Friday Dec. 16,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 299
2011 Christmas Basket Fund ‘A Community Tradition’
Basket fund donations top $24,000 ’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 $24,545 has been raised. Food baskets were given away based upon the faith the goal will be attained this year. Donations include $100 anonymous gift in memory of their mothers, Delores Gene Ingram and Gatha Gray; $190 from the Sassy Scarlet Red Hatters of Corinth; $50 from Arthur Rowe and Co., Inc. in honor of Long Distribution, Tommy Stine; $200 from Frank T. Dalton, D.M.D.; $100 from Robert and Sheri Davidovich;and $50 from Sammy L. and Mary Rowsey and Tina B. Thomas. 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.
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Man sentenced for abuse BY BRANT SAPPINGTON
bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
An Alcorn County man faces up to six years in prison after entering an open plea to a charge of child abuse in Circuit Court. Assistant District Attorney Tyler Moss reports Joseph
Byron Austin pleaded open to one count of felony child abuse during the most recent term of Alcorn County Circuit Court. Austin was sentenced to 20 years with 14 suspended and six to serve, along with five years post-release supervision
and ordered to pay fines and court costs. The sentence is to run concurrent with another sentence he is currently serving on a separate prior charge. Other significant cases that were brought to a conclusion during the most recent court
term included: n Thelmon Smith III, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Sentenced to 30 years with 15 suspended and 15 to serve, five Please see PLEAS | 2A
Bond set for robbery suspect BY ANGELA STOREY astorey@dailycorinthian.com
A Booneville bank robbery suspect remains in jail on $30,000 bond. Police Chief Michael Ramey said Rodney William Davis, 46, of 527 CR 513, Rienzi, was arraigned last week in Booneville Municipal Court.
He is facing one charge of robbery following the holdup of Farmers and Merchants Bank on East Church Street Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 6. Davis was taken into custody about a block away from the bank on Brewer Street by the Booneville
Police Criminal Investigation Division just over an hour after the robbery occurred. Police said he was on foot and had been at a residence trying to get a ride. Davis All of the undisclosed amount of money taken from the bank was recovered on Davis, said Chief Ramey.
Church volunteers bring Christmas alive BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The reason for the season will be experienced at First Presbyterian Church. Christmas ALIVE: A Living Christmas Experience is set for tonight and Saturday night at the church on Shiloh Road. “It has been a great blessing for the church and we hope it is a great blessing to the community,” said co-director Kimberly Grantham. Over 130 church volunteers have worked to bring the program together. Starting at 5 p.m. both nights, children of the church will take the public through the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Grantham, who along with her husband, Brett, came up with the idea for Christmas ALIVE after praying for God’s guidance in developing a new way for their church to celebrate Christmas. Christmas ALIVE is composed of five scenes, beginning when the angel appeared to Mary. The story continues with the birth of Jesus in a stable followed by angels appearing to shepherds keeping watch over their flock. There is a scene where King Herod sends out wise men followed by the wise men bowing to a young Jesus. Live animals such as camels, donkeys, cows and sheep will bring the program more to life in the detailed decorated scenes. Although there are no spoken parts, the church children
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Please see CLOSURES | 2A
Today
• Corinth, Mississippi • 22 pages • 2 sections
Offices set closures for holidays Government and other offices have set holiday schedules that will affect garbage collection routes and other services during the next couple of weeks. With the two holidays falling on Sundays, most government offices will be closed on four days — the Friday before and Monday after both Christmas and New Year’s Day. Per custom, the city and county governments followed Gov. Haley Barbour’s recommendations for the state offices in setting the schedule. City, county and state offices will be closed Dec. 23 and 26 for Christmas and Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 for New Year’s. The Corinth Street Department and Alcorn County will both be doubling up garbage routes on several dates. “People will need to have their garbage out by 7 o’clock, sometimes maybe a little earlier,” said Corinth Street Commissioner Jim Bynum. “We will also be doing rubbish and leaves on those days.” The city and county will have the same garbage schedule for the holidays. On Thursday, Dec. 22, that day’s normal route will be collected in addition to the
Rain
Please see ALIVE | 2A
“It has been a great blessing for the church and we hope it is a great blessing to the community.” Staff photo by Steve Beavers
An angel (Sheridan Shipp) tells the shepherds about the birth of Jesus in the First Presbyterian Church program Christmas ALIVE.
Kimberly Grantham
Co-director, Christmas ALIVE
Chamber leader: Tide ready to turn on Blueprint BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
As Mississippi crafts a blueprint for a better future, the state’s chamber president believes the tide is already turning in its favor. Blake Wilson, Mississippi Economic Council president, addressed a joint meeting of Rotary and Kiwanis on Thursday for an update on Blueprint Mississippi. “The good news is 79 percent
of Mississippi business leaders believe Mississippi is in a position now to be as competitive as North Carolina and Georgia were 25 or 30 years ago,” said Wilson. “We are in the place of great opportunity. Communities like yours buying into a common, shared vision across the state will make it possible for Mississippi to realize our potential.” The private-sector funded Blueprint Mississippi effort is
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“a ground-up approach to how we can be more competitive in Mississippi,” shaped by feedback from communities across the state, explained Wilson. The complete report is due to be released Jan. 5 at MEC’s Capital Day, and the 2011 goals and recommendations were recently unveiled. The state competes primarily with Southeastern states plus Texas and Oklahoma and excluding Virginia and West
Virginia for economic opportunities and is transitioning from a low-wage, low-skill economy to one of higher wages and mid-level skills, the report finds. Wilson said Mississippi is moving up and competing “very favorably” with those states, although some do not see it that way, according to a survey of voters taken one year ago.
On this day in history 150 years ago In Bowling Green, Ky., General Albert Sidney Johnston welcomes the arrival of 2,000 Mississippi soldiers to bolster his defensive line. The Union was threatening to cross the Green River and advance against him in overwhelming numbers.
Please see MEC | 2A