Inside Today: Crossroads Magazine 2014 Family Edition Saturday March 29,
&URVVURDGV Family Edition - Spring 2014
4ǸȝǸɺȨȽȐ
&RRNLQJ
with kids
Daily Corinthian
Breezy
2014
50 cents
Vol. 118, No. 75
Today
Tonight
64
37
20% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Democrats travel state, talk issues BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey L. Cole wants to push the reset button. Cole is traveling the state meeting with leaders to discuss the party agenda. “For far too long, we Mississippi Democrats have allowed our opposition to define us as
a political party,” said Cole. “I think the public is ready to move away from the cultural barriers which divide us and talk about the issues which really matter.” Cole is promoting four common sense policies, as he termed them, prior to upcoming elections. “Everyone has an issue in
mind, but we want to focus on these four because I feel they affect all of Mississippi,” said Cole. The four polices include: ■ Raise the minimum wage. “This would bring $400 per month in additional income into homes of the lowest paid workers in our economy,” said Cole.
According to the party chairman, the additional income would go right back into the local economy, creating jobs for more workers. “It is time working Mississippians got a raise,” he said. ■ Extend health care coverage to 300,000 working MississipPlease see DEMOCRATS | 3
Schools schedule make-up days BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Leanne Williams and her children Levi (left) and Nathan take part in a healthy game during Family Activity Night at Alcorn Central Elementary School. See related photos on page 2.
ACES family night builds bonds BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
GLEN — Alcorn Central Elementary School wants the whole family involved. To promote its goal, ACES held its first Family Activity Night on March 25. “The entire night revolved around families and making them comfortable here at school,” said assistant principal John Anderson. “Everything was set up for them to do things as a group.”
The night was filled with such activities as a fun exercise for the entire family in the gym, blood pressure checks and health information, computer programs, book reading, fire safety and homework tips. “We wanted to make this a community event,” said principal Tammy Johnson. “John did a great job of getting it together.” Subway and Coca-Cola provided a meal during the almost three hour event. “Our goal was to get several
different things together for the parents to come in and see what is going on at the school,” said Anderson. “Students showed them what they do in gym class and the homework tips session was one we were had a lot of response.” Around 100 took advantage of the night. “Parents were real receptive,” said Johnson. “We wanted to get their input on things and we will look into doing something similar in the future.”
The Alcorn School District voted on several important topics this week during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The board voted 4-1 to approve Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith’s recommendation to take Friday, April 18, and Friday, May 23, as makeup snow days. “The district has three days built into the schedule that we can take due to weather,” said Smith. “We have had to take five days so far this school year, so two of those five days have to be made up.” District 2 representative James Voyles voted against the superintendent’s recommendation. “April 18 is Good Friday,” Voyles said. “There are many people who have asked me to do all I can to keep that day from being chosen.” The other option was Friday, May 23, and Tuesday, May 27, which is after the Memorial Day weekend. “I think we can all agree – kids won’t come back after Memorial Day,” said Smith. “I don’t like the idea of going to school on Good Friday, but it’s a better option I think than
May 27.” Smith said the district was lucky not to have to make up more days this school year. “Being able to do Smith delayed starts and early releases on a few days have helped us,” Smith added.
In other business: ■ The board approved more than 20 fundraisers for the district’s 11 schools. The fundraisers are set to take place prior to the end of the school year. ■ The board approved two donations during their consent agenda. Alcorn Central Elementary was awarded $1,517.70 from Box Tops for Education for accelerated reading programs. Wal-Mart awarded Alcorn County Technical Center (VoTech) $500 to pay for workforce development DVD’s. ■ The board approved 13 outof-state trips for six schools to be taken prior to the end of the
Please see BOARD | 6
Golf tournament benefits Wooley scholarship fund Flush project For The Daily Corinthian
Marine Cpl. Jacob Wooley, killed last March 21, 2013, in a tragic shooting at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia, is being memorialized in a golf tournament that will benefit his beloved Mississippi State University. A scholarship has been established to assist students attending Mississippi State. The proceeds from the golf tournament will help endow that scholarship. The Corporal Jacob Wooley Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at Shiloh Ridge Golf Course in Corinth on May 3. Sign-in begins at 7 a.m. and start time is 8 a.m. The entry fee is $75 per person or $300 per team. The Jacob Wooley Memorial Scholarship will “estab-
lish a legacy for Jacob, because he loved Mississippi State, especially Mississippi State football,” said his mother Linda Wooley. Wooley The scholarship will be administered by the John Stallworth Foundation in Huntsville, which was established in 1980 to offer scholarship assistance to academically gifted and deserving students at Alabama A&M, and which has now expanded to other universities in the state. Cpl. Wooley, 23, and Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata, 19, of Oakley, Calif., were killed in-
side the barracks at the Officer Training School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Cpl. Wooley attended Alcorn Central High School and Northeast Mississippi Junior College before joining the Marine Corps in February 2010. Cpl. Wooley was serving as an enlisted instructor at Quantico, had served as a field radio operator, and was promoted to Corporal in July 2012. He received the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. During three years in the Marine Corps, he was stationed for two years in Okinawa, Japan, and spent time in Thailand and the Philippines. A member of Central Pente-
Index Stocks...... 12 Classified...... 13 Comics........ 7 Church...... 10
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports........8
costal Church in Corinth, Cpl. Wooley had begun preaching before joining the Marine Corps, and had planned to dedicate his life to God and become a minister at the end of his enlistment. “Jacob had a rare gift for making those around him feel special,” Linda Wooley said. “His Marine Corps brothers said he had a light in him that few possess. He cared deeply for his family, God and country, and shared everything he had when he saw someone in need. Jacob always had a big smile for everyone, and never met a stranger. Jacob was quick to defend anyone who was being threatened or mistreated, and he became a Marine to defend his country.” (For more information, contact: Freeda McDowell, 256536-8050.)
protects pipes BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
The City of Corinth Gas and Water department, which supplies water to approximately 6,500 customers has announced it will begin the routine task of flushing out the water system throughout the city on April 3. “As part of our regular maintenance, we clean out our systems annually. We do it in the spring to ensure our customers have clean water and that water is functional for peak usage, during summer,” said Manager John Rhodes. The flushing will be conducted daily at 8 p.m. and will continue until 5 a.m. through the
On this day in history 150 years ago As Forrest raids through West Tennessee, Union troops are in close pursuit. Sherman orders, “The stockade and railroad defenses must be defended if only 50 men have to fight 1,000 men, for Forrest will not have time to stay long in any one place.”
Please see FLUSH | 3