030615 daily corinthian e edition

Page 1

Friday March 6,

2015

50 cents

Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 56

Not as cold Today

Tonight

39

18

0% chance of rain

• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • Two sections

March winter madness Sheet of sleet makes for unsafe road conditions BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Crossroads got through a slippery morning commute Thursday with no major accidents, although several motorists found themselves in ditches or stuck while trying to get up a hill. Many businesses closed for the day, and traffic was very light in the morning hours when a layer of sleet topped with a little snow covered the streets. Around noon, Alcorn County Third District Supervisor Tim Mitchell was hoping to see some sunshine. “The roads are still iced over pretty good,” he said. “We haven’t seen a lot of improvements.” But the sun did eventually peek through the clouds. A bit of melting that began towards late morning initially worsened conditions. “We started having some problems with some of the in-

tersections where they had a little grade to them,” said Police Chief Ralph Dance. “The 18-wheelers had a little trouble at South Parkway and 72. They couldn’t get up the grade there. We had to have one towed, and we had one off in a ditch.” He had his own encounter with the slippery conditions at a fast food restaurant while sitting in the drive-thru line. While stationary, his vehicle suddenly started to slide down the slope of the parking lot, taking him out of the line. Street Commissioner Philip Verdung said driving conditions in the city, with a careful hand, were not too bad. Also, “It seemed that people were a little more cautious today than they typically would be,” he said. The icy accumulation wasn’t an easy one to clean up. “Sleet … there isn’t much you can do with it,” said Mitchell, Please see WINTER | 2A

Staff photo by Mark Boehler

Roger Clark looks like a man training his mush team for the Iditarod Sled-dog Race across Alaska, but he is actually taking his four friends for a slippery walk down Polk Street on Thursday morning in downtown Corinth. Clark’s best friends are Jersey, Sophia, Gracie and Forrest. See more winter weather photos on page 12A.

Pickwick Lake will return to its normal levels For the Daily Corinthian

PICKWICK, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Thursday that Pickwick Landing Reservoir will return to normal summer lake levels on schedule by mid-April,

depending on rainfall. During the next six weeks TVA will also install an early warning system to notify downstream residents should an earthquake occur that is large enough to damage the dam’s

south earthen embankment. While the dam is performing as designed, the water level at Pickwick was lowered to winter levels several weeks early last October so the embankment investigation and analysis could

be completed. “TVA and the industry are using more stringent criteria today to evaluate dams. This is based on our modern-day understanding of how embankment dams constructed

like Pickwick perform in large earthquakes,” said John McCormick, vice president of Safety, River Management and Environment. “Although the Please see PICKWICK | 2A

Aldermen weigh zoning requests BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Staff photo by Zack Steen

Biggersville High School senior Ansley Burns shows off a P.A.W.S. (Pet Awareness, We Serve) Pet Show poster with Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin, who proclaimed Saturday Pet Awareness Day in the city of Corinth. A special event will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at Petsence.

Girl Scout promotes pet awareness BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com

The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. To receive the award, the Girl

Scout must identify a community problem and bring awareness to the problem. To earn her Gold Award, Biggersville High School senior Ansley Burns knew she wanted

to do something to help pets and animals in the Crossroads area. “It is very disturbing to me Please see PETS | 2A

A half dozen requests for variances from code requirements for building projects came before the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday. Most of the requests are for residential properties, but one involves a new building for a business, Fastenal. Plans for a new carport at the Rick Willis residence at 1021 Taylor Street with a rear setback reduction from 35 feet to 5 feet gained approval over the objections of a neighbor. Willis plans to remove an old attached garage and construct a new detached carport 12 feet by 30 feet in size. Suzanne Sandy opposed the setback request. Attorney William Odom, representing Sandy, raised a number of objections, including the proximity to Sandy’s property, the potential for drainage problems to arise on the Sandy property, and the increased visibility of the structure, which he said will affect neighborhood aesthetics and property values. Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission member Lee Thurner defended the

advisory board’s recommendation of approval. “I maintain that the property values will be enhanced rather than diminished by the destruction of a decrepit old garage and the construction of an attractive carport structure,” he said. Among the other requests: ■ Fastenal gained a front setback variance from 50 feet to 30 feet for a planned new building in the area of 2000 Highway 72 East Annex. In the written application, Robert Scott, acting as agent for Martin-Aycock Properties, said the site topography allows better use of the lot if the proposed building is closer to the highway, and other properties are closer to the highway than the location of the proposed building. The city board did express some concern about associated truck traffic using Waukomis Lake Road. ■ The board approved Kenneth Williams’ request for a rear yard setback reduction from 35 feet to 15 feet for the outbuilding associated with the historic Duncan House Please see ALDERMEN | 2A

25 years ago

On this day in history 150 years ago

Last month’s flooding in the Alcorn County brought help from the federal government as disaster assistance funds were approved to help victims get back on their feet, said Alcorn County Board of Supervisors President Travis Little.

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston takes command of all troops in North Carolina and prepares for the inevitable meeting with the Union army under Sherman marching toward him from the south.

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