Crossroads Weekly FREE
2015 Hwy 72 E. Corinth, MS. 38834 • 662-594-1877 Mon. - Sat. 10 A.M.- 9 P.M. • www.JRwinespirit.com
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Serving Alcorn County • www.crossroadsweekly.com
Arena outsources liquor Things are going according to plan as Crossroads Arena gets ready for its initial show involving liquor sales. “An Evening of the Blues” — starring folk-funk creator Bobby Rush — is scheduled as the first liquor event on Nov. 8. Since the Crossroads Arena has yet to receive its liquor license, sales will be outsourced to a local vendor. “It’s taking much longer than we expected,” said Crossroads Arena General Manager Tammy Genovese of attaining the license. “Other venues use the option we are using for the blues festival.” “We will see how it goes,” added board chairman Dr. Hardwick Kay. “If there are problems, we will address it and make changes.” Kay doesn’t expect everyone to be happy with the facility for
serving liquor at select events. “We will catch some flak over it,” he said. “Every other facility does it and we have to give it a try.” Genovese told the board on Wednesday that 13 of the 17 tables on the floor for the show have been sold. Tickets went on sale July 8. Cost is $42 and $32 for floor seats. Stage left and riser seating is $30 with other riser seating being $23. Ticket service fee and online fees are additional. VIP tables are also available. The tables, floor stage left/ right/front, can be purchased through the box office, phone and in person only for $600 per table. The cost includes a limited quantity of eight seats. Board members heard about a possible VeggieTales event
coming to the facility in the future. “I am running the numbers and taking a look at it,” said Genovese. The Tri State Gospel Fest on Sept. 28 also excites Genovese. “It’s something new that I think will be great,” she said. “I am feeling pretty good about what we have in the fall.” Financially, the manager also likes where the arena is at. “We have a couple of things that can put additional net value to the bottom line,” she said. Genovese came back to a surprise on Monday. A fourth of her office was flooded due to a problem with a ice machine. “My office smells like a wet sock right now,” said Genovese, who is working out of an adjoining office until repairs are made.
VOL. 1 • NO. 6
Person of the Week
University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones presents Corinth native Megan Lindsey Smith with the Taylor Medal, the school’s highest academic honor.
Megan Lindsey Smith
Photo of the Week
A Corinth native who has found big success at the University of Mississippi has been chosen as the Crossroads Weekly Person of the Week. Megan Lindsey Smith of Corinth is among an elite group of scholars at the University to receive the school’s highest award for academics, the Marcus Elvis Taylor Memorial Medal. Smith and other recipients were recognized for their excellence during a ceremony held April 10 on the Oxford campus. Smith, who attended the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and Alcorn Central High School, is the daughter of Tracy and Karen Smith. She is majoring in Biology and English and will graduate in 2015 after which she plans to attend graduate school in phylogeography and biogeography. She plans to pursue a career in academic research. A student in the McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, she
is a member of both the Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Tau Delta honor societies. She also belongs to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and colleges. In addition to being listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, she received a Barksdale Award, Newman Scholarship, Mississippi Eminent Scholar Grant, Mississippi Resident Tuition Grant, Academic Excellence Scholarship and Holmes Scholarship. “The Taylor Medal is the highest academic honor a student can receive at the University of Mississippi, and we are very proud of our students who work so hard to earn it,” said Director of Public Relations Danny Blanton. “These students exemplify the characteristics of academic excellence and leadership that have become synonymous with Ole Miss.”
Gaines promotes gift of life Aaron Canaday took this image of a full moon. The 16-year-old from Farmington took the photo of the Super Moon on July 12. Have a photo you would like to share for the Crossroads Weekly Photo of the Week? Send it and all the necessary information to editor@dailycorinthian.com. We are looking for just about anything: images from vacation or everyday life in the Crossroads area, including friends and family.
Corinth School District approves office raises Corinth School District employees will see a little extra in their paychecks this fall. The district’s board recently approved a 4 percent pay increase for administrative office employees. The raise includes non-certified central office personnel and Superintendent Dr. Lee Childress. The board also voted to provide a 25 cent per hour raise for hourly employees in the district, a raise of $200 for bus drivers and a $3 per day raise for certified and non-certified substitute teachers. “I think these raises show that we want to continue to retain the best people we can attract,” said board member Frank Davis. In other business: • Childress warned the board of the possibility of having to
hire a second pre-kindergarten teacher. “We are close to the maximum of 25 students per class room,” said the superintendent. “We always pick up some new enrollees the closer we get to the start of school.” Childress said current enrollment is more than 2,700 children, which is an increase compared to last year at this time. The board also voted to hire Adrienne Simmons as pre-k teacher and Emily Davis as pre-k teacher assistant for Corinth Elementary School. • The board accepted two grant awarding to fund the hiring of two additional school nurses with one each at Corinth Elementary School and Corinth Middle School. “This is much needed as we have only ever had one nurse
per school,” said Childress. The Mississippi Department of Education School Nurse Intervention program will provide a $50,000 yearly salary for each new nurse position. • The board appointed Childress and attorney Bill Davis to collaborate on handbook changes for all three district schools. According to Childress, the handbooks deserve some attention and need to be reviewed. Davis said some areas of the handbooks include unnecessary words or sentences. “I’m not talking about rewriting policies, just clarifying certain areas to make it easier to understand,” added Davis. The two will provide revision recommendations to the board at the next meeting.
Mrs. Mississippi encouraged residents to give the ultimate gift of life by becoming an organ donor during a recent visit to Corinth. Mrs. Mississippi Dawn Keenum Gaines visited Corinth’s Mississippi Department of Public Safety driver’s license office last week as part of a tour through the north half of the state to promote her platform about organ donation. Gaines knows first hand the power of donation. Her fatherin-law, John Gaines, of Nesbit is alive today because of a heart transplant received 12 years ago. “Whether you are a donor or a transplant recipient you can find it within your heart to help someone else,” said Gaines. “We consider it to be like a lasting legacy,” said Mid-South Transplant Foundation Community Outreach Coordinator Zola Burgess. “When you choose to become a donor, you are giving an extension of yourself. We are our brother’s keepers and through our generous donations, we allow them to live on.” According to Burgess, only
24 percent of licensed drivers are registered as donors. “Once you make the choice to become an organ donor, a heart is applied to your drivers license. When you come in it will let everyone know you’ve chosen to save lives,” said Master Sergeant Tammy Hall. Corinth and DeSoto County currently carry the state as having the most donors. “We take pride in our jobs and we believe in organ donations,” said Corinth Office Supervisor Tim Chapman. As she autographed photos and posed for pictures, Mrs. Mississippi urged everyone to donate life and become a link.
AiM hands out Arts in McNairy awards for the best in local amateur photography The best in area amateur photography, including the work of several Alcorn County residents, is being honored through this year’s Arts in McNairy Photo Contest. Photos from the contest will be on display in the McNairy Visitors and Cultural Arts Center (Latta
Center) through the closing reception on Aug. 15. “We are proud of our winners this year. We are considering a gallery exhibit next year rather than a contest,” said Contest Coordinator Lanessa Miller. “We would like to put the emphasis on sharing and exploring photog-
raphy and hope many will participate in our photography events next year.” Corinth photographer Bill Avery collected the Best of Show award for his portrait of veteran and Harley Davidson rider Mac Gilmore, titled “Whiskers”. Lisa Lambert took first
place in the environment category for “Where I Come From”. Other 2014 AiM Photo Contest winners were: • Jack Huff, “Red Flower,” First Place Artistry • Nichole Park, “Catching the Golden Light,” First Place Portrait • Linda Craig, “Luna
Luna,” Second Place Environment • Faye Armour, “Redecorating,” Second Place Moment • Becky Parent, “Angels Among Us,” Second Place Artistry • Kala Mercer, “Hug Around the Neck,” Second Place Portrait
Located across from the Courthouse at 205 West Court Street in Selmer, the Latta Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (For information, call 731-439-2891 or visit the website at www.artsinmcnairy.com. Also, follow them on Facebook.)SNbS