Saturday Dec. 22,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 308
2012 Christmas Basket Fund “A Community Tradition”
Basket fund tops $18,000 The spirit of giving is alive and well in the Crossroads area as donations continue to arrive daily for the 17th Annual Corinth Rotary Club/Daily Corinthian 2012 Christmas Basket Fund. The civic club and newspaper have set a $20,000 community fundraising goal this year so 1,000 food baskets could be given away to local families Dec. 15 at the Crossroads Arena. The event was a huge success this year with plenty of need. The total now stands at $18,471, meaning just $1,529 needs to be raised from the community as there will be no corporate match this year. Food was distributed on faith the goal will be reached by Christmas Day. Recent donations include $150 from SOUTHBank in honor of the Local Advisory Board of SOUTHBank; $50 from Al and Gail Stables in honor of the staff at First United Methodist Church; $75 from employees of the Daily Corinthian in honor of publisher Reece Terry; $200 anonymous gift; $50 from Jesse and Nancy Hart in memory of Weston Baldwin; $50 frm Jeanne Warren in memory of Gerald Warren; $25 from Hinkle Baptist Church Ladies Sunday School Class in honor of Evelyn Lancaster; $250 from Little Properties, Inc. in memory of Mike Wickersham; $100 from Sue Please see BASKET | 2
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Police identify shooting victim No charges filed against shooter BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth Police have released more details about the shooting that left one man dead on Thursday. The man killed in the White Street shooting has been identified at Jimmy Daniel Morgan, 32, of County Road 617, Corinth, according to Detective Capt. Ralph Dance. Morgan was shot shortly be-
fore 3 p.m. on Thursday inside apartment 1002 of the Combs Court Apartment complex. According to Dance, Morgan went to the residence to try to sell a CD player to some people he knew in the apartment. He was asked to leave and refused. Then 19-year-old Lamon West, whose mother lives in the apartment, raised a small .22 caliber rifle and demanded Morgan leave.
In the altercation that followed, Morgan was shot multiple times, at least twice in the chest, Dance said. It is uncertain how many times Morgan was hit in total — pending the coroner’s report — but Dance said it looked like he was struck by five or six bullets. “West said he’d pulled the trigger at least three times but he (Morgan) kept coming at him,” said Dance. Morgan exited the apartment
by the front door, walked to the rear of the residence, fell on the back porch and died. State medical examiners in Jackson performed the autopsy on Friday. West is in custody, but no charges have been filed. After the autopsy report is complete, investigators will consult with the district attorney to make the decision whether or not West will be charged, Dance explained.
Sales tax collections show gains BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Glendale third-graders Emi Farris (left) and McKenzie Lilly finish wrapping a present to be donated to the children at Pine Vale. See additional photo, page 2.
3rd-graders give, rather than receive BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Glendale Elementary School third-graders decided it is better to give than receive. Instead of bringing gifts for each other during the Christmas season, the students voted to help others in the community. “This is what Christmas is all about,” said third-grade teacher Becky Winters. “The kids have went over and beyond.” Winters said the students were excited to help others during this time of the year. “They have enjoyed it so
much and are having so much fun that it might become a tradition,” she said. Students were busy wrapping gifts to be presented later on Thursday to 13 kids who live at Pine Vale Children’s Home in Alcorn County. “We have plenty of gifts and this helps others who might not get many presents at all,” said third-grader Hailey Stone. “It is so sad that they don’t get many gifts,” added Ashley Davis. “Those kids are really thankful for everything they receive,” said Clay Langston.
Winters also praised the parents of the students. “They have all been very gracious,” said the teacher. Money was taken up from the 22 students to provide a brighter Christmas for the children at Pine Vale. Children come to Pine Vale through private placement by families, Department of Human Services and churches. Pine Vale has existed for 40 years because of the generous support of many. The goal of the children’s home is helping children in need of a home.
Corinth sales tax collections rose for a third consecutive month, and the tourism tax posted a hefty gain as the fiscal year reached its third month. Sales tax collections have shown positive growth for 10 of the past 12 months in Corinth. The city’s share of sales tax proceeds returned to the city in mid-December was $428,145.65, an increase of 2 percent from the same month a year ago. The deposit reflects sales activity in local establishments during the month of October. The year-to-date total of $1.3 million is up 3 percent from the same point in the prior year. Area municipalities were split, with five posting gains for the month and six showing declines. The statewide trend was positive with a 4 percent increase as diversions totaled $32.05 million. The municipalities receive 18.5 percent of the 7 percent sales tax collected within their boundaries. The tourism tax had a second consecutive monthly increase as the 2 percent tax on prepared food and lodging generating $88,826.41, an increase of about $7,500, or 9 percent, from a year earlier. For the year to date, the Please see TAX | 2
Corinth Civitans Club provides kids with some Christmas cheer BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Roughly a dozen young Corinth and Alcorn County residents had lunch with the man from the North Pole this week. The Corinth Civitans Club held its annual Christmas event Wednesday for kids. Each year the group chips in to bring a merrier Christmas to a number of needy local kids. The event with lunch at the Chop House restaurant at Shiloh Ridge, followed by a visit with Santa Claus in which each child is given a bag of Christmas presents. Next they all go to Belk, where the Civitans deck the kids out in a new suit of clothes — pants, shirts, socks, underwear and all. Finally they make the trek to Joe’s Shoes in downtown, where they all get a new pair of shoes. The Corinth Civitans work year round to raise money for the end-of-year event, explained Civitans President Kalin Burcham. Their fundraising efforts include collecting donations, working at the
Staff photos by Bobby J. Smith
Santa Claus spreads Christmas cheer at the Corinth Civitans Club’s annual kids day. Crossroads Arena and much more.
But come Christmas, when they see all the happiness
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they’ve brought to a group of local youngsters, the results
are worth every hour of work. “This is by far the best thing we do all year, in my opinion,” said Burcham. “We love it, and have a good time with it.” Civitans member Tina Bugg said the Christmas kids day was one of the main reasons she joined the group. The Civitans Christmas gift to needy children events have come a long way since its humble beginnings. Jimmy Deaton joined the club in the 1950s. He remembers that it began when the Civitans were still meeting at the Holiday Inn. “It all started as a way to help kids in the community. A lot of them don’t have very much,” said member Rick Miller. “At first we just got them the clothes, but we started giving gifts in the last few years.” Miller said Belk is “very accommodating” and usually gives the children a gift — in addition to a discount on their clothing. The Civitans also get discounts from Joe’s Shoes. For the kids it was a Christmas to remember. When Santa Please see CIVITANS | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Grant has stopped his army’s movement south. Van Dorn’s raid is successful beyond the wildest hopes and has stopped the Union campaign in its tracks. Grant will begin to withdraw his army toward Memphis and come up with a new plan to take Vicksburg.