Complete results from the Corinth Coca-Cola 10K race — pages 9-10 Tuesday May 8,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 111
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • 1 section
Judge sentences 2 in fatal beating Staff and wire reports
IUKA — A mother and daughter were each sentenced Monday for their role in the 2009 beating death of an elderly Burnsville resident. Linda F. Holt, daughter-inlaw of the victim, and Terri Sparks, her daughter, appeared before Judge Paul S. Funderburk in Tishomingo County
Mother, daughter go to prison in John Holt killing Circuit Court. Originally indicted on murder charges, each pleaded guilty last week to manslaughter. Funderburk gave Holt the maximum 20-year sentence in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Sparks was sentenced to 20 years with 12 years suspended and eight years to serve. Sparks’ sentence is consecutive to a 10-year sentence on a case in Alcorn County. John Holt, who was a farmer and truck driver, was found
beaten to death in his Eastport Street home on Dec. 23, 2009. Police found few clues at the scene, and Linda Holt’s arrest came 15 months later. In January 2010, both Linda Holt and Terry Sparks were arrested by the Corinth Police
Department and charged with uttering a forgery after an investigation found that the two went to a Corinth bank on Dec. 22, 2009, the day before John Holt’s death was reported, and cashed a check on the account of John Holt for $200. Later in the day, they returned to the same bank with another of John Holt’s checks.
Supervisors approve economic growth pact with Corinth BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Project Package volunteer Tom Chartres and Chairman Rickey Pope collects items for Project Package at the recent Spring Fling 2012 Health Fair.
Mid-South Project Package effort lets troops know they’re not forgotten BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Mid-South Project Package is a volunteer organization that assembles and mails monthly “care packages” of supplies for the Mid-South’s soldiers. “It is our way of letting them know we have not forgotten
them and how much we appreciate them,” said Chairman Rickey Pope. Most of MS Project Package’s packing and mailing is accomplished at its headquarters in Southaven. When the troops are deployed and the space is avail-
able, the work is done at the National Guard Armory on South Harper Road. Each package’s mailing cost is $11. The average package contains approximately $30 worth of materials for each member of Please see PROJECT | 2
Alcorn County supervisors agreed Monday to participate in a proposed economic development pact with the City of Corinth. Board Attorney Bill Davis said the idea has been presented to the county, and the board passed a motion to proceed with the concept, which is in the early stages of getting organized. Davis said it would be a similar effort to the TAP Alliance among Tishomingo, Alcorn and Prentiss counties, and that local government leaders saw a need for it while working on a current economic development project. The pact would facilitate a joint pooling of resources for economic development in Corinth and Alcorn County. It would be governed by a board composed of two county supervisors and two city aldermen. Davis said a contract will be forthcoming. In another economic development matter, the board approved The Alliance’s request to apply for a $75,000 grant that would go toward drain-
age improvements at the land site on Mississippi Highway 45 near King Kars. Alliance President Gary Chandler said the funds would allow some drainage concerns to be fixed. In other business: ■ Cook Coggin Engineers reported that the Kimberly-Clark industrial access road is ready to open pending final OK on the bridge. A ribbon cutting is likely to be scheduled. ■ Gary Ross, supervisor for district 4, said he wants the 2nd district to begin making payments on a 2006 loan of approximately $60,000. At the time, Ross said the 2nd district was unable to make bill and salary payments, and the 4th district loaned money to the 2nd district. About $10,000 has previously been repaid, he said. ■ Former county engineer Ricky Newcomb had a discussion with the board about payment on two projects. ■ Charles Tomlinson Jr. again addressed the board regarding whether County Road 772A in far northwestern Alcorn County, where he has built a home, is a legal county road.
10K runners raise funds, awareness for Danny Did BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
An Oxford couple brought another objective into their participation in the Corinth CocaCola Classic 10K — saving lives. Misty and Stephen Phillips ran Mississippi’s second largest footrace to raise awareness for the Danny Did Foundation, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the mission of preventing deaths caused by epileptic seizures. Their dedication to the cause began when Misty’s 14-year old son, Lucas Yates, began experiencing seizures about two years ago. On Christmas Eve, 2009, Misty and Stephen woke to a loud noise and found Lucas on the bathroom floor in the middle of a seizure. Since then they’ve moved forward with different treatment options, all the while learning to live with Lucas’ condition and learning as
much as possible to better care for him. Faced with a lack of comprehensive information about treatment options from Lucas’ doctors, Misty and Stephen have turned to other organization — including Danny Did — to learn more about caring for Lucas and helping others in similar situations. “The foundation has helped people in 35 states. We want it to help people in all 50 states,” said Misty. One of the main challenges faced by a parent of a child suffering from seizures is the lack of discussion of alternate treatment methods by doctors. Misty said her son’s doctors would just prescribe Lucas an antiseizure medication and made no mention of how the seizures were life-threatening. The docPlease see FUNDS | 2
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Misty and Stephen Phillips ran the Corinth Coca-Cola Classic 10K to raise awareness for the Danny Did Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing deaths caused by epileptic seizures. The Oxford couple is training for the Chicago Marathon.
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 12 Wisdom...... 11
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Beauregard takes note of a vulnerable portion of the Federal line near Farmington. During the evening hours, he begins to mass his troops a mile and a half southwest of the small community. Orders are given for a dawn attack.