Prentiss Co. Man charged with multiple break-ins
McNairy Co. Sheriff’s department gets new vehicles
Sports High school football scores and recaps
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Saturday Oct. 28,
2017
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 121, No. 225
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Four local educators receive grants BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Four Alcorn County educators were recently awarded a classroom grant. Mississippi Professional Educators awards up to $40,000 in classroom grants to MPE members who wish to enhance instructional offerings or educational experiences for their students. Alcorn School District teachers Amanda Seago, Trey Rice, Tracy Mitchell and Mary Ann Johnson will each receive a
grant to spend on making the classroom experience more educational for their students. Seago, a 5th and 6th grade math and science teacher at Biggersville Elementary, plans to use her grant funding for a project to reinforce mathematical measurement skills while incorporating engineering and designing fundamentals to produce a picture frame. Rice, an 8th grade Project Lead the Way instructor at Kossuth Middle, will use
Alcorn School District teachers Amanda Seago, Trey Rice, Tracy Mitchell and Mary Ann Johnson will each receive a grant to spend on making the classroom experience more educational for their students.
funds to incorporate decision making, social interaction and critical thinking skills to construct a workable prototype model of a therapeutic toy design. Mitchell, a 1st-12th grade
teacher at Alcorn Alternative Education Center, will create a project that will use microscopes, prepared slides and other lab equipment to promote scientific investigation. Johnson, a kindergarten
teacher at Kossuth Elementary, plans to use her grant funding for a project to increase students reading fluency and comprehension by implementing a listening/recording station in the classroom. Founded in 1979, MPE is a statewide professional association with approximately 14,000 teachers, administrators and non-certified staff from kindergarten to graduate school level. (For more information, visit mpe.org.)
KHS returns to 1300 BY ZACK STEEN
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Kossuth High is going renaissance for Halloween. The school will host a Renaissance Fair on Tuesday in place of their traditional Halloween day event. Principal Travis Smith said students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to dress up in medieval, middle ages or renaissance attire. “Our English Language Arts Department is hosting the Renaissance Fair event,” said Smith. “It’s part of KTown University, which they launched last year.” ELA teachers Vicki Jones and Dr. Sherlyn Haley created K-Town University as a way to encourage students to read, and those who participate receive benchmark rewards, which include reading “degrees” and a special pin upon graduation. Requirements include reading classic works, participating in round table book talks, presenting to special groups and completing advanced writing assignments. “I’ve always said math is a skill you need to learn, but reading, writing and speaking are needed to survive,” said Smith. “I’m so thankful that these teachers have created a way to pay extra attention on such an important part of high school.” The principal said the Renaissance Fair will become an annual event so all Kossuth students can learn more about significant periods in literature in a festive way. Dress suggestions for Tuesday include toga, pirate, knight, king, queen, viking, warrior, Robin Hood, Cleopatra, nun, monk, Musketeer, peasant, court jester or Roman centurion. All costumes must meet dress code standards with the exception of period head wear.
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
A native of London and now a Corinth resident, James R. Barker shows his painting of assembled American Indian chiefs at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery, which is now exhibiting his paintings and furniture.
London born artist shares life experiences in exhibit BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
With a résumé including service in the British Army’s Royal Engineers, treks through all of Europe and credit for stonework on prominent buildings, James Richard Barker is not the typical Corinthian. In his spryer days, the 91-year-old Englishman also enjoyed dancing the cha-cha, even giving lessons with his wife. His creative talents are on display through Nov. 11 at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery, which will host an opening reception for the exhibit with Barker on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Paintings and handcrafted furniture are featured. Like many painters who exhibit work at the gallery, he had an extended break from spending time at the easel, but not for some of the usual reasons. “London was threatened with bombing,” he said. “We were evacuated, and that sort of ended my art career right there.” Born in London in 1926, Barker recalled his first experience with art came while at-
“During the war, I was busy fighting the Germans, so I didn’t have the opportunity to do any artwork.”
tending a boys’ club in south London. An instructor there helped get him into the prestigious Green School of Art at age 11. Before the evacuation from London, he took a test that led to a technical school scholarship. He trained as a master carpenter and began working for a company that made antique furniture reproductions in Queen Anne and other styles. That experience led to the furniture pieces displayed at the gallery. At 17, he joined the British Army, serving in the 612 Field Squadron of the Royal Engineers from 1944 to 1952. “During the war, I was busy fighting the Germans, so I didn’t have the opportunity to do any artwork,” said Barker. “After the war, I was busy trying to make a living.” That brought him to Canada. “I didn’t like the cold in Canada,” he said. “The work didn’t ease up in the winter.”
25 years ago
Brandon Woodruff rides the most laps during the annual bike-a-thon for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Dr. John Shipp, M.D.
Taxes: Mixed month
They headed south to the U.S. In Oregon, working for Eugene Sand & Gravel, he did stonework on buildings including the justice center built in Portland, Oregon, in 1983. Barker also had a brush with controversy as the designer of a 51-foot-tall cross that stood on a butte in Eugene, Oregon. It became an object of dispute because it was on city property and was moved in 1997 to Eugene Bible College. Barker retired just before turning 70. He is doing well despite suffering a stroke about two years ago. Since last year, he has lived in Corinth with his son, Glenn, and daughter-inlaw, Pat. He still enjoys taking the paintbrush in hand. With scenes from farflung locales such as Mexico, Canada and Belgium, his oil paintings reflect the internaPlease see ARTIST | 2
The new fiscal year opened with a mixed month for local tax collections. Sales tax was off by 7 percent in the opening frame of FY 2018 for Corinth, while the tourism tax posted a modest increase. The sales and tourism tax funds returned to the city at midOctober reflect sales activity in local businesses during the month of August. The sales tax diversion of $469,606.91 is down about $37,000, or 7.4 percent, from a year ago. The city ended FY 2017 with a decrease of 1.7 percent from FY 2016. The latest month was not a particularly robust one across the state, with all municipal sales tax diversions rising one-third of a percentage point. The 2 percent tourism tax launches the new fiscal year Please see TAXES | 2
It was the first month for Booneville to collect a special tax diversion after voters passed a tourism tax. The city received $1,884. Tishomingo County’s tourism tax on lodging generated $1,545, down from $2,078 a year ago.
10 years ago
Corinth PD detectives Ralph Dance, Steve Wallace, Greg Lindsey and Ben Caldwell earn certification in the Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Academy’s Certified Investigator program.
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