Daily Corinthian
Thursday May 22,
2014
50 cents
Vol. 118, No. 120
Warm Today
Tonight
89
63
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Toyota VP talks education outreach BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Toyota Mississippi Vice President Sean Suggs visited with community leaders, officials and citizens Wednesday night at the Commission on the Future of Alcorn County community forum. Suggs shared some of the qualities Toyota expects out of their employees with the crowd that had
gathered at the Corinth High School auditorium. “We always tell our employees to lead by example. They should have a commitment to the work they do, work well with others and be able perform multiple tasks,” said Suggs. “An individual should be a good problem solver, as well.” Named vice president of Toyota manufacturing facilities in Missis-
sippi last year, Suggs is responsible for all areas of administration at the facility in Blue Springs including human resources, general affairs, safety, accounting and finance and production control. “A new program I’m excited about is our early childhood education outreach,” said Suggs. “We want to start as young as possible educating children that working
in manufacturing ... or working at Toyota, can make for an exciting career and good money can be made.” Suggs, who lives in Tupelo with his family, said he hopes to come to local high schools in the future to teach students about automotive manufacturing. “People are amazed when they Please see SUGGS | 6
Suggs
Marine with ties to area to receive Medal of Honor BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Cpl. Kyle Carpenter remembers lying on his back on a rooftop in Marjah, Afghanistan, crammed up against sandbags alongside his friend and fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio. It was Nov. 21, 2010, and his squad was trying push south into Taliban strongholds, working to set up patrol bases and establish a stronger U.S. Marine presence in the volatile region. He doesn’t recall the attack. He doesn’t remember throwing himself in front of Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio to protect him from a grenade, an act that will make him the eighth living recipient of the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the few seconds between the blast and unconsciousness are clear. The impact felt like his face
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Happy graduates Kossuth High School seniors Chris Dilworth, Samantha Sharp and Diamond Moore celebrate prior to graduation ceremonies Tuesday night. The trio were among 91 seniors who earned their diplomas from KHS. For more photos from the Kossuth graduation and other local high school graduations, see the Sunday Daily Corinthian.
“I remember my buddies yelling at me, it sounded like they were a football field away. I remember them yelling, you know, you’re gonna make it, you’re gonna make it. ...” Cpl. Kyle Carpenter and body had been hit with a two-by-four, he said, his vision was blurry and there was a loud ringing in his ears. The blood felt like warm water flowing over his face, and as he ran his tongue around his mouth, he couldn’t feel his jaw. “I remember my buddies yelling at me, it sounded like they were a football field away. I remember them yelling, you know, you’re gonna make it, you’re gonna make it. And I just kept trying to tell them that I was gonna die,” Carpenter said in an interview with a
small group of reporters at the Pentagon. As he drifted off, he said he remembers realizing how devastated his family would be that he wasn’t getting out of Afghanistan alive. And then, he said, “I asked for forgiveness ... I wanted to go to heaven.” The White House announced Monday that Carpenter, 24, will receive the medal of honor on June 19. He is the 15th recipient of the medal, which is the military’s highest Please see MARINE | 3
County unemployment rate drops below 6 percent BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The county’s jobless rate continues a downward trend, going below 6 percent in April. The latest report from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security released Wednesday shows Alcorn County at 5.9 percent, ranking 13th among the state’s 82 counties. The rate is down from 7
percent in March and 7.4 percent a year earlier. The county had 14,540 people categorized as employed during the month, nearly unchanged from a year earlier. The number unemployed was 910, down from 1,160 a year earlier. Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the county totaled 91 in April and continued claims totaled 634, down
from 110 and 828, respectively, a year ago. Among neighboring counties, Tishomingo fared best at 6.9 percent, compared to 8.6 percent a year ago. Prentiss was at 7.4 percent, down from 8.1 percent a year ago, and Tippah was at 8.1 percent, down from 9.8 percent. Mississippi’s not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment
increased 8,000 over the month and 9,200 from a year ago. Industry sectors registering the largest monthly employment gains were leisure & hospitality, construction, and professional & business services. Across the state, rates ranged from 4.2 percent in Rankin County to 16.3 percent in Issaquena County. Regional and state unemploy-
ment rates were generally lower in April. Forty-three states had unemployment rate decreases, two states had increases, and five states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate Please see JOBLESS | 3
History society completes spring renovation projects BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
BURNSVILLE — The Tishomingo County Historical & Genealogical Society completed spring renovation projects this month on several historic buildings in the county. May is National Historic Preservation Month. The Burnsville One-Room Colored Schoolhouse received a spring cleaning, interior preservation work and fresh paint on the exterior. “We are very pleased to be able to reach several of the goals we put in place at the schoolhouse,” said Cindy Nel-
son, society president. “We believe that the schoolhouse will continue to serve the county and visiting tourists for many years to come.” The one-room schoolhouse was built in the early 1900s in response to an appeal from the town’s African-Americans for adequate facilities for the instruction of their children. “It was originally constructed to replace an earlier school building built in the 1800s,” said Nelson. “The building remains a source of pride to the people of Burnsville and their
Photo compliments of Opal Lovelace
Please see RENOVATION | 3
The Burnsville One-Room Colored Schoolhouse was moved from its long abandoned location to its current home on Fulton Street off U.S. Highway 72 behind the First American National Bank.
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
On this day in history 150 years ago
Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
MEMORIAL DAY
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Gen. Nathan B. Forrest’s younger brother, Capt. William H. Forrest, leads the 26th Battalion of Tennessee Cavalry in an ambush at Mount Pleasant, Miss. The 4th Missouri Cavalry (US) loses a dozen men while the Southerners suffer no casualties.
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