Saturday July 20,
2013
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Daily Corinthian
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
90
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40% chance of thunderstorms
Vol. 117, No. 172
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Authorities warn of Internet job scam BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Hunting for work recently left a Corinth woman in the middle of a scam. After applying for work through an Internet job listing, the woman unwittingly became involved in a “reship-
ping” scam. It’s not new but it is a scheme that the police department encounters from time to time, said Detective Capt. Ralph Dance, who is encouraging people to beware of such job listings. She was hired for what she believed was some type of mar-
keting work, but it involved shipping packages that arrived at her home through delivery services such as UPS and FedEx. “She said she would get boxes and boxes of stuff, and her job was to relabel it and send it to overseas addresses, usually in
Nigeria and different countries,” said Dance. She became suspicious and contacted the police department. “All of the merchandise purchased was being bought with stolen credit cards and stolen identities all over the U.S.,” said
Dance. “These were very large purchases.” Some of the merchandise she had not sent out has been returned to the respective companies. Dance has a big stack of bicycle tires that he is trying to Please see SCAM | 2
Project eases school supply stress Williams
returning to school district
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
KOSSUTH — The need is ever present. So are people who care. Kossuth United Methodist Church is putting Operation Back to School to work for a second consecutive year. Last year, members of the congregation and those in the community helped over 300 families by providing new school supplies and gently used clothing for children before school began. The church’s goal in its first year of the project was to help 50 families. “This is a caring church,” said pastor Bro. Kenny McGill. “The program would not be possible without the generous support of time and resources of all our members.” Year two of the operation – an extension of the church’s Forever, Unending, Eternal, Love (FUEL) after school program – is set for Saturday, Aug. 3 from 7 a.m. until at the L.C. Christian Life Center next to the Kossuth High School gym. During that time, school
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Ritchie Williams will return to the Alcorn School District as the assistant superintendent for the 2013-2014 school year. The Alcorn School District Board of Directors voted to hire Williams during its regular meeting Thursday night. Williams worked in the Alcorn School District until about six years ago, most recently as the principal of Rienzi Elementary School. He also served as a teacher, coach, bus driver and assistant principal at Rienzi. He is currently the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tech Prep division head and the associate dean of instruction. Williams graduated from Biggersville High School and went
Please see PROJECT | 2
First United Methodist Church members Linda Cox (left) and Linda Davis fill a backpack with school supplies for the church’s second year of Operation Back to School.
Please see WILLIAMS | 3
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Donation boosts FUEL program BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
KOSSUTH — The Alcorn County Democratic Executive Committee is FUELing up. The committee made a $500 donation to Kossuth United Methodist Church’s FUEL program — a Christian-based after school event which works to make sure each child feels loved — on Friday afternoon. “We understand FUEL is doing a great work out here,” said committee member Tom Sweat. “It’s a worthy thing for us to help out with.” “Our goal is to give back to the community in a way children are involved,” added the committee’s Marcus Simmons. FUEL (Forever, Unending, Eternal Love) began in 2008 after church member Anthia Follin-King approached the church staff about the ministry idea. “This is something dear to my heart,” said Follin-King. “I believe God made each child special and unique in His own image.” The program revs back up on Sept. 4 with each child – in grades K-12 – receiving a hot meal, scripture-based curriculum, tutoring, medical attention if needed. Organized games are also provided for those children attending.
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Alcorn County Democratic Executive Committee members Tom Sweat (back at left) and Marcus Simmons visit the FUEL program at Kossuth United Methodist Church. The members got to hear about the many activities children like Brooklyn Duffey (from left), Melissa Schneider and Landon Schneider take part in each Wednesday night when school is in session. It is held every Wednesday at Kossuth United Methodist Church. The program begins at 3:15 and continues through the end of the school year. The off days of the program coincide with the school calendar. “FUEL is a very good program,” added volunteer Cynthia Hudson. “Once I saw information about it, I wanted
to get my grandchildren involved.” Children need to bring a permission slip with contact information from home to be able to attend the Wednesday evening program. “A lot of times this is their home on Wednesday night because their parents are at work,” said volunteer Linda Davis.
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 7 State........ 5
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Art gallery volunteer Gayle Fidler pins up two oil pastel works by Adaysha Cummings, 11, from the recent summer art camp.
Weather........9 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
Exhibit features child artists BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A group of children who explored their creative instincts this summer is taking over the walls of the art gallery. A new exhibition showcasing the work of kids ages 7 to 13 opens Sunday with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit runs through Aug. 10.
The whimsical artwork was created in June’s art camp by 40 children under the direction of retired teachers Vicki Avery and Teresa Smillie. They had two assignments to ignite their creativity — oil pastel on black paper and collage on board. “Our teachers search for new Please see EXHIBIT | 3
On this day in history 150 years ago Union Maj. Gen. Quincy Gilmore continues the Union siege of Charleston, S.C. An artillery piece weighing 24,000 pounds is prepared. A platform is built to support the weight of the piece, dubbed the “Swamp Angel.” It fires 200-pound projectiles.
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