Taste Wednesday Aug. 13,
2014
50 cents
Home & Garden
Steak and cheese grinder recast as pasta dinner.
Home gardeners can grow microgreens.
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 191
Sunshine Today
Tonight
84
59
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 24 pages • 2 sections
Alcorn jury split 6-6 in pastor trial BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The jury in the Timothy Daniel Nall sexual battery case was evenly split between a verdict of “guilty” and “not guilty.” Chris Porterfield, who served as jury foreman, said the count
ended with a 6-6 deadlock after only one vote changed over the course of five hours of deliberations on Friday in Alcorn County Circuit Court. “Some felt they just didn’t have enough evidence,” said Porterfield. “There was no eye-
witness and nobody suspected anything until the little girl came forward.” However, the jury of seven women and five men did feel something had happened to the child, he said. Porterfield informed the
judge that no consensus could be reached about 8:15 p.m. Friday, resulting in a mistrial. Nall, who recently resigned as pastor of Farmington Baptist Church, was accused of digital penetration of the girl at the ages of six and seven years.
Something that came up only in closing arguments raised more questions for the jury: Defense Attorney Phil Hinton said the child was taken to the emergency room of Magnolia Please see JURY | 2A
Preliminary data show growth in city schools BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
The cast of “My Journey” rehearse a scene from the play set for Aug. 30. In the scene, Shaterian Calhoun makes her point with Wade Tye (from left), Karen Tye, MacDonald McCoy, Sharice Wallace, Jerry Sorrell and Monica Sorrell.
‘My Journey’ is trip worth taking BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
A trip worth taking. Gospel recording artist Monica Sorrell is looking to help others get on the right track with her play “My Journey” on Aug. 30 at the Corinth Coliseum Civic Center. “The story has something for everyone,” said Sorrell, who is also producing the play. “There are scenes where you cry and a short time later bust out laughing.” Cast members are in their seventh week of rehearsals for the show. “The story has each of them really excited,” said Sorrell.
“My Journey” deals with the disappearance of Sorrell’s daughter, Ebonee Sanders, in 2008. Sanders was scheduled to do a gospel concert with her mother when she went missing in July of 2008. Despite the constant efforts of many, Sanders went unfound for three weeks. A phone call from a woman named Linda near Paducah, Kentucky, began the process of reuniting Sanders with her family. “This story is unique,” said Sorrell. “Normally, stories like this do not end on a good note.” Sanders was found to have Multiple Sclerosis (MS) after
being examined by a doctor following her return home from Kentucky. MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance, and sensation such as numbness. “Ebonee just loves the play,” said her mother. “It has been like a healing for her because she doesn’t remember a lot from that time.” “My Journey” includes a cast of 15 hand-picked performers. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The evening will Please see JOURNEY | 2A
Class sizes continue to grow in the Corinth School District. Preliminary enrollment figures for the new school year that began Thursday show growth of 3 percent compared to enrollment at the end of the first month in the prior school year. The district-wide total is 2,703, compared to 2,618 at the end of the last school year’s first month and 2,490 two years ago. The elementary and high school picked up about 35 students each, while the middle school is gaining about 12 to 15. As of Monday, the enrollment figures were 1,279
at CES, 780 at CMS and 644 at CHS. Pre-kindergarten enrollment is 104. Superintendent Lee Childress said second grade has an extremely large class numbering 270. At the middle school, most classes have 180 to 185 students, but seventh grade has 220. The district is watching for potential class overloads. “We still have about 30 students that are unaccounted for,” Childress told the district’s board of trustees on Monday. “A few of them will show up. If all of the kindergarten students that are noPlease see ENROLLMENT | 2A
Alcorn County schools approve 2014-15 budget BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
The Alcorn School District approved its more than $5 million 2014-15 budget this week. The board approved the resolution to request the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors to levy the ad valorem tax sufficient to raise $6,065,449 for local support of the district. “Nothing has been changed,” said Misty Whittemore, financial director for
the school district. “We are requesting the same amount in ad valorem as we did last year.” Operational millage will also remain the same. Total mills for combined operational and debt service levies are projected at 52.76 mills for the up coming fiscal year. This amount has remained unchanged since 2008. “The district has worked dilPlease see BUDGET | 2A
Former Victoria’s Secret model Kylie Bisutti will be speaking about giving up a career as a runway model to become a role model on Sept. 3 at First Baptist Church in Corinth.
Former model headlining FCA event at FBC BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Kylie Bisutti seemingly had it all. The model had the fame and fortune which goes with being a Victoria’s Secret model. What she didn’t have was the peace that comes with being a follower of God. Bisutti said goodbye to the career, deciding to become a role model instead of a runway model. The former model – author of the book “I’m No Angel” – will be appearing at First Baptist Church in Corinth on Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “The whole deal behind her being here is to speak on what beauty really is,” said Jason Marshall, FBC
Minister of Youth. “It took a lot of guts to walk away from a career because it didn’t go along with her Christian beliefs.” In 2009, Bisutti won the “Victoria’s Secret Model Search” competition. She stepped away from the runway modeling career around four years later. “Most people think I was not a Christian when I was modeling lingerie and working for Victoria’s Secret and posing for men’s magazines,” she said. “Most think I got saved, then left the modeling industry.” Bisutti never attended church until the age of 15. She became a believer and was baptized at 16. “I was on fire for the Lord and at-
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tended church every Sunday,” said Bisutti on her blog imnoangel.org. “I was so passionate about learning more, growing in Him and becoming a better person.” Things changed. “I believe the reason so many people grow away from God after once proclaiming His name and putting their faith in Him is because their idols get in the way,” said Bisutti. “They become friends with the world and less concerned with how God views them and more concerned with how their peers view them.” The days of modeling lingerie are now behind Bisutti. Please see BISUTTI | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago There is heavy fighting along Hurricane Creek north of Abbeville, Miss. Forrest’s men occupy the heights on the south side of the creek and keep the Union pinned down with artillery fire until Federal cavalry drives the Southerners back.
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