches Eng- classroom study really helped." dents have already attended shows at niques, George Washington Carver or lish at Lakewood High School, said Jones said Friday's performance the Opera House. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a class- the performance and the provided has made him look forward to seeing He's very enthusiastic about the room textbook. Now imagine seeing materials, which comply with S.C. De- more live performances and learning Y.E.S. program. an engaging performance that brings partment of Education curriculum more about different cultures. “With the disturbing events in re- to life those same issues and charac- standards, made for a valuable unit in Virginia Rep on Tour, founded in cent news, I find myself increasingly ters. Which experience has more her classroom. Students studied 1975, has been internationally ac- focused on our youth," Reimer said. power to leave a lasting impression in King's speeches and learned about the claimed for excellence as a theater for "How are we equipping these young the heart of a student?" social and political conditions of young audiences. The company per- people for the future they will inherit? Y.E.S. offers more than just a per- King's time and how his leadership forms live for more than 500,000 stu- The best tool any of us have is knowl- formance at the Sumter Opera House, changed the direction of civil rights. dents, parents and teachers each year edge. Let’s teach them about cultures he noted. "It was a wonderful opportunity for throughout 33 states and the District so they learn to value differences In addition to the shows there, my students to see a live perfor- of Columbia.