Saturday June 16,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 145
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Nursing home for veterans explored
Northeast president: More funds are needed BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The region’s community college needs more funding and could create multi-purpose meeting space at Northeast at Corinth, county supervisors learned Friday. College President Johnny Allen presented an annual report with news that Northeast Mississippi Community College will request Alcorn County increase its funding support from 5 to 6 mills in the coming fiscal year to help maintain the current level of services in light of stagnant state support. “I think we are within a year of deciding whether or not some of those activities can continue or not,” said Allen. “The absence of state funding simply means that I can’t do some of the things in the college budget that I’ve done in the past.” Allen has little hope that legislators will increase community college funding. He said the state is taking on “a dangerous philosophy” in its approach to funding education and other services. “That is the prevailing philosophy when the people meet in the capitol — if you want a good school system, if you want a good community college, y’all do it, but we’re not … It means if you don’t have the wealth to do it yourself, it doesn’t happen.” Allen also asked supervisors to give some thought to developing community meeting space at Northeast at Corinth. Unfinished space is available in the South Harper Road facility. He said meeting space is the top request that has emerged for the Corinth center. Industries are interested in using it for staff meetings. The space has a new roof and wiring and could be finished at a low cost, he said. The county would be asked to contribute funding. In the statistical report, Allen said Northeast had 983 Alcorn County students enrolled during the past year, about one-fourth of the total student body. The college employs 118 out of 350 from Alcorn County with a payroll total of $2.4 million. Financial aid of $575,000 went to Alcorn County students. The Corinth center is logging a monthly client count of more than 6,000 people using one of the various services.
Partly sunny
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photos by Mark Boehler
“Fun with Food” instructor Kelsey Shanklin makes almond butter for students in her summer camp during this week’s session.
CES Summer Camps create fun, educational experiences BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com
Eighteen kids in cardboard chef hats crowd around a food processor, their alert eyes and noses pointed toward the almond butter being made. “Raise your hands if you want more,” asks the instructor. Eighteen hands shoot straight into the air. Just down the hall, another
group of 18 students is making a bunch of racket in the classroom -- beating five-gallon buckets with drumsticks. Not a single kid gets a timeout. Loud is OK. Then outside, kids are playing with water — shooting recycled two-liter bottles of water high into the air. These playground rockets are legal, so oohs and aahs are part of the experience. School is out for the sum-
Drew Howard, 10, blasts off his water bottle rocket in the Water Bottle Science summer camp at CES.
mer, so let the fun begin. Just don’t tell the kids they are learning Science, Music and the Arts during four weeks of Corinth Elementary School Summer Camps, thanks to a 21st Century Learning Center Grant. “It’s been wonderful. Most sessions are full,” said CES Summer Camp Director Maya Mayes on Wednesday Please see CAMPS | 2
Robert Draper, 8, has the beat on a fivegallon bucket during Tommy Thompson’s Drumming Summer Camp.
Some locals are exploring the possibility of pursuing a veterans nursing home for Alcorn County. “We’ve got the opportunity to bring this in if we go for it,” Veterans Service Officer Pat Ray told the Board of Supervisors on Friday. The county had 625 bedbound or wheelchair-bound veterans as of Dec. 31. State veterans homes governed by the veterans affairs board are located in Jackson, Collins, Oxford and Kosciusko. Sheriff Charles Rinehart said one of the vacant school campuses could be a possible location. With the nearest home being in Oxford, he said it would benefit local families and bring 30 to 50 jobs. “There’s no reason we can’t have this if we put the effort in,” he said. The board gave informal support to pursue a veterans home. “I think everyone will be in favor of that,” said Board President Lowell Hinton. “It is a long way to Oxford or to Memphis.” The facilities are built with federal dollars, said Ray. She reported that VA expenditures in 2011 included $7.675 million to Alcorn County veterans, an increase of 21 percent, with about $3.8 million of that going to medical expenses. The board approved Ray’s request to employ Steve Wallace on a temporary basis in the veterans service office. In other business: ■ The board agreed to a oneyear extension with Blue Cross Blue Shield for employee health insurance and a two-year extension with United Healthcare for life insurance, both with no rate increases or coverage changes. Dental rates will increase. The current contracts end Aug. 1. ■ Rinehart reported that he is seeking more state inmates for the Community Work Center. The current population of 44 is not enough to cover the numerous requests for inmate labor. He is exploring the possibility of working county inmates in order to pay off old fines. ■ Supervisors recognized Boy Scout Troop 123 for its work to repair the benches at court square.
Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall returns next week BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Organizers of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall are looking forward to a large turnout as the wall makes its second trip to Corinth. The wall is a three-fifths scale model of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. It stands six feet tall in the center and reaches almost 300 feet from end to end. The wall will be exhibited June 20-24 on the grounds of North Corinth Baptist Church. On Wednesday afternoon between 125 and 150 motorcyclists will escort the wall from the Iuka weigh station to North Corinth Baptist Church. The escort will include members of the American Legion Riders, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Christian Motorcycle Association and many independent
riders. Organizers will assemble the wall and exhibit area — including the locator booth and tent — early Thursday in preparation for the first day’s activities. “I think people are going to be impressed with the opening ceremony,” said Veterans & Family Honors Inc. member Tom Chartres. “We’ve been working on it for a year-and-ahalf.” The opening ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. with opening remarks by Bill Parker, commander of the Corinth VFW, and an opening prayer by Bro. Bill Wages, pastor of North Corinth Baptist Church. Next will be the Missing Man Ceremony with “Bad Bob.” This will feature pyrotechnics and the firing of a Vietnam War-era weapon. The ceremony will also in-
clude the posting of the colors by the U.S. Volunteers; a performance of the national anthem by the Mid-South Navy Band of Millington, Tenn.; a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by USAVR Honors Task Force Commander Ted Hill; a performance of “America the Beautiful” by the Mid-South Navy Band; guest speaker James Chapman, state commander for the VFW in Mississippi; and the laying of wreaths by Vietnam veterans. A closing ceremony will be held Sunday, June 24, beginning at 9 p.m. This event will feature the evening prayer from Bro. Bill Wages; a patriotic song by the group Voices of Praise; and the playing of the song “50,000 Names Upon the Wall” while hundreds of candle-lights are lit. Ceremony Coordinator
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 13 Wisdom...... 12
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports...... 10
Scott Richardson will read the names of the soldiers from Alcorn County whose names are inscribed on the wall. The ceremony will conclude with the playing of “Taps” and a rifle salute by the U.S. Volunteers. All events are free to the public. The wall’s second appearance in Corinth was paid for by $15,000 raised by organizers. Chartres said he has no idea what kind of crowd to expect, but he estimates that it will be large. He recommends that everyone attending the ceremonies should bring a folding chair. The opening ceremony will last approximately two hours, and the closing ceremony will clock in at less than an hour. The area between the barrier and the wall is considered hallowed ground, Chartres said. In this area no smoking, drinking,
eating, pets or horseplay will be allowed. Security guards will protect the wall 24-hours-a-day during its Corinth stay. No political activity will be allowed inside the gate. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be on exhibit from noon Thursday until around 8 a.m. Monday, when volunteers will begin to dismantle the wall. The wall stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made during the Vietnam War. It was created for the purpose of helping heal, rekindle friendships and allow people the chance to visit loved ones in the comfort of their local area. Almost 2.6 million Americans served in Vietnam. The 58,226 who died are memorialized in the Vietnam Memorial
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. James “Jeb” Stuart is the toast of Richmond. With 1,200 cavalry he rides around the Union Army of the Potomac and discovers a dangerously exposed right flank. Gen. R.E. Lee makes plans to exploit this flaw in the enemy’s battle lines.
Please see WALL | 3