Wednesday March 11,
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Daily Corinthian
Cloudy
2015
50 cents
Vol. 119, No. 60
Today
Tonight
65
55
50% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • Two sections
County extends school calendar BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
County school students will have to wait even longer for summer vacation to start this year. Board members with the Alcorn School District approved
the four makeup days taken during the school year due to inclement weather. School will be extended to include May 28 and 29 and June 1 and 2. “On our original calendar, the last day of school was May 27,” said superintendent Gina
Rogers Smith. “We have missed seven full days due to weather related problems. The other three days were already built into the schedule.” School will also be in session on April 6, May 26 and 27, which were originally planned
as off days if snow days were not used. Smith said the makeup days are necessary because the district’s block schedule forces schools to have 90 days of instructional time each semester. According to state law, add-
ing minutes to days to makeup missed time is not allowed. State legislators met with the Mississippi Department of Education on Monday in hopes of getting forgiveness for the Please see CALENDAR | 3A
Homestead exemption filing deadline nearing BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Don’t let an opportunity for a property tax credit slip by. Tax Assessor Kenneth Brawner wants resident to keep in mind the homestead exemption filing deadline coming up on April 1. Anyone who became a homeowner in the past year should consider filing at the assessor’s office. The window for filing runs from Jan. 1 to April 1 each year, and the pace appears to be a little ahead of last year’s filing total, according to Brawner. One of his biggest concerns is making sure that new homeowners know about the homestead exemption.
“That is primarily who misses it is the first-time homeowners,” he said. “A lot of times, folks in the family make sure they get up here and do it.” This year, any 100 percent disabled veterans or surviving widow will need to re-file. In addition to those who bought or built a new home in the past calendar year, people who reached age 65 or became 100 percent disabled may file. Those who apply for the ad valorem tax credit must present his or her Social Security number, spouse’s Social Security number, the home purPlease see HOMESTEAD | 3A
Iuka residents facing social host charges BY JEBB JOHNSTON Staff photo by Steve Beavers
4-H member Ashley Tullis helps serve during the 12th Annual Jesse Clausel Memorial Scholarship Soup Luncheon.
Soup for scholarships a success BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
A meal worth the wait. Several people could attest to that following the 12th Annual Jesse Clausel Memorial Scholarship Soup Luncheon on Tuesday at the Mississippi State
Extension Service. The annual event which provides four $250 scholarships for high school senior 4-H members was moved to Tuesday following last week’s icy conditions. “The luncheon is a good way
to raise money for those kids who are going to college,” said Ruth Clausel, the wife of the late Jesse Clausel. “Every little bit helps.” Ruth Clausel has been a memPlease see SOUP | 2A
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
IUKA — An alleged party with underage persons consuming alcohol led to two arrests under the social host law on Friday. Phillip A. Harris, 60, of County Road 196, Iuka, is charged with eight counts of violating the social host law, and Rebecca Creel Bridges, 49, of County Road 437, Iuka, is charged with four counts, according to the Mississippi Department of Revenue. The offenses are misdemeanors. The arrest was made by
Conference will provide insight into crisis overseas Staff Reports
Standing up for the stars and stripes, guests at the inaugural Israel/Middle Eastern Conference will gather at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, in the banquet room of the Crossroads Arena to gain invaluable insight on the crisis in the Middle East and the future outlook for Israel. Free and open to all, the event’s focus is on public education. “If you love the United States,
our military and Israel and want to stop terrorists, you will want to be there,” said an excited Mike Stewart as he looks forward for Friedman Barron Thomas the opportunity to draw the community to know what is going on with together. “The timing for this is the Middle East and in Israel.” perfect because everyone wants Sponsored by the Alcorn,
Prentiss, Tippah and Tishomingo Republican Party as a gift to their neighbors and fellow Americans, the conference will breakdown barriers and encourage patriotic unity. “Regardless of race, background or creed, this is something which affects us all as Americans. This is not a political or church meeting and we aren’t raising money for anything,” said Stewart. “It is sim-
the sheriff’s department and agents of the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control, a division of the Department of Revenue. Enacted in 2011, the social host law makes it unlawful for an adult to knowingly allow minors to possess and consume alcoholic beverages on his or her property. The Department of Revenue said about 25 underage persons are suspected to have attended the party, where officers seized alcoholic bevPlease see CHARGES | 3A
“If you love the United States, our military and Israel and want to stop terrorists, you will want to be there. The timing for this is perfect because everyone wants to know what is going on with the Middle East and in Israel.” Mike Stewart
Please see CONFERENCE | 3A
25 years ago
On this day in history 150 years ago
Corinth native Lanny Griffith, a special assistant to President Bush, leads federal officials on a tour of Corinth’s historic sites, including key Civil War locations, to consider options for preservation efforts.
Gen. Sherman’s columns reach Fayetteville, North Carolina, and he calls for a five-day rest. In the Rio Grande region of Texas, Union Gen. Lew Wallace and Gen. James Slaughter arrange a truce far from the main seats of war.
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