Friday May 9,
2014
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 109
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 sections
Day: Get rid of harmful waste Grant expands pre-K scope
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Old items around the house that seem like a bad idea to toss in the trash can reach a proper end this weekend. Residents can unload old car batteries, outdated computers, containers of pool chemicals and the like at a Household Hazardous Waste Day set for Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, at the Alcorn County Transfer Station off South Harper Road. It is a free event. Complete Environmental and Remediation Co. of Purvis will be on hand to manage the collection and disposal. “The contractor works closely with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to make sure that items are sorted and disposed of properly and that anything that can be recycled will be,” said Andrea Rose, community development director for The Alliance. It’s an opportunity to safely get rid of a variety of potentially harmful materials. “The contractor has specially trained employees that can identify the chemicals and properly dispose of them,” said Rose. “We really want to keep these chemicals out of our watershed.” The last event held in October 2012 saw old TVs, broken VCRs and other electronics pile up to a total of 6,520 pounds. Also, “We get a ton of paint,” said Rose. “Usually after about two years of sitting in your shed or shop, the paint is going to separate and the color is not going to be as good.”
BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The Alcorn School District Board of Education recently approved the memorandum of understanding for the AlcornPrentiss Pre-K Early Learning Collaborative. The collaborative will allow grant money to be split between Corinth and Alcorn County school districts and the Prentiss County School District. The almost $1.5 million grant will be doled out over the next three years. “This grant money will help us strengthen and expand our prekindergarten education,” said Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith. “This is good for all the districts involved and will help those pre-K offerings beyond the transitional classroom.” The Mississippi Board of Education funded grant is one of 11 grants approved through the Early Learning Collaborative Act, the first state-funded, voluntary prekindergarten program. According to Smith, the grant will add one pre-K class to the
Workers with Complete Environmental and Remediation dispose of motor oil at the previous hazardous waste event in Corinth in October 2012. The previous event also collected 1,900 pounds of pesticide, 65 pounds of batteries and 7 pounds of mercury extracted from old thermostats and light bulbs. Items not accepted include explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials and medical waste.
The event will be set up in a drive-through format with volunteers helping to unload materials from vehicles. It is a project of Keep Corinth-Alcorn Beautiful in partnership with Caterpillar, Waste Connections, the City of Corinth and Alcorn County. A $25,000 MDEQ grant pays for
the contractor, and the 25 percent local match is met through volunteer labor and other support. If the contractor reaches capacity, the event could shut down before 2 p.m. Anyone who brings normal trash for disposal will still have to pay the usual fee.
Please see GRANT | 2A
Rotary honors teachers BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth Rotary recently honored a pair of Alcorn School District teachers for their efforts as educators and mentors. Genia Robinson was selected as the Elementary Rotary Teacher of the Year, while Bill Timmons was selected as the 7th-12th Grade Rotary Teacher of Year. Currently the 4th-6th grade reading and English teacher at Rienzi Elementary, Robinson has more than 12 years of teaching experience. “Genia’s passion and love for students and learning inspires her students, colleagues, this school and our community,” said RES Principal Stan Platt. “She is always organized, con-
scientious and professional. She strives to reach excellence in teaching so each student has unlimited opportunities for growth.” At Kossuth Middle School, Timmons teaches American History, Ancient Civilizations, Mississippi History and Geography. He has more than 25 years of experience as a teacher. “In my 11 plus years in education, I would be hard pressed to find a teacher with more passion and enthusiasm for the subject that they teach and student learning the Mr. Timmons,” said KMS Principal Sanuel Roberts. Two Corinth School District educators were also recognized as Rotary Teacher of Year award winners. Staff photo by Kimberly Shelton
Ricky Gibens and Kim McCreless review paperwork.
NRA plans auction, banquet BY JEFF YORK For Daily Corinthian
SELMER, Tenn. — A determined teenager is the youngest person in Tennessee to ever start a Friends of the NRA chapter and his work has led to the first-ever Shiloh Friends of NRA banquet. The banquet & auction will be held Saturday, May 10 at the Selmer Civic Center. Cost of the banquet is $25. This will include a barbecue meal and a chance to win a special gun. The banquet will begin at 5:30 p.m. Ford Hawkins organized the
Shiloh Friends of the NRA that began with regular meetings in January. The monthly meetings have been held at the Top O’ the River in Michie. Hawkins, 17, was in a group who wanted to organize a trapshooting team at McNairy Central only to learn how expensive that would be with putting together a high school trap team. The Kimber II Pistol 45 ACP will be given away as part of the evening’s banquet. This pistol has been donated by Tennessee Cartridge Company. Please see NRA | 2A
Gibens continues to serve others Unsung Heroes BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories on Unsung Heroes of Alcorn County.) With a faithful heart and generous spirit, Ricky Gibens has served his community in some shape or fashion for many years. Gibens started out in Civil
Index Stocks......8A Classified......4B Comics......9A State......5A
Defense in 1985 and now works for Emergency Services. “My first call was a train derailment at Wenasoga Crossing. I joined on a Monday and the train derailment happened on a Thursday or Friday. I remember one of my superiors saying ‘You park this car, son, and don’t let anyone past you,’ said Gibens, who was 19-yearsold at the time of the accident. “There were flames and an explosion. I just thought, ‘What am I doing out here?,’ added Gibens, who can still vividly recall the details of the
event. In January of 1988, the Corinth native joined the Fire Service and in December of the same year was promoted to Assistant Fire Coordinator for Alcorn County. Gibens, who now serves as the Alcorn County Emergency Management Director, said he has worn many hats over the years and he still does. By June of 1989, he was hanging around the sheriff’s office. So much so, he was ofPlease see GIBENS | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago
Weather....10A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....12A
Union Gen. John Sedgwick is warned about snipers at Spotsylvania Court House. He shrugs off the advice, saying, “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Moments later, he is killed by a sharpshooter’s bullet.
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