Wednesday Oct. 31,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 262
Partly Sunny Today
Tonight
63
41
0% chance rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 Sections
Liquor vote signatures inch closer BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Supporters of a Corinth liquor vote are closing in on their target number of signatures. As of Tuesday, the number of signatures collected is approaching the goal of 2,400. “We’re real close and still
working at it,” said supporter John Orman, as less than a 100 signatures was still needed. The signatures of 20 percent of Corinth’s voters are required to hold a citywide election. Once the signatures are collected and certified they will be turned in to the Board of Alder-
men, who will then set a date for the vote. The board must provide a notice of at least 30 days before holding the referendum. Businesses where the petition can be signed or turned in include Pizza Grocery, Nickels Signs and Graphics, Lucy’s on
Cruise, JT’s Falafel & Kababs, Mi Toro, Lil Chicago, Cafe Mike’s, Dixie Coins, Southern Carports and R&T’s Corner Tobacco & Beverage. The website is www.corinthforavote.com. Under a new state law, the petition seeks a Corinth-only vote,
excluding county voters. With the change in state law, citizens in cities of at least 5,000 population or in county seats located in counties that have voted dry in the past may seek an election. The drive to get a Corinth vote on the liquor has been underway since September.
Man dies in blaze BY ANGELA STOREY astorey@dailycorinthian.com
BOONEVILLE — Local authorities are awaiting a positive identification to be made before releasing the name of a person who died in a fire Sunday afternoon on County Road 5030, said Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar. A positive identification will try to be made through DNA
testing, Tolar said. The fire was reported around 3:21 p.m. Oct. 28. The fire occurred in a small camper where the person apparently lived by himself, he said. The fire had already burned the camper all the way down and the fire had burned itself out when the first fire unit arrived at the scene Please see FIRE | 3A
Interpretive center plans weekend events BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Alcorn County Genealogical Society member Angie Roberts has World War II veteran Roy Pace sign her book.
Society dedicates veterans’ book BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The stories will continue to be told. Through a book. The Alcorn County Genealogical Society made sure local accounts of World War II will be there for future generations by publishing the book — “Al-
corn Countians in World War II.” The self-published printing was dedicated at the Crossroads Museum Tuesday. “It was a lot of fun … I met so many wonderful people,” said book committee member Gale Judkins. “This was a special thing to do for the veterans. If we didn’t tell the story, who would?”
Stories and photos from Alcorn County natives who fought in the war are throughout the over 500-page publication. The first printing of 100 was quickly sold. Due to the interest, preorders for a second printing are being taken. Please see BOOK | 5A
The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center has scheduled a wide range of living history activities to coincide with this weekend’s fifth annual Grand Illumination. “Grand Illumination is one of the busiest days of the year at the Civil War Center,” said Tourism Director Kristy White. “And this year, one can make a weekend of the activities beginning with the lecture series on Friday evening to the luminaries burning all night at the Civil War Center on Saturday and more of the 43rd Camel Corps up until Sunday afternoon. No one should miss these pro-
■ For related editorial, see Our View inside today on Opinion page 4A. grams.” Grand Illumination activities at the Interpretive Center will begin Friday with a lecture and panel discussion examining the roles of Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln in North Mississippi during the war. The program, “Lincoln, Grant, and North Mississippi,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium. On Saturday and Sunday the 16th Alabama Infantry Regiment, a living history organization, will conduct ConPlease see EVENTS | 3A
‘Mad Fat Girl’ makes return in sequel BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
The Mad Fat Girl is back. Prentiss County native Stephanie McAfee will release “Happily Ever Madder,” the much anticipated followup to her debut novel “Diary of a Mad Fat Girl,” next week. “Diary of a Mad Fat Girl” went from a self-published ebook to a publishing phenomenon that became a New York Times bestseller and remained on the bestseller list for nine straight weeks. McAfee is hoping for more success with the sequel, which brings another chapter in the life of her loudmouthed, trouble-making heroine Ace Jones. McAfee was born and raised in Prentiss County and graduated from Booneville High School in 1992 before going on to college at Northeast Mississippi Community College, the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama.
She taught in Prentiss County for five years before moving to Colorado in 2007 with her husband, who was stationed there in the U.S. Army. The author turned her small town roots, quick wit and razor sharp observations about life in a small Southern town into a book that began as a labor of love. “Diary of a Mad Fat Girl “was originally published as an electronic book through Amazon.com and other sites and quickly caught the notice of major publishers. The result was a deal with major New York publishing house Penguin Group and a meteoric rise to fame for the small town girl who now lives with her family and her beloved chiweenie dog in Pensacola, Fla. “Nobody was more surprised than me with the success of my little self-published e-book. To get an agent and a three-book deal with Penguin, it was just above anything I ever imag-
ined,” she said. The past year has been a busy one for the author as she’s toured the country signing copies of her first novel, maintained a lively presence on Facebook, Twitter and her own popular blog and found time to complete the third book in the series, due out next year. “It’s been crazy. The past 12 months have just been nuts,” she said. McAfee said she couldn’t do it without the strong support of her family and friends including her parents and close friends back home in Prentiss County where she visits as often as possible. The latest book finds her heroine Ace Jones moving to the fictional town of Pelican Cove, Fla. to finally take a chance on love with the man she’s been in love with since she was 11 years old. True to Jones’ outspoken na-
Index Business...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......3B Wisdom......2B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
Please see AUTHOR | 3A
“Happily Ever Madder,” the sequel to Prentiss County native Stephanie McAfee’s best-selling debut novel “Diary of a Mad Fat Girl,” will be released next week.
On this day in history 150 years ago Oct. 31 — Union troops from Corinth and Bolivar are ordered to converge on Grand Junction in preparation for Grant’s upcoming offensive into Mississippi. The first stage of the campaign will be to drive the Confederates southward from Holly Springs.
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