Friday June 15,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 144
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Municipal League endorses Future Fare BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Mississippi Municipal League on Thursday gave its endorsement to Corinth’s Future Fare proposal. George Lewis, executive director of the advocacy group for cities across Mississippi, visited Corinth to meet with city officials and discuss issues. He believes the five-year special tax levy of 12 mills is a good idea to improve the city. “The difference between a good city and a great city is the initiative a person takes,” said Lewis. “Almost every city has a plan. Every city initiates that plan. To have a plan not for just tomorrow but the next year and five years down the road is an imStaff photo by Jebb Johnston Mississippi Municipal League Executive Director George Lewis on portant thing. I think this program is going Thursday endorsed Corinth's proposed Future Fare program. Meeting with to give a long-term address to the needs Lewis (left) are Quincy Mukoro, government affairs, MML; Vickie Roach, and grow Corinth to an even greater city city clerk; and Mayor Tommy Irwin.
than it is. It excites me to see the things that they want to do.” While taxes are unpopular, he believes Future Fare will be positive for the growth and prosperity of the community’s families. “If you didn’t have taxes, what would you do away with — the firetruck, the police cars, the ambulance, schools, the ballfields?” said Lewis, who was making his first visit to the city in several years. “Taxes fund those important things that people want that bring quality to their life. If you look at in that respect, it’s a great investment.” Mayor Tommy Irwin is soliciting endorsements of the thoroughfare and infrastructure program from civic clubs, boards and other groups. City voters will accept or reject the program, which is expected to generate $5 million over five years, in a special election on Aug. 21.
2nd chance at free shots for children
Police clears city park BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
A standoff with an armed suspect threatening suicide at Corinth’s Crossroads Regional Park ended peacefully this week with the subject surrendering his weapon. Police responded to the park around 10 p.m. Monday where the found a male subject sitting in an automobile with a handgun threatening to shoot himself. Police Chief David Lancaster said Detective Capt. Ralph Dance, a trained negotiator, was called to the scene to talk to the suspect via cell phone while police officers and officers from the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department and the Farmington Police Department cleared the park and blocked all entrances to protect the public and prevent the suspect from leaving. After a brief negotiation, the suspect dropped the weapon from the car and he was taken into custody. No charges have been filed and Lancaster said the person is receiving appropriate medical care.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Parents have another shot at certain free immunizations for their children during the next couple of weeks. Beginning Monday and continuing through June 29, all county health departments will offer Tdap, HPV and meningococcal vaccinations free for children ages 11 to 18. Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) is newly required this year for all children entering seventh grade. It is already required by most other states and has been recommended for that age group since 2006. The shot normally costs $10. “We want to provide parents with every possible opportunity to vaccinate their adolescent children,” said MSDH Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. “With the new Tdap vaccine requirement for seventh-graders this year, we encourage parents to also vaccinate their children against HPV and meningitis. These are recommended adolescent vaccinations that can be given at the same time as the Tdap vaccination.” Pertussis (whooping cough) is highly contagious and is currently considered an increasing threat. The immunity gained from early childhood immunizations against the illness weakens over time, the health department notes. Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children ages 2 through 18. About 1,000 to 1,200 people in the U.S. get the disease each year, and 10 to 15 percent die. The Alcorn County Health Department is located on Jo Ann Drive.
City opens Curlee House bids BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Mark Boehler
Slippery sliding
Alcorn Central 6th grader, Alex Williams, 11, shows his base sliding form this week at the Alcorn Central Baseball Camp. He was one of 25 campers learning from ACHS Baseball Coach Jeff Wood and ACHS baseball players during this week’s camp.
City officials on Thursday unsealed bids for the first phase of the Verandah-Curlee House restoration. The bids will likely go before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for consideration in Tuesday’s meeting. Including both the base bid Please see BIDS | 3A
State names Ramer School science educator Teacher of Year finalist BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
RAMER, Tenn. — Joy. The joy of teaching children has helped one Ramer School teacher be nominated as one of the nine finalists for Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Lisa Roten teaches science to 6th-8th grade students at Ramer School. This is her second year at the school after beginning her teaching career at Adamsville Elementary School. Roten has already been named the teacher of the year for Ramer School, McNairy County, the Southwest Region and West Tennessee. The Ten-
nessee Teacher of the Year will be announced by the Tennessee Department of Education at a banquet this fall in Nashville. “I was in disbelief when they told me about being nominated for state teacher of the year,” said Roten. “I was proud and excited for the honor. I love what I am doing and would not want to do anything else.” This is not the first time for Roten to receive recognition for her efforts in the classroom. She was named Walmart’s Tennessee Teacher of the Year in 2005 and was named as the teacher of the year once at Adamsville Elementary.
Roten realized while working at Kroger that her destiny was going to be teaching young people. She worked at Kroger for 23 years before beginning her teaching career at AES. She came to Corinth with Kroger in 1981 and worked at the local store in various positions, including customer service supervisor, until 1999. “It hit me while at Kroger that I was always being put in a teaching position and was placed to train others,” Roten commented. “I decided to go back to school and become a teacher.” The little things that fuel Ro-
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
ten as a teacher are when she sees students improve from year-to-year and how former students tell her how much they enjoyed being in her class. “I get the most satisfaction when a student has that ‘Aha!’ moment when you know they have gotten what you are teaching them,” said Roten. “I had one write me to say I was her favorite teacher because I helped her learn and did not intimidate her.” The creative teacher said she wanted her students to learn and have fun whether they are doing a chemistry experiment, building rockets or dissecting a pig.
“I enjoy having students for three years in my class because I’m able to see their learning progression,” said Roten, who earned her B.S. in Education degree at the University of North Alabama. “It makes me feel good to have a student say they can’t wait to have science.” Roten, a Memphis native who graduated from Elliston Academy, is married to Randy Roten and they reside in Ramer. She has four children, Marcus Boehler, Matt Boehler, Mallory Bradley and son-in-law Chip Bradley and Meribeth Boehler. She has one grandchild, Jackson Price.
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. William T. Sherman sets out on a raid from LaGrange, Tenn., to Holly Springs. He reports “the people not unfriendly.” The town would change hands so many times during the war the locals called it “The Independent Republic of Holly Springs.”