Wednesday May 16,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 118
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
85
59
• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 sections
Blaze destroys business Car in pond Fire was $1 million loss, including four tractor-trailer rigs, 3 forklifts Sammy Carr. The business has been in Selmer for eight years. “We do not know where the fire started, but the State Bomb and Arson Squad will be here to do their investigation to try to find the cause of the fire,” said Carr. Sammy and Sherry Kiser, co-owners of the business, praised the response of the fire department and the kindness shown by their friends on the day of the fire. “Our friends have been real-
BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
SELMER, Tenn. — An early Tuesday morning fire resulted in $1 million in damages to a truck repair shop in Selmer. The company lost four tractortrailer rigs and three forklifts in the blaze. Carolina Southern Trucking, 261 Falcon St., was fully engulfed in fire when the call was made around 5:30 a.m. to the Selmer Fire Department, according to Selmer Fire Chief
ly good to us and have brought us tools to help our men get back to work,” said Sherry Kiser. “It means a lot to us when you have friends come by to help you out and some of them have offered buildings for us to work in.” Chief Carr said the huge fire was made tougher to control because several propane tanks were inside and outside around the metal building. Please see FIRE | 5A
Tourism funds Legion baseball Manager Dale Bain said the team hopes to also represent Corinth in the state- and national-level tournaments. The regular tournament will include 16 games, half of which will be played in Corinth. Board President Chris Porterfield said he liked the idea of sponsoring a baseball tournament. “It brings people from out of
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Area Convention & Visitors Bureau approved a $1,500 sponsorship for Corinth Senior Legion Baseball during their regular meeting Tuesday at the Tourism Office. The team will be competing in a tournament this summer beginning on June 28.
town, from Pontotoc and Tupelo,” Porterfield said. “They’ll be eating at our restaurants, and we might see an increase at Hibbett and Lonnies, buying supplies and stuff.” Board member Melissa Carson was also in favor of approving the sponsorship, citing the number of people who Please see BASEBALL | 5A
City requests Curlee House bids lines,” said Community Development and Planning Director Dave Huwe. Some of the grant funding in hand will be lost if work is not completed this year. The first phase of work is to focus on structural concerns including the foundation, porch and columns, and possibly some work on the facade if enough funding is available, said Huwe. More than $500,000 is
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The long-planned renovation of the Verandah-Curlee House is getting closer to action. The Corinth Board of Aldermen on Tuesday passed a motion to take bids for the first phase of work on the deteriorating historic home, which is owned by the City of Corinth. “We need to advertise immediately to meet our dead-
in hand from state and federal sources to cover the first phase. The next phase of work would include rebuilding the roof. The 1857 Mississippi Landmark home was a base of operation for generals in the Civil War. Along with the rear cottage, it served as an interim Civil War interprePlease see CURLEE | 3A
Photo by Jeff Allen
Early morning dip D.J. Baker, 16, lost control of his Ford Taurus early Tuesday morning and the car left Highway 356 near the Rienzi Crossing before ending up in a pond. According to officials, the driver was not hurt and managed to swim away from the submerged car. Alcorn County Search and Rescue diver Joe Bishop pulls a chain to hook to the vehicle during the recovery process after the accident.
Area high schools set commencement ceremonies BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Beginning at Biggersville High School on Monday, local high school students will cross an important milestone on the way to a successful future as local high schools hold graduation ceremonies for the class of 2012. Monday, May 21 ■ Biggersville High School’s graduation will begin at 7 p.m.
in the gym. A total of 26 seniors will graduate. Tuesday, May 22 ■ Approximately 115 seniors will graduate from Kossuth High School. The ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. on the football field. In case of rain the event will be held at Crossroads Arena in Corinth. Thursday, May 24 ■ Graduation for approximately 105 Alcorn Central High
School seniors will begin at 7 p.m. at Crossroads Arena. Friday, May 25 ■ Corinth High School will graduate 109 seniors at Crossroads Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
Other Area Schools Friday, May 18 ■ Graduation for McNairy Central High School will begin
at 7 p.m. at the school. Around 181 seniors will receive their diplomas. ■ Booneville High School’s graduation begins at 7 p.m. in the high school gym, with approximately 99 students receiving diplomas. Tuesday, May 22 ■ Beginning in the school gym at 7 p.m., 19 seniors at Thrasher High School will graduate. Thursday, May 24
■ Tishomingo County High School’s graduation will begin at 8 p.m. in the high school gym. A total of 139 seniors will complete their high school education. Friday, May 25 ■ Walnut High School’s graduation ceremony, for approximately 59 seniors, will begin at 7 p.m. on the football field. In case of rain the graduation will move into the gym.
Tagert: Transportation department on right path — efficient and safe BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Headed in the right direction. Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert says that is the directive taken by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Tagert updated the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs on MDOT projects during a joint meeting of the civic clubs Tuesday at Shiloh Ridge. “Our mission is very simple,” said the commissioner. “We want to provide the most comprehensive and safest system possible.” Tagert, who won the posi-
tion of transportation commissioner last year, serves 33 counties in the northern part of the state. “The department of transportation works for you because it’s funded by fuel taxes,” Tagert told the group. “The department operates 100 percent on your tax dollars.” One issue the department faces is stretching the dollar, according to the Starkville native. “That’s our challenge,” said Tagert. “We have more vehicles on the road than 25 years ago, but they are more efficient today.” A couple of ways the MDOT is extending the dol-
lar is through fleet management and through refinancing of bonds. “We support the bill that calls for a 2 percent reduction of our fleet management,” said Tagert. “In fact, we think we can better that.” The bill calls for the reduction each fiscal year through June 30, 2016. Tagert also updated the status of the four-laning of Mississippi Highway 9 north of the Toyota Manufacturing plant at Blue Springs. In 2011, the legislature provided $40 million in the Economic Develop-
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Please see TAGERT | 5A
Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert updated the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs on MDOT projects during a meeting at Shiloh Ridge.
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......3B Wisdom......2B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
On this day in history 150 years ago Confederate Gen. Joseph L. Hogg of Texas dies of disease near Corinth. Initially buried at Wenasoga, he was moved in 1917 to Confederate Park, the site of wartime Battery Robinett and the present Civil War Interpretive Center.