175 jobs coming to Manning
Sumter will host wrestling tournament this weekend B1
$4.3M bicycle plant will make Sunbeam site its new home
VOL. 119, NNO. 85 WWW.THEITEM.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 2 FRIDAY 24, 2014 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894
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BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com Clarendon County will soon have 175 job openings. Kent International Inc. announced Thursday it will be investing $4.3 million into a new plant specifically geared toward supplying U.S.-made bicycles to Walmart stores, a first for the retail titan. “We are excited with the challenge of assembling and manufacturing affordable bicycles in the United States,” said Arnold Kamler, chief executive officer and chairman of Kent International. “We feel that we have found a great partner in the state of South Carolina with their pro-business policies and an abundant pool of great workers.” The plans for the facility are part of Walmart’s U.S. Manufacturing initiative and will allow Kent to produce bicycles that are 90 percent complete, streamlining in-store assembly for employees. “The announcement of Kent International Inc. establishing a plant in Manning is welcoming news,” said Manning Mayor Julia Nelson. “Kent will be housed in what is known to most of us as the old ‘Sunbeam Plant.’ They will find that our workforce has the commitment, expertise and
Standoff ends with man killing himself Attempted robber shoots self on steps of jewelry store BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com A 24-year-old Sumter man is dead after an attempted armed robbery turned into a suicide Thursday morning outside a jewelry store on Guignard Drive. Shortly before 7:50 a.m. Thursday, police say two employees of Galloway and Moseley Fine Jewelers were walking up to the front door of the business, DUNCAN preparing to open the store, when they were approached by a masked, armed man. The suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Sumter resident Joshua Duncan, pointed a gun at the men, saying he was robbing the store. One of the employees, who police say has a concealed weapons permit, then brandished his own weapon and pointed it at the suspect. “He did that to defend himself,” said Sumter Police public information officer Tonyia McGirt. After a brief standoff between the two armed men, police said the suspect then turned his weapon to his head and fired, killing himself on the front steps of the business. “He never made it into the store,” McGirt said. Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock identified Duncan and confirmed he died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Police also confirmed there were no other injuries in the incident. The shooting remains under investigation; however, McGirt said investigators think Duncan was acting alone during the attempted robbery. “There are no other individuals believed to be involved at this point in the investigation,” McGirt said. This determination came after police, securing the area, had to quickly evaluate the evidence they found
SEE KENT, PAGE A5
New rules for landscaping get final OK BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com
PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE ITEM
A note reportedly written by suspect Joshua Duncan, 24, is seen above taped to the door of Galloway and Moseley Fine Jewelers on Guignard Drive on Thursday morning. Joshua Duncan, 24, turned his gun on himself on the front steps of the store after an attempted armed robbery of the store and a confrontation with two store employees who were opening the shop for the day. Sumter Police Department officers seen at left collect evidence at the scene of an attempted robbery-turnedsuicide on Thursday morning.
Any future development in the city of Sumter now has new rules for what its front yard should look like. A long-debated ordinance on landscaping rules for new businesses and housing developments received final approval at Tuesday’s meeting of Sumter City Council, putting in place standards planners call “clearer” and opponents say are “stricter” than the existing ordinance. Under the amended ordinance, the process of developing a site inside the city limits will be easier for everyone involved, according to City Planning Director George McGregor, because now the requirements for every aspect of the property are clearly spelled out. “Today, the ordinance says landscaping is ‘required,’ but it does not say how many trees or where they should go,” McGregor said. “I think this makes implementing the language better for everyone, especially for (planning) staff, but also for businesses and developers.” The looser language in the previous ordinance resulted in stark differences in the layouts of similar businesses because the
SEE DUNCAN, PAGE A8
SEE NEW RULES, PAGE A8
DEATHS
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Colder with plenty of sun; record-tying temperatures possible tonight B7
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