9-14-11 Daily Corinthian

Page 1

Daily Corinthian

Wednesday Sept. 14,

2011

50 cents

Vol. 115, No. 219

Thunderstorm Today

Tonight

89

65

• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 sections

Man robs SOUTHBank in Selmer BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian

SELMER, Tenn. — An early morning bank robbery at SOUTHBank in Selmer led to the loss of an undetermined amount of money on Tuesday. There were no injuries

during the one man robbery of the bank at 904 Mulberry Ave., across from Wal-Mart. The FBI believes the bank robbery happened around 8:50 a.m. or 8:55 a.m., less than 30 minutes after the bank opened at 8:30 a.m. for business. It

Board adopts budget

is believed to be the first bank robbery in Selmer since 1970. The suspect in the robbery is described as a white male, stocky build and light brown hair. He was wearing khaki shorts, a green shirt and sunglasses. His truck was

a small single cab darkcolored pickup that was believed to have headed east on Tenn. Hwy. 142 to Stantonville after the bank hold-up. FBI spokesperson Joel Siskovic said that anyone with any leads to the robbery should contact the

Selmer Police Department (731-645-7907). Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks said surveillance video from inside the bank, the exterior photos from Wal-Mart’s security camera and video from the overhead traffic camera at the intersection

of U.S. Hwy. 45 and Tenn. Hwy. 142 would be used during the investigation of the burglary. Burks said it was important to establish the exact time of the robbery and that would make it Please see ROBBERY | 12A

Wandering preacher

BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Corinth aldermen adopted a $9.4 million fiscal 2012 budget Tuesday that holds taxes level while seeking to curtail expenses. City residents will see no change to their ad valorem tax rate, which holds at 95 mills, including the school district tax, but an increase in assessed property value means the same tax rate will produce more revenue. Assessed value rose from $89 million to $93 million. City employees will see no change in pay rates with the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Many outside agencies asked for more financial supPlease see BUDGET | 12A

Board to mull Chris Colley travels the road with Jesus changes

Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith

Chris Colley travels the country pushing his cart and sharing Jesus.

BY BOBBY J. SMITH

bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Corinth Board of Aldermen has decided to take a little more time to consider changes to the policy for holiday compensation for firemen and policemen. The policy has been a major focus for the elected leaders and department heads for the last few weeks as the city worked on its fiscal 2012 budget. Aldermen agreed on Monday that the issue needs more study rather than trying to finalize it along with Please see CHANGES | 5A

For 25 years he has wandered this country, from the balmy Everglades to the cold steel and glass canyons of New York City, teaching from the Good Book and ministering to the lost. Pushing a homemade cart loaded down with his humble few possessions, Minister Chris Colley has walked through 44 states in a one-man marathon quest to win souls for Christ. He sits writing in a small leather-bound journal in the shade of pine trees a few yards off the shoulder of U.S. 45 near the Prentiss County line. A floppy round hat shades and obscures his sun-browned features, but the bushy white and grey beard grown long down his chest makes the preacher

“I’m walking by faith — not by eyesight. Living not through the carnal flesh but through Christ Jesus. You’ve got to let God drive you through your conscience.” Chris Colley Minister

a hard man to miss. His blue shirt and dark pants are faded and soft with wear, but his black New Balance shoes are in fine walking condition. “I just gave away my 21st Bible,” were the first words he spoke. He is on a 600-mile trek from Kentucky, heading to Florida for the winter. But this is only the latest leg of a journey that started many years ago. “I’m walking by faith — not by eyesight,” said Colley, “living not through the carnal flesh but

through Christ Jesus. You’ve got to let God drive you through your conscience.” Colley’s journey of faith began when he was 27 years old. Born in Dallas and raised in small towns across Texas, Colley said he really didn’t hear much about Jesus as a kid. Beset by troubles at a young age he fled Texas and his unstable father and lost himself in the counterculture lifestyles of California. “I got caught up in the drug scene. It was all part of the mu-

sic and art and way of thinking at the time,” he said. “I got caught up in the hippy movement.” By the time he was 27 he was a “junkie,” he said, addicted to drugs, with his life taking a brutal downward spiral. Colley ended up homeless, living in the Junior Rescue Mission in San Diego, Calif., the place where he became determined to free himself from substances after years of abuse and addiction. He got clean at the mission, and his newfound sobriety led him to a serious study of the Bible through a correspondence course. Colley was living at the mission when he first began to pray. He would shut himself inside the laundry room to be alone and talk with God. Often he would Please see PREACHER | 3A

Blue Ribbon Exhibitors ready for fun competition at fair BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The Blue Ribbon Exhibitors event at the Alcorn County Fair takes an almost-forgotten art of home food preservation and turns it into a fun competition the whole family can enjoy. The event is a canning competition with three categories: Fruits and Vegeta-

bles; Jams and Jellies; and Pickles and Relishes. Canning champs will compete for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place and Best of Show ribbons in each category — along with the bragging rights for their recognized canning expertise. “Lots of folks have called about this event and lots of folks have had good gardens this year,” said Fair Committee Member Sandy

Mitchell, who is canning her own muscadine jelly for the Blue Ribbon Exhibitors competition. “We were fortunate this year in getting the early rain — which really helped with the gardens.” In addition to the obvious perks of having one’s canning skills awarded, praised and admired by a multitude of fair-goers, the event is a good opportunity to learn a not-quite-lost art that

Index Stocks....11A Classified......5B Comics......4B Crossroads ....3B

Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports...8-9A

helped families avoid starvation in tough economic times such as the lean years of the Great Depression. Canning also allowed families to maintain better nutrition by ensuring a year-long supply of fruits and vegetables.

Canning Registration Registration for the Blue

Ribbon Exhibitors canning competition will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Crossroads Arena. Participants should bring their goods to the arena’s main entrance where they will fill out the necessary forms on arrival and be provided with labels for their entries. “Everything for the registration can be done when they get here,” Mitchell ex-

plained. “We’ve got all the forms here, or they can also fill out their forms at home.” The canned culinary masterpieces will then be taken to the exhibit area in the arena’s Conference Room, where they will remain for judging and exhibition purposes throughout the fair’s remaining days. Help with carrying the

On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Sterling Price with 7,000 men begins the siege of Lexington, Mo. The garrison of 3,600 Union soldiers holds out for seven days waiting in vain for reinforcements to reach them.

Please see FAIR | 12A


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