HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Sumter, Crestwood, Scott’s Branch gained ground with Friday victories A8 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2020 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.00 Barrett vows to interpret laws ‘as they are written’ BY MARK SHERMAN, LISA firmation hearings that Senate after removing the protective MASCARO and MARY CLARE Democrats are using to try to mask she wore most of the day. JALONICK brand her a threat to Americans’ “The policy decisions and value The Associated Press health care during the coronavi- judgments of government must be rus pandemic. made by the political branches WASHINGTON — Supreme After sitting in silence through elected by and accountable to the Court nominee Amy Coney Bar- nearly four hours of opening people. The public should not ex- rett declared Monday that Ameri- statements from members of the pect courts to do so, and courts cans “deserve an independent Su- Senate Judiciary Committee, the should not try.” preme Court that interprets our 48-year-old federal appeals court She told senators that she is Constitution and laws as they are judge laid out her approach to the “forever grateful” for Ginsburg’s written,” encapsulating her con- bench, which she has likened to trailblazing path as a woman on servative approach to the law that that of her conservative mentor, the court. has Republicans excited about the the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Yet Sen. Kamala Harris, Demo- prospect of her taking the place of “Courts have a vital responsibil- cratic presidential nominee Joe the late Justice Ruth Bader Gins- ity to the rule of law, which is Biden’s running mate, said the burg before Election Day. critical to a free society. But court is “often the last refuge for Barrett spoke about her judicial courts are not designed to solve equal justice” and a Barrett nomi- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS philosophy, her experience and every problem or right every nation puts in jeopardy everything Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in her large family at the end of the wrong in our public life,” Barrett during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judicia- first day of her fast-tracked con- said in a statement she delivered SEE COURT, PAGE A6 ry Committee on Monday on Capitol Hill in Washington. Tickets available Built on a blessed foundation for 20 Under 40 winners reveal banquet Oct. 29 Celebratory event will be outdoors, socially distanced FROM STAFF REPORTS It’s always a good time to cele- brate success, but this year it may be more needed than ever. The winners of the 2020 Top 20 Young Professionals Under 40 con- test will be announced at an awards banquet on Thursday, Oct. 29, and there are still tickets avail- able to the event that will be out- doors and so- cially dis- tanced with COVID-19 precautions PHOTOS BY SHELBIE GOULDING / THE SUMTER ITEM in place. The Local residents wrote blessings and Scriptures on the frame of the new Sumter United Ministries homeless shelter on Saturday. event, one of The ministry hopes to have the building completed for residents to move in in February next year. a three-part celebratory campaign New homeless shelter created through a being built became partnership between The Sumter Item, Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce and Young Profession- ‘blessing factory’ for als of Sumter, will be at the Sum- ter County Museum, 122 N. Wash- community supporters ington St., from 6 to 8 p.m. Dress to impress in business ca- BY SHELBIE GOULDING sual attire and be part of the third- [email protected] annual awards ceremony that rec- ognizes rising stars in the profes- elievers woke up bright and early sional field spanning business, ed- this weekend to write Scriptures ucation, health care and entrepre- B neurial fields. There were more and pray, but it wasn’t in a church. than 6,700 votes cast for 64 nomi- It was for a new homeless shelter that’s in nees this year. Attendees will be the first to get the works in Sumter. their hands on the 2020 Top 20 Sumter United Ministries ‘Jesus is love, and Under 40 magazine, which features invited community members all the winners and gives readers to come to the new emergency their guide to the area, from res- shelter on Saturday that’s lo- we want you to taurants to places to take the fami- cated behind its office, 36 S. ly to favorite events (not consider- Artillery Drive, and bless the feel the love even ing COVID-19). framework and foundation of The event is being held outside the nonprofit’s new homeless if you don’t see it.’ to ensure proper social distancing, shelter before they continue and guests will be able to network construction. DAPHNEY and celebrate amid live music and “People want to be a bless- SCARBOROUGH hors d’oeuvres. ing,” said Daphney Scarbor- Tickets are $25 and can be pur- ough, director of the emergen- Emergency shelter chased at https://business.sumter- cy shelter. “We’re like a bless- chamber.com/events/calendar. ing factory.” director To view a list of this year’s nom- The new shelter has been an inees, go to www.theitem. ongoing project for about two com/20under40. years, and Scarborough said she was proud to For more information on the see so many community members get involved event, contact Ariel Wilkie Floyd and bless the unfinished structure. at (803) 775-1231 or ariel@sumter- chamber.com. SEE SHELTER, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, A9 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Alice Joan Welch David Elijah Ballard NOT FEELING LIKE FALL 1 SECTION, 12 PAGES the .com VOL. 125, NO. 257 Marion M. Nathaniel Raqwane Marquel Vazquez Mostly sunny and very warm; William Stephen Currie Willie Edward Washington Jr. partly cloudy tonight Classifieds A11 Sports A8 Vernell Parson-Graham L.T. Rudd HIGH 84, LOW 55 Comics A5 Television A10 Jean Caroline Sorrell Toney Lee Loney Virntell Mary Holmes-Dixon Ayanna Alexander Opinion A7 A2 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2020 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] State agency offering unemployed free access to more than 4,000 leading online courses the Coursera Workforce Recovery Ini- As of mid-September, nearly 4,000 Partnership helps those who tiative in South Carolina for worker LEARN MORE: South Carolinians had registered to have lost work in pandemic retraining and reskilling for those dis- S.C. Department of Employment and receive access to the platform. placed from a job as a result of the Workforce: Deadlines do exist, however. Claim- pandemic. ants must register with Coursera by BY BRUCE MILLS dew.sc.gov [email protected] According to a news release, the Oct. 31 for coursework. There is no courses and certifications available on limit to the number of courses an indi- Congress still has not struck a deal the platform are all designed by the vidual can take in the offering, but on a federal unemployment supple- world’s leading university and indus- “This is an incredible opportunity courses must be completed by Dec. 31, ment, but the state’s top employment try educators and cover numerous for hard-working South Carolinians 2020, according to the release. agency is doing its best to offer help to skillsets including business, technolo- who are still facing employment chal- Top classes that state claimants ini- those unemployed because of the gy, data science, health, social scienc- lenges in the wake of COVID-19,” said tially enrolled in included Excel Skills COVID-19 pandemic. es and arts/humanities. Some of the Michelle Paczynski, assistant execu- for Business, Technical Support Fun- Recently, the state Department of courses include professional certifi- tive director at the state Department damentals (Information Technology), Employment and Workforce an- cates, such as the Google IT Support of Employment and Workforce. “Not Financial Accounting, Introduction to nounced it has partnered with a lead- Professional Certificate, designed spe- only can someone take advantage of Web Development and Programming ing online learning platform to offer cifically to train people to return to these courses to professionally propel for Everybody, among several others. more than 4,000 professional courses work in high-demand jobs in the infor- them forward, we are pleased to be The agency added that classes are at no cost to unemployment insurance mation technology industry. able to partner with Coursera, so the offered in several languages and are claimants. Annual user access to Coursera’s financial burden doesn’t fall on the accessible via smartphones and tab- The agency and Coursera launched online platform is generally $399. shoulders of the claimant.” lets. Facebook bans Holocaust denial, distortion posts BY MATT O’BRIEN ‘I’ve struggled with the tension After an outcry, Zuckerberg, toward ensuring that this sort AP Technology Writer who is Jewish himself, clari- of anti-Semitism is not ampli- between standing for free fied that while he personally fied,” said Greg Schneider, the Facebook is banning posts found “Holocaust denial deeply group’s executive vice presi- that deny or distort the Holo- offensive,” he thought that “the dent. caust and will start directing expression and the harm caused best way to fight offensive bad The group on Sunday posted people to authoritative sources speech is with good speech.” its 75th video from a Holocaust if they search for information by minimizing or denying the The Anti-Defamation League survivor appealing directly to about the Nazi genocide. said it was relieved by Mon- Zuckerberg. Fred Kurz, an Facebook CEO Mark Zuck- horror of the Holocaust.’ day’s shift but criticized Face- American who was born in erberg announced the new book for taking nearly a decade Austria in 1937, described los- policy Monday, the latest at- MARK ZUCKERBERG after the New York-based ing both of his parents in con- tempt by the company to take group first began to publicly centration camps.