Wednesday Feb. 13,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 38
A.M. rain Today
Tonight
51
34
30% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 26 pages • Two sections
County begins alert system BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County has activated the CodeRED alert system to inform the community of severe weather and to make other important announcements. With available phone numbers, CodeRED has already been used once on the morning of Feb. 2 to alert residents of icy road conditions that developed with a late-breaking freezing rain event. The Alcorn County Emergency Services Agency and E911 are preparing to make a call to the entire commu-
nity on Wednesday, Feb. 20, to announce and promote the CodeRED system. It will direct call recipients to the Alcorn County website (alcorncounty.org), where individuals can click on the CodeRED link to customize the types of warnings they are interested in receiving or opt out of the system entirely. Individuals can also visit the link to add a phone number to the database. After the call on Feb. 2, “We had a few people call and wanted to opt out, and we had Please see ALERT | 3A
Corinth schools plan for growth Staff photo by Steve Beavers
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
Mississippi State veterinary student Nick Naszradi performs a procedure on an animal.
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
MSU mobile unit remains life saver for animal shelter BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Dr. Phil Bushby is in the business of taking shelter animals off death row. The veterinarian and 35-year faculty member along with veterinary students from Mississippi State University were on the job at the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter on Monday. The team, part of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine's
NEMCC names Robbins new student dean/ athletic director For the Daily Corinthian
BOONEVILLE — After nearly a decade serving as Northeast Mississippi Community College’s head men’s basketball coach, David Robbins’ role is changing. Northeast President Dr. Johnny L. Allen, Ed.D., announced recently that Robbins would become the college’s new dean of students/athletic director, a position vacated when Ricky Ford was named executive vice president to replace Dr. Larry Nabors, current president at Mississippi Delta Community College. Robbins’ said he would coach the remainder of the season, Please see ROBBINS | 6A
mobile unit, performed 23 surgeries on animals of the shelter. About the same number of animals were put through the procedure Tuesday. “Being able to have animals spayed or neutered before they leave the shelter ensures happier and healthier animals,� said shelter director Charlotte Doehner. “It also increases their chances of being adopted.� Doehner said the shelter had
2,800 animals come through last year. “The key to getting the population under control is spaying and neutering,� she said. “It is critical for shelters to have animals spayed or neutered prior to adoption,� added Bushby. That can be costly when dealing with close to 3,000 animals. Please see VET | 3A
The Corinth School District is taking a look at how an increasing student population will affect facility needs in the coming years. Growth has been the trend in recent years, including an enrollment increase of about 8 percent in the current school year, and the district expects to continue adding students. District-wide enrollment is currently about 2,500, including those in pre-kindergarten. “Potentially, if we had between 2 and 3 percent growth over a period of time, we could grow to the neighborhood of 3,100 children by the ’16-’17 school year,� Superintendent Lee Childress told the board of trustees. With continued growth each
year, the middle school will be facing the need for additional classrooms in four to six years, he said. Plans to sell all three of the vacated elementary school properties could change, based on these numbers. The district expects to close the deal with Easom Outreach Foundation for the transfer of the South Corinth campus for use as a community center within 30 days, and the East Corinth and West Corinth campuses are going to be advertised for bids. However, the district may consider holding on to one of those for possible use again in the future. “If we were going to keep a school that we possibly might want to look at in terms of Please see GROWTH | 6A
Kiwanis Club honors Master Gardener BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Kiwanis honored Herman Gray on Tuesday for the Master Gardener’s contribution to the community through his work with local kids at the Lighthouse Foundation. “Every so often an outstanding individual comes into kids’ lives at the the Lighthouse,� said Gary Caveness, of the Lighthouse Foundation. “Two years ago, Herman came and intervened and got involved in these kids’ lives.� The Kiwanis recognized Gray and presented him with a plaque for his involvement in the Lighthouse Foundation’s Corinthian Garden. The Corinthian Garden began as a vacant inner-city lot, but thanks to Gray, other volunteers and the kids at the Lighthouse Foundation, it soon became a thriving garden, producing corn, squash,
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
The Lighthouse Foundation’s Gary Caveness presents a plaque to Herman Gray (right), who was joined by a fellow gardener from the Lighthouse’s Corinthian Garden. tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and cantaloupes.
Index Stocks......8A Classified......6B Comics......5B State......5A
Weather....10A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....12A
The kids work in the garden and learn lessons about long-
term goals and reaping what one sows. At harvest time, the kids get to take the fresh produce home to their families. “I have enjoyed doing this,� said Gray. “It’s been a worthwhile experience. And these boys — I’ve really enjoyed working with them.� The Lighthouse Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with urban youths through after-school tutoring programs, summer camps and leadership programs. The garden project involves approximately 15 boys in third through sixth grade who work alongside volunteers. Kiwanis member Danny Turner praised Gray’s work with the kids in the garden. “He volunteered to teach these kids how to grow a garden,� said Turner. “It’s a great thing. These kids may not have had the opportunity Please see GRAY | 3A
On this day in history 150 years ago The USS Indianola successfully runs past the Vicksburg guns with orders to join the USS Queen of the West on the Red River. At the White House, Mrs. Lincoln kicks off the pre-social season by hosting a dinner for the famous midget General Tom Thumb and his wife.
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