Saturday Dec. 3,
2011
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 288
Sun & Clouds Today
Tonight
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Golf cart catches fire Federal grand jury indicts Iuka man for killing eagle BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A federal grand jury has indicted an Iuka man on charges of shooting a bald eagle earlier this year in the Burnsville area, and a trial date is set for January. Court records show the grand jury returned a two-count indictment against William “Bill” Branum, 78 — one count of use of a bald and golden eagle for scientific purposes and one count of taking, killing or possessing migratory birds. The
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
All four Corinth Fire Department Stations were dispatched to Hillandale Country Club when a cart started a fire at the course off Oakland School Road.
Four units respond to blaze at Hillandale BY STEVE BEAVERS Hillandale Country Club has seen numerous great golfers set the historic course on fire. On Friday morning, a cart was responsible for a blaze at the Oakland School Road site. “I had just backed my cart out and was getting ready to play when I started talking to someone,” said longtime Hillandale golfer Clyde King. “There was nothing I could do.” “He got off the cart and it blew up,” said course superintendent Jim Walker. “Most likely, it was a flame from the battery and it blew into the stall.” King, who has been teeing
off at Hillandale since 1951, wasn’t injured in the accident. All that was left of his destroyed cart was a charred frame. All four Corinth Fire Department Stations responded to the fire which started around 10:30 a.m. and blocked traffic on both sides of Oakland School Road. “It could have went quick,” said Corinth Fire Department Captain Lucky Briggs. Corinth firemen contained the fire to one cart shed and a shop area as several golf members arrived to check on the conditions of their carts. “We didn’t need this to happen for sure,” said HCC Please see FIRE | 2A
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
A fireman battles the morning fire at Hillandale Country Club.
Please see EAGLE | 2A
After early snow, what lies ahead for winter? BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
charges are misdemeanors. Count one carries a potential penalty of one year imprisonment; a fine of $100,000; and one year supervised release. Count two has a potential penalty of six months imprisonment; $100,000 fine; and one year of supervised release. A jury trial in the case is set for Jan. 9 in Aberdeen before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock. Any plea agreement is due by Dec. 26.
After a surprisingly early snowfall, many people are wondering what lies ahead for the late fall and winter. The answers from various prognosticators vary. “From what I’m hearing, that early snow has kind of negated a lot of earlier comments,” said Patrick Poindexter, county director with the Mississippi State Extension Service. “People were expecting a more normal winter.” The roughly three-quarter inch snow of Monday night and Tuesday morning was the earliest accumulating snow in 20 years for most of the region. AccuWeather, which revised its winter outlook this week, predicts a cold December for the interior Southeast with
some “exceptionally chilly” nights. However, the forecasters predict moderation following in January and February. A weak to moderate La Niña pattern will influence the winter weather. “La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year’s winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Heather Buchman. That typically leads to a mild and dry winter in the South, but AccuWeather warns of above normal precipitation in the Lower Mississippi Valley. In February, severe weather could emerge in the region. Please see WINTER | 2A
Corinth High School City Hall undergoes change freshman releases CD BY JEBB JOHNSTON
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
BY ANGELA STOREY astorey@dailycorinthian.com
Crosswinds Ministries in downtown Corinth will be the scene tonight for a CD release party for Maty Noyes, a 14-year-old Corinthian who writes and sings her original music. The free concert and party will get underway around 6 p.m. tonight, immediately after the Corinth Christmas Parade which starts at 5. Another local singer, Shelby Pratt, will open the event. Tenyear-old Addie Paige Pratt will also sing, then Noyes and her band will perform music from the new CD titled “Worth It.” Noyes, a freshman at Corinth High School, is the daughter of Drs. Tim and Erica Noyes. The CD was put together over the last six months and was released last week. Maty’s music is described as her own independent style of acoustic pop. She began writing songs in the eighth grade and has since written over 20 songs. “My songs are about life, personal experiences and friends ... very meaningful,” Noyes said. “I started writing about a year ago. I just really picked it up and got into it a lot. I kind of always knew that music was the thing I wanted to do.” The concert Saturday night is “basically to celebrate the release finally,” she said. “I give all the honor to God.” In August Maty was the youngest of 12 women selected
Maty Noyes from across the nation to perform at the Christian Women in Ministry Association Songwriters Showcase. Accompanied by Mason Dowd, she performed in front of award winning singer Nicole C. Mullins and several Nashville producers and promoters. After that she was asked to sing at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville in September at the Purple Ball, a cancer fundraiser. Please see ALBUM | 2A
With the departure of city court, the police department and jail, Corinth City Hall is seeing some cleaning, construction and planned shuffling of offices. Uses have already been determined for some of the space made available by the relocation of city court and law enforcement to the Alcorn County Justice Center on South Harper. The board room for meetings of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will move upstairs to the courtroom, where the judge’s podium has been removed and a new platform for the board is being constructed. It is expected to be ready for use early next year. Projects Coordinator Kim Ratliff said the city needs more space for its board meetings and other activities. The old courtroom will offer a larger seating capacity. “One of the problems we see is when classes come from schools for a presentation from the mayor and department heads about different aspects of city government, the board room is never large enough,” he said. “In the old courtroom, it will be feasible to take a large group up there.” Once the board room moves upstairs, the current board room will be reconfigured to accommodate the office of the mayor, a secretary and meeting space. The jail space is expected to be used for storage. The fire department may use the old
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics....11A Wisdom....10A
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......1B
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Building Inspector Philip Verdung (from left), Doug Jaymes and Ronald Mueller work on the new platform for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in the old city courtroom, which will become the board meeting room at City Hall. police department offices, but plans are not finalized, said Ratliff. The old police department space will get a thorough cleaning. “We are going to be looking at some painting and rehabilitation of floors and improving the general aesthetic of the building,” said Ratliff. “There could potentially be some paying renters coming into City Hall, but that has not come to fruition yet. We’re hoping that will generate some revenue.” The city is relying on inmates with the Mississippi
Department of Corrections for labor. “The captain has found us some workers who have experience in the building trades, and their contribution is going to be a significant cost savings to the city,” said Ratliff. Some other offices may shift to different locations within the municipal building, as well. “The main floors of City Hall, we hope to have all of that completed by the end of January,” said Building Inspector Philip Verdung, who is overseeing the work.
On this day in history 150 years ago Dec. 3, 1861 — In a message to the 37th Congress, President Abraham Lincoln suggests that runaway slaves be allowed to emigrate “at some place or places in a climate congenial to them.”