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Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 127
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 sections
One of two state-run cemeteries sold Jeff Rencher of Corinth purchased Oaklawn Cemetery in Booneville and will begin operating the cemetery immediately, said Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Tuesday. “We’re very excited to have private ownership of the property,” said Hosemann.
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s office has announced the sale of one of two area cemeteries taken over in 2011 after questions surfaced about the handling of pre-need burial funds.
He noted it has taken nearly two years for his staff to contact all those affected, piece together records and prepare the property to be sold. The previous owner of Oaklawn Cemetery in Booneville and Forrest Memorial Park in Alcorn County, Wayne Hight,
pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of misapplying or converting pre-need burial funds. Two of the counts were in reference to activities at Forrest Memorial Park and the other two involved Oaklawn Memorial Park Hight was sentenced to 10
years on three of the counts with six suspended and an additional 10 year suspended sentence on the fourth count, leaving him with a total of four years to serve and 16 years suspended, along with five years Please see CEMETERY | 3A
Secretary of state visits Booneville, addresses issues BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann touched on several election related issues during a visit Tuesday to Booneville. Hosemann said he is extremely pleased with a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the validity of the 2011 legislative elections. Last week the court refused to order new legislative elections, rejecting a challenge by the Mississippi NAACP arguing the state legislature’s failure to adopt new district lines across the state using 2010 census data requires the 2011 election conducted under those old lines be invalidated and a special election be held. The Supreme Court last week upheld lower court rulings supporting the decision to hold the elections under old district lines since the legislature failed to draw new ones. Hosemann said the issue has always been at heart one of following the state constitution which requires elections be held every four years. He
said the Supreme Court ruling affirms the legitimacy of the rule of the state constitution. “We need to follow our own constitution,” he said. A ruling requiring new elections would have cost taxpayers a huge amount of money to fund special elections and short-circuited the existing legislative cycle, he said. Hosemann also noted his office last week sent in the final items requested in March by the U.S. Justice Department in relation to the department’s ongoing review of Mississippi’s voter identification requirement. The requirement was approved by voters in a referendum during the Nov. 2011 general election. Hosemann said the Justice Department now has up to 60 days to reply to this latest exchange and once that response is received a decision will be made on how to proceed. The voters of the state have voted for this requirement, he said, and he is determined to see the law put into place Please see HOSEMANN | 3A
Photo by Milton Sandy Jr.
The condition of the Elam Creek railroad trestle area between Allen and Mitchell Streets before efforts to clear the creek is shown in September 2010.
5 priority creek cleanups complete, local governments skate on $325,000 BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Three years after flood waters overtook public housing and shopping centers in Corinth, the five priority creek cleanup projects identified by the Bridge, Phillips and Elam Concurrent Drainage Districts are
complete. The Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District wrapped up its work on May 15. With an estimated price tag of $325,100, the projects were completed at no cost to the local governments. The projects and estimated
cost: ■ Phillips Creek from Farmington Road to Bridge Creek $79,000 ■ Elam Creek from U.S. 72 to Turner Creek - $44,000 ■ Elam Creek from Bridge Please see CLEANUP | 2A
High volume leads to traffic woes at MRHC
Childcare centers join Excel by 5 BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Eight local childcare centers have signed on to be part of the Excel By 5 effort to help Alcorn County’s children prepare for kindergarten. “Birth to age 5 is the most valuable time to prepare our children to enter kindergarten and build a foundation for lifelong success,” said Susan O’Connell, Excel By 5 certification manager. “90 percent of the human brain develops between birth and age five, and a childcare center is a great environment to help better prepare your child for school.” Eight out of 15 childcare centers in Alcorn County have agreed to participate in the Excel By 5 Program. This means they have
Submitted photo
Hospital updates and continued property cleanup hearings recently came before the Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen. In his quarterly report, Magnolia Regional Health Center CEO Rick Napper said the hospital is going to have to take another look at how traffic moves into the facility because of booming business. “It’s a good thing to have volume problems, but it’s a bad thing when they can’t get in your hospital,” he said.
Please see EXCEL | 2A
Jennifer Strahan and Donna Bonds of Tattle Tales daycare are participating in the Excel By 5 program.
Please see HOSPITAL | 2A
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Index Stocks......8A Classified......5B Comics......2B State......5A
On this day in history 150 years ago
Weather......9A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....11A
Vicksburg Campaign. Gen. Grant requests Admiral David D. Porter to provide a number of heavy naval guns to be brought ashore. These guns will be placed in Union built fortifications to assist in the ongoing siege of Vicksburg.
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