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McNairy County U.S. marshals capture registered sex offender

Prentiss County 19 qualify for upcoming Booneville election

Tishomingo County Toddler rescued from abandoned well

Page 3

Daily Corinthian

Thursday Feb. 23,

2017

75 cents

Vol. 121, No. 46

Very warm Today

Tonight

0% chance of rain

• Corinth, Mississippi • 14 pages • One section

NWS forecasts freezing temperatures After expected high near 80, cold weather on the way for weekend BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

A likely freeze shaping up for Saturday night could be trouble for the early blooms springing to life in the area. The National Weather Service Memphis Forecast Oﬃce, as of Wednesday afternoon, is forecasting a low in Corinth of 31 Saturday night after high temperatures approach 80 late in the week.

“We’ve gotten into these problems before where we had a really cold snap in mid-April and everything had already bloomed out, and it pretty well knocked fruit production down to almost zero in certain situations,” said Mississippi State University Extension Agent Patrick Poindexter. February’s oddly unseasonal weather has moved that problem up by six or more weeks

with buttercups, pear trees and roses currently in bloom. “We are seeing growth that is unseasonal,” he said. “I’ve already seen several saucer magnolias in the area that are completely bloomed out. I went by a pear tree today that was completely bloomed out. That’s wherein the problem lies. I haven’t seen any peach trees in

“We’ve gotten into these problems before where we had a really cold snap in midApril and everything had already bloomed out, and it pretty well knocked fruit production down to almost zero in certain situations.” Patrick Poindexter Alcorn County MSU Extension agent

Please see WEATHER | 2

Rienzi has plans for annexation BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Staff photo by Kimberly Shelton

Rienzi Mayor Walter Williams, Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley and David Moore of Moore Engineering in Booneville look over a map of the proposed expansion area.

Rienzi considers natural gas BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com

RIENZI — Answering questions and addressing concerns, oﬃcials met in Rienzi on Tuesday night to discuss the possibility of expanding natural gas

into the Rienzi area. With approximately 20 individuals in attendance, the group gathered at Rienzi Baptist Church at 6 p.m. for a brief, yet productive discussion. “We promised everyone dur-

ing the last meeting that we would come back in 2017 to share what we figured out. So, that’s what we’re doing tonight,” said Mississippi Public Service

OMC ‘Walk For Life’ helps change lives

Please see GAS | 2

RIENZI — Oﬃcials in Alcorn County’s southernmost municipality continue to have an eye on future growth by way of annexation. A proposed expansion of the town limits has been in the works for some time and is making some headway. “It’s in the hands of the Justice Department now,” said Mayor Walter Williams. “They are the ones that will make the last decision. I feel real good about it, because you’ve got a lot of people that want to be inside the city limits. I think it will pass with flying colors.” The town of 317 population per the 2010 census would see its boundary expand to U.S. Highway 45 on the west, taking in additional territory along Mississippi Highway 356. “My goal is to try to get everybody that is in this area that has an address of Rienzi, if it’s possible, to let them be a part of the city limits,” the mayor said. The town would consider utility expansions, although some residents outside the town boundaries already have access to those services, he said. The town has not projected how much additional ad va-

Patti Bishop is currently the director of the Department of Human Services in Alcorn County and has been with DHS for over 30 years. She said she has really enjoyed working with the public and helping others in the capacity of her job. “I really like the fact that now we get to utilize different resource agencies in our county,” said Bishop. When not at work, Bishop said she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She and her husband, David, have been married for 30 years. They have two sons, Bradley and Brooks. Bishop proudly said she also has a grandson, Griffin.

lastory@dailycorinthian.com

lorem revenue the annexation would generate. In other news from Rienzi, the latest regular session of the Board of Aldermen included concerns expressed by a Front Street resident about dogs running loose. “The dogs down by where I live changed my life forever,” said Bobby Anderson. He was riding a motorcycle when he hit one of the dogs, resulting in a leg injury. “They still chase me whenever I pull out of my driveway on one of my bikes,” said Anderson. Williams planned to talk to the sheriﬀ about the situation. The town does not have an animal control oﬃcer.

Patti Bishop, Corinth

After 22 years of changing lives, Oasis Medical Center is planning its 23rd annual “Walk For Life” so it can change some more. Oasis Medical Center recently released the announcement that its kick-oﬀ meetings for its annual

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Walter Williams Town of Rienzi Mayor

People of the Crossroads

BY L.A. STORY

Please see WALK | 2

“My goal is to try to get everybody that is in this area that has an address of Rienzi, if it’s possible, to let them be a part of the city limits.”

Image courtesy of Kelly Rinehart and Oasis Medical Center

Staff Photo by L.A. Story

25 years ago

10 years ago

Corinth High School math teacher Vicki Shirley is chosen to receive a cash grant through the Tandy Technology Scholars program.

Booneville High School Principal Rickey Neaves is named the district’s next superintendent. He will take over with the coming retirement of Larry Morgan.

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Local/State

2• Daily Corinthian

Across the State Associated Press

Bryant taps Treadway to fill vacancy for DeSoto judge JACKSON — Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed a new DeSoto County judge to fill a vacancy created by another of his recent appointments. Craig Treadway of Olive Branch begins on the county court bench next Monday. He succeeds Celeste Wilson, who became a circuit judge for five northern Mississippi counties. Bryant had announced Wilson’s appointment in early February after a former circuit judge, Bobby Chamberlin, became a state Supreme Court justice. The 47-year-old Treadway earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1994. He has worked in private law practice and has been DeSoto County prosecuting attorney since 1999. Among other duties, county court judges may issue search warrants, preside over preliminary hearings and set bond.

April trial set for ex-deputy charged with sex crime PASCAGOULA — A judge has scheduled a trial date for a former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy charged with having sex with an inmate in a county jail. The SunHerald reported that veteran Jackson County deputy Bradley Scott Davis is set for trial on April 17. The 36-year-old Moss Point man has pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawful sexual activity. He is accused of having oral sex

with an inmate while he was on duty at the Jackson County jail over two weeks in June. Davis is out of jail on a $10,000 bond. Davis was one of two former Jackson County corrections officers accused of having sex with an inmate.

Emergency declared as Jackson water outage looms JACKSON — Hinds County officials have declared a state of emergency, warning that some Jackson residents could be without water for about three days next month. The County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to declare the emergency as officials look to address major water line damage in south Jackson, news outlets reported. Ricky Moore, the county’s emergency operations center director, said he’s been told the water would be shut off tentatively March 11 for an estimated three days while the repairs take place. The city of Jackson has not chosen an outage date, the city later said in a news release Tuesday. “You have to plan for the circumstances you’re getting,” Moore said. “We hope no one’s without water. We hope everything goes well. But we’ll be ready if it doesn’t.” An emergency declaration would allow the county to request help from the state in the event of an extended water outage. The county administrator would also be given the authority to buy $10,000 worth of bottled water. The declaration will be sent to the governor through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Death in Mississippi: Man held in 4 slayings Associated Press

MERIDIAN — A man who lived in a rural home with his romantic partner, her young son, her mother and her sister was arrested on murder charges after all four were found shot to death, authorities said Wednesday. Authorities who broke through the door to discover the bodies also found the sister’s 3-yearold daughter uninjured inside. Kavon D. McVay, 44, was charged with murder, capital murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, said Lauderdale County Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun.

Calhoun told a news conference in Meridian, Mississippi, that McVay had a stormy romantic relationship with Tomecca Pickett, 42. “It’s fair to characterize this as a domestic violence incident,” Calhoun said. “They’d had argument earlier in the day.” Pickett was shot to death along with her 5-year-old son Owen; her mother, 65-year-old Edna Durr; and sister, 27-yearold Kiearra Durr. All four were found Monday in their home in the Toomsuba community, near the Alabama state line about 15 miles east of Meridian. Coroner Clayton Cobler

said authorities arriving at the home to check on the occupants found a bullet hole in the metal door frame, so deputies broke through to get inside. Calhoun said McVay surrendered to authorities who were helped out by tips from neighbors and relatives of the victims. McVay was jailed on $3 million bond and did not immediately have a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. “I really do hope everything will be resolved for this,” said relative Irene Thompson. “For anybody to want to hurt a child, I don’t know what to say.”

No penalty for furling Confederate-themed flag BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press

JACKSON — The Mississippi House has rejected an eﬀort to punish universities for not flying the state flag that prominently features the Confederate battle emblem.

All eight of the state’s public universities have furled the flag in recent years amid criticism that it’s racially insensitive in a state with a 38 percent black population. Republican Rep. William Shirley of Quitman, who is white, oﬀered an

WALK

amendment Tuesday saying any university that refuses to fly the Mississippi flag could not receive bond money. It would have cost each campus about $1 million for repair and renovation projects. Please see FLAG | 6

WEATHER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Walk For Life” are scheduled for Monday, March 6, at the center located at 2421 Proper Street. Representatives for the center said there will be two meetings to accommodate busy schedules, one at 12:15 p.m. and another at 5:15 p.m. Oasis is a non-profit ministry that oﬀers pregnancy medical services to hundreds of individuals from Alcorn and surrounding counties. OMC is able to provide services at no cost due to the support of local individuals, churches and businesses. By helping raise money for the center, walkers play a vital part in the work of this ministry, according to representatives for the center. “In the time I have been involved with OMC, I have heard countless stories of how

“In the time I have been involved with OMC, I have heard countless stories of how women and men have been helped and their lives have been changed. Walkers take part in that success by raising the funds needed for our daily operating expenses.” Matt Mitchell Oasis Medical Center CEO women and men have been helped and their lives have been changed. Walkers take part in that success by raising the funds needed for our daily operating expenses,” Matt Mitchell, CEO, Oasis Medical Center. The center recently added to its staﬀ, gaining Mitchell, as well as Kelly Rinehart as the Marketing/Events/Vol-

unteer Coordinator. Two staﬀ members saw promotions — Darlene Durbin, took the position of business and operations manager, and staﬀ member Julia Taylor, RN, accepted a promotion as clinic director. OMC is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Mitchell described this as the

“Good Housekeeping Seal” of approval for charitable organizations. All contributions are used to financially support the local center. He pointed out that 78 percent of their money goes directly to client programs. “When you support our ministry, you know the money is going to serve the clients,” he said. The one-mile “Walk For Life” will be held at the Crossroads Regional Park on Saturday, April 22. Walkers for the event raise funds by obtaining sponsors. (Anyone interested in participating or being a point person for their church, business or organization is encouraged to attend one of the meetings on March 6. Please RSVP by March 3 by calling 662-287-8001.)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

bloom yet, but the buds are swelling.” Apple, peach, pear and plum trees will be in danger of seeing fruit production aﬀected. “It could eliminate it as far as fruit production goes,” said Poindexter. Some plum trees are also in bloom. Along with temperature, the positioning of a tree can also be a factor — those protected from wind may fare better. Around the house, homeowners can take some steps to protect flowers. “If they have young plants in pots that they might have put out on the porch, they might want to move them into a protected area,” he said. “If someone has some prized roses in a small enough area, they might think about putting a cover or a sheet over them, something to protect them.” Things such as onions, cabbage and turnip greens that are being planted now are more resilient and should withstand the freeze, he said.

GAS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Commissioner Brandon Presley. “Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved and the eﬀorts of those who have been willing to get out and bang on people’s doors, we’ve had approximately 234 potential customers (many west of U.S. Highway 45) say ‘yes’ to natural gas. Only a handful — less that 10 percent — have said ‘no’.” Passing around a list of those who’ve expressed interest in the propane gas alternative, the commissioner handed out several copies of the current list of yay-sayers as well as a highlighted map of the area. “If you are not on this list or if you notice that your neighbor is not and you or they would like to be, please let us know as soon as possible so you can be added to it,” he said. “Those who have rental properties will see their names appear more than once.”

“Our next step is to figure out our demographic and how to best move forward,” he continued. “Our hope is that the town will be able to secure a grant or two and make up the rest with a loan.” According to David Moore of Moore Engineering in Booneville, the project would cost somewhere around $1.1 million and include the laying of approximately 10 miles of pipeline. The town of Rienzi is currently gathering information on applying for a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) loan to partially cover the cost as well as whether they may qualify for a $400,000 or $600,000 federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help oﬀset the financial burden. It was also revealed during the meeting that the customers served by the natural gas expansion may be asked to help

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pay for the proposed new system/USDA loan through the adding of additional charges to their monthly gas bill. In the worst case scenario of the entire loan being funded by a loan with no grant secured, customers on the new system could expect to see an additional $25 added to their monthly bill. The costs would cease once the loan was paid back in full. In the best case scenario, that Rienzi received a grant of $400,000 to help oﬀset the loan, the cost to customers would go down to about $15.87 a month. A $600,000 grant would lower the cost to customers even further with additional monthly costs being only about $12 per month. A one-time hookup fee of at least $275 would also be charged. According to Moore, the timeline to see the project begin would be a minimum of a year if the funding was secured.

“It would just be a matter of securing contractors and getting started,” he said. “After that, it would take four, five, maybe six months from the beginning of the year to complete.” In order to apply for the USDA loan, the town needs to get started immediately, according to Presley. “We’ve gathered all the information we could and helped David get it plotted,” he said. “It is now up to the Town of Rienzi to get the resolutions seeking funding.” According to the commissioner, household incomes of prospective customers will also have to determined to ascertain the eligibility of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help fund the project. Since the deadline for CDBG applications is mid-May, the town would know before the end of the year whether it would

receive the funds. “Folks in rural Mississippi deserve the same choice of energy as people living in downtown Jackson,” said Presley. “We’ve put a heck of a lot of sweat equity into it, but still have a long road ahead.” While many expressed their excitement for the idea, one attendee wanted to be sure that upcoming actions would be purposefully thought out and well executed. “We can’t be all Helter-Skelter about this,” he said. “It has to be organized.” With the ball now in the Town of Rienzi’s court, Mayor Walter Williams said he is ready to get started. “It’s up to us to go forward and do what needs to be done,” he said. “Let’s get to it now, because I’d always rather be early than late.” The goal is to hopefully prepare resolutions in time for a city board vote in March.

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Local/Region

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Today in History Today is Thursday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2017. There are 311 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History On Feb. 23, 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California, causing little damage.

On this date In 1836, the siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas. In 1848, the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, died in Washington, D.C., at age 80. In 1870, Mississippi was readmitted to the Union. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States. In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission, forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission. In 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised a pair of American flags (the second flagraising was captured in the iconic Associated Press photograph.) In 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students were vaccinated. In 1965, film comedian Stan Laurel, 74, died in Santa Monica, California. In 1970, Guyana became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1989, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 11-9 along party lines to recommend rejection of John Tower as President George H.W. Bush’s defense secretary. (Tower’s nomination went down to defeat in the full Senate the following month.)

Daily Corinthian • 3

Across the Region Blue Springs Naked man in tree says he was looking for dog BLUE SPRINGS (AP) — A Mississippi sheriff says a naked man has been rescued from a tree, where he was hanging head-down. Shawn Treadaway told a deputy Tuesday he’d climbed the tree while looking for a dog, Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards said Wednesday. “He had a cable with him — I don’t know if it was to lead the dog with,” Edwards told The Associated Press. “He ended up falling. I guess the cable somehow got around his leg and he ended up dangling from the tree.” He said Treadaway apparently had been hanging from the cable for about four hours when rescuers arrived Tuesday in Blue Springs, about 10 miles southeast of New Albany. The sheriff said he believes branches tore off most of Treadaway’s clothes as he fell, and rescuers then cut off the remaining rags. He said he didn’t know why Treadaway climbed a tree to look for a dog. “He was kind of in pretty bad medical condition from hanging upside-down so long, so he wasn’t able to elaborate on a whole lot there,” Edwards said. He said deputies didn’t conduct a toxicology screen, and Treadaway was taken to a hospital in another county. “We haven’t heard back on his condition yet,” Edwards said. Treadaway’s girlfriend went looking for help, WTVA-TV reported. She found Jerry Feathers. He said, “I was out walking my dog and just came home and a lady comes running down my brother’s drive. I was thinking my brother was in trouble so I go out there to help; after about three minutes in the woods I saw this man hanging upside down in the tree butt naked.”

Iuka Toddler rescued from abandoned well IUKA — The Tishomingo County Vidette reports that a 4-year-old boy was pulled from the darkness by an unknown hero on Monday afternoon after falling into a 40-foot-deep abandoned well. Emergency officials received the call at approximately 1:03 p.m. and by 12 minutes after, a passerby who was flagged down by the child’s frantic mother stopped and used a rope and a strap in his truck to

rescue the boy. According to first responder Jimmy Hughes of the EastportMill Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Cole Waldrep was visibly shaken and covered in mud, but was otherwise OK. He was seen walking around with his mother after being hoisted to safety. The rescue was executed by the anonymous good samaritan before EMS could arrive. Located on an unoccupied lot on Eastport road, the well is well-known for its annual display of daffodils which are now in full bloom. The toddler was examined and release from the hospital on Monday morning, according to Hughes who also informed that the well had a wooden covering which the child reportedly fell through. Waldrop and her son were reportedly taking photos when the accident occurred.

Booneville Two more qualify for muncipal races BOONEVILLE — Two more candidates have tossed their hats in the ring for Booneville’s 2017 municipal election. William Scott (D) has qualified for alderman ward 4 to become the fifth candidate in that race while Joshua Whitson (R) qualified for alderman ward 1 to become the third contender in that race. Qualifying deadline for mayor and aldermen ends next week on Friday, March 3. Candidates who have qualified in Booneville as of early Wednesday include: Mayor: Chris Lindley (D), Stan Pounds (D) and Larry S. Stevens (R). Incumbent Mayor Derrick Blythe is not seeking a second term as mayor. Alderman at large: Harold Eaton (D, incumbent), Joey Gross (D), Lisa Stevens (D) Mitch Barrett (D), Willie J. McGee (D). Alderman ward I: Jason Michael (D, incumbent), Gary Walker (D), Joshua Whitson (R). Alderman ward 2: Jeff Williams (D, incumbent). Alderman ward 3: Bill Stevenson (D) and Mark McCoy (D, incumbent). Alderman ward 4: Clint Boren (R), John Caviness (R), Dejis Miller (D), Leigh Ann Michael (D), William Scott (D). Incumbent David Bolen withdrew from the race Jan. 13. Party primary elections are set for May 2, with runoffs on May 16. The general election will be held on June 6, with the new term beginning July 3.

Booneville residents who are not registered to vote should register by April 1 to be eligible to vote in the May primaries. Qualifying is also underway for positions on the Democratic and Republican municipal executive committees. Each party has six positions on their committee. Candidates must qualify by March 3 and will appear on the primary election ballot for each party.

McNairy County EMS director plans countywide tornado drill (The following story by Assistant Editor Steve Beavers first appeared in the Independent Appeal. It is being reprinted with permission.) SELMER, Tenn. — A severe weather plan could be the difference between life and death. The McNairy County Emergency Management Agency is giving the community a chance to practice its plan when it has a countywide tornado drill on Monday, Feb. 27 as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. “Drills are an important part of being prepared for actual emergencies,” said McNairy County EMA Director Allen Strickland. “Citizens need to be aware of actions they can take before, during and after severe related incidents.” The McNairy County School District will participate in the drill with local government agencies. The drill is scheduled for 9 a.m to 9:10 a.m. Strickland urges individuals to: • Check local forecasts on a regular basis. “Citizens should monitor local weather resources and listen for weather sirens during a severe weather incident,” said Strickland. “They should go to a secure location in their house and stay away from windows.” • Sign up for weather notifications on a computer or cellular device. • Create a plan of action with family for severe weather incidents. • Practice the plan. • Prepare your home – battery operated lights, weather radio, batteries, water and food – and help your neighbors. • Bring pets inside if there is time. • Stay inside until the weather passes. “People should continue to monitor weather information following an incident,” said Strickland. “They should also contact loved ones and assess any damage or identify any hazards.” Severe Weather Awareness Week is Feb. 26 through March

4. All businesses which participate are invited to post photos to the McNairy County EMA Facebook page in show of support for a safer McNairy County, according to Strickland. “I hope everyone takes a little time out of their schedule to make sure they are prepared for severe weather,” said Strickland. “I want them prepared and safe.” (For more information on severe weather safety, contact Strickland at 731-645-6432.)

McNairy County U.S. marshals capture registered sex offender HENDERSON, Tenn. — The U.S. Marshals arrested an escaped sex offender Tuesday morning in Henderson after a manhunt over the past several days, according to a release from the U.S. Marshals Service. Lucas Wilson, 31, was captured by U.S. Marshals at Old Finger Road in Henderson. Wilson tried to flee from the marshals, but was arrested after a short pursuit by the officers. Wilson had cut off his GPS monitoring device and escaped through the woods in the Refuge Road area in Bethel Springs, Tenn. on Feb. 16. He is being charged with violation of the Sex Offender Registry Act, felony vandalism and violation of community supervision. While Wilson had been staying in Bethel Springs, his home address is 255 Teddy Bear Lane in Counce, Tenn. He was convicted of Criminal Attempt to Commit Aggravated Sexual Battery on Dec. 12, 2009. Wilson was transported to the Chester County Jail where he will be held until his preliminary hearing.

Pontotoc Highway 15 expansion project ahead of schedule PONTOTOC (AP) — Work to expand a portion of Mississippi Highway 15 to four lanes is running ahead of schedule but it will still be a few years before motorists can enjoy it. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that the work to create two new lanes north of Pontotoc started last spring and is scheduled to be paved in about two years. Talbot Brothers Contracting of Nesbit won the $9.3 million contract in February 2016. The work covers about 6.4 miles from U.S. Highway 278 north to the Union County line.

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Opinion

Reece Terry, publisher

Mark Boehler, editor

4 • Thursday, February 23, 2017

Corinth, Miss.

Sit down and shut up If you watched the recent kerfuffle -- and thanks to Mitch McConnell, we all did -- when the Senate told one of its own, Elizabeth Warren, to sit down and shut up, you probably felt one of two Rheta ways: Johnson That Elizabeth Warren should sit down and shut up. Columnist Or, that Elizabeth Warren had every right to read into record a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King questioning the fitness of Jeff Sessions of Alabama to be named a district court federal judge. And, what’s more, you believed a male senator in the same situation would never have been put into time out and silenced by an arcane rule. Regardless of which side of the Great Political Divide you find yourself, those reactions are natural. Not much neutral ground these days, especially on matters concerning uppity women. (Remember Barbara Jordan? This bunch would have escorted her off the floor under armed guard. A woman both black and so righteously bold would never fly.) But how did Elizabeth Warren feel? When she was stripped of her turn to protest in a routine way, did it shock her? Did it silence her? No, and no. My guess is she was surprised at the stupidity but not shocked at its source. She probably even wonders why Mitch McConnell forgot to address her as “Sweetie.” The episode might have made her a bigger force than she already was. This isn’t Elizabeth’s first spelling bee. A champion of the middle class, she has been told many times to sit down and shush. Only she never does. What could have been a late-night nothing moment in the cabinet confirmation process became the hot topic for a news cycle. It reinforced the belief that if you have a president who brags about grabbing women by their privates, his lieutenants aren’t going to sit on the sidelines smoking Virginia Slims and reading Ms. Magazine. The daughter of an Oklahoma maintenance man and a Sears switchboard operator, Warren grew up in tough circumstances. Her memoir, “A Fighting Chance,” tells about the family car being repossessed after her father’s illness, about her mother going to work at age 50 to rescue their house. Elizabeth Warren wasn’t handed a family fortune, but instead figured out a way to get a college debate scholarship. Later she would attend law school while a young wife and new mother. Warren would become a Harvard Law School professor, an expert on economics, the nemesis of corrupt bankers, an author and the creative force behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Not only was that agency her brainchild, she helped set it up. The agency in its first two years recovered nearly $500 million that banks fraudulently charged customers. But when it came time to choose the agency’s first director, Republicans in Congress made it clear to President Barack Obama that appointing Warren director was a dealbreaker. Sit down and shut up. Somebody else got the job. So she ran for the Senate. Her story is not one of privilege, penthouses and petty grudges. She doesn’t call her political opponents names. She doesn’t ridicule others. She doesn’t constantly Tweet or tremble or talk trash. Keep telling this “little lady,” this “Pocahontas,” this “nasty woman” that she’s been warned and to sit down and shut up and see what happens. I put my money on Elizabeth Warren to resist, persist and perhaps become president one day. Rheta Grimsley Johnson’s most recent book is “Hank Hung the Moon ... And Warmed Our Cold, Cold Hearts.” Comments are welcomed at rhetagrimsley@ aol.com.

Prayer for today Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect the help and happiness that I may give with compassion and love. Make me strong in all the senses that answer to the call of humanity. Help me to guide and protect little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. Amen.

A verse to share I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. —2 Timothy 4:7

State struggles with budget, revenue strains STARKVILLE — Mississippi isn’t alone. About twothirds of U.S. states are engaged in the same problems confronting Mississippi. Economic growth is stagnant. Revenue projections have been either overly optimistic or just flat wrong. Economic influences that state legislators can’t really anticipate or change have strained state budgets. And those realities don’t begin to speak to the politics of taxing and spending. Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — the former GOP congressman, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and nobody’s tax-and-spend liberal — made a wise observation late in 2016 in assessing his own state’s consideration of additional tax cut proposals. “It does not take a Ph.D. in economics to know that we can’t say yes to every spending need, and we should also not say yes to every tax-cut idea,” said Hutchinson. Hutchinson won the governor’s oﬃce in Arkansas on the promise of additional state income tax cuts, but after taking oﬃce and assessing the impact of prior tax cuts, he scaled his proposal back to a much smaller $50 million cut for

low income taxpayers. Some Arkansas lawmakers are predicting that any adSid Salter ditional tax cut in that Columnist state will plunge Arkansas into the same budget and revenue turmoil that now grips some 33 U.S. states, including Mississippi. And while Mississippi’s revenue stream issues are significant and impactful in virtually every facet of state government, the Magnolia State is far from the worst state in terms of fiscal issues and remains in far better shape than many despite our unrelenting status as the poorest state in the union. But the latest round of state budget cuts enacted to absorb continuing revenue shortfalls has forced lawmakers in both parties to question – some loudly and publicly and other quietly and privately – whether Mississippi has cut taxes too deeply and whether any additional cuts should be shelved until the current revenue stream can be stabilized. Even with revenue short-

falls nearing $120 million for the current fiscal year, the state’s Republican majority is being challenged by Libertarian and Tea Party conservatives who chide lawmakers for not cutting tax fast enough or deep enough. Democrats argue that Mississippi should pay attention to the Kansas example, plus point to deficits in the state’s infrastructure, education, mental health, and other major government components as reasons to tap the brakes on additional cuts. States like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana enacted large, comprehensive tax cuts and are now forced to seriously consider undoing many of those cuts and enacting tax increases. In those states and others, tax cuts and the economic strategies behind them were impacted by things beyond the control of state lawmakers like oil and gas prices. Mississippi’s high rate of Medicaid dependence and the unknown state budget impacts of the almost certain repeal of the Aﬀordable Care Act (Obamacare) - perhaps as soon as the end of March – creates additional fiscal uncertainty. Lost to some, but to virtu-

ally no one under the state Capitol Dome, is the fact that Gov. Phil Bryant in May 2016 signed the largest single tax cut in state history through a package of income and franchise tax phase-out reductions that will begin in 2018. Bryant oﬀered fellow Republicans his willingness to consider legislation to fully collect the state’s existing retail sales tax on online sales through use tax collection – and Bryant oﬀered to consider a state lottery, noting the losses of state revenue across the borders of neighboring states in virtually every direction. But to date, both of those initiatives have met opposition from the right. When Bryant made the fifth mid-year state budget cut in the last two years this week, he was again able to pull some money from the state’s rainy day fund. Moving forward, all eyes will be on how close the state’s economy comes to meeting the revenue estimates between now and June 30. That performance has a great deal to do with the ability of the state to replenish the rainy day fund. Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him sidsalter@sidsalter.com.

Media errs by allowing itself to become the story OXFORD — Big mistake. To use an overused term, “Yuuge.” The Trump administration has suckered the media into allowing itself to become the story. Big mistake. Every president, every congressman, every Mississippi oﬃcial, every mayor, every town councilman and more than a few litter commissioners have lamented not getting a fair shake in the press, some more often than others. The well-tested response by journalists has been to admit errors, when made, then refocus on the issue at hand, which is never the press. Never. It’s not diﬃcult to see how the press has been unable to avoid the vortex created by a shoot from the lip candidate, now president. Donald Trump didn’t follow the script. He was outed as a bully and a boor. He committed career-ending error after career-ending error, was exposed as fabricating facts time after time, and he got elected anyway. Does the mass media lean left? Yes, that is also well-established through the decades. Conservatives, almost by definition, are happy with the status quo. They are not boat-rockers.

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Journalists ask questions about society, about policy. How did things Charlie get this way? Mitchell Can there be changes? Columnist We turn over rocks, read labels, probe. But it’s equally true that people who do what I do are not elected, licensed or authorized. The security guard at the shopping center has earned more certificates than any of us. And like the security guard, most of us live paycheck-topaycheck and at the whim of corporate chiefs who ask themselves all day every day whether they can get along without us. Our job — and we really like it — is to gather information we think is useful and relevant and relay it to you. It is a value proposition. If you don’t get value, you stop sharing your most precious asset, your time, with us. We are not now and have never been respected. Go back several years, and Gallup surveys already ranked “journalist” low in ethics and honesty. How low? We were just ahead

of lawyers, well ahead of governors and light years ahead of members of Congress, but lagged behind many fields, including bankers, chiropractors and police oﬃcers. If we did not give ourselves awards, no one else would. Media people being media people, we don’t hold each other up to scrutiny very often. In that way, we are like lawmakers who always say “very good friend” or “esteemed colleague” when speaking of other lawmakers instead of “absolute goofball” or “lazy idiot.” The media has many shortcomings, including “playing to the narrative.” By any measure other than the Electoral College, Trump should not be president. So the current narrative is he will not be a good president, and there’s a lot of focus on his flaws. His response is to state, flatly and repeatedly, that it’s all lies. And instead of reacting as media folk have in the past by nodding, smiling and sticking to the reporting the story, media folks are trying to justify their existence. There’s all-to-frequent reliance on interviewees who are experts in sounding as if they are saying something

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when they really aren’t. Sadly, some news organizations feel their job is done by allowing people on either side of an issue to have equal opportunity to spew empty verbiage. It’s not. So, is there a cure? Yes, and it’s kind of like training a puppy to paper. The powerful love (and need) the ink and airtime the media provide. New rule: Stop interviewing those with nothing to say. If the president or any other public oﬃcial spends 75 minutes of a 77-minute press conference attacking the media, mention it — but spend time and energy focused on what was said in the other two minutes. Stop trying to one-up the president. Stop trying to earn respect. Understand that what people want from us is facts, context, perspective. Remember we are not the story; we tell the story. History also shows that duplicitous folks who wind up in positions of public leadership usually fall on their own swords. That’s how freedom of expression works, and is its greatest value. Charlie Mitchell is a Mississippi journalist. Write to him at cmitchell43@yahoo. com.

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Daily Corinthian • Thursday, February 23, 2017 • 5

Dental hygienists volunteer at Mission of Mercy BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian

CORDOVA, Tenn. — Three McNairy County natives took part in the recent Mission of Mercy dental clinic held at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova. The event provided free dental care for 2,145 patients that would have cost them $1.166 million. Volunteers Angie York Haynes, Amanda Robinson Whirley and Sonya Locke Burton were three dental hygienists who worked in the weekend clinic. This was the second year for Burton and Haynes to work at the largest mobile dental clinic in the world and the first time for Whirley. The three are graduates of McNairy Central High School. “It is amazing how God uses so many Mid-Southerners to be His hands to help so many people,” said Burton. “I can’t really put into words how good it makes me feel to have the opportunity to serve at this clinic.” Burton graduated from MCHS in 1989 while Haynes and Whirley were members of the Class of ‘87. “There is no one who gets a better blessing from this event than I do,”

said Haynes. “My passion is helping the underserved and this is a great way to do it.” Haynes won a national award for creating a program in Lauderdale County, Tenn., that allows the mentally challenged to receive free dental care in the county. She devised a program that allows each patient to receive dental care twice a year. “If I could do this all the time (help the needy) and pay my bills, then I would do it,” said Whirley. “The people being served thought they were being blessed, but I got a bigger blessing than any of them.” Many people do not understand how much that proper dental care can help a person’s overall health, she said. “It can help prevent heart disease and help keep sugar levels down,” she added. The Shelby Co. Dental Society organized the event and Bellevue donated the use of their facility for the clinic. Dr. Mitchell Godat, clinic organizer, said the event was the largest mobile dental clinic in the world and had a budget of $200,000. Patients began lining up the night before and camped out overnight

waiting for the clinic to open at 5 a.m. The clinic was open from 5 a.m.-3 p.m. on a recent Friday and Saturday with 1,856 volunteers participating in the event. Dental professionals were able to do fillings, extractions and cleanings -- all free of charge. They were able to do some partials and dentures as well. There was a pharmacy that provided patients with medicine for after-care. Bellevue has four gyms and they were all filled with people working on teeth. “I do not know how many people said ‘I love you’ during the two days of the event,” said Whirley. “This clinic proved you do not have to get a passport to do mission work. This proved to me that we have much work to do here.” Burton said it was not just homeless people who came to be served. Many people do not have dental insurance and can’t aﬀord to go to the dentist, she said. Haynes summed up the motto for the dental workers at the Mission of Mercy when she said, “We wanted to do as much as we can for the most that we can.”

Human beings must have unshakable faith BY JIMMY REED Columnist

In graduate school, I memorized material that would likely appear on examinations, and forgot it after taking them, a practice that got me through required courses, but did little to enhance my goal of leaving the university with a well-rounded education. As a college teacher I don’t want students to cram material into their heads for the sake of passing tests as I did, and mindful that experience is the best teacher, I assign exercises that provide them opportunities to utilize, and therefore retain, learned material. This strategy works well in developing better word usage. Many college students possess limited vocabularies, and their addiction to text messaging worsens this deficiency. To improve students’ vocabularies, I provide lists of words as semesters progress, and require that they be used in compositions. Those who are sincerely interested in enhancing communicative skills soon realize that, just as palettes containing the complete spectrum of colors enhance an artist’s capability to imitate nature, a large vocabulary helps students to paint with words, that is, to articulate.

I do the same with figures of speech, such as idioms, similes, metaphors, and analogies, all of which boost composition to higher levels of articulation. Of these, the one students seem to enjoy using the most in their compositions is the analogy, which often provides means of looking at something in ways that may never have been considered before, thus adding clarification to items with which their readers may not be familiar. Recently, I read an analogy of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt to the Holy Land that presented it in a more meaningful way. I had a basic knowledge of how Moses led countless thousands on a long, diﬃcult journey, and I understood that the march was fraught with hardship and perils through arid desert regions and mountains, and across lands inhabited by hostile people. However, not once during my study of this epic trek did I consider the logistics that would have been involved. In the analogy I read, developed by an Army Quartermaster General using data analogous to an equal number of soldiers on a long march, the logistics were, to say the least, mind-boggling. During the Israelites’ journey,

the general estimated that Moses would have needed at least 1,500 tons of food per day to keep people and animals from starving; since much of the journey traversed treeless wastelands, firewood for cooking and warmth at night would have amounted to around 4,000 tons a day; and they would have needed innumerable millions of gallons of water daily. I am not sure that the numbers in this analogous recreation of the Israelites’ journey are accurate, but I am sure of this: Moses wasn’t concerned with logistics; he knew that God would attend to his needs. He possessed what human beings — then, now and always — must have to complete their successful trek through mortality to the Promised Land of eternal life with the Savior who has walked beside them every step of the way: unshakable, unfaltering faith. (Oxford resident, Ole Miss alumnus, Army veteran and retired Mississippi Delta cotton farmer Jimmy Reed (jimmycecilreedjr@ gmail.com) is a newspaper columnist, author and college teacher. His collections of short stories are available via Squarebooks.com, telephone 662-236-2262.)

UM professors receive Excellence in Diversity Awards For the Daily Corinthian

OXFORD — Faculty members at the University of Mississippi and the university’s Medical Center have been honored with diversity awards by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). Willa Johnson, associate professor of sociology, and Hamed Benghuzzi, professor and chair of clinical health sciences, were recognized at the IHL’s Excellence in Diversity Awards ceremony Feb. 16 in Jackson. Each was presented a plaque by Shane Hooper, IHL trustee and chair of the Diversity Committee. “Dr. Johnson and Dr. Benghuzzi make a profound diﬀerence on the students at the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center,” Hooper said. “They are committed to ensuring that all students are welcomed and provided every opportunity to succeed. Their dedication creates a better campus climate for all students, faculty and visitors.” Both Johnson and Benghuzzi said they were humbled by their recognitions. “I was surprised by the news,” Johnson said. “It is a wonderful honor. None of what has been done would be possible without the stalwart support of my department chair, Dr. Kirsten Dellinger, and my friends and colleagues in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, who are always willing to do whatever they

can to further the work of awareness and learning about diversity and inclusion.” “I was extremely surprised and had no idea who nominated me,” Benghuzzi said. “I am so humbled and thankful to all who nominated me and to the UMMC leadership for allowing me to be part of a team that promotes diversity and inclusion.” Each IHL member institution, as well as UMMC and Mississippi State University Division of Agricultural, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, submitted one nomination for consideration to the board of trustees Diversity Committee. Nominees were evaluated based on positive contributions to the campus and the state and advancing diversity among their respective institutions. Johnson serves on the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women and in other university capacities. However, she considers her diversityrelated work as a natural extension of her research and teaching. She teaches courses on Judaism, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, disability, racism and religion, and also mentors students and faculty on the UM campus and at other universities. She utilizes every opportunity to champion equality and equal rights. “In other words, this is not a ‘me’ award; it is a campuswide award,” Johnson said. “We live in a space that has a painful racial history, but as folks

who have inherited that history we are focused on making a positive diﬀerence in the state of Mississippi. “I simply try to cobble together diﬀerent groups of campus partners and outside funders to work on issues of mutual concern.” Benghuzzi’s achievements in diversity include serving as adviser to more than 40 Ph.D. students, a mentor to Jackson-area high school students in UMMC’s Base Pair program and a mentor for Jackson State University’s Bridges to the Baccalaureate program. He also was a mentor for a National Science Foundation-funded biomedical science program for minority high school students. “I have always believed diversity constitutes strength in the academic setting,” Benghuzzi said. “I have received many national and state awards throughout my career, but this award is most meaningful because I was nominated by people

who believe I have demonstrated that all people, regardless of their social status, gender, race or religion, should be treated equally.” The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the Community Service Award in memory of trustee Karen Cummins in recognition that Cummins’ life epitomized what the award is all about: helping to improve Mississippi’s communities with a welcoming and inclusive spirit. Cummins was appointed to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in 2012 by Gov. Phil Bryant and served with commitment and dedication until her recent death. (For more information on diversity and inclusion eﬀorts at UM, go to http://diversity.olemiss. edu/. For more information about the IHL, contact Caron Blanton at cblanton@mississippi. edu.)

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Angie York Haynes and Amanda Robinson Whirley were among those helping with a free dental clinic.

Natural gas could cost less than coal for Kemper plant Associated Press

JACKSON — Mississippi Power Co. says the power plant it’s building in Kemper County will be cheaper to run on natural gas than on its planned fuel of lignite coal unless gas prices are high. That’s likely to be used be ammunition by critics who want state regulators to force the unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. to absorb more of the cost of the $7 billion plant. They argue the coal-fueled plant was a mistake from the outset, and that Mississippi Power should have built a conventional natural gas plant except for overly high estimates of natural gas cost. But Southern CEO Tom Fanning told investment analysts Wednesday that it would be unfair to penalize the company, because Mississippi regulators agreed with the proposal and ordered Mississippi Power to build the plant. “As a matter of fairness, I cannot imagine that the company is going to be held responsible for changing gas price forecasts,” Fanning said. He indicated the company still wants to mine lignite, gasify it, and capture carbon dioxide, as originally planned.

But because a pipeline was built to the Kemper site, the company could run it on natural gas, which might lower operating costs. On Wednesday, the utility announced it still needs more time to complete the plant, now three years behind schedule and more than $4 billion over budget. Mississippi Power says shareholders will lose another $35 million from the delay as it removes coal ash from one of the gasifier units. Customers could also be asked to pay more in carrying costs. On Wednesday, Southern began to lay out its strategy to recover the plant’s cost from ratepayers. The company said that it wouldn’t seek to recover $80 million associated with part of the plant it once planned to sell to Cooperative Energy. The Hattiesburg-based entity, formerly South Mississippi Electric Power Association, annulled the deal, citing Kemper’s ballooning costs. The company said it would file two separate rate plans by a June 3 deadline — one that would likely require a sharp, immediate rate increase, and a “rate mitigation plan” that might cushion rate increases.

A CALL TO HOLINESS When the apostle Peter wrote to the Christians of his day, they were suffering persecution. He wrote to encourage them to remain strong and be faithful in spite of what others did to them, or said about them. He speaks in the ﬁrst chapter of the hope they have in Christ, and the salvation to be obtained in the end. There is then a call to be holy. We are to be holy people. We are not perfect, but just as the vessels and furnishings of the tabernacle were made and set apart for holy purposes, divine purposes, so are we as his people. Peter goes on in chapter two to speak of God’s people as “a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” (I Peter 2:9) To be holy, we must “prepare our minds for action, keep sober in spirit, and ﬁx our hope completely on the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:12 NASB) In other words we have to think like holy people ought to think, not like worldly minded people. A holy life begins with holy thinking. Solomon said, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) If we continually feed our mind evil, and things that are unhealthy for our spiritual well-being, how can we hope to be holy people? Peter goes ahead in I Peter 1:13 to tell us that holiness involves changing our behavior, living as obedient children, not conforming to the old life lived and ruled by the world. Paul said in the Roman letter, “be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) Paul wrote to Titus that we are to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.” (Titus 2:12). The text of I Peter 1:15and 16 comes from Leviticus chapter eleven, in which God has given instruction to the Hebrew people about what they may and may not eat; what is clean and what is unclean. He challenges them to be holy, just as he is holy, and has brought them out of Egypt. They were his. They were to be like him; holy in their thinking, and holy in their manner of life. In a world that would have us conform to its standards, God keeps calling us to “be holy.” We invite you to study and worship with us at the Danville church of Christ

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6 • Thursday, February 23, 2017 • Daily Corinthian

Deaths Helen Bostick

A celebration of the life of Helen Gilliam Bostick, 83, of Corinth, will be held at 1 pm Saturday at Oakland Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Farmington Baptist Church Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and from 11 a.m. until service time, Saturday at Oakland Baptist Church Mrs. Bostick began her eternal life with her Lord on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2017, at Tishomingo Manor Nursing Home. She was born in Kerens, Texas, on May 6, 1933, to the late William DeWitt and Deedie Gilliam. Those left to honor Helen’s memory include her high school sweetheart and husband of 65 years: Rev. Roy J. Bostick of Corinth; her children: Dr. Randy Bostick and wife Sharon, Rhonda English and husband Billy and Renea Malone and husband Jerry all of Corinth; seven grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren: Ginger Bostick Williams and husband Ritchie and children: Mallie Kate, John Rilee, Hayden Konner and Kyler of Corinth, April Marie Bostick Braddock and husband Steven and children: Bostick “Boss”, Taylor and Macy of Corinth, Reid Bostick and wife Hayli and son: Bennett Royce of Guys, Tenn., Bruce English and daughter: Kalei of Virginia Beach, Va., Ashley English Quinn and husband Benjamin and children: Emma Claire, Camp, Dawson and Fletcher of Youngsville, N.C., Chelsey Marie Malone McCarley and husband Chad and children: Brayden and Heidi Marie of

7 orbiting worlds could sustain life Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time, astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a single nearby star — and these new worlds could hold life. This cluster of planets is less than 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, according to NASA and the Belgian-led research team who announced the discovery Wednesday. The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone, the area around a star where water and, possibly life, might exist. The others are right on the doorstep.

Dayton, Tenn., and Austin Malone and wife Ashley and son Abram of Baldwyn; her brother: E.B. Gilliam and wife Judy of Tomball, Texas; brother-in-law: Hubert Stiewert of Carmine, Texas; her sister-inlaw: Alice Bostick of Corsicana, Texas; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of friends. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her sisters: Faye Turner, Jude Long, Edith Smith, Betty Cox and Margaret Stiewert; her brothers: J. T. Gilliam, Arvil Gilliam, Jack Gilliam, and E. L. Gilliam. Pallbearers include her grandsons: Reid Bostick, Austin Malone, Ritchie Williams, Steven Braddock, Benjamin Quinn, Bruce English and John Rilee Williams. Magnolia Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Oakland Baptist Church Building Fund, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Anchor Church Ministries - Tupelo. Online condolences may be expressed at magnoliafuneralhome.net. The service will be oﬃciated by her son: Dr. Randy Bostick.

Rev. Roy Bostick

A celebration of the life of the Rev. Roy J. Bostick, 84, of Corinth, will be held at 1 pm Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Oakland Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Farmington Baptist Church Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., Friday, and from 11 am until service time,

Martha Harris

SOUTHAVEN — Martha Harris, 77, died Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, after a lengthy illness. Grayson Funeral Service will have the arrangements.

Laverne Holland

IUKA — Funeral services for Bernice Laverne Holland, 72, of Iuka are set for 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 at Cutshall Funeral Home Chapel in Iuka. Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home. Mrs. Holland died on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, at her residence. Survivors include her husband, Danny Holland; her son, Timothy Holland (Teresa) and her sister, Shelby Shook; and her grandsons, Matthew Hollard and Jacob Holland. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Olene Bullard; and her brother, Wayne Bullard. Memorial contributions can be made to the Pink Hearts at www. pinkheartfunds.org. Bro. Allen Osborn will oﬃciate.

Benjamin Hussey

INDIANOLA — Funeral services for Benjamin Earl Hussey, 67, were held Tuesday at BooneCard Funeral Home with burial

of friends. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his high school sweetheart and wife of 65 years: Helen Marie Gilliam Bostick of Corinth, his brother: Jimmy Bostick; and his sister: Patsy Bostick both of Texas. Pallbearers include his grandsons: Reid Bostick, Austin Malone, Ritchie Williams, Steven Braddock, Benjamin Quinn, Bruce English and John Rilee Williams. Magnolia Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Oakland Baptist Church Building Fund, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Anchor Church Ministries - Tupelo. Online condolences may be expressed at magnoliafuneralhome.net. The service will be oﬃciated by his son: Dr. Randy Bostick.

Saturday at Oakland Baptist Church. Bro. Roy began his eternal life with his Lord on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at Tishomingo Manor Nursing Home. He was born in Ennis, Texas on Dec. 13, 1932, to the late James Roy and Auda Bostick. Bro. Roy was a retired Baptist minister, serving churches in Texas, Tennessee and North Mississippi over his 60 year ministry of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those left to honor Bro. Roy’s memory include his children: Dr. Randy Bostick and wife Sharon, Rhonda English and husband Billy and Renea Malone and husband Jerry all of Corinth; seven grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren: Ginger Bostick Williams and husband Ritchie and children: Mallie Kate, John Rilee, Hayden Konner and Kyler of Corinth, April Marie Bostick Braddock and husband Steven and children: Bostick “Boss”, Taylor and Macy of Corinth, Reid Bostick and wife Hayli and son: Bennett Royce of Guys, Tenn., Bruce English and daughter: Kalei of Virginia Beach, Va., Ashley English Quinn and husband Benjamin and children: Emma Claire, Camp, Dawson and Fletcher of Youngsville, N.C., Chelsey Marie Malone McCarley and husband Chad and children: Brayden and Heidi Marie of Dayton, Tenn., and Austin Malone and wife Ashley and son Abram of Baldwyn; his brothers-in-law: E.B. Gilliam and Hubert Stiewert and his sister-in-law: Alice Bostick all of Texas; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host

at Glenwood Cemetery. Mr. Hussey died Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, at Delta Regional Medical Center. He was a 1969 graduate of Corinth High School. He acquired degrees in Forestry and Industrial Management. He was employed by Copplers Corporation. He was of the Methodist faith. Survivors include his aunt, Virginia Brickell of Indianola.

James ‘Red’ Strachan

CLINT, Texas — A memorial service was held Monday, Feb. 13, at Bond Memorial Church for James Hugh “Red” Strachan, 79. A family service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Alazan Ranch in Presidio County, Texas. Mr. Strachan died Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. He was born in Corinth on Nov. 14, 1937, to parents Sanford and Irene Strachan, who preceded him in death. He grew up in Clint, Texas, and graduated Ysleta High School and attended Sul Ross College. He farmed in the lower El Paso Valley and ranched in Presidio County, Texas, until his death. He served on Clint ISD Board of Directors, Clint Farmers Gin Board of Directors and Board of Direc-

Denzol Bullard

A celebration of the life of Denzol Ennis Bullard, 87, of Corinth, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Magnolia Funeral Home Chapel of Memories with military honors and interment to follow in Hubbard Salem Cemetery in Iuka. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and from 12 noon until service time on Friday at the funeral home. Mr. Bullard passed away Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, at his residence. He was born Sept. 28, 1929, to the late Olen Bullard and Irene Littlejohn Bullard in Tishomingo County. He

tors for Federal Land Bank of West Texas. He was a member of El Paso Masonic Lodge and Shrine, served as president of the Lower Valley Livestock Show, Strachan and participated in many other organizations. He was a member and trustee of Bond Memorial UMC. Survivors are his wife of 52 years, Waynelle Bradley Strachan; daughters Staci Witte (Jon) and Shanda Giraud (Kevin); and four grandchildren Sydney and Carlie Shea, Witte and Kenni and James Rankin Giraud. Memorial contributions may be made to Bond Memorial UMC, Clint, Texas, or a charity of choice.

Barbara Walker

Funeral services for Barbara Jean Walker, 76, of Corinth, are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at City Road C.M.E Church with burial at Forrest Hill Cemetery. Visitation is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Patterson Memorial Chapel. Ms. Walker died Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, at her home. She was

enjoyed fishing, bowling, tinkering with things and working in the yard. He loved his family and having lots of company. Mr. Bullard served in the military during the Korean war and was a member of the 92nd AFA Red Devils and was of the Baptist faith. Those left to hold Denzol’s memory include his wife of 51 years, Claudette Bullard; his two sons, Tracy Bullard (Amanda) of Corinth and Tony Bullard of Corinth; his two grandchildren, Anna Meeks (Junior) and Anthony Redding; his two great-grandchildren, Anna Grace Meeks and Delilah Meeks; his brothers, Wallace Bullard (Etheleen) of Corinth and Ronnie Bullard (Jessie) of Counce, Tenn.; his sister, June Bullard of Florence, Ala.; two special nieces, Sherry Jobe and Judy Reid; four special nephews, Keith Bullard, Harold Bullard, Rick Gross and Tim Clarkson: special little friends, Molly Grace Spencer, Darrell Mullins and Zack Marcinek; numerous other nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Olen Bullard; his mother, Irene Littlejohn Bullard; his brothers, Orlan Bullard, Odie Bullard and Dennis Bullard; his sisters, Florine Hopper and Audrey Gross. Pallbearers are Vincent Gross, Justin Gross, Ike Gross, Eric Gross, Teddy Hinton and Rodney Hopper. Magnolia Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements for Mr. Denzol Ennis Bullard. Bro. Donald Sculley will oﬃciate the service.

born Nov. 24, 1940, and attended Easom High School. She was employed by the West Corinth Elementary School. She was of the Methodist faith Walker attending City Road Temple. Survivors include her children, Paul Wright Jr., Iletha Mayes, Bectrice Greer, Angela Leggett, all of Corinth, and Leroy Wright (Rosilin) of Jackson, Tenn.; siblings, Margaret King of Corinth, Mary Scott of Allentown, Pa., Tennie Spears, Elenor Benson, Rev. Henry L. Damons Sr. (Shirley) and Rosemary Buckley, all of Corinth; 16 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her children, Joetta Patterson, Harry Wright, and Carol Ann Wright; her parents, Willard Davis and Nannie Miller Damons; grandparents, Allen Miller and Tennie Harbour Miller; siblings, Prince Aurthur Johnson Jr. and James Harrison (Huggie) Damons; and one grandchild, Irvin Dwayne Porter. The Rev. Jeﬀery Freeman will oﬃciate the service.

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“He oﬀered this last year, and we voted it down,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jeﬀ Smith, R-Columbus, told the House. The House rejected the amendment with no debate; 52 members voted for for it and 65 voted against it. All black representatives who were present rejected the amendment, as did many whites, including Republican Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton. Mississippi has used the flag since 1894, and voters chose to keep it in a 2001 election. Supporters say they see history and heritage in the Confederate

battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue tilted cross dotted with 13 white stars. Opponents say the symbol is a reminder of slavery and segregation and has often been waved by Ku Klux Klan groups. Like other Confederate symbols across the South, the Mississippi flag has come under increased scrutiny since the June 2015 massacre of nine black worshippers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. A white man was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to death. Before the shootings, he had posed holding the Confederate battle flag in photos that were published online. Soon after the massacre, South

Carolina lawmakers voted to remove a Confederate battle flag that had flown outside the Statehouse for many years. Gunn and both of the Mississippi’s Republican U.S. senators said after Charleston that Mississippi should replace its flag with a symbol that could unify people. However, during the state legislative sessions in 2016 and this year, Gunn has said he couldn’t get consensus in the Republican-majority House to consider bills to redesign the flag. In place of the state flag, some businesses have started flying a banner to commemorate 2017 as Mississippi’s bicentennial. It does not have the Confederate image. Open 10-7 Mon-Sat Home of Hatchie Trading Company Apparel

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Daily Corinthian • Thursday, February 23, 2017 • 7

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