Friday May 25,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 126
Today
Tonight
92
64
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
‘Bring Down the Giant’ Saving Abel video takes stand against bullying BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
GLEN — A white limousine pulled up to the entrance of Alcorn Central High School as a day of music video filming began. The luxury ride didn’t carry the rock stars Saving Abel. Instead, it served as a prop for the opening of the video to new single “Bringing Down the Giant,” in which an endless stream of students will emerge from the limo, clowncar style. Students lined up to slide across the limousine’s back seat, jump out the door and head towards the school entrance. After the first runthrough, the director found the students a bit too wellbehaved. “This time, you’re gonna act like real kids with the goofiness and the silliness,” he said. After getting his picture taken with lead singer Jared Weeks, sixth-grader Bradlee Bingham was among the group of students who participated in the opening scene and another scene in which a small group of students talk about bullying and respect. The student said he is a fan of the band. “Especially the song that we’re doing [the video] to,” he said. “I just listened to it the other day, and I loved it.” Students and school staff approached the band members for autographs and photos. “I’m proud of you,” Middle School Principal Dan Burcham told Weeks, giving him a pat on the back. “Good job.” The band invited students from all area schools to participate in the video shoot. The school district agreed to the shoot after band co-founder Jason Null pitched the idea just 10 days earlier. “Looking back on all this, this place is what made me who I am,” said Weeks, a 2001 ACHS graduate. “It feels good to come back home and have something to show these people and bring them in as a part of it.”
Sunny and hot
Service honors those who gave all BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Mississippi’s highest ranking military person will help American Legion Post 6 remember those who died while serving their country. Maj. Gen. Augustus L. (Leon) Collins will be the featured speaker for the Memorial Day Service set for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Corinth National Cemetery. “Leon is as good as gold,” said Post 6 member Gary Briggs. “It is an honor to have him and we are expecting a crowd between 300400 people.” Collins is the adjutant general of Mississippi and also serves as the commanding general of both the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard. He is responsible for the providing the state and the United States with a ready force of more than 12,275 citizen soldiers and airmen. Sunday’s event will also consist of a wreath-laying by the Daughters of the Union Veterans President of Camp 2 Sarah Anderson. The patriotic events begin Saturday with the placing of around 7,000 flags on graves by local Boy and Girl Scout troops at 10 a.m. Following the placement of the flags, the troops will be taken back to the American Legion and observe a retirement ceremony of tattered flags. “That’s something they (Scouts) requested to be,” added Briggs. “It will teach them the proper way a flag needs to be retired.”
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Alcorn Central alumnus and Saving Abel band member Jared Weeks poses for a photo with Alcorn Central Middle School Principal Dan Burcham, above. Saving Abel band member Jason Null talks with a grouo of local people who came out to watch the filming of “Bringing Down the Giant.” Null is an Alcorn County native, right. The theme of the video is a community coming together to take a stand against bullying. “What we wanted to do is bring all of the schools together, because we’re bigger in numbers,” said Weeks. “We’re standing up for something that we’re not going to take anymore. Bullying is not cool.” The single is out now, and the album of the same name will be released July 17. “I think this is one of our best albums,” said Weeks. “We went back to our grass-
Farmington requests two owners clean property BY JEBB JOHNSTON
Please see VIDEO | 2A
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Special trip to Disney begins Saturday BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The long hours of raising funds are over. Now comes the fun. Over 60 combined specialneeds children from Corinth and Alcorn County along with their chaperones are leaving Saturday morning for the trek to Disney World in Orlando, Fla. “This has been a blessing,” said one trip chaperone Whitney Black. “It’s good to know that good people are still out there.” The group will be leaving Saturday at 7 a.m. from Tate Baptist Church en route to the home of Mickey Mouse. “Anyone who would like to come see the kids off are more than welcome,” said chaperone Jennifer Taylor who is making the trip with her sister, Brandy Ashe. “It’s going to be a life-changing experience for these kids.” Havis Hurley started organizing the trip for the special needs children in November. Hurley, who is the school bus Please see TRIP | 2A
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Brandie Ashe (left) and Keisha Pruitt help Ruby Patterson with her Mickey Mouse hat. The trio are part of a special-needs children’s group who will be leaving for Disney World on Saturday.
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
FARMINGTON — A couple of property owners are under orders to clean up in the City of Farmington. The owners of property at 37 County Road 233 in Timberling Hills and 14 County Road 118 have received notice that improvements are needed. A woman who is purchasing the County Road 233 property, described as the Reeves property, appeared before the Board of Aldermen Tuesday to update them on progress with transfer of the property. The city wants the exterior cleaned up and the house secured so that children cannot go inside. The buyer said the house also needs much interior cleanup. The board gave a continuance and asked the owner to continue to make progress. The board also gave a continuance on the County Road 118 property, which has been mowed. In other business: ■ The board approved Police Chief Tony Holmes’ request to designate as surplus and donate a 2005 Impala to the City of Iuka for the Iuka Police Department, which is facing a serious vehicle shortage, Holmes said. Iuka is also looking at purchasing another vehicle from the city. ■ Aldermen approved advertising for bids for Farmington Water Association’s Rock Hill waterline Please see PROPERTY | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago Col. Charles Ellet, commander of a fleet of seven steam-powered rams, arrives off Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River. Ellet’s squadron joins a flotilla of Union gunboats that is poised to capture Memphis.