Tuesday Sept. 30,
2014
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 226
Mostly sunny Today
Tonight
87
61
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
High speed chase suspect sought BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
A suspect remains on the run after ramming a highway patrol cruiser during a high-speed chase. Selmer, Tennessee, police attempted to stop the suspect in connection with a hit-and-run crash around 10:45 a.m. Sun-
day. The suspect fled during the attempted stop and was pursued by Selmer police and McNairy County Sheriff’s Department deputies. The Mississippi Highway Patrol became involved as the chase moved east on U.S. Highway 72 through Alcorn and Tishomingo counties.
Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop F spokesperson Trooper Ray Hall said the suspect rammed his vehicle into a highway patrol trooper’s patrol car several times in Tishomingo County. The suspect abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot on a county road after crossing into Alabama.
Authorities in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama continue to work to identify and locate the suspect. Lt. Tony Miller of the Selmer Police Department said Monday the first call received by authorities was a report of a vehicle intentionally hitting another, then the vehicle in ques-
tion struck a guardrail on the U.S. 45/64 By-pass. A vehicle with damage was pulled over by Selmer police on U.S. 45 South shortly after the initial call. When the officer approached the vehicle, the driver raced away, noted Miller. (Editor Mark Boehler contributed to this report.)
Avectus Healthcare Solutions expanding to new location BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Avectus Healthcare Solutions is set to move its operations into the former Chadco building, allowing the company to expand employment by 50. Gov. Phil Bryant joined local officials on Monday to announce the move, which will retain Avectus as a local employer with its current 150 employees. Alcorn County is purchasing the building and will lease it to Avectus, which coordinates third-party liability and workers’ compensation accounts for hospitals and trauma centers throughout the country. Avectus CEO Tim Smith said the company looked at a number of options, including a possible move out of Corinth, as it faced growing pains. “This building here gives us the ability to solidify our commitment to keep our jobs in Mississippi,” he said. “Not only that, it gives us room to grow.”
And he’s glad to be staying. “We all love Mississippi,” said Smith. He praised the local workforce and credited local and state officials with bringing the project to fruition. “I want to say a thanks to Avectus — thanks for staying here,” said Bryant. “They could have gone somewhere else, and I’m sure they were incentivized and enticed to do that.” He said there’s not a governor in the country who would have passed on the opportunity to have those 200 jobs. Commonly known as the Chadco building, the South Tate Street structure previously saw some renovation about 14 years ago when it was occupied by an accident reconstruction business. Alcorn County recently pursued a loan of up to $1 million to purchase it, although the actual cost was expected to be closer to half that amount.
Grants totaling more than $1.3 million are involved in the project, which will include renovating the building for office space and adding a parking area. Plans are currently being finalized for the upcoming interior renovation. Local officials are excited that Avectus will continue to call Corinth home. “Anytime we’re adding new jobs, it’s a great day,” said Board of Supervisors President Lowell Hinton. Mayor Tommy Irwin praised Smith’s commitment. “I love, having been a former employer, how he feels about not only his business, but the biggest asset we have in our businesses, which are our employees,” he said. “He means it from the heart. He’s serious about his employees.” Annually, Avectus processes more than $1 billion in thirdparty liability accounts.
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Gov. Phil Bryant, left, congratulates Avectus Healthcare Solutions CEO Tim Smith at Monday’s announcement of the company’s expansion in Corinth.
Corinth G&W plans to grow service area BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Some rural Alcorn County homes will stay warm with natural gas this winter as Corinth Gas and Water expands its service area. CG&W Manager John Rhodes said the utility plans to continue to expand some each year as finances allow. “The material costs are over $6,000 a mile,” he said. “That does not include labor our our equipment. As a rule of thumb, we need to have at least four to five houses in that mile that are willing to sign up for it to be feasible.” CG&W has run about 10 miles of lines this year, and it is all self-financed. “We’re currently running lines extending our gas main in the Kendrick area, Biggersville area, finishing up on Camp Wariner Road and going to the Kossuth area,” said Rhodes. The newly certificated areas for CG&W includes about 600 households in rural areas of Alcorn County. The Mississippi Public Service Commission approved the expansion in August. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, while visiting Corinth last week,
praised the expansion. “Folks are hungry for these energy options,” he said. “The more options that we can give you for heating or cooling or whatever it is, the better off you are going to be.” After one of the coldest Mississippi winters on record and a spike in propane costs, he believes residents need the option of natural gas. “For too long, we’ve ranked number one in the United States in the amount of dollars spent by each household on energy,” he said. Presley’s remarks came in a town hall forum at Corinth City Hall Thursday evening. He heard from a few Wenasoga residents who are frustrated with poor cellular coverage and lack of broadband Internet services. The commissioner said it’s as important to get broadband as it was to get roads and electricity. “It’s not just about getting on Facebook,” he said. “It’s about economic development. It’s about educational opportunities … If we don’t solve the challenge of getting this high-speed service out to rural areas, we’re going to fall further behind the other states than we already are.”
Photo compliments of Shiloh National Military Park
Shiloh National Military Park Ranger Tom Parson leads a walking tour recently at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center.
Shiloh marking battle’s anniversary BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Civil War enthusiasts will soon get an opportunity to learn more about the Battle of Corinth from Shiloh National Military Park staff during a three-day event surrounding the battle’s 153rd anniversary. Park staff will offer in-depth walks and talks interpreting the Battle of Corinth on the actual dates of the historic battle, Oct. 3-5. Park rangers will lead
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
three hikes on Friday, Oct. 3, two hikes on Saturday, Oct. 4 and three hikes on Sunday, Oct. 5. The hikes are free and will take place near the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. “We are excited to offer visitors the opportunity to participate in detailed battlefield programs on the actual ground where the events occurred at the actual times of day they occurred,” said Tyrone Bran-
dyburg, acting park superintendent. “These hikes will provide visitors with a deeper understanding of what occurred during the fierce fighting.” On Oct. 3 from 9:30 to 11 a.m., Park Ranger Tom Parson will lead a driving and walking tour that will follow the path taken by the 1st Minnesota Light Artillery on Oct. 3, 1862. Please see SHILOH | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago
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General Robert E. Lee orders a massive assault to retake the recently captured Fort Harrison of the Richmond defenses. The attack fails, forcing Lee to extend his already thin defensive line even further.
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