No resolution ultimately lasted from 9:30 a.m. April after serving as interim Clarendon coroner to 4 p.m., was originally a result coroner since January after the of Clarendon County Coroner late Samuels Hayes died, has 22 hearing to continue Bucky Mock filing a lawsuit years’ experience as a death in- claiming LaNette Samuels-Coo- vestigator and has worked as into next week per, who beat Mock deputy coroner in in the June 12 pri- Clarendon County for SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018 $1.75 BY KAYLA ROBINS mary, is not quali- 21 years. [email protected] fied to be a coroner Samuels-Cooper, the SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 in South Carolina sister of Hayes, has In what seems to be turning into and incorrectly said on the record pre- a chicken or the egg situation at marked she had one viously she has not led the Clarendon County Court- year’s experience in MOCK SAMUELS- a death investigation house, a merit hearing about death investigation COOPER but that her 13 years of whether the winner of the Demo- with a law enforce- working as an adminis- cratic primary for coroner can re- ment agency, coroner or medical trative assistant in the coroner’s 4 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES | VOL. 123, NO. 196 main on the ballot will spill into examiner agency. office and at her brother’s funeral next week. Mock, who was appointed coro- WORLD The hearing on Friday, which ner by Gov. Henry McMaster in SEE CORONER, PAGE A10 ‘To everything there is a season ...’ (ECCLESIASTES 3:1) New facility offers new day for mental health services for Sumter residents Thailand seeks control over movies about rescue Military government concerned about portrayal of boys trapped in cave A4 SPORTS P-15’s rally in wild 6-4 win over Camden, head PHOTOS BY BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center staff member Patrice Lloyd, right, shows guests a children’s play room to state tourney B1 area on Thursday at the new center. $9M in state funding pays for 30,000-square-foot regional center, opening in August Junior P-15’s beat York BY BRUCE MILLS 4-2 in state opener B1 [email protected] effrey Ham pulled from DEATHS, B6 both a well-known Bible Vernal Cousar Jverse and a famous song in Loretta B. Turner describing the new day it is Stacy Diane L. Hall Naomi W. Baxter now for his regional mental Morgan E. Hodge health service agency with the Ryan W. Burdette Clayton Williams grand opening of a new $9 mil- Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center is at 801 N. Pike West. lion facility in Sumter on Below, officials and dignitaries participate in Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday night. at the new center. From left, are state Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, Sumter County WEATHER, A12 Councilman Eugene Baten, Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center Board Chair Sylvia Christian-James, center executive director Jeffery Ham, and cen- MIXED BAG “To Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center: ter board members Catherine Harris, Lawrence Graham and Mary Alice Ipock. Clouds and sun with storms around, a bit cooler This is your season,” today; tonight, patchy clouds and stormy. Ham said, to serve the HIGH 88, LOW 72 community with a re- newed commitment of excellence, to cele- brate its mission to INSIDE CONTACT US HAM support the recovery Classifieds C6 Info: 774-1200 of individuals with Comics D1 Advertising: 774-1237 mental illness and also celebrate Opinion A11 Classifieds: 774-1200 the opening of two new buildings Panorama A5 Delivery: 774-1258 at 801 N. Pike West. Reflections C3 News and Sports: Area lawmakers, local philan- Yesteryear C4 774-1226 thropists and state department of- ficials also participated in a rib- bon-cutting ceremony at Thurs- day’s event. VISIT US ONLINE AT the .com Ham has been the regional SEE CENTER, PAGE A10 (LYRICS FROM HOLES IN ‘Seasons come, and seasons go, nothing stays the same ...’ THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN) The Sumter Item holding 1st high school football Media Day Media Day right here to Sum- Facebook at www.facebook. Discussions with players, coaches ter," Publisher Vince Johnson com/theitem, and coverage said. "Our goal is to highlight will run across The Item's to stream on Facebook Live the student-athletes and their print, video and photo plat- coaches through an event forms. FROM STAFF REPORTS around Sumter, Lee and Clar- that gets everyone excited for The event will also coincide endon counties. They will fall. This will be a great way with The Item's annual Grid- The Sumter Item sports take part in question and an- for us to continue on our mis- iron Preview, which will pub- staff is hosting the paper's swer sessions discussing their sion to be the area's premier lish prior to the start of the first-ever Sumter Item Media upcoming season with The local news source and engage 2018 football season on Friday, Day to showcase tri-county Item's sports staff. Each with our community around Aug. 17. high school football teams school will be broadcast on us." For more information and ahead of their fall season. Facebook Live, where the Sumter Item Media Day will to find out about partnering The inaugural event, pre- community can comment to be held at Sumter High School with The Item through adver- sented by title sponsor Hines send in their own questions. on Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 tising or sponsorships, con- Furniture, will feature players "Think about it like we're p.m. Anyone is welcome to tact your sales representative and coaches from public and bringing our version of SEC watch in person, but every- or email marketing@theitem. private school football teams or any other college football thing will be streamed live on com. A2 | SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Online sales tax ruling ‘levels playing field’ Sports, both said Wednesday they sup- more regulations and taxes but that said previously his agency is current- Retail industry will port the new legislation. the new legislation provides a more ly drafting guidance for remote retail- "This levels the playing field and al- level playing field for all businesses. ers with no physical presence in the likely see impacts lows fairness in trade out there for the "If we are going to be taxed and reg- state regarding registration, collect- local businesses to compete against e- ulated and have to pass that on to cus- ing, filing and remitting sales and use commerce and those companies that tomers, we sure think other retailers tax and plans to ensure a smooth tran- BY BRUCE MILLS are just not collecting any taxes what- — whether online or not — should sition. [email protected] soever," Hines said. "That's wrong and have to play the same game," he said. The guidance will apply the princi- hurts the states and local businesses. Chris Hardy, president and CEO of ples in the recent Supreme Court rul- Local small business leaders think a You're talking a lot of dollars that are the Greater Sumter Chamber of Com- ing to remote retailers who deliver recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to lost annually by a state when these merce, and Von Nessen said the retail more than $100,000 of goods and ser- allow states to charge sales taxes for things are not being collected." industry will be more impacted by the vices in South Carolina or engage in online purchases will "level the play- Many states — including South Car- new legislation than service industry 200 or more separate transactions for ing field" for brick-and-mortar retail- olina — previously had a law stating businesses. the delivery of goods and services an- ers to compete against e-commerce. that if an individual buys something "The majority of items retailed that nually with state residents. The state By a 5-4 vote last month, the nation's online and doesn't pay sales tax at the are also purchased online are going to agency doesn't know exactly when it highest court ruled that remote online time of purchase, he or she is sup- have the biggest impacts," Hardy said. will begin collecting taxes from re- retailers that don't have a store or posed to self-report it on an income "As far as your locally owned busi- mote sellers, according to a spokes- other physical presence in a state are tax return. nesses, it's going to be a positive effect woman. now subject to sales and use tax. For University of South Carolina Econo- for them in the long run because they The case the high court ruled in had example, the tax now could be collect- mist Joey Von Nessen said a lack of are going to be able to compete with to do with a law passed in South Dako- ed from S.C. shoppers who shop on- self-reporting nationwide contributed the strictly online retailers." ta in 2016. That state's governor has line at outdoor retailer L.L. Bean. to a loss of billions of dollars in tax Implementation of the new legisla- said his state loses out on an estimat- Donnie Hines, owner of Hines Fur- revenue at the national level. tion falls in the hands of the South ed $50 million per year in sales tax niture Co., and Shawn Matthews, vice Matthews said retailers, and all Carolina Department of Revenue.