NATION: Standoff imperils jobless, small businesses A3 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.00 Barrett confirmed as Supreme Court justice by deeply divided Senate BY LISA MASCARO conservative court majority for years lidify the court’s rightward tilt. COVID-19. His vote was not necessary. AP Congressional Correspondent to come. Monday’s 52-48 vote was the closest With Barrett’s confirmation as- Trump’s choice to fill the vacancy of high court confirmation ever to a sured, Trump was expected to cele- WASHINGTON — Amy the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Gins- presidential election, and the first in brate with a primetime swearing-in Coney Barrett was con- burg potentially opens a new era of modern times with no support from event at the White House. Justice Clar- firmed to the Supreme rulings on abortion, the Affordable the minority party. The spiking ence Thomas was set to administer Court late Monday by a Care Act and even his own election. COVID-19 crisis has hung over the the Constitutional Oath, a senior deeply divided Senate, Democrats were unable to stop the proceedings. Vice President Mike White House official said. Republicans overpower- outcome, Trump’s third justice on the Pence’s office said Monday he would “This is something to be really ing Democrats to install BARRETT court, as Republicans race to reshape not preside at the Senate session un- proud of and feel good about,” Senate President Donald the judiciary. less his tie-breaking vote was needed Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Trump’s nominee days Barrett is 48, and her lifetime ap- after Democrats asked him to stay before the election and secure a likely pointment as the 115th justice will so- away when his aides tested positive for SEE BARRETT, PAGE A6 Large events in S.C. Nearly quarter of Sumter’s almost always OK’d as registered voters have COVID-19 cases climb THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WHO SHOULD GET TESTED? already voted in person South Carolina’s business agency has ap- According to DHEC, those proved more than 90% who are “out and about” in of the more than 800 the community, around events that planned to others or not able to socially distance or wear a attract at least 250 peo- mask should get tested at ple since the governor least once a month. removed the coronavi- rus-related ban on the “Routine testing allows gatherings in early Au- public health workers to diagnose those who are gust. symptomatic and interrupt While the state Com- the ongoing spread of the merce Department re- virus,” the agency says. views the events and approves them if they include proper social distancing plans and Christmas, when many mask rules, it doesn’t college students and follow up to make sure others may visit their events follow their own families and spread guidelines. That’s left to disease. local law enforcement. McMaster has indi- Meanwhile, South cated he has no plans Carolina’s COVID-19 to reinstate restrictions cases are creeping back put in place when the toward a point not seen pandemic was begin- since Gov. Henry Mc- ning, including closing Master lifted the ban on or limiting restaurant PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM People wait in line outside of the Sumter County Courthouse to vote in-person absentee in Sumter on Wednes- large gatherings. seating or preventing The state’s seven-day fans from attending day. average of new COVID- football games, con- 19 cases was 943 on certs or other large Monday. It has been gatherings. Almost 900,000 have below 1,000 new cases Of the more than 800 since mid-August other large events approved than a few brief spikes by the state Commerce voted in person or as many schools re- Department, more than turned in September. 20 of them anticipated The seven-day aver- crowds of more than by mail statewide age for daily COVID-19 5,000, according to data deaths have also been reviewed by The Post BY KAYLA GREEN climbing from 12 to 22 and Courier of Charles- [email protected] over the past 10 days. ton. Those include col- According to a new lege football games at After three weeks of in-person absen- key indicator dash- Clemson, the Universi- tee voting, Sumter County has seen tens board, the state Depart- ty of South Carolina of thousands ballots cast. ment of Health and En- and Coastal Carolina. A staffer at the Sumter County Voter vironmental Control is About a quarter of Registration and Elections Office told A poll worker helps a voter prepare to cast her ballot for early, in- recording increases in the applications are for The Sumter Item on Monday afternoon person absentee voting at the Catchall Community Center in Sum- indicators such as rate events that want at that there were 1,286 ballots cast at the ter on Wednesday. of cases, rate of tests least 1,000 people to at- courthouse and four other satellite loca- and hospitalizations. tend. tions throughout the county on Monday. South Carolina’s up- About 60 events have The county office has recorded 16,789 in- To vote absentee in person, visit ward trend in cases, been denied, including person absentee ballots since the polls hospitalizations and an outdoor concert at a opened on Oct. 5. one of the following locations: deaths have not been Blythewood park that Sumter County has nearly 70,500 reg- as pronounced as areas didn’t provide enough istered voters among the state’s 3.5 mil- • Sumter County Courthouse, 141 N. Main St., in the central and west- space for social dis- lion. Sumter — 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. ern U.S., which are set- tancing and a drag race The Post and Courier reported Mon- • Catchall Community Center, 2720 Peach Or- ting records for case in Union County that day that nearly 900,000 people statewide counts and seeing hos- wouldn’t require at- have voted in person or by mail ahead chard Road, Dalzell — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. pitals overwhelmed. tendees to wear masks, of Election Day, including 526,000 who • Pinewood Community Center, 130 Epperson With the last round the newspaper report- cast a ballot at a poll and 339,000 who St., Pinewood — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. of school districts ed. mailed in a ballot. • North Hope Center, 904 N. Main St., Sumter — preparing to wel- McMaster’s emer- Mail-in absentee ballots can be re- 9 a.m.-4 p.m. come children back gency orders during quested by an authorized representative into school buildings, the COVID-19 outbreak up to four days before the election. They • Former Jones Nissan Building, 1260 Broad St., there are other events allow police to shut must be returned by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Sumter — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. that also have health down any gatherings Polling precincts cannot accept absentee For complete local coverage of the election, go officials worried, in- that are a public health ballots on Election Day, which means to www.theitem.com/election2020. cluding Halloween and risk. they must be delivered to the county Election Day, as well as election office on the day of the election. Thanksgiving and SEE COVID-19, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, A10 WEATHER, A14 INSIDE Patricia Ann Smith Queenie Mae Huggins ANOTHER GORGEOUS DAY 1 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com Deborah Evans Ard Geraldine Spann VOL. 126, NO. 9 Martha Elizabeth Mims Mae Alston Enjoy the day under partly Classifieds A12 Opinion A7 Dewey Levan Neal Jr. Ada Mae Davis McKinney cloudy skies with rain unlikely. Comics A5 Sports A8 Alvin McBride Kasquan Abrams Rain from Zeta will move in on Daily Planner A14 Television A11 Adrianne Dixon Louis K. Smith Thursday. Angeline S. Dargan Thomas A. Ragan HIGH 78, LOW 60 James Page Roselyne H. Evans Lillian Emma Washington A2 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Trump charges into battleground states Biden hopes to demonstrate he takes pandemic seriously by holding fewer events BY ZEKE MILLER, tration waving “the white flag ing to lock up one electoral ALEXANDRA JAFFE of defeat” in the face of the vote in each of the states that AND KEVIN FREKING virus. award them by congressional The Associated Press Trump fired back Monday district. Trump is scheduled as he arrived in Pennsylvania, hold a dizzying 11 rallies in the ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Presi- saying Biden, with his con- final 48 hours before polls dent Donald Trump embarked cerns about the virus spread, close. Monday on a final-week has “waved a white flag on Biden is sitting on more charge through nearly a dozen life.” campaign cash than Trump states ahead of the election, Biden’s team argues the and is putting it to use, blan- overlooking a surge of corona- coronavirus is likely to blot keting airwaves with a nearly virus cases in the U.S. and a out any other issues that 2-to-1 advantage over the final fresh outbreak in his own might come up in the final two weeks. The incessant cam- White House. His Democratic days of the campaign — in- paign ads feature both upbeat rival, Joe Biden, is holding far cluding his recent debate-stage messages and blistering criti- fewer events in an effort to comment in which he affirmed cism of Trump’s handling of demonstrate that he’s taking he’d transition away from oil, the pandemic. the worsening pandemic seri- later walking that back as a It’s part of what Josh ously.