090117 dc e edition by Daily Corinthian

Local Corinth teen earns statewide crown

Prentiss Co. Man charged for illegal weapons possession

McNairy Co. County claims 37th straight governor’s award

Page 3A

Friday Sept. 1,

2017

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Daily Corinthian Vol. 120, No. 209 •

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Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections

Corinth continues work on budget

City’s leaders consider splash pad

By Jebb Johnston

jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen talked about needs such as playground equipment and property redevelopment as budget discussions continue. The finishing touches are going on the budget as it heads to a public hearing during the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Final adoption of the budget will be considered in a special meeting at 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 12. The city proposes to hold the millage rate level with the current year. With this year’s property reassessment, revenue from ad valorem taxes is projected to increase from $2,544,000 to $2,697,500. The desire to see some new playground equipment at Crossroads Regional Park was among the items that surfaced in a budget work session on Wednesday. Alderman Andrew “Bubba” Labas suggested the city consider a five-toone match with the park to purchase new equipment, potentially for two different locations within the park. Input will likely be sought from the county and park board. The city is also looking to have funding in place to move quickly on the Envision Corinth 2040 comprehensive plan. There is the possibility of an additional

The idea of a splash pad in Corinth appears to be getting closer to moving forward. The possibility has been kicked around for some time, and Alderman Andrew Labas suggested in a Wednesday meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that the city partner with the Corinth Area CVB to fund a dry deck fountain, also commonly referred to as a splash pad, with the city and the tourism office sharing equally in the cost. A splash pad was one of a number of topics the board discussed during a budget work session as they considered items to possibly include in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. He said it appears a “really nice, feature-rich fountain with seating” can be built for about $300,000. The location has not been decided. Labas has several ideas, but their availability and feasibility are yet to be explored. “There’s other places where we already own the property that might look good,” he said. A rendering of an example splash pad shows a flat, 2,500-square-foot play area area with about 40 nozzles that shoot streams of water out of the ground. Attractive brick seating surrounds the perimeter, and it is anticipated there would also be landscaping.

Please see BUDGET | 2A

Photo courtesy Dale Enderle

This barn in the area of Prentiss County roads 5031 and 5131 sustained serious damage in Thursday’s storms.

Severe weather strikes region

By Brant Sappington bsappington@dailycorinthian.com

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey paid a visit to the Crossroads area Thursday afternoon, damaging trees and structures in Prentiss County and some surrounding areas. A barn and a house in the Wheeler area of southwestern Prentiss County suffered serious damage in the storm which moved through the area around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, said Prentiss County Emergency Management Director Bud Lindsey. Lindsey said numerous trees and power lines were also knocked down due to the heavy winds. The emergency director said

he and others saw cloud rotation during the storm and he believes it’s likely a tornado went through the county. Photos and other information have been sent to the National Weather Service and Lindsey said they are waiting on confirmation of a tornado from the service. The storm took a path from southeast to northwest across the county. Lindsey said he believes there were actually two separate cells of severe weather crossing the county at the same time. Alcorn County Emergency Management Director Rickey Gibens said no damage had been reported Thursday afternoon from the storm system

Local focus begins on quality society By Jebb Johnston jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

People who are passionate about quality are coming together in Corinth. Caterpillar employee Shaun Sitton, a quality engineer, is spearheading the effort to establish a full section of the American Society for Quality, which will offer professional development and leadership in quality. The group launched a year ago as a subsection of the section based in Jackson, Tennessee, and is now actively seeking members. “In ASQ, we are trying to better the community through

as it moved from Prentiss into Alcorn County. There were also reports of damage from other areas in Northeast Mississippi, including Itawamba County where a mobile home was destroyed and other structures damaged. School districts throughout the area, including Corinth, Alcorn, Prentiss, Booneville, dismissed classes early on Thursday due to the severe weather threat. A chance of thunderstorms continues through 1 p.m. today with a 60 percent chance of rain throughout the day. The precipitation possibility drops to 20 percent tonight in time for high school football action.

People of the Crossroads Former high school and Northeast basketball player Cody Garrett always thought he would be a teacher and coach. He decided to give firefighting a try. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” said the 26-year-old firefigher with the Corinth Fire Department, a positon he will have held for two years in December. “There is a great reward in helping other people.” The diehard Tennessee football and Pittsburgh Steelers fan also works construction with Byrd Builders. He has a wife of four years, Terra, and they have a 2-year-old son, Grayson. A second son, Gunner, is due on Nov. 3. The son of Timmy Garrett of Walnut and Tina Kiddy, the 2009 Alcorn Central High School graduate still loves to play basketball. When not working his two jobs, he also loves to fish.

quality — that’s quality in your life, quality in your job,” said Sitton. “You can’t help but learn from it and be a better person as well as a better professional.” The group can bring certification, training and education to the manufacturing community. The group has hosted guest speakers and toured different facilities in the community since launching in August 2016. “Through this, personally, I’m becoming a better quality engineer,” said Sitton. Originally from Georgia, he has been with Caterpillar in

By Mark Boehler

Please see QUALITY | 2A

25 years ago

Corinth residents pitch in as Cortelco collects donations to help those affected by Hurricane Andrew in Florida.

10 years ago

The associates degree nursing program of Northeast Mississippi Community College marks its 50th anniversary.

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Friday, September 1, 2017

Local/Region Briefs

Associated Press

Appeals court judge moving up to state Supreme Court JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is promoting a judge from the state Court of Appeals to the state Supreme Court. David Ishee of Gulfport will move up to the high court Sept. 18. He will succeed Justice Jess Dickinson, who is leaving the Supreme Court post he has held since 2004 to become commissioner of Mississippi Child Protection Services. Bryant chose Dickinson for the new job, creating a vacancy on the ninemember Supreme Court. Ishee says he has aspired most of his career to be a state Supreme Court justice. He became a municipal judge in Pascagoula in 1993 and in Gulfport in 1999. He was appointed to the state Court of Appeals in 2004 by then-Gov. Haley Barbour. Bryant said Thursday that Ishee’s experience prepares him for the new post.

Arkansas inmate dies in Mississippi prison WOODVILLE — An inmate has died after a fight in a privately run Mississippi prison. Management & Training Corporation said in a news release Thursday that 39-year-old Deandre Davis died Wednesday at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. The release said Davis was wounded during a fight in the housing area and died in an ambulance. The death is under investigation, and the prison was put on lockdown. Mississippi Department of Corrections records show Davis was serving a life sentence for murder, armed robbery and arson. He was convicted in Tunica County in 2003. In 2001, Davis and two other people traveled from where they lived in West Helena, Arkansas, to buy beer in Tunica. One of the people who was in the car, Lashalle Braggs, testified that Davis was riding in the back seat and killed the driver, 30-year-old Kevin Knowlton, by shooting him in the back of the head. Braggs testified that she and Davis walked to a nearby house and got a ride back to West Helena. She testified that Davis returned to Tunica County with a jug of gas, put the body back in the car and burned the body and

the car. The burned vehicle was discovered in a field the next day. The Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld Davis’ conviction in 2004, and the state Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from him in 2005.

Woman arrested for failing to pay child support JACKSON — A Mississippi woman has been arrested for failing to pay child support for the past nine years. Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release Thursday, said 52-year-old Angela Benfield-Warren, of Hattiesburg, as arrested Wednesday after being indicted by a Lamar County grand jury on one felony count of non-support of a child. She was processed at the Lamar County Correctional Facility and released after posting $5,000 bond. It was unknown if she’s represented by an attorney. A phone listing for her was not available. According to the indictment, Benfield-Warren willfully neglected or refused to provide for her child between March 2008 and February. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison, restitution and a $500 fine.

Harvey remnants cause wind damage in state JACKSON — Strong winds toppled trees and damaged buildings in northern Mississippi as the remnants of Harvey blew through the state. The National Weather Service said it was too early to confirm whether tornadoes touched down Thursday. Marlene Mickelson, a meteorologist, said wind damage was reported in and around Booneville and just north of Tupelo. No injuries were immediately reported. Mickelson said weather service employees will survey the areas today to confirm whether there were tornadoes.

Prosecutors appeal bond for white nationalist CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Prosecutors are appealing a judge’s bond decision for white nationalist Christopher Cantwell, who faces felony charges in connection with a torchlit rally at the University of Virginia. TV station WVIR reports the 36-year-old appeared Thursday in

court, where a judge set bond at $25,000. Prosecutors are appealing, and a hearing is set for 3 p.m. Cantwell has told The Associated Press that he pepper-sprayed a counter-demonstrator in selfdefense during an Aug. 11 protest on campus, a day before the much larger white nationalist rally. Also Thursday, a Ku Klux Klan member charged with firing a gun during the rally made an initial court appearance. The station reported that Richard Wilson Preston Jr. of Baltimore appeared via video conference. Bond wasn’t set because he doesn’t have an attorney yet. Another hearing is scheduled for October.

$4.2 million penalty OK’d in deadly 2012 platform fire NEW ORLEANS — An energy company has been formally sentenced to a $4.2 million penalty in connection with a 2012 offshore oil platform fire that killed three workers. Houston-based Black Elk Energy agreed to the penalty in May and pleaded guilty to eight violations of federal laws governing safety and pollution. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss three counts of involuntary manslaughter. It’s unclear how much of the penalty the government will collect. The Justice Department said the penalty, imposed Thursday, will be among claims against Black Elk by various creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. A trustee will pay the claims on a pro-rata basis from liquidated company assets.

City OKs $5M upgrades to expand music, event space KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee city will spend a combined nearly $5 million for upgrades to its former convention center and the site of the 1982 World’s Fair. WBIR-TV reported that the Knoxville City Council approved spending $3 million on the World’s Fair Park and $2 million on the former Knoxville Convention Center on Tuesday. Chief Operating Officer and Deputy to the Mayor Christi Branscom says the upgrades will help Knoxville expand its live music scene by creating an outdoor venue that can accommodate big-name acts at the park. Branscom says the city is consulting with an undisclosed entertainment company.

QUALITY Continued from 1A

various locations for six years. In 2014, he began working toward a certified quality engineer certification and learned that the closest section of ASQ is located in Jack-

son, Tennessee. With support from Caterpillar management, he decided to try to bring those opportunities closer by chartering a section in Corinth. Professionals from Caterpillar and Thyssenkrupp joined

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together to launch the subsection. Now that a year has passed, they can pursue their own section. ASQ was founded in 1946 and has members in more than 150 countries. It offers 18 certifications and more than

200 training courses. The group meets monthly on the third Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the WIN Job Center. (To get involved, contact Sitton at (706) 980-0708 or Sitton_ Shaun_M@cat.com.)

Kindergarten student picks joke for book The Hattiesburg American

HATTIESBURG — Fiveyear-old Claire Clemmons is quick with a joke and a smile. The lively Hattiesburg kindergartner thought up one particular joke when she was 3, and now she is sharing that joke with other children across the country. Claire’s joke was chosen to be included in a joke book created for children by children through the UnitedHealthcare Community Foundation. “This is the best day ever,” she said when she learned her joke was selected for the book. The joke recently was published in “Cool Jokes for Summer” from the Little Book Big Laughs series geared toward children ages 4-12. The book, available on Amazon, is one of three compiled by the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation. The other two books, “Sweets, Treats and Eats” and “Holidays, Celebrations and Birthday Jokes,” also are available on Amazon. The trio of joke books include more than 300 jokes and were released just ahead of National Literacy Month, which is in September. “I felt kind of happy and kind of excited,” she said, when she learned her joke would be published. “Then I felt a little nervous. “I was nervous because I thought there was going to be four or five people that I have to tell my joke in front of.”

MONTH OF SEPTEMBER!!!!

Continued from 1A

employee being hired to assist with implementation, but that would not happen until well into the next fiscal year. In connection with the Envision plan, the board is interested in looking at ways to stimulate property redevelopment in both commercial and residential areas. Questions include whether the adjudication process is the best way to promote redevelopment of areas of con-

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streams of water in low light. The water would be active only when people are using the splash pad, and it would likely incorporate water reclamation to recycle and reuse water. With water recycling, “It really reduces the overall amount of water usage and operational costs,” said Labas, who has heard many requests for a splash pad in the city. The board took no action on the item during the work session.

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cern on Highway 72 — the cleanup cost is much greater for commercial properties — and if the city can offer an incentive for redevelopment of dormant residential properties that have been hit with tax penalties. A presentation from Main Street Corinth on its budget request for FY 2018 is scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting. This year’s budget benefited from a 12 percent reduction in health insurance costs.

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But Claire wasn’t nervous at all when she told her joke to staff at the Hattiesburg American. “Why don’t bears wear shoes?” she asked. “Because they’re ‘bear’footed,” she said. The joke came about when Claire and her family were on a boat near Heber Springs, Arkansas. She and another young child were telling jokes to each other when she came up with hers on her own, her mother, Meredith, said. Two years later, Meredith submitted the joke through her employer, UnitedHealthcare, to be included in one of the UHC Children’s Foundation joke books. Joe Ochpinti, a UHCCF representative, said proceeds from the sale of the UHCCF books and gift items are used solely to fund medical grants for children. “And funds raised in Mississippi stay in Mississippi,” he said. The children’s foundation’s focus is to provide medical grants that help children gain access to health care who are not covered or not fully covered. Ochpinti said qualifying families can receive up to $5,000 annually with a $10,000 lifetime maximum. Families don’t need to have UnitedHealtcare to qualify. He said any family with children who have medical needs should apply, even if they don’t think they will qualify.

BUDGET

Continued from 1A

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Daily Corinthian • 2A

Friday, September 1, 2017

Today in History Today is Friday, Sept. 1, the 244th day of 2017. There are 121 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History On September 1, 1939, World War II began as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

On this date In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was found not guilty of treason. (Burr was then tried on a misdemeanor charge, but was again acquitted.) In 1897, the first section of Boston’s new subway system was opened. In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan entered Confederation as the eighth and ninth provinces of Canada. In 1914, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, “Martha,” died at the Cincinnati Zoo. In 1923, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an earthquake that claimed some 140,000 lives. In 1945, Americans received word of Japan’s formal surrender that ended World War II. (Because of the time difference, it was Sept. 2 in Tokyo Bay, where the ceremony took place.) In 1951, the United States, Australia and New Zealand signed a mutual defense pact, the ANZUS treaty. In 1969, a coup in Libya brought Moammar Gadhafi to power. In 1976, U.S. Rep. Wayne L. Hays, D-Ohio, resigned in the wake of a scandal in which he admitted having an affair with “secretary” Elizabeth Ray. In 1983, 269 people were killed when a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet jet fighter after the airliner entered Soviet airspace. In 1987, peace demonstrator S. Brian Willson lost his lower legs when he was hit by a train at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in California while protesting weapons shipments to Central America. In 1995, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. (The hall opened to the public the next day.) Ten years ago: Idaho Sen. Larry Craig announced his resignation, saying he would leave office on September 30, 2007, in the wake of fallout over his arrest and guilty plea in a Minnesota airport gay sex sting. (However, Craig later reversed his decision, saying he would serve out the rest of his term.)

Local/Region Across the Region

Selmer McNairy County earns governor’s award SELMER, Tenn. — McNairy County’s kept its perfect streak intact. The county earned its 37th straight Governor’s ThreeStar award, reports the Independent Appeal. Representatives with the Southwest Region of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development presented the county with its ThreeStar sign last week. “Competing for jobs and attracting industry in today’s economic climate is a challenge,” said TNECD Southwest Regional Director Tracey Exum. “Successful economic developers know at the heart of a competitive economic development strategy is community development.” Exum and Southwest Region Business Development Consultant Chelsey Scott presented the sign to McNairy County Economic Development & Chamber of Commerce CEO Eddie Crittendon. “We are proud partners with TNECD,” said Crittendon. “The award saves tax payers hundred of thousands of dollars through grants.” Benefits of certification include a four percent discount on the required match rate for state and federal grants admin-

istered by TNECD. Certified counties designated as Tier 2 and Tier 3 are eligible for an annual grant to serve as seed money for activities focused on improving at least one of the measured areas of the program: health and welfare, public safety, and education and workforce development. “The ThreeStar program is geared to assist community development efforts and ensure communities compete at a higher level through enhancing and improving community assets,” said Exum. Two more signs will be purchased and put up in entrances to the county, according to Crittendon. The ThreeStar award began in 1980.

Booneville

Man charged with illegal weapons possession BOONEVILLE — A Guntown man is charged with illegally possessing weapons after deputies responded to a report of a suspicious person near a Prentiss County church. Raymond Lewis Pannell, 53, of Guntown was arrested by Deputy Dewayne Mink who discovered him near Ingram Baptist Church on County Road 6121 while responding to a 911 call reporting a suspicious

male in the area, said Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar. Pannell was initially arrested on several active misdemeanor warrants but was subsequently charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was in possession of multiple knives and firearms. Bond was set at $10,000 on the felony charge by Justice Court Judge Richard Tollison. Investigator Torie Jumper is in charge of the investigation. The case will be presented to the next county grand jury.

Tupelo

Trace to increase patrols for holiday weekend TUPELO — Natchez Trace Rangers will have additional patrols and conduct checkpoints during the Labor Day Weekend, continuing until Sept. 4 as part of a national effort to promote traffic safety. In conjunction with the National Park Service Traffic Safety Coalition, Rangers are targeting dates associated with increases in traffic deaths. This event targets traffic associated with the Labor Day Weekend. The goal of the operation is to provide a deterrent effect and arrest drivers for impaired driving, speeding, inattentive driving, and other traffic offenses by significantly increasing patrol coverage on the Parkway.

Impaired driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts, and prohibited drivers are recurring factors in fatal accidents on the Parkway. The Natchez Trace Parkway reminds everyone that they can assist in preventing a DUI from ever occurring. If you are planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a non-drinking, sober driver. A DUI and drug-impaired arrest can cost more than $10,000, including time in a jail sentence, the loss or your driver’s license, lawyer fees, and higher insurance rates — as well as the embarrassment when friends and family find out. The National Park Service recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving: • Plan a safe way home before the fun begins. • Designate a sober driver. • Visit NHTSA’s Something To Think About website at https:// www.nhtsa.gov/somethingthink-about • If you see a drunken driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact 911. • If you know people who are about to drive after drinking, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Knight crowned Miss Junior Teen Mississippi Olivia Knight, a 16-year-old sophomore at Corinth High School, was recently crowned Miss Jr. Teen Mississippi United States 2017. Knight entered the pageant, which was held in Tunica, in May. She won the fitness division and finished as the first runner-up to Alanha Dukes, Miss Jr. Teen Gulf Coast. Dukes, who is a sophomore from VanCleave, went on to compete at nationals held in Orlando, Fla., the first week in July. On July 8, Dukes was crowned Miss Jr. Teen United States. “We were so excited for her,” said Knight. “I couldn’t believe that my friend had just won this national title, but we were not surprised. She is a genuinely sweet person who makes friends easily.” Knight’s mother stated, “It never really occurred to us that Olivia could take over as the Mississippi titleholder once Alanha won the national title. We were just so proud of our Mississippi girls. They all did so well.” Molly Lewellen, the director of the Mississippi United States pageant which offers 8 divisions, contacted Knight’s mother Saturday morning with the official good news. “It was just an unexpected gift. I am so excited to represent Mississippi and especially my hometown of Corinth and the whole North Mississippi area,” said Knight. Knight had already begun promoting her platform “S.T.O.P Bullying” by speaking to over 300 kindergarten students at Corinth Elementary and First Baptist Church last spring. She recalls being bullied both physically and verbally from kin-

Photo by Krisna Goodwin, Goodwin Photography

Olivia Knight of Corinth was recently crowned Miss Jr. Teen Mississippi United States 2017. dergarten to second grade. She said, “It was awful. The hurt is real and stays with someone a long time; however, I have worked hard to overcome this. I wouldn’t be putting myself out there in pageants to be judged if I hadn’t. I just want anyone who has been bullied to know that they are not alone. They can overcome this, too. This does not have to define them and keep them from pursuing their dreams. I want to be their voice

and someone they can look up to. What upsets me the most is when I hear that children have harmed themselves as a result of bullying. It’s completely unnecessary.” This pageant was only Knight’s fourth in which to compete. When asked about the biggest misconceptions about pageants, Knight explains, “People think it’s all about getting to put on a beautiful dress and getting your hair and make-up done,

but it’s much much more than that. It’s really all about service. When you win a title, you have been given a platform and a responsibility to reach and serve others. Along with the opportunity to give back, it has given me self-confidence, improved my interview skills, my ability to speak to people, and allowed me to make some great new friends. It’s also a lot of work. It’s not just walking across a stage; there are hours of practice that go into making a great impression on the judges. Every little thing is critiqued. You have to be committed if you want to compete seriously, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.” Knight is also a Girl Scout who is working on the highest Girl Scout award, the Gold Award, under the direction of her scout leader, Beverly Grisham. She has recently partnered with the Junior Auxiliary of Corinth to create the Corinth Crown Club, a service organization for high school girls from all over Alcorn County. They have 14 members with all four area high schools represented. The purpose of this organization is to foster community awareness and promote service among area high school girls. They have had their first meeting and will be planning their service project soon. Knight is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Preston Knight, and the granddaughter of Mr. John Hussey and the late Kay Hussey, and Mr. and Mrs. Stafford Knight, all of Corinth. If she can help promote a business, speak to students or youth on the topic of bullying, or help with a fundraiser, contact her at missjrteenmsus@gmail.com.

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Opinion

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4A • Friday, September 1, 2017

Corinth, Miss.

Other Voices

IRS must be held accountable

The Obama Justice Department dismissed the IRS political targeting scandal as no big deal, and the Trump Administration hasn’t been any better. At least the judiciary is still trying to hold someone to account for this government abuse. In a little noticed decision recently, federal Judge Reggie Walton ordered the IRS to answer a series of questions by Oct. 16. Notably, the tax agency must finally explain the specific reasons for the specific delays in approving each of dozens of conservative nonprofit applications_delays that stifled free speech during a midterm and presidential election. Judge Walton is also requiring the IRS to name the specific individuals that it holds responsible for the targeting. These are basic questions of political accountability, even if the IRS has stonewalled since 2013. President Obama continued to spin that the targeting was the result of some “boneheaded” IRS line officers in Cincinnati who didn’t understand tax law. Yet Congressional investigations have uncovered clear evidence that the targeting was ordered and directed out of Washington. Former director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner was at the center of that Washington effort, but the IRS allowed her to retire with benefits. She invoked the Fifth Amendment before Congress. One of her principal deputies, Holly Paz, has submitted to a deposition in separate litigation, but the judge has sealed her testimony after she claimed she faced threats. The Acting Commissioner of the IRS at the time, Stephen Miller, stepped down in the wake of the scandal, but as far as anyone outside the IRS knows, no other IRS employee has been held to account. Even if the culprits were “rogue employees,” as the IRS claims, the public deserves to know what happened. Judge Walton’s ruling means that “the IRS must finally acknowledge its wrongdoing (and the reasons for it) in the context of a judicial proceeding in which the agency may be held legally accountable for its misconduct,” Carly Gammill told Powerlineblog.com. Ms. Gammill is an attorney at the American Center for Law & Justice who represents tea-party groups in the litigation. The Trump Administration also has a duty to provide some answers. The Justice Department and IRS have continued to resist the lawsuits as doggedly as they did in the Obama era. Attorney General Jeff Sessions can change that by ordering government attorneys to quickly and fully comply with Judge Walton’s orders. Seven years is too long to wait for answers over abuses of the government’s taxing power. The Wall Street Journal

Prayer for today O Lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that I may strive, in the moments I have now, to culture my life. Not by might, not by power, but by thy spirit, O Lord, may I learn and teach thy children. Amen.

A verse to share Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. —Nehemiah 1:11

Letters Policy The Opinion page should be a voice of the people and reflect views from a broad range in the community. Citizens can express their opinion in letters to the editor. Only a few simple rules need to be followed. Letters should be of public interest and not of the ‘thank you’ type. Please include your full signature, home address and telephone number on the letter for verification. All letters are subject to editing before publication, especially those beyond 600 words in length. Send to: Letters to the editor, Daily Corinthian, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, Miss. 38835. Letters may also be e-mailed to: letters@daily corinthian.com. Email is the preferred method. Personal, guest and commentary columns on the Opinion page are the views of the writer. “Other views” are editorials reprinted from other newspapers. None of these reflect the views of this newspaper.

Who gets to define hate? As if recent events don’t give us enough to worry about, now we have a new missive in The Atlantic from former Vice President Joe Biden concerning the incident in Charlottesville. Biden wants to declare America a hate-free zone. He says we should declare “no place for these hate groups in America. Hatred of blacks, Jews, immigrants -- all who are seen as ‘the other’ -- won’t be accepted or tolerated or given safe harbor anywhere in this nation.” Biden articulates for us here the vision of the “altleft.” America gets transformed from being about limited government, with laws to protect individual freedom, to sponsoring search and destroy missions for eliminating hatred. And, of course, Joe Biden and his left-wing friends will define for us who the haters are. As sickening as the “altright” racist bigots may be, at least we know where they’re coming from. They make no claim to the high ground. Their racism is on the table, in the light of day. But the “alt-left” is far more insidious.

Take, for instance, the Southern Poverty Law Center. They are self-appointed misStar sion control Parker for identifying who are Columnist the haters in America. They publish a “Hate Map” on their website, in which 917 “hate groups” are identified, ripe for elimination in the spirit of Biden’s appeal. Included are 101 anti-Muslim hate groups, but somehow not a single anti-Christian hate group is identified. Actually, Christian groups, in their map, turn out to be the haters. SPLC identifies at least 19 Christian organizations as hate groups. Groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom, which provides legal counsel to those whose religious freedom has being abrogated (e.g., a Christian baker being sued for refusing to create a cake for a samesex wedding), or Family Research Council, which publishes research in support of public policy consistent with traditional Christian values,

or D. James Kennedy Ministries, which disseminates the Christian gospel and sermons of its founder, Dr. D. James Kennedy. Preaching Christian gospel is, in the eyes of the SPLC, an act of hate because part of this gospel chastises homosexual behavior. Unfortunately, in today’s tortured culture, sources deemed by some authority like CNN or GuideStar, which provides data on evaluating nonprofit organizations, reference the SPLC “Hate Map” as a guide to hate in the country. Two major corporations, JP Morgan and Apple, announced six-figure contributions to the Southern Poverty Law Center after the events in Charlottesville. In a memo to employees, JP Morgan’s head of corporate responsibility noted that their contribution to SPLC is “to further their work in tracking, exposing, and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations across the country.” In 2012, a young man entered Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., and shot the building manager. He, fortunately,

was caught and subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was a volunteer at a pro-gay organization and told the FBI that he used the SPLC hate map to find FRC and that his plan was to kill as many as he could. In recent media appearances discussing Charlottesville, I noted the equivalency I see between the LGBT rainbow flag and the Confederate flag. Both stand, as I explained, for particular dogma and are statements of exclusion to those who don’t fit their worldview. Those who don’t agree with me are welcome to say so. But instead, the so-called advocates of tolerance shut down my office in Washington, D.C., with an avalanche of calls and threats. We can’t legislate what people feel. We can and must recapture the American vision of freedom, where law protects individual life, liberty and property, so our large and diverse population can live together peacefully and productively. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org.

It’s time to drop college racial preferences When a policy has been vigorously followed by venerable institutions for more than a generation without getting any closer to producing the desired results, perhaps there is some problem with the goal. That thought was prompted by a New York Times story headlined “Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago.” It presented enrollment data from 100 selective colleges and universities -- the eight Ivy League schools, nine University of California campuses, 20 “top” liberal arts colleges, 14 “other top universities” and 50 “flagship” state universities. (They total 100 because UC Berkeley appears in two categories.) The numbers showed some variation -- as one might expect, given states’ different ethnic compositions -- but the bottom line was similar. In 2015 -- as in 1980, when these statistics were first gathered -- blacks and Hispanics were, in the words of the Times headline, “underrepresented.” In that single awkward word is embedded an important assumption: that in a fair society, the ethnic balance in every institution should resemble that of the larger society. This assumption is behind the “affirma-

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tive action” policies that college and university admissions offices have been folMichael lowing with Barone s o m e t h i n g resembling Columnist religious devotion since well before 1980. That inevitably means violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s ban on racial discrimination. Unchallengeable data make clear that schools regularly admit blacks and Hispanics with much lower test scores than those classified as whites and, particularly, Asians. The Supreme Court left an opening for such discrimination in its 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decisions, supposedly to encourage “diversity.” But Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in the Grutter decision, “25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary.” That’s 11 years from today. This discrimination is harmful, and the greatest harm -- as Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor’s 2012 book, “Mismatch,” makes clear -- is to the intended beneficiaries. It casts a pall of illegitimacy over their le-

gitimate achievements. They are dismissed, as liberals have dismissed Justice Clarence Thomas, as affirmative action hires. As Sander and Taylor point out, instruction tends to be aimed at the median student. Students who arrive less prepared will often fall behind. Blacks and Hispanics graduate and pass professional exams at lower rates than their better-prepared schoolmates. Another result: These students tend to cordon themselves off into separate enclaves -- one encouraged by administrators who create separate orientations, dorms and graduation ceremonies for “underrepresented” students. Universities’ shameful speech codes and ridiculous “safe spaces” are justified as needed to protect their feelings. None of the 100 colleges and universities cited in the Times article has a black student percentage at or above that of the college-age population. Only 11 (nine in California, one each in Arizona and Texas) have Hispanic percentages above the national percentage; only UC Merced tops its state’s Hispanic percentage. Why does “underrepresentation” persist despite administrators’ earnest efforts? The reason is that selective schools, by definition, seek

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students who are at the right tail of bell curve distributions of test scores and, as Brookings Institution scholars Richard Reeves and Dimitrios Halikias report, “race gaps on the SATs are especially pronounced at the tails.” No one decries the “underrepresentation” of most groups on NBA teams or the list of Nobel Prize recipients, both drawn from the right tails of particular skills. Institutions such as the U.S. Army and the New York Police Department have “overrepresentation” of blacks and Hispanics. Excellence should be celebrated wherever it is found. And attention and respect should be paid to those without right-tail skills who work and contribute conscientiously to society -- for example, lots of the people who have been rescuing so many in Houston. You don’t have to be elite to earn success. In the meantime, let’s admit that talents and interests aren’t proportionately distributed in a fair society and that it’s time to drop colleges’ racial quotas and preferences. Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.

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Labor Day history suggests more than day of rest Like most Americans, I do not plan to be working Monday. I will refrain from labor on my day off. Many people, though, who see it as time away from their jobs likely do not know the reasons as to why we Stacy celebrate Jones Labor Day and think The of it, as Downtowner I sometimes do, as merely a day of respite. We truly owe much to those workers—and activists—who made a contribution to the strength and prosperity of our country. Of late, I hear some criticism of those who choose to be involved in social protest. However, if not for those who were willing to stand up for their rights and for the rights of others through social protest, we might not have been

afforded some of the freedoms we enjoy today in the workplace. In the 19th century, working conditions did not adhere to the same standards they do today. In the apex of the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, a 12-hour workday was common, as were 7-day workweeks. Some mills employed children as young as five or six years old, paying them only a portion of the wages adults earned for the same labor. Unsafe working conditions, namely the lack of breaks and sanitary facilities, abounded, especially among the lower socioeconomic classes, which included immigrants and the impoverished. As agriculture gave way to industry in America, labor unions grew more prominent. Working class Americans began to organize in order to establish a collective voice against the authoritarian approach imposed upon them by

However, if not for those who were willing to stand up for their rights and for the rights of others through social protest, we might not have been afforded some of the freedoms we enjoy today in the workplace. their superiors. Workers learned that striking provided a way to make headway with employers when they did not see eye to eye. In 1886, one such strike turned deadly. On May 4, in Haymarket Square in Chicago, a protest organized to obtain an eighthour work day went awry when an anonymous person lobbed a stick of dynamite at police, killing seven police officers and four civilians, and wounding numerous others. The event became known as the notorious Haymarket Affair. This momentous event had a significant impact on the labor movement, as did the Pullman Palace Car

Company strike, which also occurred in Chicago in May 1894. George Pullman, the owner, had increased working hours and cut wages and jobs. In response, Eugene V. Debs, who later became the founder of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905, signed many of those disgruntled workers into the American Railway Union, one of the country’s first industrial unions, and spurred the nationwide Pullman strike, which impacted transportation across the U.S. at the time. In the end, Pullman turned to the federal government to break the strike and propel trains into moving

once again. In 1894, the same year as the Pullman strike, Labor Day was recognized as a federal holiday by Congress. Many gave credit for the recognition to Peter McGuire, who made way for the creation of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), while others acknowledged Matthew McGuire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, as the initial proposer. The holiday became a landmark in the movement for labor rights, celebrated by picnics, parades, and other public gatherings. On this Labor Day, we should commemorate another champion of the working class, one who could also teach us much about labor rights, as some of those rights seem again to be under assault. In his speech “Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution,” delivered at the National Cathedral in Wash-

ington on March 31, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King discounts overreliance on the “bootstrap mentality” when he says, “It’s all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.” Labor unions, which Pope Francis recently called “prophetic” institutions that “give voice to those who have none,” and which we celebrate this Labor Day, offer a solution to those often “bootless” folk fighting to rise above the restrictions that inhibit their plight in the attempt to achieve the American Dream. (Daily Corinthian columnist Stacy Jones teaches English at McNairy Central High School and UT Martin and is a consultant for the Tennessee Department of Education. She enjoys being a downtown Corinth resident.)

A most stylish sow: Peggy Porkchop was a perfect pet By Jimmy C Reed Columnist

My boyhood best friend and mentor Jaybird always kept a housecat or two, especially master mousers, and was never without a pack of hunting hounds, but above all he preferred the company of an animal that is ranked just below humans in intelligence: the pig. Over the years Jaybird befriended a slew of swine, including such notables as Hortense Hamhocks, Clarabelle Chitlins, Teresa Tenderloin, and Ophelia Oink, but the pig he loved above all others was Peggy Pokechop. Often, when we finished a day’s work on

my father’s Mississippi Delta farm, Jaybird and I relaxed on his front porch and watched the sun go down over the endless flatness of one of the world’s most fecund alluvial planes. It was Jaybird’s favorite time of day. He would light a cigarette, fill a glass with corn whiskey, and invite Peggy to join us. Grunting happily, the sow would arise from her favorite lounging spot beneath a shade tree, trot up the steps, nuzzle Jaybird’s hand, and, with all the decorum and grace of a queen, take a seat beside him. When it came to poise, manners, and etiquette,

no porker outperformed Mademoiselle Pokechop. Even though her great beauty caused Jaybird’s boars to engage incessantly in tusk tussles, she ignored the jealous jousts. Reigning as the sty’s most stylish sow, she remained demure, coy, and modestly self-effacing about her drop-dead good looks. Long, curly lashes swept down over her hazel eyes, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a perpetual grin, her flat pink nose twitched inquisitively, sharp incisors poked downward over her jowls, and when she was in Jaybird’s company, her ears, festooned

with bristly hair, rotated, indicating that she was keenly interested in good conversation. She was also keenly interested in Jaybird’s corn whiskey, and he obliged by sharing a dram or two with her. Over time, he taught her to hold a bowl with her front feet and raise it to her mouth, although he later regretted teaching her this skill because, as evenings progressed and the liquor’s potent punch impaired the pig, she left off sipping and slurped sloppily in a most un-ladylike way. And, bless her heart, she seemed to possess an infallible ability to under-

stand the English-obliterating vernacular in which Delta folk communicate, a jumbled jargon incomprehensible to non-flatlanders. Once when Peggy was rooting too close to Jaybird’s beloved rose bushes, I witnessed an amazing example of this ability. He let fly a string of prepositions: “Peggy, you better come on away from up in around behind my bushes.” Amazingly, the pig stopped rooting immediately, grunted apologetically, and trotted shamefully away. Although Jaybird loved cracklings, chitterlings, hams, and other porcine

products, he never met a live pig he didn’t like. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the three of us on his front porch — a wise old black man, a white boy he helped to raise and loved like his own son, and a pampered pig that was his favorite pet: Peggy Pokechop. Jimmy Reed (jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com) is an Oxford, Mississippi resident, Ole Miss alumnus, Army veteran, former Mississippi Delta cotton farmer, and retired college teacher. His collection of short stories is available via Squarebooks.com, telephone 662-236-2262.

Lottery retires machine that printed record $758.7 million Powerball ticket Associated Press

CHICOPEE, Mass. — Lottery ticket buyers hoping to use the same Massachusetts machine as the recent $758.7 million Powerball jackpot winner are out of luck. The Massachusetts State Lottery has retired the machine that printed the winning ticket be-

longing to Mavis Wanczyk. The Powerball jackpot she claimed last week is the largest grand prize won by a lottery ticket in U.S. history. State lottery spokesman Christian Teja tells The Boston Globe the machine was removed from a convenience store in Chicopee on Saturday

and was sent to the lottery’s Springfield office for maintenance. He says there is an appetite to preserve “this piece of lottery history.” He says some interesting ideas have been proposed. It hasn’t been determined where the machine will go next.

Professors seek grant for fake-news detector Associated Press

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State professors have received $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop technology that will enable digital devices to weed out fake news.

The university says information sciences and technology professor Dongwon Lee and communications professor S. Shyam Sundar are working on the project. Lee says fake news “has been around for decades” but has been “exacerbat-

ed” on the internet and social media platforms. The professors plan to investigate “characteristic indicators of fake news” and develop complex formulas that will enable digital devices to recognize those indicators and purge stories that contain them.

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Grand jury hears from lobbyist in Trump Tower chat Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A grand jury used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has heard secret testimony from a Russian-American lobbyist who attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump’s eldest son, The Associated Press has learned. A person familiar with the matter confirmed to the AP that Rinat Akhmetshin had appeared before Mueller’s grand jury in recent weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret proceedings. The revelation is the clearest indication yet that Mueller and his team of investigators view the meeting, which came weeks after Trump had secured the Republican presidential nomination, as a relevant inquiry point in their broader probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The meeting included Donald Trump Jr.; the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Emails released by Trump Jr. show he took the meeting expecting that he would be receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid the Trump campaign. The Financial Times first reported Akhmetshin’s grand jury appearance. Reached by the AP, Akhmetshin declined comment. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, also declined comment Wednesday night. The confirmation of Akhmetshin’s grand jury testimony comes after he spoke at length about

his involvement in the Trump Tower meeting in an interview with the AP last month. Akhmetshin, a former Soviet military officer who served in a counterintelligence unit, is also a well-known Washington lobbyist. He has been representing Russian interests trying to undermine the story of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Russian prison and is the namesake of a U.S. sanctions law. Akhmetshin has been reported to have ties to Russian intelligence but he has denied that, calling the allegations a “smear campaign.” Mueller and his team first signaled their interest in the Trump Tower gathering last month by contacting an attorney for at least some of the Russians who attended. The meeting at issue was disclosed earlier this year to Congress and first revealed by The New York Times. Trump Jr. has offered evolving explanations for the circumstances of the meeting, initially saying that the purpose was to discuss adoption and later acknowledging that he anticipated receiving information that he thought could be damaging to Clinton. In addition to Akhmetshin, other attendees at the meeting included Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, music publicist Rob Goldstone — who helped arrange the gathering — and a translator. Ike Kaveladze, who also goes by the name Irakly Kaveladze, also attended the meeting. Kaveladze works for a Russian developer who partnered with Trump on the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.

YOU CAN SEE THE INVISIBLE! It was a cool, crisp October morning just before sunrise in the ole Tuscumbia bottom near the bend in the channel. As the stars began to wane, a lazy fog slithered in and hovered over the tops of the trees, which an early frost had tinted with red, yellow, orange, and even purple leaves. As yet, there was no movement in the forest, a calm and virtually silent scene, with the only detectable sound coming when an occasional dewdrop rolled off its leaf and peppered the underbrush. I sat there under a towering black oak with my trusty 16-gauge across my knees waiting for the first morning light. It was my first official squirrel hunting trip, with dad and an uncle about a hundred yards away in opposite directions. There were two large openings in the trees above me, so when the sun rays finally began to make progress, they carved two gigantic columns of glowing white fog, one on each side of me. They appeared thick enough to walk on, like they were holding up the sky, almost as if a gracious angel had lowered a ladder for me to climb to heaven. Tears glazed my eyes as I shuddered at the wonder of God’s creation. I knew other people had witnessed similar scenes, but, at that particular moment, I was witnessing a part of nature that no other person was seeing. It was mine! God did this one for me, I whispered to myself. It was a grand feeling that my eyes only were beholding this paradise, a paradise more beautiful than any scene from the brush of any human artist. Some tell me that such beauty is here by random chance; that it just happened, without plan or purpose; that all the complexities and intricacies of nature, mind, and body evolved through a chain of “pure luck” coincidences, starting with an inexplicable big bang. To me, the most striking fact proven by evolutionists is just how unscientific and irrationally bizarre a theory some people will believe to keep from believing in the Creator of true science and rationalism. If we open our eyes and hearts we will see that these wonders are no more than the “fingerprints” of an intelligent and powerful designer. “For the INVISIBLE things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly SEEN, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20, emphasis mine). And again, “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). Scientists were able to predict the August 21st solar eclipse with minute precision because the Creator is (physically and spiritually) the God of precision, power, and purpose. He does nothing at random. He is never surprised. He never fails. Thus, He never has and never will need a “plan B” (Acts 2:23-24; I Pet. 1:20; Eph. 3:10-11; Rev. 13:8). —revised and reprinted, Duane Ellis

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Rescuers seek anyone left in floodwaters of Harvey storm By JEFF AMY and MATT SEDENSKY Associated Press

HOUSTON — Rescuers began a block-byblock search of tens of thousands of Houston homes Thursday, pounding on doors and shouting as they looked for anyone — alive or dead — who might have been left behind in Harvey’s fetid floodwaters, which have now damaged more than 87,000 homes and destroyed nearly 7,000 statewide. Elsewhere, the loss of power at a chemical plant set off explosions that prompted a public health warning, and the city of Beaumont, near the Texas-Louisiana line, lost its public water supply. The remnants of the storm pushed deeper inland, raising the risk of flooding as far north as Kentucky. More than 200 firefighters, police officers and members of an urban search-and-rescue team fanned out across the Meyerland neighborhood for survivors or bodies. They yelled “Fire department!” as they pounded with closed fists on doors, peered through windows and checked with neighbors. The streets were dry but heaped with soggy furniture, carpet and wood. “We don’t think we’re going to find any humans, but we’re prepared if we do,” said District Chief James Pennington of the Houston Fire Department. The confirmed death toll stood at 31, though it is expected to rise. But by midday, the temporary command center in a J.C. Penney parking lot had received no reports of more bodies from the

“We don’t think we’re going to find any humans, but we’re prepared if we do.” James Pennington

Houston Fire Department searches, which are expected to take up to two weeks. Unlike during Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath in New Orleans, crews used GPS devices to log the homes they checked rather than spray painting neon X’s on the outside. That avoided alerting potential thieves to vacant homes. The latest statewide damage surveys revealed the staggering extent of the destruction. The figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that nearly 50,000 homes sustained minor damage and 37,000 sustained major damage. At least 6,800 homes were destroyed. About 325,000 people have already sought federal emergency aid in the wake of Harvey. More than $57 million in individual assistance has already been paid out, FEMA officials said. Rescues continued apace, as did the search for shelter among people made homeless by the storm. Emergency officials reported 32,000 people in shelters across Texas. The Harris County FEMA director said the agency was looking for ways to house people who lost their homes to Harvey. The priority is to get them into some form of

temporary housing, with hotels being one option, he said. “Right now nothing is off the table,” Tom Fargione said. “This is a tremendous disaster in terms of size and scope. I want to get thinking beyond traditional methodologies you’ve seen in the past.” Although it has been downgraded to a tropical depression, Harvey was still expected to dump heavy rain on parts of Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Forecast totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches, with some places possibly getting up to a foot. As the water receded in the nation’s fourthlargest city, the greatest threat of damage shifted to a region near the Texas-Louisiana state line. Some residents in Beaumont, Texas, began to get anxious after the city of nearly 120,000 lost water service when its main pump station was overwhelmed by the swollen Neches River. Officials said they were having difficulty bringing in enough bottled water to set up distribution stations because of flooded roads. A procession of about 10 vehicles tailed a pickup towing a trailer packed with bottled water meant for emergency workers. The truck circled a downtown Beaumont block before Letorisha Hollier hopped out of the closest car. “Give us a case!” Hollier shouted. Her persistence paid off. A firefighter handed her the water. She was the only tailgater to score a case. Beaumont police spokeswoman Carol Riley said there were “some dis-

turbances” in supermarkets because people were concerned about water. The lack of water forced Baptist Beaumont Hospital to bring in ambulances and helicopters to move patients to other facilities, including some who had already been removed from flooded nursing homes. Hospital spokeswoman Mary Poole said other patients were able to be discharged. In nearby Port Arthur, the Coast Guard used baskets and harnesses to pull people out of a neighborhood with chest-deep water. Many residents of second-floor apartments decided to stay. Economists said the storm shut down everything from plastics plants to oil refineries to the Houston port — the second-busiest in the nation — which could affect the nation’s economy. With widespread reports of gas shortages, the head of the Texas agency that regulates the oil and gas industry urged drivers to wait three or four days to fill up their tanks. Panic buying is causing a run on gas and empty fuel pumps, Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he would release 500,000 barrels of crude oil from an emergency stockpile in a bid to prevent gasoline prices from spiking in the wake of disruptions caused by Harvey. Also Thursday, Houston public schools pushed back the start of classes by two weeks. The nation’s seventh-largest district had been scheduled to reopen Monday but will now begin school on Sept. 11 because of Harvey.

Blasts rock flood-crippled plant near Houston Associated Press

HOUSTON — At least 2 tons of highly volatile chemicals used in such products as plastics and paint exploded and burned at a flood-crippled plant near Houston early Thursday, sending up a plume of acrid black smoke that stung the eyes and lungs. The blaze at the Arkema Inc. chemical plant burned out around midday, but emergency crews continued to hold back because of the danger that eight other trailers containing the same compound could blow, too. No serious injuries were reported. But the blast added a new hazard to Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath and raised questions about the adequacy of the company’s master plan to protect the public in the event of an emergency in the flood-prone Houston metropolitan

area of 5.6 million people. “This should be a wakeup call (for) all kinds of plants that are storing and converting reactive chemicals in areas which have high population densities,” said Nicholas Ashford, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology expert. The Environmental Protection Agency and Texas environmental regulators called the health risks minimal in Crosby but urged residents downwind to stay indoors with windows closed to avoid inhaling the smoke. Arkeda had warned earlier in the week that an explosion of organic peroxides stored at the plant was imminent because Harvey’s floodwaters engulfed the backup generators and knocked out the refrigeration necessary to keep the compounds from degrading and catching fire.

All employees had been pulled from the plant before the blast, and up to 5,000 people living within 1½ miles had been warned to evacuate on Tuesday. Two explosions in the middle of the night blew open a trailer containing the chemicals, lighting up the sky with 30to 40-foot flames in the small farm and ranching community of Crosby, 25 miles from Houston, authorities said. Aerial footage showed a trailer carcass, its sides melted, burning in a flooded lot. The Texas environmental agency called the smoke “especially acrid and irritating” and said it can impair breathing and inflame the eyes, nose and throat. Fifteen sheriff’s deputies complained of respiratory irritation. They were examined at a hospital and released.

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The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency, launched an investigation into the accident. The plant is along a corridor near Houston that contains one of the biggest concentrations of refineries, pipelines and chemical plants in the country. Andrea Morrow, a spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the agency had not received any reports of trouble at other chemical plants in the hurricanestricken zone. Texas A&M chemical safety expert Sam Mannan said the risk management plan that Arkema was required by state and federal law to develop did not address how it would deal with power and refrigeration failures or flooding. A 2016 analysis he did with university colleagues ranked the Crosby plant among the 70 or so facilities with the biggest potential to cause harm in greater Houston, based on such factors as the type and amount of chemicals and the population density. Arkema, which is headquartered in France, did not immediately return calls on the plant’s contingency planning. Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the fire marshal of Harris County, which encompasses Houston, would not discuss details of the risk management plan, such as how high the plant’s backup generators were placed. Arkema officials did not directly notify local emergency managers of the generator failure, Moreno said. It came, instead, by way of the plant’s workers, who told the Crosby Volunteer Fire Department about it when they were rescued during the hurricane, she said.

Friday, September 1, 2017

State/Nation

Across the Nation Associated Press

Man convicted of using false name at jail to avoid prison ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Authorities say Robert Mason was a trusted and model prisoner the six times he was booked into Ohio’s Zanesville City Jail starting in 2014. But it wasn’t Robert Mason who served those 150-plus days for various misdemeanors. It was Troy Mason, a homeless man who used his brother’s name to avoid returning to prison for a parole violation on a felony burglary conviction. A Muskingum County jury on Wednesday found the 50-year-old Mason guilty of forgery and tampering with records, felony convictions that could result in more prison time. Prosecutors say the Zanesville jail’s fingerprint machine was broken the first time he was booked as Robert Mason, and he became a familiar figure afterward. He continued the charade until his parole officer unmasked him last year. Mason’s attorney declined to comment Thursday.

Navy leader ponders unmanned vehicles to increase power NEWPORT, R.I. — President Donald Trump and Navy leaders say the nation needs about 350 ships, roughly 75 more ships than the fleet has today. But there isn’t money in the defense budget to buy a lot of new ships at once, and they take years to build. Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, says they could get closer to the target faster by counting unmanned vessels with capabilities similar to a manned ship— a new twist on the definition of a ship. Unmanned undersea vehicles currently used by the Navy aren’t at the point now where they could replace manned platforms. While they can complete a task to support a mission, they can’t complete an entire mission on their own, and none are weaponized, according to the Navy. Richardson brought

senior officers to Newport, Rhode Island, this month to talk about accelerating their development. The future Navy is going to be very different from today’s fleet, he said. “I can guarantee that it’s not going to be building more of the same thing we have right now,” he said. “Because that will not be the Navy that the nation needs to secure itself and promote its prosperity.” Richardson said he’s trying to figure out how to increase naval power as quickly as he can because the Navy is being challenged at sea by very capable foreign naval forces. He said he’s looking at vehicles that can do a range of things, including acting as sensors and carrying weapons, and can be networked in with the rest of the fleet.

Woman loses bid to decide health treatment for dogs OSSIPEE, N.H. — A judge has declined to rule for now on a New Hampshire woman’s request to have control over care for more than 80 Great Danes that were seized from her home. Christina Fay, of Wolfeboro, was charged in June with two counts of animal cruelty after authorities said they found the dogs living in filth and suffering from sores, infections and other health problems. Fay pleaded not guilty and filed an injunction requesting that the state stop allowing surgeries to be performed on the dogs. Superior Court Judge Amy Ignatius on Wednesday declined to make a decision on Fay’s request, pending the criminal case against her. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Sept. 6.

Park to add radio system upgrade after wildfires NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Great Smoky Mountains National Park will receive a $2.5 million upgrade to its radio communications systems in response to a fire in Tennessee that contributed to 14 deaths and millions of dollars of damage in November. The National Park Service announced the

improvements before Thursday’s scheduled release of an independent report about the fire that started in the park and was blown several miles to the Gatlinburg area by hurricane-force winds. The fire merged with others, causing death and destruction. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said the fire resulted from unusual and unexpected conditions. The Park Service says it also will issue seven neighboring fire departments portable radios and protective equipment, and will try to actively remove dead and dying trees and other fuels for fire.

Cleveland protester charged with grant money theft CLEVELAND — A man who has held protests saying the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo mascot is racist faces federal charges over allegations he stole money from federal grants aimed at helping Native Americans. Seventy-year-old Robert Roche, of Cleveland, was indicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy to steal federal funds and two counts of theft from programs receiving federal funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cleveland says a lengthy investigation showed that Roche conspired to divert money from the American Indian Education Center in suburban Cleveland where he served as executive director. Prosecutors say Roche and a consultant embezzled at least $180,000 from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants and that Roche diverted $77,000 for his personal use. Roche couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday. It wasn’t clear who his lawyer is.

Motel 6 to pay to settle human trafficking suit LOS ANGELES — Motel 6 has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Los Angeles that alleged one of the chain’s locations was a base for human traffickers, drug dealers and gang members, prosecutors said.

Across the State Associated Press

District could remove Confederate names from schools JACKSON — A Mississippi school district where 97 percent of the students are black will review whether to rename three elementary schools now honoring Confederate leaders. The Clarion-Ledger reports that a committee of the Jackson Public Schools board will examine whether to change the names in Mississippi’s capital city. Davis Magnet School is named for Jefferson Davis, who was president of the Confederacy. George Elementary is named for James Zachariah George, who signed Mississippi’s secession ordinance and drafted the state constitution that denied voting rights to black citizens. Lee Elementary is named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Police: Teen charged as adult in woman’s stabbing, SUV theft JACKSON — Police isay two teens have been detained after a stolen SUV was recovered following the stabbing of a 61-year-old woman who was last reported in critical condition. Jackson police tweeted Wednesday morning that the 18 and 13-year-olds were questioned and a “possible” third suspect had fled after the incident. Police say the 13-yearold boy is charged with aggravated assault, auto theft and armed robbery. Local news outlets report he was charged as an adult in the Tuesday night incident. Police say the 2016 orange Toyota RAV4 was found Wednesday morning. The woman has not been identified. Police Cmdr. Tyree Jones says there is not much to make of it other than there are some cowards out lurking and looking to commit criminal acts against individuals in the community.

Red snapper season ends Monday BILOXI — Recreational anglers looking for that highly sought after red snapper have until Monday to do so. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says the season

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in state and federal water ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday. Anglers can fish for red snapper from Friday through Labor Day and are required to participate in the department’s reporting program for red snapper, “Tails n’ Scales.” The program is available through the website, www.tailsnscales.org or fishermen can call 1-844-MSSNAPP (677-6277) to speak with a representative 24 hours a day.

Police chief arrested for aggravated assault JACKSON — A Mississippi police chief has been arrested on a charge of aggravated assault. Attorney General Jim Hood’s office, in a news release, said 55-year-old Billie Earl Williams surrendered to authorities Tuesday. He was later released on his own recognizance. Hood’s office says a Bolivar County Grand Jury indicted Williams for shooting a suspect while acting as Benoit Police chief on Jan. 2. The indictment says Williams attempted to or did cause harm to the suspect, “manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life” by firing a pistol and striking the suspect in the back of his right leg. This case was investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which declined further comment. A telephone call to Benoit City Hall went unanswered.

No action on black history marker near Confederate statue GREENWOOD — Supervisors in one county are delaying a decision on

residents’ request to put a black history monument near a Confederate statue outside the local courthouse. The Greenwood Commonwealth reports that Leflore County supervisors heard the request but took no action Monday. The Confederate soldier statue has stood outside the Leflore County Courthouse since 1913. It is among dozens of similar monuments in Mississippi. Officials in Attala County and McComb also could consider moving Confederate monuments from public property. The public display of Confederate symbols has been scrutinized since the 2015 killings of nine black worshippers at a South Carolina church by an avowed white supremacist. Debate intensified after white nationalists recently marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Lake temporarily closed for upkeep MONTICELLO — A lake in south Mississippi is being closed so workers can repair piers and other structures. The state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says in a news release that Lake Mary Crawford has been drained. State lake coordinator Jerry Brown says fishing piers, boat ramps and water level control structures will be repaired. After the work is finished, the lake near Monticello will be refilled and stocked with bass, bream, crappie, and catfish.

8A • Friday, September 1, 2017 • Daily Corinthian

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