IN SPORTS: Lady Barons to face CN in 3A state tourney B1 PANORAMA Step Off! Performers from 3 states will compete in the 5th annual SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 Lemira Golden Steppers show WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 75 CENTS C1 Family, puppy survive blaze Council approves parkway rezoning BY JIM HILLEY [email protected] Sumter City Council ap- proved an ordinance to allow multi-family apartments on the south side of Patriot Park- way near Deschamps Road at Tuesday’s regular meeting. Some residents of the area led a coordinated campaign against the proposal, and members of the public who at- tended the meeting were asked by opponents to hold up signs during council’s vote urging council to vote against the or- dinance. Martin Graf, an Air Force retiree, was one of the people passing out signs. Graf said he and other area residents were promised the area would remain agricultur- al and single dwellings when he purchased a house there. Members of council pointed SAMMY WAY / THE SUMTER ITEM out they could find no record Flames engulf a home at 104 Church St. on Tuesday morning. of any such promises and that the city would not have been involved in any agreement Tuesday morning fire guts Victorian-era Church Street home when that area was still in Sumter County. Councilman David Mer- BY ADRIENNE SARVIS inside the structure to put chant said he reached out to [email protected] out more flames. former councilmen and was He said one resident was told no such promises were After thinking everything inside the house when the made. was lost during a house fire fire started and went to a “City council could not at 104 Church St. on Tues- neighbor’s house where the make a promise outside city day morning, firefighters call to fire dispatch was limits,” he said. rescued a puppy from the made. Merchant said the only poli- scene. Duggan said the family of cy documents he found con- Sumter Fire Department four, two adults and two cerning the area show a 50- Battalion Chief Joey Dug- children, had four pets in- foot landscaping buffer which gan said the call for the fire side the house at the time of ends at Lisbon Drive, east of came in at 10:07 a.m. and 26 the fire. Three cats were lost the proposed zoning change. firefighters from five sta- in the fire, but a puppy was Opponents of the rezoning tions — Headquarters, Alice saved, he said. had also argued development Drive, Manning Road, There is an estimated of the property would en- Thomas Sumter and Stadi- $350,000 in damage caused to croach on Shaw Air Force um Road — responded. the structure and approxi- Base. He said there was heavy mately $100,000 in contents Councilman Robert Galiano fire and smoke coming from lost, he said. said he had spoken with sever- the front of the house when Duggan said a fire investi- al people at the base, and none firefighters arrived. It took gator was called to the scene said it would be a problem. about 45 minutes to get the to find an area of origin for RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM In response to a request fire under control, he said. the fire and possibly deter- Neighbor Cindy Macias clutches a puppy saved from a house from council, Planning Direc- Duggan said firefighters mine the cause. He said fire by the Sumter Fire Department on Tuesday. Macias lives tor George McGregor showed were able to quickly push there was no reason to think next door to the home that burned at 104 Church St. and was the fire back in order to get the fire was suspicious. able to reunite the puppy with the homeowner. SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A5 Trump targets more immigrants for possible deportation BY ALICIA A. CALDWELL ment memos signed by Secre- permission and those who The Associated Press tary John Kelly. That could overstayed their visas. include people arrested for Crossing the border illegal- WASHINGTON — Many shoplifting or minor offenses. ly is a criminal offense, and more people living in the The Trump administration the new memos make clear United States illegally could memos replace more narrow that those who have done so face rapid deportation — in- guidance focusing on immi- are included in the broad list cluding people simply arrest- grants who have been convict- of enforcement priorities. ed for traffic violations — ed of serious crimes, are con- Overstaying a visa is a civil, under a sweeping rewrite of sidered threats to national se- not criminal, offense. Those U.S. immigration enforcement curity or are recent border who do so are not specifically policies announced Tuesday crossers. included in the priority list by the Trump administration. Under the Obama adminis- but, under the memos, they Any immigrant who is in tration guidance, immigrants are still more likely to face de- the country illegally and is whose only violation was portation than they had been charged or convicted of any being in the country illegally before. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS offense, or even suspected of a were generally left alone. The new enforcement docu- An arrest is made earlier this month during a targeted enforcement crime, will now be an enforce- Those immigrants fall into ments are the latest efforts by operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ment priority, according to two categories: those who aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal Homeland Security Depart- crossed the border without SEE ICE, PAGE A5 aliens in Los Angeles. VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Miles James Kepner Alice H. Cutter WARMER BUT WETTER 3 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES the .com VOL. 122, NO. 93 Cary M. Lee Jr. Dayton J. Walker Mostly cloudy and warmer James B. Snow Javion Devonta Williams today with chance of showers; Classifieds B6 Opinion A7 William B. Ford Edith B. Browning tonight, cloudy and mild. Comics C2 Television C3 Sarah Jane G. Smith HIGH 76, LOW 55 Food C4 A2 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Red Cross seeking more donations Inclement weather and illnesses have led to canceled blood drives across nation BY ADRIENNE SARVIS canceled across the nation. That lected 1,600 units, she said. • 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Grace [email protected] amounts to about 15,000 uncollected “The need for blood is constant. Baptist Church, 219 W. Calhoun St., units of blood and platelet donations Patients don’t get a break from their Sumter; American Red Cross is asking the in a span of about two months, she illness or conditions,” she said. • 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at High public for blood donations this win- said. Franklin said there are three main Hills AME Church, 6780 Meeting ter, one of the organization’s slowest Franklin said 43 blood drives uses for blood donations: red blood House Road, Dalzell; and collection seasons. were canceled in South Carolina cells for trauma patients, plasma for • 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday at Maya Franklin, American Red and North Carolina during that burn victims and platelets for che- Thomas Sumter Academy, 5365 Cam- Cross external communications man- time. motherapy patients. den Highway, Dalzell. ager, said inclement weather and ill- She said the daily collection goal Uses for blood products are as di- Anyone eligible and willing to do- nesses such as the flu could be the for South Carolina is 500 units. verse as the patients who need them, nate can schedule an appointment by reasons many blood drives have been So far this year, Red Cross has col- she said. using the Red Cross Blood Donor canceled so far this winter. lected 291 units of blood in Sumter, Upcoming blood drives will be app, going to redcrossblood.org or She said 400 blood drives have been Franklin said. In 2016, Sumter col- held: calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Public info Shaw celebrates black history with students officer certified as deputy BY ADRIENNE SARVIS [email protected] On Feb. 10, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Public Infor- mation Officer Ken Bell be- came the first public informa- tion officer in the agency’s history to be certified as a deputy after completing a two- week Class III Of- ficer’s training BELL course at South Carolina Crimi- nal Justice Acad- emy in Columbia. Bell said he decided to get his certification because he wanted to be more helpful when responding to scenes. Becoming a Class III deputy will allow Bell to transport suspects to Sumter-Lee Re- gional Detention Center, con- duct funeral escorts and given him limited authority to make arrests. He will also be able to perform security during school events, sports events and in courtrooms. Bell said his main duties as PHOTO PROVIDED public information officer have Senior Airman Gregory Johnson reads to Shaw Heights Elementary School students last week. Shaw personnel spent the mornings not changed. He said the only reading to each class in celebration of Black History Month. difference the public may see is that he will now wear a badge and carry a firearm, and he might be wearing a uniform during televised briefings. “Since day one, I’ve been Chop shop suspects face more charges treated like a part of the team. But now, I’m part of the fami- ly,” Bell said. BY ADRIENNE SARVIS of a stolen vehicle, according to a news ber, Coursey was charged with three [email protected] release from the sheriff’s office.