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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 200
• Corinth, Mississippi •
Future Fare proposal seeks 12-mill property tax increase BY JEBB JOHNSTON Corinth voters will have their say on Future Fare on Tuesday. All voting in the special election on a 12-mill property tax increase for infrastructure improvements will take place at City Hall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Absentee voting — often a reliable predictor of turnout — has been very light, with the number voted in person combined with ballots sent out by mail reaching 60 by Friday morning. The voting configuration at City Hall will be different from past elections, dividing voting into two sections on different floors. Last names A through K will vote in the former police department lobby area downstairs, while L through Z will vote on the first floor of City Hall. City Clerk Vickie Roach
said it will serve as a test run to see if this setup works well. Anyone who has trouble with stairs can request to vote on the lower level, and curb-side voting will be available for those who have mobility issues. If approved, the 12 mill tax increase would be in effect for five years and would generate about $1,020,000 per year. The bulk of that money — $3.636 million — would go to street milling and paving, while the rest could be spent in categories such as grant match funding, improvements to key city entrances, drainage work, property cleanup and strategic planning. The tax increase would affect homes, businesses and motor vehicle tags. The ballot wording is as follows: “Shall the City of Corinth, Mississippi (the “city”) increase the limitation prescribed in section 27-39-321 Mississippi Code
of 1972 as amended to authorize a special levy of twelve (12) mills of ad valorem taxes upon all taxable property within the City of Corinth for the fiscal years beginning October 1, 2012; October 1, 2013; October 1, 2014; October 1, 2015; and October 1, 2016, the total receipts of which special levy will be used for capital improvements, constructing, improving, repairing, paving or creating streets; drainage work, grant match funding, improvements of corridor entrances, signage, handicap accessibility enhancement and strategic planning and payments in connection with any financing thereof?” Voters select “for” or “against.” Mayor Tommy Irwin has argued that the city needs this program to help address neglected infrastructure and increase the curb appeal of the
Special election What: Future Fare Special Tax Levy Referendum Where: City Hall When: 7 a.m. -- 7 p.m. Tuesday city to potential employers. “If we invest, the fruits are great,” he said during the Future Fare public meeting. “We are at a pivotal time in Corinth’s history.” He said the roads and other problems “are not going to fix themselves.” Copies of the Future Fare booklet with details on city finances and the tax impact are available at City Hall. On Tuesday of this past week, Saltillo voters rejected a similar program for street improvements.
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
BY BOBBY J. SMITH
Dr. Starner Jones
Darryl Worley is the local boy who hit the big time. The 48-year-old native of Hardin County, Tenn., found himself in the national spotlight roughly a decade ago with songs like “I Miss My Friend” and
“Have You Forgotten?” Worley’s success came after years of working a range of jobs — from commercial fisherman to high school biology teacher — and maybe it was the somewhat late timing of his ascent to fame that kept the tall Tennessean (he’s 6-foot-6) down to earth.
Bank holdup remains mystery IUKA — Area law enforcement continue to search for a suspect who robbed an Iuka bank Thursday afternoon. “As of right now, no arrest has been made,” said Sheriff Glenn Whitlock. “We’ve received a large number of possible identities, information and tips, and the city and county are working night and day to chase down some possible leads — but at this time there have been no arrests.” Whitlock said a male subject entered the Renasant Bank branch on Constitution Drive, handed a note to the teller and left the bank with an unspecified amount of cash about 4:20 p.m. The suspect indicated he had a weapon but did not display it. No one was injured during the robbery. The suspect is a white male, six-foot to six-foot-one inch tall with a slim to medium build, and appeared to be in his 20s. The sheriff said he wore a T-shirt with an emblem, a camouflage cap, khaki shorts and tennis shoes. He left the scene in a lightcolored vehicle, possibly a white or beige Ford Explorer. Report information to the Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Department at 423-7000. Staff Writer Jebb Johnston contributed to this article.
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
“I went through a period where I struggled with my faith and it was therapeutic to write about it,” he said. He believes the themes of
Worley’s signature event, the Tennessee River Run, kicks into gear next month with a slate of concerts and activities that leads up to a night of concerts in downtown Savannah. The River Run raises money for the Darryl Worley Foundation, a non-profit organization
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics Inside Wisdom......3B
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District studies waste cost reduction plan
that supports a variety of philanthropic concerns, including Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center, a hospital with the goal of turning away no child who needs help
The Alcorn School District Board of Directors is considering a proposal that could cut its waste management costs in half. The Ripley-based Resourceful Environmental Services wants the opportunity to handle the district’s garbage pickup business, said Assistant Superintendent Wayne Henry during the regular meeting of the school board on Monday. According to the company’s proposal, RES will dispose of the district’s waste for approximately $4,450 per month, plus an extra $250 each month for using the county’s Vert-I-Pak disposal containers at three cafeterias in the district. The Alcorn District currently
Please see WORLEY | 2A
Please see PROPOSAL | 3A
faith, doubt and redemption are universal and something everyone experiences in one way or Please see NOVEL | 2A
Darryl Worley readies for River Run, new CD bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
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BY BOBBY J. SMITH
ER physician writes novel about faith, hope, redemption
attention. “The tale is one of redemption and spiritual consequence for both the handsome preacher and the lovely coed whose salvation is Brother Jimmy’s only reason for living,” states a synopsis of the book on the author’s website. Jones said several years ago he broke up with a longtime girlfriend and was struggling with questions of whether he was on the right path and doubts about his own faith.
Tonight
bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
‘Purple Church’ Faith, doubt, redemption and the beauty and tragedy of small town Southern life lie at the heart of the critically-acclaimed first novel by a former Magnolia Regional Health Center emergency room physician. “Purple Church”, the debut novel by Dr. Starner Jones, won the prestigious George Garrett Fiction Prize and has already begun attracting attention from major Hollywood producers. Jones, who worked as an emergency room doctor at MRHC from June 2010 through November 2011, said the story of a small town Southern preacher and a Memphis stripper and their struggles with faith and journey to redemption grew out of his own personal battles with faith and doubt. “Purple Church” focuses on the story of Brother Jimmy Russell, a Baptist minister who loses everything and sees his life fall apart when his wife dies of cancer. He finds himself tempted by Ashley White, a stripper in a seedy Memphis club whose own past, filled with abuse and violence, left her searching for
Today
26 pages • Two sections
Voters have say on Tuesday jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Partly sunny
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
On this day in history 150 years ago A Union expedition departs Rienzi headed for Bay Springs. Another expedition commences in Idaho Territory against the Snake Indians, which will continue through the summer and into the fall.
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