Prentiss County Complaints lead to 2 drug arrests.
Tishomingo County Group forms new Friends of the Park.
Sports Corinth volleyball perfect in league play.
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Thursday Sept. 24,
2015
75 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 229
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • One section
Building renovation bids run high BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County is seeking an attorney general’s opinion to determine whether it can negotiate with the apparent low bidder for the contract to renovate the former Chadco building for Avectus Healthcare Solutions.
Bids unsealed last week came in higher than anticipated for the project, and the low bid by Roberts Builders of Ripley was about 10 percent greater than the available funds. The county government can negotiate with a low bidder when the bid is within 10 per-
cent of the budget. However, Board Attorney Bill Davis said the county needs clarification on whether to use the total cost of just bricks and mortar or the cost with all other fees included. He has found prior AG opinions that seem to point in both directions.
“The total construction budget with fees would be within the 10 percent threshold,” said Davis. “If it is only based upon brick and mortar, then the low bid is above the 10 percent threshold.” The grant-funded project includes renovation of the old industrial building on South Tate
BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Jonathan Pearce, Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi Inc. HR associate, explains what the company makes to Alcorn Central senior Logan King during the annual Alcorn College & Career Fair.
High school seniors consider future at fair BY STEVE BEAVERS Local high school seniors got to look into the future on Wednesday. The annual Alcorn College & Career Fair opened the eyes of seniors to “A Sea of Opportu-
nity” at the Mississippi State Extension Office. Close to 350 students from Alcorn Central, Biggersville, Corinth and Kossuth visited with representatives from colleges, industries and businesses.
Please see BIDS | 3
Member questions early graduations
‘A Sea of Opportunity’
sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Street to house office space on the upper and lower levels and the addition of a parking lot. Johnny Crotts of Cook Coggin said the engineering firm will be looking at some possible cuts to reduce the project cost.
“College and Career Fairs are an excellent way to bridge the gap and assist students in coming face to face with opportunities within colleges, trade and technical schools, Please see FAIR | 6
Four early graduation requests from Alcorn School District students forced one board member to ask questions at the district’s meeting earlier this month. “We see these requests from students all the time and I’m just wondering if we have ever followed up to see if what they submitted to the board is actually happening,” said fifth district school board member Randy Wilbanks. “They normally submit to us a letter of personal goals. It would be nice to know how and what they are doing now.” Before reaching board approval, early graduation requests must be signed off on by the student’s teachers, principals, counselors and the superintendent. “By law, once they transfer to a college we do not have to follow up, but that is one of the things they are promoting in the state right now. The Board of Education wants to be able to provide more information about the early graduates after they leave high school,” said Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith. In other business: ■ The board granted approv-
al to administrators at Alcorn Central Middle School and Biggersville High School to add a new course to each school’s curriculum. The Introduction to Agri-Science course will be added to the schedule in January 2015. ■ Board members approved the purchase of a new district maintenance vehicle. The vehicle must meet the state contract price of $19,650. ■ The board approved the hiring of nine new substitutes for the 2015-16 school year. Classroom substitutes will include Kelsey Davis, Michelle Dixon, Carolyn Gowen, Peggy Isbell, Robert Smith, Chelsey Whitaker and Tammy Phillips. Cafeteria substitutes include Tammie Owens and Wanda Hamm. ■ Eleven schools in the Alcorn School District will host more than 65 fundraisers this fall. The ASD board approved the large slate of fundraisers at a meeting earlier this month. The Alcorn Career Technology Center plans to sell Ranch House candles, while the center’s Teacher Academy group will sell local savings coupon books and t-shirts. Please see BOARD | 6
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Pink Heals program promotes local mission BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
When he drives into communities across the country in a pink firetruck, Dave Graybill hopes to leave behind a program that keeps charitable dollars in the community rather than paying salaries in large organizations. As Pink Heals Inc. visited Corinth on Tuesday, Graybill promoted his concept of keeping it local. “It’s basically a redesign of the nonprofit system in the
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Jamie Bryant adds a loved one’s name to those covering the pink firetruck at Corinth City Hall.
country to make it accountable so it’s not corporate based,” he said. “I don’t want to say that the American Cancer Society isn’t doing anything right. I don’t want to say Susan G. Komen [Foundation] isn’t doing research. But I think we’re at a time in this country right now that we need to reel everything back and we need to look at the person closest to us and see what they need instead of throwing things out in the dark Please see HEALS | 3
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Woody Harrell is welcomed as the new superintendent for Shiloh National Military Park. A reception is held for Harrell and his wife, Cynthia, as he takes the helm of the key Civil War heritage site.
Artist Tony Bullard signs his latest Civil War prints at the Northeast Mississippi Museum in Corinth. Bullard recently released prints of “Front Street Corinth 1862: Race to Ft. Robinett”.
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