Prentiss County Schools see success on state test
Community Bank feeds first responders
Tishomingo County Man charged with felony fleeing
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Friday May 26,
2017
75 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 121, No. 125
Today
Tonight
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70
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Legion to honor veterans
Spicy showdown
Project Attention celebrates 25 years
Warmer
BY L.A. STORY lastory@dailycorinthian.com
tasting kits beginning at 11 a.m. The group will offer Coca-Cola products, water and coffee for $1 each. Donations will also be accepted for the fire truck fund. The museum needs about $50,000 to build housing to display the historic 1924 American LaFrance pumper fire truck used by the Corinth Fire Department and on loan to the museum from the City of Corinth. The museum is currently working towards a $16,500 goal because the Corinth Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau board agreed to match up to that amount raised this year for the project. Designated as the official Mississippi state chili cookoff by the International Chili Society, the event will wel-
The public is encouraged to participate in a time of honor and remembrance for the country’s heroes who were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice. At 9 a.m. Saturday, everyone is invited to meet at Corinth National Cemetery to assist with placing flags at each of the nearly 7,800 graves. Tommy Watson, Post Commander, American Legion Post 6, said that local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops will be there, along with any other community members who would like to participate. “Our Boy Scouts will also demonstrate flag etiquette and raise and lower the cemetery flag,” said Watson. The American Legion Auxiliary will have refreshments available. At 11 a.m. Saturday, the Sons of the American Legion will conduct a flag retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 6. The Memorial Day service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Corinth National Cemetery. There will be special singing performed by DuJuana Frazier Thompson and the keynote speaker will be General Maxey Phillips, who is retired from the Air National Guard. “We will also have various veterans organizations that will participate,” said Watson. The post commander said he is aware of the weather forecasts for the weekend and said that all the bad weather is supposed to occur at night. However, he said the weekend ceremonies in observance of Memorial Day will “go on rain or shine, but there will be tents set up, just in case.” In a previous interview, Watson explained the importance of community support of the events.
Please see CHILI | 2A
Please see LEGION | 2A
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Many children have passed through the doors of the Project Attention Center for some tutoring and fun activities in a safe environment since the doors opened in 1992. It reached the 25-year milestone on May 15. “It’s been a total asset to the community, because we See related have helped photo on kids who Page 2A. were achievers and we’ve helped kids who were not achievers to become that,” said Shirley Rolland, who helped launch the center. “We start with working through the families to bring the kids to where we want them to be. You’ve got to start from the source and bring it all the way up.” Currently registering students for the summer enrichment program, Project Attention aims to steer “at risk” children away from the forces of illiteracy, gangs, teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. “These after-school programs mean a lot to these kids,” said Police Chief Ralph Dance. “There’s a lot of kids that don’t get it and that need it. I was one of them. I would encourage everybody to try to help if they can.” As part of the anniversary celebration, he donated a bicycle for a raffle. Corinth thirdgrader India Gardner, a participant in the center’s after-school homework assistance program, is the lucky winner. She is the daughter of Rosette Gardner and Scott Halley. The center’s summer program will run June 19 through July 21 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students in kindergarten or above may enroll.
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Professional chili cook Jim Weller gets his winning chili ready during last year’s Crossroads Chili Cookoff. The 10th annual cookoff is set for Saturday at the Corinth Depot.
Chili Cookoff marks 10th year BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Professional chili cookers will light their fires on Saturday at the 10th annual Crossroads Chili Cookoff and event goers may get the best end of the deal. Locals will be able to taste all prepared traditional red chili in the People’s Choice competition slated to begin at noon at the Corinth Depot on Fillmore Street in downtown Corinth. A $5 donation to the Crossroads Museum’s Save the Fire Truck Campaign will allow individuals to enter the all-you-can-eat chili tasting event and receive a kit with spoons, napkins and cups. A judge’s ticket will be inside each kit. The person will then need to leave the ticket with the cook of their favorite chili. “Folks should definitely
come to the cookoff with a big appetite,” said event chair Steve Knight. “So far we have more than 25 cookers signed up — some from as far away as Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida. There will also be a few local faces offering a taste of their favorite chili.” Crossroads Museum representatives will be inside the red Coke trailer at the front of the cookoff entrance in the parking lot behind the Corinth tourism office beside the C.A.R.E. Garden selling
Passion helps teacher win Farm Bureau award BY L.A. STORY lastory@dailycorinthian.com
OLIVE BRANCH — Angel Rutledge Pilcher’s passion for wellness, agriculture and sustainability has earned her Farm Bureau’s “Teacher of the Year” honor for 2017. Pilcher, who is a 1994 graduate of Corinth High School and the daughter of Mike and Sherri Rutledge of Corinth said she was completely surprised by co-workers, friends and Farm Bureau officials that she had won the Teacher of the Year. She is a teacher at Center Hill
High School in Olive Branch, where she teaches nutrition/wellness and resource management. “I had no idea, so I was not physically prepared,” said Pilcher, laughing. “I had been teaching all day long and I had just come in from the garden. I thought I had walked in on a surprise party for someone else.” The realization that the party was for her came when she saw the personalized cake. The teacher said she was impressed her principal at Central Hill, Doug Payne, was able to keep the win a secret for a month as the surprise
Angel Rutledge Pilcher recently won Mississippi Farm Bureau’s Teacher of the Year. Pilcher is a 1994 graduate of Corinth High School and is the daughter of Mike and Sherri Rutledge of Corinth. She lives in Byhalia with her husband, Terry Pilcher II. They have two sons — Jonas, 15, and Luke, 12. She teaches nutrition/wellness and resource management at Center Hill High School in Olive Branch.
was planned. She said everyone, including family members, knew before she did. According to information from Mississippi Farm Bureau, the contest for Teacher of the Year is open annually to Mississippi classroom teachers, grades K-12. The objective of the program is to provide a teacher with the opportunity to learn and promote Agriculture in the Classroom. A Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation grant was established by the Mississippi Farm Bureau Women Please see PILCHER | 6A
Photo courtesy of Madison Tubbs
25 years ago
10 years ago
Sen. Travis Little serves as keynote speaker for the annual Memorial Day commemoration at Corinth National Cemetery.
Wild fires in south Georgia bring smoky conditions to the Crossroads area due to unusual weather patterns.
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