Friday Nov. 18,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 275
Mostly Sunny Today
Tonight
58
37
• Corinth, Mississippi • 24 pages • Two sections
4 railroad cars derail into creek Accident damages tracks, but offers no hazardous spills BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Railroad officials are looking into what caused several train cars to roll off the tracks Wednesday night. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, four cars on the Kansas City Southern railway line rolled off the track and into Elam Creek near the Southgate Shopping Center. No hazardous materials were involved and no one was injured, said Orville King, senior trainmaster for Kansas City Southern, who was on the scene shortly after the accident and
throughout Thursday with the cleanup and investigation. The only damage caused by the accident was to the tracks on the KCS side. “We’re still trying to determine the cause,” King said. “But when there’s no hazardous materials involved, that’s always good news.” The cleanup effort continued through Thursday, with one car still overturned at 4 p.m. The trainmaster estimated the cleanup would be completed around 6 p.m. Thursday.
Staff photo by Reece Terry
A tanker railroad car remains overturned in Elam Creek Thursday morning behind Southgate Shopping Center. Four cars with Kansas City Southern railway derailed Wedneday night.
Toyota rolls out first Corolla at Blue Springs BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
BLUE SPRINGS — Four years after announcing plans to open a state of the art manufacturing facility at Blue Springs, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi officially began production Thursday with a massive celebration for employees and dignitaries. Toyota marked the official start of production with the unveiling of the first Corolla sedan produced at the $800 million plant that will eventually produce up to 150,000 of the company’s best-selling car each year with a workforce of up to 2,000. Approximately 90 percent of the plant’s workforce is made up of Mississippi residents. Toyota Corporation President Akio Toyoda expressed gratitude for the faith and patience shown by the state and community as the com-
Staff photo by Brant Sappington
Theatrical smoke fills the air and the massive crowd stands and applauds as Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi team members unveil the first Toyota Corolla produced at the company’s newly opened plant at Blue Springs. pany postponed the start date for production due to the economic downturn
and promised the company is committed to the plant and to Mississippi
for the long haul. “We waited until the right time. Today is the
Hopewell M.B. Church hosts ‘It’s A Rap’ BY ANGELA STOREY astorey@dailycorinthian.com
All area youth in the Crossroads area have a special invitation to attend a Youth Explosion titled “It’s A Rap” Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Christian Life Center of Hopewell M.B. Church in Rienzi. “‘It’s A Rap’ is an acronym for Renew your connection to the word, Affirm your commitment to serve
“‘It’s A Rap’ will have something for everyone and all ages are welcome.” Rebecca Spence Program chairman and Praise with song and dance,” said Rebecca Spence, program chairman. This is the first time such an event has been held at the church and it is de-
signed to bring youth together in both Alcorn and Prentiss counties and the surrounding area. “‘It’s A Rap’ will have something for everyone
and all ages are welcome,” said Spence. While the event will be filled with fun, it is also designed to provide life lessons in making the right decisions. “We are going to give youth the necessary information to equip themselves to handle things that will come into their lives as they grow up,” Spence said. Please see RAP | 2A
Junior Auxiliary offers college scholarships For the Daily Corinthian
In keeping with its motto of “Care Today - Character Tomorrow,” the Junior Auxiliary of Corinth offers two types of financial aid scholarships to allow local students to pursue their college educations, according to Kimberlee Fair of the Junior Auxiliary. The Grant-in-Aid Scholarship, an award of $750, is available to students who demonstrate the potential to achieve, but are financially challenged. The Glenn Davis Gray Scholarship, an award of $1,000, is available to stu-
dents who are pursuing a medically related field. Scholarships are not automatically renewed from year to year and students must complete the application process annually in order to be considered for that year’s available scholarships. “In 2011, Junior Auxiliary awarded 10 Grantin-Aid scholarships and three Glenn Davis Gray scholarships to students from Corinth and Alcorn County,” said Fair. All applicants for Junior Auxiliary scholarships must be residents of Alcorn
County and must be U.S. citizens. Those eligible to apply include graduating high school seniors, students currently attending college or medical school, and older students returning to college or medical school. All applicants must plan to attend college or medical school at the institution of their choice during the 2012-2013 school year. The scholarship award selection is based on financial need, academic performance, letters of rec-
Grant-in-Aid for achievers who are financially challenged ■ $750 ■ renewable annually ■
Glenn Davis Gray ■ students pursuing medically related field ■ $1000 ■ renewable annually
said. Toyota officials focused on the importance of the Corolla to the company. The Corolla is the bestselling car of all-time with more than 38 million sold since it entered production and is a cornerstone of Toyota’s product line. The company president said the decision to produce the Corolla in Blue Springs is a sign of their faith in the people of Mississippi. Masafumi Hamaguchi, president of the local plant, said he continues to be impressed with the workforce they’ve found in the state. “Mississippi has provided a great workforce. Our team members are hard working and enthusiastic. They welcome the challenge and are eager to learn,” he said. Barbour said the quality of the people of MissisPlease see TOYOTA | 2A
New record 73 vendors sign up for Green Market BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
It’s going to be the biggest market day yet. As of Thursday evening, 73 vendors — 11 more than the previous record — have signed up to sell their handcrafted and homemade wares at Saturday’s RED Green Market, the holiday version of the popular monthly event. “We’re really excited that it’s going to be this big,” said Program Director Karen Beth Martin. “Green Market has gotten pretty successful, and people really look forward to it.” For the RED Green Market, organizers have lifted the regular distance limit of 100 miles and are allowing vendors from anywhere to participate. There will be a diverse selection of handcrafted and homemade items for sale at this event, which organizers are holding to kick off the holiday shopping season.
“These items are handcrafted, so most are one of a kind,” Martin explained. “They make really good Christmas presents, and if you see something you like you might want to go ahead and buy it because things go quickly.” Examples of the items that will be sold at the RED Green Market include a new order of the special Green Market Brew coffee (for $15 per pound), homemade dog treats in the shape of gingerbread men in gift packs, holiday tutus for girls, Christmas wreaths and pine cones, hand painted ornaments, various Christmas Tulle wreaths, hand-made wooden wind birds, bread, cakes, cookies, chokers, woggles, key chains, baby appliquéd and embroidered item — and much, much more. Frozen foods will also be available at the RED Green Market. These inPlease see GREEN | 2A
Please see AID | 2A
Index Stocks......9A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Auxiliary Scholarships
right time,” he said. “Thank you for your faith in us.” Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour recalled the beginning of negotiations to bring the plant to the state in 2004. “This was the most sought after economic development project in the United States,” he said. Barbor said despite the setbacks since the initial announcement in 2007, he never lost faith in the company and their commitment to the project. The governor said the decision to postpone the start of production was clearly the right one and is a sign of the kind of thinking that drives the company. “We expect this plant to be here in 75 years. We expect this company to be here for our grandchildren’s grandchildren to be employed. Their longterm thinking is exactly why we want Toyota,” he
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports....10A
On this day in history 150 years ago Confederate Kentuckians meet in Russellville and adopt a secession ordinance and create a Confederate government for the state. Like Missouri, Kentucky has separate legislatures in both the Union and the Confederacy.