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Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 76
• Corinth, Mississippi •
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20 pages • Two sections
Charter spells out officials’ duties BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
An election year for Corinth brings questions about qualifications, pay and duties for the city’s governing board. The list of qualifications in order to run is short. In fact, City Clerk Vickie Roach said it essentially is just one — that the
person be a qualified elector of the city at least 30 days prior to the election date. Being a qualified elector necessarily entails that the person will be 18 years old. For those seeking ward posts, it is a requirement to live in the same ward for which election is sought. That applies to wards 1
through 5, while the holder of the at-large seat can be a resident of any ward. There are no statutory guidelines regulating the salaries of those who serve as mayor and aldermen, thus leaving pay rates entirely at the discretion of the board. The annual pay is currently $12,605 for the six
aldermen and $71,131 for the mayor. Powers of the mayor and aldermen are spelled out in the city charter. Roach said it can take some time for an aldermen to learn the ropes and become familiar with exactly what city government can and cannot do.
“There are so many statutes and limitations that, coming from the private sector, you never see,” she said. Having worked with mayors and aldermen through several terms, she has seen the challenges they face on a daily basis. Please see CHARTER | 6A
Treasurer: Check for extra property BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Volunteer nurse Rita Cook takes a blood pressure reading on the Living Healthy Free Medical Clinic’s first patient on opening day.
There’s one Internet search that could turn up some cash. The state treasurer’s office is pointing residents to the web to search for funds held in the unclaimed property program, which includes monies from banks, savings and loans companies, insurance firms and utilities that have gone untouched for a period of five years. “Check and see if your name is on there — a spouse, relatives, neighbor — because about 1 out of 10 of you are going to have some property or
know somebody that has property,” State Treasurer Lynn Fitch said during a Corinth visit. Available in print in years past, the unclaimed property compendium is now on the web. Since 1982, when the Unclaimed Property Act was passed, the office has returned more than $128 million to pleasantly surprised owners. “I think I have the greatest job, because what other elected official gets to give away money?” said Fitch. Please see PROPERTY | 13A
Free medical clinic opens doors School systems allowed BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
A group of compassionate volunteers have joined together to provide a blessing to those Alcorn County residents in need. Adults and children age 12 and up with no income and no health insurance can now get professional medical treatment in Corinth for free. The Living Healthy Free Medical Clinic opened their doors to patients for the first time earlier this month in the old South Corinth/Easom
School on Cass Street. The clinic will open from 1-5 p.m., on the second Wednesday and fourth Saturday of each month. At present there are no free medicines available and $4 prescriptions are used as much as possible. Only pain medicines without prescription will be used, such as Aleve, Ibuprofen, Tylenol and Aspirin. At the reigns of the free health clinic is long time Corinth physician Dr. Thomas L. Sweat, who retired from his practice in Sept. 2013. “There are a number of
people in this community that don’t have access to medical care,” said Sweat. “These are people who don’t have insurance, Medicare or Medicaid and have no money. When something is wrong, they’ll go to the emergency room. The problem is they won’t get continuous care at the E.R.” Sweat not only wants to treat people, but also teach them how to manage their condition. “We’ll advise patients about blood pressure, diabetes, cho-
to choose starting dates
Please see CLINIC | 3A
Please see SCHOOLS | 6A
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Mississippi Legislature and governor have decided that schools can continue to begin their year during the early days of August. The governor has signed Senate Bill 2571, which undoes legislation from 2012 that pushed the start of the school year back to no earlier than the third Monday in August.
The undoing of the later start date is tied to a bill that had multiple other items dealing with school, such as allowing students participating in dual enrollment programs to receive credit for courses that are included in the state’s subjectarea testing requirements. “Had the Legislature chosen to send me the school start
Group requesting donations to complete purple heart monument BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The task has become tougher for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. But it will get done. Plans to erect a Purple Heart monument have run into a snag. Organizers had to switch companies to order the monument from which in turn have
raised costs. “We started thinking the cost of the full monument would be $8,000, but we are looking at spending around $10,000,” said Modern Woodmen’s Steven Eaton, who is working with local Chapter 813 on the project. “The good news is this company does them all over the country and I think it will be
easier going this route.” To place an order, organizers need to come up $5,000. Modern Woodmen has pledged to match $2,500 of the cost to place the monument at the northeast corner of the Alcorn County Courthouse. “We are about $1,500 away from reaching the goal of ordering,” added Eaton.
Index Stocks......8A Classified......4B Comics Inside State......5A
Weather......9A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....10A
Bricks, which will provide a walkway around the red stone monument, are now being sold to raise the rest of the money needed. The bricks, which are being sold for $50, can be purchased to honor a relative who is a veteran. Rank, name, branch of service, service dates and war served in will all appear on the
bricks. After the monument is ordered, it usually takes around three months to arrive, according to Eaton. “We are going to keep raising money until we get it,” said Eaton. “Things have gone well with people as far away as Please see MONUMENT | 13A
On this day in history 150 years ago The Union soldiers captured in Forrest’s raid through Kentucky and Tennessee are a hindrance to the fast moving cavalry. They are sent under escort to Corinth where they will be processed for transfer to Southern prisons.
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