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Daily Corinthian
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Vol. 118, No. 257
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Residents want Clear Creek lake access BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
With a request from neighbors to abandon a small portion of the road leading to the Clear Creek Watershed Lake up for debate, the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors on Monday sided with other residents who enjoy recreational use of the waters. Property owners George Cain and Donna Seals, desiring to curtail undesirable activity around the body of water, asked the board to abandon a gravel portion of County Road 323 that leads to the waters, but a public hearing Monday morning drew a large crowd of opponents, and supervisors voted 5-0 to keep
the roadway as is. Third District Supervisor Tim Mitchell said it is a small section of roadway that has not been actively maintained by the county. Cain said it is not unusual to find used needles and condoms around the lake. Several residents told the board the watershed is a popular fishing spot that should remain accessible. “I live down toward the other end of this road — have lived there my whole lifetime — and I enjoy going up to that lake,” said Theresa Roseberry. “I don’t fish a lot, but I do like the idea that if I want to go fishing, I can … I know there’s a problem there, but when you purchase prop-
erty around a place that has activity like that, you should be expecting that kind of problem.” Hope Smith, who lives on the other side of the lake, said her family has hunted and fished there since the 1970s. “It’s not the hunters or the fishermen that’s doing this to you,” she said to Cain. “It’s the drug activity. Don’t come wanting to close the road. Get Mr. Rinehart to get his officers out there to take care of the drug activity.” Clifford Cornelius told the board the lake is a regular fishing spot for him because he has cancer and can’t easily make a trip to Pickwick. Cain said the request to aban-
don the section of public road is the result of several years of dealing with unacceptable activity at the lake, including drinking, partying and drug use. He said he has picked up as much as 22 sacks of garbage after holidays. “I think anybody here who opposes this, if they were in our shoes where you are constantly having people trespassing and stealing stuff, they would be probably here where I am right now,” said Cain. He also raised questions of whether the watershed is actually a public waterway. It is one of the Tuscumbia watershed lakes built in the 1970s for flood control, and Board Attorney Bill
Davis said it is his understanding that the landowners gave an easement for use of the property but retained ownership. One person who sympathizes with the frustration Cain is feeling is Tina Hurst, who lives near the Kossuth watershed. In 1998, the County Road 668 resident tried to get the county to abandon 500 feet of roadway going to the lake. “We owned property on both sides of the road at that time,” she told the board. “There was nobody else involved. The people that didn’t want it closed didn’t live there. They successfully kept the supervisors from Please see ACCESS | 3A
Sheriff sets policy on recording of officers BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Kimberly Shelton
Tadd Feazell gives a tour of his store.
Store offers customized experience BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
With old tiles rescued from the original building and an ambiance reminiscent of a sparkling New York boutique, t. feazell offers shoppers a customized experience. “I always tell my customers that if they have an event coming up and need something to wear, but don’t have the funds necessary to purchase an entire outfit, they can bring me a piece from their closet,” said owner
Tadd Feazell. “I call it ‘wardrobing.’ I will then use that article of clothing as my inspiration to spice it up and create something that looks and feels completely new.” A joint venture with his parents and co-owners, Bobby and Shirley Feazell, Tadd said each guest who walks through his doors should be treated as a member of his extended family. “I am so thankful for my parents because without them, the ability to continue my dream
of opening my own business in my hometown after the closing of my store LUX in Memphis would not have become a reality,” he said. “Our store is all about family and fashion. We appreciate each and every person who steps through our doors and strive to give them the best quality customer service possible.” With an eye for detail and a passion for fashion, the Feazells Please see STORE | 2A
The Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department is putting a policy on the books regarding photographing and video and audio recording of department personnel by members of the public. The policy is a response to an inquiry made by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is apparently polling law enforcement agencies about their procedures. With today’s phone technology, Sheriff Charles Rinehart said law enforcement personnel might as well assume they are being recorded anytime they are in public. “This has really come up recently, and we’re going to have more and more of it,” he said. Officers will learn about the policy in a class later this week. The policy recognizes that recording of people, places, buildings, structures and events is a lawful activity. The policy states: “The Department recognizes that members of the general public have a First Amendment right to photograph, video record and/or audio record in any public setting or on private property, in any common area of a public or private facility where a person is permitted to be. This right includes the recording of Department personnel while they are conducting official business or while acting in an official capacity, unless such recordings unlawfully interfere with police activity.” Recording on private property is permissible unless the property owner objects, which
would make it a case of trespassing. The policy spells out a procedure for responding to citizen recording situations. It states that the officer shall not order the citizen to cease recording; demand the citizen’s identification; demand that the citizen provide a reason for recording; detain the citizen for recording or to investigate the recording; intentionally block or obstruct recording devices; or in any way threaten, intimidate or otherwise discourage an individual from recording. It also states that recording in places where a person is legally permitted to be should not by itself be considered suspicious conduct. A person who is the subject of the officer’s attention also has the right to record. “While an officer is conducting a traffic stop, while he is there at the door talking to you, you are entitled to take your cell phone and record everything that is said as long as you don’t get out in the street where you block traffic or do anything that would obstruct an officer,” said Rinehart. The policy also deals with cases in which the public’s recorded material could be needed for evidence. “In the event of a bad accident like we had last week and someone is there observing and videoing, if this is something we think we could use in the investigation of this accident, then we can request the phone, the camera, whatever they used,” said the sheriff. If the person refuses, a search warrant could be obtained.
Lighthouse Foundation challenges parents to read to kids BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
The Lighthouse Foundation is throwing down the gauntlet for reading this November. The foundation is joining with other local organizations and schools for the second annual 30/30 Reading Challenge. The effort challenges parents
to spend 30 minutes each day reading to their children for the 30 days of November. “We’re in the midst of trying to change the culture,” said Lighthouse Foundation Executive Director Gary Caveness. The effort is a partnership between the foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Corinth,
Crosswind Ministries Homework Club, the Corinth Sportsplex, Corinth Middle School and Corinth Elementary School. Caveness said reading is absolutely vital for students to succeed in school. The foundation operates a daily afterschool tutoring program, but
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he said instilling a love of reading must begin at home with parents setting an example for their children and encouraging their children to read. “It’s just essential for our kids to read to be successful,” he said. The 30/30 challenge asks parents to sit down each night
On this day in history 150 years ago One of Forrest’s more spectacular raids culminates at Johnsonville, Tenn., where soldiers damage four gunboats, 14 steamers and 17 barges. Over 75,000 tons of Union supplies are burned. But the Union supply system is so vast, the raid has no effect on enemy operations.
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and read with their children for 30 minutes. Caveness said they hope that by the end of the month daily reading will become a habit that will continue and students and parents will gain a new love of reading and spending time together that will continue for a lifetime.
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