FOOD: Don’t miss these pumpkin spice cheesecake bars C4 ‘Birdscape’ your yard this fall Tips for attracting different species as the weather cools SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2018 $1.00 C1 Michael making its way to Southeast Sumter emergency management monitoring forecasts as Category 3 hurricane approaches Florida Panhandle BY ADRIENNE SARVIS local governments to de- Thursday, according to Na- termine a best course of tional Hurricane Center PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY the electricity at the main fuse or breaker, and [email protected] turn off water at the main valve before action when the storm and Dew. Tuesday after- Bring loose items inside — Lawn furniture, leaving. Hurricane Michael is ex- reaches this area, said noon forecasts showed it trash cans, toys, garden equipment, pected to bring fast winds Donna Dew, executive sec- passing almost directly clotheslines, hanging plants and any other Leave natural gas on — Unless local and rains to South Caroli- retary of Sumter County over the Sumter-Columbia objects that may fly around and strike officials advise otherwise, leave natural gas on na when it makes its ex- Emergency Management. area Thursday at 1 p.m. property should be secured or brought inside. to be able to use for heating and cooking when you return home. If you turn it off, a pected appearance Thurs- The storm became a Cat- The storm is anticipated to Leave trees and shrubs alone — If you have licensed professional is required to turn it back not already cut away dead or diseased day, prompting Sumter egory 3 major hurricane bring winds between 20 on, which could take weeks after a storm. County Emergency Opera- Tuesday afternoon and was and 35 miles per hour and branches or limbs from trees and shrubs, do tions Center to go on expected to strengthen 45-mph gusts, according to not now. Rubbish collection services will not Move valuables to the center or top of your home — Move TV sets, computers and standby as it continues to more before making land- the latest update from the have time before the storm to pick the piles up. other electronics away from windows and to Turn off electricity and water if you’re monitor the storm’s path. fall, but it is expected to re- EOC by press time Tues- higher levels of the house. The office is working duce to a tropical storm by day. leaving town — If you’re evacuating, turn off with the state Emergency the time it reaches South Source: Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Management Division and Carolina before sunrise SEE MICHAEL, PAGE A6 e r d u TECH o 12 days. 16 campuses. 800 miles. T ‘A lot of times, $200 to $300 is the difference in a student PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Tim Hardee rode from Manning to being able to attend one Sumter’s Central Carolina Technical College campus on Monday as part of of our colleges or not.’ the Tour de Tech. TIM HARDEE South Carolina Technical College System president Former CCTC President Hardee cycles across state to raise scholarship money BY BRUCE MILLS Hardee rode the ter. His wife, Tammy, is also a cyclist [email protected] Tour de Tech with and made the trip with him Monday. his wife, Tammy, The initiative’s name is a play on ne of Sumter’s former also an avid cyclist. the Tour de France, cycling’s most-fa- mous race held annually in July. leaders made a return While the Tour de France consists trip to the city Monday of 21 days — or stages — and covers about 2,200 miles, Tour de Tech is de- Oin an unconventional manner. scribed as 12 days, 16 campuses and Former Central Carolina Technical 800 miles across South Carolina. College President Tim Hardee, now On Monday morning, the Hardees the South Carolina Technical College started in Kingstree and rode in to System president, bicycled Monday Williamsburg Tech, before making the from Kingstree-based Williamsburg 46-mile trek to Sumter and CCTC. He Technical College to CCTC’s main and his wife arrived on the Sumter campus on Guignard Drive. campus about 1:30 p.m. The trip was part of Hardee’s Tour consists of 16 colleges across the state, Hardee is an avid cyclist — a sport After being greeted on the campus de Tech initiative to both promote the and raise scholarship money for stu- he picked up about 10 years ago, he state technical college system, which dents, he said. said, while president at CCTC in Sum- SEE TOUR, PAGE A6 UN Ambassador Haley will resign this year BY ZEKE MILLER, DEB RIECHMANN lies. It means the departure of one of in other people who can put that same and JONATHAN LEMIRE the administration’s highest-profile energy and power into it.” The Associated Press women and a top official who has of- There has been speculation that fered strikingly different perspectives Haley, the former governor of South WASHINGTON — U.N. Ambassador on world events from her more isola- Carolina, will return to government or Nikki Haley is resigning later this tionist-minded boss. politics at some point. year in the latest shake-up to Presi- Haley, who is not personally “No, I’m not running in 2020” for dent Donald Trump’s turbulent ad- wealthy, hinted in her resignation let- president, she joked, quickly adding ministration, the announcement Tues- ter to Trump that she is headed to the that she would be supporting Trump. day raising questions in the White private sector. Haley has two children to put THE ASSOCIATED PRESS House about the timing and Haley’s “I have given everything I’ve got through college and the potential to President Donald Trump meets with out- own possible political future. these last eight years,” she said, refer- make much more money in the busi- going U.S. Ambassador to the United Na- The news blindsided many congres- ring to her six years as South Carolina ness world. tions Nikki Haley in the Oval Office of the sional Republicans involved in foreign governor as well as her time at the White House on Tuesday in Washington. policy matters and some key U.S. al- U.N. “And I do think it’s good to rotate SEE HALEY, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 John William Osteen Jr. STORMS COMING 3 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Patricia Hastie Lewis VOL. 123, NO. 253 Classifieds: 774-1200 Some sun and a storm Robert Derick Becton Sr. possible today; showers and Classifieds B6 Opinion A7 Delivery: 774-1258 Hattie Ann Duncan News and Sports: 774-1226 heavier storms tonight Comics C2 Panorama C1 HIGH 82, LOW 74 Food C4 Television C3 A2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] New downtown Sumter buildings to open for public tours on Friday and-cheese reception will be held she said, “as well as our fitness Main Street Society group at the Economic Development center, meeting rooms, courtyard, sponsors drop-in event building, 10 E. Liberty St., and will breakfast area and bar.” include “tours of TheLINK, an Baker said the tour leaders will BY IVY MOORE economic development alliance for answer any questions from the Special to The Sumter Item Sumter and Lee counties, and guests. There is no charge for the Sumter Smarter Growth Initia- drop-in and tours. Sumter’s Economic Development tive,” a coalition of businesses and For more information about the Headquarters building and Hyatt business leaders dedicated to facil- tour, call Leigh Newman at (803) Place hotel will open to the public itating economic growth in the 436-2635. Reach Buxton for informa- for a drop-in and tours from 5 to 7 area. tion about the Economic Develop- p.m. Friday. Hosted by Main Street Cheryl Baker of Hyatt Place, 18 ment Headquarters at (803) 464-2123 PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Society, the event is part of the soci- N. Main St., said she and other and Baker for more Hyatt Place in- The cover of the program for the 1945 Big ety’s mission “to encourage the sup- staff will lead tours of the hotel di- formation at (803) 774-8100. Visit Thursday Game had a special tribute to former port of Sumter’s citizens, industries rectly across from Sumter Opera https://www.sumtersc.gov/main- players who were fighting in World War II. and businesses in the continuous re- House. street-society, https://www.sumter- vitalization of downtown Sumter.” “We’ll have a couple of guest edge.com for Economic Develop- Eliza Buxton with Sumter Eco- rooms that overlook Main Street ment and https://bit.ly/2QCdxws THIS MONTH IN nomic Development said the wine- with a view of the Opera House,” for Hyatt Place information. S.C. HISTORY October saw the Wilson Hall middle, high schoolers float in parade Members of Wilson Hall’s soph- Last ‘Big Thursday’ omore class cheer from their float, which had a safari theme, during their 45th-annual home- ball game in 1959 coming parade on Oct. 5. Spon- FROM S.C. HISTORICAL SOCIETY sored by the student council, the parade traveled the 4-mile On Oct. 22, 1959, the last “Big Thurs- route through nearby neigh- day” football contest between Clemson borhoods. Each class in grades and South Carolina was played. The tra- 6 through 12 sponsored a float dition began in 1896. That year, South decorated to themes ranging Carolina College faced Clemson College from Barnum and Baron to su- at the state fairgrounds in Columbia on perheroes, and every middle Thursday, Nov.