Daily Corinthian
Thursday Jan. 26,
2012
50 cents
Vol. 116, No. 22
Storms Today
Tonight
62
38
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Journey of a thousand miles Tanzania bishop undergoes heart procedure at MRHC BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Many people don’t mind traveling a few extra miles for good health care, but Bishop Peter Kitula of Tanzania journeyed thousands of miles for a heart procedure in Corinth. Released from Magnolia Regional Health Center on Wednesday, Kitula is bishop of the Mara and Ukerewe Diocese of the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania. As he prepared to leave the hospital, Kitula told of meeting Magnolia’s Dr. Max Hutchinson when the doctor participated in mission
work in Tanzania. He was pleased with the compassion the doctor showed the local people. “We were very impressed by the way he talked to the people and encouraged the people,” said Kitula. His diocese hosts an annual pastors conference at which Hutchinson’s brother was asked to speak. Hutchinson also attended and was asked to do some work in the church-sponsored clinics. He spent a day meeting with pastors and their wives for any health concerns they had. “We treated a lot of pa-
tients with hypertension and heart problems,” the doctor recalled. He learned of Kitula’s heart problem during that visit. The bishop was doing well, but he developed shortness of breath this fall and contacted Hutchinson, who referred Kitula to a doctor in Africa. Kitula had a catheterization performed in Kenya but learned he needed a coronary bypass. After some discussion with the leadership at Magnolia, Hutchinson was able to offer to do the procedure in Corinth. Kitula’s son and daughter-in-law, who live in
Washington, D.C., arranged a flight for him to Memphis, and the procedure was performed last week. “The case turned out to be a little bit more complicated than we thought,” said Hutchinson. “We had found out that he is diabetic, which he did not know. He also has some kidney problems which we didn’t know about. And he had a fairly extensive amount of damage to his heart that causes an impairment in the function of the heart. In addition to the coronary bypass, we had to Please see BYPASS | 2
Submitted photo
Bishop Peter Kitula of Tanzania enjoys a moment with his wife, Esther, before being discharged from Magnolia Regional Health Center on Wednesday. He had bypass surgery at the Corinth hospital.
Middle School Poetry Project Kossuth seventh-graders taught different slant BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
KOSSUTH — Students got to see a different angle when it comes to poetry. On Friday, the Kossuth Middle School seventh-graders get to show what they learned. The seventh-grade reading classes of Wendy Kelly were treated to a poetry reading by Autry Davis, a member of the Crossroads Poetry Project, as part of their month-long study of poetry. Students are set to put the lesson in action with their own reading on Friday at KMS. Peyton Mitchell was one seventh-grader paying close attention. “You have to show a lot of emotion ... don’t be afraid to read the poem like it is written,” said Mitchell after listening to Davis. Mitchell, who has selected “Duck Hunting” by Dwayne Bailey for his reading, plans on dressing the part with decoys and waders on Friday. “I won’t just go up there and read it,” said Mitchell. “I will be the person in the poem.” Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Please see POETRY | 2
Crossroads Poetry Project’s Autry Davis reads to Kossuth seventh graders on Tuesday.
Unemployment rates dip slightly
Young kart racer is on fast track to stardom
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Bryant Marsh, a 12-year-old Corinth resident, is about to kick off his third racing season. Bryant, the son of Jonathan and Kala Marsh, will travel to Belton, S.C., to participate in the first of eight CRI Pro Kart Tour races that will stretch from the East Coast to the Midwest. He will compete with top junior Please see RACER | 2
Submitted photo
Twelve-year-old Bryant Marsh will soon kick off his third season of kart racing on the CRI Pro Kart Tour. He is pictured here with his second-place trophy from the O’Reilly Indoor National Championship.
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 12 Wisdom...... 11
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
December unemployment rates showed little change at the state and local level. Alcorn County registered at 10.9 percent for the month, nearly unmoved from last month’s 11 percent and down slightly from 11.6 percent a year earlier. The state’s seasonally unadjusted rate moved slightly upward to 9.9 percent from the prior month’s 9.7 percent, according to the monthly labor report released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The county saw 120 initial claims for unemployment insurance, down from 309 a year earlier, and 1,011 continued claims, down from 1,663 a year earlier. Regular benefits paid in the county toPlease see JOBLESS | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago Jan. 26 — Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard, the hero of Fort Sumter and Manassas, transfers to the Western Theatre where he becomes the second-in-command to Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston.
Dr. Prather is a board certified physician in Cardiology and Internal Medicine with Magnolia Regional Health Center. He has been on staff at MRHC since 1979. Dr. Prather is also certified in Nuclear Medicine, CT Cardiac Angiograms and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Prather received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego followed by training in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and a Cardiology fellowship at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He is a recipient of the Giannini Foundation Fellowship. --- To schedule an appointment please call, (662) 287-5218.
611 Alcorn Drive, Suite 230 Corinth, MS 38834 Mon. - Fri.: 8:00 AM -5:00 PM