Friday March 2,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 53
Thunderstorm Today
Tonight
77
43
• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • 2 sections
Former attorney reports to prison
‘Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa’ interaction
Keenum begins 22-month sentence after being convicted of bank fraud BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Oakland preschooler Ariel Schwechten takes a turn feeding one of the lambs. For more photos, see page 10A.
Kids get ag lesson with lambs BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The morning got off to a “baaaaaaa” start for some Oakland Baptist School youngsters. In a good way. The Kossuth FFA Chapter introduced the three preschool and kindergarten classes to five lambs early Thursday
morning. Brad Gillmore — Kossuth Vocational Agriculture Instructor — provided the animals for the showing. “This fits into some of the things the children have been learning,” said Gillmore whose daughter, Meredith, is part of the kindergarten class. “It also gives us a chance to experience
the kids to FFA.” The showing was part of the children’s study of Psalm 23. The youngsters got a chance to pet and feed the animals — Spot, Grace, Gabe and Lucas — with a bottle. Gillmore also brought a 1 year-old lamb to show how big the animals get Please see LAMBS | 10A
Please do not delay: Enter contest today BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The deadline for the Crossroads Poetry Project’ annual Poetry Writing Contest is 5 p.m. today. The contest is open to Alcorn County residents of all ages. It will be organized into categories by grade for students of area schools with a separate category for the general public. Poems must be no longer
than 40 lines. Participants must submit two copies, one with only the poem and another including the author’s name, address and phone number. Poems can be submitted in person at KC’s Espresso and the Tourism Office. Submissions can be mailed to Harper Square Mall, Box 15, 1801 South Harper Road. Winners will be announced the last week of April.
Crossroads Poetry Project is a local, community-based poetry group. It sponsors readings and other events throughout the year, including poetry workshops with special guest poets. The group recently sponsored the Mississippi North Half Regional Poetry Out Loud competition. For more information contact CPP Vice President Milton Wallis at 662-415-2446.
Former Booneville attorney Thomas Keenum reported to federal prison this week to begin serving a 22-month sentence for bank fraud. Keenum was ordered to report Monday to the United States Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina where he will serve the sentence handed down last December. The former attorney was sentenced to serve 22 months in prison on Dec. 30, 2011, after pleading guilty in August 2010 to one count of bank fraud in a scheme to illegally obtain loans against a property he owned in Alcorn County. He admitted to falsifying title opinions on the property in order to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars of loans against it.
In his plea, he admitted that he sought and obtained documents from other local attorneys indicating the property had no liens against it based on information he provided to the attorneys, when in fact he knew other loans were already in place against the property. The names of the attorneys who provided those title opinions have never been made public.. He was ordered to report to begin serving his prison sentence no later than 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27. The order imposing his sentence requested he be incarcerated at a facility where he can receive appropriate treatment for medical issues. The U.S. Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, where he was ordered to begin his senPlease see KEENUM | 2A
Volunteers sought to do their part for Park Day BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The National Park Service needs your help in keeping Corinth’s historical treasures beautiful. The annual NPS Park Day for Corinth is set for Saturday, March 31, from 9 a.m. until noon. “This is a very important thing people can do, even in a very short period of time,” said Park Ranger Jim Minor. During the Park Day, volunteers will help park rangers improve the appearance of two NPS sites in Corinth — the Contraband Camp and the Civil War Interpretive Center. Volunteers will spread mulch around trees at the Contraband Camp and the rose garden at the Interpretive Center.
Park Day is open to all ages. Participants are asked to call or come by the Interpretive Center to sign up so that NPS personnel will know how big of a project to plan for the day. Volunteers should also bring their own work gloves on Park Day. Since 1996, the Civil War Trust has sponsored Park Day. It is a hands-on preservation event to help Civil War battlefields and historic sites take on maintenance projects of all sizes. Activities are chosen by each participating site to meet their own particular needs and can range from raking leaves to hauling trash to painting signs and trail buildings. The nationwide effort is supPlease see PARK | 3A
BHS plans ‘Welcome Back’ parade for successful team BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
It’s almost time to welcome back the boys. The community is invited to show its support for the Biggersville High School boys basketball team at a “Welcome Back” parade on Saturday. “Everyone is invited to celebrate the basketball season,” said BHS Assistant Principal Pete Seago. “We will either be champions or runners up when they get back, and anyone with ties to Biggersville are invited out to welcome them back.” Participants are asked to meet on the BHS campus at approximately 11:30 a.m. Saturday. They will then convene to the gym, where they will get ready to welcome the team home. Supporters are encouraged to bring signs, posters, pompoms — and lots of maroon and white. Business and Computer teacher Deborah Jackson emphasized how important fans are to the team. “When I watched the game
on the internet, a man kept talking about the fans, how the team fed off the fans and how they really love our support,” Jackson said. “It makes a big difference that we’re behind them.” Seago expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. “We appreciate all the support given to the school and the team throughout the season,” Seago said. “Everyone played a big role in the success we’ve had.” Biggersville (28-7), division champs and North Half Champions, plays for the 1A state title today at 2:30 vs. Coldwater. The game will air on WXRZ. There will be a short ceremony in the gym with remarks from coaches. The team will enter the campus with a law enforcement escort. “It’s just to show them how proud the whole community is of Coach Little and the team and how well they played and represented the whole school,” said Jackson. “We’re very proud of them. No matter what the outcome is, we’re proud of them.”
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Wildlife Committee member Sandy Mitchell takes a sample of a dish by Bobby McDaniel.
More than 600 attend wildlife tasting BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Wildlife Tasting Supper was another savory dish for outdoor enthusiasts.
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......4B Wisdom......3B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
Around 600 attended the 27th annual event on Tuesday night at the Crossroads Arena. The enthusiasts got a chance to sample dishes such as bea-
ver balls, elk tenderloin, squirrel stir-fry and grilled mallard. For dessert, participants were Please see TASTING | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago March 2 — Confederate forces abandon the strong position at Columbus, Ky., on the Mississippi River, the last bastion of the “Kentucky Line” of defenses. Union forces abandon Albuquerque, N.M., Territory.