Tuesday Feb. 28,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 50
Thunderstorm Today
Tonight
67
63
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Kmart celebrates 1-year renewal 2 critical after fire Corinth store plans event after post-flood recovery anniversary
3 kids escape; fund under way to help family
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
It was worth the wait. Kmart is set to commemorate a year back in business on Saturday with plenty of activities for customers. “We had a real successful year and things are going to be even better in 2012,” said store manager Sam Woody. The store rebounded from the May flood of 2010 to reopen at 118 Highway 72 west on Feb. 21 of last year. Kmart observed being back in business with a grand reopening on March 5. “I want to thank the city of Corinth for the great support,” said Woody. Woody announced the store will show its appreciation with great deals. “There will be sales going on all week,” said the store manager. “We have great prices on all our patio furniture along with swings and trampolines.” Kmart also boasts the lowest prices in town on 35-pack of bottled water, costing only 10 cents a bottle. On Saturday, there will be
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Store Manager Sam Woody says Kmart will celebrate its one year back in business with a fun day on Saturday. numerous raffles for cash cards. The March of Dimes will be on hand for free giveaways. “Saturday will be a fun atmosphere for the customers,” said Woody. “It took a while to get back open but we are looking forward to another great year.”
Coke 10K, MRHC raise youth fitness awareness BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Helping kids get fit. Organizers of the Corinth CocaCola Class 10K are taking the challenge. Coke 10K and Magnolia Regional Health Center are taking the lead to increase youth fitness. “We know that a 10K is a lot for some kids, so we wanted to get something started that would get children fit and active year round,” said race co-coordinator Amy Smith about the 6.2-mile race. “If we can get kids active that is a gift that can stay with them for life.” Coke 10K is raising funds to provide grants for youth physical fitness programs conducted by organizations in Alcorn County with an official non-profit designation. Also eligible are elementary and middle schools of Alcorn County that provide an organized afterschool physical fitness program. All applicants must be an official 501(c)(3) organization, school, church, parent booster club, PTO, PTA, or similar entity. Initially, the grants will be only open to organizations in Corinth and Alcorn County. The first applications will be reviewed after this year’s Coke race. The May run has spotlighted physical fitness for over three decades. It has carried running to its highest level in the area. “We are just trying to promote exercise for children,” said Smith. “It’s out our way of giving back to the community.” “We are adding another age group for children this year,” added race co-coordinator Mona Lisa Grady. “This will add 10 more trophies, but more importantly we hope it encourages more kids to turn out for this premier event.” The need for physical activity among children has been well documented. Race organizers are usPlease see FITNESS | 2
The store went through nine months of repairs following the May 1 flood. Kmart -- which employees 60 -- was flooded with 24-36 inches of water, forcing them to basically rebuild from the ground up. Flooring was stripped and a new ceiling was added to give the building a new low-profile
appearance. “We take a lot of pride in our store and taking care of our customers,” said Woody. “We are trying to get better at both everyday.” Kmart is open 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
BOONEVILLE — An early morning house fire that severely burned a Booneville couple has been ruled accidental. Fire broke out at the home of John and Rena Brumley on Main Street in downtown Booneville, just across the street from Booneville City Hall and Booneville’s main fire station, just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday. The Brumleys and three children also in the home were able to escape, but the couple suffered serious burns and other injuries. The adults were transferred to the Regional Medical Center (The Med) in Memphis, Tenn., where they were listed in critical condition late Monday afternoon. One of the children suffered a small burn to their foot and all three were treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville for smoke inhalation and have been released. Booneville Fire Chief Jerry WalPlease see FIRE | 2
Business purchases Shoney’s property BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A new business is making plans to open in the former Shoney’s building. A buyer is nearly ready to close on the property with the intent to remodel and open it as a high-end pawn shop and retail business, according to a realtor. The Board of Aldermen had a special meeting Monday to look at a possible property issue that had arisen as the legal work for the property transaction gets hammered out. The board determined that the question involving the subdi-
vision ordinance did not apply to the property in question, allowing the sale to move forward. Although it sounds like an ordinance that would only affect residential property, City Attorney Wendell Trapp said it does not specifically differentiate between commercial and residential property. The old Shoney’s building and neighboring Captain D’s sit on a single piece of property, and the buyer would be purchasing only the Shoney’s portion. Realtor Jackie Coombs said the buyer plans to make a
substantial investment in improving the property. After many years of operation in Corinth, the Shoney’s restaurant closed last year. In other recent board actions: ■ Property cleanup actions continue on several lots. The board dismissed action on 1015 Main Street, which has seen satisfactory progress, and scheduled a public hearing for 5 p.m. March 20 on property at 213 North Parkway. The board moved to adjudicate at 1011 Main Street, where some junk cars have
been removed but an issue remains regarding damage to the curbing where cars were parked in the boulevard. The board continued 1811 Droke Road to the March 6 meeting. Building Inspector Philip Verdung said the owner has hired a contractor to clean up the property and demolish the structure. ■ The board approved the purchase of two vehicles for the police department. Because the familiar Crown Victoria is no longer available, the department has opted for the Dodge Charger.
Water district completes Bridge Creek work BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Another stretch of creek in Alcorn County is now better fit to keep the water moving. The Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District has been working for the past few weeks on Bridge Creek and expected to wrap up that project today. It is one of the priority drainage projects identified by the Bridge-Phillips-Elam Concurrent Drainage Districts in the aftermath of the May 2010 flood. Tombigbee’s work began Feb. 7 at the Kansas City Southern Railroad bridge over Bridge Creek and has been approaching the bridge on County Road 402. Elam Creek Drainage Commissioner Milton Sandy Jr. welcomed them as “drainage heroes.” “This is the only agency of the state or federal government that has actually done any work here in Corinth and Alcorn County,” he said. “They’ve been doing some damp, dirty, dangerous drainage work here in Alcorn County, and we appreciate it.” Mike Phillips, field supervisor for Tombigbee, said the biggest challenge of the work
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Standing in the waters of Bridge Creek just north of the bridge on County Road 420, a worker with Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District removes debris. has been dealing with the steep creek banks. Workers have advanced about 300 feet a day using a combination of heavy equipment and men with chainsaws on the banks. The men have also waded into the water to remove debris. “It had a lot of brush on the
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 11 Wisdom...... 10
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
sides, which holds your water back,” said Phillips. “There were a couple of small drifts.” Most of the work has been clearing trees and brush from the banks. Sandy said it has taken three weeks to complete a mile of work. “Within the city of Corinth,
we’ve got 20 miles of canals that were built back around the turn of the century,” he said. “In the county, we have close to 120 miles. If Tombigbee were to devote all of their resources to working just in Alcorn County, it would take Please see DRAINAGE | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago Feb. 28 — Confederate forces capture Tucson in the New Mexico Territory. The region elects a delegation, which is dispatched to attend Congress in Richmond.