Inside Today:
Dining Guide
Wednesday April 29,
2015
50 cents
Taste
Home & Garden
Celebrate warm weather with shortcake.
Native butterfly weed is great garden choice.
Page 1B
Page 14A
Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 99
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
70
46
20% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 26 pages • Two sections
Pastors discuss city gang situation BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Some local pastors want to seize the opportunity to promote a message of peace and unity in the wake of the April 4 shootout that claimed two lives.
As they gathered Monday, the discussion touched on the nature of Corinth’s gang situation and the need for different churches to come together in response to the community’s fears. A unity prayer service is
likely to be scheduled for a date in May. Kim Ratliff, pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church, said these meetings came from a desire to get the faith community together to talk about the occurrences
of the past month. “There are a lot of rumors going around our community right now about how bad Corinth is getting,” he said. “That’s not the case. We just want to send the message that our hope is
in God and we are not going to lay down and let something just take the integrity and, most of all, the spirituality of our community.” Please see GANGS | 6A
Local doctor gives Sportsplex new life BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
A new vision and a better way. Longtime Corinth physician Pat Tucker has purchased the bankrupted Sportsplex Inc. Tucker acquired the former Corinth Y and YMCA property from a debt collection company. “The Sportsplex has had a lot of problems over the past 20 years or so, and recently they were almost foreclosed on,” said Tucker. “When I first heard about this, God told me to save the facility for youth ministry.” Sportsplex board members filled Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 5 to protect the property from foreclosure for a large debt lien and a IRS tax lien. “My vision is to create a new multi-denominational, nonprofit youth sports ministry,
and to offer programs to the community,” he said. “The Sportsplex name is going away — it has to. Change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be a change for the worse.” Tucker founded the Crossroads Youth Ministry Association to operate the property, which he said will now be known as 101. “When I was thinking about a name, I thought about the basic courses people take in college. They’re called 101,” he said. “We are going to work to feed the youth who come to this facility the basics -- not only in sports, but how to be good human beings and how to be Christians.” The association and 101 will be managed by Tucker and a community wide board of pastors and successful Christian
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Physician Pat Tucker purchased the bankrupted Corinth Sportsplex Inc. last month from a debt collection company. businesspeople. The facility will offer free indoor ministry for youth and be accessible by all local ministries. Financial sup-
port will come from community donations and the continued leases of certain areas on the property.
“The current board has worked hard to fix the probPlease see SPORTSPLEX | 2A
Race day pancake tradition continues BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Kiwanis Club is planning a feast before runners use their feet. Before the gun fires to start the 34th Annual Corinth CocaCola Classic 10K on Saturday, Kiwanis will holds its annual Pancake Breakfast from 7-11 a.m. in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church. Cost is $5 per ticket for the all you can eat pancake breakfast, which includes sausage, bacon,
juice and coffee. Children 10 and under, who must be accompanied by an adult, eat free. “We are looking forward to another successful year,” said club president Jay Jones. “There will be plenty of pancakes so no one should worry about us running out.” More than 1,000 pancakes are excepted to be prepared for hungry race followers. The civic club also plans to be preparing 120 pounds of bacon and over 100 pounds of sau-
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Kiwanis Club members DuJuana Frazier Thompson (left) and Jackie Holt get a jump start in making pancakes prior to Saturday’s annual Pancake Breakfast at First United Methodist Church. See related photo on Page 2A.
sage. Shiloh Market, Roger’s/ Gardner’s, Kroger and Refreshments, Inc. have all donated supplies needed for the annual breakfast. Volunteers with the Key Club are also set to help during the breakfast. “We couldn’t do this without our sponsors,” said Kiwanis member Jason Grisham. Tickets can be purchased from any Kiwanis member or at the door. Money raised from the over 30-year event is used to support the youth programs of the club. Those who attend the event should enter the church fellowship hall at the Jackson Street entrance.
25 years ago
On this day in history 150 years ago
Don Pace, owner of First Citizen Loans of Corinth, is appointed to the board of directors of the Mississippi State Future Business Leaders of America/ Phi Beta Lambda Foundation.
President Andrew Johnson removed trade restrictions in all Southern states except for Texas. President Jefferson Davis and his party have reached the outskirts of Yorkville, South Carolina.
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