Thursday Sept. 8,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 214
Mostly sunny Today
Tonight
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
City of Selmer settles Cars for Kids suit Town agrees to pay half million to families of six killed, 22 injured BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
SELMER, Tenn. – The Selmer City Board has agreed to a settlement with the people who were hurt or the families of those who died in the Cars for Kids tragic accident.
Selmer’s Board of Aldermen agreed to pay $500,000 to those who had sued the city after the tragic accident that happened on June 16, 2007. The aldermen voted 5-0 to approve the settlement during a special called meeting on Tues-
day, Sept. 6. “We are just glad to have gotten this settlement agreed to and approved by both sides,” said Selmer Mayor David Robinson. Robinson said the money would be paid out of Selmer’s general fund. He hopes to have the payment completed by next week, following work by Selmer city attorney Terry Abernathy.
The payment from the city will be split between the various people who sued Selmer following the accident that killed six people and injured 22 others. Lawyers representing the victims had negotiated the settlement through a judicial mediation process with the city. The lawyers and the city agreed to the $500,000 settlement during a hearing at the
Hospital begins parking project
Hardin County Courthouse on Aug. 26. Tennessee law prevents anyone from getting a settlement of more than $600,000 from a local government. The accident happened when a dragster driven by Troy Critchley veered out of control and swerved into a crowd along U.S. 64 in front Please see CARS | 2
Corinth inks deal to help collect unpaid city fines BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Vice President of Heart and Cancer Centers Mark Studdard gets signs ready as the hospital begins a construction project Friday.
MRHC adds complimentary valet parking visitors BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Magnolia Regional Health Center is making things simpler. For its patients. Site work will begin Friday as the hospital hopes to alleviate a problem area of parking. “Our biggest feedback is that parking is not as good as it should be,” said Vice President of Heart and Cancer Centers Mark Studdard. “The project
simplifies things for patients.” MRHC is set to begin the 16-month project on Friday with the building phase not getting under way until January. Plans also call for some realignment of hospital departments in the future. “The reason we are doing this is to move the entrance of the hospital to the southern side,” said Studdard. “This way patients will have one central
location for everything.” Under the plan, the emergency room and radiology department would move to the southern side or expansion side of the hospital. “Those changes are a long way down the road,” said Studdard. “For several weeks the only thing to effect patients will be parking,” added Director of Marketing Annie Rhoades. The parking construc-
tion will see some variations to the way things are accustomed to being. Starting Friday, the hospital will offer a free valet service for visitors. “You can pull right up to the front of the hospital and we will park you,” said the vice president. The valet service is available only from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please see PARKING | 2
Corinth could see more municipal court fines collected as the result of an agreement inked Tuesday. The Board of Aldermen approved entering a contract with Judicial Correction Services to help manage payment of fines to the city. Marcus Fomby, representing the business, said the service collects money that is owed for misdemeanor fines. JCS would only deal with those who cannot afford to pay all of their fine up front. Fomby said 70 percent of the funds collected each month will go to the city. “We also go back to collect on delinquent fines from anyone who in the past may have fallen through the cracks,” said Fomby. “We will use our resources to contact those persons and get them in and get them paying.” Fomby said JCS typically sets up a small local office wherever it provides services. Mayor Tommy Irwin said the municipal court has a substantial amount of outstanding fines, and the service will help bring in some of that money. In other business: ■ The board accepted an Iuka firm’s bid to install five storm shelters for use by city employees. P&G Contract Services was the lowest of three bidders at $96,975. The project is funded by a grant through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. ■ Building Inspector Philip Verdung informed the board that the Slugburger Cafe has been given a 30-day notice to pave its parking area or cease operations. ■ Donna Wright appeared before the board to request approval to operate an in-home daycare at 1501 North Parkway. Her request was previously denied by the planning commission/board of adjustment. The property is zoned R-1, which does not allow in-home businesses. The board took no action on the request. ■ The board approved a setback variance to allow an expansion of Pioneer Machinery on South Tate. ■ The board adjudicated property at 608 Wenasoga for cleanup and dismissed action on 1517 Allen Street.
Students take tour through body parts to learn about health BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Some Alcorn County students continued their education on Wednesday. Away from school. Around 500 first and second graders toured the Mississippi Body Walk Exhibit at the Mississippi Extension Service where they gained healthy knowledge about staying active. “This is a great experience that makes learning fun,” said Alcorn Central Elementary second grade teacher Helen Gillentine. “Children need to learn how to fight heart disease and diabetes.” The students took a trip through the brain and stomach among other body parts. They did a little workout following the tour and
concluded the event with a healthy snack “The whole purpose is to become healthier,” said extension nutrition educator Marea Wilson. “We can’t do enough to promote healthy habits.” Wilson works with students in the county one day a week. “We are grateful and excited about having a chance to be here,” said Gillentine. “What they learn today reinforces what we have been teaching.” High school students from the Alcorn Career and Tech Center served as presenters during the exhibit. “This is a great leadership opportunity for them,” said the center’s Teacher Academy instructor Please see BODY | 2
Index Stocks...... 11 Classified...... 13 Comics...... 12
Crossroads .... 10 Weather......5A Obituaries......3A
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Alcorn County students got a chance to tour the Body Walk exhibit at the Mississippi State Extension Service. The first-and second-graders were presented with healthy choices as they viewed parts of the body, such as the brain.
On this day in history 150 years ago Sept. 8 — At the small of village of Placito in Confederate Arizona (modern New Mexico), fifteen Confederate soldiers and a handful of Mexican villagers defeated a raiding band of Apaches.