Prentiss County Girl Scouts host self-esteem workshop
McNairy County Unemployment rate on the rise
Alcorn County Interpretive Center marks Heritage Month
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Wednesday Feb. 1,
2017
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 121, No. 21
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Uproar develops over flag removal BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
RIENZI — The removal of a Christian flag from a Rienzi veterans memorial caused a social media uproar on Tuesday. Town of Rienzi Mayor Walter Williams took down the flag last week after receiving a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The letter stated the town was “practicing illegal religious promotion” and threatened Rienzi with a lawsuit if the Christian flag was not removed from the city property. On Facebook, resident Wesley Shadburn said, “The (Freedom From Religion) foundation was a joke. No one I know in Rienzi had a problem with the Christian flag flying at the memorial.” But the mayor said he was forced to take the flag down. “Bottom line is, we as a town can’t afford a lawsuit,” he said. According to the letter, “a religious memorial endorsed by the
“Obviously we’re very disappointed. We built the memorial with the best intentions in mind. We certainly want to avoid litigation ... personally I hope we can proceed as planned.” Dale Leonard Rienzi town alderman government is unconstitutional” and the Rienzi memorial did not show proper “separation between state and church.” Alderman Dale Leonard said he hopes the town can soon return the flag. “Obviously we’re very disappointed. We built the memorial with the best intentions in mind,” said Leonard. “We certainly want to avoid litigation ... personally I hope we can proceed as planned.” Located next door to Rienzi Town Hall, the Veterans Memorial Garden was completed in August
2016. The project, spearheaded by Williams, was meant to honor Rienzi’s veterans and forefathers. The garden features a water fountain, wrought iron fence, shrubbery, lights and memorial bricks, which could be purchased by citizens. The brick program helped fund the project, along with Please see FLAG | 2A
The Christian flag that flew alongside the American and millitary flags at the Rienzi Veterans Memorial was recently removed.
Wacky weather affects plant growth BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
As Mother Nature continues to perplex with her warm, spring-like bouts and sudden icy blasts, many Crossroads residents are waking up unsure of how to dress and prepare for the day. Another curious and intriguing matter is that despite the sudden, unpredictable drops and spikes in temperature, plants and flowers are starting to wake up during a time they would typically be passive. “Traditionally, most of the plants we are now seeing a sudden burst of life in are dormant at this time of year or have at least decreased their growth significantly,” said Patrick Poin-
dexter who serves as the Alcorn County Director for the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Corinth. “That roller coaster ride of warm, then plummeting temperatures is putting extra stress on the plants because they aren’t sure how to react.” Characterized by abnormally warm temperatures, 2016 was one of the top 10 warmest years on record, according to meteorologists at weather.gov. It began with near normal temperatures for January, which was a rare occurrence for the warm year. Climatologically the snowiest month across the region, January was the only instance of measurable snow the entire year and the precipitation levels
“That roller coaster ride of warm, then plummeting temperatures is putting extra stress on the plants because they aren’t sure how to react.” Patrick Poindexter Alcorn County director for the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Corinth Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman
varied greatly. Which begs the question, will this year’s weather follow the trend and lead to an early spring or will the unseasonably warm days be short lived? Poindexter says he doesn’t know what the future will bring. “When it comes to the weather, you just never know,” he
Corinth High doles out Cambridge Awards BY L.A. STORY lastory@dailycorinthian.com
Cheers were heard as students’ names were called out for honors earned at CHS Tuesday morning. Family, friends and fellow students crowded the gymnasium to honor Corinth High School students who earned honors in the Cambridge Awards Ceremony. This is the third year for the awards ceremony. CHS students have faced the rigorous challenges of the Cambridge model to meet and achieve international college and career readiness standards. “I am so proud of the way our students perform on Cambridge Assessments. We have proven that our students
said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” “Lately, I’ve been seeing saucer magnolias that are budding out, tulip trees in bloom and even ground roses with new growth and new canes,” he continued. “Several have inquired as to whether these trees and bushes will bloom again and
The buds and blooms of the saucer magnolia are fairly reliable early indicators of spring in Mississippi. unfortunately, they won’t. Once they freeze and fall off, that’s it. Hopefully, they will leaf out again.” Please see WEATHER | 5A
People of the Crossroads Denise DeBoer, Falkner Denise DeBoer’s life reflects the things she loves. One is her love of people. She has been the Student Tutor Coordinator for the Corinth-Alcorn County Literacy Council since July 2012. She was led to her current career path after helping a man who approached her in the grocery store to help him read food labels. In her native Michigan, DeBoer worked as an EMT specialist for many years and in maintenance at General Motors for 29 years. Another thing DeBoer loves is animals. She recently moved to Falkner, where she has chickens and guinea hens on six acres. “I am a farm girl at heart,” she said with a smile. DeBoer is the mother of two adult children — Peter, a Michigan resident, is a CPA student, and daughter, Jacquelyn, a local resident, is a nursing student at NEMCC.
can compete with any in the world. The entire Corinth community can honestly say they are part of our success,” said CHS Principal Dane Aube. Aube’s opening comments during the ceremony encouraged students to continue to strive to know what they want to achieve and be ready to answer when asked what they want to do. Two students, Cole Dansie and Macy Moore, earned the distinctive International Certificate of Secondary Education Medallion. Eighteen students earned the Advanced International Certificate of Education Di-
Staff Photo by L.A. Story
Please see AWARDS | 2A
25 years ago
10 years ago
Winners of the local hoop shoot competition head to the state competition in Ocean Springs. The group includes Blake Lomenick, Lana Lewis, Jordan Quinn, Chrissy Brown, Lacy Johnson and Matt Quinn.
Warnings of a winter storm prove over optimistic as the Crossroads area awakens to a slight dusting of snow.
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