Tuesday Oct. 25,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 254
Sunny Today
Tonight
79
52
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One Section
Roundtable addresses school dropout issue BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Preventing students from giving up on their high school educations will be the focus of a special meeting set for tonight at the Alcorn Education Center. The Alcorn School District is hosting a Dropout Prevention Roundtable Discussion beginning at 5 p.m. today to share information with the public about efforts
being made to reduce the number of students who drop out and to solicit input from the public about these efforts and how they can be improved in the future. “There are a lot of people who are really passionate about this issue,” said Superintendent Stacy Suggs. The superintendent said the meeting is part of a project to update the district’s plan for prevent-
ing dropouts and the information shared and gathered tonight will be used as they move forward with that project. The district has made great strides over the past few years in providing resources to students to address the circumstances that can lead them to drop out including a credit recovery program, the shift to the block schedule, implementation of a uniform grading policy
and more, said Suggs. He said he believes the next phase in efforts to address dropouts will come with a greater focus on students at the middle school level who may already be at-risk for dropping out and who can be reached out to early to help them avoid quitting school. Tonight’s meeting will include presentations about the district’s current dropout prevention efforts and discussion about how those ef-
forts can be improved in the future. The meeting is open to any citizen interested in the issue and Suggs said they hope all those who are concerned about students and who have thoughts and ideas about how to improve dropout prevention efforts will come out and join them for the discussion. (For more information on the meeting, call the Alcorn School District at 662-286-5591.)
Shiloh event already fills motel rooms BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Kossuth goes pink Kossuth students Price Coleman (left) and Riley McCalla changed their annual Aggie costume colors of maroon and white to pink on Friday night as part of the school’s Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness campaign during the football game vs. Alcorn Central.
With the 150th Anniversary Battle of Shiloh reenactment still five months ahead the majority of lodging establishments in the area are fully booked for the weekend. The reenactment will be held from Friday, March 30 to Sunday, April 1, 2012. “As the Shiloh event is one of the first major events of the 150th anniversary in our area, we are pleased at the positive economic impact the events are going to have in the Corinth area and hope that it will be a trend for the next few years,” said Kristy White, director of the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hotels, motels and inns in Corinth that are already reporting no vacancies for the reenactment weekend include the Hampton, Econo Lodge, Holiday Inn Express and the Generals’ Quarters Bed and Breakfast. “We’re booked for the generals fighting in the battle,” said Charlotte Doehner, owner of the Generals’ Quarters. “The generals are staying at the Generals’ Quarters!” Across the line in Pickwick, Tenn., the Pickwick Landing Inn and the Pickwick Hampton are completely booked for the weekend as well. Please see MOTELS | 2
Oh dear! MDOT warns Debate at Northeast motorists to watch out For the Daily Corinthian
BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
The beginning of fall is a good time for drivers to take precautions while traveling on Mississippi highways to avoid vehicle-deer collisions. Mississippi’s Department of Transportation advises drivers to be alert for deer during
the months of October through June due to mating and hunting season. MDOT reports the crashes are a result of higher vehicle speed, increased movement of deer and the reduction in daylight hours during fall and winter. “Mississippi’s deer population has always
been a concern for motorists traveling during the months of October through January,” said Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert. “I would like to ask that all motorists take extra precautions while traveling on our Please see DEER | 2
Crossroads Poetry Project sponsors haunted readings BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The public is invited to celebrate Halloween with a night of poetic readings hosted by Crossroads Poetry Project. The community-based poetry group will hold their monthly poetry reading at
KC’s Espresso Coffee Shop in downtown Corinth at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Poetry Project members are expecting a big turnout for the Halloweenthemed reading — including young poets and students from area schools. “One teacher is bring-
ing 35 kids,” said Milton Wallis, vice-president of Crossroads Poetry Project. “There’s no telling how many people will be at KC’s.” Participants and spectators are encouraged to dress
forum this year titled, “Are You S m a r t Enough to Vote?” Northeast instructor C a r l a Hull Falknerexplained that the timing of this debate is intended to raise interest and participation in this year’s state elections. “The debate will focus on issues that directly impact the students, such as jobs and funding for community colleges, including financial aid. We hope that by doing so, students and the community members will recognize the importance of participating in the political process,” said Falkner. Hull and Holliday, who consider themselves friends and participate in community events in Tupelo together, currently face off on the issues in a
monthly column published in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Hull is the presiHolliday dent of the firm, J. L. Hull Consulting MultiMedia in Tupelo and serves as a political consultant. A former graduate and undergraduate student of the University of Mississippi, Hull has over 30 years experience as a print and broadcast journalist, winning awards for excellence in newswriting and journalism. He has also received the Mississippi Broadcasters Association Award for both videography and documentary reporting. In addition, he has been Director of Public Affairs Please see DEBATE | 2
Please see READINGS | 2
Index Stocks........ 7 Classified......14 Comics...... 13
BOONEVILLE — In today’s political climate, can two activists from opposite ends of the political spectrum be friends? Can each side state his arguments in a way to constructively seek solutions to the problems facing Americans today? Northeast Mississippi Community College students or other interested people will have an opportunity to find out as the school hosts a debate, “Hull v. Holliday; We’ve Agreed to Disagree: A Tea Party Republican and a Democrat Discuss the Issues for the Rest of Us.” Democrat James Hull and Tea Party Republican Ed Holliday will debate at 11 a.m., Thursday in the Claude Wright Room of the Frank Haney Union on the Booneville campus. The NEMCC Cultural Arts Committee and Phi Theta Kappa chapter are co-hosting the debate as a follow up to an earlier
Crossroads .... 11 Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3
On this day in history 150 years ago Construction begins on the ironclad USS Monitor is laid down in Greenpoint, Long Island. In Missouri, Union Gen. Fremont fears he will be removed from his post and surrounds his camp with guards to prevent the message from being delivered. — By Tom Parsons, National Park Service Ranger