2 • Daily Corinthian
Local/State
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Hundreds rally against Confederate emblem BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press
JACKSON — Civilrights leader Myrlie Evers-Williams, Mississippi-born rapper David Banner and a prominent South Carolina lawmaker are calling on Mississippi to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its state flag. About 400 people took part in a change-the-flag rally Sunday outside the Mississippi Capitol. No alternative design was proposed, but rally lead-
ers said the flag is racially divisive. Three men holding large flags with various Confederate emblems watched the rally from a distance across the Capitol lawn. The emblem — a blue X with 13 white stars, over a red field — has been on Mississippi’s flag since 1894, and voters chose to keep it in 2001. But the massacre of nine black worshippers in June at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, has renewed the debate about the public display of Con-
State employees pay more for insurance The Associated Press
JACKSON — A supplemental insurance contract for all state employees might cost less and provide better coverage for such services as dental and vision insurance, but contracts are fragmented among more than 100 state agencies plus school districts and higher education entities, The Clarion-Ledger reports. There’s also no requirement for competitive bidding or to get proposals for the best price or coverage. And some Mississippibased insurance companies tell the newspaper they’re being shut out in a process that is not very transparent, open for competition or regulated for fairness. Since state employees pay most of the cost of supplemental insurance and “cafeteria plans,” the issue has mostly stayed off state leaders’ radar. The only recent legislative push, state Rep. William Shirley’s bill for consolidated dental coverage, was fought by agency leaders who don’t want to change and individual insurance agents who don’t want consolidation. House Insurance Chairman Gary Chism, R-Columbus, said it passed in the House but the Senate never picked it up. “Lots of members got calls from school districts,
community colleges, state agencies,” he said. “The agents that have the contracts had great concern. They liked what they had. Our members started saying, ‘My community college board doesn’t want this.’ “But to me there’s no question there could be money savings” using the buying power of 180,000 people instead of smaller numbers per agency, Chism said. The state provides health insurance for about 90,000 government and school workers thorugh a self-insurance program which also covers 90,000 dependants. It competitively bids out administration of the plan. But employees must pay for supplemental coverage, such as dental, vision, long-term disability and other services, such as flexible spending accounts. State agencies provide payroll deduction and some in-house administration, but also choose just what to offer. The state Department of Finance and Administration oversees the state’s health insurance but has no authority over supplemental plans, said Director Kevin Upchurch. He said employees might save if agencies got together to get more clout, and was not aware of any ban on such cooperation.
federate symbols. Police said the mass shooting in Charleston was racially motivated, and the suspect had previously posed for photos with the rebel flag. Republican state Rep. Jenny Horne of South Carolina said Sunday that Mississippi is hurting its own economy by keeping the battle emblem on the state flag. “It is a new South. The economic development opportunities that Mississippi is missing out on — you don’t even know
it, but it’s costing all citizens jobs,” said Horne, who gave an impassioned speech in July as South Carolina lawmakers voted to remove a Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. Horne on Sunday wore a lapel pin with a photo of her friend and colleague, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who was the minister of Emmanuel AME Church and was among those killed June 17. Horne said South Carolina removed the
Confederate flag from its place of prominence because of tragedy. She said she’s “cautiously optimistic” that Mississippi will do the right thing and change its flag. Critics say the Mississippi flag is a divisive reminder of slavery and segregation and doesn’t represent a state where 38 percent of the 2.9 million residents are black. Supporters say they see the Confederate emblem as a symbol of history and heritage. Evers-Williams was
national chairwoman of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998 and is the widow of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi NAACP leader who was assassinated outside their family’s Jackson home in 1963. At the rally Sunday, she noted that Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had distanced himself from Confederate symbols after the South lost the Civil War. “If a former Confederate general recognizes the divisiveness of a symbol of disunity, we must do so, also,” Evers-Williams said.
such as lasagna, chicken divan, chicken spaghetti, cornbread dressing, spaghetti, breakfast enchiladas, sausage rice casserole and around numerous pies are just a sample of the tasty treats on sale at the event. The food booth will be located on the southeast corner of the CARE Garden, Beginning at 8 a.m., food will be sold on a first come and first served basis. Fillmore Street Chapel, which dates back to 1871,
is a popular wedding venue in downtown Corinth. The sanctuary is wellsuited for musical presentations and competitions due to its acoustics. It is often used for concerts open to the public. The next big project slated for the building is the repair of joists underneath the sanctuary along with the installation of new pine flooring. “This will be a major undertaking requiring a large expenditure,” said Fisher.
CHAPEL CONTINUED FROM 1
Fellowship Hall. All the cooking and baking is being done for the group’s annual Frozen Food Sale on Nov. 21 at Red/Green Market. Proceeds from the sale will go toward at least one structural improvement and one cosmetic enhancement to the popular chapel, according to chapel committee chairman Rosemary Fisher. “This past year, we have made a number
of simple repairs to the building,” said Fisher. “Planting has been replaced and furniture was purchased for the reception rooms.” Over the years, a number of improvements to Corinth’s oldest church building have been financed by the chapel committee, members of FUMC and other interested individuals, according to Fisher. The FUMC group came up with the idea of a food sale five years ago. Items
SILICON CONTINUED FROM 1
since Sept. 29. “We are pleased with the furnace productivity and the quality of the silicon metal being produced,” Lalley added. “We are on track for the startup of furnace two within the next six to eight weeks.” In that time, Lalley said, he hopes to hire another 25 to 30 employees. “As we add ancillary operations and hopefully expand the plant, our long term goal is to create 200 jobs within the next several years,” said the vice president. All open positions at Mississippi Silicon are listed with the WIN Jobs Center, Lalley said. “People interested in applying should register with the job center,” he added. “On our behalf,
Photo compliments of Mississippi Silicon/Aero Studios Aerial Photography
A aerial photo shows the competed Mississippi Silicon manufacturing facility at the Northeast Mississippi Waterway Industrial Park in Burnsville. Production began at the plant earlier this month. WIN Jobs Center and Northeast Mississippi Community College have developed preliminary
screening tests and assistance to help us and potential applicants find the best fit.”
(For more information, contact the WIN Job Center at 662-6962336.)
operate the other acreage,” said Executive Director Beth Whitehurst. Rienzi Mayor Walter Williams asked what citizens who are willing to volunteer services can do. “For our grant projects, we definitely require professionals that are bonded,” said Woodrick. “It’s not that we don’t trust people that want to volunteer — we have a lot of buildings that would be lost without volunteers — but certainly if there is some work that is permitted, we would want somebody that is licensed and bonded.” Also, detailed plans and specifications are required to ensure the project is clearly understood by all parties, said P’Pool.
The courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. “To have a National Register listed property that early is really significant,” said Woodrick. “It was also declared what was known at that time as a Mississippi Archaeological Landmark in 1975, which again is one of our earliest Mississippi landmarks.” The biggest concern that led to the series of meetings, according to George, is the condition of the grounds. “We wanted permission to clean it up and look like a community,” he said. “You drive down the road, everybody’s yard is immaculate.”
JACINTO CONTINUED FROM 1
its own destiny. “We’re just wasting our time trying to get something done,” Willie George concluded at one point. Rep. Tracy Arnold of Prentiss County asked if there is any way control can be stripped from the foundation, suggesting eminent domain as an option. “Most of the people on their board are all connected politically,” he said. Residents are fuming over condition of the grounds, particularly in the area referred to as the park and the nearby Calton house; limited access to the courthouse; lim-
ited offerings in the gift shop; a lack of “ambition” and “excitement” in the management; and references to permission from MDAH. “Do they have to go through the archives,” said George, “to let something run down and not maintain it?” Some tried to point to a way forward with the citizens and foundation working together. “This is a situation that many communities would love to have, because they’ll have a meeting about the historic property and nobody shows up because nobody cares,” said Jim Woodrick, director of the Historic Preservation Division at MDAH. “I would encourage all of
you to talk to the foundation and aim at providing us an application for next year, assuming we get more preservation grant monies, and get a list of priorities.” Sen. Rita Potts Parks suggested the citizens form a “friends” support group to get some constructive communication going between them and the foundation. Prior to the concerned citizens meeting, Woodrick and Ken P’Pool, deputy state historic preservation officer, walked through the courthouse with representatives of the foundation to view the renovation work that is in progress and answer some questions. “I don’t think there are
any issues we can’t work through on that building,” said Woodrick. He described MDAH’s role in issuing permits for work on landmark properties such as the courthouse. “Generally we don’t care too much about just routine maintenance issues,” he said. “We generally care about changes to the building or if you were replacing some historic fabric of the building. You don’t go out with a Mississippi landmark property and just start tearing into something without checking with us.” For any of the property that is not directly owned by the foundation, “We have an agreement with the county whereby we
WE CLEAN CARPET!
Easy Care Medical Clinic, PLLC DISABILITY, CAR WRECKS, INJURIES
Corinth
Carpet Cleaning Neil B. Sloan, MD, DC, FAADEP, CEDIR
- Specializing in Water & Smoke Damage - Rugs Pick-Up & Delievery - Rug Binding
662-287-2378
Fellow American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians Certification in Examination of Disability and Impairment Rating
Certified Disability Impairment Rater NO COST CONSULTATION! 662-665-9073 Owner Charlie McDaniel
Mon-Thur 9:00-4:00 2016 E. Shiloh Rd., Corinth, MS 38834