Tuesday January 7, 2014 50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 6
Sunny, cold Today
Tonight
24
15
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
New low temperature set in area BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
By one degree, Monday morning’s frigid blast set a new record for the Corinth area. The overnight low of 10 degrees recorded at both the Corinth-Alcorn County Airport and by the cooperative observer located about 7 miles southwest of Corinth beats a record of 11 degrees set exactly 44 years ear-
lier on Jan. 6, 1970. The historical numbers are courtesy of Victor Murphy, climate focal point at the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters in Ft. Worth, Texas, where the cooperative and airport data are stored. Since the record covers the 24 hours of the date, it was possible the temperature could
break the record again before midnight going into today, depending on how quickly the mercury fell with a forecast low of 6 in Corinth. Former Corinthian Troy Kimmel, now a meteorologist in Texas, also took a look at the numbers. “The lowest high temperature ever recorded on Jan. 6 would have been 21 degrees on Jan. 6,
1970, and what we can tell was at midnight last night at the airport it was right at 20 or 21. So you probably have tied the record lowest high for this date.” Some snow was also reported on that day 44 years ago. Kimmel was a Corinth junior high student at the time, and he said he remembers the bitter cold spell. The record low for Jan. 7 is 5
degrees, also set in 1970. Jan. 7 also has the lowest high temperature for that date at 19. Kimmel said the numbers are from cooperative program reports dating back to about 1900. The program uses citizens to report weather observations across the country. Kimmel happened to be in Europe Monday, enjoying a balmy day in the 50s.
Supervisors give 911 employees pay raise BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Kimberly Shelton
Ellen Maness tries to stay warm by sipping on a mocha latte from KC’s Espresso.
A split vote by the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors on Monday will give 911 employees a pay raise. Board President Lowell Hinton cast a tie-breaking “yes” vote to make it a 3-2 approval of pay raises that the board had tabled in October amid concerns about the 911 budget deficit. Those concerns continue, but District 2 Supervisor Dal Nelms, who made the motion to give the pay hike as originally presented, said the employees should not be penalized for it. “It’s not those employees’ fault,” he said. Also voting in favor was District 3 Supervisor Tim Mitchell, who seconded the motion and noted that the budget as approved for the current fiscal year did include funds for the raises. Gary Ross, District 4, and Jimmy Tate Waldon, District
5, voted “no.” “I’m going to be against it, not because of the employees, but because we’re not where we need to be as far as the budget is concerned,” said Waldon. “What bothers me is where is this money coming from,” said Ross. The 911 budget is suffering from the decline in fees derived from land line use as people pull the plug on home phone service and shift to mobile phones. Some county officials are concerned Alcorn County is not receiving fees for all of the phones in use in the county, and supervisors are watching with interest what happens in Hinds County, where officials want to pursue some of the money they believe is not making it from the phone companies to the 911 fund. Hinton said another contributor to the shortfall is that Please see RAISE | 2
Major arctic system hits Crossroads Stalker Awareness Month BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Crossroads residents bundled up to stay warm Sunday and Monday, as a major arctic system moved across the area. “This weather is just awful,” chattered Ellen Maness of Glen, while she sipped a mocha latte from KC’s Espresso. “The wind will cut right through you.” Sunday brought some rain and a bit of sleet before temperatures started to drop. Wind gusts topped 25 mph. Monday’s high temperature was 21 recorded at midnight, while the low temperature bottomed out at 11 according to the website, corinthweather. net. “It’s cold, that’s for sure,” blustered Ricky Gibens, Alcorn County Director of Emergency Services. “Single digits are tough on everybody.”
Gibens said the county roads weren’t as bad as he thought. “Bridges had some patchy ice, but nothing major,” he said. In the city, Corinth Street Commissioner Philip Verdung said salt treatment was applied to most bridges and hills around town just in case. “Most of the frozen precipitation the area got was quickly dried up by the strong winds,” said Verdung. The extreme cold weather kept Alcorn County schools from opening on Monday. McNairy County schools were closed Monday and Tuesday due to heating concerns, as well. Northeast Mississippi Community College campus’ in Booneville and Corinth were also canceled on Monday, while Tishomingo County schools were delayed two hours. Residents were busy ensuring
their vehicles were ready for the cold. “We sold a ton of antifreeze and only have one pallet left,” one Autozone employee said. Grocery store shelves were cleared of milk, bread and eggs as the hazardous weather approached the area. “We ran out of some stuff Sunday night,” said Danny Wilbanks, general manager at Gardner’s Supermarket. “We actually carry extra items at this time of year, so when items run out in the store we can just get extra out of the warehouse.” “People normally buy stuff they can eat if the power goes off,” he said. “Canned goods also ran low.” Corinth-Alcorn County Animal Shelter Volunteer Director Charlotte Doehner and her husband Please see WEATHER | 2
marks 10th anniversary BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
Suzie was just like any other teenage girl, she enjoyed going to parties, hanging out with her friends, and meeting new people. She never suspected that the boy of her dreams would become a living nightmare. First the phone calls started. He became angry when she couldn’t talk because she was doing her homework. There were other things too, text messages, letters in her locker, flowers on her doorstep, even gifts left inside her car. It was sweet at first, but soon spiraled out of control. He began to pop up wherever she went, became jealous of her friends and critical of her
dressing habits. Suzie became increasingly concerned for her well being. She tried to end it and in doing sealed her own fate. Sound familiar? This month marks the 10th anniversary of National Stalking Awareness Month. In was designated in Jan. 2004, by the National Center for Victims of Crime in order to bring to light a rising crime that affects one out of six American women. The Bureau of Justice Statistics defined stalking as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. It is a fallacy that men are Please see STALKER | 3
Shelter calendars now available BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The 2014 Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter calendar is back from the printer and ready to help raise some much needed funds. “The calendar has turned into our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Charlotte Doehner, shelter volunteer director. “These extra funds are really important right now since the area has been hit with colder than normal weather.” Doehner noted the shelter has seen an increase in the price of propane and kerosene, both of which is a viable part of daily operation at the shelter. “Electric bills are three times
more than normal, because of the cold weather,” she said. Last year the shelter printed its first calendar, “Real Men Love Cats Too.” This year the calendar, “Looking Forward to 2014,” features a combination of shelter animals and pets owned by community supporters. Farmington Mayor Dale Fortenberry, The Generals’ Quarters Inn Chef Luke Doehner and United Print Services’ Please see SHELTER | 2
The Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter’s 2014 calendar features United Print Services’ CEO Umbree Greer and his Great Dane Ethan.
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
On this day in history 150 years ago Despite the fact the punishment for desertion from either army is death, both sides are hit hard by deserters. President Lincoln, saddened by the number of battle deaths, nearly always commuted the death sentence. “I am trying to evade the butchering business, lately.”