McNairy Co. Man charged with assaulting caregiver
Prentiss Co. Annual parade continues tradition
Business Local hotel wins national award
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Saturday July 1,
2017
75 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 121, No. 156
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
88
71
60% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Murder plea nets life sentence BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Eighteen-year-old Brooklyn Traylor has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of convenience store clerk Kris Ledlow. Traylor pleaded guilty to the charges of first degree murder and attempted robbery in Alcorn County
Circuit Court on Friday afternoon. Judge Paul Funderburk handed down the sentence that included life with the possibility of parole at age 60 and a $10,000 fine for the murder charge. He must also serve a concurrent, day-for-day 40 year sentence and pay a $1,000 fine for the attempted robbery charge. Traylor and co-defendant Micah
Bostic allegedly attempted to rob the MAPCO Express gas station on Highway 72 on Feb. 1, 2016. Bostic has pleaded not guilty and his next hearing is set for July 24. According to court documents, Corinth police responded to the store at 5:39 a.m. for a panic alarm. Upon arrival officers found Ledlow laying on the floor behind the cash register.
She was unresponsive and later died at Magnolia Regional Health Center. Ledlow was shot nine times, including once in the back. Surveillance video showed two black males come into the store at 5:38 a.m. The suspect, Traylor, had a pink 9 mm handgun and dePlease see PLEA | 3
Traylor
Eating competition brings Tourism survey champions to local festival seeking input BY ZACK STEEN
BY ZACK STEEN
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The world’s greatest competitive eaters will once again converge on Corinth’s Slugburger Festival in two weeks. The 6th Annual World Slugburger Eating Championship will return as a highlight to the 30th Annual Main Street Corinth Slugburger Festival. More than eight Major League Eating participates are set to down as many slugburgers as possible during the 10-minute competition set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 at the Corinth Depot. Please see COMPETITION | 2
Photo courtesy of Main Street Corinth
Major League Eating emcee Sam Barcla congratulates Joey Chestnut, the 2016 World Slugburger Eating Champion. Chestnut won last year’s contest by eating 41 dressed slugburgers during the 10-minute competition.
Shiloh Battle App also leads visitors to Corinth BY L.A. STORY lastory@dailycorinthian.com
Visitors to Shiloh National Military Park can also have access to many things Corinth has to offer — all at the tap of a touchscreen. The Shiloh Battle App has been launched as the 16th title in the Civil War Trust’s series of Battle App guides. The series of apps are GPS-enabled multimedia tours that help visitors explore battlefields with onboard historian videos and other resources. Most Crossroads area residents will find points of interest in their own backyard as it covers a wide variety of Corinth historical sites and points of interest such as the historic Duncan House, the Oak Home, Fish Pond House and
What best describes Corinth as a travel destination? What would make Corinth a more appealing travel destination? It’s two questions tourism officials want locals to answer in a online resident and visitor survey now available to the public. The survey is part of research being done by Young Strategies, a planning firm hired by Visit Corinth to find out exactly who’s coming to Cross City and identify opportunities to lure more people here. The Corinth Area CVB has already received close to 500 responses and are hoping for even more in July. “We marketed the survey through our email contacts in June and are now sharing the survey link through our social media avenues,” said tourism Director Christy Burns. “We are looking to find out how to get more
return on the tourism tax dollars spent on tourism marketing. We believe the survey answers will help us in that department.” The survey addresses travel and tourism in Corinth and the surrounding area. It includes a question about what activities or experiences might make Corinth more appealing. Options provided include a splash pad, a downtown boutique hotel or a brewery. Burns said the office needs survey responses from both residents and visitors. “We also need responses from visitors who have stayed overnight in Corinth,” said Burns. “I want to ask people to please share the survey link with people they know who have spent the night in the last three or so years.” The online-based survey should take no more than ten minutes to complete Please see SURVEY | 2
People of the Crossroads Scott Sawyer, Corinth
many more. “This app is great because it enhances the experience of our visitors by acting as a virtual tour guide for Corinth, as well as the attraction we have through Shiloh National Park. It is an exciting tool that will help deepen a visitor’s understanding of the history here,” said Christy Burns, Executive Director, Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The app covers the two-day Battle of Shiloh as well as the subsequent siege and Battle of Corinth. Visitors can explore iconic Civil War sites like Shiloh Church and the Hornets’ Nest or visit the pristine (but seldom-vis-
Scott Sawyer is moving on up. After more than three years in his Cass Street office, Sawyer is moving across the street later this year to the former The Alliance building on Tate Street. “It’s going to be nice in the new building – we are excited about owning a property that should help us continue to grow the business,” said the 31-year-old. A four-year agent with State Farm, the Byhalia native even meet his wife, Rebecca, while working with the insurance company. The two married last February in Birmingham and now call Corinth home. “I love owning a small business in Corinth,” said Sawyer. “It’s the perfect small town to work and raise a family.” The couple are members of First United Methodist Church in Corinth. They both love to travel and often take trips to visit family and friends.
Please see APP | 5
Staff photo by Zack Steen
25 years ago
10 years ago
Work is moving forward on upgrades to the Corinth-Alcorn Airport including new runway overlay and land clearing for future hangar space.
Tate Baptist Church celebrates its 100th anniversary with a groundbreaking for a new Christian life center.