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Daily Corinthian

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Tonight

40% chance of thunderstorms

Vol. 119, No. 123

• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections

Walnut man dies in wreck BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com

WALNUT — A man was killed during in a Memorial Day weekend wreck on a Tippah County highway. Alex Rayhe “Bubba” Wilbanks, 22, of Walnut, died as a result of a one-vehicle wreck on Sunday. Tippah County Sheriff’s Department could not be reached for comment on the accident. The weekend proved stressful for the Mississippi Highway Patrol who investigated 124 wrecks involving two fa-

talities and 33 injuries on highways statewide. A 17-yearold girl died Sunday in Tate County after her vehicle left the roadway Wilbanks and collided with a tree. On Monday, a 61-year-old Meridian woman died in Neshoba County from injuries stuffed in a vehicle wreck.

During the holiday, more than 5,000 citations, including 126 DUI arrests, 16 drug arrests and seven felony arrests, were issued by troopers statewide. Funeral services for Wilbanks are set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Christ Temple Apostolic Church with burial at Camp Ground Cemetery. McBride Funeral Home of Ripley is in charge of arrangements. Visitation begins 3 p.m. today until service time Thursday.

Stabbing victim dies BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

A Corinth man seriously injured in a stabbing last week has died. Michael Decker, who was involved in an altercation on May 19, died Saturday at Magnolia Regional Health Center, according to Coroner Jay Jones. Detective Dell Green said an autopsy was Please see STABBING | 2A

Walker

Historic antebellum home set for reopening BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

The Verandah-Curlee House is ready to greet the public once again. Closed to general visitation for the past eight years, the home will be the scene of two days packed with activities on Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, including tours each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as the eighth Corinth Home and Garden Tour of the Friends of the VerandahCurlee House focuses solely on the antebellum home this year. “It is important that we all participate in the preservation of the Verandah-Curlee House,” said organizer Mary Dee Kemp. “The designation of National Historic Landmark by the Department of Interior means that it is important to our whole country because of its Civil War history. Although we have had some help in the restoration process, it is primarily our

responsibility to make it attractive and authentic to all who come searching for knowledge.” A ticket to the event includes all of the programs, demonstrations and music scheduled for both days, and supports the ongoing restoration efforts. Helping to set the scene and mood will be a number of reenactors in period costume. Music will be performed on Saturday by local favorite Lost Cause and on Friday by Pat Arinder, who plays a vintage 1850 banjo. Arinder is a lifetime student of early American history and music of the Civil War period. He is a full-time volunteer for Living History programs in schools, museums, libraries and the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Mississippi Humanities Council recognized him as Staff photo by Mark Boehler educator of the year in 2014. The Verandah-Curlee House will be the scene of two days packed with activities on June 5 and 6, including tours each day as the eighth Corinth Home and Garden Tour of the Friends of the VerandahPlease see CURLEE | 12A Curlee House focuses solely on the antebellum home this year.

Timms event ruled huge success BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com

BHS graduation Biggersville High School seniors Anna Michael and Adrianna Barnes get emotional about graduation. The Biggersville High School graduation was held Friday, May 22. For more photos, see the upcoming Sunday edition of Daily Corinthian.

Organizers of the 2nd Annual Tom Timms Memorial Golf Tournament have reason to celebrate as this year’s event proved to be a huge success with 33 teams participating and over $10,000 raised. The money collected will be donated to the community in way of scholarships and through the purchase of four automated defibrillators for local schools. In addition to the defibrillators, 20 combat tourniquets were also donated to local highway patrol officers. “We had a great event celebrating Tom as well as our local EMS and Fire and Rescue.” said Ron Strom, a paramedic with Air-Evac and MRHC. “We are very

pleased with the outcome this year as this tournament is becoming a “have to do” event for area golfers.” “We would love to thank all our sponsors this year and let them know that we appreciate them very much,” he added. Winners for the memorial golf tournament include: ■ The team of Smith & Assoc. was the winner of the Championship Flight with a very impressive score of 20-under par. ■ Teams Ron Strom for Coroner and Garrett Eye Clinic placed second and third in Championship Flight with a score of 17-under par. ■ The winner in the First Flight was Farm Bureau with a score of 11-under par with the Cubbies and Da Bears placing second and

third. ■ The winner of the Second Flight was Liberty National with a score of 5-under par with Kimberly Clark and Home Care Medical coming in second and third. In total $4,200 in cash was given out to nine teams and several other winners with Lucas Russo winning the putting contest and pocketing $200. “I believe everyone had a great time and we’ve had a lot of requests to be put in the tournament for next year already,” said MRHC Paramedic Shawn Counce. “Tom Timms was a great husband, father and friend who deserves this honor. We miss him very much.” An award called the Above and Beyond award was givPlease see TIMMS | 2A

25 years ago

10 years ago

Alcorn County Civil Defense Director Edwin Byrd urges safety during tornado season. He encourages residents to pay attention to weather warnings and be prepared for dangerous weather.

Corinth aldermen reappoint Delmon Ashcraft to the Corinth Utilities Commission. Ashcraft will serve another five-year term on the commission.

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2A • Daily Corinthian

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Engagement

Ron Strom, a paramedic with Air-Evac, participates in the 2nd Annual Tom Timms Memorial Golf Tournament.

TIMMS CONTINUED FROM 1A

Casey Elizabeth Nicole Barnes and Matthew Hunter Loyd

Barnes – Loyd

Miss Casey Elizabeth Nicole Barnes and Mr. Matthew Hunter Loyd will exchange vows at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at their home in Corinth. The bride-elect is the daughter of Jerry and Staphen Rogers and Todd Barnes. She is the granddaughter of Larry and Brenda Dancer, Sammy and Mary Rowsey, the late Billy W. Hodum and Jeff and Louise Barnes. The prospective groom is the son of Robert and Michelle Loyd and Karen Brock. He is the grandson of Danny and Kay Brock, Betty Jo Loyd and the late Billy Jo Loyd and the late Diane Hodum. The bride-elect is a 2010 graduate of Kossuth High School. She received her AA degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College in 2014. She currently attends Mississippi State University where she plans to obtain her BA in Elementary Education. She is presently employed at Kiddie College Daycare. The prospective groom is a 2012 graduate of Alcorn Central High School. He is presently employed at Biggers Hardware. After the honeymoon in Destin, Fla., the couple will reside in Corinth. All friends and relatives of the couple are invited to attend the ceremony and the reception which follows.

More than 2,000 Tennessee workers sent buyout offers Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration has sent out buyout applications to more than 2,000 state employees. Letters detailing the offers were sent out last week but weren’t expected to reach the affected workers until Tuesday because of the Memorial Day holiday. State agencies each determined which of their personnel would be eligible for the buyout, but they must be full-time employees who have been on the state payroll for at least five years. The buyout package includes four months’ worth of base salary and $500 for each year of ser-

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vice. Workers selected for the buyout will also be eligible for six months of subsidized health insurance and up to $15,600 in tuition assistance at public colleges and universities. The tuition benefit expires in June 2018. Unused sick leave will not be reimbursed as part of the buyout plan. The deadline to apply is July 17, and the final decision on whether to offer the buyout will rest with the state. The state has not said how many positions it seeks to eliminate through the buyout program. If not enough workers seek the buyout, the state could turn to involuntary layoffs.

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en in memory of the late Tom Timms to MRHC EMS Director Mike Lutz for his dedication and tireless service to the community, his commitment to the people he works with and his love for EMS. “We plan on giving out this award every year during the golf tournament to honor a deserving EMS member.” said RN Ricki Barnett with Air-Evac 58. The Tom Timms Memorial fund is a special project of the CREATE Foundation. Scheduled to fall on EMS Week every year, The Tom Timms Memorial Golf Tournament

STABBING CONTINUED FROM 1A

scheduled for today and the police department anticipates possibly upgrading the charges against the alleged perpetrator, pending the autopsy results. Jeremy Jerome Walker, 28, of 16 Wilson Street, Apt. 3, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He has since been released on $10,000 bond. Green said it appears the two men might have had some history, but the nature of the dispute is not known. The incident happened at the Wilson Street Apartments, where officers found Decker with a wound to the upper left side of the abdomen. The knife believed used in the assault was found in an overgrown lot on the east side of the apartment complex, and officers stopped the suspect’s vehicle near South Parkway and Proper Street. The man, described as wearing bloodstained clothing, was taken into custody without incident.

Air-Evac Lifeteam 58 gathers to raise money in memory of their late friend and co-worker, Tom Timms. is a celebration of Tom Timms and all EMS and Fire and Rescue in Corinth and surrounding

areas. (Those interested in reserving a spot for next year or donating to the

fund can call or email Ricki Barnett at 662415-1397 or ricki.barnett@air-evac.com).

Speeding leads to other charges BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com

A Tennessee man is awaiting bond in Alcorn County jail following a Memorial Day weekend traffic stop. According to Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Ray Hall, Michael B. Johnson, 35, of Endville, Tennessee was stopped Sunday on U.S.

72 in Alcorn County for traveling at a high rate of speed. “Troopers clocked the driver going 118 mph in a 65-mph zone,” said Hall. After a brief investigation of Johnson’s 2005 Ford Mustang, Troopers discovered more than 7 grams of alleged Crystal Meth and a small amount of marijuana.

Johnson was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and misdemeanor driving infractions. Hall said officers seized Johnson’s vehicle and nearly $4,000 in cash from the investigation. The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics assisted with the investigation.

Lawyer: Cochran’s marriage helps blogger Associated Press

JACKSON — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s new marriage to his executive assistant could become part of a blogger’s defense against charges related to photos taken of the Mississippi Republican’s nowdeceased first wife while she was incapacitated with dementia. Clayton Kelly of Pearl faces charges of conspiracy, burglary and attempted burglary tied to pictures he took of Rose

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Cochran after he entered a Madison nursing home in April 2014. Kelly used those images in a video that was briefly posted online to suggest that Thad Cochran was having an inappropriate relationship with aide Kay Webber. Defense lawyer Kevin Camp said Thad Cochran’s wedding Saturday, less than six months after the death of Rose Cochran, lends credence to Kelly’s statements.

“It actually now sort of comes out that there was something,” Camp said. “I think it’s good for them and bad for us.” Madison County District Attorney Michael Guest did not immediately respond Tuesday to questions about whether the marriage would affect the prosecution. Kelly is scheduled for trial June 8 in Madison County Circuit Court. Camp questions whether any laws were broken.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Today in History

Local/Region Across the Region

Book signing to be held

Today is Wednesday, May 27, the 147th day of 2015. There are 218 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On May 27, 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, unanimously struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” legislative program.

On this date: In 1936, the Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary left England on its maiden voyage to New York. In 1937, the newly completed Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California, was opened to pedestrian traffic (vehicles began crossing the next day). In 1941, the British Royal Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck off France, with a loss of some 2,000 lives, three days after the Bismarck sank the HMS Hood. In 1942, Navy Cook 3rd Class Doris “Dorie” Miller became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross for his “extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety” during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1944, Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist play “Huis clos” (known in English as “No Exit”) was first performed in Paris. In 1962, a dump fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania, ignited a blaze in underground coal deposits that continues to burn this day. In 1964, independent India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, died. In 1985, in Beijing, representatives of Britain and China exchanged instruments of ratification for an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997. In 1995, actor Christopher Reeve was left paralyzed when he was thrown from his horse during a jumping event in Charlottesville, Virginia.

of “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities.” The traveling exhibit will open Saturday, June 6. The author will be available to meet people and sign their books from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 5, and from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 6. All books must be purchased at the Pink Palace Museum to qualify for signing.

2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, at the Latta Arts and Cultural Center in Selmer, Tennessee. The book will be available to view and purchase for Freida to sign.

SELMER, Tenn. — Arts in McNiary and The Stephen Foster Music Club will host a book signing and reception celebrating the release of “Twenty Five Years with Freida Hamm”, published by Renee Pembroke (Morgan Press) as a tribute to the prominent Memphis Artist and native McNairy countian. The signing will be held from

Author to visit museum MEMPHIS, Tenn. — “Wicked Plants”, the exhibit is coming to the Pink Palace Museum, along with Amy Stewart, author

BY JEFF AMY

“The storm came up without warning. The storm popped up, the tornado sirens went off, and the storm came through.”

Associated Press

JACKSON — A little more than four years after a powerful tornado destroyed most of Smithville, Monroe County residents are cleaning up from another twister. Monroe County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert “Bunky” Goza said no one was killed or injured during the Monday morning storm, unlike during a 2011 tornado, which killed 17 people in the county. However, he said more than 60 buildings were damaged, with 11 homes suffering major damage and two destroyed. The West Amory Elementary School and two businesses suffered minor impacts. Most damage came from trees falling on buildings, Goza said, especially in older parts of Amory. “There are a lot of large trees that came down, uprooted or broke in half,” he said. A survey team from the Weather Service office in Memphis, Tennessee, says the twister touched down briefly southwest of Amory. Then it touched down again for 2.5 miles while headed from Amory to the northeast to-

Amory Mayor Brad Blalock 8,000 customers lacked power late Monday. Officials with the Monroe County Electric Power Association said about 1,500 of their 12,500 customers also lost power at one point, although all cooperative customers who could accept electricity had their lights back on Monday evening. Marlene Mickelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee, said forecasters observed a severe thunderstorm with rotation and issued a tornado warning. Surveyors had yet to release an estimate of the storm’s strength Monday evening. Zack Jones told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that he spotted the swirling storm from his job at River Birch Golf Club just before it hit. Jones was one of many working a chain saw Monday at the worst-hit house on Amory’s North 7th Street “It’s a big mess,” said another

ward Smithville. Mayor Brad Blalock says the funnel cloud seemed to have hovered above the ground as it crossed part of Amory, explaining why just snapped trees seemed to be the main casualties. He was huddling in a bathroom at his house with his wife and son when it arrived. “The storm came up without warning,” Blalock said. “The storm popped up, the tornado sirens went off, and the storm came through.” The damage was compounded by heavy rains on Monday that caused street flooding in some locations. However, it was far less severe than what hit Smithville in 2011. “For the next few days, possibly weeks, we’re going to be completely concentrated on the damage,” Blalock said. The mayor said fewer than 200 of the city electric system’s

Associated Press

SCOOBA — Retiring East Mississippi Community College President Dr. Rick Young will spend his final six weeks at the school by campaigning for a new men’s dorm and a new athletic operations center to be built for the main campus in Scooba. Young, Vice President Dr. Paul Miller, head football coach Buddy Stephens and Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs Director Nick Clark met with the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors last week to present a plan to replace two men’s dorms built in the 1940s and to build a new,

centralized athletic center for the Lions’ sports teams. “We have two dorms that were built in the mid-1940s, Noxubee Hall and Lauderdale Hall, and we only have two years of life left in these dorms,” Young said during a supervisors meeting last week. “Some new dorms are sorely needed. We also need a new sports operations facility. We’re hoping the supervisors support us because we have to replaces these dorms.” Miller said EMCC will start a 25-year, $70 million plan that will boost the housing and student life on the Scooba campus.

Associated Press

JACKSON — Hinds County officials said they are taking swift action after being told by the U.S. Department of Justice that jail facilities in Jackson and Raymond are “in crisis.” The officials plan to give jail employees a pay raise, hire a criminal justice coordinator to expedite inmates’ journey through the court system and reconsider a contract with the city of Jackson to house some of its detainees, The ClarionLedger reports. The department, which launched its investigation after a series of violent incidents,

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cleanup volunteer, Will Fredrick. “But thank God nobody was hurt.” For Smithville, it was an uneasy reminder of a tornado that almost wiped out the town with 200 mph winds. Scott Cox, who owns the Smithville Marina, said the storm damaged some small buildings and knocked a boat off a trailer. “I’ve got a lot of mess to clean up, but probably not enough to file an insurance claim,” he said. He said he, his wife and mother were in their underground storm shelter after hearing sirens and televised warnings. Cox’s father died in the 2011 storm after he left the marina, which was undamaged by the twister, and returned home to be with Cox’s mother. “I wasn’t very composed during the storm,” he said of Monday’s weather. “It brought back a lot of memories.” Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Latham said had briefed Gov. Phil Bryant and plans to travel to Amory Tuesday to meet with city officials. MEMA has an area coordinator working in Amory to assist with state resources if necessary.

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Guests on Friday will receive a sneak peek of the exhibit before its Saturday grand opening. “Wicked Plants” will be on exhibit Saturday, June 6 through Monday, Sept. 7. The Pink Palace Museum is located at 3050 Central Avenue in Memphis, Tenn. For more information, visit www. memphismuseums.org or call 901-636-2362.

Weather service: Windstorm was tornado

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Opinion

Reece Terry, publisher

Mark Boehler, editor

4A • Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Corinth, Miss.

Legislative candidates prep for primaries JACKSON — Mississippi politicians are gearing up for a busy summer campaign season. One legislative race worth watching is a Democratic primary that pits two incumbent state senators against each Emily other up north. Another is a Wagster Gulf Coast Republican primary Pettus in which a senator with statewide ambitions is challenged Capitol Dome by a former emergency director who handled local operations during Hurricane Katrina. Primaries are Aug. 4 and the general election is Nov. 3. In Senate District 51 in coastal Jackson County, two-term incumbent Michael Watson of Pascagoula is challenged in the Republican primary by Butch Loper of Vancleave, who was the county’s emergency management director for four years. Watson, a 37-year-old attorney, is an ally of state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville, who lost a tough Republican primary to longtime U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014. Watson said he considered challenging Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in this year’s GOP primary, and he hasn’t ruled out a future run for statewide office. But, Watson chose to seek re-election rather than trying to unseat the Senate’s presiding officer in what he said would have been at least a $2 million campaign. Loper, 59, has worked in various jobs for Jackson County for 27 years, and is currently assistant road manager. Loper said that during Katrina in 2005, he led a team that was responsible for the safety of 138,000 people. “Teamwork” is a word he used several times during an interview last week with The Associated Press. “I don’t think a good partnership is happening between the House of Representatives and the senators of Jackson County,” Loper said. Watson disagreed. “The coastal delegation is working together so much better now than it ever has before,” Watson said in a separate interview. “Butch hasn’t done his homework and doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he says things like that.” In northern Mississippi, the newly configured Senate District 10 has all of Tate County and most of Marshall County. It also has two Democratic incumbents in the party primary — first-term Sen. Steve Hale of Senatobia and second-term Sen. Bill Stone of Holly Springs. The Republican-controlled Legislature redrew state House and Senate districts in 2012 to account for population changes revealed by the 2010 Census. Stone’s current District 2 — in Benton, Marshall and Tippah counties — was broken apart to help create a new district in fast-growing DeSoto County. Stone landed in a new district with fellow Sen. Nickey Browning, and it included more of Browning’s territory than Stone’s. Browning switched from Democrat to Republican in 2013. Also in 2013, Stone moved from Benton County to Marshall County, putting him and Hale in the new District 10. Hale has filed court papers challenging whether Stone will meet the requirement of living in the Senate district for two full years by the November general election. Hale says Stone will fall short of the two years. Stone says he will meet the requirement. Hale, 61, is a former Senatobia alderman and mayor. When Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove was in office from 2000 to 2004, Hale was deputy director, and then director, of the Mississippi Development Authority. Asked how he is different from Stone, Hale told the AP: “I think my voting record is a little more pro-business than his.” Stone, 49, a real estate broker and appraiser, said voters will decide that. “My voting record is good from a business standpoint because I support the things we need to be able to grow our business community, like public education,” Stone said in a separate interview, adding he voted against “tax cuts that would hurt the state budget.” (Daily Corinthian columnist Emily Wagster Pettus is a writer for the Associated Press based in Jackson.)

Prayer for today My Father, if thou wert far off I could not reach thee in time, for I falter so much and need thee so often. I pray that thou wilt keep so near that I can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. Amen.

A verse to share “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21:9

Do not go gentle I don’t know exactly what all I feel about Dave Letterman retiring, except old, very old. It’s like the first time you realize you’re older than Miss America, which seals the deal you already suspected – that you’ll never be Miss America. Not that you wanted to be, exactly, but eligibility is a whole other matter. And right on the tail of that, you’re suddenly older than your alma mater’s football coach, who was an ancient man when you were rah-rah-sis-boom-bahing at the school, but suddenly this new one looks younger than his behemoth players. Then, later on, you’re older than the president, for heaven’s sake, the leader of the free world. Guess you’ll never be president, either. And so it goes, ’til you’re

older than all your childhood heroes and old-women role models and variRheta ous novelists Johnson when they wrote various Columnist books. Now hip Letterman’s retired, but it’s OK because it’s harder and harder to stay up late enough to watch. When Johnny Carson quit, it was poignant but not relevant; you knew he would. Carson was of my parents’ generation, not that my parents ever stayed up late enough to watch Johnny Carson. Letterman was a different kettle of fish. He is in my age bracket. And, except for the suit, he was somehow different.

As the evolution of comic hosts went, Letterman was an amphibian, sliding up out of a smarmy, starstruck sea. Letterman was an irreverent, smarty-pants anti-star, the Jack Nicholson holdthe-chicken of talk-show hosts. He didn’t always go gaga at the sight of a comely movie actress. He seemed to like the female comics better. Dave Letterman was political, though in the same understated but obvious way he was everything else. His targets weren’t broad or easy, most of the time. He paved the way for Jon Stewart and other, brasher models. By the way, I always thought Roseanne Barr would have made a great late-night talk-show host, but then women aren’t al-

lowed to preside over latenight talk shows at all. It seems to be one place the glass ceiling won’t crack. Roseanne and Dave have the same wit, dry, and the same enemies, humorless establishment types who think all women should be pretty, men handsome and politicians sacrosanct. The No. 3 thing I’ll miss about Letterman: Having an extra drink to stay up late enough to watch the show. No. 2: Jokes about Dick Cheney’s daughter. No. 1: Trying to remember the next morning what was so funny that he said last night. (To find out more about Daily Corinthian columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson and her books, visit www. rhetagrimsleyjohnsonbooks.com.)

Can Hillary reverse decline in Democratic turnout? Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992 by running as a different kind of Democrat from previous nominees. Hillary Clinton, Anne Gearan of The Washington Post reports, is hoping to win the presidency in 2016 by running as the same kind of Democrat as the current incumbent. There’s a certain logic in that. President Obama did win twice, while the five preClinton Democratic nominees lost five of the six previous elections. But maybe it’s too logical. There’s also magic to presidential elections, something no arithmetic formula can capture. It’s not clear that a 69-yearold Hillary Clinton in 2016 can inspire the enthusiasm that the 47-year-old Obama did in 2008. Camp Clinton’s assumption is that their candidate can count on and expand Obama’s “coalition of the ascendant” (The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein’s term). In particular, “non-whites” are an inevitably increasing share of the electorate, and Clinton strategists expect that share to grow from 28 percent in 2012 to 31 percent next year. But “non-whites” are not a cohesive or uniform bloc. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians act, think and vote differently. Let’s look at some numbers. Blacks made up 13 percent of voters in 2008 and 2012 – slightly more than their

Reece Terry

Mark Boehler

publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

editor editor@dailycorinthian.com

Willie Walker

Roger Delgado

circulation manager circdirector@dailycorinthian.com

press foreman

share of the population – and voted 95 and 93 percent for Obama. T h e i r Michael Obama marBarone gins within the total elecColumnist torate were 12 and 11 percent, compared to 8 percent for John Kerry in 2004. It’s unlikely that Hillary Clinton will generate the same black turnout or percentage as the first black president. She won’t match Obama’s black margin. As for Hispanics, the Clinton folks are apparently expecting Hispanic turnout to rise from 9 and 10 percent of the electorate in 2008 and 2012 to 13 or 14 percent in 2016. Maybe, maybe not. Clinton did carry the Hispanic vote by solid margins in the 2008 primaries, and she has been out-pandering Obama on illegal immigrant amnesty lately. But will Hispanics be enthusiastic about her? And can she improve on Obama’s 2012 Hispanic percentage (71 percent) against a Republican who doesn’t talk of “self-deportation”? Not clear. Asians were just 3 percent of voters in 2012, and they are scarce in all target states but Virginia. The questionable 2014 exit poll result showed them evenly split between the parties. They’re not going to propel Clinton

into the White House. Brownstein’s ascendant groups also include young voters: the millennials. Clinton has been promising them (without saying how it would be paid for) cheap college, a higher minimum wage and paid family leave. But millennials’ support for Democrats has been declining. In 2008, Obama’s margin among under-30s amounted to 6 percent of the total electorate – almost all of his national margin. In 2012, that number was down to 4 percent. In the 2014 House popular vote, the Democratic edge was down to 1.2 percent. Raise that to 2 percent, to account for higher millennial turnout in a presidential year, and you’re still seeing Democratic decline. Will Clinton’s belated support of same-sex marriage, which the Supreme Court may well legalize nationally next month, reverse that trend 17 months later in November 2016? There’s an impression widespread among political reporters that Obama has produced a surge in turnout among voters. The numbers tell a different story. Turnout surged sharply during George W. Bush’s presidency, but has sagged during Obama’s. In retrospect, the 69 million votes Obama won in 2008 represented a peak. Democratic turnout has been downhill ever since. In 2012, Obama won 66

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million votes – 3.6 million fewer than four years before. In contrast, George W. Bush in 2004 got 12 million more votes than he had in 2000. Even in the 10 target states, where the Obama campaign worked to maximize Democratic turnout, it was down 440,000 in 2012 from 2008. You see the same pattern in the popular vote for the House of Representatives. Democrats got 42 million votes in 2006, 39 million in 2010 and 36 million in 2014. The Obama presidency has depressed rather than stimulated Democratic turnout. It’s not hard to imagine that many Democratically inclined voters will vote for Clinton despite the deleted emails, the six-figure speech fees and the contributions from foreign governments. The argument that will sway them is that she’s better than Republicans on the issues. It’s harder to imagine these voters generating the enthusiasm that drove up Democratic turnout in 2008 and reversing the trend that is apparent to anyone who looks at the numbers. (Daily Corinthian columnist Michael Barone is senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics.)

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Editorials represent the voice of the Daily Corinthian. Editorial columns, letters to the editor and other articles that appear on this page represent the opinions of the writers and the Daily Corinthian may or may not agree.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

State/Nation

Across the Nation Associated Press

Authorities identify Wal-Mart gunman GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The gunman in a deadly Wal-Mart shooting in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been identified as an airman from nearby Grand Forks Air Force Base. Police say 21-year-old Marcell Willis walked into the store shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday and shot two employees with a handgun, killing one and injuring the other. Authorities say Willis tried to shoot another worker but missed, then killed himself. Police say the shooting appears to have been random. They haven’t found a link between Willis and the Wal-Mart store or the employees. Authorities did not immediately identify the two workers who were shot. The injured person was taken to Altru Hospital in Grand Forks.

U.S. begins flights to locate migrants WASHINGTON — The United States has begun military surveillance flights to help locate stranded Rohingya and Bangladeshi boat people in Southeast Asian seas. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said Tuesday that U.S. Navy P8 aircraft flew over the weekend with Malaysian support. Rathke said the U.S. has offered to help governments in the region by providing information about boats possibly carrying migrants in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. This month, more than 3,000 migrants have landed in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and thousands more are believed to be trapped at sea in boats abandoned by their captains. Human traffickers have also abandoned jungle camps on land. Malaysia was exhuming

remains Tuesday from graves at a suspected transit point used by traffickers near the Thai border.

Obama to Senate: Renew Patriot Act WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama called on the Senate Tuesday to extend key Patriot Act provisions before they expire five days from now, including the government’s ability to search Americans’ phone records. “This needs to get done,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “It’s necessary to keep the American people safe and secure.” But with the May 31 deadline approaching, there was scant evidence of a search for a deal on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The House and Senate stood in recess for the week, and a House GOP leadership aide said there were no talks happening between the two chambers. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the aide was not authorized to discuss the issue on the record. The Senate adjourned for its recess early Saturday after a chaotic late-night session during which senators failed to pass a White House-backed House bill reforming the phone collection program. Attempts by GOP leaders to extend current law also fell short, amid objections and stalling techniques by presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and others.

Couple welcomes 100th grandchild QUINCY, Ill. — A western Illinois couple recently celebrated the

Across the State

birth of their 100th grandchild. Leo and Ruth Zanger of Quincy have 53 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and one greatgreat-grandchild. The birth of great-grandson Jaxton Leo on April 8 made the number 100. Leo Zanger tells The Quincy Herald-Whig that “the good Lord has just kept sending them.” He says his family “could start our own town.” Ruth Zanger says “there’s always room for one more.” The Zangers have been married 59 years and have 12 children. The youngest, 31-yearold Joe, was already an uncle 10 times when he was born.

Lange plans return to Broadway stage NEW YORK — Jessica Lange will return to Broadway next spring in a production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” playing the same role she did 15 years ago in London. The Roundabout Theatre Company said Tuesday that the Oscar- and Emmy-winner will join Gabriel Byrne in a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s play in March. Jonathan Kent will direct the production at the American Airlines Theatre. Lange previously played the role of Mary Tyrone in a 2000 production of O’Neill’s familial drama in London, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for her performance as the morphineaddicted mother. The “American Horror Story” star made her Broadway debut in a 1992 production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and returned to the stage in the 2005 revival of “The Glass Menagerie.”

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INVITATION FOR PRESSURE CLEANING BIDS Public Housing - AMP 001 - of TVRHA is now accepting bids for Pressure Cleaning Services of the WEST HILLS SUBDIVISION IN CORINTH, MS. Bids MUST be submitted in a sealed envelope, plainly marked “Bids for Power/Pressure Cleaning”. All bids must be turned in by 3:00 p.m., FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015, at the Corinth office of TVRHA/West Hills Subdivision, 3100 St. Luke Road, Corinth, MS 38834. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 3:00 p.m., FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015. WHOMEVER GETS THE CONTRACT MUST BE ABLE TO FURNISH THE PROOF OF INSURANCE AND SIGN THE CONTRACT WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS AFTER BEING NOTIFIED. Bid packets may be picked up at the West Hills office located at 3100 St. Luke Road, Corinth, MS, next to the Crossroads Arena. TENNESSEE VALLEY REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR QUESTIONS CALL: Marty Sellers Property Manager 287-1560

INVITATION FOR PRESSURE CLEANING BIDS Public Housing - AMP 002 - of TVRHA is now accepting bids for Pressure Cleaning Services of the HICKORY TERRACE SUBDIVISION IN CORINTH, MS. Bids MUST be submitted in a sealed envelope, plainly marked “Bids for Power/Pressure Cleaning”. All bids must be turned in by 3:00 p.m., FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015, at the Corinth office of TVRHA/Hickory Terrace Subdivision, 223 Hickory Terrace, Corinth, MS 38834. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 3:00 p.m., FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015. WHOMEVER GETS THE CONTRACT MUST BE ABLE TO FURNISH THE PROOF OF INSURANCE AND SIGN THE CONTRACT WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS AFTER BEING NOTIFIED. Bid packets may be picked up at the Hickory Terrace office located at 223 Hickory Terrace, Corinth, MS, next to the Crossroads Arena. TENNESSEE VALLEY REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR QUESTIONS CALL: Tiwanna Jones Property Manager 662-286-3098

Daily Corinthian • 5A

Associated Press

Zinn, Kelly drum up support in election JACKSON — Two candidates are trying to win support in the final days before a runoff in a north Mississippi congressional election. Democrat Walter Zinn and Republican Trent Kelly are keeping busy campaign schedules ahead of the June 2 runoff. They are in a race to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, who died of brain cancer in February. The winner will serve most of the twoyear term that ends in January 2017. Zinn’s schedule includes events Tuesday in Oxford and Thursday in Tupelo. Kelly has events Tuesday in Tupelo and Wednesday in Oxford and DeSoto County.

Correctional officer dies in crash at work HATTIESBURG — A longtime officer from South Mississippi Correctional Institution was killed in a traffic accident Monday while helping escort an inmate from one hospital to another, the state Department of Corrections said Tuesday. Sgt. Iris Smith, 53, died when the prison van she was driving hit the back of an 18-wheeler on U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg, the department said in a news release. Smith was alone in the van. Another correctional officer was riding in an ambulance with an inmate who was being taken from Greene County Hospital to Forrest General Hospital.

The department said Smith was its first correctional officer killed on the job since 1999. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Smith’s family,” Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher said in the news release. “Her unexpected death shows how fragile life is. It’s the kind of news we all dread hearing.”

Cost to repair track rises to $7.3 million OXFORD — The cost to renovate the University of Mississippi’s track facility is going up by $3.3 million after the university decided it had to replace a 5-foot diameter drain pipe running underneath. The College Board approved the additional spending last week, boosting the cost of the project from the $4 million originally budgeted to $7.3 million. Ground around the track, built in 2002, began developing holes in late 2013, and a sonar

survey showed large cavities underground. The drain pipe was found to be undermining the soils, causing the track and an adjacent building to be closed. Ole Miss will build a new drain pipe and then fill and stabilize the soil, replacing the rubber track, drainage and adjacent surfaces.

Trees, structures damaged in storms JACKSON — Severe weather has caused damage in central Mississippi. A line of thunderstorm downed trees and power lines throughout Hinds County late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. No one was injured. The National Weather Service office in Jackson says strong winds ripped off the canopy at an Exxon Station on Interstate 55 at the Gluckstadt exit in Madison County. Trees were also downed in Adams and Fayette counties.

6A • Wednesday, May 27, 2015 • Daily Corinthian

Floodwaters rise in Houston

Deaths Richard E. Leatherwood

Funeral Services for Richard Leatherwood, 77, of Corinth, are set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Pinecrest Baptist Church with Bro. Jimmy Lancaster officiating. Burial will be in Forrest Memorial Park. Visitation is today from 5 until 8 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Home and Thursday from 12 noon until service time at Pinecrest Baptist Church. Mr. Leatherwood died Sunday, May 24, 2015, at Mississippi Care Center. He was born Aug. 18, 1937, in Alcorn County to the late Richard Leatherwood and Mattie Henderson Coln. He was a 1957 graduate of Farmington High School where he was president of Leatherwood the FFA and played on the basketball team. He served his country as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was a certified ASE mechanic and retired as a mechanic. He enjoyed fishing, horses and animals. Along with his parents, Leatherwood was preceded in death by his brothers, Walter, Thomas, Paul T. and James Leatherwood, and his sisters, Lee Hamilton, Carrie Lancaster and Ida Lancaster. Survivors include his sons, Joey (Christie) Leatherwood and Eddie (Lisa) Leatherwood, both of Corinth; a brother, Marcus (Martha) Leatherwood; a sister, Mary Alice (Fletcher) Cook; the mother of his children, Nora Leatherwood; four grandchildren, Danielle, Richie, A.J. and Chris Leatherwood; and a host of other family and friends. Pallbearers are Tommy Kingen, Tommy Leatherwood, Chevy Wiginton, Harold Lancaster, David Lancaster and Steven Essary. Condolences can be left at www.memorialcorinth. com.

Alex Wilbanks

WALNUT — Services for Alex Rayhe “Bubba” Wilbanks, 22, are set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Christ Temple Apostolic Church with burial at Camp Ground Cemetery. Visitation is from 3 p.m. today at the church and until the service on Thursday at the church. Mr. Wilbanks died Sunday, May 24, 2015, in Walnut as the result of an automobile accident.

Claudette C. Lambert

Claudette C. Lambert, 77, of Corinth, died Saturday, May 23, 2015, at her home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Born June 29, 1937, she was a homemaker and a member of Jerusalem Church of Christ. Survivors include one son, Randy Lambert of Corinth; one daughter, Angelia Lambert of Corinth; and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Donnie Lambert, and her parents, Bob and Velon Hart Coleman. Corinthian Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Obituary Policy All obituaries (complete and incomplete) will be due no later than 4 p.m. on the day prior to its publication. Obituaries will only be accepted from funeral homes. All obituaries must contain a signature of the family member making the funeral arrangements.

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Search goes on for the missing Associated Press

HOUSTON — Floodwaters kept rising Tuesday across much of Texas as storms dumped almost another foot of rain on the Houston area, stranding hundreds of motorists and inundating the famously congested highways that serve the nation’s fourthlargest city. Meanwhile, the search went on for at least 13 people who were still missing, including a group that disappeared after a vacation home was swept down the river and slammed into a bridge. Several more fatalities were reported — three in Houston and one more in Central Texas. That brought to 16 the number of people killed by the holiday weekend storms in Texas and Oklahoma. The water continued rising overnight as about 11 more inches of rain fell, much of it in a sixhour period. The floodwaters affected virtually every part of the city and paralyzed some areas. Firefighters carried out more than 500 water rescues, most involving stranded motorists. At least 2,500 vehicles were abandoned by drivers seeking higher ground, officials said. “Given the magnitude and how quickly it happened, in such a short period of time, I’ve never

Rick Flanagan Houston’s emergency management coordinator

seen this before,” said Rick Flanagan, Houston’s emergency management coordinator. The flooding closed several highways, and the ones that stayed open became a gridlocked mess. Interstate 45 near downtown was backed up for miles on Tuesday morning, and a handful of motorists traveled the wrong way on the highway to retreat from high water. The small cars weaved between massive 18-wheelers as other drivers stared at them in disbelief. With no end to the backup in sight, some drivers got off the freeway, only to be held up again by water covering nearby access roads. In the Heights neighborhood about 5 miles from downtown, groups of people roamed the streets after escaping their stalled cars, and police cruisers blocked some dangerous roads. Some motorists were stuck on I-45 all night, sleeping in their cars until the backup was cleared about 8 a.m. NBA fans at the Toyota Center, where the Rockets hosted a Western Conference finals game

against Golden State on Monday, were asked with about two minutes left in the game not to leave the arena because of the severe weather. The game ended before 11 p.m., but about 400 people remained in their seats at 1:30 a.m., choosing to stay in the building rather than brave the flooded roads that awaited them outside. A spokeswoman for the flood district of Harris County, which includes Houston, said up to 700 homes sustained some level of damage. Officials in Hays County, about 35 miles southwest of Austin, said 30 people who had been reported as missing were accounted for by midafternoon Tuesday. Crews were also searching for victims and assessing damage just across the Texas-Mexico border in Ciudad Acuna, where a tornado killed 13 people Monday. Some of the worst flooding in Texas was in Wimberley, a popular tourist town along the Blanco in the corridor between Austin and San Antonio. That’s where the vacation home was

swept away. The “search component” of the mission ended Monday night, meaning no more survivors were expected to be found, said Trey Hatt, a spokesman for the Hays County Emergency Operations Center. One person who was rescued from the home told emergency workers that the other 12 inside were all connected to two families. Young children were among those believed to be missing. But by early Tuesday, Hays County spokeswoman Laureen Chernow acknowledged discrepancies concerning exactly how many people were in the home. “We don’t have that certainty,” Chernow said. Eight of the missing were friends and family who had gathered for the holiday, said Kristi Wyatt, a spokeswoman for the City of San Marcos. She said three more were members of another family in a separate situation. An unrelated person was also missing, Wyatt said. The Blanco crested above 40 feet — more than triple its flood stage of 13 feet. The river swamped Interstate 35 and closed parts of the busy north-south highway. Rescuers used pontoon boats and a helicopter to pull people out. Hundreds of trees along the Blanco were uprooted or snapped, and they collected in piles of debris up to 20 feet high.

Ex-death row inmate dead of apparent suicide Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman who was once the nation’s youngest person on death row but whose sentence was eventually commuted to a prison term was found dead in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Indianapolis police said 45-year-old Paula Cooper was found dead of an apparently selfinflicted gunshot wound outside a residence on the city’s northwest side. Cooper had been released from prison about

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two years ago, after the Indiana Supreme Court set aside her death sentence and gave her a 60year prison term. Cooper was 16 when she was sentenced to death in 1986 after confessing to her role in the murder of a 78-yearold Gary Bible studies teacher the year before. Cooper admitted stabbing 78-year-old Ruth Pelke 33 times with a 12inch butcher knife in a robbery that netted four youths $10 and an old car. Cooper was 15 at the time the crime was committed. Her death sentence enraged human rights activists in the U.S. and Europe and drew a plea for clemency from Pope John Paul II. In 1988, a priest delivered a petition to Indianapolis with more than 2 million signatures protesting Cooper’s sentence. Pelke’s grandson, Bill Pelke, who organized opposition to the death penalty after his grandmother’s killing, said he was devastated to learn of Cooper’s death. He

said he worked to help Cooper after realizing that’s what his grandmother would have wanted. “My grandmother would have been appalled she was on death row and that there was so much hate and anger and desire for her to die. I was convinced my grandmother would have had love and compassion for Paula and her family,” he said in a telephone interview from Anchorage, Alaska, where he runs Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing, which supports alternatives to the death penalty. Pelke said he visited with Cooper while she was in prison and had last spoke to her last August. He was expecting to hear from Cooper next month, when she was scheduled to be released from parole. He said she had expressed an interest in speaking for his organization. “I have no idea what was going on in her life. I thought she was doing well from everything I had heard,” he said. “I

had hoped she would travel with us. She had always told me she wanted to help young people to avoid the pitfalls that she had fallen into. She said she knew she had done something terrible to society and she wanted to give back.” Two years after Cooper was sentenced to death, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an unrelated case that those under 16 at the time of an offense couldn’t receive the death penalty. The court said such sentences were cruel and unusual punishment and thus unconstitutional. Indiana lawmakers later passed a law raising the minimum age limit for execution from 10 years to 16, and in 1988, the state’s high court set aside Cooper’s death sentence and ordered her to serve 60 years in prison. Cooper’s sentence was reduced due to her behavior in prison, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She was released from prison on June 17, 2013, after spending 28 years behind bars.

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Daily Corinthian • Wednesday, May 27, 2015 • 7A

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