Daily Corinthian E-Edition 082312 by Daily Corinthian

Wednesday August 22, 2012 50 cents

Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 202

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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections

Voters decide ‘No new taxes’ Referendum results overwhelmingly defeat Future Fare concept BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Corinth voters rejected a tax increase for infrastructure improvements by a wide margin on Tuesday. Machine totals showed 1,108 (70 percent) voted against the Future Fare program and 473 voted for the program. Those totals do not include about 90 absentee ballots. Mayor Tommy Irwin, who spent months promoting the program, remained upbeat after learning of the lopsided result. “The people have spoken,” he said. “All along I have wanted to tell our citizens the condition of Corinth. I owe it to them as mayor. I have done that. They have decided at this point in time that they are not for a tax increase to work on infrastructure. I’m going to keep working hard. We’re going to keep looking for any way to get money to fix this problem we’ve got. The problem is not going to fix itself, but I’m going to work hard and keep trying to find those monies to make Corinth better.” Irwin had argued that the

Tax Levy Vote Against: 1,108 For: 473 (Note: With 90 absentee votes still being counted.) city’s stagnant income is not enough to keep up with infrastructure problems, such as an aging sewer system, and the need to work to improve the city’s “curb appeal” to help lure employers. Turnout was extremely light. According to the circuit clerk’s office, the city had 9,074 active voters at the deadline to register for eligibility to vote in this election, which puts the turnout at about 18 percent. Future Fare would have added a 12 mill special tax levy for a period of five years, generating about $1,020,000 per year, and a special election was required because of the size of the tax increase. The program proposed $3.6 million in street milling and paving,

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Corinth City Hall poll worker Myra Burns checks in a voter during Tuesday’s referendum. while the rest would have been spent in categories such as grant

match funding, improvements to key city entrances, drainage work,

property cleanup and strategic planning.

Alcorn County joins CodeRED system BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Alcorn County supervisors agreed this week to join the CodeRED emergency notification system. Emergency Management Director Ricky Gibens said 10 entities, including the city of Corinth, have agreed to participate. The cost will be about $1,600 annually per agency, which will be a significant cost savings compared to what some have individually paid for other alert systems. Gibens said it is a more advanced system than others that have been used by the city and county. “It’s a valuable tool for all of us,” he said. Agencies can send out alerts

about severe weather, road closings and other public safety matters. The service sends notifications to both land lines and cellular phones and offers a mobile phone application. Alerts can also be targeted to specific areas, such as in the case of a road closing. The county is able to get a group rate through the Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District. Gibens said the school districts and hospital may also participate, which would further decrease the cost per agency. In other business on Monday, the board agreed to provide a local match of $3,466.33 on an amended grant to adPlease see SYSTEM | 2A

Corinth tourism bureau Thrift store clothes carry $1 pricetag OKs event sponsorships Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Sheila Hurst gets clothing ready at the Lighthouse Family Thrift Store. The store has priced all clothing at $1 at its Harper Square Mall site. (Additional photo, page 2A)

BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

The Lighthouse Family Thrift Store is passing on the generosity. The fundraising project of the Lighthouse Foundation has lowered the price of all clothing to $1 at its Harper Square Mall location. “We have had some great days,” said store manager Sheila Hurst. “We hope people will continue to donate so we can give back to the community.” All money made through the thrift store goes back into the community, funding the many projects of the Lighthouse Foundation Ministry. According to Hurst, the

thrift store has a nice selection of clothing for the whole family. “We put new clothes out every hour,” she said. “Parents can find some really nice items for their children.” Items from jeans, suits to dresses are all $1 each. Shoes and purses are now $2 with a new shipment of lamps and toys now part of the inventory. A new book section has been added, along with plenty of new and old furniture. “We are starting to bring out our fall and winter items, but we have plenty of summer clothes left,” said the store manager. Hurst said the thrift store

is set to begin putting up its Christmas display in a couple of months as well as continue to put out items every day. “We have bundles of clothes we haven’t even opened,” she said. “Every day more things are pouring in because of the generosity of the community.” An array of items are available at the store situated in the former home of Spice of Life. Shoppers can find clothing, glassware, furniture, jewelry, shoes, accessories, books and bedding at the store. The Lighthouse Family Thrift Store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The store is closed Sunday and Monday.

Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......3B Wisdom......2B

Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A

BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The Corinth Area Convention & Visitors Bureau approved over $4,000 worth of funding requests from local organizations to help promote upcoming events which will bring visitors to Corinth. On Tuesday the tourism board voted to contribute to promotional efforts for the Corinth Sportsplex and Main Street Corinth. The largest sponsorship was $3,000 to Main Street Corinth. The funds will sponsor the 22nd Annual Hog Wild Festival, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 4, through Saturday, Oct. 6. This year’s Hog Wild carnival will be held downtown around Courthouse Square, and the en-

tertainment area will be at the corner of Fillmore and Cruise Streets. “Last year thousands of people from all over our city, county, state and region journeyed to downtown Corinth to attend the Hog Wild BBQ Festival,” wrote Main Street Director Montana Hill in the organization’s funding request. “In addition to being a great attraction for our town and a benefit for our community, all of the money raised during the Hog Wild BBQ Festival will be used to create more family-friendly events, improve the existing downtown streets, atmosphere and landscaping, as well as help existing and new businesses flourish.” Please see TOURISM | 2A

On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Frank Armstrong orders Gen. Price to lead his cavalry around Corinth to determine enemy numbers and defensive positions. This reconnaissance is to pave the way for a planned attack on Corinth.

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