Saturday Dec. 29,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 314
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Commissioners sworn in Education leads
agenda for legislature
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County’s election commissioners gathered Friday morning to take the oath of office for a new four-year term. All five of the incumbents are returning: Bobby McDaniel, 1st district; John Peebles, 2nd district; Billy Bearden, 3rd district; Keith Settlemires, 4th district; and Wendell Dixon, 5th district. Circuit Judge James Roberts Jr. administered the oath at the Alcorn County Courthouse before family, friends and other elected officials who came to congratulate the veteran group on their return to office. Much of the commissioners’ work is behind the scenes but essential to the holding of elections. “The election commissioners are sometimes overlooked in the grand scheme of those who hold public office,” said Roberts. “These people perform some of the most basic Please see OATH | 2
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Second District Election Commissioner John Peebles gets a big hug of congratulations from his wife, Delise, after taking the oath of office Friday morning.
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Taking part in the swearing-in ceremony were (from left) Circuit Judge James Roberts Jr.; Bobby McDaniel, 1st district; John Peebles, 2nd district; Billy Bearden, 3rd district; Keith Settlemires, 4th district; and Wendell Dixon, 5th district.
Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series looking at issues facing the state legislature in 2013. Education will be the main focus of state lawmakers in the first legislative session of the new year. “We’re going to be looking at the state of Mississippi education, how it can be improved and how to make sure our children get the best education possible,” said 2nd District Rep. Nick Bain, who sits on the state education committee. “Education is a big thing for me, and I’ll be in the forefront of that down there.” Topping the education concerns is the issue of charter schools. In preparation for the session, members of the education committee recently visited a number of charter schools. First District Rep. Bubba Carpenter believes that a charter school bill will be passed and signed into law in 2013. Carpenter said he will look at every piece of legislation and make the vote that would least effect Alcorn and Tishomingo County schools. “The state lags in the standards of education — but not because of our area. Our area is in great shape,” said Carpenter. “Our schools are great, and our teachers and superintendents, and I would do nothing to endanger that, but we have 82 counties and we have to look statewide to try to correct the problem.” Lawmakers will also work to balance the state budget. House Republicans have proposed a budget that is lev-
el funded with no cuts (with the exception to K-12 and forestry). “At the end of the day we’ll be spending less one-time money,” said Carpenter. “In the past administration as well as last year we inherited Speaker McCoy and his guys’ Bain budget and had to go with what they proposed. That b u d g e t spent about $500 million of onetime money, which comes from Carpenter the federal government or what you have in reserves. Last year we were able to spend about $400 million. this year we’re down to about $125 million of that one-time money, which is very, very good.” The spending cuts mean more money will be placed in reserve for the future and an increase in payments on the state’s debt. “We have a bonded debt and we’re paying about $200 million of that off this year, which is great for the state,” Carpenter explained. “We’re getting better and better at not owing so many people so much money.” Carpenter said his focus is to balance the budget, work Please see AGENDA | 2
Alcorn County municipal elections set for new year BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Candidate qualifying for leadership positions in four Alcorn County municipalities opens next week. The upcoming year will see quadrennial general elections in most of Mississippi’s municipalities, including Farmington, Rienzi, Kossuth and Glen, which will elect mayors and aldermen. As a special charter city, Corinth is one of a handful of exceptions; 2014
is the next election year for Corinth. With nothing up for grabs at the county or state level this year, attention will be focused on municipal races. Because of New Year’s holiday closings, qualifying will begin on Wednesday in most towns and cities. The qualifying period runs through 5 p.m. on March 8. Those running as independents must file a petition and statement of intent with the
municipal clerk. Partisan candidates file a statement of intent and a qualifying fee which goes to the political party. The smaller towns and cities of Alcorn County have generally only had independent candidates running in the general election, but this week’s declaration of Republican allegiance by Farmington Mayor Dale Fortenberry and the five aldermen sets up the possibility of a party primary, primary runoff and general election in
the city of 2,186. Mayor Dale Fortenberry said he and the aldermen intend to seek reelection as Republicans rather than independents. “If somebody wants to run as a Democrat or an independent, that’s their right,” he said. The number of candidates will be a factor. Four years ago, only four people qualified to run for the five seats on the Board of Aldermen. The city’s police chief, who
also joined in the Republican announcement, is appointed. If the city has a contested primary, it will be on May 7 with a runoff on May 21 if needed. The general election date is June 4. For those running as independents, the number of signatures required for the petition is 15 in Glen, Kossuth and Rienzi and 50 in Farmington. The new four-year term for mayor and aldermen will begin July 1.
Beans, corn post record yields across state Theatre BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Farmers in the state saw a record soybean and corn yield in 2012. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, soybean yields rose to 42 bushels per acre, while corn yields rose to 156 bushels per acre in the state. In Alcorn County, the corn crop was considered below average. “We had a lot of negative issues that were heat related,” said Alcorn County Extension Director Patrick Poindexter. “A lot of corn wasn't fully pollinated due to the hot weather.” Corn production has expanded in Mississippi in the last five or six years, as more corn gets turned into ethanol, driving up prices. Agricultural economist John Michael Riley of Mississippi State University said he be-
“When it comes to soybeans, the county did better. Our soybean crop was the bright spot, doing at or better than average.” Patrick Poindexter Alcorn County Extension Director
lieved Mississippi farmers are getting better at growing corn, which expanded to 780,000 acres in the state. “Producers are learning how to grow the crop more productively,” he said. Mississippi growers harvested 1.22 million bushels, more corn than any year except 2007, when they planted 930,000 acres of the grain. Overall, Mississippi farmers did see healthier crops than Midwestern farmers, who
struggled with drought issues. The larger crops meant more money for farmers in the state. Riley forecasts that’s likely to boost the state’s farm revenue this year to $7.5 billion once federal farm supports are included. That’s 9 percent higher than last year’s $6.9 billion. Soybeans are forecast to become the state’s second most valuable crop bringing in $1.16 billion in revenue. “When it comes to soybeans,
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the county did better,” said Poindexter. “Our soybean crop was the bright spot, doing at or better than average.” Poultry and eggs remain Mississippi’s most valuable agricultural product, with farmers producing $2.53 billion worth. Broiler prices rose during the year, but growers in the nation’s No. 5 poultry state continue to struggle with high prices for the soybeans and corn that go into chicken feed. Growth in corn and soybean production came at the expense of reduced cotton acreage. “There just isn't a lot of cotton in the county or the state,” said Poindexter. Fewer than 500,000 acres of cotton were harvested, and that could dip lower next year if prices don’t rise. Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed to this article.
offers kids classes BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
With two youth productions lined up for the first quarter of 2013, Corinth Theatre-Arts is offering a program to teach kids the basics of acting on the stage. “We’ve got our two children’s shows starting in January, and in order to assist students in the acting process, we decided to go ahead and match some classes to go with those shows,” said CT-A Artistic Director Cristina Skinner. Student actors will participate in the two upcoming productions — “The House Please see CLASSES | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago 32,000 Union soldiers under Gen. Sherman attack Confederate positions at Chickasaw Bluffs, north of Vicksburg. The 14,000 defenders have the advantage of high ground and repulse the attack. The defense of Chickasaw Bluffs and destruction of the supply depot at Holly Springs have saved Vicksburg for the time being.