Friday July 27,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 180
BY BOBBY J. SMITH
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Supporters of the VerandahCurlee House are hopeful construction will begin in the next few weeks on the first phase of renovations. “The last hurdle is the final approval of the architect’s plans by the National Park Service in Washington,” Mike Byrd recently reported before the Board of Aldermen. He is vice chairman of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Commission, which oversees the house. “The inspector there is well aware of our deadlines with grant money and is communicating well with City Hall, the architectural firm and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History,” he said. “The work will be completed well before the end of the year.” Some of the grant money in hand is tied to a completion deadline this year. The planned work will fix the deteriorated foundation, repair the porch and paint the home. “We are fortunate that the roof has not leaked and the air conditioning and furnace have functioned without problem,” said Byrd. Please see CURLEE | 2A
Tonight
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70
Tourism, sales tax show gain
bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Board optimistic on Curlee construction
Today
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
Helicopter crash-lands No one was injured Thursday morning when a small crop-duster helicopter made a crash landing in a field near Rienzi. According to a witness, the helicopter was spraying soybean fields about a mile east of Rienzi on Highway 356 when it clipped a power line and went down in the beans shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday. Edith Hughes-Johnson and her husband, Quitman, had been watching the helicopter spraying the fields around their house in the minutes leading up to the crash. Edith had walked inside at the time the helicopter struck the power line. “It was a blast when it hit — like a big light went through the windows,” she said. “The line just clipped him. I think it was the back rotor that hit. I came out of the house and it looked like he just glided it down.” The helicopter descended to earth in a soybean field approximately 50 yards from Edith’s home. She watched as the pilot tried to take off, but was unable to gain altitude with the broken rotor. The pilot was not injured. Within two hours ACE Power had restored electricity and a local towing company had loaded up the helicopter and taken it away from the scene. According to airport personnel, a small agricultural helicopter fueled up at the
Thunderstorm
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Sales tax results continued a run of growth in July with a seventh consecutive monthly increase. The tourism tax also had a big month despite being down some from an unusually large deposit a year earlier. Corinth’s share of sales tax proceeds received at mid-July had a 2 percent gain in yearto-year comparisons with a monthly haul of $477,015.34, reflecting sales activity during the month of May. The year-todate total of $4,579,643.94 is up 3 percent, or about $142,000, compared to the same point a year earlier. The city will get two more sales tax diversions before closing the books on fiscal 2012. The 2 percent tourism tax on prepared food and lodging also continues to fare well, with three consecutive months topping $90,000 in proceeds. Tourism Director Kristy White said the results reflect the current increase in cultural heritage tourism accompanying the Civil War Sesquicentennial and a sense among tourism offices across the state that people are getting out and about more than they were earlier in the recession.
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Alcorn County Emergency Management Director Ricky Gibens investigates the scene where a small helicopter made a crash landing Thursday morning near Rienzi in a soybean field after clipping a power line. Corinth-Alcorn County Airport Thursday around 8:15 a.m. The copter was a 2006 Enstrom Helicopter Corp model 480B licensed to Tennessee Helicopter Sales & Service of Bolivar, Tenn. It was piloted by Bolivar resident Jimmy Sain. Airport personnel could not
confirm that this was the helicopter that struck the power line near Rienzi because no report had been filed with the Federal Aviation Administration. Hughes was happy because the pilot had escaped injury and the soybeans weren’t badly damaged.
“It’s amazing to me it didn’t take out more of the soybeans,” she said. Alcorn County Emergency Management Director Ricky Gibens also looked on the bright side. “There’s one good thing about this,” Gibens said. “And that’s nobody got hurt.”
Please see TAX | 2A
Corinth Library gets new leadership BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A new librarian and assistant librarian are working the stacks at the Corinth Library. Brandon Lowrey, who has been with the library since 2008, assumed the duties of librarian, and Cody Daniel is the new assistant librarian. The staff changes were effective July 2 following the recent retirement of longtime librarian Ann Coker. A graduate of New Site High School, Lowrey said a lifelong interest in books drew him to library work. He recalled that his parents read to him and his brother and made sure that they had access to books. As librarian, Lowrey said he hopes to make the library a place people seek out when they are not at home or work. His goals include encouraging literacy, bringing new patrons into the library, increasing programming for all ages and strengthening community inclusiveness. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg with a bachelor of science degree in community recreation. He has completed the Mississippi Library Commission’s Librarianship 101 and attended continuing education seminars in the field. Daniel grew up in Iuka and is a 2003 Corinth High School graduate. He holds a bachelor of science in English and political science from the University of Mississippi.
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Cody Daniel (left), assistant librarian, and Brandon Lowrey, librarian, assumed their new roles at the Corinth Library earlier this month. The library is drawing on his talents as a storyteller. He shares tales at 10 a.m. each Thursday for the preschool story hour. Daniel is involved in the Crossroads Poetry Project and has been a judge for the Poetry Out Loud competition. He is also a member of the Corinth Shakespeare Club for which he has delivered three annual programs.
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
Coker recently retired as librarian after 30 years of service. Northeast Regional Library Director William McMullin said she brought a great interest in reading and the community to the library. “She kept the library in wonderful condition, and people are amazed that it’s a 43-yearold building,” he said. Lowrey considers Coker a
mentor who helped prepare him for his new role. The library continues to enjoy growth in patronage. “We’re very busy this summer,” said Lowrey. “We are serving as a cooling center, and we are keeping the air conditioning constantly running.” He invites anyone who does not have a library card to visit and become a cardholder.
On this day in history 150 years ago A Confederate cavalry raid, which originated in Holly Springs, is creating havoc around Bolivar, Estanaula and Toone. Under the command of Gen. Joseph Wheeler, 500 mounted soldiers burn a number of trestles and bridges.
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