Today: Special primary election results Prentiss County Voters elect superintendent, supervisor.
Tish County Turnout huge for local primary election.
Alcorn County ACE Power elects two to its board of directors.
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Wednesday Aug. 5,
2015
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Daily Corinthian
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Vol. 119, No. 186
• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • Two sections
Mitchell is new superintendent BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The Alcorn School District has a new leader. Longtime Kossuth High School principal Larry B. Mitchell defeated incumbent Gina Rogers Smith by a landslide to take the superintendent of education seat. “I am very excited and pleased by the overwhelming amount of sup-
port I have received,” said Mitchell, following the announcement of absentee votes late Tuesday at the Alcorn County Courthouse. “When I first started this campaign, I really didn’t know how I would be received, but this win is truly a win for the people. They have really gotten behind me, and those people convinced their friends and family that I was the man for this job. It’s all
very amazing.” Unofficially, Mitchell received 4,510 votes or 71.25 percent, while Smith received 1,817 votes or 28.70 percent. “We’ve got great teachers and great administrators and I can’t wait to work with them,” Mitchell said. “I plan to hit the ground running.” Mitchell spent eight years as the
Alcorn Career & Technology Center director, before serving 19 years as KHS principal. Even though he has spent his entire career in education, Mitchell has been retired for more than 17 years. “I have a lot to learn between now and January, but I’m willing and ready,” he said. “I am ready to turn Please see MITCHELL | 2A
Mitchell
Jones wins coroner; turnout drops sentee ballots. Jones finished with 4,467 votes (51.22 percent) to Strom’s 4,251. “I am relieved,” said Jones. “It was a close race, and it was also a close race last time between me and him. He ran a good race.” Jones was a deputy coroner for 16 years before being elect-
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County Coroner Jay Jones won a second term Tuesday in a primary election that drew a lower voter turnout than four years ago. A neck-and-neck race for Jones with Ron Strom came down to the tabulation of ab-
ed. “You have to enjoy your job to be coroner,” said Jones. “It’s not an easy job, but I do enjoy it. It’s something I always wanted to do.” In the race for district attorney, Corinth’s Arch Bullard Please see TURNOUT | 2A
Derrick
LaRue
Settlemires
Sheriff’s race is too close to call votes. “When I started this thing, no one knew me,” said LaRue of his campaign. “The amount of support that has been shown to me has been amazing.” Derrick held a 78 vote edge over LaRue after 13 boxes were counted. Settlemires was 356 votes back of LaRue for a runoff spot with four boxes left to be counted. Settlemires, a former 4th District election commissioner, made up significant ground when the Kossuth box
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Too close to call. Three Democrat candidates were still standing in the Alcorn County Sheriff’s race as of late Tuesday. Around 131 affidavit votes were to be counted today to determine which two candidates advanced to an Aug. 25 runoff. Unofficially, Alcorn County Sheriff’s Deputy David Derrick collected the most votes with 2,473. Fellow Democrats Mike LaRue (2,324) and Keith Settlemires (2,295) were separated by only 29 votes following the count of absentee
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Counting votes Election Commissioners Billy Bearden and John Peebles send absentee ballots through a scanner to be counted.
Please see SHERIFF | 2A
Younger gets win; Ross is re-elected BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Several runoffs for supervisors; Waldon wins BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Affidavit ballots will determine whether Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ross makes it to a runoff, while Fifth District Supervisor Jimmy Tate Waldon won reelection to another term in Tuesday’s voting. The Second District race is headed to a runoff, and it appears the First District, where Supervisor Lowell Hinton
was within 0.25 percent of an outright win, is also headed to a runoff. In Democratic primary results including absentee ballots, Ross finished third in the race with 469 votes, just behind Steve Glidewell with 477. Businessman Reed Mitchell led the field with 542 votes (27.42 percent). With that close margin between secPlease see SUPERVISORS | 2A
Waldon
Greg Younger’s bid for the Chancery Clerk position wasn’t so close this time. Younger lost by just 98 votes to incumbent Bobby Marolt four years ago. Tuesday night he took a commanding victory by snatching almost 54 percent of the vote to become Alcorn County’s new Chancery Clerk. “It’s going to be a tough job – I’m not going to lie about that,” said Younger. “Our county is in a difficult situation right now, but I’m looking forward to helping get us out of it.” Younger collected 4,766 votes. Karen Burns Duncan, a 21-year employee in the Chancery Clerk office, finished second with Please see CLERK | 2A
Younger
Ross
25 years ago
10 years ago
James Leatherwood and C.D. Edge are honored for a combined 62 years of service with the U.S. Postal Service. The two carriers have logged over 2 million miles of driving with no accidents.
Corinth native Ben Wilkinson gets a taste of Broadway as he is picked out of the audience for a small role in the the play “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
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