Today: 38-page special edition Tuesday March 19, 2013 50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 67
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 38 pages • 3 sections
Supervisors ratify water line request BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
James D. Seigars looks over a poem he compiled after former Sgt. Hasan Akbar carried out an attack on the 101st Airborne Division in Kuwait in 2003 while Seigars was a non-commissioned supply officer.
‘Last Letter’ honors fallen soldier sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Colon cancer remains high cause of death
Are you coming home for Christmas, son it’s been almost 3 years Christmas isn’t the same without you, son there is no laughter, just tears last night I dreamt about you, son and its only added to my fears There’s a knock on the door, son now, who could that be? There’s a man at the door, son he says he’s from the U.S. Army What was that, sir? what did you say? My son won’t get this letter, why? because he died last Saturday of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death on April 28 and is confined in the United States Disciplinary Barracks. Akbar told prosecutors he carried out the attacks to prevent the soldiers from killing Muslims in Iraq. He became the first American soldier accused of killing fellow soldiers since the Vietnam War. “He (Seifert) was shot in the back five minutes after I spoke
BY STEVE BEAVERS
to him,” said Seigars of that day. “It was worse than anything that happened in Iraq.” Seigars was the 101st Airborne non-commissioned supply officer for his battalion which was preparing to invade Iraq. He struck up a quick friendship with Seifert. “When you are in the Army, you get to be fast friends,” he said. The two were headed to mess Please see LETTER | 3A
Work to see an Alcorn County bridge replaced has been a slow go. The District 2 bridge on County Road 346 has been closed for eight years, according to supervisor Dal Nelms. The bridge located near Liberty Hill Baptist Church has already collapsed. Legal issues with the railroad has delayed work on the project. “What is a short process with the railroad has basically turned into a battle,” said county engineer Johnny
Crotts of Cook Coggin Engineers Inc., to supervisors Monday. “We are behind in what we thought we would be at this time.” Redmont Railway Company of Red Bay, Ala., owns the land under the structure. “The holdup has been the railroad,” said Nelms. “Before we can do the work, the land has to be signed over to the county.” “The railway company wants to sign over the land, it’s just the matter of going Please see BRIDGE | 3A
Corinth organization helps retirees connect BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
March may come in like a lion, but lions can be tamed. With proper screening and treatments, the same can be said for colorectal cancer. M a r c h has been designated National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. As Dr. David C. Portnoy Portnoy, a Medical Oncology and Hematology specialist with The West Clinic, notes there is some irony between it and the third month of the year. “Colon cancer is the third Please see CANCER | 3A
Please see RETIREES | 3A
BY H. LEE SMITH II
CR 346 bridge saga continues sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Getting connected is making life simpler for senior citizens in the area. The Corinth Connectors, a group of retirees who meet once a month for a luncheon, find opportunities for senior volunteers to help in the community. “Seniors bring life experiences, knowledge and skill that are a value to the community,” said member Tom Chartres. “Putting those skills to use in our community is one of our goals.” The group meets the third Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. for a lunch at a different area restaurant. “We make an effort to have a program pertaining to seniors each time we meet,” said Chartres, who is an ambassador along with his wife, Martha. “Corinth is one of 20 Certified Retirement Communities by MDA (Mississippi Develop-
lsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Please see WATER | 3A
Last Letter
BY STEVE BEAVERS A knock at the door. It’s what most military families dread the most. James D. Seigars survived 26 years in the Army. His family escaped hearing that unwanted tap from an United States Army representative. The 46-year-old Booneville man often thinks of the many soldiers who lost their lives over the years — one in particular. Capt. Christopher Seifert is the reason for Seigars’ poem — “Last Letter” — written April 14, 2004. Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone were murdered March 23, 2003, when former Sgt. Hasan Akbar carried out an attack on the 101st Airborne Division. Akbar threw four grenades into three tents and then fired his rifle during the chaos. Fourteen other soldiers were wounded in the attack at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait. On April 21, 2005, Akbar was found guilty of two counts
Supervisors approved the request of a small Tippah County town to extend lines into Alcorn County in effort to improve its water system. County Engineer Johnny Crotts of Cook Coggin Engineering told supervisors the Chalybeate Water Association needs an agent for its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application. “The town has to have an agent since it’s not incorporated,” said Crotts. Some lines from the town already exist in Alcorn County. “This will help finish services that haven’t been completed,” said District 5 Super-
visor Jimmy Tate Waldon. “It’s another way we can work together to help our rural areas.” According to Crotts, 12-15 new customers would be accommodated by the upgrade. “The line extensions will also improve the water pressure service to around 100 people,” said the engineer. The CDBG is a grant program that is available to fund publicly owned infrastructure for community based projects. Funding from this program can be used by municipalities and counties. Grants can be used on such projects as: ■ Drainage systems
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Tom Chartres and his wife, Martha, are ambassadors in the Corinth Connectors program.
Index Stocks......8A Classified......8B Comics...... 7A State......5A
Weather......9A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....10A
On this day in history 150 years ago It is clear that Vicksburg is the key to the Confederate defense of the Mississippi River. President Jefferson Davis writes to Gen. John C. Pemberton that he is sending heavy artillery to add to the number of cannons being assembled for the expected conflict.