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Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 169
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 Sections
Bank robber sentenced to 4 years BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
OXFORD — An Alabama man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty in connection with a string of bank robberies in the region. Brian Perry Jones of Toney, Ala., pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of bank rob-
Alcorn Co. Justice Center in hot water BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Alcorn County Justice Center is facing a problem with failing water heaters throughout the facility. Seventeen units in the South Harper Road facility currently have problems. Jail officials say the units leak when they are not running. Manufactured by Rinnai, the water heaters are wall-mounted, tankless models. Board President Lowell Hinton and District 3 Supervisor Tim Mitchell met with the various parties involved at the justice center Tuesday morning along with Chancery Clerk Bobby Marolt and representatives of the Corinth Gas & Water Department. Consulting engineer C. Ted Beaullieu Jr. said the goal is to correct the problem at no expense to the county. “The materials that are used are common plumbing materials ... We’re still trying to find out what the weak link is,” he said. A pipe leak was found in one problem unit, and others are Please see JAIL | 2A
Indicted on four counts, Alabama man pleaded guilty to Iuka, Tupelo charges bery by force or violence for robberies of Renasant Bank offices in Iuka and Tupelo last fall. He was sentenced to four years in prison and three years
probation in a hearing held Monday in U.S. District Court in Oxford. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the bank. Jones was originally indicted on four counts of bank robbery
in connection with the robberies of the Renasant Bank offices in Iuka and Booneville and two different Renasant Bank branches in Tupelo. Under the plea agreement filed in federal
court Jones pleaded guilty to the robbery of the Iuka bank and the Renasant Bank branch office on Veterans Boulevard in Tupelo and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other two counts in the indictment related to the Booneville bank and the second Please see BANK | 2A
Verandah-Curlee House restoration Preservation work progressing on historic home BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Preservation work is on schedule at the VerandahCurlee House as the contractors incorporate historic elements with modern building techniques to bring the antebellum home into the future. In the current phase of restoration, workers from Callenco LLC of Sheffield, Ala., have replaced the home’s foundation, dug a new footer all around the house and have put piers in place that will support the columns that in turn hold up the roof over the wraparound porch. The new elements will be covered with original materials. “We’ve salvaged the 1857 brick, and we’ll go back and face it all,” explained Rick Caldwell, president of Callenco. “When it’s done you won’t see anything but the original bricks.” The new steel beams in the construction will be obscured by the original white columns — providing the strength of modern materials while preserving the structure’s historical appearance. Caldwell and his crew have managed to save all but two of the original columns and all of the window shutters. In restoring the rosettes that
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smit
Callenco LLC President Rick Caldwell works on the Verandah-Curlee House. surround the house’s large windows and the intricate molding on the header boards, Caldwell is using specially constructed molds to create copies of the deteriorated originals in wood epoxy, a material that shares the same characteristics as wood. Caldwell spent over two hours cleaning an eight-inch segment of the header that he used to create the mold for the wood epoxy. The section is ornately decorated with a classical Greek acanthus leaf pattern.
“You just don’t realize the detail until you see it up close,” Caldwell said, while inspecting the original. “Back in those days people didn’t take any shortcuts.” The project is coming along very well, Caldwell said. The only major problem so far has been the situation with the roof. After starting the project, Caldwell discovered a leak in the roof that could possibly damage the new restoration work.
Members of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Commission — the managers of the property — are currently waiting for permission from the National Park Service national headquarters to use grant money for the current phase of restoration to complete the emergency repairs on the roof. Grant funds for the first phase of restoration are being provided by a Federal Save America’s Please see HOME | 2A
New school attendance Community-based group seeking sponsors “We are needing sponsorships. We’re all law takes effect in state volunteers and we’re low on funding right BY BOBBY J. SMITH
bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A new state law requires school students to spend a certain amount of time in the classroom to be counted present for the day. House Bill 1530, which became law July 1, requires that students be present almost two-thirds of the day to avoid an absence. “That’s going to be hard to explain to parents,” said Corinth School District Superintendent Lee Childress, “but that’s the state law — if your child doesn’t
come to school 63 percent of the number of minutes of the day, less lunch and recess and those types of things, then you are considered to be absent.” For many districts, the statemandated policy will be a big change. “It pretty much has been in the past that if you were there any part of the day, you were considered to be present,” said Childress. The school district will be considering how to phrase the Please see ATTENDANCE | 2A
Northeast Mississippi’s community-based poetry group is seeking sponsors. The Crossroads Poetry Project is a local group that sponsors readings and other events throughout the year including poetry workshops with special guest poets. The group also holds an annual Poetry Writing Contest that is open to student and adult poets in the Corinth area. This year the contest had over 900 entries. The group is expanding its school readings this year to visit schools in the surrounding counties — at Tishom-
Index Stocks......8A Classified......5B Comics......3B State......5A
Weather......9A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....11A
now. We need all the help we can get.” Milton Wallis Vice President, Crossroads Poetry Project ingo, Iuka and Booneville. The all-volunteer group will share poetry and the love of good writing with hundreds or more students. But to do this, they need money. “We are needing sponsorships,” said Milton Wallis, vice president of the group. “We’re all volunteers and we’re low on funding right now. We need all the help we can get.”
Sponsorships to help continue the Crossroads Poetry Project mission will be appreciated at any level. The club is also gearing up for its next Poetry Reading. Held at KC’s Espresso in downtown Corinth, the Crossroads Poetry Project monthly Poetry Reading provides a place for poets of Please see POETRY | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago The Battle of Honey Springs in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) is a Union victory. The fighting sees combat between Native American soldiers (Confederate) and African Americans (Union).
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