Thursday Oct. 30,
2014
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 118, No. 252
Sunny, warm Today
Tonight
66
46
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Humane Society raids homes Cyclist killed in crash
BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
More than 170 animals were rescued from two large-scale puppy mills in Alcorn County early Wednesday morning. Deputies served a search warrant to Larry Meeks, whose Kendrick Road property housed a puppy mill, which is a commercial animal breeding facility where profits are more important than animal welfare. “We had received multiple complaints over the last six months about the property,” said Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter volunteer director Charlotte Doehner. “The smell and the noise had really become a problem for neighbors.” Volunteers and support staff from the Humane Society of the United States assisted the local shelter with the removal and treatment of the 123 cats, dogs and livestock discovered on the property located just west of Kimberly Clark. “It really tugs on your heart
Staff photo by Zack Steen
A 19-year-old Alcorn County man riding his bicycle to work was stuck by an 18-wheeler and killed Wednesday afternoon on U.S. 45 just south of the Corinth city limits at the intersection of County Road 405. Alcorn County Coroner Jay Jones identified the victim as Joseph “Joey” Gino Demitro Jr., who was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the 3:55 p.m. fatal accident. Demitro had left his home on CR 520 about a mile from the intersection and was traveling to his shift at Zaxby’s in Corinth, said Jones. The cyclist was attempting to cross U.S. 45 and was struck in the southbound lane. Jones had
Please see RAID | 2
The Humane Society of the United States assisted the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter in the rescue of more than 170 animals from two puppy mills in Alcorn County on Wednesday morning.
Please see CYCLIST | 7
BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com
Police chief stresses safety on Halloween BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Randall Breedlove goes through a flag folding session as part of the U.S. Veterans and Family Honors certification.
Volunteers train for military honors
With mischief night making its appearance on Friday, all are encouraged to have fun but be mindful of what is going on around them. Corinth police will have extra officers on duty on Halloween to ensure safety. “We will observe Halloween on Friday and it will be business as usual,” said Incoming Chief of Police Ralph Dance. As children gear up for a night of costumes and trick-ortreating, Dance wished to stress the importance of taking safety precautions. “The Corinth Police Department asks that everyone be aware of and observe traffic laws in order to keep this a safe holiday for kids who are out trick-or-treating,” he said.
“Parents, keep an eye on your children, check their candy and make sure they wear light colored clothing and carry a flashlight with them so they can be seen easily,” added the incoming police chief. Traditionally, a porch light left on serves as a sign that little ghosts and ghouls are welcome to stop by. “Please remember that it is Halloween and don’t be alarmed if you get a knock on your door,” said Dance. “If you don’t want visitors, keep your porch light off so others will know you aren’t handing out candy this year.” “There will be extra officers out patrolling our neighborhoods,” he added. “We ask that everyone be cautious and report any suspicious activity to us immediately.”
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The respect they deserve. The mission of the U.S. Veterans and Family Honors is to ensure each deceased veteran is due exactly that. Close to 16 members of the group went through training on Wednesday to become the first certified Veterans and Family Honors in the state. “We are not here to change anything you are doing,” said Master Sgt. Marcus Patterson with the Mississippi Army National Guard. “Your group is doing a great job … all we want is veterans to get what is due.” Patterson, Sgt. Mario Jackson and state coordinator Robert Ross are in charge of working with the volunteers of each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. “The National Guard doesn’t have the manpower to do what it is mandated by the Department of Defense,” said Doug Hayhurst with the local Veterans and Family Honors. “Under the Authorized Provider
Courthouse back in action following computer failure BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
U.S. Veterans and Family Honors member Richard Bridges was part of a training day for the group to become certified. Partnership Program, volunteers are trained to assist in military funerals.” “They are not only here to
observe us, but also to recruit others,” added Ted Hill. Please see HONORS | 2
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
Local government was halted this week when the main computer system inside the Alcorn County Courthouse crashed. Tax Collector Larry Ross first learned about the problem on Saturday after local technician Shane Harville received a message from IBM about the failure. “Shane worked on the system for two days and couldn’t find the problem, so we called in IBM support and it took them another two days to finally get us back up,” said Ross. “This has basically paralyzed our business this week. Pretty much everything we do in this building has to be done with a computer.” Offices effected by the down
time included the tax collector, tax assessor, circuit court, chancery court and justice court. Ross said computers located in the supervisors building were also down. “We had to turn away a lot of folks this week – the general public couldn’t renew a tag or pay their property taxes. We really hate to have caused such an inconvenience for everyone trying to get business done,” Ross added. “I do want to thank everyone for their patience.” Technicians were able to restore service Wednesday afternoon. “We have a lot of catching up to do,” he said. “Lots of calls to return. The staff is working hard to get everything back to normal.”
On this day in history 150 years ago
Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
The Army of the Tennessee under John Bell Hood has arrived in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Hood has dozens of pontoons boats sent to the army in preparation of constructing a floating bridge to cross his army over the Tennessee River.
Ezra Brooks $ 99
19
New Amsterdam 2/$ All Pints
10
Evan Williams Black $ 69 750 ML
9
Evan Williams Black $ 99
21
1.75L 1 .75L
2015 Hwy 72 E. Corinth, MS. 38834 • 662-594-1877
Evan Williams White $ 99 750ml 750m
10
Jack Daniels $ 750ml
18
Southern Comfort $ 99
10
750ml 750
Mon. - Sat. 10 A.M.- 9 P.M. • www.JRwinespirit.com