Daily corinthian e edition 061113

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Tuesday June 11,

2013

50 cents

Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 138

Mostly sunny Today

Tonight

94

70

0% chance of rain

• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One sections

Heads or tails? Rienzi flips for final seat BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

RIENZI — The toss of a coin is sending Harold W. Palmer to a second term on the Rienzi Board of Aldermen. Last week, town officials said a runoff would break the tie between two incumbents on the board, but they learned from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office that the proper procedure in a general election is a tiebreaker. Municipal Clerk

Elaine Pitts said the town was advised to consider a coin toss or the drawing of straws. The coin came up heads, giving Palmer a win by luck after the democratic process had ended in a 45-45 tie between Palmer and Melissa Bearden Morgan, both incumbents. The results at the top were closely bunched, with Sandra Williams at 58; David Wayne Massey, 53; Dale A. Leonard, 52; Betty J. Williams, 49; and

then Palmer and Morgan at 45. A tie higher on the list wouldn’t have mattered, but it came at the final slot for the five-member board. The candidates and municipal election commissioners gathered at Rienzi Town Hall at 5 p.m. Friday for the fateful coin toss. Pitts said the town was instructed to select two registered voters to conduct the tiebreaker — one to toss the coin and one to read the

result. Prior to the toss, the election commissioners determined who would be assigned to heads and who would be tails and put that information in a sealed envelope that was opened after the toss. Morgan was seeking a third term on the board. Another incumbent, Jimmy Harwood, finished seventh among the 11 candidates. The two new aldermen will

be Betty J. Williams and Dale A. Leonard. The new four-year term of office begins July 1. Four years ago, Palmer led the field of candidates for alderman. At least two other places had tied results for alderman last week, according to AP reports — Walls, the smallest municipality in DeSoto County, where two people tied with 18 votes, and Mendenhall, a town near Jackson.

Napper resigns from Magnolia RHC CEO’s 9-year reign ends on July 12; will assume same role at Chattanooga facility BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

After nine years of service as Magnolia Regional Health Center’s chief executive officer, Rick Napper is moving on. The CEO is leaving MRHC to take a job as CEO of Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn. July 12 will be Napper’s last day at Magnolia. Napper, 57, said his departure should not raise concerns about any kind of trouble at the hospital — he simply couldn’t pass up the kind of opportunity he was offered in

Chattanooga. “Magnolia Regional Health Center is financially stable and doing extremely well. That’s not the reason I’m leaving,” he said. “I had an unbelievable opportunity, and the hospital will continue to do well.” Napper’s first day on at the helm of Magnolia was May 17, 2004. Since then, the hospital has thrived and expanded over the years. Among the projects he is most proud of being a part of is the founding of MagPlease see NAPPER | 2

Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith

Assistant to CEO Tracy Moore, receptionist Kathy Fowler and executive assistant to CFO Hope Murphy get ready to say goodbye to outgoing Magnolia Regional Health Center CEO Rick Napper, who is leaving the hospital in early July.

Juneteenth celebration set for Saturday Team BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The community is invited to celebrate freedom and opportunity at the annual Juneteenth celebration, slated Saturday at E.F. Bishop Park. Juneteenth — a portmanteau of June and nineteenth — is the oldest known celebration marking the death of slavery in America. Its history reaches back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed in Texas carrying news that the Civil War was over and slaves were now free. The holiday is a day to look back as well as ahead, said Vance Ross, chairman of the board for the Minority Volunteers Association, a United Way agency that helps provide for the continued education of youth in Corinth. “The reason behind it is what

Juneteenth — a portmanteau of June and nineteenth — is the oldest known celebration marking the death of slavery in America. Its history reaches back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed in Texas carrying news that the Civil War was over and slaves were now free. took place on Juneteenth,” said Ross. “It was a celebration. Not just to have a good time, but it is to celebrate our freedom with the understanding that we can embrace our freedom and not to take freedom lightly. It’s not to do as we please. No. It’s to empower and encourage others.” While Black History Month celebrates the prominent, wellknown figures from history,

Juneteenth is a chance to recognize the local, unsung heroes who also worked to achieve their goals when they were freed from slavery, Ross said. “At E.F. Fisher park we’re going to celebrate the pioneers locally,” said Ross. “A parent or a grandparent had to make provisions to be free. Now we have the opportunity to celebrate them and continue to inspire our people to education, to do

bigger and better things not just nationally but here in Corinth.” The Juneteenth celebration will begin at 10 a.m. and continue till 10 p.m. at E.F. Fisher Park, next to Project Attention on John Street. A wide variety of food and entertainment is in the works, including a barbecue contest, games, attractions for the youth, a variety of gospel and R&B singers, step shows, mimes, dancing, a cake walk and more. Hot dogs and ice cream and other foods will be available for purchase. Ross said he wished to recognize Pastor Frederick C. Patterson for the work he has done as the chairperson of the Juneteenth Association. Anyone who wants to become involved with the Juneteenth celebration should contact Shirley Rowland at Project Attention: 287-5200.

Arena playing host to Crossroads Music Festival BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

Local talent will be on display when the Crossroads Music Festival is held at the Crossroads Arena for the first time. Area and regional artists are set to take the stage at 6 p.m. on June 28. “We thought it would be a good idea to have some kind of celebration of our local bands and give them an opportunity they wouldn’t normally have,” said Arena General Manager Tammy Genovese. The event – co-promoted by the Arena and Mind Roxx Entertainment – is also being sponsored by Magnolia Regional Health Center. The idea first came about as having some kind of entertainment to go along with the

“We thought it would be a good idea to have some kind of celebration of our local bands and give them an opportunity they wouldn’t normally have.” Tammy Genovese General manager, Crossroads Arena

hospital’s annual Dr. Mark S. Wells Memorial Golf Classic. A chance to promote the talent in the area quickly turned to a music festival. “It’s going to be a fun summer concert and something we would love to be an annual event,” added Genovese. Maty Noyes, Iceman, Shive,

Surviving Allison, This is ART and Seventies Rock Express (SRX) are all slated to perform during the night. Noyes, from Corinth, released her first CD at the age of 13. She performs regularly, singing her own original music. Surviving Allison made up of Preston George, Chris

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

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

Ekiss, Drew Gann, Andrew Ferrell and Zach Jones is also based in Corinth. The band has been playing across the region since 2011. This is ART features the live musical performance of Art Webb. Webb, a skilled bassist and multi-genre electronic producer hailing from Nashville, unleashes raw musical creativity in the form of improvised sub bass-guitar lines, broken break-beats, and epic synth melodies over an array of self recorded samples and stereophonic soundscapes. Tickets for the concert went on sale June 1 and are $15 plus fees. “Tickets are inexpensive and it should be a good night for everyone,” said the general manager.

Corinth promoting fitness fun BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

The fun isn’t over. Team Corinth wants the community to keep moving in the spirit of unity. Whether running, walking or biking, the local group is continuing its promotion of fitness with the Team Corinth Summer Fun Series. “We want to encourage fitness in a way that brings friends and families together for fun,” said team member Amy Smith. The latest team activity is being held each Thursday night through the summer. June 6 was the first night of the event. “The goal is to begin whatever activity a person is into and begin it in time to be back at the city parking lot near Pizza Grocery by 7 p.m.,”added Smith. Thirty individuals took part on the first night. “We expect the crowd to grow after word gets out,” said the team member. The fitness event is free and open to all ages. “It’s not a race or timed event,” said Smith. “It’s just a way to get together with friends and have a good time.” No streets are being closed and there will be no traffic control measures for the Thursday fitness times. The time is also not a drop-off-kids activity. Children must be accompanied by parents. Please see FITNESS | 2

On this day in history 150 years ago There is a skirmish west of Corinth on Smith’s Bridge Road. There has been an increase in activity, primarily around Bear Creek crossing of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Union troops based out of Corinth have been engaged with Confederates camped near Cherokee, Ala.


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