IN SPORTS: Sumter “O”Zone All Stars’ run comes to end B1 THE CLARENDON SUN UK natives teach soccer SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 Challenger summer program THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 75 CENTS brings in the experts A6 Thompsons win Main Street SC award Merchant Award, which was bestowed “Danielle and Greg Thompson took “When Continental Tire announced Couple recognized for on Danielle and Greg Thompson of risks opening businesses downtown it was bringing a plant to Sumter, the Hamptons in Sumter at the South Car- while the revitalization process was Thompsons renovated a downtown downtown renovations olina Municipal Association's Annual still in its early years,” the release stat- building for the company to use rent- Meeting on July 16. ed. “Now the couple has multiple busi- free as its headquarters for two years BY JIM HILLEY The award recognizes excellence in nesses in downtown Sumter including until the plant was ready,” the release [email protected] the retail field and is awarded to a mer- Hamptons — Sumter's fine-dining res- said. chant who is innovative and committed taurant — and its adjoining smaller “Greg and I were really excited to re- Downtown Sumter and the people to downtown revitalization and exem- restaurant and bar.” ceive this award,” Danielle Thompson who are making it a major attraction plifies creativity and success in mer- Main Street SC, a program of the said. “We feel it will bring more recog- are receiving accolades for revitalizing chandising, inventory, display and val- municipal association, cited the nition to Sumter and is a real positive the heart of the Gamecock City. ue-added retailing and services, ac- Thompsons' willingness to help with for the whole community.” The latest recognition is the 2016 cording to a Main Street South Caroli- economic development when announc- Main Street South Carolina Master na news release. ing the award. SEE AWARD, PAGE A5 It’s time to ‘Gear Young sculptors at Summer Art Camp Up for Learning’ BY IVY MOORE [email protected] It's been 18 years since Sumter United Ministries started its Gear Up for Learn- ing program that each year provides basic school supplies to Sumter's stu- dents. For many years it collected, sorted and donated supplies for 1,850 children; starting last year and continuing this year, the ministry hopes to collect enough for 2,500 students in Sumter School District. Denise Spivey, Rosanne Christie and Adrian Mills are coordinating the project this year, and some donations have al- ready come in to the ministries' office on Artillery Drive. "We often hear from teachers, princi- pals, counselors and even get notes from some students saying how much the pro- gram helps them," Spivey said. "There are a lot of students in Sumter whose parents can't afford their school sup- plies." She said the ministries' new method of sorting donations, started last year, has streamlined the process of packing and distributing the supplies to the schools. "In the past," she said, "we had volun- teers assemble bags with supplies for in- dividual students by grade. Now we just ask that recipients donate bulk items, like packages of pencils and pens." Spivey said the bulk items will be picked up at the end of the collection pe- riod and taken to each school in the dis- trict, where they will be kept and given to students as they need them through- out the school year. PHOTOS PROVIDED "This way students don't get supplies Sami Hallman, 5, left, and Logan Rodgers, 6, show off the sculptures and puppets they made this week in Jen Pepper’s Story- they don't need," she said. "It cuts down tellers class at Sumter County Gallery of Art’s Summer Art Camp. Students read fiction and nonfiction stories, learning about on hours of volunteer time, and it saves the natural world, colors and more in the class. Pepper, an art professor at Cazenovia College in New York, is also a profes- supplies. sional artist who exhibits internationally. She’ll teach Storytellers again next week for students ages 4 to 7, as well as Pep- per’s Puppeteers for those 8 and up. Many other classes taught by art educators and artists will be offered during the last SEE GEAR, PAGE A5 two weeks of the camp. Call (803) 775-0543 to register or for more information. GOP delegates tour sites in Cleveland Police across U.S. patrolling BY JIM HILLEY count to put his father over she said was well attended. [email protected] the top. Smith said attending the in pairs after ambush attacks “Donald Trump Jr. repre- convention is her second Sumter County Republi- sented his father very well,” visit to Ohio but the first can Party Chairwoman she said. “He was able to time she has visited Cleve- BY SADIE GURMAN Local agencies not Shery Smith, who is at- bring in the final delegate land. The Associated Press tending the Republican Na- count for his father, giving “I enjoyed seeing the sites part of national trend tional Convention in Cleve- him the nomination; it was and riding around the city,” DENVER — Police depart- land, Ohio, as a delegate a very moving moment for she said. ments across the country BY ADRIENNE SARVIS from South Carolina Con- him and for us." The delegation had a are ordering officers to pair [email protected] gressional Dis- She said afterward Don- meeting and then was able up after ambush attacks left trict 5, said ald Trump held a brief to tour sites, including the eight officers dead in Texas While some law enforce- Wednesday rally. Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. and Louisiana, a precaution ment agencies around the was sort of a “We were there all eve- “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of that could slow response country are changing up pa- “free” day for ning for the speakers,” she Fame was great,” she said. times to low-level crimes trol procedures, Sumter's law the delegation said. Did she have a favorite ex- and drive up overtime for al- enforcement officials plan to from the Pal- Thursday morning in- hibit? ready exhausted police. continue operations as usual. SMITH metto State. cluded a breakfast with Gov. “Elvis, of course,” she Los Angeles police as- Both Sumter Police Chief She said the Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim said. signed members of special- Russell Roark III and Sumter nomination of Donald Scott and former ambassa- Elvis is from Mississippi, ized crime-fighting units to County Sheriff Anthony Den- Trump on Tuesday night dor to Canada David Din- not from South Carolina, back up officers responding nis said they feel confident was an exciting moment, es- kins, she said. however. to routine calls. Baltimore enough in the connections pecially as Donald Trump Sen. Ted Cruz had a “It is what it is,” she said. Jr. delivered the delegate thank-you luncheon which “I love Elvis.” SEE NUMBERS, PAGE A9 SEE LOCAL, PAGE A9 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A12 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Annette Baker MORE OF THE SAME 2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Henry C. Carter VOL. 121, NO. 233 Classifieds: 774-1234 Warm and mostly clear today Delivery: 774-1258 with thunderstorms likely; Classifieds B6 Religion A4 News and Sports: 774-1226 tonight, mostly clear, humid Comics B5 Television A10 and not as warm. Opinion A11 HIGH 91, LOW 71 A2 | THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] S.C. convention delegates find fractured GOP COLUMBIA (AP) — The Republican Davis, a libertarian-leaning lawmaker, with her principles always taking a Pickle also said he'd had to walk Party may have nominated Donald told The Associated Press from Cleve- backseat to ambition," Davis said. away from vendors hawking materials Trump, but some South Carolina dele- land. "We need to offer a positive mes- "The 'Lock her up!' chants were over using sexist slurs to describe Clinton. gates are discouraged by what they sage on what we are about, too." the top." "What happened to professionalism, describe as enduring divisiveness and Davis spoke a day after impassioned That fervor, Davis said, shows that manners and humanity in our politi- negativity at the Republican National floor speeches from the likes of New Trump has tapped into "a sort of deep- cians and citizens?" Pickle said. "As Convention. Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who on seated emotional rage." far as the hardware that is being cir- Without some quick healing in the Tuesday night effectively put Hillary "People feel things are slipping away culated, unforgivable! I think it speaks confab's closing days, they fear, the Clinton through a trial-by-delegates from them," Davis added. "And they're to their intelligence and hate." party that has been fractured by a "for her performance and her charac- scared." As the convention moves toward its brutal primary season may have a ter." Another delegation member, talk close this week, Davis — who last hard time winning the general elec- As Christie, a former federal prose- radio host Bill Pickle, expressed frus- week was critical of a party platform tion — or surviving. cutor, read out "charges" against Clin- tration at "name calling and childish heavy on policy positions favored by "We are not going to win simply by ton, the audience responded with behavior" among some of the speak- religious conservatives — said the demonizing Hillary, as much as she chants of "Guilty!" and "Lock her up!" ers, both at the podium and in one-on- GOP needs to somehow broaden its warrants derision," state Sen.