Thursday Sept. 12,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 218
Very warm Today
Tonight
94
69
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Former principal’s license revoked BY JOSEPH MILLER jmiller@dailycorinthian.com
Former Alcorn Central Middle School Principal Dan Burcham’s teaching license was revoked last week after a hearing before the Mississippi Department of Education’s Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development. According to Patrice Gilfoyle, the
communications director for the Mississippi Department of Education, the commission cited violation of Standard 4, which is Mississippi Code 37-3-2-12, and relates to improper educator/student relationships. This stands in contrast to a violation of Standard 5, relating to improper education/collegial relationships, which was the official reason given by the Alcorn School
District for Burcham being terminated. Burcham cannot apply to get his license back for five years, according to the statute. The commission found “clear and convincing” evidence that Burcham used his cell phone’s camera to take photographs of students and employees without them knowing or consenting to the photographs and
also found that the harassment of female employees and students created a negative and intimidating environment, according to a document of the commission’s action provided by Gilfoyle. Burcham’s employment was terminated in February 2013 for invasion of privacy of faculty and Please see BURCHAM | 2
City schools OK early exit criteria
Wild wreck
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
No one was injured during a six-vehicle crash that happened in the Arby’s parking lot.
Truck careens into 5 vehicles at Arby’s and hit five other vehicles around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. Miraculously, no one was transported to Magnolia Regional Health Center following the unusal accident. “It was like it was in slow motion,” said witness Jamie C.
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Ongoing renovations at Arby’s almost took a strange twist. The restaurant, on U.S. Highway 72 East, escaped any damage after a Chevrolet Silverado sped through the parking lot
Burcham
Taylor. According to Taylor, the red Silverado was headed East on Highway 72 when it accelerated across the turnoff from Highway 72 to Arby’s. Please see WRECK | 2
The path is set for Corinth students who wish to leave school at the end of the 10th grade. The Corinth School District Board of Trustees adopted the early exit diploma requirements Monday night as part of the Excellence for All program, and it becomes an option for students during this school year. The requirements are rigorous, and school officials are not expecting a large number of students to pursue the option. “I think it’s going to take a very special person to do it,” said Superintendent Lee Childress. The Mississippi State Board of Education is requiring 17.5 credits for early exit, and the student would be put to the test on a number of exams to gauge readiness to move on to a college or career path. “It’s not an easy task for us
to be able to say that a child is college or career ready at the end of the 10th grade,” said Childress. “These students that meet this mark will have really stepped up to the plate and shown that they are ready.” The district anticipates most who take this track would go to a community college and then one of the universities. Several students are on a track that would make it a possibility for them this year, the superintendent said. There is no minimum age requirement. “I don’t know how many people will take advantage of this because at 15 or 16 you could be talking about going to a community college,” said Childress. A student leaving early for a vocational path would have the same requirements. “While we once thought Please see SCHOOLS | 2
Protesters blast president, honor 9/11 BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Ann Sparks and Susan Marion had never met before Wednesday morning. They came together at 9 a.m. atop the Harper Road overpass of U.S. Highway 45 where they were greeted by honks, thumbs ups and even some one-finger salutes of motorists. The two women were staging a protest as part of the “Overpasses to Impeach Obama” movement across the country. Sparks and Marion held signs and waved American flags as some motorists passed by offering words of encouragement. “For many years I have seen this country go in the wrong direction and now it is escalating,” said the
69-year-old Sparks of Booneville. “I am very worried about is going on in America … we have lost our moral compass and have become a nation of people who want something for nothing.” “Overpasses to Impeach Obama” began on Facebook around the country. The movement is being held to encourage Americans to push for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. Both women heard about the national protest taking place on major overpasses via Facebook. “We want Americans to wake up and see where we are headed,” said Marion of Farmington. “We have taken God out of everything.” “Our freedoms are now being taken away from us,” added
Sparks. Marion posted on Facebook she would be taking part in the protest in Corinth if anyone would liked to join her. Sparks showed up ready with a flag and sign. “It has been a mixture of responses, but most of them have been positive,” said Marion. Their protest was also about not forgetting the tragedy of 9/11. “Today is about remembering the fallen,” said Marion. “People are doing this around the nation because of 9/11.” The two braved the extremely humid conditions in effort to open the eyes of their fellow Americans. “I would rather be in my garden, but this is very important,” said Sparks.
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Ann Sparks (left) and Susan Marion stage a protest on the Harper Road overpass of U.S. Highway 45.
Tourism leaders brainstorm ideas to boost visitation BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth has plenty to offer. The focus is getting people to experience the many things while staying for a while. Members of the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau board brainstormed possible ideas during a planning meeting Tuesday evening. “Our focus needs to be where we can get the most bang for
our buck,” said board member Ricky James. “We have a great community and we all want to improve it.” The current board has been together less than a year. The tourism office went through a major overhaul when the previous board was let go in early January. “My biggest concern was were we going to survive the first year,” said member Danny
Timmons. “There is no doubt we have come a long way.” The board has survived and is now looking at better ways to bring tourists to the city. “Our main mission is promoting Corinth,” said member Laura Albright. “Shiloh is a main draw in helping us do that … when they come through the National Military Park, they also come to Corinth.” “We are not after Corin-
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thians, we are after tourists,” added tourism director Christy Burns. “It’s been hard for me to think that way, but it’s who we need to focus on.” The board also discussed reaching out more to local hotels and restaurants. “I think we get away from their needs,” said Burns. “I need to visit them more and say thank you because they are the ones we are working for.”
“Because of them we are able to do what we do,” added James. Events such as Hog Wild, Slugburger Festival and the Battle of Farmington Reenactment have all played a role in bringing folks to town for more than a day, according to the board. “We need to consider these Please see TOURISM | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago There is heavy skirmishing below Chattanooga and into North Georgia. The Confederate steamer “Fox” is scuttled by its own crew to prevent capture by a Union gunboat at Pascagoula, Miss.
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