Friday Feb. 17,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 41
Mostly sunny Today
Tonight
58
41
• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • 2 sections
Prisoners escape justice center Two state inmates assault correctional officer, climb razor wire fences; caught quickly BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Two state inmates briefly escaped the Alcorn County Justice Center Thursday morning after assaulting a correctional officer, scaling two razor wire fences and entering a home
in the West Hills subdivision, where a woman was assaulted. The inmates are David Payton, 31, who was serving 25 years on an armed robbery charge out of Hinds County, and Kendrick Davis, 27, who was serving 10 years on an at-
tempted rape charge and five years on a residential burglary charge from Sharkey County. Warden Doug Mullins said it happened about 7:49 a.m. in the recreation yard when the two inmates assaulted the officer and handcuffed him. The of-
ficer was not seriously injured. After scaling the two fences, the inmates headed north to the neighboring subdivision, where they were able to enter the unlocked back door at 507 West Hills. Police Chief David Lancaster said they apparently
went there because one of the subjects is acquainted with a female resident of the address. Davis knocked the female down and struck her in the face and head several times, he said. Please see ESCAPE | 2A
School officials confirm scabies cases at ACHS BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photos by Steve Beavers
Emperor (Caleb Henson) shows off his new clothes to the General (David Soltz) and the Empress (Anna Kate McElhiney). The Corinth Theatre-Arts production is set for Friday and Saturday night, beginning at 7:30 at the Crossroads Playhouse. A Sunday showing will begin at 2 p.m.
Talented kids comprise cast of ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’
Please see SCABIES | 2A
Board reconsiders, rehires Rivers Stroup
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Do clothes make the man? The Emperor of China in the Corinth TheatreArts’ production of The Emperor’s New Clothes apparently believes the phrase. “He cares for nothing but clothes,” said director David Maxedon. “Con men make him believe that they can make cloth that can’t be seen by anyone unfit for the position he holds.” The show is set for Friday and Saturday night, beginning at 7:30 at the Crossroads Playhouse. A Sunday showing is scheduled for 2 p.m. In the fairy tale, Emperor (Caleb Henson) hires two swindlers posing as tailors to make him the finest clothes. He walks proudly in his new attire even though he can’t see the clothes himself. While the Emperor struts around in his new invisible clothes with everyone afraid to tell him they can’t see the clothes, a child blurts that the Emperor is actually wearing nothing at all. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the claim is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession, deciding never to be so vain again and to take his position more seriously. “It does have a wonderful ending,” said Maxedon of the second production under his direction. “The story is set deep in China around the dawn of the 1900s. When the curtain is drawn, I want the audience to be transformed to China during that time.” The Emperor’s New Clothes is written by Charlotte Chorpenning and adapted from the story by Hans Christian Anderson. The cast is made up of 15 talented children. “I really like working with the kids,” said the director. “They are young enough where they listen and you can do some teaching.”
The Alcorn School District is monitoring a small number of cases of scabies at Alcorn Central High School. The itchy condition is believed to be limited to Alcorn Central High School, where there have been three reported cases, although only two of those have been confirmed by a physician, according to Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith. The first case was reported Feb. 9, and the school district nurse sent a letter to all ACHS parents on Monday to advise them of the situation. Smith said a student who has scabies can return to school the day after being treated with a prescription medicated cream. The nurse
recommends Elimite. Although the rash may still be present for one or two weeks, the individual will no longer be contagious. According to the Centers for Disease Control, scabies is an infestation of the skin caused by a microscopic mite that burrows into the upper layer of the skin, where it lives and lays eggs. An intense itch and pimple-like skin rash typically develops. The itching is sometimes worse at night. The mite is usually spread by skin-to-skin contact or shared bedding, towels and clothing. The rash often appears in a line. The note sent to parents says it is commonly found on
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Bethany Feazell as Han. More photos, Page 10A.
Prentiss County School Board members reversed course Wednesday, voting to rehire Thrasher Principal Rivers Stroup for the next school year and rescind a previous decision not to renew his contract. A single changed vote reversed the outcome of the previous decision. During Monday’s regular board meeting, the board voted 3-2 against renewing Stroup’s contract to serve as principal at Thrasher for the 2012-2013 school year. Board members Jason McCoy, Shelia Johnson and Ronny Kesler voted against the renewal while Steve Taylor and Lisa Slack voted in favor of renewing the contract. Monday’s meeting was recessed until Wednesday when the board again took up the issue of the contract renewal. The board room was packed Wednesday with approximate-
Stroup ly 40 parents, teachers and residents from Thrasher who had gathered to show their support for Stroup. A group prayer was held outside the board room as Please see STROUP | 2A
Paving projects for Fillmore, Proper streets should begin this week BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Two Corinth street paving projects are expected to start this week. The contract time began to elapse on Monday for both the Proper Street and Fillmore Street improvement projects, and the city expects the contractors to begin work at anytime. The Proper Street project includes milling and paving of the
Projects include handicap accessibility ramps, limited sidewalk repair street from the junction with Cruise Street to Young Street. The Fillmore Street project includes milling and paving from Childs Street to Main Street. The Fillmore project is an extension of the street’s prior milling and paving work. The projects include some handicap accessibility ramps,
mainly on Fillmore, and some limited sidewalk repair, said Dave Huwe, director of community development and planning. Closing of the streets is not anticipated during the work, but there could be some occasional brief traffic delays, he said. Proper Street in the area to be paved closed last week as
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......4B Wisdom......3B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
the sewer department replaced 400 feet of deteriorated sewer line. The replacement had to be completed before the paving project could begin. The contract length is 90 calendar days for Proper Street and 60 calendar days for Fillmore Street. Prairie Construction of Tupelo was low bidder on the Proper
Street project at $241,431.80. Rutledge Contractors of Tupelo was the low bidder on the Fillmore Street project at $181,025.15. The projects involve an allotment of federal dollars through the Mississippi Department of Transportation in a program aimed at higher-traffic thoroughfares.
On this day in history 150 years ago When Gen. U.S. Grant was asked what surrender terms he would offer at Fort Donelson, newspapers reported he said, “No terms except immediate and unconditional surrender.” His nickname soon became “Unconditional Surrender Grant.”