Tishomingo County Justice court offers amnesty program
Prentiss County NEMCC offers ‘heart’ healthy cooking classes
Alcorn County Oakland Baptist pays off $8 million loan
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Wednesday March 2,
2016
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 120, No. 53
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Four teams begin play for state title BY H. LEE SMITH II lsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Fans in the Capitol City will be seeing double on Thursday. More like a history-making, double-double. Biggersville High School and
Corinth High School had both its girls’ and boys’ teams qualify for the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s State Basketball Tournament first time. While most recently three Alcorn County teams partici-
pated in the 1993 and 2000 events, it’s strongly believed to be the first time that four teams earned berths. Play opens Thursday with quarterfinal action at two sites in Jackson. Classes 1A and 4A
take the stage and Day One, followed by 2A/5A on Friday and 3A/6A on Saturday. Jackson State University will play host to first-round play in the girls’ tournament. Boys’ teams, who opened
up at JSU in 2015, will see action at Mississippi Coliseum. History was also made last Thursday when the Corinth Lady Warriors earned their Please see TOURNEY | 6A
Mayor eyes statewide sales tax referendum BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin wants to pave another avenue of opportunity for cities to get tax revenue for infrastructure projects. With Corinth’s effort to get approval for a local option vote on a special 0.25 percent sales tax for improvements to Tate Street, Harper Road and Shiloh Road dead in the Legislature, he is looking to a statewide referendum as the next option. “I’m glad I’m a person that
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Kriag Adams (left) walked away from a rollover wreck on Tuesday after his GMC Envoy SUV hydroplaned on U.S. Highway 72 East just inside the Corinth city limits. Adams recounted his wreck with Corinth Police Department officer Erin Hill.
Driver escapes unhurt after rollover BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
A Corinth man walked away from a rollover wreck during a Tuesday thunderstorm. Kriag Adams was on his way to work at Sonic Drive-In when he hit standing water and hydroplaned on U.S. Highway 72 East just inside the city limits around 11:30 a.m.
The GMC Envoy SUV Adams was driving rolled several times before coming to stop upside down about 100 feet off roadway. “I’m OK, just a little shook up,” said Adams just after the wreck. Magnolia EMS and Corinth Fire Department responded to the scene.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON Motorists will encounter a closure on a busy stretch of East Shiloh Road into next week because of a problem with a pipe under the road. The Corinth Street Department shut down a section of the road in the Buchanan Street area Tuesday because of safety concerns related to deterioration of a pipe just east of Buchanan. Until the problem is fixed, a detour will divert motorists onto Buchanan Street, Sixth Street and Breckenridge to get back to East Shiloh. Street Commissioner Philip Verdung said a problem with the drainage system was found about two weeks ago and patched, but another problem has developed. “We noticed it seemed the
road had shifted a little bit,” he said. “We checked on it during the rain, and it appeared to be settling as we were watching it.” He suspects the drainage structure has developed holes, and the road bed is deteriorating as water passes through. Replacement pipe to fix the problem is due to arrive Thursday, when another round of rain is forecast. The repair work will likely begin Friday morning. With two to three days needed to complete the work, the street could reopen around Tuesday. “There is a lot of traffic there to try to detour through that residential area,” said Verdung. “We would encourage people to use another route if possible till the middle of next week.”
Please see TAX | 6A
Female runners set pace for 10K’s early signups BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Adams was checked out inside the ambulance and refused transport to the hospital. Corinth Police Department Officer Erin Hill said Adams was lucky. “To walk away from this kind of wreck with only a bump on the head and scratch on the
Female runners aren’t waiting around. They are ready for the starter’s gun to sound in the 35th Corinth Coca-Cola Classic 10K. Registration for the annual 6.2-mile trek through downtown is up 40 percent compared to last year, according to race co-director Amy Smith.
Please see WRECK | 2
Please see 10K | 6A
People of the Crossroads
Safety concerns close street jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
does not get discouraged easily, because I’ve had five years of discouragement in Jackson,” said Irwin. Working with other mayors, he plans to move ahead in pursuit of a way “for our citizens throughout the state, not the politicians in Jackson or those that are elected to represent us in Jackson, but the people … to have the opportunity to come to the polls and decide if they want to raise sales tax a quarter percent.”
Susanne Moody Cooper, downtown Corinth
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Born in Columbus, Susanne Moody Cooper has spent the last 21 years in Corinth. “I love this area and the people here,” said Cooper. “Mostly because of the amount of love and concern shown by everyone — it’s really unbelievable.” A 25-year employee of OneMain Financial, Cooper became a widow at age 52 and is the mother of Beau, who graduated from Corinth High School in 2002 and now lives in Tuscumbia, Ala., with his family. Cooper is the grandmother of Deegan, 3, and Mollie, 2. An active member of First Presbyterian Church in Corinth, Cooper also leads the Grief Share group at the church. “I know how hard it can be when someone loses a loved one,” she said. “I just want to help others learn how to cope.”
25 years ago
10 years ago
Patriotic spirit fills the local American Legion building as a prayer vigil celebrates the cease-fire in the Middle East.
Rev. Lamar Walker of Kossuth delivers the opening prayer for the Mississippi House of Representatives. Walker was invited by Speaker of the House Billy McCoy of Thrasher and State Rep. Harvey Moss.
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