Boy injured by tree last week during storm dies 3-year-old pinned inside Cherryvale home when tree crashed through roof BY KAYLA ROBINS tornado warning. Sumter firefight- SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2019 $1.75 [email protected] ers had to cut away the roof to get him out as he had been trapped in- SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 The 3-year-old boy who was in- side by the trunk. jured when a tree fell through his The line of storms that passed house during a storm on Good Fri- through that day were responsible day succumbed to his injuries a earlier for the death of an 8-year- week later. old Florida girl, a woman in Ala- Alexander Sheptock died on Fri- bama and three people in Missis- day, Sumter County Coroner Rob- sippi. 4 SECTIONS, 26 PAGES | VOL. 124, NO. 136 bie Baker confirmed. The boy’s aunt and other family He had been on life support since members have been sharing a Go- BEST OF SUMTER being transferred to a Columbia PHOTO PROVIDED FundMe page for support. His IN TODAY’S EDITION hospital shortly after being trans- Alexander Sheptock, 3, is seen with his aunt, Yvonne Smith-Harris, posted ported to Prisma Health Tuomey grandmother. on Facebook on Thursday night Hospital in Sumter on April 19, that the family was on the way with CT scans showing low brain Burgess Glen Mobile Home Park home from the hospital “and our activity. residence when a massive pine tree He was sitting on a couch in a crashed through the roof during a SEE ALEX, PAGE A8 Get your on Microbrew HippieFest Who were the comes to downtown 2019 winners? BY IVY MOORE Find all the details of this Special to The Sumter Item year’s contest in our magazine ilsner, ale, lager, IPA, stout … whatever your taste in beer, you can likely find it at Sumter Se- in today’s newspaper nior Services’ Microbrew HippieFest from 6 to 9 See photos, page A4 p.m. on Friday, May 10. With 24 different beverages available for tasting, there’s also a good chance you can find a new favorite beer or beers as you stroll from DEATHS, B6 venue to venue in downtown Sumter. Elizabeth S. Bolton The annual event is a fund- brew Festival. Noting that the Charles Marion Seymore raiser for Sumter Senior Ser- festival has become popular Alexander T. Sheptock vices, which provides home- not only with beer lovers, butut Myrtle Humphrey delivered meals, transporta- also with those who enjoy itstss Annie Elizabeth Davis tion, activities at three se- social aspects, she said, Persephone W. Powell nior centers, health and “It’s fun! How often do Margie Louise M. Weatherly wellness services and more you get to drink beer for Viola McKnight to Sumter’s elderly. Rebecca a good cause?” Almeta Eaddy Chatmon Sears, chairwoman of SSS’ Newman also noted McKinley Brogdon Sr. fundraising committee and di- that a dozen community- Willie Vaughn Sr. rector of RSVP (Retired Se- minded businesses in the Charles Johnson niors Volunteer Program), downtown stay open at said there is a lengthy waiting night for the 6-to-9 p.m. fun-- list for meals for needy se- draiser, pouring tastes and niors. providing food to accompany WEATHER, A10 Leigh Newman, downtown the beer; several of them fur- ANOTHER NICE SUNDAY development coordinator for nish prizes for a “goodie bag” the city, works closely with for each attendee and for the Mostly sunny and warm today; mild tonight. Sears and the fundraising drawing held at the end of HIGH 85, LOW 61 committee to organize Micro- the evening. SEE HIPPIEFEST, PAGE A8 INSIDE CONTACT US Classifieds C6 Info: 774-1200 Comics D1 Advertising: 774-1237 Opinion A9 Classifieds: 774-1200 Outdoors C1 Delivery: 774-1258 Reflections C2 News and Sports: Sports B1 774-1226 Television C5 VISIT US ONLINE AT the .com Thompson says talk with board member moved him to new path hind closed doors at that had to say. fellow serving business lead- Former Finance Committee member wants meeting, Thompson said that Thompson made his com- ers on the committee, Ben district trustee and fellow ments Thursday at the open- Griffith and Bobby Anderson, to start a public charter school in Sumter committee member Shawn ing of an informational meet- the same thing. BY BRUCE MILLS mittee meeting that Sumter Ragin told him that Sumter ing with other community “Frank Baker and his sup- [email protected] private business leader Greg School District Board of leaders on establishing a pub- porters have no interest in Thompson said it became ob- Trustees Vice Chairman lic charter school in Sumter hearing what we have to say,” It was a little more than a vious to him that he needed to Frank Baker and his sup- County and reiterated them Thompson said Thursday. month ago at the March 19 do something different. porters on the board had no on Friday to The Sumter Item. school board Finance Com- In the executive session be- interest in hearing what he Thompson said Ragin told SEE CHARTER, PAGE A7 Come See The Bob Timberlake Furniture afKmel]jkF]o Palmetto Gas Outdoor Living Center 820 S. Pike Rd. Sumter 803-775-4321 Fireplaces & Fire Pits Kitchens & Grills Mon. - Fri. 8am - 5pm, Sat. 8am - 4pm NEW Sat. Gas Lights & Heaters Outdoor Furniture Hours! palmettogas.com A2 | SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2019 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] School board to discuss denied appeal Monday BY BRUCE MILLS [email protected] Sumter School District’s Board of Trustees will have its first board meeting on Monday since the state Board of Education denied its “fis- cal emergency” appeal, and possible next steps related to that failed ap- peal are a headline topic of discus- sion. A district spokeswoman distribut- ed the meeting agenda Friday morn- ing. The trustees will begin the meet- ing with a one-hour executive ses- sion behind closed doors, where the law firm that assisted the district and board in its appeal — Columbia- based White and Story LLC — will provide additional legal advice. Later, in the board meeting, the trustees may take some action on the matter. Other agenda highlights include financial reports and a budget dis- cussion with district Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Miller. After the New Patriot Hall exhibit to showcase state board voted unanimously, 10-0, to affirm state Superintendent Molly Spearman’s emergency decla- ration and not accept a district/ The Sumter Item’s historical photography trustees’ recovery plan, the district was still waiting on guidance last Archivist Sammy Way to tell glimpse back through history. there to document it all, and now week for next year’s budget plan. Sumter’s Eyes Exhibition will be on some of those photos are being That technical assistance will come stories behind photos at display at Patriot Hall in the Sumter brought back to life. from the state Department of Edu- County Cultural Center from Tuesday Sammy Way, The Item’s archivist cation’s finance department. opening reception Tuesday through June 28 between 8:30 a.m. and a Sumter historian, will be on In another agenda item of note, and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, hand during Tuesday’s opening re- the board’s Policy Committee will BY KAYLA ROBINS allowing the public the chance to ex- ception to share the rich history be- discuss its board committees’ rec- [email protected] perience life through the eyes of some hind each photo. ommendations. That committee met of Sumter’s premiere photographers. The reception and exhibition is free on April 10. First reading approval The Sumter Item and Patriot Hall From wartime to daily life in Sum- and open to the public at 135 Hayn- will be called for later on at the are joining forces to give Sumter a ter’s past, The Sumter Item has been sworth St. meeting. Monday’s meeting is the board’s monthly work session, so public participation is not listed on the agenda. The public is still invited to S.C. lawmakers aim to strengthen animal attend, however. The work session Learn about local history cruelty laws including tethering penalties — to be held at the district office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road — will begin COLUMBIA (AP) — heavy for an unattended with the one-hour executive session through May photo tour South Carolina lawmakers dog to move around or hin- at 6 p.m. Open session before the FROM STAFF REPORTS are considering legislation ders the dog’s access to ad- public begins at 7 p.m. to strengthen animal cruel- equate food, water or shel- Learn about Sumter’s history with Sammy Way, ty laws. ter. Those convicted on a historian and Sumter Item archivist, and take photo- Members of the House first offense could face up graphs of the area during the Shepherd Center’s up- Criminal Laws subcommit- to 90 days in prison and Free job fair set for May 22 coming historical tour of the City of Sumter and tee met Thursday and ap- fined $100 to $1,000. If con- Sumter County. proved a Senate proposal victed on subsequent of- FROM STAFF REPORTS Participants can choose from two tours, May 1 and that establishes new ani- fenses, offenders could be May 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day beginning at mal shelter standards, ad- fined $500 to $1,000 and Sumter residents and employ- Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. dresses disaster response serve no more than a year ers are invited to a free job fair Both tours include a short photography lesson by for licensed veterinarians in prison.