Thursday July 19,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 173
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section
District plans no ad valorem tax increase BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth School District plans no ad valorem tax increase for the upcoming budget year. The school district millage rate will continue at 59.2. It has been at that level since the 2006-2007 school year, when it decreased from 59.4 mills. The district board of trustees held a public hearing on the budget this week and will consider adopting it in a regular meeting on Aug. 6. Superintendent Lee Chil-
dress noted the district is holding taxes steady despite rising costs, such as a 10.2 percent insurance premium increase and greater food expenditures. The district found that some people were confused by a paid advertisement that the district placed in the newspaper regarding the tax levy for the upcoming year. Childress said it was legally required to be worded as it was. “While we are asking for the same dollar amount as last year,” he said, “we had to run
the advertisement because if the millage yields more dollars than it did this year and if we don’t run that advertisement, then we have to escrow that, and we would have to reduce next year’s tax request by that amount of dollars.” The district is requesting $4,942,009 from local tax revenue. The district is benefiting financially from rising student enrollment, which is boosting state funding for the district. State revenue for the year will be
$10,912,159, about a 7.5 percent increase from last year. That has helped the district avoid a tax increase, Childress said. The district ended the last school year with 2,299 students, an increase of 566 since the 2001-2002 school year. The district has worked to hold taxes level despite a growing student body, the superintendent said, and in the last few years has absorbed the decline of ad valorem tax reduction funds from the state, which are down to zero for the coming year.
Revenue from other sources, such as gate receipts and cafeteria sales, is projected to be $618,000. Revenue for the year will total about $22.8 million, with state sources making up 49 percent; federal, 19 percent; local city, 22 percent; and other sources making up the rest. The district will spend about $11.8 million on instruction, $5.9 million on support services and $853,000 on other non-instructional costs, such as cafeteria operations.
Shelter’s goal is to be no-kill
Caterpillar to celebrate 30th year
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
Heritage Festival The 25th Annual Iuka Heritage Festival will begin the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1, in Jay Bird Park with the Northeast Mississippi Car
In 1982, Caterpillar Inc. – then known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. – moved its remanufacturing headquarters from Bettendorf, Iowa, to Corinth. What began with just 11 employees has grown into a total workforce of approximately 1,600 – 90 added in 2012 alone – in facilities and warehouses located in Corinth and Booneville. Today, the Mississippi operations remain Caterpillar’s cornerstone for remanufacturing, and the company is now a global leader in remanufacturing with 17 facilities spread across seven countries. “The Corinth team is proud to have been an early part of Caterpillar’s journey in this business that’s good for customers, good for business and good for the environment,” said Mississippi Remanufacturing Operations Manager Roberto Ortega. “Cat dealers from around the world travel to Mississippi to learn about the benefits of remanufacturing, and while here many also visit the great local landmarks our communities have to offer.” The Mississippi facilities remanufacture engines and large engine components, in addition to serving as the company's center for salvage development technologies. Operations expanded in 1989 to a second location in Corinth, which provides global core processing and dealer support. Continued growth led to the opening of the Booneville, Mississippi, facility in 1996.. Cat Reman® returns endof-life components to “sameas-when-new” condition in
Please see FESTIVAL | 2A
Please see CAT | 2A
For the Daily Corinthian
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Leaders of the Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter hope to see the organization end the practice of euthanasia. Board President and Shelter Director Charlotte Doehner said the group has crafted a new mission statement that includes the goal to become a nokill shelter by the end of 2013. “We feel strongly with the goals we have established that we will be able to achieve it,” she said. The shelter is proud to have already made progress, she said, by reducing the number of animals euthanized from 422 in 2011 to 179 currently. The mission statement further says, “Our shelter will provide a safe place for the homeless and unwanted animals of Alcorn County. We will provide food, medical attention, loving care and a sanitary shelter for these animals.” Doehner said becoming a nokill shelter will open up a number of new grant opportunities. The shelter is working to reduce the occurrence of euthanasia by increasing the number of local adoptions through its website and social media; providing a complete health evaluation of animals at intake, including shots, skin care, deworming and flea medication, along with follow-up medical care as needed; and establishing an adoption rate of $65 for dogs and $40 for cats, including spay and neuter. The shelter is also working with rescue groups scattered throughout the country and using the Internet to increase adoptions outside the county. Please see SHELTER | 2A
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Adam Loehemes (left) and Robby Blackard of the 48th Tenn. Infantry reenactment regiment prepare for the 150th Anniversary Battle of Iuka reenactment this Labor Day weekend.
Iuka plans for big day in September BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
The Iuka Heritage Festival and the Iuka Battlefield Commission have joined forces with Tishomingo County Tourism and Tishomingo County Archives & History to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Heritage Festival and to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Iuka. “We’re trying to have the biggest day for Iuka in our lifetimes,” said Event Coordinator Lee Ann Robertson. “I believe the number of visitors we’ll have will bump 20,000.” The Heritage Festival and the reenactment will be held
during Labor Day weekend.
Pre-Kindergarten Academy still has openings for 2012-13 school year BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
There is still time to register children for the Alcorn School District’s Pre-Kindergarten Academy for the 2012-2013 school year. “We started pre-K this year, and we’re starting with two locations,” explained Kim Hamm, federal programs director for the district. “We’re going to see how the response goes to know if we need to increase it in the
future.” The pre-K classes will be held at Rienzi Elementary School and Glendale Elementary School. Both were chosen for their locations and smaller numbers of students. Classes will be in session from 7:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. Classes end early to give parents time to pick up their children attending other schools in the district. Pre-K classes will be free of charge. Classes will be conduct-
ed by certified teachers and an assistant for each classroom. Maximum class size is 20 students. The two locations are open to students from throughout Alcorn County. No releases will be required. To be eligible for the PreKindergarten Academy, students must: (1) reside within the boundaries of the Alcorn School District; (2) must be four years old on or before Sept.
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1; (3) must be potty-trained (no pull-ups permitted); and (4) the parent or guardian must be able to provide transportation. Required documents for enrollment include: Pre-K Academy Application; the child’s original, up-to-date Mississippi immunization certificate (Form 121); child’s certified birth certificate; child’s Social Security card; two proofs of residency (must have the parent/guardian’s name and address show-
ing that they reside in the Alcorn School District. Applications are available at all of the district’s elementary schools and online at www.alcorn.k12.ms.us. The Alcorn School District Pre-Kindergarten Academy is a federally funded program for four-year-old children. For more information contact Kim Hamm at the Alcorn School District Administrative Offices at 286-5591.
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. John Pope tells a newspaper his “headquarters will be in the saddle.” General Robert E. Lee later reads the newspaper and quips, “General Pope doesn’t know his headquarters from his hindquarters.”
Experts in CancerCare 2001 State Drive, MRHC Radiation Oncology: (662) 293-7551 Corinth, MS 38834 The West Clinic: (662) 286-3694