Thursday April 9,
2015
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 83
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Murder suspect held without bond two counts of capital murder in the shooting deaths of Archie “Wayne” Williams and Jeanette Martha Gray. Meeks will remain in custody at the Alcorn County Jail awaiting his next court appearance. Williams and Gray were found by a neighbor at
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Bond has been denied for a man charged with capital murder. Justice Court Judge Jimmy McGee rejected the bond motion of Michael Lee Meeks on Tuesday afternoon. Meeks, 24, is charged with
Gray’s 155 County Road 171 home on Saturday around 12:30 p.m. Both were expected to have been dead for several days. Meeks, on probation with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for shooting into an occupied dwelling, was arrested in Littleville,
Ala. and charged with felony possession of a firearm. The .22 caliber firearm found in his possession is believed to be the gun used in the double homicide. Funeral services for Williams, 50, are set for 2 p.m. Friday at Magnolia Funeral Home. The retired con-
struction worker is survived by two daughters and a son, all of Florence, Ala. A private memorial service for Gray will be held at a later date. Gray, 56, was a retired factory worker and is survived by a daughter, two sons and eight grandchildren.
Meeks
City police arrest robbery suspects BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Corinth Coca-Cola 10K co-coordinator Amy Smith shows off the new bright shirts for the May 2 event.
10K goes bright lime green BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Coca-Cola 10K is taking the splash for safety. When the starter’s gun goes off on May 2 for the 34th running of the 6.2-mile run, runners/walkers will be more visible thanks to race T-shirts. The 2015 design is a bright lime design with a coke bottle cap in the center with a splash of lime behind the cap. “We are trying to do something to keep runners safer on the course,” said race co-coordinator Amy Smith. “This is the first time we have gone bright and we think they will be more visible.” Organizers are over halfway
to the 1,500 limit of the annual race through downtown Corinth. As of Wednesday, 775 had registered for the run. Those who want to participate in the 10K must register online. The race has gone to strictly online registration this year. “The number is up 23 percent from last year and we haven’t really advertised it yet,” said Smith. Things will start to get busy next week with packets being put together. Cost to enter the 10K will also increase next week. Currently, race registration is $20. The price goes to $25 starting on Monday, April 13.
The last two years registration has been capped at 1,500. Over 1,000 runners have registered the last four consecutive years. “Last year, we reached the 1,500 mark a week before the race,” added Smith. Co-sponsored by MRHC, the Classic 10K is called “one of the 100 great short races” by Running Times. More than $6,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. Prize money will be awarded to the top three places in eight different divisions and in age groups 25 and over. (To register for the 34th Annual Corinth Coca-Cola 10K go to coke10k.com.)
Corinth police identified two suspects charged in an armed robbery on Wednesday and two others arrested in a separate burglary case. The armed robbery of an individual happened Tuesday afternoon outside a Waldron Street residence where a man was working on a car. The suspects were arrested later on Dorsey Street without incident and charges were filed Wednesday. Detective Dell Green said Edmon Morgan, 29, of Mitchell Street, and Taderrius Scruggs, 21, of Dorsey Street, are each charged with armed robbery. They remained in custody as of 4 p.m. Wednesday with bond set at $50,000. They approached the man on Waldron Street and asked to use his cell phone. After
pulling a gun, they took his phone and wallet. In the separate burglary case, Carl Conner, 22, of Dennistown Road, is charged with burglary of a residence, and Lashawn Adams, 25, also of Dennistown Road, is charged with accessory after the fact. Green said neighbors observed black males loading a television into a vehicle at a Blasingame Street address on April 1. When they saw they were being watched, they left, with one fleeing on foot. Another car picked up the one who fled on foot. Officers identified the suspects and located them at a Shiloh Road residence the next day. Adams was apprehended at the residence while Conner fled on foot and was caught a couple of blocks away, said Green.
Aldermen consider change in beer law BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Board of Aldermen will consider an ordinance amendment to accommodate specialty beer stores. Brandy and Jeff Phillips, owners of the Wine Barn on Highway 72 West, want to open a specialty craft beer market next to the existing business. They approached the city board with the request on Tuesday.
Currently, under the city’s code regulating beer and liquor, such a store would be required to have 50 percent of the sales as non-beer items and 65 percent of the floor space occupied by non-beer items. With no plans to sell convenience store fare or other items, that doesn’t fit with the Phillips’ plan. The question had arisen Please see BEER | 2
County seeks bids Law helps families with autism care for garbage pickup BY ZACK STEEN
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
With bids in hand for new garbage trucks, the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors decided to take proposals for sanitation service. The board on Monday voted to table the truck bids and seek proposals for garbage collection. The county currently handles its own garbage collection with three trucks that are in need of replacement. After
reviewing the bids for new trucks, Supervisor Jimmy Tate Waldon said he is concerned the bid specifications needed to be better tailored to the county’s needs. The county has bids in hand from Tri-State Truck Center and Ingram Equipment for the lease-purchase of trucks and trade in of the existing trucks. In other business before the board, Sheriff Charles Please see GARBAGE | 2
Photo by Rogelio V. Solis/AP
State Sen. Rita Potts Parks (R-Alcorn, Tippah, Tishomingo) authored the Senate version of the new Mississippi law that will require all health insurance plans to cover autismrelated treatment.
A new bill set to be signed into law next month will require all Mississippi health insurance plans to cover autism-related treatment. District 4 Sen. Rita Potts Parks (R-Alcorn, Tippah, Tishomingo), who authored the Senate version of the bill, is excited her home state has finally joined the nationwide movement for autism care. “Autism-related treatment has become a critical issue in the state in recent years,” said Parks. “Some families have had to pay more than $30,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for services. I’m so happy we can fiPlease see AUTISM | 2
25 years ago
On this day in history 150 years ago
The School Consolidation Study Committee recommend a bond issue for the Alcorn School District to provide a high-tech learning environment, the same as what Corinth is doing.
Palm Sunday — Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant. Grant’s terms are generous; all soldiers are paroled and allowed to go home, officers keep their side-arms and the cavalry their private horses. Grant orders rations to be distributed to the hungry soldiers who are again fellow countrymen.
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