Daily Corinthian E-Edition 031413

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Thursday March 14,

2013

50 cents

Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 63

Mostly Sunny Today

Tonight

62

41

0% chance of rain

• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 Section

Cowboy Up! Little Creek hosting event BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

It’s time to Cowboy Up. Cowboys from around the country will invade Little Creek Ranch to see who can rope the $2,500 prize. “We got a bunch coming … as far away as Colorado and Kansas,” said organizer Reggie Little. Those coming will comprise a two-man team in the Cow-

boy Up Contest to see who can round up the most wild donkeys on the ranch. “The team that can round up will be the winners,” added Little. The fun gets started Friday with gates opening at 11 a.m. Cow baying begins at noon. Gates open at 7 a.m. Saturday with many events slated throughout the day. All-day music is set to start at 11 a.m.

Over eight bands will be performing during the day, including the Texas Swing Band, Lisa Lambert, Larry Casabella’s New Outlaw Band, and plenty of Bluegrass music. “Our big day is Saturday with a Big Barn Dance set for that night at 8 p.m.,” said Little. Nashville recording artist and songwriter Ben Mathis will be performing from 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the or-

ganizer. Mathis was the 2011 winner of Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run Battle of the Bands. “So far we have had a tremendous response and are hoping for a big crowd of people,” said Little. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children both days. A $25 fee for horse and rider is good all weekend. In the Cowboy Up Contest, the two-man teams will pay a

$250 entry fee that covers all admission and camping fees, including RV hook ups. All teams will leave the starting point at the same time in the no time limit event. The team that ropes and pens the most donkeys in trap is the winner, according to Little. “Multiple horses can be used and there will be a designated Please see COWBOY | 2

8 Local students’ paintings brighten animal shelter site BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Joseph Scarantino puts a base coat of paint on his office project at the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter.

Local high students have started the transformation process. Eight pupils are turning the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter into a bright and colorful place as part of the final stages in the Art for the Shelter Project. The students are spending their Spring Break to put a base coat of paint on their winning projects. A deadline of having all the rooms done is set for April 16. Joseph Scarantino was part of a group painting Wednesday morning. He was adding a coat of bright yellow paint to his office project along with helpers Ashton Brooks and Hannah Byrom. “The shelter really needs this,” he said while taking a

break from painting. “When people walk in the shelter, I want them to be energized with the colors.” Scarantino has a dream of becoming a cartoonist or graphic designer. “My main dream is to have my own cartoon show,” said the Alcorn Central freshman. “Doing this project is a great start.” The high school freshman has plans of adding a “Tom and Jerry” design to the bright yellow office along with a mural of a mouse running up a clock from the popular nursery rhyme of “Hickory Dickory Dock.” While Scarantino was busy with his team in one room, Hollie Loveless was adding a calming light blue coat of paint to the cat room. Please see SHELTER | 2

Numbers show local increase in unemployment percentage BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Alcorn County unemployment rose slightly in January, according to labor force data released Wednesday. The county’s rate hovered just below double digits at 9.9 percent, compared to 9.3 percent in December and 10.8 percent a year earlier. The county had 1,590 unemployed, compared to 1,690 a year earlier, and 14,510 employed, compared to 13,890 a year earlier. Initial claims for unemployment insurance in Alcorn County numbered 144, compared to 116 a year ago, and continued claims totaled 1,051, down from 1,233 a year earlier. Regular unemployment benefits paid $149,566 in the county, down from $176,126 a year earlier, and benefits in

all programs totaled $287,104, down from $473,401 in January 2012. First claims across the state totaled 13,777, rising from 13,055 the prior January. The average weekly benefit was $190.16. Neighboring counties also posted jobless rate increases for the month — Tishomingo at 11.9 percent, up from 10.5 percent in December; Prentiss at 10.8 percent, up from 9.6 in December; and Tippah at 12.7 percent, up from 10.5 percent in December. Results from Mississippi’s non-farm employment survey, which is counted by the location of establishments, reported a not seasonally adjusted decrease of 11,800 in employment over the month but an increase of 17,300 from one year ago. In-

dustry sectors registering the largest monthly employment losses were trade, transportation & utilities; leisure & hospitality; construction; and manufacturing. Mississippi unemployment was 10.7 percent for the month and the national rate was 8.5 percent. Rankin County had the lowest rate in the state at 6.6 percent, and Tunica County fared worst at 20.9 percent. Fourteen counties had rates greater than 15 percent. This month’s data is based on preliminary January 2013 estimates while the Mississippi Department of Employment Security continues revising prior year data, and the numbers are not strictly comparable with data from other time periods.

Group seeks donations for Shiloh Monument BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

Corinth’s Col. W.P. Rogers Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans needs the publics help in honoring the Mississippi soldiers that fought in the Battle of Shiloh. Mississippi is now the only state that had soldiers in the Battle of Shiloh that doesn’t have a monument on the battlefield. In July 2010 the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill pledging to match up to $250,000 of what is raised by heritage groups like the SCV. The local SCV has raised $22,000 so far for the monument. Groups across the state

have raised a total of $130,000. With another $100,000 and the matched money from the state, the groups will be able to purchase a monument just as nice or better than the one Tennessee placed on the Shiloh Battlefield in 2005, said Buddy Ellis, Second Brigade Commander in the SCV and member in charge of the state effort. Ellis said the monument will be placed at Rhea Springs on the battlefield, where the 6th Mississippi Infantry suffered its heaviest casualties during the battle. An estimated 5,575 Mississippi soldiers fought at Shiloh. Approximately 1,000 of them were killed, wounded or report-

ed missing. “We need to do this to honor all the brave Confederate soldiers from Mississippi who fought and died at the Battle of Shiloh,” said Ellis. The Col. W.P. Rogers SCV Camp is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. All checks should be made payable to Col. W.P. Rogers Mississippi Monument at Shiloh Fund and mailed to 33 County Road 152, Corinth, MS 38834. (For more information contact Buddy Ellis at 286-6779 or by email at bellis1960@ comcast.net.)

Index Stocks........9 Classified......14 Comics........ 8 State........ 5

Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12

Chili Cook-Off seeking sponsors for sixth event BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

Sponsors are needed for the 6th Annual Crossroads Chili Cook-Off, coming in early April to the Corinth Depot. Three local organizations have already signed on to help produced the Chili Cook-Off, but organizers say much more help is needed. “It takes quite a bit to run this event, so sponsors are crucial,” said Zack Steen, a member of the Crossroads Chili Cook-Off committee. “We still need sponsors and we’re still looking for sponsors.” Current sponsors for the April 6 event include the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Crossroads Automotive and Corinth Coca-Cola. The Crossroads Chili CookOff will once again share the CARE Garden next to the Corinth Depot with the year’s first installment of the Green Market. The event will also

crown the official International Chili Society sanctioned Mississippi state champions in several categories. The winning cooks competing in the International Chili Society sanctioned categories will move on the the national championship round. “For these pro cooks, this is what they strive for,” Steen said. “We are fortunate to have this sanctioned event here in Corinth.” Categories for the sanctioned competition are Red, Chili Verde and Salsa. Entry fees are $35 for Red, $25 for Chili Verde and $20 for Salsa. Another way to complete is the Local Favorite category, which is for local cooks only and scored by sanctioned judges. Entry fee is $35. The People’s Choice is one of the most popular segments of the event. For $5 the public

On this day in history 150 years ago Admiral David G. Farragut’s squadron of 7 ships attempts to pass the Confederate batteries at Port Hudson. Two ships succeed, one is destroyed and the others are driven back. In a separate expedition, 5 Union gunboats and four mortar barges enter the Yazoo River to secure a lodgment on the east bank of the Mississippi.

Please see CHILI | 2


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