Sports Results from the holiday tournament.
Prentiss County Authorities make stolen property arrests.
Tishomingo County County officials will be sworn in.
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Wednesday Dec. 30,
2015
75 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 119, No. 311
Mostly cloudy Today
Tonight
55
39
20% chance of rain
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
NWS: Tornado was EF-4 monster BY JEBB JOHNSTON
How to help
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The National Weather Service’s storm surveys confirm a powerful EF-4 tornado ripped through North Mississippi last week while a short-lived EF-1 tornado touched down in the Jumpertown area of Prentiss County. The Memphis Forecast Office determined that what originally appeared to be a continuous path on Dec. 23 from near Clarksdale northeast to Selmer, Tenn., was actually two separate tornadoes, with the second tornado reaching the EF-4 category with winds up to 170 mph. This is the storm that hit the Holly Springs area and the Three Forks area of Tippah County and resulted in nine fatalities. It also wiped out the Three Forks Volunteer Fire Department about 5 miles from Walnut. No one was in the building at the time, and the trucks were at the station. “It did a lot of damage to the trucks,” said Mike Felton, treasurer for the department. “The only one we had insurance on was an ’04 because the others are so old.”
■ Donations for the Three Forks VFD Building Fund or the Three Forks Community Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to Peoples Bank, Attn: David Horton, P.O. Box 38, Walnut, MS 38863. ■ Magnolia Regional Health Center is collecting relief items such as clothing, diapers and other basic needs for the Three Forks community. Items need to be delivered to the hospital by 10 a.m. today. ■ Donations centers in Tippah County are at Walnut Baptist Church, 28290 Hwy. 15, and Oakland Baptist Church, 1871 County Road 101, Walnut. ■ A Volunteer Reception Center is located at the Walnut Fire Department, 27880 Hwy. 15, or call 662-223-4115.
None of them are currently usable. It was also a big loss for firefighter equipment because gear for many of the volunteers was inside the building. “It costs about $10,000 just to suit up one fireman,” said Felton. The department has set up a special building account at Peoples Bank in Walnut for donations. The VFD hopes to build back at the same location. The tornado developed about 4:10 p.m. in Tate County, moving into Marshall County, where it heavily damaged several homes along Mississippi Highway 4 and caused
two fatalities. It moved across the southeast edge of Holly Springs, producing EF-2 to EF-3 damage. NWS said the storm appeared to strengthen as it entered Benton County near Highway 4. Damage reached the EF-4 category in northeastern Benton County and was close to EF-4 near Ashland. The county had six fatalities. The tornado then moved across the northwest corner of Tippah County, damaging structures in the Three Forks community. The county had one fatality. Please see TORNADO | 5A
Local storm spotter Aaron Canaday and his Storm Chase Team captured this image of the EF4 tornado on Dec. 23 as it crossed U.S. 72 about one-half mile west of Walnut.
Final credits roll for Blockbuster ‘15 Year in Review
continues: Part III BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
(Editor’s note: The annual “top 10” stories will be presented Friday.) A look at notable happenings from July to September:
July
Staff photo by Zack Steen
Blockbuster co-owner Alan Dodd and longtime store manager Anita Sides have greeted movie rental customers for 16 years at the South Harper Road location. The once popular store will shut down this week. Dodd’s wife Leeann and brothers-in-law Dan and Dewayne McLemore also co-own the business.
Owner reflects on movie rental business BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
For Corinth native Alan Dodd, the slow death of the once hugely popular Blockbuster chain has finally reached home. Dodd, his wife Leeann and business partners Dan and Dewayne McLemore, will shut
down their South Harper Road Blockbuster location this week. Opened 16 years ago in October 1999 when the brick and mortar movie rental business was booming, Dodd said the location has seen his patrons become busier than ever. “Our normal customers not having time to watch movies
has been one of our biggest struggles in the last two years,” said Dodd. “Back in the 2000s, families would come rent five or six movies — now they may only rent one or two. It’s completely different.” The owner said competition Please see BLOCKBUSTER | 5A
■ County supervisors award the contract for the $4.875 expansion of Crossroads Regional Park to Michael Pittman Construction Co. ■ Amid budget concerns, county supervisors put a freeze on any employee pay raises until the next fiscal year. ■ Alcorn County issues its first same-sex marriage license. ■ Corinth aldermen vote to demolish the former museum and YMCA building at 601 Washington. ■ A single weekend brings a pair of fatal ATV accidents in Alcorn County. Jerry “Jay” Caldwell III, 19, of Corinth, dies in a four-wheeler accident while riding in the Sharp’s bottom area. John E. Lauderdale, 76, dies in a crash in the Pisgah area. ■ Corinth gets a $3.2 million Eastern Federal Lands Access Program grant for improvements on streets leading to the Civil War Interpretive Center, including North Polk, Linden,
Shiloh and Fulton Drive, along with a bridge replacement on North Polk. ■ Joyce Howard, 52, of Corinth, dies after being struck by a vehicle at a gathering on White Street. ■ Jimmy Ray Mitchell pleads guilty to six counts including fraudulently obtaining public funds and false representation to defraud government as a result of the county corruption probe. ■ Police charge Second District Supervisor Dal Nelms with grand larceny after he takes money from an auto parts store where he posed as an employee. A few days later, Nelms withdraws his bid for reelection and resigns from office. ■ Wayne Maddox, a candidate for constable and former City of Corinth employee, dies a week before the election.
August ■ In the primary election, Larry B. Mitchell gets a decisive win for county superintendent of education; Greg Younger wins chancery clerk; and the Democratic primary for sheriff is too close to call without the affidavit ballots to be counted later.
Please see REVIEW | 5A
25 years ago
10 years ago
Kossuth High School is selected as one of 15 schools for a U.S. Department of Education pilot program for satellite enhanced math instruction. Principal Larry Mitchell shares the news with the school board.
Property tax bills go out and mobile home owners see an increase due to a change in state rules. Alcorn County Tax Collector Greg Younger says the new regulations are causing an increase in the taxable value of the homes.
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