Tuesday June 5,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 135
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Boards encourage special session BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Two local boards have added their voices to those calling for the Mississippi Legislature to hold a special session to act on some programs that were left unfunded in the regular 2012 session.
The Alcorn School District Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in the last few days encouraging the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives to resolve the funding issues. Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith delivered a copy to the
Board of Supervisors Monday morning. The Legislature normally passes a bond bill in the regular session, but it did not happen this year. Supervisors recently passed a resolution expressing their desire to see a bond bill or ap-
propriation to support the Local System Bridge Program and others that affect the counties. “They need to understand that it’s not affecting just the boards of supervisors,” said Supervisor Jimmy Tate Waldon. The school district’s resolution notes the importance of funding
for work on county bridges that busses cannot traverse because of low weight limits. “The inability of counties to repair local bridges as needed means the local school busses may not traverse such bridges Please see BOARDS | 3
Child escapes serious injuries after falling BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photos by Bobby J. Smith
Residents of the Wheeler Grove area spent Monday picking up debris from the storm system that passed through the region Sunday and early Monday.
A Corinth child avoided serious injuries after falling from a second-story window Monday morning. Around 9:30 a.m. the 21-month-old child fell to a concrete patio from the upstairs window of a Buchanan Street apartment — the residence of the child’s parents, Heather Kennedy and Clarence Grisham. The child’s grandfather, who also lives in the apartment, was in the second-floor bedroom and possibly asleep with the window open at the time of the fall, according to Corinth Police Chief David
Lancaster. The child was transported by ambulance to Magnolia Regional Health Center with minor injuries. According to an official at the hospital, the child was not seriously hurt, but was transported to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., in order to “double check.” For sustaining the fall with only minor injuries, the child was “very, very lucky,” said Lancaster. “It’s my understanding that the second story window was relatively close to the ground and apparently not as high as you’d think it would be,” said the chief.
Residents make case for bridge repairs Group believes closing is an inconvenience BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
County suffers only minor storm-related damage BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
In the aftermath of a storm system that passed through the area Sunday and early Monday, Alcorn County residents are working to pick up the debris in areas throughout the county. Corinth Street Commissioner Jim Bynum said street crews were “running wide open” on Monday to clean up the scattered debris from the storms. “We were blessed again last night,” said Bynum. “The only
thing we had was a few big limbs that blew down and a couple medium-sized trees.” Bynum said the damage was scattered throughout the city, with no particular area hit harder than others. One of the largest trees to fall landed on a house on Buchanan Street. “It fell against the wind instead of going with the wind,” explained Bynum. “It was a monster tree that didn’t have any roots and was hollow on the inside. It was just waiting to
fall.” The street commissioner said there was no major flooding reported in the city limits. “We’ve got the pumps at both underpasses and they worked just fine,” Bynum reported. Alcorn County Emergency Management Director Ricky Gibens said the storm went over the county on a northeasterly track. “It went across the Glen area Please see STORM | 3
Residents who disagree with a request not to fix a 2nd district bridge made their case before the Board of Supervisors Monday morning. A couple of weeks ago, the board heard from a group of residents who asked that a long-closed bridge on County Road 346 in southeast Alcorn County not be repaired and reopened. They felt it was not a major inconvenience and that the neighborhood became safer with less traffic. The group that addressed the board Monday believes the closing is an inconvenience. “We drive 6 miles out of the way three times a week for church,” one man said. They believe replacement of the bridge will benefit emergency services and property values by eliminating a dead end. The board said residents on both sides of the issue can present a petition. Field work has been in progress on plans to replace the bridge. Johnny Crotts of Cook Coggin Engineers said a final plan is not yet ready.
Funds are available for the bridge replacement. “We have continued to move forward,” said 2nd District Supervisor Dal Nelms. In other business: ■ The board agreed with Circuit Clerk Joe Caldwell’s request to modify two courthouse entrances to allow a person to exit the building after it has been locked for the day. The doors will be equipped so that a person can exit without a key but not enter. On a few recent occasions, individuals have been locked in the courthouse after hours and could not get out. ■ Supervisors accepted B&M Paving’s bid of $552,895.08 for patch and reseal road work. ■ At the request of the Corinth Public Utilities Commission, the board signed ARC grant application documents for natural gas improvements affecting Kingsford and APAC. ■ Caldwell informed the board that he has a deal with the manufacturer to return the voting machine printer module, spindles and canisters for credit. The printer modules are no longer being used. ■ Former county engineer Ricky Newcomb addressed the board regarding payment on several projects. ■ The board set its next meeting for 9 a.m. June 15.
Biggersville High School Alumni Association needs information BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Biggersville High School Alumni Association is taking roll. The group is in need of information about BHS graduates from 1932-1887 for its annual banquet on June 30. “The contact information
we have is so out of date,” said alumni president Thomas Petty. “There are classes added where we have zero information.” Last year, the group had a little over a 100 attend the banquet at the high school cafeteria. This year’s event is set for the last Saturday in June with a social gathering set for 5:30
p.m. with a meal to follow at 6:30 p.m. “If everyone shows up that we have contacted, there would be around 350 people attend,” said the 1964 BHS graduate. Each year the alumni association pays a special acknowledgment to the class celebrating its 50th year of graduation. The
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 11 Wisdom...... 10
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
1962 class will be honored at this season’s meeting. The former graduates are also set to award a pair of scholarships during the banquet. A memory tables with photos from past graduating classes will be displayed. “The banquet has been going on for 40 years,” said Petty who
is being helped on the project by Dottie Morton Smith. “We hope to get a lot of information so that it will be simpler for the officers that follow us.” Petty would like to have all the data collected by June 18. Information can be given to Petty at 662-286-3121 or Smith at 662-287-5348.
On this day in history 150 years ago Four Union gunboats and five steam rams bypass Fort Pillow and anchor just upstream from Memphis. The two Federal commanders, Commodore Charles Davis and Col. Charles Ellet, cannot agree on a plan to destroy the Confederate fleet.