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2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 61
• Corinth, Mississippi •
T-storms Today
Tonight
68
60
18 pages • Two sections
Presidential primary awaits voters Tuesday BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Congressional races and the presidential primary await Alcorn County voters on Tuesday. The 16 county precincts will open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for what is expected to be a lowturnout but not unimportant election that will select party nominees to advance to November’s general election. For the second consecutive presidential election, Mississippi’s presidential primary carries more weight than in an average presidential election year. The nation will have an eye on Mississippi’s and Alabama’s primaries on Tuesday as Republicans Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich attempt to wrest more Southern states from the hands of front-runner Mitt Romney. Mississippi has 40 delegates at stake as the candidates try to get to 1,144.
Despite key congressional race, officials expect low voter turnout Most of the action is on the Republican ballot, and that is reflected in the local absentee count thus far. Only about 15 had been cast on the Democratic side, while about 100 had voted absentee in the Republican races as of Friday. Absentee voting picked up some during the past week, according to the circuit clerk’s office, but overall interest appears to be fairly low. “I’m still running into people daily that say, ‘I didn’t know we had an election coming up,’” said Circuit Clerk Joe Caldwell. He is predicting a turnout of
5,000 to 6,000. Four years ago, turnout topped 6,000 as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continued a lively fight for the Democratic nomination alongside local Congressional races. With a light ballot, Caldwell expects a smooth day of voting Tuesday with fast-moving lines. “People who will go to vote in this one know who they’re voting for,” he said. Sample ballots will be posted on the wall at the voting locations. Voters should remember that it is a party primary election, and they must vote in either the
Republican or the Democratic primary. Garnering the most interest in the Congressional races is Rep. Alan Nunnelee’s primary challenge from Henry Ross, the former Eupora mayor and former circuit judge, and Robert Estes, a Southaven businessman. Ross also challenged Nunnelee two years ago and ran a close second in Alcorn County. Nunnelee is seeking a second two-year term. A lone Democrat, Brad Morris of Oxford, is also seeking the post and will face the Republican winner in November.
Sen. Roger Wicker, seeking a first full term, has a pair of primary challengers — E. Allen Hathcock of Stewart and Robert Maloney of Madison. The only contested Democratic race is for the Senate seat currently held by Wicker. Candidates are Albert N. Gore Jr. of Starkville, Will Oatis of Silver Creek and Roger Weiner of Clarksdale. Runoffs could be needed on April 3 in the Congressional races. Some of the presidential candidates who have already dropped out will still be on Tuesday’s ballot. The full list on the ballot are: Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Also on Tuesday, Hawaii and American Samoa hold presidential caucuses.
Man finds rare 5-leaf clover WW II veteran earns
trip to D.C. memorial
BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com
With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, a 21-yearold Corinth man has already found the ole' luck of the Irish. In what is called a rare genetic mutation “one-in-a-million” find, Tyler Richardson is the owner of a five-leaf clover. “They are very rare,” said Patrick Poindexter, director for the Alcorn County Extension Service. “I have seen them before, but it's been several years.” Richardson and his girlfriend Shannon Smith were hunting for four-leaf clovers Thursday morning after Shannon finished her night shift job as a nurse at Magnolia Regional Health Center. “It was a competition to see who could find a four-leaf clover first,” explained Richardson, a 2009 Kossuth graduate and employee of Lowe's in Corinth. Chances of locating a fourleaf clover are one in 10,000, he said. Five minutes into the friendly clover competition, Richardson discovered his rare prize near a Magnolia tree on land where his grandmother Effie Richards lives at 2101 Brentwood at the corner of Highland. 'I called her (Shannon) over and simply said, 'I'm amazing',” said Richardson with a smile. Smith joked she would have
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Mark Boehler
Tyler Richardson shows the five-leaf clover he found Thursday on his grandmother’s property in Corinth. Four leaves are clearly visible and the fifth leaf rests forward on top of the other leaves. found it first had she not just got off work with some tired eyes. Richardson isn't sure what he will do with the clover. “E-Bay,” he deadpanned. As for the competition, it isn't
over between the two clover hunters. “We were looking for fourleaf clovers,” he explained. “So technically, the competition isn't over.”
Next month one local World War II veteran will board a plane for a trip that will take him on the next step of a journey that began more than half a century ago when a young man from Alcorn County joined the fledgling Army Air Corps. Leroy Worsham has been selected, along with 90 other World War II veterans from across the state, to make the journey to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial which honors him and the more than 16 million who served and 400,000 who died in the U.S. Armed Forces during the war. Worsham, 93, said he was contacted last month and told he had been selected for the next trip by Honor Flight’s Mississippi chapter to the memorial. Honor Flight is a national non-profit organization dedicated to making it possible for World War II veterans to visit their memorial. The longtime Corinth resident said he was grateful and honored to be selected for the trip. He’s not sure exactly how he’ll react when he sees the memorial in person. “I just don’t know how it’s
“I just don’t know how it’s going to hit me. I know it’s going to be a very emotional proposition.” Leroy Worsham World War II Veteran going to hit me,” he said in a voice filled with emotion. “I know it’s going to be a very emotional proposition.” Worsham joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Army Air Corps, the forerunner of what would eventually become the U.S. Air Force. He spent a year in the Airborne Engineers before going to Officer Candidate School in Australia. After graduating from the school he was assigned to the 310 Bombardment Wing where he served throughout the Pacific during the final years of the war. He went on to spend a year working in Japan as part of the rebuilding effort following the country’s surrender and the end of the war. Please see MEMORIAL | 2A
Talented 14-year-old vocalist aspires to be stage performer, songwriter BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Fourteen-year-old Maurryn Arizona, an eighth-grader at Kossuth, is a talented young vocalist — and already a seasoned performer. A “Navy brat,” Maurryn began singing at age six on a Florida
military base. By the time she hit the advanced age of eight, she was performing around 25 shows per year with a local band. Along the way, she has had the opportunity to display her vocal talents at Disney World, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Six Flags and a wide variety of festivals and fairs.
Now she is teaming up with accomplished local country musician R.T. Rinehart to dedicate her time and talents to the art of songwriting. “We’ve been playing together almost weekly for a while now, and wrote five songs together,” said Rinehart, who grew up in
hart’s home in Lamar and work on songs. Maurryn describes working with Rinehart as an “amazing” experience. She considers it a blessing to have the experienced musician as a friend and mentor Please see VOCALIST | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......4B Outdoors....10A Wisdom......1B
Rienzi playing with his family in church and later went on to open for a who’s-who of country music stars including Neal McCoy, Billy Ray Cyrus, Darryl Worley and the Kentucky Headhunters. “She’s a very promising young talent.” They get together at Rine-
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
President Lincoln loses all patience with General-in-Chief George B. McClellan. War Order No. 3 was drafted, which retained McClellan in command of the Army of the Potomac but removed him from over all command of the army.
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