Friday Sept. 28,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 234
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • Two sections
Inactive voters need status change BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Thousands of registered Alcorn County voters who have been put on inactive status have a chance to get their voting status cleared up before the Nov. 6 election. The county election commissioners will advertise a list of 4,884 inactive voters in Sunday’s edition of the Daily Corinthian. It is the first time they have tried advertising names in order to clean up the voter rolls. “We would be tickled to death if we got 1,000 of them cleared
up,” said Keith Settlemires, 4th district election commissioner. The inactive voters are those for whom mail, usually a juror summons or voter card, has been returned to the circuit clerk’s office as undeliverable. They are still registered voters but would have to vote by affidavit on election day if the address doesn’t get cleared up beforehand. Many of the people in the advertised list will be purged from the voter rolls after the first of the year if they are still considered inactive.
People on the list can call or visit the clerk’s office to make an address change. “They have got until the week before the election that those addresses can be corrected,” said Circuit Clerk Joe Caldwell. The list to be published will include a voter identification number that can be found on the voter’s registration card. This is to avoid confusion among people who have the same names. Purging names from the voter rolls requires a vote of the election commissioners, which
includes Settlemires; Bobby McDaniel, district 1; John Peebles, district 2; Billy Bearden, disrict 3; and Wendell Dixon, district 5. Including the inactive voters, Alcorn County has approximately 28,200 registered voters. Those on the inactive list can call 286-7740 to make address corrections. In other election developments: ■ Absentee ballots are now available at the circuit clerk’s office. ■ The voter registration
District attorney swears in new assistant Alcorn County native joins Kelly's staff BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
April Bostick Wood has taken her determination from the softball diamond to the courtroom. The former school teacher was sworn in as the newest assistant district attorney on Thursday morning at the Alcorn County Justice Center. Wood joins the District 1 staff of District Attorney Trent Kelly which also includes fellow assistant district attorneys Richard Bowen and Greg Meyer. District 1 covers the seven counties of Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Prentiss, Pontotoc and Tishomingo. “Mr. Kelly has chosen wisely with the addition of April,” said attorney Bowen to a courtroom full of Wood supporters. “She has greatly impressed all of us at the district attorney's office.” Wood has been working at the DA's office since January as a third-year intern and then as a clerk after graduating in May. The University of Mississippi Law School graduate passed the bar examination on her first attempt in July. “She is a full-fledged lawyer and after today she will be a full-fledged assistant district attorney,” said Bowen. “This is a humbling experience and I am honored for the opportunity,” said the new as-
deadline for the general election is Saturday, Oct. 6, when the clerk’s office will be open until noon. The office will also be open until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday of the coming week. ■ Caldwell said the office has had a number of calls about voter I.D., which is yet to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice and is not required in this election. ■ Settlemires said a federal grant has provided a portable handicap ramp for the College Hill precinct.
Shelter partners with MSU vet program BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Judge James L. Roberts swears in new assistant district attorney April Bostick Wood on Thursday at the Alcorn County Justice Center. Also taking part in the ceremony were Wood’s husband, Jeff, and father, Dr. Randy Bostick. sistant district attorney after being sworn in with husband, Jeff, and father, Dr. Randy Bostick, at her side. “I understand this is a big responsibly and one I take serious.” Wood's character was one area that Kelly was impressed with when making the hire. “She will always do the right thing no matter the consequences,” said the district attorney. “April is an absolutely wonderful person and it is a privilege to have her.” Circuit Court Judge James L. (Jimmy) Roberts, who performed the swearing-in,
praised the Alcorn Central graduate. “She is mature and intelligent,” said the judge. “When she speaks, she doesn't waste words … April understands her task is to search for truth.” Dr. Bostick, pastor at Oakland Baptist Church, shared a story to show the tenacity of his middle child. While a seventh grader at Alcorn Central, April was selected to move up to the varsity softball team. “She wanted to play second base, but there was one problem, she was left handed,” said her father. “There aren't many
left handed second basemen.” The junior high player taught herself to field and throw right handed to play the position. “She is tenacious … a bulldog and I am very proud of her,” said Dr. Bostick. “I encourage her to keep her focus on the Lord because he isn't through with her yet.” Wood is looking at the position as a way to impact the community. “Alcorn County has invested so much in me over the years,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to give back and work for the people.”
The Corinth Alcorn Animal Shelter has partnered with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine to help with the care of animals. At no cost to the shelter. “It has taken us a year to get ready for this,” said animal shelter director Charlette Doehner. “We had to meet the veterinary standards for shelters and we have met those.” In the program, MSU will take 15 dogs from the shelter -- six months and older -- and care for them a minimum of two weeks. Vet students will spay or neuter the animals and provide all their care, including see that someone adopts them. If the animals aren't adopted, they are returned to the care of the animal shelter. “A majority are adopted within those two weeks,” added Doehner. The college of veterinary medicine will also provide a mobile unit to the shelter starting in January. The mobile unit will come to the shelter and is capable of performing surgery on up to 60 Please see SHELTER | 2A
Congressman holds business roundtable discussion with Alliance BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Less than six weeks ahead of the election, Rep. Alan Nunnelee visited Corinth this week for a business roundtable and visits with local industries. The Tupelo Republican discussed issues facing the district and the nation with members of The Alliance Economic Development Council. Much of the discussion centered on economic uncertainty and government regulations. “I think the most important issue facing north Mississippi is still jobs and the economy,” said Nunnelee. He shares EDC members’ concerns about banking regulations. “Did you ever think you would see the day when we’ve got 3 percent mortgage rates and we’ve got a serious problem in new housing starts?” said the firstterm U.S. House member. “In my judgment, the issues affecting housing starts are two things. The first one is over-zealous regulations in the banking industry. I talk to bankers all the time that are so frustrated, particularly community bankers. These are folks that didn’t accept one dime of bailout, they weren’t in
trouble, but the regulations have painted everybody with the same brush.” And while the banker may be comfortable with the applicant’s character and creditworthiness, he may have a reluctance to make the loan in the current climate because of possible sanctions if the loan goes bad, said Nunnelee. The second issue, he said, is lingering economic uncertainty. “I think if we can lift this cloud of uncertainty that’s hanging over our economy, then you’ll see the economy take off,” said Nunnelee. In order to lift the cloud, Nunnelee said the Congress has “shown the American people we’re going to quick acting stupid,” he said, referencing programs such as the health care act, economic stimulus and cash for clunkers. He expressed concern about over-regulation in many areas. “When the EPA comes out with a regulation on the amount of acceptable dust on a farm, that’s an indication that they’ve gone too far,” he said. “Regulations surrounding Obamacare have put such a fear in the economy, small businesses just don’t know what
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Rep. Alan Nunnelee makes a point as Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin listens. the rules are going to be, how they’re going to apply, and they just sit back and say, ‘Fine, I’m not going to hire at all.’” He is also concerned about whether tax cuts will expire this year.
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“We already have, as a nation, the highest tax on job creators of any country in the industrialized world,” said Nunnelee. “So when companies are sitting down and making decisions of where to invest capital, the tax structure
of where they invest is an important decision. If we allow our corporate taxes to skyrocket, it makes investment in the United States much less attractive.” Nunnelee is opposed by Democrat Brad Morris.
On this day in history 150 years ago Sterling Price’s Army of the West arrives in Ripley for a rendezvous with Gen. Earl Van Dorn’s troops. Van Dorn is the senior officer and takes command of what he calls the Army of West Tennessee. The army is 22,000 men strong and orders are given to commence an offensive.