6A • Friday, February 1, 2013 • Daily Corinthian
Deaths Marie Holley Anderson
Marie Holley Anderson, 87, died Jan. 30, 2013. She was born June 7, 1925 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She came to Corinth as a post World War II bride when she married Lonnie Holley. She was a private kindergarten teacher for 18 years. Later she was the food service supervisor for the Whitfield Nursing Home. In 1978 she married Farmer Franklin Anderson. Marie was very involved in the community for over 50 years as a volunteer for both the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church and served on many civic boards such as the Salvation Army, the Boys' Club, Friends of the Library and the Alcorn County Bluebird SociAnderson ety. She was a lifetime member of the Corinth Junior Auxiliary and formerly served as an advisor. In 1999 she was chosen by the Junior Auxiliary as the “Outstanding Citizen of the Year.” A memorial service will be held Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, with visitation in the fellowship hall immediately following the service. There will be a private burial in Henry Cemetery with McPeters Funeral Directors in charge of the arrangements. Survivors include her children, Janalee Holley Wilkins and her husband, Shawn, of Memphis, Tenn.; Stephen Holley and his wife, Linda, of Corinth; Elizabeth Anderson Aur and her husband, Amin, of Norman, Okla.; and Farmer Franklin Anderson III of Waterboro, Maine. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one brother, Donald Cork and his wife, Sue, of Yorba Linda, Calif. The family requests that memorials be made to the First Presbyterian Church Mission Fund, 919 Shiloh Road, Corinth, Mississippi, 38834.
Bill Ransom
Funeral services for William Lindsay Ransom, 88, are set for at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He died Jan. 30, 2013 at his residence. He was born Oct. 14, 1924. He worked in printing for Hall Printing of Mississippi. He was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He loved woodworking, working in his flowers and spending time watching nature in the woods. He loved spending time with his friends and family especially his children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Geraldine E. Ransom; his parents, Gladys Lamb Ransom and Frank Ransom; his brother, Harold “Bud” Ransom (Margret) and infant Ransom Douglas Ransom; and his sister Audrey Laurk. He is survived by his sons, Gary Ransom (Barbara) of Fargo, N.D.; Scott Ransom (Karen) of Canton, MI; his daughter, Connie Hardin (Larry) of Corinth; his grandchildren, Christopher Ransom (Laura), Stephen Hardin (Cindi), Mishelle Winekoff (Jamie), Lindsey Driskell (Earl), Chad Ransom and fiancee Raelyn, Kyle Ransom (Jess), and Dawn Herford (Erik); and great-grandchildren, Keylin Hardin, Braiden Hardin, Mackenzie Driskell, Holly Ransom, Makayla Ransom, Madysin Ransom, Amber Winekoff, Hayley Winekoff, Hannah Herford, Leighton Herford and Ben Herford; and sister, Mary Scott of Farmington, MI. Pallbearers are Roger Bain, Dale Bain, Bill Ross, Larry Hardin, Steven Hardin, Earl Driskell and John Ross. The Rev. Ann Fraser will officiate. Visitation is tonight from 5-8 p.m. at Magnolia Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1225 Corinth, Miss. Visit www.magnoliafuneralhome.net to send your condolences.
Tim A. Wilemon
Funeral services for Tim Allen Wilemon, 63, are set for today at 1 p.m. at Cutshall Funeral Home Chapel in Iuka with burial at Hubbard Salem Cemetery. Mr. Wilemon died Jan. 30, 2013 at North Mississippi Medical Center in Iuka. He was a former tugboat deckhand and radio dispatcher. He attended Hubbard Salem Church. He was preceded in death by his grandpar-
ents, Dewy and Alice Wilemon and Mack and Mattie Harwick. He is survived by his parents, Dorville E. and Betty Hardwick Wilemon of Iuka; two brothers Rex Wilemon (Paula) of Southaven and Tommy Wilemon of Nashville, Tenn.; and one sister, Treva Lee (Tom) of Corinth. Bro. Joe Harwick and Bro. Mitchell McNeese will officiate. Visitation will continue until service time at the funeral home today.
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Lawmakers endorse Bryant proposals BY JEFF AMY Associated Press
JACKSON — The House Education Committee endorsed two bills that contain key parts of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant’s education agenda Wednesday. House Bill 906 would create tax credits for people who donate scholarships to students who attend private schools. Though critics have described the measure as a back-door way to create school vouchers, it attracted little Democratic opposition in committee. The other measure, House Bill 890, would take a number of steps, including setting up stronger reading standards for students in kindergarten through third grade, raising requirements to major in education at state universities and setting up a pilot teacher merit-pay program. Lawmakers stripped out provisions that would have allowed students to transfer to other districts or other schools in their home district. “I think this should be a stand-alone issue,” Rep. Brad Mayo, R-Oxford, who steered the bill through committee, said
of the open enrollment plan. The biggest part of House Bill 890, which Bryant has called Education Works, aims to improve reading and math achievement. It would require third-graders to read at a certain standard before moving to fourth grade. To help them get there, the measure calls for intensive reading instruction for children who fall behind in grades K-3. Bryant wants to spend $15 million on reading-intervention trainers. House members amended the bill to say it would take effect only if the money was included in the state budget. The measure would also: ■ Allow seventh-graders to move to eighth grade only if they meet certain standards in reading and math. ■ Require high schools with graduation rates below 80 percent to submit plans to increase graduation rates. ■ Require students to have a 3.0 grade point average and a 21 on the ACT college test to enter college schools of education. ■ Offer education scholarships to students with high grades and
ACT scores to become teachers in Mississippi. ■ Create a pilot program to allow four districts to pay high-performing teachers above the current state salary schedule. Tuesday, the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents endorsed Bryant’s Education Works, saying school leaders “look forward to working with him in implementing a quality reading and math experience for every student we serve.” Outside groups were quick to attack the scholarship program. “It’s fewer resources available for children already in low-performing public schools,” said Sara Welker, an analyst for the Mississippi Economic Policy Center. The measure allows up to $10 million in dollarfor-dollar tax credits for people or companies that donate to a scholarship fund benefiting students whose families have incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty level and students zoned for D- and F-rated schools. Those students could take the money and attend any private school in the state that met cer-
tain standards. Administration officials estimate $10 million would create close to 2,200 scholarships. The administration says more than 100,000 of Mississippi’s 490,000 public school students would qualify. Welker said 250 percent of poverty, which equals a yearly income of $57,625 for a family of four, is too high of a cap, and the state could end up paying for children whose families would send them to private schools anyway. Administration officials expect a legal challenge if the bill passes. When Mississippi’s constitution was rewritten in 1890, it banned state aid to religious schools. Such bans, aimed at subsidies to Catholic schools, exist today in 38 state charters, according to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Such provisions have been a legal obstacle to vouchers, but proponents of public money for private schools have evaded them elsewhere by offering tax credits. Bryant administration officials have said they believe a previous court case allows Mississippi to aid students who attend private schools.
related to a cocaine and money laundering scheme. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that court records identify the defendants as Derek “St. Louis” Miller, Yulande Scott, Brakeia Pannell, Jervis G. Moore, Serrell Perkins, Frederick “Ricky” Douglas and Heather Smith, all of Tupelo; and Shonta Grice of West Point; and Demetrius Babbit, no address given. The federal indictment alleges they were involved in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of powder cocaine and crack cocaine in North Mississippi. The alleged conspiracy began about Feb. 1, 2009 and continued through Aug. 5, 2012, according to court documents. Miller and Smith are accused of instigating the conspiracy. The others are accused of the illegal sale of cocaine.
Cockfighting has been illegal in Mississippi since 1880 but it is classified as a misdemeanor and the maximum fine is $100. “As a result we have a lot of cockfighters who have come here to take advantage of the weak penalties,” said Goodwin. “So basically, Mississippi is attracting crime by having a weak penalty for cockfighting.” Several bills have been filed in 2013 legislative session. One would increase the maximum fine to $500 and another would make cockfighting a felony on the second offense. Mississippi is one of ten states without a felony provision. Sen. Deborah Dawkins, D-Pass Christian, is behind the felony bill and said it’s because current penalties aren’t enough. “People who engage in these activities do not seem to be taking them (penalties) seriously,” said Dawkins. Dawkins would like to see a felony after the first offense but says the change has to move slowly.
him. Evans was convicted in 2009 of murdering his father, Darold Lee Evans, who prosecutors said was fatally shot in his sleep. The teen was sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors said Evans had moved to Biloxi to live with his father in a FEMA trailer park but decided to kill him because he was too strict. Defense attorneys had sought an “imperfect self-defense” instruction to the jury. Prosecutors said — and the trial judge agreed — that a defense that the teen had an honest but unreasonable belief of danger was properly kept from the jury because there was no evidence to support it. Justice David Anthony Chandler, writing Thursday, said Evans was entitled to an adequate expert to assist his defense. Evans also claimed he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder brought on by his father’s abuse of him and his mother. Court records showed Evans was hospitalized for depression in 2001 and was diagnosed with PTSD. In oral arguments last fall, Evans’ attorney argued the defense was denied expert testimony about what ongoing abuse would do to a child. That evidence, he said, would have raised a question about the mental condition of the defendant. Prosecutors said the most important fact in this case was that the victim was asleep when he was shot in the head. They said the Supreme Court had never been asked to determine if a sleeping victim could have been posing a threat.
STATE CONTINUED FROM 5A
documents, the government contends Marietta Harris, Ladonna Cooper, Tony Jones, Nikki Thomas, Shekeila Jones and S’Ade Tyler stole the inmates’ identities. They allegedly created and filed federal income tax returns and had tax refunds deposited into their bank accounts. Nearly $40,000 was deposited into bank accounts the six allegedly controlled in January 2009, according to court documents. Prosecutors said the refunds were electronically transferred to accounts at four banks. Prosecutors said there were 42 such transactions. There was nothing in court records to indicate that the current or former inmates knew about the scheme. Court documents show a trial date of April 8 has been set for the six defendants in U.S. District Court in Jackson. Records show Cooper was at one time employed at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County and had access through a computer system to the Social Security numbers, dates of birth of current and former inmates and visitors to the prison. Records show Harris and Thomas are each charged with 24 counts; Shekeila Jones is charged with 22 counts; Cooper and Tony Jones are each charged with one count; and Tyler is charged with eight counts.
9 indicted in federal cocaine case TUPELO — Nine people have been indicted on federal charges
Cockfighting felony bills filed JACKSON — Cockfighting is big business because Mississippi has the second weakest cockfighting law in the nation, according to Humane Society of the United States. John Goodwin, HSUS’ director of animal cruelty policy, said Mississippi lawmakers should make the illegal, underground sport a felony. “This cruel blood sport is wide and pervasive in various nooks and crannies around the state ... that attracts people from all over the country, even though it’s a felony to cross state lines for an animal fighting venture,” Goodwin said. Cockfighting is outlawed in all 50 states, with 40 prosecuting the sport as a felony.
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Evans wins new trial for murder JACKSON — Dante Lamar Evans claims a Harrison County judge wouldn’t let him tell a jury that he feared for his life at the hands of an abusive parent when at the age of 14 he shot and killed his father. Now he’ll get his chance. The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday threw out his murder conviction and ordered a new trial. At the same time, the Supreme Court ordered the trial judge to let Evans hire an expert to make that argument for
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