Tuesday July 16,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 168
BY STEVE BEAVERS SELMER, Tenn. — Some McNairy County customers of Regions Bank were contacted over the weekend by someone running a phishing scam. In the scam, customers and even non-customers received a text stating their accounts had been temporarily deactivated and they should call Regions Bank Card Services at 731-7271182 to reactivate. If the number was called, personal information was then requested. “We’ve received reports of fraudulent messages being sent to both customers and noncustomers in the area alerting them that an account has been shut down,” said Mel Campbell with Regions Financial Corpo-
ration. “Unfortunately, these types of fraud attempts are not uncommon.” According to the Regions representative, the same kind of scam took place two months ago in Memphis. The number to call is fairly local with scammers using the “spray and pray” method, where they send out numerous texts hoping to trick individuals into providing personal information. “First and foremost, the safety of the customer’s personal information is a priority for Regions,” said Campbell. “We do not ask customers to confirm their personal information by text or email.” Those who receive the text are urged to not call the number, click the link, or respond to
Today
Tonight
92
71
0% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 Section
Bank warns of scam sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Partly Sunny
Inmate dies of apparent suicide
the text. Campbell offered some tips for those contacted about a possible scam: ■ Don’t respond to requests to provide an account or credit card numbers, user names or passwords, Social Security numbers, date of birth or other personal and financial information. ■ If you receive a message that you question or believe your personal information may have been compromised, contact your bank. ■ Use only published customer service numbers or the one of the back of your card if you need to contact your financial institution.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
An Alcorn County jail inmate died Sunday night in an apparent suicide. The deceased inmate was identified as Michael Frazier, 31. Sheriff Charles Rinehart said he was notified at about 11:30 p.m. that the inmate had been found dead of a hanging in his cell. The inmate was being held in isolation, and a jail employee had last checked at 10:50 p.m. and noted the inmate was lying on his bunk. Frazier was an inmate of
Please see SCAM | 3
the county at the justice complex, which also includes the regional state correctional facility. The inmate left behind a written letter. Frazier was listed on the docket of Alcorn County Circuit Court for the July-August term. Coroner Jay Jones said an autopsy is to be performed today. The sheriff’s department contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to handle the case — standard procedure in the death of a county inmate, Rinehart said. It is the first inmate death at the new facility.
Fiscal year budgets requested at meeting BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Requests for FY 2014 budgets and miscellaneous other items came before the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors Monday morning. At the request of Sandy Mitchell and Joe Duncan, the board approved a resolution requesting assistance from the Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District with levee repairs on the Hatchie River. Mitchell said the area is south of Mississippi Highway 2 on Joe Caldwell’s property. TRVWMD is currently working downstream and may be able to complete the additional work before leaving the county, Mitchell said. In other business:
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Ayanna by the AC Ayanna Esters makes sure she stays cool from recent humidity. The 7-year-old caught the cool breeze from an air conditioner while taking a popsicle break at Project Attention.
■ The board gave approval to Crossroads Arena’s request to pay for various facility needs by dipping into the bricks and mortar account of the arena’s portion of the tourism tax. A list of items, including getting the air conditioning back in good order, totals $93,788. The arena also submitted its budget, which will request $200,000 from the pot of tourism money. Arena Manager Tammy Genovese reported that ticket sales for “Duck Dynasty” currently total 800. ■ The top need at the CorinthAlcorn County Airport is replacement of aging equipment, said board member Lynn Lamb, who submitted the budget.
Please see MEETING | 2
Community urged to learn about changes in education BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Changes are coming to the education system. The Commission on the Future of Alcorn County and the CARE Foundation are taking strides to inform the community of those modifications. Through the Celebration of Excellence in Education the two, in cooperation with the
Daggett
Pierce Foundation, are bringing in noted education speaker, Dr. Willard R. Daggett, to shed more light on the importance to those in Corinth and
Alcorn County. “If people miss this opportunity to hear this fellow, they are going to miss a great opportunity,” said Dr. O. Wayne Gann, Chairman of the Mississippi State Board of Education. “Dr. Daggett has traveled and studied education all over the world, and he has a tremendous amount of information to back up what he says.”
Dr. Daggett, the International Center for Leadership in Education CEO, is slated to speak at two different functions on Monday, August 5. The first session will be held from 8:3011 a.m. at the Crossroads Arena and is for both city and county district educational staffs. A 6:30 p.m. public meeting has been scheduled for that night at the Corinth Coliseum Civic
Center in downtown. “His message needs to be heard by everyone in the city and county,” said CARE Foundation Chairman Sandy Williams. “When it comes to education he and his organization think outside the box … we are fortunate to get such an impressive speaker.” Please see EDUCATION | 2
National Park Travelers Club Group makes local stops in 11th annual convention BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Members of the National Park Travelers Club held a picnic at Crossroads Regional Park this weekend while they were in town for the group’s 11th annual convention. Dozens of members of the club, hailing from almost every state in the union, gathered at the park at 6 p.m. on Saturday to share a meal, share stories, get to know each other and play games. The club provides networking opportunities for visitors to America’s National Park System and collectors of “Passport
to Your National Parks” stamps. It has over 1,200 members, including 26 who have achieved Platinum status by collecting cancellation stamps from all National Park units. At this year’s convention five members were awarded Platinum status, including Corinth resident Woody Harrell, the longtime superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park. One of the picnic participants was NPTC founding member and Platinum traveler Nancy Bandley of Irvine, Calif. She has been with the club since its inception back in 2004, at the second meeting of a group of National Parks enthusiasts. The club has grown considerably since that first meeting of
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Please see CLUB | 2
National Park Travelers Club member Gary Pritchard and Nancy Bandley get ready for the picnic at Crossroads Regional Park.
Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5
Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Joe Johnston waits until dark and then withdraws his army from Jackson, Miss. His force is in danger of being surrounded by those under William T. Sherman, who has more troops. Johnston crosses the Pearl River and continues on to Morton.
Corinth Medical Specialist Acute Care Pediatrics • Well Child Exams Walk-Ins Welcome
3301 Tinin Drive • 662.665.9111 Monday-Friday 8:00am - 5:00 pm