Thursday Oct. 31,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 260
T-storms Today
Tonight
75
52
100% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One Section
Troopers to target distrated area drivers BY JOSEPH MILLER jmiller@dailycorinthian.com
Distracted drivers should be aware of their surroundings come this Friday. Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers will be on the look out for drivers who are driving carelessly due to being distracted by cell phones, DVD players, GPS equipment, etc., according to MHP Public Affairs Officer, Trooper Ray Hall. “We are going to have troopers on the road Please see DRIVERS | 3A Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Tina’s Treasures (above) and Briley’s suffered extensive damage from a Tuesday night fire.
Cause of massive blaze goes under investigation BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Fire officials spent Wednesday morning examining the damage at two neighboring businesses hit by fire the night before. Yellow tape sealed the scene at Tina’s Treasures, 202 Highway 72 East, and neighboring Briley’s as members of the Corinth Fire Department and a state fire marshal investigated the
scene at the former Howell Home Center property. Fire Chief Billy “Lucky” Briggs said it was too soon to speculate as to what caused the fire, which was reported around 6 p.m. Tuesday. The smoke and fire damage is extensive in the sprawling building, which remained standing. When the first fire truck arrived, “We had heavy smoke coming from
Suspicious package causes brief scare
the building, pretty much everywhere in the building,” said Briggs. In addition to everyone on duty, the department called in off-duty firemen and also any available volunteers from the county fire departments. Firemen faced a challenge of pinpointing where to start and also of
SELMER, Tenn. — A suspicious package sent to McNairy County Judge Van McMahan’s private office on Wednesday afternoon prompted a quick response from law enforcement. The package was sent to his office through the mail, but an examination of the package by officials discovered it contained only ink pens.
Please see BLAZE | 2A
Please see PACKAGE | 2A
BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
Optometrist comes up for major award BY JOSEPH MILLER jmiller@dailycorinthian.com
A local optometrist has his eyes on the James Brownlee Optometrist of the Year award. Dr. Michael Weeden has been a resident of Corinth for over 20 years and owns the Corinth Eye Clinic. He has been named a finalist for the James Brownlee Optometrist of the Year by the Mississippi Optometric Association. The MOA presents the award annually to recognize significant contributions to the profession of optometry and the general public. “It is a great honor for me to be a finalist for this award,” said Weeden. “A lot of my colleagues, along with everybody else, is probably more deserving of this selection than me but, I am excited about the opportunity.” Weeden’s career resume and his volunteer work helps make for a strong case for this award. He serves on the MOA Executive Board, is a past member of the Board
Submitted photo
Staff photo by Joseph Miller
Jean Meeks (left) gets an eye exam from Dr. Michael Weeden at the Corinth Eye Clinic. of Directors, and has served on several MOA committees throughout his career. He is also president of MOA Northern Society and recently created a newsletter, “MOA Happenings,” for society members. He is active in the American Optometric Association and has participated in the AOA legislative, third party, and advocacy confer-
ence for the last two years. “This is a nomination deal by your colleagues who submit folks whom they feel is doing something above and beyond the call of duty,” Weeden explained. “An awards committee looks at the submissions and then sends us a notification with a Please see AWARD | 3A
Index Stocks........8 Classified...... 13 Comics........ 7 State........ 5
Weather........9 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 10
Tracy Lawrence will be appearing in Corinth for the first time on Saturday at the Crossroads Arena.
Country star Lawrence coming to Crossroads Arena BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Tracy Lawrence has Corinth in his headlights. The country music artist, one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, is performing at the Crossroads Arena on Saturday.
The Mink Brothers Band along with Kirk Chism and the Lost Highway are also scheduled to be part of the 7 p.m. concert. With such hits as “Paint Me A Birmingham,” “Time Marches Please see ARENA | 3A
On this day in history 150 years ago A new Union attempt to shell Fort Sumter into submission enters the third day. Though the fort is a mere pile of rubble, Confederate defenders continue to hold out. The Confederate Naval Academy opens classes for 52 midshipmen aboard the CSS Patrick Henry at Drewry’s Bluff, Vir.
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