Blue Mountain Vocalist will be featured at college
Ripley Man remains critical after assault
Booneville Hospital to limit pain medication
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Tuesday Jan. 31,
2017
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 121, No. 26
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 14 pages • One section
Town removes Christian flag BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
RIENZI — Take down the flag or else. The Town of Rienzi received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation last week stating the town would face legal action if a Christian flag at
the Veterans Memorial Garden were not removed. “The foundation said we were practicing illegal religious promotion,” said Rienzi Mayor Walter Williams. According to the letter, “a religious memorial endorsed by the government is unconstitu-
tional” and the Rienzi memorial did not show proper “separation between state and church.” A Christian flag had been flying at the memorial since August when the garden was opened, said Williams. It was
“It wasn’t our priority to take the flag down, but we had no choice. Bottom line is the Town of Rienzi can’t afford any type of a lawsuit.” Mayor Walter Williams
Please see CHRISTIAN | 2
‘Out of Africa’ is new gallery exhibit Lawmakers: State flag will likely survive BY JEBB JOHNSTON
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Sometimes it’s for war or war games. Sometimes it’s to scare people. Whatever the reason, Edward Wade Jr. hopes people see the beauty in the elaborately painted and decorated faces of his latest subjects. “I hope they get that the African people are beautiful,” said Wade. “Even though their customs and their cultures are different, and, to us, we may see something unappealWade ing, I hope they get to see that they are beautiful people just like any other people.” His series “Out of Africa” is featured at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery as part of this year’s Black History Month observance. Wade will be present for an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. Most of the tribal faces and their distinctive adornments are painted in watercolor. Some are graphite drawings, and the exhibit also includes a few of Wade’s still life, landscape and people paintings and drawings apart from the Africa exhibit. The inspiration for “Out of Africa” came while on a road trip. “This picture came to my mind of these Africans with their faces painted or whatever they hang from their heads,” said Wade. “I just started to do my research and look up images, and then I just started painting. I’ve always painted people. This kind of got me away from what I had been doing for a while, which was landscapes and people in different landscape set-
BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
paints or sketch boards,” said Wade. “These different clays that are in the earth, they use those clays and they use their bodies as their canvases.
Lawmakers believe no vote will happen this legislative session to change the Mississippi state flag. Although Legislators have filed bills that propose to either change the flag that has been used since 1894 or punish schools, universities, local governments or state agencies that refuse to fly it. Some officials, including Rep. Nick Bain (DAlcorn), said there’s little chance any bill will survive Tuesday’s deadline because there’s little to no consensus on the issue. “So many of us have different opinions on the state flag,” said Bain. “It’s going to continue to be hard to get everyone to agree on one measure.” Bain said he thinks all state agencies and schools should fly the flag. “No matter what’s on the flag, I believe it should be displayed,” he said. Mississippi is the last state with a flag that still includes the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue tilted cross dotted with 13 white stars. Critics say the flag symbolizes slavery and segregation and tarnishes a state with a 38 percent black population. Supporters say the flag represents history and heritage — and many say they’re tired of attempts to downplay references to the Confederacy. Local Rep. Lester “Bubba” Carpenter (RAlcorn, Tishomingo) said there is rarely a day when he doesn’t get asked about the flag.
Please see EXHIBIT | 2
Please see STATE | 2
An exhibit by Edward Wade Jr. at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery includes images inspired by the Kikuyu, Mursi and Karo tribes of eastern Africa. tings, city or otherwise.” “We Are Beautiful” shows four children who have painted each other’s bodies. “They don’t have the money to go to a Hobby Lobby and get canvases or
Upgrades to include county intersections BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A Mississippi Department of Transportation intersection improvement project will include new signage and other upgrades at a number of crossings in Alcorn County and throughout the district. The intersections included in the project have seen higher numbers of traffic crashes over the last five years based on a crash report history from the Mississippi Department of Pub-
Rick Jones
Terri Brandon, Corinth Terri Brandon picked up a phonebook and started calling people to find work seven years ago. Today she has seven years at Mattress Gallery in Corinth where she is now store manager. “I was an at-home mom until my daughter went to school,” said Brandon. She went to school for a year, but soon needed to find work. During a round of random calls, she found Mattress Gallery owner Jerry Eskridge. “I am more grateful than he will ever know for the opportunity he gave me,” she said. Brandon stated not many people would take a chance on someone unemployed for so long. Most of all, she said she gives God the credit for her success. Brandon’s 15-year-old daughter, Lauren Wilbanks, is a recent Student of the Month at Corinth Middle School.
lic Safety, MDOT said. Striping, delineation and warning improvements are included. Yellow reflective signs will indicate intersecting road numbers. Each new treatment was recommended by MDOT’s Traffic Engineering Division based on the crash history and traffic volume of the specific intersection. Intersections included in the project in Alcorn County are: • Mississippi Highway 2 at Please see UPGRADES | 2
Staff photo by L.A. Story
25 years ago
10 years ago
Corinth’s first cellular telephone service goes online as Corinth Cellular launches the new mobile phone service.
Corinth Housing Authority maintenance supervisor Chris Jones and maintenance employee Adam Threadgill travel to Long Beach to help repair public housing damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
10 Year Anniversary! Doug Michael Jumper McCreary
People of the Crossroads
Neil Paul
Marea Wilson
2007-2017
John & Brenda Hayes
Alexis Rudd
Roger Clark
Audrey McNair
Carl Jones
2782 S Harper Rd
www.jumperrealty.com