Friday Aug. 10,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 192
Thunderstorm Today
Tonight
86
61
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
Inspector addresses Chinese drywall concerns BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth Building Inspector Phillip Verdung recently discussed the facts around Chinese drywall in response to recent concerns about the faulty building materials in the community. The building inspector explained that during the housing boom and the aftermath of destructive storms like Hurricane Katrina, the demand on sheetrock was extremely high. To keep up with demand, suppliers saw a chance to meet the demand by importing sheetrock from China. Much of the contaminated drywall was purchased during this time. “I really believe the people buying it in the U.S. didn’t have any idea there would be anything wrong with the product,” Verdung said. Even the defective drywall will have no different appearance. But after three to four years of temperature changes and changes in humidity, a sulphur compound is released.
While problems with Chinese drywall have been reported up to a decade ago, it didn’t get major attention until the period of 2009-10, the years following major disasters with tornados and hurricanes. Many houses in that time, around 2007-08, were rebuilt with the defective drywall, but the problems didn’t develop until a couple of years later. “It took three or four years for the problem to show itself,” said Verdung. “In 2009 and 2010 people started to realize this is a serious problem.” Verdung said his office has identified several houses in the city limits in which the Chinese drywall had been installed. “All of the houses were built in 2008, and it wasn’t until 2011 that the problem was identified,” he recalled. Homeowners with the defective material often report experiencing similar problems. Initially, they may notice their air conditioning unit is requiring more
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Building Inspector Phillip Verdung looks over a report from the inspection that Please see DRYWALL | 2A turned up the first confirmed instance of Chinese drywall in Corinth.
Vandalism reports keep police busy Staff Reports
Severals reports of vandalism are keeping Corinth Police busy. There have been around 1520 reports of homes and vehicles being egged, mailboxes damaged and windows shot by BB guns, according to assistant chief Scotty Harville. “Over the last week of July and into August, we have had
a rash of vandalism reports,” said Harville. “Those doing it are always hard to catch.” The assistant chief urged individuals to be more alert and if they see any type of vandalism taking place to call police. “The reports have been spread out and this usually doesn’t occur until it gets closer to Halloween,” said Harville.
Corinth aldermen accept sidewalk bid BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
How about them apples? Callie Crum, 3, works on stacking apples during the Back to School Carnival hosted by the Kossuth Lady Aggies softball team on Saturday. Alcorn County students headed back to school on Wednesday while city students returned on Thursday.
The Corinth Board of Aldermen has accepted a bid for the construction of a sidewalk on the north side of Corinth National Cemetery. 3D Construction Co. of Corinth was the low bidder at $39,925 to build a sidewalk 5 feet in width and running 1 foot from the main portion of the cemetery wall. Curb ramps will be constructed north of the landing on the eastern end and west of the landing on the western end. The city will use a $125,000 donation from Corinth Community Development, Inc., toward the project. CCDI is no longer active and had leftover
funds. The bid was accepted Tuesday. Pittman Construction submitted a bid of $47,500. In other business: ■ The board authorized emergency work that took place on private property on North Parkway after a tree fell during the severe July 30-31 storms. Sewer Superintendent Billy Glover said the tree blocked creek water flow and uprooted a sewer line, and removing it was a matter of public safety. ■ The board received no public comments during a public hearing regarding the proposed rezoning of property Please see BOARD | 3A
Submitted photo
Ceremony honors deceased Iraq veteran BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
IUKA — RaNae Vaughn misses her son dearly. Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn was killed during his second Iraq tour on May 10, 2007. “I replay the scene of the officers coming over and over in my mind,” said Vaughn. “There is a hole in my heart that will never be filled.” The mother of three set out to find a way to memo-
rialize her son. Her efforts will pay off Monday when the Iuka Post Office will be dedicated as the Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn Post Office Building. A ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. at the post office located at 801 West Eastport Street. “This is a real honor to remember him this way,” said Vaughn. “Jason was a gregarious young man who brought a lot of joy to life.” Iuka Postmaster Jimmy
“Beau” Gross is set to open the program followed by the presentation of colors by the Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Office. The Tishomingo County High School Choir, directed by Tara Castile, will sing the national anthem. Congressman Alan Nunnelee will be among a quartet making remarks during the ceremony. “Congressman Nunnelee really jumped on the idea when I approached him,”
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
The Iuka Post Office will be dedicated as the Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn Post Office Building on Monday. Vaughn, a Tishomingo Countian, was killed in action on May 10, 2007, in Iraq.
added Vaughn. Dana Amos, manager of post office operations with the U.S. Postal Service, will dedicate the post office in Vaughn’s memory. RaNae Vaughn was hoping the dedication would be finalized on the fifth anniversary of her son’s death in Old Baqubah, Iraq. Monday’s dedication will come just months after the anniPlease see VAUGHN | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago In Texas, 65 pro-Union German settlers are ambushed by State troops. 19 are killed, 9 wounded and the rest captured. The subsequent execution of the wounded sours relations between the state’s German population and the Confederacy.
Now Renting 2012 Nissans!
Call Donna or Brandi for complete details and rates!
286.6006
BROSE
HWY 72 E • Corinth MS www.broseautoplex.com