Tishomingo County Deputies make four drug arrests
Prentiss County Two charged during checkpoint
Garden Plant problems require work
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Daily Corinthian
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Vol. 120, No. 222
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Judge dismisses wrongful death lawsuit BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A federal judge dismissed the wrongful death lawsuit brought by family members of an inmate who died while on release from the Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility. The suit against former sheriff Charles Rinehart, Alcorn County and Rinehart’s bonding
company, RLI Insurance Company, was filed in April 2015 by Steely Danielle Whitaker and Daniel Ryan Bonds, who sought actual, compensatory and punitive damages. Senior U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson granted the defendants’ motion for judgement on the pleadings and dismissed the case for all of the defendants in an order
issued last Wednesday, according to court records. “Rinehart is immune from suit in his individual capacity, and the claim is further barred by the inmate exception,” states the written opinion. The judge found that the plaintiffs failed to state an underlying federal constitutional claim and failed to sufficiently
allege deliberate indifference on the part of the county defendants. The judge also found that the plaintiffs failed to allege that Whitaker suffered harm inflicted by Rinehart as a private actor. The lawsuit said Whitaker, while on an improper pass granted by Rinehart in October 2013, purchased narcotics
Aldermen approve ’17 budget
in Alcorn County. While at his mother’s home on the same day, he died of a drug overdose involving cocaine and methamphetamine, the suit said. Rinehart was familiar with Whitaker and his substance abuse problem, the lawsuit said, and failed to provide the Please see LAWSUIT | 5A
Robbery suspects identified
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
BY BOBBY J. SMITH
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
bsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen adopted a fiscal 2017 budget on Tuesday with no change to the property tax levy and a pay increase for city employees. The total millage rate holds at 95, with 26.3 mills designated for general revenue. The total school district millage is 59.2. The pay increase for city workers is generally 2.5 percent, and the aldermen will also get that amount. Based on varying circumstances, some individuals received more or less. “We’ve only had one year in six years that we haven’t had a pay increase,” said Mayor Tommy Irwin. The city received requests from outside agencies for funding totaling $415,970 and allocated a total of $346,470, a slight decrease of $2,500 from the prior budget. A few of the agencies will Please see CITY | 5A
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Students shake it down celebrating the first day back at the Lighthouse for the school year.
Volunteer tutors, mentors needed BY BOBBY J. SMITH bsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The call is out for volunteer tutors and mentors to help the young people of Alcorn County on their way to a brighter future. “We want it to be there for the students to get if they
want it,” said Terry Cartwright, a member of the Dropout Prevention Committee of the Commission on the Future of Alcorn County. “It’s very important for kids to have a relationship with somebody they wouldn’t know otherwise. And that
Teeny Weeny Circus among fair attractions BY BOBBY J. SMITH bsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages — the Teeny Weeny Circus is in Corinth this week. This new event for the Alcorn County Fair will be featured through Saturday night at intervals beginning at 5 p.m. The Teeny Weeny Circus is an outside event for fairs and festivals starring the Fido 5 performing dogs, Snickers the mind-reading pony and veteran circus clown Elmo Gibb. “We are so excited to have the circus as an addition to our fair,” said Alcorn County Fair secretary Sandy Mitchell. “I think it will be quite entertaining for children and those young at heart. Elmo Gibb is the ringmas-
somebody probably gets as much out of it as the kids.” One organization in need of volunteers is LINK, an allvolunteer organization funded through different grants with the mission of providing Please see VOLUNTEERS | 5A
Two Corinth men are facing charges related to Saturday morning’s robbery of the Subway restaurant on North Harper Road. Brian Carpenter, 30, and Christopher Bidstrup, 35, were both charged with robbery, according to a statement from the Corinth Police Department. The two men allegedly robbed the restaurant around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday by handing a threatening note to a worker promising harm if their demands were not met. They left the Subway with an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in an automobile. Witnesses at the scene were able to provide the tag number and description of the car. Carpenter and Bidstrop were arrested near Glen during a traffic stop by the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday. Both men remain in custody under a $25,000 bond.
People of the Crossroads Terry Cartwright, Corinth Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
ter of the Teeny Weeny Circus. Gibb has 21 years of experience as a circus clown and almost as many years training animals to perform. Teaching Snickers the mind-reading pony how to do his act — including addition, subtraction and mind-reading — was a full-time job for Gibb. “We trained for 10 hours a day, seven days a week,” recalled the veteran clown. In addition to Snickers, Gibb has personally trained all of his performing dogs and even a llama or two. With the decline of actual three-ring style circuses in America, Gibb said the Teeny Weeny Circus is a way to keep the big top traditions alive on the fair circuit.
Terry Cartwright enjoys spending as much time as he can with his grandchildren, doing volunteer work, riding horses and going to church. “I try to enjoy life and do something worthwhile,” said the 69-year-old resident of Corinth’s Oaks Subdivision. A member of First Baptist Church of Corinth, Cartwright also serves on the Dropout Prevention Committee of the Commission on the Future of Alcorn County. The former Bancorp South president retired in 2013 after 40 years of service at the bank, including 32 years in Corinth. Cartwright and wife Gloria have two sons, Cory, a youth minister in Jackson, Ala., and John, who owns a coffee shop in Florence, Ala. He has six grandchildren, ranging in age from 1 to 9 years old.
Please see FAIR | 2A
25 years ago
10 years ago
Yellow Creek Baptist Church in North Crossroads is gutted by a massive fire. It is believed electrical problems are to blame.
Alcorn Central is honored with the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s annual sportsmanship award. The honor is accepted by principal Ron Oakes and assistant principal/athletic director Tim Littlejohn.
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