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Wednesday Sept. 5,

2012

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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 214

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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections

County adopts budget; no tax increase BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Alcorn County Board of Supervisors adopted the fiscal 2013 budget and set the tax levy with no increase Tuesday morning. After receiving no comments in the public hearing, the board adopted an $18.83 million budget that holds the county millage rate at 53. The county school tax levy is also unchanged at 49.76, for a total of 105.76 mills for those who pay county school taxes. General county holds at 25.85

mills, but the budget includes some small shifts in millage, such as the park going from 1.6 to 1.57 mills and the road districts going from 3.9 to 3.95 mills. Some departments and outside agencies are taking a 2 percent cut in the budget, which is effective Oct. 1. The total requested from department and outside agencies totaled $6,895,501, and the county has budgeted them at $6,481,489, down from the previous budget’s $6,756,759. Agency allocations:

■ Emergency management - $80,000 (requested $161,274, and received $86,400 last year) ■ Airport - $107,800 (requested level funding of $110,000) ■ Health department $133,097 (was $135,814) ■ Red Cross - $1,592 (unchanged; requested $5,000) ■ Animal shelter - $25,000 (unchanged; requested $60,000, citing increased labor costs because of a reduction in the availability of inmate labor)

■ Arts council - $24,500 (requested level funding of $25,000) ■ 4H livestock - $4,000 ■ Region IV Mental Health - $50,088 (requested level funding of $51,111) ■ Department of Human Services - $87,425 (was $89,210) ■ Human Resource Agency $127,400 (was $130,000) ■ Northeast Mississippi Community Services - $8,055 (was $8,220) ■ S.A.F.E. - $1,500 (was $1,550) ■ Northeast Regional Li-

City approves road zone change

Unique Apart … United Together

BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday approved stricter zoning on Droke Road as well as a couple of other zoning requests. After a second public hearing with no comments, aldermen approved the Droke Road change between Clark Street and South Parkway. The existing zoning of the area is R-2 medium-density residential, which allows two-family residential units. The zoning will change to R-1A, a singlefamily residential district with a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet and no more than 40 percent of the area covered by structures. The zoning change came about because of concern

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Marianne Taylor (right) speaks with United Way Executive Director Betsy Whitehurst during the Corinth & Alcorn County Campaign Kickoff Luncheon on Tuesday at Hillandale Country Club.

United Way kicks off campaign BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

United Way still works. Tutor Marianne Taylor has witnessed the benefits of the charitable organization up close. Taylor shared the importance of United Way to the 16 local agencies it funds at the Corinth & Alcorn County Campaign Kickoff on Tuesday at Hillandale Country Club. “United Way has served more than 2,000 individuals that needed help with their literacy needs,” said the tutor with the

Corinth-Alcorn Literacy Council. “There is no way I can say thank you for doing something that enriches and empowers.” Taylor shared the story of a 70-year-old man she is helping learn to read during the joint meeting of the Corinth Kiwanis and Rotary. “It is hard to imagine going decades without being able to read things like signs or directions,” said the former head start education specialist in Birmingham, Ala. “He had to be very creative to cope.” The Memphis, Tenn., native,

brary - $136,269 (requested $143,000; was $139,050) ■ Crossroads Arena $110,250 (was $112,500) ■ Jacinto Foundation $24,578 (was $25,080) ■ Museum - $9,800 (was $10,000) ■ Soil Conservation $48,650 (was $49,643) ■ Extension Service $99,315 (was $103,315) ■ Planning & Development District - $18,500 (was $20,000) ■ Incubator facility - $14,700 (was $15,000)

who moved to Corinth about seven years ago, said the man “was so proud to be able to write his name for the first time.” “He knows he is important and people care about him,” she said. The kind of caring that makes United Way, whose local theme this year is Unique Apart … United Together, stand out. “That's one example when you give how United Way works,” said United Way of Corinth & Alcorn County PresiPlease see CAMPAIGN | 3A

about the possible construction of apartment duplexes near Corinth Elementary School and on an improved road. The planning commission had narrowly recommended the change to the Board of Aldermen in a 2-1 vote. In other zoning requests, the board approved a zoning change on Kendrick Road on property owned by Rick Quinn to accommodate multi-family apartment units. The property already has four apartment units that were grandfathered under R-1 single-family zoning at the time the property was annexed. Also, the board approved Dalton Family Partnership’s Please see ZONE | 3A

Katrina evacuees flee Isaac; return for reunion BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

For Nicholas Woodson — a nearly 7-year-old boy from St. Bernard Parish, La. — Corinth is a home away from home. Nicholas spent the first weeks of his life in Corinth. His parents, Charlene and Michael Woodson, traveled to Corinth in August 2005, after it became clear that their home was in the path of Hurricane Katrina. Last week the Woodsons returned to Corinth as evacuees from another storm — Hurricane Isaac. They used the trip as an opportunity to reintroduce Nicholas to the place where he spent his first months of life. “We really love your town,” said Nicholas’ mother. “It’s so

nice and quiet, there’s not a lot of people and the people are really nice. It’s my son’s home away from home.” Their trip to Corinth during Katrina was an adventure the family will never forget. Charlene was 81⁄2 months pregnant when they left home. Their first stop was Houston, Texas, where Charlene intended to have her baby. But this was not in the cards. As Hurricane Rita began bearing down on Texas, the Woodson family were forced out in a mandatory evacuation. Their next stop would be Corinth. Their home for the next several weeks was the Comfort Inn, now Please see REUNION | 3A

Corinth family keeps Korean Tol tradition alive BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com

The smiling toddler eyed the five objects before him. Daddy clutched the 1-yearold tightly as the crowd of friends and family was silent in anticipation. The child’s lifelong destiny was about to decided. And then, it happened. Despite all projections from the guests, the youngster grabbed a bundle of string. There were smiles and ap-

plause from the large crowd of witnesses. This was much more than a 1-year-old birthday party for Grayson Nickels. It was his ceremonial Korean Tol. And by going for the soft bundle of string, the son of Mia and Fred Nickels is now projected to have a long healthy life. “Who wouldn’t want their child to live a long life?” asked Mia about her son’s choice. The Corinth couple who re-

sides in the Bramlitt House decided to keep the Korean Tol tradition alive when they adopted their first son, John Holden, who is now four years old. The Tol is celebrated when a child turns 1 year old. For centuries Korea suffered a high infant mortality rate due to disease and lack of food. Still today, when a Korean child turns 1, Koreans believe there is much

Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......3B Wisdom......2B

Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A

Photo by Bryan Huff

Fred Nickels keeps a hold on son Grayson as the 1-year-old participates in his recent Korean Tol ceremony. Grayson went for the string, which means he will have a long life.

Please see TOL | 12A

On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Sterling Price is informed Rosecrans’ army is at Eastport, Miss., and is ready to cross the river into Tennessee. He begins to move his army north from Tupelo to prevent the crossing. The information is incorrect. Rosecrans and his men are actually in camp near Jacinto.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Shelby County schools vote trial begins BY ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal judge heard testimony from Tennessee's Education Commissioner on Tuesday in a trial that will decide the legality of a vote clearing the way for creation of six municipal school districts in the state's largest county. Lawyers also told U.S. District Judge Samuel Mays that they expect about two days' worth of testimony in the trial, which will determine whether an Aug. 2 vote to form separate public school districts in six Shelby County municipalities is legal under the Tennessee Constitution. Voters overwhelmingly approved the referendums to form school districts in Arlington,

Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington, which currently are part of the Shelby County school system. Parents and elected officials in the suburbs say they want to break away and avoid the merger between the larger, struggling, majority-black Memphis school system and the smaller, more successful, majority-white Shelby County district. The constitutionality of the state law that allowed for the vote was challenged by the Shelby County Commission and the city of Memphis before the vote. Both the county and city want to preserve the merger set for 2013, with the six municipalities included in a single, consolidated school district with 150,000 students.

Deaths

to the combined school district, but there was no mention of municipal school districts in that report. Huffman also said he has not heard from any of the six suburbs about their intentions to create their own school districts, including whether they have a plan to create school boards and name superintendents. “I do not believe I have received anything from the municipalities,” Huffman said. Wade also asked Huffman about a state law that allows counties with populations of at least 25,000 to have only six school districts at one time. Should the municipalities get their own school systems, Shelby County would have at least seven school districts after the merger.

But Mays decided to wait until after the vote to hold the trial, saying it is better to nullify a vote after the fact than block a vote from taking place. The commission's lawsuit claims the state law that allowed the vote violates the Tennessee Constitution's ban on enacting legislation to benefit only one county. Attorneys for the municipalities argue that the state law could be applied to other Tennessee counties, including Henry, Gibson and Carroll counties. Memphis attorney Allen Wade questioned state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman about rules governing school districts. Huffman testified that he has reviewed a report by a commission that is planning the transition

REUNION CONTINUED FROM 1A

the Quality Inn, near the intersection of U.S. 72 and U.S. 45. On September 30 she had Nicholas at the Tupelo Women’s Center. Room 149 at the Comfort Inn was Nicholas’ home for the first weeks of his life. Charlene had to have surgery at this time, so the family made plans to move to a more permanent dwelling for her recovery. They rent-

Ethylene Braddock

Ethylene Braddock, 72, formerly of Corinth, died Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, at Aurora Health and Rehab in Columbus. Arrangements are pending with Magnolia Funeral Home.

by his parents, Herbert Dee and Jessie Marie Killingsworth Moffett, and a sister, Vickie Christopher.

Josephine Williams

COUNCE, Tenn. — Funeral services for Ricky Dale Moffett, 54, were held Saturday at Shackelford Chapel in Savannah with burial at White Sulphur Cemetery. Mr. Moffett died Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Born in Portageville, Mo., on Oct. 2, 1957, he was a car salesman for Jones Motor Company since 1990, winning the top salesman award many times. Survivors include his companion of 28 years, Charlotte Adams of Counce; three brothers, Keith, Jackie and Jerry Moffett, all of Adamsville, Tenn.; and a sister, Diane Fisher of Counce. He was preceded in death

IUKA — Funeral services for Josephine Williams, 83, are set for 3 p.m. Thursday at Cutshall Funeral Home Chapel in Iuka with burial at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Williams died Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, at Tishomingo Manor Nursing Home. Survivors include one son, Don Williams (Robin) of Iuka; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Denzil Williams; her parents, Whitten and Edna Reagh; one son, Wayne Williams; and one sister, Marie Carter. The Rev. Aubrey Boren will officiate the service. Visitation is today from 5 until 9 p.m.

Ricky Moffett

ed a home on Third Street. But before they could get out of the hotel, the family would have one more adventure. “We were about to leave the hotel and my car caught on fire,” Charlene recalled. “It was in flames! The fire department had to come.” The house on Third Street was their home from right before Christmas until the first day of the following March. During this time,

the family made friends with a number of Corinthians. “Leah McQueen and the people at the Weaver Center were really, really good to me,” Charlene recalled. “They helped us get furniture and made us feel really at home.” This year Charlene, Michael, Nicholas and Charlene’s mother, Darelene Lobis, returned to Corinth to ride out Hurricane Isaac.

In addition to getting out of Isaac’s path, the trip let Nicholas see the place where he spent his first months almost seven years ago. “Now that my boy’s going to be 7, we wanted to show him the hotel where he had his first address, the house on Third Street, the town and all the people who were so wonderful to him,” said Charlene. The Woodson family arrived in Corinth in the pre-

dawn hours of Tuesday, Aug. 28, and headed back home on Thursday. “He loved it,” said Charlene. “He liked swimming in the pool at the hotel, he liked the hills. He won a costume party at Ryan’s as a Tootsie Roll the first time, and we took him back to Ryan’s.” Now the family has returned to their home in St. Bernard Parish. Unlike their return from Katrina, the

family’s home is safe and sound. Nicholas was back in school on Tuesday. While the family may be Louisiana residents, Charlene says her son has retained a part of North Mississippi. “People always ask me where he got the accent,” Charlene said. “I don’t know! But he’s North Mississippi born. It’s amazing, but he has the accent. It’s funny. We joke about it all the time.”

said. “I am so pleased we have something locally to serve people.” United Way has been a forerunner since 1940 in securing funds for the successful operation of programs such as Corinth Welfare Association, Christmas Baskets, along with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

“A lot has changed since 1940, but today United Way is still working to secure the successful operation of community programs and organizations,” said Terry. “Because of the continued generosity of people, United Way and its forerunner, the Community Fund, has been able to allocate over $10,500,000

to help meet the needs of agencies it supports since 1955.” The supported agencies of the local chapter include: Boys & Girls Club of Corinth, Boy Scouts, Corinth-Alcorn Literacy Council, Corinth Sportsplex Outreach, Corinth Welfare Association, 4-H Clubs, FFA, Faith Haven

Inc., First Call For Help, Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls, Girl Scouts, High Tech Summer Day Camp, Magnolia Regional Health Center Hospice Volunteer Training, Project Attention, S.A.F.E. Inc. and the Single Parent/Displaced Homemaker Program. What started as a goal

of $7,500 in 1940, grew over 10 times to $368,958 in 2000. In 2012, United Way received pledges of $374,466, according to Terry. “When you invest in United Way of Corinth and Alcorn County, 99 percent of the dollars go right back into our community,” said the president.

CAMPAIGN CONTINUED FROM 1A

dent Reece Terry. “It's because of your generosity that United Way works for Corinth and Alcorn County.” Taylor believes the efforts of the organization sends a clear message when it comes to literacy. “It's not too late,” she

ZONE for the fiscal 2013 budget and tax levy. The board received no public comments and will consider adopting the budget in a special meeting at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11. The budget holds taxes level. The board also approved an on-premises beer license for the Chop House.

CONTINUED FROM 1A

request for a zoning change from R-2 residential to C-2 commercial on the west side of Highway 45 near the intersection with U.S. 72. Surrounding property is already zoned C-2. Tuesday’s agenda included the public hearing

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Opinion

Reece Terry, publisher

Mark Boehler, 4A • Wednesday, September 5, 2012 editor Corinth, Miss.

Liberals imply any criticism of President Obama is racist Silly season is over. Racist season is here. Silly season is when nothing is going on in the presidential campaign and the debate focuses on trivialities. Racist season is when the campaign begins in earnest and President Barack Obama looks vulnerable. Then, liberal commentators pull out all the stops to deem practically any criticism of the president racist. Chris Matthews of MSNBC Rich led the charge with an on-set Lowery rant against Republican NaNational tional Committee Chairman Review Reince Priebus. Criticizing the gutting of welfare reform? Racist. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s joke about no one ever asking for his birth certificate? Racist, too. Saying the president is inspired by a European welfare-state model? Obviously racist. It’s only late August, and the campaign is tied. Wait until October, especially if Obama is trailing. In the imaginations of the president’s devotees, an America where he is behind by 2 or 3 points will be indistinguishable from an America where blacks are set on by dogs during civil-rights marches. When Romney joked in Michigan that no one ever had to ask for his birth certificate, it was a banner day in the racist season. Michael Eric Dyson, who apparently earned an advanced degree in finding obscure ways to accuse people of bigotry, detected the telltale signs of “othering.” “Other” used to be a perfectly fine word, then became jargon fit for use only by people with regular MSNBC gigs or endowed chairs in nonsense. It’s not clear why the former Massachusetts governor would insist that Obama is an American during the Republican primaries only to lurch toward birtherism in the general election, with an unscripted joke he will never, ever repeat. Even Dyson lacks the creativity of Thomas Edsall, a Columbia Journalism School professor. Edsall wrote a blog post for The New York Times contending that, by attacking Obama for cutting Medicare to pay for “Obamacare,” the Romney campaign is engaged in a politics of “racially freighted resource competition.” Why? Because Medicare beneficiaries are “largely white,” and “Obamacare” beneficiaries will be “disproportionately minority.” Edsall calls this supposed strategy “subtle.” Subtle, indeed. According to this logic, the Obama ads hitting Romney for wanting to end Medicare as we know it must be a naked racial appeal, the “othering” of Romney’s reform plan. There is a consensus among Democrats and the media that Romney’s attacks on Obama for “gutting” welfare reform are outof-bounds and racially charged. This, too, is wrong. Obama has altered the welfare-reform law fundamentally. The section of the law imposing the work requirements was written to be unwaivable. The Obama administration unlawfully claims authority to waive it. Imagine that a Republican administration claimed authority to waive the entitlement status of Medicare and Medicaid. Wouldn’t Democrats accuse that administration of “gutting” those entitlements? A Romney ad goes too far in suggesting that the work requirements will disappear immediately. It will probably be a slow unraveling. Any loosening comes in the context of work requirements that already don’t have much force. Only about 40 percent of adult welfare recipients in any state are required to undertake “work activities,” according to Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation. (Roughly a third of the welfare caseload is black.) Work is not some racist code. It’s a core American value. Ninety-seven percent of conservatives thought able-bodied welfare recipients should be required to work or prepare for work, according to a 2009 Heritage Foundation poll. Ninety-two percent of liberals agreed. The usual suspects probably consider this universal sentiment a form of prejudice. What a dim view they take of their countrymen. They believe the American public is keenly attuned to racist dog whistles and — though they elected Obama with 53 percent and still like him personally — is ready to reject him partly because he’s an African-American. The silly season can occasionally be fun. The racist season is rancid. (Daily Corinthian columnist Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review. He can be reached via e-mail: comments.lowry@sign) nationalreview.com.)

Prayer for today Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen.

A verse to share The psalmist wrote, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” — Psalm 119:104 (NRSV)

Reece Terry publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

Congressman Paul Ryan amid the corn BY ROGER SIMON TAMPA, Fla. — Let’s run down the checklist: Ann Romney gave Mitt a heart. Chris Christie gave him courage. And Paul Ryan gives him a (more conservative) brain. Mitt Romney is a patchwork candidate. This need not be bad. Garnering things from others can be a form of wisdom. But every president has to have a core. So what is Mitt Romney’s core? The headline in the Tampa Bay Times last Wednesday said it all: “Get To Know Him.” The trouble is that Mitt Romney has been running for president for more than five-and-a-half years — he first formally announced on Feb. 13, 2007 — and if those gathered here for the Republican National Convention still need to “get to know him,” one wonders what he has been doing all this time. If you judge people not by what they say, but by what they do, Mitt Romney has made one “presidential-level” decision, and that was naming Paul Ryan as his running mate. Ryan is white and he is a man, and neither of those things ever hurt anyone in the Republican Party. Although Ryan has been involved in Washington politics virtually all of his adult life, he is now selling himself as just a downhome boy from Janesville, Wis.,

population 63,575. He and his family live in a home on the block he grew up on, and he proudly refers to himself as a “Catholic deer hunter.” Ryan’s father, a prominent lawyer, died of a heart attack when Ryan was 16. His mother went back to work, and Ryan also found jobs, but his father left a large estate and, as the Los Angeles Times has reported, the wolf never came close to the Ryan family door. “Ryan grew up in a big colonial house on a wooded lot, and his extended clan includes investment managers, corporate executives and owners of major construction companies,” the paper reported. “Ryan’s rise to political power and financial stability was boosted by family connections and wealth.” This is no crime. But for a party dedicated to allowing people to become wealthy and then hanging onto that wealth with both hands, the speeches at this convention have been an orgy of humble bragging. Chris Christie, who gave the keynote address — though it more properly could have been labeled “Chris Christie in 2016” — said: “Dad grew up in poverty. ... Mom also came from nothing. She was raised by a single mother who took three buses to get to work every day.” Ann Romney could not claim modest origins for her

husband, so she went back one generation: “Mitt’s dad never graduated from college. Instead, he became a carpenter,” she said. And CEO of American Motors. And governor of Michigan. Nobody has yet claimed to have had a relative who actually split rails, but Abe Lincoln, who split thousands of them, would have been astonished by the speeches at this convention. Lincoln hated being reminded of his humble origins, hated being called a “rail splitter” and even hated being called Abe. He much preferred being referred to as “the Honorable Abraham Lincoln, Esq.,” a former congressman and lawyer, two jobs he was proud of. Ryan has had no practice in running a national or even a statewide campaign. He has never run for anything other than his congressional seat, and he has not had a tough race since 1998, his first race, in which he got 57 percent of the vote. Ryan, who is parsimonious when it comes to spending money on social programs, had no reservations about spending money when it came to his re-election. He spent $3.9 million to defeat Heckenlively and got 68 percent of the vote. Last Wednesday night, Ryan told the Republican convention: “You are entitled to the clearest possible

choice because the time for choosing is drawing near. So here is our pledge. We will not duck the tough issues — we will lead.” Though Ryan is running for vice president in November, he is simultaneously running again for Congress, sort of a backup plan just in case things do not work out with the White House gig. And Ryan has built up a war chest of $5.4 million, which is $2 million more than any other member of Congress has in a campaign account. Do not expect to hear a lot about this, however. You will hear far more from Ryan about detasseling corn. (Detasseling corn is when you take an ear of corn and pull its tassels off. It is painless. At least for the people doing the detasseling.) Here is Paul Ryan campaigning in Springfield, Mo., on Aug. 23: “When I was a kid growing up working at McDonald’s, detasseling corn, waiting tables, painting houses, things like that, it never occurred to me that I was stuck in some station, fixed in some class.” If he had been fixed in some class, it would have been the upper class, however, which is something many Americans might not mind being stuck in at all. (Daily Corinthian columnist Roger Simon is chief political columnist of politico.com, an award-winning journalist and a New York Times best selling author.)

Isaac’s storm brings coastal friends to mind FISHTRAP HOLLOW — A hummingbird is buzzing the lantana’s breakfast bar, and the yard is clipped and the critters fed. It is hard to believe a storm is coming. The Gulf Coast, once again, is taking it on the chin, and my thoughts are there, not here, eight hours north. I’m hunkering down with Jeanette and Johnelle in Henderson, La., sitting in the dark with the boys at Iggy’s bar in New Orleans, evacuating Pascagoula, Miss., and its flooding with Jo Grierson. I have all of those friends on my mind, at least. No region is without its weather risks, but, for some reason, a hurricane captures my imagination more than wildfires or tornados or earthquakes. Hurricanes are both deadly and majestic. As Carl Sandburg wrote of the sea: It is the face of a rough mother speaking. Hanging on my wall is a Winslow Homer print of a wicked storm, and it is terri-

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fyingly beautiful. Painters paint stormy seas, not tornado wreckage. And someRheta where on my Johnson iPod is the clever James Columnist McMurtry song “Hurricane Party.” Hurricanes both horrify and inspire us. This one, of course, has the name Isaac, which makes me think of the book “Isaac’s Storm,” Erik Larson’s brilliant recounting of the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the chief Texas weatherman at the time, Isaac Cline. Let’s just say, Isaac was only human. Hurricane Katrina made us think no progress had been made in death prevention during natural disasters. It, in fact, was a natural disaster that had a lot of unnatural response. But then you consider Galveston.

Some 8,000 men, women and children died in Isaac’s storm, half that many in Katrina. That statistic, of course, is not impressive at all if you consider the century-plus time lapse. No doubt things should have gone differently during Katrina. And if six people die — the toll at this writing — in Hurricane Isaac, that’s six too many. Every storm is someone’s Katrina, a wise official said. The seven years since Katrina have been an uphill climb for the people who survived it. Baby steps have been taken toward recovery. Amongst the vacant lots new construction sprouts, and there are once again restaurants and bars and stores. The libraries are new in Biloxi and Pass Christian on the Mississippi Coast. I sat in their gleaming facilities not long ago and was impressed. Towns that rebuild libraries have my admiration.

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And the repairs at private residences are slowly but surely rebuilding the Coast. One Gulfport man interviewed on the Weather Channel was just finishing up the extensive remodeling Katrina had dictated. With Isaac’s approach, he had to pause to nail up plywood over new windows. And yet he was philosophical, the way folks on the coast are wont to be. “It’s just part of living here,” he said, and with a shrug, he put another nail in the plywood. Jacques Cousteau may have said it best: The greatest resource of the ocean is not material but the boundless spring of inspiration and well-being we gain from her. For everything, there is a cost. (To find out more about Daily Corinthian columnnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson and her books, visit www.rhetagrimsleyjohnsonbooks.com.)

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Daily Corinthian • Wednesday, September 5, 2012 • 5A

State 900 JSU students getting iPads JACKSON (AP) — Nine hundred Jackson State University students are taking part in a program in which they will received iPads for school work. Chemistry professor William McHenry tells WLBT-TV that the iPad Technology Advantage Scholarship Initiative, a nonprofit foundation, will distribute the iPads to the students this week. He said the program will help students save money on textbooks. “We looked at how do we encourage students’ academic success, how do we assist folks in taking advantage of learning opportunities. The research we looked at said the iPad with the iBooks will accelerate learning,” said Henry, who is presi-

dent of the foundation. The students will save their work virtually, allowing their instructors to track their progress. The iPads also have security and tracking software.

Baby’s broken leg leads to arrest KILN (AP) — Hancock County authorities have filed felony child abuse charges against an 18-year-old man after his infant son was brought to a hospital with a broken leg. Sheriff’s child investigator Glenn Grannan says Earnest Fontenot was arrested Monday at Hancock Medical Center

after investigators talked with him about the 2-month-old’s injury. The child was transferred to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Grannan says the child’s leg was broken early Sunday but the baby wasn’t taken to the hospital until that night. He says hospital staff alerted authorities.

Budget hearings set for mid-September JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi money minders are meeting later this month to start planning a state budget for fiscal 2014, which begins next July 1.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee gathers Sept. 17-20 to hear spending requests from state agency directors. The public meetings are held at the Woolfolk state office building, near the Capitol in downtown Jackson. House Appropriations Chairman Herb Frierson says lawmakers will have to be cautious as they write a budget because the state economy is still recovering. Frierson, a Republican from Poplarville, says he expects agencies to request more money than the state will have available to spend. That’s not unusual during the early

stages of the budget process. The full House and Senate will vote on budget details sometime in the spring.

Officials still assessing damage JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi officials say assessing damages from Hurricane Isaac is a tedious task that will take time. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeff Rent said Tuesday that electricity had been restored to all but a few hundred structures and that only three shelters remained open

as of Tuesday. Those shelters housed 26 people in Forrest, Hinds and Jackson counties. Rent said assessing and responding to storm damage is a “slow, tedious process” and “we’ve got a long way to go.” Isaac crept across parts of Mississippi and Louisiana last week after making landfall as a Category 1 storm. The storm surge swamped some low-lying coastal areas and rivers and creeks flooded when Isaac dumped enormous amounts of rain as it moved north. The storm was blamed for seven deaths, including two in Mississippi.

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