122613 daily corinthian e edition by Daily Corinthian

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2013

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Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 305

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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section

MBI investigates local shooting BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is investigating an Alcorn County shooting after a local woman was shot in the neck Monday night. The victim’s husband remains in custody in the Alcorn County Jail with charges expected to

be filed in the case, said Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Tommy Hopkins. Since the shooting happened after the arrival of two Alcorn County sheriff’s deputies, a state MBI unit was called in to investigate, said Hopkins. Hopkins wouldn’t release the name of the victim or the depu-

ties Tuesday night, but he said more details would be released as the investigation progresses. The shooting victim was transferred to the Regional Medical Center (MED) in Memphis and family told Hopkins there was hope she would survive the shooting after a successful surgery.

Officers were called at 8:06 p.m. Monday to 3984 CR 100 — Kendrick Road — in the northeast part of the county to file a report on a prior disturbance, said Hopkins. “They wanted someone to do a report,” said the investigator. After the deputies arrived, “shots were fired and the wom-

an was struck in the neck,” he said. “There were shots from both directions.” “It’s unclear at this time what happened,” he said. “The victim’s husband is in custody.” Due to the circumstances, “we asked the state to handle the case for us,” added Hopkins.

Blaze destroys church Fallen officer has local ties By Staff, AP Reports

Staff photos by Brant Sappington

Fire races through the Crossroads Full Gospel Church in Booneville early Tuesday morning, gutting the church’s main building.

‘It’s heartbreaking’: Pastor asks for prayers BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com

A Prentiss County church is regrouping and looking toward the future after a massive fire gutted their main building the morning before Christmas. Fire tore through Crossroads Full Gospel Church just off of Meadow Creek Road in Booneville around 8 a.m. Wednesday, demolishing the interior of the church’s main auditorium and classroom building. Booneville Assistant Fire Chief Michael Rutherford said firefighters were dispatched around 8 a.m. when a neighbor saw flames coming from

the building and called 911. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Rutherford. Bro. Scott Bridges, associate pastor for the church, said he got a call from a church member who lives nearby shortly after 8 and raced to the scene to find it completely engulfed in flames. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. The pastor said the congregation, which has around 70 members, is already making plans for Sunday worship service. He said they’re blessed that firefighters were able to keep

the fire contained to the main building and prevent it from spreading to the fellowship hall located just a few feet to the right of the burning structure. Bridges said he’s spoken with a friend who’s a pastor from another church who has offered to loan them pews to set up in the fellowship hall so they can hold services there on Sunday. He said he expects they’ll soon begin looking at plans for funding a new building in the near future and just asks the community to pray for them as they look to rebuild and continue to serve God.

TUPELO — The Tupelo police officer killed in the line of duty has Alcorn County ties. Officer Kevin “Gale” Stauffer, 38, was killed, and a 26-year-old fellow officer, whose name was not released, was in critical condition Tuesday after a shootout with suspected bank robbers. The officers arrived in separate cars to the robbery call from BancorpSouth around 3:15 p.m. Monday. They pursued the suspects’ car and those in the vehicle jumped out and began firing at the officers, said Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre. The FBI has offered a reward of $50,000, which has been matched by BancorpSouth, for a total of $100,000. Stauffer had been with the Tupelo Police Department since 2005. He previously worked as a jailer for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and was in the Louisiana Army National Guard. Stauffer lived for many of his younger years in Corinth. His grandfather, Dr. Roy McAlilly, was pastor of First United Methodist Church in Corinth during the early 1980s. Young Stauffer, his mother Debbie McAlilly Brangenburg and his sister, Caroline Stauffer Turney, all lived in Corinth. The family was active in Corinth school, church and community activities, according to current members of First United Methodist

Gale Stauffer Church. Stauffer’s mother was in charge of the Corinth Main Street program before moving to Tupelo to run the Main Street program there. Stauffer was a member of Corinth Boy Scout Troop 129, where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. The city of Tupelo held a candlelight vigil for Stauffer on Christmas Day, The city said its was held to honor Stauffer and the unnamed wounded police officer shot while responding to the bank robbery. Stauffer’s funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church in Tupelo. Burial, with military and law Please see OFFICER | 2

Basket Fund nears $19,000 Corinth recycles Christmas trees The spirit of giving is alive and well in the Crossroads area as generous donations are arriving daily for the 18th Annual Corinth Rotary Club/Daily Corinthian 2013 Christmas Basket Fund. The civic club and newspaper have set a $25,000 community fundraising goal this year so 1,000 food baskets could be given away to local families on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Crossroads Arena. Baskets were given on faith and hope the goal will be reached. The total increased to $18,961 after the most recent donations arrived. They are $100 from Lamar Latch in memory of Danny Lloyd and Troy Smith; $25 from Town and Country Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers in memory of past members;

BY KIMBERLY SHELTON

2013 Christmas Basket Fund

kshelton@dailycorinthian.com

$50 anonymous gift in memory of The Ladies of the Round Table; $500 from Hampton Inn of Corinth in honor of Hampton Inn employees; $100 from Dimple Caldwell and families

The festivities are over and Santa has come and gone back to the North Pole. So, what does someone do with their dried up, brittle real Christmas tree? The City of Corinth has the answer. Old evergreens will be given a new life as Corinth’s annual Christmas tree recycling program continues. The program started about 16 years ago and has suffered a steep decline with the number of residents who buy artificial trees

Please see FUND | 2

Please see TREES | 3

“A Community Tradition”

Index Nation........ 5 Classified...... 13 Comics........ 8 State........ 5

Weather........9 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 10

City workers grind limbs into mulch, which residents can use on their gardens and flower beds.

On this day in history 150 years ago The successful experiment at the Corinth Contraband Camp is over. In anticipation of abandoning Corinth in January, the residents of the camp begin the move to the railroad depot. Trains will take them to squalid camps at Memphis. CELEBRATE ELE LEB BR RAT AT T THE H

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2 • Daily Corinthian

Local/Region

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Wreck sends three to hospital

OFFICER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

enforcement honors, will follow the service at Tupelo Memorial Park. He is survived by his wife, Beth, and daughter Dixie, 6, and son Skip, 2. Mayor Jason Shelton said a bystander used a fallen officer’s radio to report the shooting. “We are grateful to the citizen who called for help and likely saved the life of the other officer,” Shelton said. Shantiqua Shumpert told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that she was in a car between the police and the robbers when a man walked around her car toward the officers. “The police told him to get back in the car, and the next thing I heard were shots,” she said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for one suspect who they say might be heavily armed and others. He

“We are grateful to the citizen who called for help and likely saved the life of the other officer.” Jason Shelton Tupelo mayor might be in a charcoal color, medium-sized four-door sedan, possibly a Chrysler 200 or a Honda of some type. He also may be on foot, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen during a Monday night press conference. He may have been injured and the car may have gunfire damage. “This is a very dangerous person we need to get off the streets,” McMullen said.

FUND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in memory of Bobby Caldwell; $100 from Frank and Katie Dalton; $200 from Mr. and Mrs. John U. Potts in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Leon Potts and Mr. and Mrs. T.R. Dilworth; $100 from Lanny and Barbara Horn; and a $200 anonymous gift. Donations can be the perfect time to make a holiday tribute to a special person. Contributions can be made “in honor of” someone living or “in memory of” someone who has

passed. They can be family or friends, coworkers, employees, bosses or even groups who have made an impact on a person’s life. Since the goal wasn’t reached by Dec. 26, all tributes will continue to be published in the Daily Corinthian until Dec. 31. Donations can be brought to the newspaper office at 1607 Harper Road or mailed to the Daily Corinthian, Attn: Christmas Basket Fund, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, Miss. 38835.

BY JOSEPH MILLER jmiller@dailycorinthian.com

A two vehicle accident sent three people to Magnolia Regional Health Center (MRHC) on Christmas Eve. The officer in charge was Lt. John Hall of the Corinth Police Department (CPD). He said three of the four passengers in the silver GMC Yukon had to be transported by ambulance after being rearended. “The Yukon was hit from behind by the blue Chevy Silverado truck when an unidentified car had stopped in front of the Yukon, forcing them to come to a complete stop in the left hand lane,” Hall said. “The truck tried to swerve into the right hand lane to miss the Yukon. However, the driver couldn’t avoid clipping the right rear end and that’s how the accident occurred.” Michael C. Bullock was the driver of the Silvarado. He was the only person in the vehicle and was not injured. Tommy Hill was the driver of the Yukon. Hill and his two minor sons, who were in the back of the SUV, were loaded onto stretchers with apparent neck injuries and were taken to MRHC by way of ambulance. Hill’s spouse, Glenda, who was on the front passengers side of the Yukon, was uninjured. The accident was on Cass St. in front of Rogers Supermarket. All persons involved in the wreck live in Alcorn County, according to Hall.

This GMC Yukon was rear-ended on Cass Street on Christmas Eve, just in front of Rogers Supermarket in a two-vehicle accident that sent three people to the hospital.

The driver of the SUV, Tommy Hill, was transported to MRHC due to apparent neck injuries. His two minor sons were also transported by ambulance with apparent neck injuries.

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3 • Daily Corinthian

Today in history

Local/Region

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas event shares food, fellowship BY JOSEPH MILLER jmiller@dailycorinthian.com

Today is Thursday, Dec. 26, the 360th day of 2013. There are five days left in the year. The seven-day African-American holiday Kwanzaa begins today. This is Boxing Day.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 26, 1776, the British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.

On this date: In 1799, former President George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” In 1862, 38 Santee Sioux Indians were hanged in Mankato, Minn., for their roles in an uprising that had claimed the lives of hundreds of white settlers. The Civil War Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, resulting in a Confederate victory, began in Mississippi. In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first AfricanAmerican boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. In 1933, Nissan Motor Co. was founded in Yokohama, Japan, as the Automobile Manufacturing Co. In 1943, the German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk by British naval forces during the Battle of the North Cape off Norway; only 36 of its crew of more than 1,900 survived. In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, the embattled U.S. 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium, was relieved by units of the 4th Armored Division. In 1966, Kwanzaa was first celebrated. In 1972, the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, died in Kansas City, Mo., at age 88. In 1973, the demonpossession horror film “The Exorcist” was released. In 1996, 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colo. (To date, the slaying remains unsolved.) In 2006, former President Gerald R. Ford died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93.

Ten years ago: An earthquake struck the historic Iranian city of Bam, killing at least 26,000 people. Three snowboarders were killed in an avalanche in Provo Canyon, Utah.

Some of the best memories on Christmas Day for some people has been the love they were shown by total strangers. Most of local residents spent the day with loved ones such as friends and family. However, for some folks, being alone for Christmas is something they have become accustomed. Not anymore. Tommy and Marea Wilson changed all that for the Crossroads area last year. The couple started an old-fashioned “Crossroads Christmas” for those who had no where to go for Christmas, and no one to share the day. As part of their Living Free Ministries way of giving back to the community, the Wilson family started this event in 2012 and watched over 300 people filter into their building in Corinth. “This is a special day for us for many reasons,” Tommy said at the event Wednesday. “We are just thankful to be here first off, thankful to have a place to fellowship, for all this food and the volunteers who are here to serve our guests . . . what a great day. A day to give praise for our Saviors birth together.” From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. the Christmas spirit of love was in the air. Food was plentiful, along with smiles and hugs, while other activities

went on such as showing Christmas movies. “We expect to see over 300 people come through here again today,” Tommy added. “Movies will be played here in the front of the building on the big screen while folks eat at the tables, and another movie will be played in the back with our big screen.” A first year visitor to the Christmas event, Chris Raid from Corinth, said he was proud to be a part of the Living Free event. “I have been attending out here for a few months while living with my grandmother,” Raid said. “She passed away a few months ago so I started coming here for emotional and spiritual support. Tommy and his wife have been a blessing to me. A day like Christmas can be so depressing by yourself, but, they make it possible to where I don’t have to be.” Another guest, Randall Ragan from Chewalla, Tenn., explained why he was also so supportive of this event and the ministry of the Wilson family. “Early this year I decided to go the the Home of Grace down in Vancleave, Miss., and get a little help from them for an addiction that has had me bound for years,” said Ragan. “Being here is just another step. This is an awesome place and a place where you feel God and his love.” State Rep. Nick Bain of

Tommy Wilson of Living Free Ministries said 15 turkeys and five hams were brought to the Christmas Day event. Volunteers (from left) Rusty Manus, Bubba Harrell and Craig Johnson prepare turkey and ham, above. Folks gather in the front lobby area of Living Free Ministries on Christmas Day, left. Corinth was on hand to show his support for such a worthy cause. “I had Christmas with my family this morning and then came out here to enjoy this time of fellowship,” Bain said. “I have been Tommy’s attorney

for the board for about three years and have come to know him better through this ministry. I have a deep appreciation for what he does and just wanted to be apart of it.” Being apart of it was the pulling force being

the day’s event. Everyone who was on hand, either for volunteering, fellowship or whatever their reason — all agreed that being able to spend quality time with folks who care for one another was priceless.

TREES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

being at an all time high. The trees will be transformed, broken down and converted into beneficial mulch. The fresh cedar mulch will be available to Corinth residents at no cost to use in their gardens and landscaping. Residents may dispose of their trees by either placing them curbside for pickup by the street department or by taking them directly

to the Inert landfill on Linden Street near the railroad. Hours are 7:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. All Christmas decorations and lights should be removed from the trees. “We won’t accept any trees that have decorations on them,” said Street Comissioner Philip Verdung. Pick up will start today and the trees will be grinded up and turned into mulch immediately after they have been collected.

Looking for a smoother stroll? CARE Community Foundation has assembled funds and manpower to motivate property owners to act now on making their much needed and long overdue sidewalk repairs.

Cafe Initiative Guidelines:

Cafe St. Clair Now Open In New Location

1. Must be residential property with an existing sidewalk which shows need of repair. 2. Sidewalk must run parallel to a city street.

11805 Hwy • Counce, TN 11805 Hwy57 57•Council, TN (Old Jon’s Pier Building) (Old Jon’s Pier Building) 731-689-3575 December Hours: December Hours: Monday Thursday5:30PM 5:00PM- 10:00PM - 9:00PM Monday thru Thursday Friday 5:30PM--10:00PM 10:00PM Fridayand and Saturday Saturday 5:30PM Bar thruSaturday Saturday Barisisopen open5:00PM 5:00PM -- till till Monday Monday thru Closed & Christmas ChristmasDay Day ClosedChristmas Christmas Eve Eve &

3. The Initiative will provide matching funds of 60% of total job cost for up to 100 ft., but not less than 40 ft., of sidewalk repair. 4. An application must be submitted for participant approval.

Let’s schedule your year-end review.

Five years ago:

Eric M Rutledge, AAMS®, CFP®

Caroline Kennedy emerged from weeks of near-silence about her bid for a New York Senate seat; in an interview with The Associated Press and NY1 television, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy said she felt compelled to answer the call to service issued by her father a generation earlier. (Kennedy later dropped her bid; Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed by New York Gov. David Paterson.)

Financial Advisor

Call C.A.R.E. Community Foundation today at 284-4858 and apply for the Sidewalk Repair

1500 Harper Road Suite 1 Corinth, MS 38834 662-287-1409

Brian S Langley Financial Advisor 605 Foote Street Corinth, MS 38834 662-287-4471

Member SIPC

Reece Terry

Mark Boehler

publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

editor editor@dailycorinthian.com

Willie Walker

Roger Delgado

circulation manager circdirector@dailycorinthian.com

press foreman

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Editorials represent the voice of the Daily Corinthian. Editorial columns, letters to the editor and other articles that appear on this page represent the opinions of the writers and the Daily Corinthian may or may not agree.

Reece Terry, publisher

www.dailycorinthian.com

Opinion

Mark Boehler, editor

4A • Thursday, December 26, 2013

Corinth, Miss.

Other View

Mississippians should embrace higher standards for students Carey Wright, Mississippi’s new state superintendent of K-12 education, has been crisscrossing the Magnolia State proclaiming she is “a huge advocate” of Common Core School Standards. She readily admits the standards are in dire need of advocates, since there is “a tremendous amount of misinformation” being circulated about Common Core. Common Core has become so contentious that Gov. Phil Bryant issued an executive order this week to assure Mississippians that their “classrooms will not become delivery vehicles for bureaucratic federal mandates.” While Wright said she supports Bryant’s position, she said his executive order doesn’t change the way public schools operate. Common Core, she said, is simply a set of higher standards for students. She stressed it is not a curricu! lum. It is up to individual school districts and their staff to put together curriculum and teaching methods to help students reach those standards. Parents and students in the Gulfport School District should be able to verify that. Gulfport has been implementing Common Core for the last three years. But most schools are just now taking on Common Core, which Wright says will “raise the level of rigor” in the classroom. Yet this effort to enhance the education of our children is under feverish attack. It is a regrettable target. We say that not because we are convinced Common Core will lift Mississippi students to new heights of achievement. We say it because it is obvious what we’ve been doing is not working for thousands of students. Frankly, if we had Wright’s job, we’d be insisting that all students wear uniforms and that there be zero tolerance for any behavior that disrupts a classroom. Under those conditions, we believe any set of standards would be more likely to be met. Sun Herald Biloxi

Prayer for today Gracious Father, give me the courage to live my life, and the endurance to overcome the disappointments that may come to me. May I not be neglectful of the great opportunities of which I am privileged to take advantage. May I not be pretentious of what I have not done, or boastful of what I am, but with my best ability live in truth. Amen.

A verse to share Whatever is true, ... noble, ... right, ... pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. — Philippians 4:8

Sound Off Policy Effective immediately, the Daily Corinthian Sound Off policy will be the same as its Letter to the Editor Policy. Sounds Offs need to be submitted with a name, address, contact phone number and if possible, e-mail address, for author verification. The author’s name and city of residence will be published with the Sound Off. Sound Offs will only accepted from those who wish to have their names published with their opinion. All other Letter to the Editor rules apply for Sound Offs.

Letters Policy The Opinion page should be a voice of the people and reflect views from a broad range in the community. Citizens can express their opinion in letters to the editor. Only a few simple rules need to be followed. Letters should be of public interest and not of the ‘thank you’ type. Please include your full signature, home address and telephone number on the letter for verification. All letters are subject to editing before publication, especially those beyond 300 words in length. Send to: Letters to the editor, Daily Corinthian, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, Miss. 38835. Letters may also be e-mailed to: letters@daily corinthian.com. Email is the preferred method. Personal, guest and commentary columns on the Opinion page are the views of the writer. “Other views” are editorials reprinted from other newspapers. None of these reflect the views of this newspaper.

‘Duck Dynasty’ and the blacklist Pope Francis’ call for a truce notwithstanding, the culture war rages on in America. Last week, a Utah judge struck down part of the state’s anti-polygamy law, clearing the way for men to marry multiple spouses. Methodist pastor Frank Schaefer, defrocked for officiating at the same-sex marriage of his son, refused to recant, and joined a Dupont Circle congregation, declaring from the pulpit to repeated ovations Sunday, “Change is coming” to the United Methodist Church. Major media stories both. Yet these were skirmishes alongside the culture war clash last week over the remarks to GQ magazine of Phil Robertson, patriarch of the clan of “Duck Dynasty,” the wildly popular show on A&E. Using crude terms, but biblically correct arguments, Robertson told GQ what he thought of homosexuality and moral relativism. Said Robertson: “Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine. ... Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. ... “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexuality offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself.” The homosexual lobby GLAAD swiftly demanded that Robertson be purged

from “Duck Dynasty.” And A&E suspended him indefinitely. The backwas Patrick lash and Buchanan swift huge. FollowColumnist ers of “Duck Dynasty,” Evangelicals, politicians and free-speech champions arose to defend Robertson’s right to speak without punishment. Millions endorsed his views on what the Bible says and Christianity professes and promises. The battle revealed an immense and intense hostility in Middle America to the moral agenda being imposed by our cultural elites. While defenders of Robertson invoked the First Amendment, that is not the issue here. No one is denying Robertson his right to speak. What GLAAD wants to do is to blacklist Robertson, to punish him by taking away his podium, “Duck Dynasty.” The gay rights militants cannot silence him, but they do have the power to cost him his job and take away his megaphone so that his vast audience can no longer hear him. The blacklist of the Truman era did not deny the Hollywood Ten their right to produce movie scripts. It was an agreed-upon Hollywood policy not to commission or to use the work of unrepentant Communists as writers, producers or directors. Who were the Hollywood Ten? They were closet Communists, secret members of a Communist Party USA,

then a wholly owned subsidiary of the greatest mass murderer in history, Joseph Stalin. And of what were the Hollywood Ten guilty? When Stalinists were eradicating freedom and exterminating Eastern European Christians and overrunning China and murdering millions, as President Truman tried to rally the forces of freedom, the Hollywood Ten took the Fifth Amendment. They refused to repudiate Communism or name names of fellow Communists who were still reshaping the thinking of America from their upholstered perches in the film industry. Today, however, the Hollywood Ten are regarded as martyrs, moral heroes. Had they been secret Nazis rather than secret Stalinists in those years, they would likely not be so beloved of the Hollyleft. Contrast if you will the sins for which Phil Robertson is being blacklisted with those of the Hollywood Ten. He is a fundamentalist Christian professing his belief in what he holds to be Bible truths about sin, homosexuality, heaven and hell. For so doing, he is being censored by elites who wish to deny him access to the medium they largely control -- television. And what were the comparable sins of the Hollywood Ten? They were witting collaborators in a 70-year Communist conspiracy responsible for the murder of millions, which, in the 1940s, looked on the United States of America as the last impediment to world con-

quest. In that era, we were agreed that Communism and Communists were the enemies of America and mankind and should be regarded and treated as such. To our modern moral and cultural elites, it is those who condemn the values of GLAAD who are the enemies of decency and progress who ought to be fired and blacklisted to prevent their poisonous views from being disseminated. In the Hollywood of the late 1940s, Communism was persona non grata. In the 21st century, biblical Christianity is persona non grata. No, this is not the America we grew up in. And it is becoming less so. According to a CNN poll last week, while belief in God and the divinity of Christ is still shared by twothirds of Americans, that share — older, more Republican, less educated — is falling. Worldwide, too, Christianity at Christmas 2013 seems in a long retreat. Receding slowly in America, and moribund in Europe, Christianity is undergoing merciless persecutions in Africa and the Middle East -- from Nigeria to the Central African Republic to Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Compared to these folks suffering martyrdom for the faith, we have it easy here. So, Sursum Corda. Lift up your hearts. (Daily Corinthian columnist Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?” His column is syndicated nationally.)

A Christmas without rain Back at Thanksgiving, I asked my young niece Olivia if she’d ever seen in action the Rain Lamp in my mother’s living room. It rains glycerin drops down catgut strings while a Victorian lady swings in jerky motions inside the makebelieve shower. “I think so,” Olivia said. “Maybe.” Her uncertainty underlined for me the difference in children now and then. When my father bought the Rain Lamp -- we called it that with unfailing consistency and in uppercase -- a Christmas gift for Mother, I was 10. And I had never seen anything as wonderful as a lamp with moving parts and convincing raindrops. I would stand and watch it until somebody turned it off. Kids today, on the other hand, have seen teddy bears that have larger vocabularies than most Americans and computer games that let them crash cars and hit virtual baseballs. They

Reece Terry

Mark Boehler

publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

editor editor@dailycorinthian.com

Willie Walker

Roger Delgado

circulation manager circdirector@dailycorinthian.com

press foreman

are not easily impressed with moving parts. Neither was my mother. My mother Rheta hated the Johnson Rain Lamp. I’m not sure Columnist why, except it was her practice each holiday to make sure presents were more practical than romantic, ours being a family with no budget for frills. It was a little like the scene in “A Christmas Story” when the movie father wins a sexy leg lamp and the mother finds it unbearably tacky. At our house, the Rain Lamp did not fit into Mother’s Early American decorating scheme. And it was somehow absurdly excessive, even for the 1960s. The Rain Lamp became a prominent symbol of my father’s annual failure at buying practical gifts for his wife. There was the coat with fur trim. Back to the

store it went. There was the string of pearls. Ditto. The Rain Lamp remained, I think, because even my mother was fascinated with its mechanics, though she never admitted it. It still stands five decades later on a table in the dining room, where nobody eats but nonetheless hallowed ground. I think it survived because of its fantasy feature, which makes one want to write a story about the smiling maiden so smitten with life that she continues to swing and dream in a downpour. Either that, or Daddy lost the receipt. As children we always sided with our father, because we knew in our hearts that Christmas is all about tacky and fanciful and you worry about the bills in January. Heck, we sided with him about everything. Mother was never better in her bad-cop role than at Christmas. And my father, never really known for frivolity, at Christmastime be-

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came a somewhat jolly elf. He bought and hid the cocker spaniel puppies and assembled the bikes. He was The Man. Despite Olivia’s ambivalence, I should have insisted on turning on the rain and letting that lamp flood the dining room with good memories. I did not. What an event it always was to see the thing in full glory, the “Devil beating his wife” light, with the raindrops that looked a lot like hot teardrops falling. The Rain Lamp has to be a metaphor for something in childhood, though I’ve not yet figured out what. With my father gone now, Christmas will be a more solemn occasion. No Lionel trains hauling a pack of his cigarettes around the tree, or Davy Crockett hats, pellet guns or puppies. No more Rain Lamps. (Daily Corinthian columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson is syndicated nationally.)

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State/Nation

5 â€˘ Daily Corinthian

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Nation Briefs Associated Press

Capitolâ€™s dome set for 2-year renovation WASHINGTON â€” A world-famous symbol of democracy is going under cover, as workers start a two-year, $60 million renovation of the U.S. Capitol dome. Curved rows of scaffolds, like Saturnâ€™s rings, will encircle it next spring, enabling contractors to strip multiple layers of paint and repair more than 1,000 cracks and broken pieces. The dome will remain illuminated at night and partly visible through the scaffolding and paint-capturing cloths. But the Washington icon -- and portions of the Rotundaâ€™s painted ceiling that lies below -- will be significantly obscured for many months. The project is beginning as the Washington Monument sheds scaffolding that was used to repair damage from a 2011 earthquake. Half-completed when Abraham Lincoln stood beneath it to summon â€œthe better angels of our natureâ€? in 1861, the Capitol dome has since towered over Washington, which limits building heights to 130 feet. Time, however, has let water seep through hundreds of cracks. The water attacks cast iron, which â€œcontinues to rust and rust and rust,â€? said Stephen T. Ayers, Architect of the Capitol. This first major renovation in more than 50 years should add decades of structural integrity to the dome, which Ayers calls per-

haps â€œthe most recognizable symbol across the globe.â€? The $60 million undertaking will heal inner wounds, he said, without changing the way the dome looks from the ground. Much of the work will be done at night and on weekends. It wonâ€™t be as flashy as the 1993 helicopter removal and return of the 19-foot Statue of Freedom from the domeâ€™s top. The Capitolâ€™s crowning piece is actually two domes, one nested under the other like Russian dolls, and separated by a web of cast iron braces hidden from view. Â

Health law not first with launch woes WASHINGTON â€” Although multiple problems have snarled the rollout of President Barack Obamaâ€™s signature health care law, itâ€™s hardly the first time a new, sprawling government program has been beset by early technical glitches, political hostility and gloom-and-doom denouncements. President Franklin D. Roosevelt faced heavy skepticism with his launch of Social Security in 1935-37. Turbulence also rocked subsequent key presidential initiatives, including Lyndon Johnsonâ€™s rollout of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, Richard Nixonâ€™s Supplemental Security Income program in 1974 and George W. Bushâ€™s Medicare prescription drugs program in 2006. Yet these programs today are enormously

State Briefs

popular with recipients. Obama and allies hope history will repeat itself on the health insurance overhaul. â€œEvery day I check to make sure that itâ€™s working better,â€? Obama said playfully the other day. With more and more Americans successfully signing up for the program, some Republicans have dialed back their harshest criticism. Still, the overall negative political fallout could damage Democratic chances in the 2014 midterm elections and possibly beyond. Any new major federal program is a likely target for early criticism. But the heaviest assaults seem to fall on social benefit programs like Social Security and its health care cousins Medicare and Medicaid. These â€œentitlementâ€? programs are easy lightning rods because they affect so many Americans, directly or indirectly. After FDR kicked off Social Security in 1937, Washingtonâ€™s precomputer age bureaucrats faced enormous hurdles enrolling people for the old-age benefits. Many had the same or similar names. Not all employers kept detailed records on employees and how much they were paid, further complicating the process. Alf Landon, the 1936 Republican presidential nominee, called Social Security â€œa fraud on the workingman.â€? Former Republican President Herbert Hoover suggested it would imprison elderly Americans in the moral equivalent of â€œa national zoo.â€?

Associated Press

Leland man arrested for embezzlement GREENVILLE â€” Washington County sheriffâ€™s deputies have arrested a Leland man on a charge of embezzling from a federal agency. Sheriffâ€™s Maj. Percy Miles tells the Delta Democrat Times that 27-year-old Richard Horton Jr. was arrested Monday after officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture facility in Stoneville reported the theft. Miles says it has not yet been determined how much money was taken in the embezzlement and that the theft remains under investigation. Horton was released on $1,500 bond shortly after his arraignment Monday. Â

Salvation Army bell ringers collect rings BILOXI â€” Salvation Army bell-ringers in Biloxi collected two golden rings. The diamond engagement and wedding rings were wrapped in a twopage letter asking that they go to a Christian couple who cannot afford a diamond and are making a lifetime commitment. â€œLove can last a lifetime â€” and it should,â€? begins the letter stuffed painstakingly into a kettle outside the Biloxi Walmart. A Gulfport jeweler verified the rings as gold and diamonds worth $499, the Salvation Army of Alabama, Lousiana and Mississippi said on its blog.

The Coast Salvation Army said Monday that it is holding a contest for the rings. Entrants can describe hardships they have faced and why they feel they deserve the rings and a free wedding. The groupâ€™s Kroc Center lets it â€œhelp a couple have a full wedding with a chapel, reception, photographs â€” the whole nine yards. And thatâ€™s exactly what we plan to do,â€? said Maj. Gary Sturdivant, area commander for south Mississippi. They rings arenâ€™t the first dropped into a local Salvation Army kettle this year. A woman dropped a $1,500 topaz ring on Nov. 18 into a kettle in Birmingham, Ala., and a set of silver wedding rings turned up this year in Alexandria, La., according to the regional blog. The Alabama woman â€œbought the ring over 10 years ago from a missionary to support the Lordâ€™s work in the Mission field,â€? said Brandy Crumly, director of devel-

opment for The Salvation Armyâ€™s Greater Birmingham Area Command. Â

Merger issues remain as price tag emerges STARKVILLE â€” A commission charged with drawing up recommendations for merger of the Starkville and Oktibbeha County schools may seek $20 million for construction and operation of a grades 6-7 campus and a pre-kindergarten program to be created as a demonstration project. The Commercial Dispatch reports (http://bit. ly/1hCFSMm) that commission members went through a merger draft report this week. A final report is not expected to be complete until early 2014. State law tasked the group to deliver consolidation recommendations to the Legislature by March 1. The Legislature, which mandated that the districts merge, convenes Jan. 7.

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6 • Thursday, December 26, 2013 • Daily Corinthian

Deaths Gerald Beech

Funeral services for Kenneth Gerald Beech, 70, are incomplete at this time. Beech was born on July 6, 1943. He died on Dec. 25, 2013 at his residence in Corinth. All other arrangements are incomplete and will be handled by Magnolia Funeral Home.

Martha Stacy

DESOTO COUNTY — Funeral services for Martha Grace Stacy, 89, are incomplete at this time. She died on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013 at Baptist Desoto Hospital – Desoto County. All arrangements are incomplete and will be handled by Magnolia Funeral Home

Michael White

MERIDIAN — Funeral services for Michael White, 40, are incomplete at this time. He died on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013 at R.P. White Nursing Home in Meridian. All arrangements are incomplete and will be handled by Magnolia Funeral Home

Ernestine McNeil

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Funeral services for Ernestine McNeil, 85, will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, 2013, in New Lebanon Cemetery. McNeil died on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, at Eastgate Springs Health Care Center in Cincinnati. She was born March 4, 1928, to Leonard and Ruth Orick McNeil. She was an administrative assistant for the U.S. Air Force. She is survived by three sisters, Merline Akin of Cincinnati, OH, Shelby Jean Grambling of Marietta, GA and Norma McNeil of Corinth; and a host of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers, L.D. McNeil and N.C. McNeil. There is no visitation scheduled for McNeil. Bro. Dwight Pharr will be officiating. Services are under the direction of McMillan Funeral Home.

State Briefs Associated Press

Ex-school superintendent to report to prison JACKSON — Former Greenville Public School District superintendent Harvey Franklin must report to prison by Jan. 6 to begin serving more than six years in a federal bribery case related to a $1.4 million reading program for children. Franklin pleaded guilty in August 2012. He was sentenced to 76 months on Nov. 13 for taking more than $270,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing the school board to use the reading program. He also was ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to the Department of Education. Franklin’s lawyer, Julie Ann Epps, filed a notice on Dec. 6 that they are appealing the case to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. She declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press. Edna Goble, who owned Teach Them To Read in Conyers, Ga., pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, the same day her trial was to begin. Her reading program is called EDNA, for Early Detection Necessary Action. Goble “paid kickbacks and bribes to Harvey Franklin in the form of paying off a loan on Franklin’s automobile, paying for remodeling and home improvements for Franklin’s personal home, paying the balance of Franklin’s personal credit card account, and paying for college tuition on behalf of Franklin’s children,” according to court records.

Franklin, who became superintendent in Greenville in 2009, resigned in May 2012 after he came under scrutiny in the federal investigation. He pleaded guilty in August 2012.

MDES releases jobless figures for November JACKSON — New figures on Mississippi’s labor force show Clay County with the highest unemployment rate of 16.8 percent in November. Mississippi Department of Employment Security records released Tuesday show Holmes County with a jobless rate of 14.4 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate in November at 4.6 percent followed by DeSoto County at 5 percent. All told, Mississippi had a seasonally adjusted rate of 8.6 percent, a decrease of two-tenths of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in October, according to MDES figures. The rate decreased seven-tenths of a percentage point when compared to November 2012. In November there were 1,900 more jobs in Mississippi than in October and 18,500 more than November 2012, according to the MDES’ seasonally adjusted results from a survey of Mississippi employers.

Prosecutors drop charges against 5 in ’11 shooting NATCHEZ — Prosecutors have dropped charges against five of

seven people arrested in connection with a 2011 fatal shooting outside the Natchez Mall. District Attorney Ronnie Harper tells The Natchez Democrat that the cases against Venisha Noble, Brandon Collins, Clavin Matthews, Antonio Clay and Shakira Clay were dismissed Nov. 22 because of insufficient evidence to obtain a conviction. Police say 25-year-old Walter Washington was shot to death while sitting in a vehicle in the mall parking lot. Harper says the cases against Lee Raymond Smith Jr. and Latravis K. Clay remain active. Each is charged with murder. No trial dates have been set.

Ex-Navy worker changes travel-voucher scheme plea GULFPORT — A former U.S. Navy worker accused of stealing government funds and conspiring to submit false claims to the government has agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge. The Sun Herald reports that federal court records show Eduardo Magana, 40, of LaMesa, Calif., has notified the court of his intent to accept a plea on a misdemeanor and be prosecuted in the Southern District of California. A two-count indictment returned by a grand jury in June alleged Magana embezzled money through cash advances and purchases on a government credit card and through fraudulent travel vouchers while assigned to work at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport.

Nation Briefs Associated Press

First-class stamps to cost 49 cents WASHINGTON — Mailing a letter is about to get a little more expensive. Regulators on Tuesday approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the charge to 49 cents a letter in an effort to help the Postal Service recover from severe mail decreases brought on by the 2008 economic downturn. Many consumers won’t feel the price increase immediately. Forever stamps, good for firstclass postage whatever the future rate, can be purchased at the lower price until the new rate is effective Jan. 26. The higher rate will last no more than two years, allowing the Postal Service to recoup $2.8 billion in losses. By a 2-1 vote, the independent Postal Regulatory Commission rejected a request to make the price hike permanent, though inflation over the next 24

months may make it so. The surcharge “will last just long enough to recover the loss,” Commission Chairman Ruth Y. Goldway said. Bulk mail, periodicals and package service rates will rise 6 percent, a decision that drew immediate consternation from the mail industry. Its groups have opposed any price increase beyond the current 1.7 percent rate of inflation, saying charities using mass mailings and bookstores competing with online retailer Amazon would be among those who suffer. Greeting card companies also have criticized the plans. “This is a counterproductive decision,” said Mary G. Berner, president of the Association of Magazine Media. “It will drive more customers away from using the Postal Service and will have ripple effects through our economy — hurting consumers, forcing layoffs and impacting businesses.” Berner said her organization will consider

What My One Year Old Taught Me About My Heavenly Father By Mike Swims My 19 month old son Conner has entered into a new stage of growth where he really enjoys doing whatever it is that I’m doing. If I’m wearing my favorite ball cap, he wants to wear it, too. If I just took my boots off, he wants to put them on. Whatever I say, he repeats in his own baby language. However, while cleaning up our back yard after a recent wind storm, there was one place we couldn’t allow Conner to go, and that was near the burning branches. Conner didn’t like the fact that his mother and I were keeping him away from it. He kicked, screamed, cried, and even pulled against her, trying to do what he wanted to do, all to no avail. So while Conner thought we were being mean and restrictive parents with arbitrary rules, his mother and I knew what was best for him. And even though he didn’t understand why he couldn’t have his way, the important part was that we understood we were truly protecting him. And this got me to thinking: “How many of us are like my one and a half year old son in that we kick, scream, fight, and pull against God simply because we want to play too close to the fires of life?” Surely if Conner could speak he would’ve told us that he didn’t see any harm in what he wanted to do. And many people use this same excuse to justify the things they partake in. So this begs the question: Was I right by stopping my son from playing in the fire? No rational adult would say that if I truly loved him I should’ve just let him do whatever it is he wanted to do. And yet, there are those who claim to be followers of God who insist they can play in the fires of sin because God loves them too much to let them burn. The truth is that God gave us rules to avoid certain activities to make this life easier—and not harder—on us! But He also gave us His laws in order to keep us from burning in the first place! So had I let Conner play in that fire I would’ve been a negligent parent and the same would be true of God. It’s irresponsible of an earthly parent to allow such behavior, rationalizing it by saying they let their child do so because they love them, and yet some would have us to believe a greater, wiser being such as God would be guilty of this? Today Conner gave me a great reminder about the Heavenly Father, the rules He’s laid out for us, and His purpose behind them. They’re there to keep us from getting burned.

Danville Church of Christ Mike Swims, Minister 481 CR 409, Corinth MS • (662)212-2230-Cell

appealing the decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals. For consumers who have cut back on their use of mail for correspondence, the rate increase may have little impact on their pocketbooks.

New home sales slip in November WASHINGTON — Newhome sales dipped in November, but the government released more positive figures for the previous three months, a sign that housing may be regaining strength after a summer lull. Sales slipped 2.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. The slight drop occurred after sales had surged to a rate of 474,000 in October. That was the fastest pace since 2008 and was 17.6 percent above the September level — the biggest one-month jump in 21 years. The annual pace of new-home sales remains well below the 700,000 generally consistent with a healthy market. But economists are encouraged by a pickup in sales after a slowdown likely

caused by higher mortgage rates. Mortgage rates had spiked amid investor concerns about how fast the Federal Reserve would remove its support for the economy. The government’s report Tuesday revised up new-home sales for the three months preceding November. August’s total was revised up by 9,000, September’s by 49,000 and October’s by 30,000. “The rebound in sales following the sharp slowdown in July was much stronger than originally reported,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays. Mark Vitner, senior economist at Well Fargo, said, “The housing recovery remains well in place.” He noted that mortgage rates are still low by historic standards and should support sales next year. Vitner predicted that new-home sales would rise next year to an annual pace of around 530,000. In a separate report, the Mortgage Bankers Association said the number of Americans applying for mortgages fell 6.3 percent last week from the previous

week. Applications have reached a 13-year low, down 63 percent from their May peak.

NSA leaker: ‘Mission’s already accomplished’ WASHINGTON — After six months when he was rarely heard from except through the documents he leaked, fugitive former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden says his “mission’s already accomplished” after leaking NSA secrets that have caused a reassessment of U.S. surveillance policies. Snowden told The Washington Post in an interview published online Monday night that he was satisfied because journalists have been able to tell the story of the government’s collection of bulk Internet and phone records, an activity that has grown dramatically in the decade since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished,” he said. “I already won.” “As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated,” Snowden

told the Post. “Because, remember, I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself.” NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines offered no comment on the interview Tuesday, nor did the State Department. White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said via email Tuesday: “Mr. Snowden faces felony charges here in the United States and should be returned to the U.S. as soon as possible, where he will be afforded due process and all the protections of our criminal justice system.” President Barack Obama hinted Friday that he would consider some changes to NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records to address the public’s concern about privacy. His comments came in a week in which a federal judge declared the NSA’s collection program probably was unconstitutional. A presidential advisory panel has suggested 46 changes to NSA operations. Snowden was interviewed in Moscow over two days by Post reporter Barton Gellman, who has received numerous leaks from Snowden. The interview was conducted six months after Snowden’s revelations first appeared in the Post and Britain’s Guardian newspaper.

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Daily Corinthian • Thursday, December 26, 2013 • 7

Community events Reminder Events need to be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event. Community events publishes on Wednesdays and Sundays and on Friday if space is available.

‘High School Musical’ Alcorn Central High School central Stage will present “High School Musical’ at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 18 in the ACHS auditorium. Admission is $5. Tickets are on sale in the ACHS office during school hours or purchase tickets at the door on the night of the performances. For additional information contact the school at 662286-8720.

New location The Corinth Artist Guild Gallery has moved to a now location on Fillmore Street in the former Dodd Eye Clinic building. Hours continue to be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Contact the gallery at 665-0520 for more information.

Lions Club The Corinth Breakfast Lions Club meets the

first and third Monday of each month at 7 a.m. at Martha’s Menu.

Private Applicator Training There will be a Private Applicator training session held on Monday, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Alcorn County Extension Service office located behind the Crossroads Arena. There is a $10 fee to attend the training. This training is for farmers who need their private applicator certificate. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact the Alcorn County Extension Service at 662-286-7755.

Productions added Tupelo Community Theatre’s Off Broadway production of The Santa Land Diaries, by David Sedaris and adapted by Joe Mantello, is adding two additional performances on Dec. 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. at 213 East Franklin. The play is a brilliant evocation of what a slacker’s Christmas must feel like when he decides to become a Macy’s elf during the holiday crunch. The play contains explicit language and is not recommended

for children. Tickets are $18 for adults and $6 for students and may be purchased by calling the TCT ticket office at 8441935.

Celebration Team Hardin County is sponsoring a New Year’s Eve Bash fundraiser on Dec. 31 at Pickwick Landing State Park. Cost is $250 per couple and includes overnight lodging at the inn, live entertainment by Magi, evening dinner, New Year’s Day morning brunch and much more. To make a reservation, call 800-552-3866.

Excel By 5 Excel By 5 is an innovative early childhood certification that emphasizes the important roles parents and early childcare educators play in the lives of children during their most formative years, ages 0-5 years old. It is a grass roots organization of volunteers and community leaders. The Excel By 5 team identifies and addresses children’s health issues by support families and assisting early care and education centers. Its mission is to give every child a chance to live up to his or her potential.

Excel By 5 is looking for qualified and enthusiastic volunteers interested in art, music, literacy and early education for events at childcare centers, family community events and health fair events. If you would like to volunteer and mentor parents and children ages 0-5 years old, then contact Susan O’Connell at 662-286-6401 or visit our link at www.excelby5. com to learn more about The Corinth-Alcorn County Excel By 5.

First Day Hike The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will celebrate the new year with Third Annual First Day Hikes on Jan. 1 at both Tishomingo State Park and Trace State Park. It’s part of a nationwide initiative by America’s State Parks to get people outdoors, connect with nature and establish a lifetime of fitness through hiking. For additional information, contact Tishomingo State Park at 662-4386914.

Shiloh Park B-day Shiloh National Military Park will commemorate its 119th anniversary

of its establishment as a Civil War military park at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27 in the visitor center auditorium with a 30-minute Power Point presentation about the park’s establishment. Following the program, the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau will present a cake to the park for visitors to enjoy. The event is free and open to the public.

Quilt fundraiser

Karaoke/dance night

Corinth Civil War enthusiast Larry Mangus is sharing some of the items from his collection of artifacts related to the Battle of Corinth at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. His collection includes pieces of currency, autographs of Union and Confederate generals, war bonds, guns and canteens — many of which have been identified and connected to a specific soldier during the war. The exhibits will be switched out every six weeks and will continue for the foreseeable future. Located at 501 W. Linden Street, the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is open every day except Christmas Day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info about the Interpretive Center call 287-9273.

VFW Post No. 3962 hosts a Karaoke Night every Friday at the post on Purdy School Rd. in Corinth. Karaoke begins at 8 p.m. with music by D.J. Lanny Cox. Lanny Cox also provides music at the VFW on Saturday Dance Night which begins at 8 p.m.

‘Just Plain Country’ Just Plain Country performs at the Tishomingo County Fairgrounds in Iuka every Saturday from 7-10 p.m. Good family entertainment.

Friday night music • There is music every Friday night with the band, The Renegade, from 7-10 p.m. at the Guntown Community Center. This is a familyfriendly event.

A quilt made by the Cross City Piecemakers Quilt Guild is up for grabs in support of the ongoing efforts to preserve the VerandahCurlee House Museum. Chances will be sold and can be purchased at the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Civil War exhibit

Survey busts myths of dads to diapers and more BY LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO — The detached dad, turning up his nose at diapering and too busy to bathe, dress and play with his kids, is mostly a myth, a big government survey suggests. Most American fathers say they are heavily involved in hands-on parenting, the researchers found. The nationally representative survey shows fathers’ involvement has increased slightly since the government first asked in 2002, coinciding with research since then that bolsters the benefits of hands-on fathering. The results are encouraging and important “because others have found the more involved dads are, the better the outcomes for their children,” said researcher Jo Jones of the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. She co-authored the report released Friday. More academic success, fewer behavior problems and healthier eating habits are just some of the ways fathers’ involvement has been linked with children’s well-being. “Times have changed,” said Robert Loftus, 34, of Yonkers, N.Y. He quit

“Times have changed. We’re trying to rethink our priorities and family seems to be the No. 1 priority whereas in the past maybe people were more focused on career.”

Some “are anxious about changing a diaper,” he said, but the study offers reassuring evidence “that everybody’s doing this.”

Robert Loftus, 34,

Pediatrician and author of “Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro”

Yonkers, N.Y. a six-figure sales job a year ago to care for his two young children while his wife works full time. “We’re trying to rethink our priorities and family seems to be the No. 1 priority whereas in the past maybe people were more focused on career.” The results build on volumes of research showing changes in the American family since the baby boom years and before, when women were mostly stay-at-home moms and dads were the major breadwinners. As those roles shifted, so did the view that moms are the only nurturers. University of Chicago sociologist Jennifer Bellamy, who also studies fathering, said some old stereotypes persist, “that dads are sort of the co-pilots in their families,” absent or less involved than moms. But she said the survey

confirms that fathers “are quite involved in a variety of different and important ways.” The study involved nearly 4,000 fathers aged 15 to 44 who were interviewed in person between 2006 and 2010. One caveat: They self-reported their involvement, without input from their partners or others. Most men were married or living with a partner. Key findings among fathers living with children younger than 5: ■ 9 in 10 bathed, diapered, helped them use the toilet or get dressed at least several times weekly. ■ Even higher numbers played with them and ate meals with them that often. ■ Almost 2 out of 3 read to them at least several times weekly. Among dads living with kids aged 5-18: ■ More than 9 out of 10

Dr. David Hill

ate meals with them at least several times weekly and talked with them about what happened during the kids’ day that often. ■ Almost 2 out of 3 helped with homework several times weekly. ■ About half took their kids to or from activities that often. Overall, almost 90 percent of dads said they thought they were doing at least a good job of fathering. The researchers noted that during the study years, 45 percent of U.S. men — 28 million — aged 15 to 44 had a biological child. About the same number had a biological, adopted or non-related child living with them or an adopted or biological child living elsewhere. Survey questions were based on whether dads were living with their biological or unrelated kids, or apart.

Most lived with their kids. Not surprisingly, men who didn’t were less involved with parenting activities. Even so, several times weekly, at least 1 in 5 still managed to help bathe, diaper, dress, eat or play with their kids. Fathers of older children were generally less involved than those with kids younger than 5 but that’s at least partly due to the changing nature of parenting as children mature. The survey suggests black fathers may be more involved than whites or Hispanics with some activities, including homework, but Jones downplayed racial differences and said some were not statistically significant. Men with at least some college education were generally more involved with their kids than less educated fathers. The CDC did a simi-

lar survey in 2002 that showed slightly less father involvement. A national parenting survey by University of Maryland researchers found that in 2000, married U.S. fathers spent about two hours weekly interacting with their kids aged 18 and younger, more than double the time spent in 1965. Dr. David Hill, a Wilmington, N.C., pediatrician and author of “Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro,” said the survey echoes what he’s seen among his patients’ fathers. Increasingly, fathers rather than mothers take their kids to the doctor, he said. Some “are anxious about changing a diaper,” he said, but the study offers reassuring evidence “that everybody’s doing this.” Men weren’t asked about employment, or whether they were stayat-home dads, who still are rare though their ranks have increased. Census numbers show almost 190,000 nationwide last year versus 93,000 in 2000. Loftus, the New York stay-at-home dad, said he feels lucky to be able to be such a hands-on father. “I’m doing the most important job in the world,” he said.

Cab driver finds $300,000 in back seat Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa thought someone left a bag of chocolates in the back seat of his vehicle, but the stash turned out to be $300,000 in cold hard cash. Now, Gamboa is winning honors for honesty after turning in the money he found Monday. The money was returned to an unidentified poker player. Yellow Checker Star Transportation named Gamboa its driver of the year and rewarded him with $1,000 and a dinner for two at a restaurant. Gamboa told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he had another passenger by the time he began wondering what kind of chocolates were in the brown paper bag. He peeked inside at a traffic light. “I told my passenger,

‘You are my witness on this,’” the 13-year taxi driver told the Las Vegas Sun, “and then I immediately called my dispatcher.” Gamboa took the six bundles of $100 bills to the company’s main office, where Las Vegas police

and casino officials linked it to the poker player. Gamboa said the man gave him a $5 tip after a trip from the Cosmopolitan resort to the Palms Place tower, and Gamboa then drove to the Bellagio resort.

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Dilbert

Zits

Crossword Beetle Bailey

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Chess side 6 Chest bone 9 Stripped 14 Ancient region in Asia Minor 15 Republic on St. Georgeâ€™s Channel: Abbr. 16 Basket willow 17 Pompeii attraction 18 Quicken Loans Arena NBAer 19 Strike site 20 Place to see FDR 21 40-decibel unit 22 St. Patâ€™s Day, e.g. 23 Pretend to be 24 Cricket call 26 French pop 29 Large primates 31 Barbary Wars participant, now 33 One of the smart set 36 Seaweed extract 37 Ballpark fig.? 38 Boxing biopic 39 Minnesotaâ€™s state fish, and a hint to all 12 border answers in this puzzle 41 Chum 42 Do goo 43 Covent Garden highlight 44 Dalmatianâ€™s spot 46 Slothfulness 48 Meyers of â€œSNLâ€? 49 Motor suffix 50 â€œCoffee __?â€? 52 Pequod captain 56 Shade provider 58 Put in shells, say 59 Little brook 60 Prove untrue 62 Like the vbs. â€œcreepâ€? and â€œweepâ€? 63 â€œPlease, Mom?â€? 64 Lay to rest 65 Bolted down some nuts 66 â€™50s movie monster destroyed at Mount Aso 67 Calm water metaphor 68 Rosy 69 Brooks Robinsonâ€™s base

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Wizard of Id

Dustin

Baby Blues

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith

12/26/13

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Daily Corinthian • Thursday, December 26, 2013 • 9

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