Wednesday Sept. 28,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 231
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • Two sections
Shooting suspect charged with murder Bond set at $1 million; services set for victim BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Antonio Shields was formally charged with murder in his initial court appearance Tuesday morning. Corinth Municipal Judge John Ross Jr. set bond at $1 million. T h e 25-yearo l d Shields submitted a certificate of indi- Fernando gence, and Ross said the court will appoint an attorney for him. Shields acknowledged to the court that he has six children but otherwise did not make any statements. He turned himself in Friday evening for the shooting death of Sylvester Fernando, 38. Detective Capt. Ralph Dance of the Corinth Police De-
partment said plans are to present the case to the grand jury in December. Funeral services for Fernando are set for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Lighthouse Foundation with burial at Forrest Hill Cemetery. A resident of Tate Street, he worked for Draco Industries. He was married to Karen Fernando and had eight children. Autopsy results indicated Fernando was shot three times, Dance said, and all three were lethal shots. One shot had both an entrance and exit wound, which, combined with the recovery of four ammunition hulls at the scene, initially led the detective to believe Fernando had been shot four times. The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Friday at the Sprint Mart at Cass and Meigg. Fernando exited the Sprint Mart and approached Shields, who had just driven up, to talk to him. After they
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Chuck Hinds and Ralph Dance of the Corinth Police Department escort murder suspect Antonio Shields to his court appearance Tuesday morning at Corinth City Hall. talked for a bit, Shields jumped out of his vehicle and hit Fernando with a semiautomatic handgun. They struggled over the
weapon, and Shields shot Fernando in the back of the head as Fernando fell to the ground. He also shot Fernando twice in the
Seminar helps biz ‘Tweet’ effectively
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Please see SEMINAR | 5A
see but turned himself in a short time later. Shields has lived in Corinth and Michie, Tenn., Dance said.
These ‘Chics’ have ‘Passion for Pink’
BY JEBB JOHNSTON Want to inject some Tweets into your business strategy? The Alliance and Northeast Mississippi Community College can help with the upcoming Internet and Social Media for Business seminar series on Oct. 3, 13, 17 and 24. Alliance Community Development Director Andrea Rose said the specialized technology training will be available at no cost. “Our members have let us know they would like training in this area,” she said. “This is an opportunity for small businesses who might not have the resources to seek this training to get it here locally and at no charge.” The training is offered in partnership with Northeast Mississippi Community College and will be held at Northeast at Corinth. The sessions are: ■ Facebook for beginners - Monday, Oct. 3, 9 to 11 a.m. ■ Twitter and LinkedIn for beginners Thursday, Oct. 13, 9 to 11 a.m. ■ Google sites for business - Monday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 12 noon
chest area. Fernando’s son was with him and witnessed the shooting. Shields fled to Tennes-
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
The Pink Chics Relay for Life team is selling T-shirts to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. Team member Kristy Knight displays some of the items available for sale to raise awareness.
The Pink Chics are ready to fight. Their weapon of choice? A T-shirt. The Relay for Life Team is selling the shirts to promote Breast Cancer Awareness and is hoping that Corinth is turned the color of pink every Friday in October. “The shirts have been so successful and puts us in position to share information about breast cancer,” said team member Kristy Knight. “The main thing is to make people aware.” Knight and Lisa Parks are the driving force behind the team. “We have been involved for 10 years and it has become kind of addictive for us,” added Knight. The shirts come in both
long and short sleeve. The long sleeve shirts cost $15 for sizes S-XL. Any size bigger than XL is $18. The short sleeves are $12 and $15 for sizes above XL. They come in light pink, dark heather gray and chocolate brown. “We usually sell between 500-1,000 shirts,” said Knight. “We aren’t just local, we sell all over Mississippi.” This year’s theme is “Passion for Pink.” “I can think of 10 people in my age group who are fighting or have gone through breast cancer,” said the team member. “You feel like you are letting them down if you aren’t at Relay for Life events doing something.” What started out as a Please see PINK | 5A
Concert features evening of ‘Sensational Strings’ BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Music lovers are invited to experience the beauty of strings within an intimate and historical downtown setting. Corinth Symphony Orchestra will open its new season with a night of Sensational Strings at the First United Methodist Chapel in downtown Corinth on Saturday, Oct. 8. “If you are a musician, a writer, poet, or an artist, I cannot think of a better location than the beautiful, historic FUMC Chapel
and this particular chamber concert for an inspirational evening that could fire up the imagination,” said Lee Ann Story Sikora, president of the Corinth Symphony Orchestra board of directors. The FUMC Chapel, also known as the Fillmore Street Chapel, is Corinth’s oldest church building. It was erected in 1871 by Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the first church established in Corinth. From 1906 to 1976 it served as the Fillmore Street Presbyterian Church and is now
Index Stocks....11A Classified......3B Comics....12A Crossroads ....2B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
used as a chapel by the First United Methodist Church. The chamber concert will feature a smaller group of instruments than a standard orchestra, better suited to more intimate settings. Last season’s concert featured CSO’s brass section. This season’s chamber concert will feature the string section — violas, violins, bass and cello — about 14 musicians in all. Maestro Maurice Weatherall has put together a “cool” first half featuring classical masterworks and a
“hot” second half, with jazz and contemporary pieces. “Maurice does a great job choosing something that is sure to please everyone,” Sikora said. “Of course, I love it all!” The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door and are $15 for general admission; $10 for students and seniors; and active military is free. Season tickets will become available this week for $50. This includes four performances. If purchased after the first concert, ticket-
holders will receive an extra concert in the next season. The next concert in the season will be the annual Christmas concert — ”We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” — scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2:30 p.m. The Christmas show will have an inspirational choir with featured soloists. For more information call 662-603-7147. Ticket orders should be mailed to Corinth Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 417, Corinth, MS 38835. Orders should include the purchaser’s mailing address.
On this day in history 150 years ago Sept. 28 — Walt Whitman’s poem “BEAT! BEAT! DRUMS!” appears in Harper’s Weekly, a testament to the disruptive nature of war and how all corners of society are affected. Whitman, a pacifist, served as a nurse during the war.