Thursday Aug. 22,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 200
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Tonight
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Police deal with rumors about rape BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Despite rumors multiplying in the city, the Corinth Police Department assures that only one rape is being investigated. Talk began circulating Wednesday morning that a rape had just occurred at the
Walmart parking lot. “I don’t know where these rumors are coming from,” said Detective Capt. Ralph Dance. “We’ve had one rape case in this city and only one at the park. And we have only had the two shootings that have been reported.”
Unsubstantiated rumors include one about a woman jogging downtown being pulled into an alley. Another Wednesday afternoon had a woman being held up in the area of First Methodist Church. There was, however, a report a few nights before the rape
from a woman who said she was attacked by two men at apartments on Ross Street. “She made statements that two black males approached her and roughed her up pretty bad,” said Dance. However, the police department has been unable to con-
Animal abuse
tact the woman or her family since for followup, and she had scratches on her body that appeared to be old, said Dance. The police department continues to check out leads in the rape reported last Thursday
Tourism board issues 4 grants BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau voted to keep its current board officers while agreeing to four funding requests during its regular meeting. Current officers Russell Smith, president; Pauline Sorrell, vice president; and Sandy Mitchell, treasurer; were all re-elected to their positions for the next fiscal year. Members of the seven-person board agreed to almost $5,000 in funding requests on Tuesday. The board gave $1,000 to the Magnolia Car Club to advertise its annual car show scheduled for the same weekend as the annual Hog Wild Festival in October. “We are the oldest car club in the state,” said the club’s Rick Kelley. “During the show, we pull cars in from Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi and usually have around 130 cars.” The 72-member club is set to dedicate proceeds to the Lighthouse Foundation. “At the beginning of the year we start with very little money because we put it back in the community,” added Kelley. Main Street Corinth received $3,000 of a $5,000 request for the Hog Wild Festival. “We want to expand who we target this year,” Main Street
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Charlotte Doehner, Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter director, comforts a female pit bull brought to the shelter. The dog was abused and had a 10-inch gash around its neck along with other bite marks.
Animal shelter filing cruelty charges BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter is tired of animal cruelty. The non-profit organization is now taking steps to file charges against individuals who abuse animals. “We aren’t going to tolerate it any more,” said shelter director Charlotte Doehner. “People who abuse animals will do anything.”
Currently, the shelter has a female pit bull who has suffered severe abuse. The dog has a 10inch long gash that is 2 inches deep around its neck where it had been tied up with a nylon piece of rope. “Someone found the dog and removed it from a yard in Corinth to bring it here,” said the director. “It has other bite marks and was covered in fleas and ticks … I think the dog was being held with the rope for
breeding purposes.” Seven puppies were also removed from the yard. The puppies, a pit bull mix and about 10 months old, were also covered in fleas and ticks, and had sores on their bodies from advanced stages of mange. “The city and county shouldn’t have to pay for things like this. The person who did it should be held responsible,”
BY JEBB JOHNSTON Statewide test result data is being made public today by the Mississippi Department of Education. Local school districts already have the results and have been scouring the numbers, planning their strategies to work on areas that need improvement. The data will be accessible to the public through the Mississippi Department of Education website beginning today. In the Alcorn School District, Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith said students rose to the challenge, resulting in improved results on the Mississippi Curriculum Test 2, Subject Area Testing Program 2 and
Mississippi Science Test 2. “The implementation of the Common Core two years ago in our kindergarten through eighth grade demonstrates that teaching the curriculum with test-prep interventions will promote academic success,” said Smith. Professional development, the use of interventionists, after-school programs and new technology programs have all contributed to the improvements, she said. The district’s graduation rate for the five-year cohort was 81.8, a significant increase from 2012, Smith said, while the four-year cohort was 77.5, down from 80.5 in 2012. ACT scores increased in Eng-
Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
lish, Social Science and Biology, bettering the state average, and was on par with the state average in Algebra. The three high schools are working with students in tutorial classes, after-school and on-line programs to keep them on track. “The teachers are incorporating the skills in their daily instruction as well,” said Smith. “This will be the first year of implementation for the Common Core Curriculum for the high schools as well as our having the opportunity to dual enroll in NEMCC’s program. The faculty will be receiving professional development throughout
Things are now 100 percent cool at the Crossroads Arena. Air conditioning units, once operating at half capacity, are now at full strength, according to Arena Operations Manager Greg Moss. “They had to replace two to three compressors along with some fan motors,” said Moss of the work completed to the four 120-ton units. “It was things which had gone down over the years.” A catwalk was also added to make the units more easily accessible. Lawson Welding did the work on the project. In other board business, a new vice chairman and secretary were voted on by the sev-
Please see SCORES | 2
Index
Director Taylor Coombs told the board. Coombs also said organizers are bringing back the Backyard Cookers division this year. “We don’t have all the details worked out, but it will be back this year,” she said. The director passed along thanks to the board for its funding of the Slugburger Eating Contest which featured several Major League Eaters. “Because of the funding we were able to advertise a lot more,” she said. “It was a great atmosphere and was named the number two eating contest by MLE.” According to Coombs, 1,400 attended the eating contest at the depot. The Crossroads Poetry Project garnered $750 for an event it is set to have at the Contraband Camp on Nov. 2. “We just begun our sixth season and are wanting to pull people in,” said Autry Davis with the club. “We are growing every year.” The Corinth Rotary Club is set to receive $1,000 for its 5th Annual Austin’s Shoes Run with Rotary 5K on Oct. 5. Rotary’s 3.1-mile run through downtown Corinth raises money for the club’s numerous projects. The next meeting of the board is set for Thursday, Sept. 26, at 8 a.m.
Arena air units back at capacity
Please see ABUSE | 2
Alcorn students ‘rise to the challenge’ jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Please see RUMORS | 2
en-member group. Jane Clark Summers was elected vice chairman. Summers takes over the position after Sam Tull was replaced by Corinth Board of Alderman on July 2. Tull, whose term was slated to expire in August, was voted vice chairman in a June 19 meeting. The board had been without a vice chairman since March after Alva Dalton resigned after six years as part of the board. Penn Majors was selected by aldermen to take Dalton’s seat. Dr. Hardwick Kaye was reelected as chairman of the board and Sharon Franks was chosen to assume Summer’s role as secretary. Jackie Please see ARENA | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago
Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
Gen. Bragg in Chattanooga is threatened on two sides. Gen. Joseph Johnston, at his headquarters near Jackson, pledges two divisions from Mississippi. With Vicksburg in enemy hands, the soldiers can best be used out of the state.
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