Wednesday April 2,
2014
50 cents
Taste
Home & Garden
Eggs crack the haute cuisine scene.
Spring-flowering daffodils are a garden staple in state.
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 78
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
LaVonda (right and played by Tresa Condra) must keep her sister’s affair a secret from Noleta (Melissa Lambert).
CT-A presents adult Southern melodrama sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Southern melodrama at its best. “Sordid Lives” provides a big helping of theatre comedy when it hits the stage Thursday at the Corinth Theatre-Arts’ Crossroads Playhouse. “The show uses comedy to deal with sensitive topics,” said CT-A Artistic Director Cris Skinner. “It’s a big ensemble process with so many characters who all have a different say … the cast feeds off
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City cuts gun law jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
one another.” Written by Texas native Del Shores, “Sordid Lives” is a CT-A Second Stage production – which means it’s for an adult audience. The show is rated R for strong language and sexual situations. “Our whole idea behind the Second Stage productions is to encourage adults to come,” added Skinner. “I believe any theatre production should be fun,” added director Cheryl Sproles said. “It helps that this play is hi-
Today
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
‘Sordid Lives’
BY STEVE BEAVERS
Humid
larious and the cast is having a blast working on it … my mantra when directing is ‘if we aren’t having fun, it’s time to go home.’” Performances are set for Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. A Sunday showing of the production is scheduled for 2 p.m. Those interested in having dinner with the director on Saturday can do so by making reservations at the CT-A by Thursday. Please see THEATRE | 2A
The Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen has decided to remove the city’s gun law to ease confusion and concerns. The mayor and aldermen have recently received numerous e-mails regarding gun laws. “I want to thank all of those who have sent me e-mails concerning the 2nd amendment and gun rights here at the office and also at home,” Mayor Tommy Irwin said at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting. “We probably are going to tear our ordinance up and follow the state law.” Police Chief David Lancaster agreed with the board’s thinking. Following last year’s revision to the state law dealing with firearms, the city sought an attorney general’s opinion seeking some clarification on whether the municipality had the authority to ban guns in
places such as a public park. But questions and concerns lingered after the opinion. Lancaster said it will be much simpler to go straight to the state law rather than juggling the two. Concerned citizen Jay Anthony encouraged the board to make the change. “Somebody has really dropped the ball on the 2nd amendment issue in this town,” he said. “Your ordinance, as it stands, most of it is against federal law … We don’t want to see Corinth sued.” Lancaster said the existing city law has been on the books as long as he can remember. The board unanimously passed the motion to drop the law from the books. The AG’s office brought substantial attention to its opinion last year by taking the rare step of issuing a press release along with it to discuss the state’s gun laws.
Schools OK retirements BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The Alcorn School District Board of Directors recently approved numerous retirements. Denise Webb-Harrell will retire from the school district at the end of April. Webb-Harrell will leave the position of elementary curriculum and district test coordinator. Longtime Glendale Elementary School teachers Keturah Hutson and Georgia Lofstrom
will retire effective June 30. Other GES retirements approved with the date of June 30 include teacher assistant and bus driver Nancy King and cafeteria employee Brenda Powell. Kossuth Middle School teacher Linda Johnson will also retire on June 30. The next school board meeting is set for April 21 at 5 p.m. in the board room at the Alcorn School District office on Manpower Road.
Verandah-Curlee House Taylor Street home featured on tour opens to show renovations BY ZACK STEEN
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Verandah-Curlee House is opening for two days only this week to give a peek at the ongoing renovations. The two-day open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday is in conjunction with the Corinth Home and Garden Tour benefiting the home’s restoration. No admission will be charged. The home has been closed for two years due to deterioration and the time it has taken for the architect’s planning, approval of plans by the National Park Service and Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and fund-raising. “The exterior structural restoration, roof and painting has been finished,” said Rosemary Williams, chair of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Commission, which manages the home. “Plans are underway for the interior repair and decor, electrical and plumbing upgrades, out building and landscape improvements.” Howard-Revis of Washington, D.C., is currently developing
plans for the interpretive work, and Winkler-Moss of Philadelphia is consulting on the original colors and interior furnishings. Visitors to the home this weekend will get a preview of the consultants’ preliminary plans, which are expected to be in hand this week. “The building will not be open for viewing again until the major interior work is finished,” said Williams. She is asking for volunteer help with landscape pruning and planting, loose paint removal and exterior carpentry work for out buildings during the summer months. The city-owned property is one of Corinth’s National Historic Landmarks. Built in 1857 by one of Corinth’s founders, Hamilton Mask, the property was used by both Confederate and Union generals during the Civil War. Contributions toward renovations may be made to the Friends of the Siege and Battle of Corinth, P.O. Box 45, Corinth, MS 38835-0045. To volunteer, contact Williams at 287-1328 or rosemarywms@bellsouth.net.
Index Stocks......8A Classified......3B Comics......2B State......5A
Weather....10A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....12A
The 1125 Taylor Street home of Becky Williams is one of three stops on this weekend’s sixth annual Corinth Home & Garden Tour. The white brick, two story home with it’s iconic yellow front door was built in 1936 by local eye, ear, nose and throat physician Dr. D.W. Hamrick. Hamrick built the home without help from an architect or home builder. “Clearly no one who normally built homes, built this one as evidenced by the fact that the main hallway is wider at the west end,” said Williams as she relaxed in her den. “My grandfather, A.K. Weaver, actually helped the doctor with the design of the house.” Williams’ father, Bedon Burress, rented a room across the street and watched the house being built. In 2003, Williams purchased the house from her mother, Mary Martin Weaver Burress who had owned the
Staff photo by Zack Steen
The 1125 Taylor Street home of Becky Williams will be featured on this weekend’s Corinth Home & Garden Tour. home for around 20 years. “I wanted the house to be more open,” Williams said. “I hired Briar Jones from Starkville and he redesigned many aspects of the house.” In Briar’s initial letter assessment of the home’s remodel he hysterically wrote, “I believe the electrical may be safe until demolition.” Today, the home is highlighted by stained glass windows dating back to 1897 in the sun room.
“The stained glass windows share the same time period with the ceramic scissortailed flycatchers over the fireplace in the living room,” she said. “The red velvet and gold lame high-heeled slippers in the bookcase belonged to my mother during her college days.” The home is decorated eclectically representing the many loves of the homeowner. Please see TOUR | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago Confederate raiders attempt to destroy the lighthouse at Cape Lookout, N.C., but only succeed in damaging the tank holding the fuel oil for the light. The lighthouse is now protected by the National Park Service.
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