Tuesday April 28,
2015
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 98
Breezy, rainy Today
Tonight
66
50
70% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Office hours set for voting BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Mark Boehler
Callie Pounders, age 8, says hello to a puppy available for adoption at the American Legion during Saturday’s gun raffle and fish fry to benefit the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter. See related photo on page 2.
Shelter benefit raises $16,000 BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter’s first large scale fundraiser has been deemed a success. Volunteer director Charlotte Doehner said Saturday’s gun raffle and fish fry fundraiser held at the American Legion building should net the shelter more than $16,000 once all gun and supply invoices have been paid. “It is by far the largest fundraiser we have ever done,” said Doehner. “We are all forever grateful for everyone who came out to support the shelter.” Doehner said 947 tickets were sold for the raffle which gave away 30 guns sold to the shelter at cost from Big Bang Trading Company. More than
240 fish fry tickets were also sold. “I can’t say enough thanks to Joe and Amanda Caldwell for coming up with this idea and helping make it happen,” she said. Doehner said she’s learned an important lesson from the weekend event. “It is definitely best to do fewer fundraisers and more large scale events, and in the future, we are going to put that lesson to work for us,” Doenhner said. The volunteer director said money raised from the event will be spread across several needs. “This is huge for us, because it means we can finally set some money aside for an emergency fund,” she said. “We haven’t been able to do this before, be-
cause we just simply have not had enough money.” The shelter will use some of the funds to pay utility costs for several months. “We will also be setting aside $2,000 to start a spray program for low income families and individuals in the area who can’t afford the cost of spaying their dog,” added Doehner. “This was a major goal of ours at the beginning of the year — to do something in the community to help reduce the number of animals brought into the shelter or dropped off.” Doehner said the program will initially pay to spray 80 dogs. (For more information, visit alcornpets.com or contact 662-284-5800.)
With two weeks to go until the special congressional election, extra hours are coming up for absentee voting. All county circuit clerk’s offices will open the next two Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon for those who want to vote by absentee in the 13-candidate race to succeed the late Alan Nunnelee in the U.S. House of Representatives for the First Congressional District. Saturday, May 9, will be the last day for in-person absentee voting, and mailed ballots are due in by
Monday, May 11. Absentee voting thus far is about as slow as it gets, said Circuit Clerk Joe Caldwell, indicating a low voter turnout is likely on May 12. The looming county election seems to be more on voters’ minds, he said, especially now that political advertising signs for the local races are popping up on the roadways. He reminds voters that voter identification will be required in the form of a driver’s license or other acceptable ID. Please see VOTING | 2
Jobless rate falls locally, statewide BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Unemployment rates continued to moderate in March with decreases at the state and local level. Alcorn County’s March jobless rate was 5.2 percent, falling from 5.6 percent in February and 7.3 percent in March 2014. Mississippi unemployment was 6.8 percent in seasonally unadjusted numbers, down from 7 percent in February and 7.8 percent a year earlier. Alcorn County ranked ninth
among the 82 counties, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security’s latest report. The county’s workers categorized as unemployed during the month numbered 820, compared to 1,110 a year ago, and those employed totaled 14,880, compared to 14,050 in March 2014. Initial claims for unemployment insurance numbered 75 in the county, 10 fewer than a Please see JOBLESS | 2
Allen stepping down as NEMCC president BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Once a teacher, always a teacher. As Northeast Mississippi Community College President Dr. Johnny Allen prepares to step down June 30 after 11 years at the helm of the institution he has served as an instructor, dean and vice president, he is looking back on a career spent focused on educating tomorrow’s leaders. “It’s all about the teaching. Without good classroom teachers and students there’s no reason for a school to exist. That is mission number one,” he said. The Biggersville native began his career as an agriculture teacher at Alcorn Central High School in 1978. It didn’t take long for what began as simply a job to become a passion and a calling. “One year of teaching and I was hooked. What really hooked me was the students and the relationships, helping them achieve their best,” he said. The decision to retire has not been an easy one, but the dedi-
cated family man said the time was right for him and for the school. He and his wife of 38 years, the former Christi Cartwright, are enjoying the excitement of their first grandchild, 1-year-old Laura Kate Morris and seeing the success of their two children, John Allen Jr., an agriculture teacher at Jumpertown High School and Jessica Morris, a science teacher at Thrasher High School. He wants to enjoy his golden years with those he loves while he’s still blessed with good health. “Having healthy retirement years for me and Christi is something we’ve wanted for a long time. It’s the right time for us and for the college,” he said. He’s confident the school is in good hands and is on the right track for continued growth and success. “We’ve got a good leadership team on hand to carry the college forward and it’s experiencing growth. It’s in a stable situation,” he said. Allen came to Northeast in Please see ALLEN | 2
Sisters Aidan, Johnna, Ella and Marley Mills (from left) will be among the field for Saturday’s Coke 10K.
Coca-Cola Classic 10K: A filled field BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Time is up. All 1,500 spots in the 34th Annual Corinth Coca-Cola Classic 10K have been filled. The annual race through downtown Corinth reached
capacity Monday afternoon, marking the third consecutive year the annual event capped days before the race. “I am very excited about the race,” said race founder Kenneth Williams. “It looks like Saturday is going to be a per-
fect running day.” Co-sponsored by Magnolia Regional Health Center, the Classic 10K is called “one of the 100 great short races” by Running Times. More than $6,000
25 years ago
On this day in history 150 years ago
John Darnell Day activities honor the Corinth native who led the Ole Miss Rebels to an 8-4 record.
Bodies of Union soldiers continue to wash ashore in droves at Memphis. The steamer Sultana exploded yesterday, killing 1,700, most of them recently freed from Confederate prisons. It remains the worst maritime disaster in American history.
the
Signof
PROGRESS
Doug Ann Michael Rick Jumper Hardin McCreary Jones
Neil Paul
Marea John Wilson Hayes
2782 S Harper Rd www.jumperrealty.com
Please see 10K | 2