Wednesday Dec. 14,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 297
2011 Christmas Basket Fund ‘A Community Tradition’
Basket fund tops $23,000 in donations
’Tis the season for giving as donations continue to arrive for the 16th annual Corinth Rotary Club/Daily Corinthian Christmas Basket Fund. A $25,000 fundraising goal has been set so 1,100 food baskets could be given to local families on Saturday, Dec. 10. It was a record number of baskets. So far $23,155 has been raised. Food baskets were given away based upon the faith the goal will be attained this year. Donations include $50 from Joey and Judy James in memory of Keith James; $100 from Mr. and Mrs. John U. Potts in memory of Leon Potts; $100 from Peggy and Al Wodhouse; $100 from Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Honey; $25 from Mr. and Mrs. William T. Stine; and $100 from Brad Brawner in memory of Becky Brawner. Donations are a perfect time to make a tribute to a loved one. Contributions to the Christmas Basket Fund can be made “in honor of” or “in memory of” a special person or persons. The tribute will be published in the Daily Corinthian. Donations can be brought by the newspaper office or mailed to: Daily Corinthian, Attn.: Christmas Basket Fund, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, MS 38835.
Fire chief urges safety BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The display of live Christmas trees, cooking of big holiday meals and the use of electrical space heaters combine to make December one of the most fire-prone times of the year in the home. Fire officials encourage residents to keep safety in mind as they enjoy the holidays. From 2005 to 2009, more than 200 home fires per year in the U.S. began with Christmas trees, according to the state fire marshal’s office. Corinth Fire Chief Rob Price said proper care of the live trees is very important. “Be sure the trees are wellwatered. They drink more water than you think they would,” he said. As a general rule, according to the marshal’s office, tree stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Shedding needles indicate a tree is dry and a fire hazard. Tree lights are another potential source of trouble. “Make sure that the lights’ wires are not frayed, and when purchasing new lights, make sure they have a UL listing,” said Price. The UL listing is a product safety certification. Lights should be unplugged before leaving or going to bed, and Christmas trees should be kept away from any potential sources of ignition, such as Please see SAFETY | 3A
Some clouds Today
Tonight
68
57
• Corinth, Mississippi • 30 pages • 2 sections
Outbreak source: Don Julio State report confirms 59 cases came from 1 restaurant BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The salmonella crisis is over. The Mississippi State Department of Health reports that salmonella is no longer a risk to the public in Corinth and singles out one restaurant as to the source of the recent
food poisoning outbreak. The MSDH reports that 59 patrons and employees of Don Julio Mexican Restaurant — located in The Commons shopping center — have had positive cultures confirming the presence of salmonella. “Our investigation has
shown that the incident does not appear to be a food producer or supplier issue,” said Northeast Mississippi District Health Officer Dr. Jessie R. Taylor. “It appears to be an isolated problem with this particular restaurant, and the restaurant is working closely with
us to correct the problem.” Don Julio will remain closed until an improvement plan is approved by the MSDH. The MSDH reports that area health care providers have been notified of the situation. Please see OUTBREAK | 3A
Grant helps famous sword’s return BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is teaming with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to bring the sword of Col. W.P. Rogers back to Corinth.
Board members agreed to a funding request of $3,500 to sponsor the Corinth Civil War Relic Show in March in which the sword will be displayed. “This year I am 99.9 percent sure we will have Col. Rogers sword,” said Larry Mangus with
the Sons of Confederate Veterans. “We hope to get a 20-25 percent increase in people attending because of the sword.” Should the sword not arrive to be displayed, the board agreed to fund the event for $2,500. “This will be a once in a
lifetime treat,” said Mangus. “Who knows if we will ever get it back again.” “Usually, we sponsor the show for $2,500 but this is a special year,” added tourism Please see SWORD | 3A
Organizations host legislative reception BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Community leaders received chance this week to become more familiar with local representatives in state government. The Alliance and Corinth Area Convention & Visitors Bureau co-sponsored a legislative reception for the officials on Monday evening. “We want to keep a good rapport with our legislative delegation and let them know who we are,” said The Alliance President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Chandler. “This is an effort to say thank you for their service and best of luck.” “It’s a time to meet with our local and state reps one-onone,” added Alliance president Brian McCullen. Among those attending the reception where newly elected local state representatives Nick Bain, Lester “Bubba” Carpenter, Tracy Arnold along with other city and county elected officials. “It has been an exciting and fun time,” said district 2 representative Bain. “We have a chance tonight to talk with people and find out what their concerns are, along with just having a time of fellowship.” Chandler said he looks forward to working with the representatives in the state legislature. “We have a lot of new faces and we need to stick together as Alcorn County and the TAP Alliance,” he said. Carpenter is ready to continue the work for the area. “They’re a lot of good people in Alcorn County and I’m honored by their support,” said the district 1 representative. “I look forward to working with the new guys.” Arnold told the crowd that all three of the reps will be working together for northeast Mississippi. “We have a great opportunity in this part of the state and we are all pulling in the same
Staff photos by Steve Beavers
District 2 State Rep. Nick Bain of Corinth talks with newly elected supervisor Lowell Hinton, above. District 1 State Rep. Lester “Bubba” Carpenter (left) of Burnsville was one of several local and state officials recognized at The Alliance and Corinth Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s legislative luncheon, right. direction,” said the district 3 seat winner. Bain agreed with his fellow representative. “There is no better place,” said Bain. “All of us are going to stay together for this region.”
District moves forward on softball facility BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth School District is moving forward with plans for a softball facility at property it owns on Proper Street east of Harper Road. Superintendent Lee Childress told the board of trustees on Monday that it’s possible the field will be ready for use
in the upcoming season, which begins around March 1. “We are hoping to get that out for bids real soon … We are going to begin to clear the site where we can hopefully get it drier than it is with the trees that are on it right now,” he said. Architectural plans are yet to be completed, but the district
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......9B Comics......4B Wisdom......3B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports...8-9A
is planning for bleachers with seating for 408, two dugouts, fencing, dressing area and ticket booth. “If we ever built a baseball field on the other side, it will serve as a dual entrance and ticket booth for both fields,” said Childress. Showing the board some preliminary drawings, the su-
perintendent noted that the field house does appear “extremely long.” “Part of this is a covered area that the coaches would like to have to work out in bad weather,” he said. “A lot of these things will be bid as alternates so we can see how they come in.”
On this day in history 150 years ago Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria of England, died at the age of 42. Though in poor health, he had been working behind the scenes to defuse the tension between the United States and Great Britain caused by the “Trent Affair.”
Please see BOARD | 3A