Corinth School board elects officers
McNairy County Grand jury returns indictments
Prentiss County Man faces stolen property charge
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Friday March 11,
2016
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 120, No. 61
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Auditor seeks indictment dismissals BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
State Auditor Stacey Pickering is seeking dismissal of indictments returned by a Hinds County Grand Jury against two of his investigators.
The grand jury returned indictments on a charge of hindering prosecution for David Huggins, an Alcorn County native and director of the investigations division, and Karei McDonald, deputy director of the
investigations division. In a statement issued Wednesday, Pickering said the actions by Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith are “unprecedented, unfounded and beyond expla-
nation. In a rush to further his own agenda or personal vendettas, he led a Hinds County Grand Jury to take unjust and wrong actions.” The Clarion Ledger newspaper in Jackson reported that
the indictment claims Huggins and McDonald used deception and intimidation to prevent subpoenaed files from being handed over to the DA’s office Please see AUDITOR | 6A
Corinth claims 6th state title BY H. LEE SMITH II
■ See
lsmith@dailycorinthian.com
JACKSON — The Corinth Warriors returned to the mountain top. Corinth High School earned its sixth state championship in basketball, and first in Class 4A, by beating McComb 68-63 Thursday night at Mississippi Coliseum. The Tigers (29-2) entered the annual season-ending tournament as the two-time defending 4A champions. Mc-
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Dickie Scruggs was the guest speaker at a joint meeting of the Corinth Rotary, Kiwanis and Civitan clubs on Thursday.
Scruggs promotes ‘Second Chance’ BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Dickie Scruggs believes in second chances. The former trial lawyer is a personal testament of another shot.
These days for Scruggs, a do over means raising awareness and funding for those seeking a second chance at a diploma or skill certification. Scruggs spent time Thursday talking with members of
the Corinth Rotary, Kiwanis and Civitan clubs during a joint meeting at Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club. “I was involved and had pur-
Miss Corinth Pageant about ladies ‘giving back’ BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
Sparkling sashes and elegant gowns will flood the “runway” as organizers and participants present the 4th Annual Miss Corinth Pageant. Set for 3 p.m. Sunday on the historic Coliseum Civic Center stage in downtown Corinth, contestants will compete for the titles of Miss Teen Corinth 2016 and Miss Corinth 2016. “The Miss Corinth Pageant along with its sister pageant, the Miss Historic Farmington Pageant (which benefits the Farmington Volunteer Fire Dept. and the Farmington Food Bank) serve as platfroms for the young women of Corinth and Farmington and
Please see SCRUGGS | 2A
game story on Page 10A.
Comb boasted a 92-2 mark on the floor the last three seasons combined and hadn’t lost to a team from its own classification since falling in the 2013 Class 5A State Tournament. McComb beat Corinth 5949 in last year’s semifinal round en route to its second straight title. Please see TITLE | 6A
Supporters request schools stay open BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
More than 100 people packed a special called meeting of the Alcorn School District Board of Education on Thursday night as supporters continued to ask school officials to not close Glendale and Rienzi Elementary Schools. “It has been stated by Superintendent (Larry) Mitchell
that we are not able to upgrade our schools as needed because we are $5 million in debt, and that Glen and Rienzi need to close in order to upgrade other larger schools,” said GES parent Jody Emerson. “But I have discovered, we don’t have a budget problem — we have an accountPlease see SCHOOLS | 6A
People of the Crossroads Tucker Brown, Corinth Photo by Rob Brown
them the opportunity to ‘give back’ to their local schools and communities,” explained Betty Boren Grothe, director of the pageants. “Miss Corinth titleholders primarily work within the Corinth community involving themselves in local school systems by collecting books and reading to pre-school and kindergarten students. They also volunteer their time at various local events, such as the Corinth Coca-cola Classic10K and the Rooster Run 5K to benefit Havis’ Kids.” The ladies also serve as ambassadors for the city of Corinth by participat-
For 13-year-old Tucker Brown, all the world’s a stage. A 7th grader at Corinth Middle School, the 13-yearold actor has always dreamed of entertaining others. “I enjoy being able to step into a role and bring that character to life for the audience,” he said. A regular face at Corinth Theatre-Arts, the young thespian is reaching for the stars when it comes to his future as a performing artist.“I want to continue developing my craft by working with my acting coach, Katelyn Nichols of New York City and my vocal coach, Bob Westbrook of Memphis. “I simply love to entertain and it would be a dream come true to have a career in the entertainment world,” he added. A native of Corinth, Tucker is the son of Rob and Page Brown.
Please see PAGEANT | 2A
25 years ago
10 years ago
State runners up in Class 1-1A the Biggersville Lady Lions are welcomed home as heroes with a parade and pep rally. The team is led by coach Myra McNair.
Alcorn County native James Edward “JE” Gurley publishes his first science fiction novel. The retired chef has previously found success selling more than 40 short stories to national publications.
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