Thursday Jan. 17,
2013
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 15
Tonight
46
23
20% chance snow
Upgrades made to perilous intersection
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Please see ALDERMEN | 2
Today
• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
Aldermen approve selections The Corinth Board of Aldermen on Tuesday appointed Frank Davis to the city school board and nominated Sharon Franks for a joint city-county seat on the arena board. For Crossroads Arena, the nomination of Franks follows the recent death of her husband, Joe Franks. If the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors agrees on the appointment of Sharon Franks, she will complete the term, which runs through 2017. Her appointment was unanimous and comes with the support of the arena board. “Joe Franks came to us with a lot of enthusiasm, and he is really missed,” said Hardwick Kay, chairman of the Crossroads Arena Board of Directors. He said the arena is ready to move forward with its new general manager, Tammy Genovese, a former leader of the Country Music Association who started work at the arena on Tuesday. Referring to a recent letter to the editor in the newspaper, Kay said the new general manager is being paid an annual salary of $65,000. The new appointment to the Corinth School District Board of Trustees follows notice by trustee Tom Rogers that he did not wish to be reappointed. His term expires in March. “He’s done a great service
Possible snow
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Antique tractor collector Raymond Miller puts a shine on his collection that will be on display at the farm show.
Farm show kicks off today BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Farm and outdoor equipment filled the Crossroads Arena in anticipation of the Alcorn County Farm & MachineryHome & Outdoor Show. The show begins today at 9 a.m. with the equipment auction set for 10 a.m. Saturday. “The ice has delayed some equipment from getting here, but all of it will be here by auction time,” said Crossroads Arena Operations Manager Greg Moss. “The floor is soldout with the exception of a few vendor booths.” Billed as the the largest agricultural-based trade show
in Northeast Mississippi, the event is expected to have over $5 million in equipment to be auctioned Saturday. Inside the facility, there will be things for the serious farmer to those who are just into gardening. “We wanted something to draw everyone,” added Moss. Farm equipment guru Greg Peterson, known to those in the farming industry as Machinery Pete, is slated to film segments for his “Machinery Show” over the weekend. Peterson, who puts out a Kelley Blue Book of farming equipment, has been going to farm shows for over 20 years. SuperTalk Mississippi radio
personalities Garden Mama Nellie Neal, Buddy Slowick, Marshall Ramsey along with the J.T. Show will be broadcast live from the show. DeWitt Auction Company will be in charge of the usedmachinery auction on Saturday. Admission is free to the event. “It's going to be pretty impressive whether you are a farmer or not,” said Moss. Doors open today through Friday at 9 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. Farmers can check out the auction equipment beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday, with the sale starting at 10 a.m. and lasting to 5 p.m.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation is taking steps to improve a Prentiss County intersection where four people were killed in two separate crashes in 2012. In a letter to the Prentiss County Board of Supervisors, MDOT Northern District Commissioner Mike Tagert tells board members an engineering review of the site has resulted in several changes. Tagert’s letter came in response to a letter from the board to MDOT sent in November requesting a review of the intersection of County Road 5031 (commonly known as Meadow Creek Road) and the new Highway 30 Bypass. Citizens and government officials raised concerns about the intersection after an accident on Nov. 2 claimed the lives of Becky Hatfield, 35, and her mother, Betty Turvaville, 71. Hatfield was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash and Turvaville died later at North Mississippi Medical Center of injuries sustained in the accident. The highway patrol reported Turvaville apparently pulled out from Meadow Creek Road onto Highway 30 into the path of a dump truck. The two deaths were the Please see INTERSECTION | 2
Family hopes info encourages cancer prevention BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Everyone who knew Heather Mayo loved her. The 28-year-old was a popular first-grade teacher at Alcorn Central Elementary School who saw her life end too soon because of melanoma cancer. It’s a loss her family doesn’t want to see others have to go through. “If anyone thinks it can’t happen to their family they need to reconsider because it can … we are living proof,” said Mayo’s father Scotty Harville. Harville and Heather’s husband, Casey, want the public to be more aware of the type of cancer and to take precautions to prevent it. “Melanoma is a sneaky cancer,” said Harville. “We were totally blindsided and if we can keep one family from going through what we have, getting this information out would be worth it to us.” Heather’s bout with the cancer started with a mole the size of a “pinkie fingernail” on her foot, according to her husband. The mole was removed in January 2009. “Everything came back clean and we thought things were good,” said Casey Mayo. “Then
a knot came up on the same leg.” “Once the doctor started checking he found it had spread to the organs, putting her in Stage IV,” added her father. Heather passed away on Dec. 17, 2011, as the community was planning to send the Mayo family, including 4-yearold daughter, Kalee, to Disney World for the Christmas holidays. “Heather was the sweetest girl,” said her dermatologist, Dr. John Burk of Tupelo. “What happened to her was very tragic.” It is important to catch the deadliest form of skin cancer early, according to Burk. “On average, if you can catch it early it can be treated,” said the dermatologist. The doctor’s advice has hit home for Harville. “In my opinion everyone should be checked twice a year by a dermatologist,” he said. “I have a 9-year-old and I take him annually for a checkup.” The World Health Organization has declared indoor tanning devices to be cancer-causing agents that are in the same category as tobacco. Studies have found a 75 percent increase in the risk of melanoma
in those who have been exposed to UV radiation from indoor tanning. Heather was a seasonal user of tanning beds. “She didn’t use them much, and it was for no more than 15 minutes,” said Casey. “But people need to stay out of tanning beds because they are not safe.” “As a parent I would not now let a teenager of mine lay in a tanning bed,” added Heather’s father. “I wish young people could see that using a tanning bed is something to pay for down the road.” According to spotskincancer. org, to date more than 30 states restrict access to indoor tanning equipment either through banning their use by minors or requiring parental consent. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) opposes indoor tanning and supports a ban on the production and sale of indoor tanning equipment for non-medical purposes. “I believe parents needed to be informed on the dangers of tanning beds,” said Casey. “The skin isn’t fully mature or developed until the age of 30 so its important as parents to keep
Submitted photo
Heather Mayo (left) shown with her husband, Casey, and daughter, Kalee, lost a battle with cancer on Dec. 17, 2011.
Please see MAYO | 2
Fulton Drive farmers market to operate year-round BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County is getting a year-round farmers’ market. The board of the Fulton Drive farmers’ market, where a covered shed is soon to be constructed,
met last week and passed a number of rules of operation for the location. The decision to go to a 12-month market reflects the increasing availability of some items.
“We do have some individuals that are growing hot house tomatoes. They’ve got tomatoes as we speak,” said Patrick Poindexter, county director with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 12 Wisdom...... 11
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
The board, which includes McCoy Phillips, Rufus Duncan Jr., Billy Haynie, David Johnson and Charlie Crum, also established a permit fee of $25 for farmers and producers to participate in the market year-round. The board is
also requiring participating producers to be residents of Alcorn, Tishomingo, Prentiss or Tippah counties. Tennessee counties are excluded. Please see MARKET | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago The Union army and navy have not been paid for some time. President Lincoln signs Joint Resolution No. 9, which calls for the expenditure of $100 million to pay all of the military men, including all pay in arrears.