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Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 277
• Corinth, Mississippi •
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22 pages • Two sections
Christmas Basket Fund sets $25k goal BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
get all the information together in a timely manner.” But they chose to move forward. “About six weeks later we were asked to provide drawings if we were still interested,” said Claunch. “We only had three days to do that.” A site also had to be secured quickly. In January, the department got approval to begin building the $474,000 facility, which includes
A local industry has taken a big step in providing holiday meals for the community’s families in need, but there is still a long way to go in the effort to raise funds for the project. On Nov. 11, John Mocny, general manager of Caterpillar Inc.’s Mississippi Remanufacturing Operation, presented a $10,000 check to the Corinth Rotary Club Christmas Basket Fund Committee Chairman Ronnie Sleeper and Daily Corinthian Publisher Reece Terry. The donation illustrated Caterpillar’s ongoing support for the annual program. “I can’t tell you how thankful we are to John Mocny and the folks at Caterpillar. Their donation goes a long, long way to meeting that goal,” said Sleeper. The Corinth Rotary Club teams up with the Daily Corinthian each year to provide packages of food for qualifying families in the community. Based on the estimated level of need, they set a goal for the year. This year the goal is $25,000 — $5,000 more than the goal for previous years. This year the Christmas Basket Fund will pay for 1,100 food packages, up from last year’s 900. “We feel like this year we will see the greatest need because of the condition of the economy — and we really want to be able to serve more families,” Sleeper said. Each year they determine the level of need in the
Please see STATION | 2A
Please see FUND | 3A
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Rather than cutting a ribbon with scissors, Biggersville Fire Chief Pat Claunch uses Jaws of Life extrication equipment to cut an old segment of fire hose during the opening of the new north fire station.
North fire station officially opens BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
BIGGERSVILLE — The flag rose and the firehouse bell rang Saturday morning as Biggersville’s new north fire station officially went into service. Community members gathered to get a look at Mississippi’s only fire station funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It is located just south of Corinth on U.S. Highway 45. “This new station is centrally lo-
Club seeks volunteers
cated in Alcorn County, which gives us the opportunity to assist virtually all other emergency agencies in Alcorn County,” said Deputy Chief Jonathan Rider. The department knew it faced long odds in getting a stimulus grant to build a second fire station. “We knew that we had an unprotected portion of our service area that could use a fire station,” said Chief Pat Claunch. “When we first looked at the application, it scared us a bit. We didn’t think we could
Corinth wreck victim thankful to be home BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Boys & Girls Club of Corinth is in need of some angels. The Club is celebrating the reason for the season with a Christmas Angel Breakfast on Dec. 10 at its Clark Street site. “It takes a lot of hands to prepare and serve a room full of very excited children,” said Unit Director Christy Grice. “That’s why we are starting early recruiting volunteers to make this a very special event.” Grice says there is a need for cooks, servers, hostesses, craft helpers along with the angels. “The object is to create some family fun while also providing the Club the unique opportunity of focusing children’s attention on the real reason for Christmas,” said the unit director. The breakfast, set for 9 a.m., requires angels to attend a half hour rehearsal on how to interact with the children and the songs they will sing. Volunteers will wear simple white shirts with wings and a halo with dark-colored slacks. Each child will be allowed to bring two guests such as a parent, grandPlease see CLUB | 3A
This Thanksgiving holiday season, a 53-yearold Corinth woman is especially thankful — to be alive. Traffic accident victim Linda M. Harris is still recovering from several injuries sustained when the pickup truck she was driving struck a concrete culvert the morning of Oct. 20 on Proper Street. “Several nurses and many doctors have told me I am lucky to be alive,” said Harris, a former factory worker who is now disabled. “I know the Lord was with me that day.” She has a six-inch scar across her forehead, a result of head trauma which has created short
File photo by Reece Terry
Emergency workers transport accident victim Linda M. Harris the morning of Oct. 20 after the pickup truck she was driving struck a concrete culvert on Proper Street in Corinth. term memory loss. She still nurses an open
wound on her arm where a blood clot had to be
removed. Other injuries were fractured ribs and
a broken knee cap, both of which required no surgery. Harris was on her way to see her doctor the morning of the wreck. She never made it to the appointment. “I’ll never forget it,” said Harris, the mother of two grown children and a proud grandmother of a five-year-old. “I glanced to the left. I didn’t even turn my head. Then all of a sudden, it was too late.” The westbound 1985 Chevy C10 pickup struck the culvert about 9 a.m. near Noel Street. The driver wasn’t wearing her seat belt. “I always wear my seat belt,” noted Harris, who had never been in a trafPlease see WRECK | 3A
Corinth Symphony Orchestra begins new season BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The new season of the Corinth Symphony Orchestra is turning festive. Next on the calendar is the symphony’s Christmas show, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” It’s set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Coliseum Civic Center. The annual show includes collaborations with local vocalists, choirs and brass players.
Featured performers include the B.T. Cox Elementary School (Pontotoc) choir, Chad Dickerson, the CSO Gospel Choir, Eddie Elsey and Tenecia Guise. Symphony Board President Lee Ann Story Sikora encourages the community to experience the local talent that will take the stage. She often hears comments from people who say they’ve “heard” the symphony is good. “The symphony is something
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you have to experience,” she said. “There is nothing more important for the holidays than memories, and memories are experiences. If you bring your family to this performance, you are making a memory and that’s going to last forever.” The next performance at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the coliseum features Eddie Elsey, the trombone and low brass instructor at the University of North Alabama.
It will cap a weekend of brass workshops and exhibits sponsored by Elsey, the Eastman Brass Company and the symphony orchestra. The orchestra closes its season at 7:30 p.m. April 28 at the Corinth High School auditorium with a concert featuring music of the Civil War era and the music of Antonin Dvorak, including Please see ORCHESTRA | 3A
On this day in history 150 years ago An expedition of 18 heavily armed men leaves California headed for Texas to join the Confederacy. The men are led by Daniel Showalter, who had killed a political rival in a duel. By Tom Parson, NPS Ranger