Sisters Helping Sisters About Jail Finances by JEBB JOHNSTON [email protected] Jail fi Nances Continue to Be a Concern for Alcorn County
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Tuesday Feb. 5, 2013 Partly sunny Today Tonight 50 cents 60 37 Daily Corinthian 0% chance of rain Vol. 117, No. 31 • Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section School shooting threat BY BRANT SAPPINGTON ternet postings and posting on [email protected] other social media sites fueled BOONEVILLE — Local law Rumor leads to increased security alert a variety of rumors that spread enforcement was working with through the community caus- federal authorities Monday to and surrounding districts. said it all began with a posting He said they are working ing concerns Monday. track down the source of an In- Booneville Police Chief Mi- on the popular gossip website with the FBI to try to locate Booneville and Prentiss ternet rumor about a potential chael Ramey said there was no topix.com asking about a ru- the source of the original ru- County school districts raised shooting at schools in Prentiss actual threat made and they mored threat of a shooting. mor and learn more about what their alert levels and increased County that led to an increased have no evidence of any cred- “We have not seen an actual sparked the posting. security alert at those schools ible threat to the schools. He threat,” said Ramey. Ramey said additional In- Please see THREAT | 2 Supervisors concerned Sisters Helping Sisters about jail finances BY JEBB JOHNSTON [email protected] Jail fi nances continue to be a concern for Alcorn County. The Board of Supervisors on Monday agreed that another discussion with consultant Irb Benjamin is needed as the county looks at why the num- bers for the new jail facility are not favorable. The discussion came about when the board was informed that the county has received re- imbursement of $298,378 for June 2012 and a portion of July 2012. But the jail is in the red by about $1.4 million. It is supposed to be self- sustaining through reimburse- ments from the Mississippi De- partment of Corrections for the housing of state inmates. With the county housing close to 300 on a daily basis, it could even expect to turn a profi t because the bond was based on payment for 240 prisoners monthly. “We’ve got to look at how to get this thing back in line,” said 5th District Supervisor Jimmy Tate Waldon. “I haven’t got a Submitted photo problem with it as long as we Sisters Helping Sisters is a local program that pairs girls with positive role models who will have a healthy influence on their are getting there, but it doesn’t lives. look like we’re getting there. It looks like we keep going up in- stead of going down.” Agency provides opportunities for young women Supervisors are concerned about taxpayer money having BY BOBBY J. SMITH from life. For almost an hour 12-year-old Dejana Burns, it is “Through workshops, activi- to be used to operate the jail. [email protected] Green talks about self-esteem, getting together with the other ties, volunteering and counsel- In his monthly report, In a small meeting room on what it means for a person and participants. T’Keeyah Cum- ing, the young women learn to Warden Doug Mullins said the east side of Corinth, 16 sis- how to develop it. mings, 14, says it’s all about in- love and uplift their fellow sis- the county will bill the state ters are helping each other de- “Self-esteem is an everyday spiration and communication. ter, being of assistance when- $274,262.28 for inmates velop better self-esteem. problem — it’s a constant ev- “It’s really uplifting and ever and however they can, housed in the regional facil- They’re not biological sisters, eryday thing,” Green said. helps you with expressing becoming better people and ity during January; $8,620 for but Sisters Helping Sisters — a Throughout the session she yourself,” said T’Keeyah. productive members in soci- state inmates housed on the nonprofi t agency founded by talks about why it’s so impor- Fourteen-year-old Jalyn ety,” explained Green. county side; and $35,560 for Corinth Middle School Guid- tant to surround oneself with Owen said the program an- The mission of Sisters Help- those at the Community Work ance Counselor Shana Marie positive friends, the impor- swers any questions that girls ing Sisters is to guide youth Center. The county will bill Green that provides guidance, tance of providing a good ex- in middle school might have. and young adults so that they Corinth $31,000 and Farming- mentorship and leadership op- ample for others, the necessity The purpose of Sisters Help- may make smart choices when ton $675 for housing inmates. portunities to youth and young of careful grooming, the value ing Sisters is to pair youth in faced with the issues of bully- The regional jail population adult women age 10 and up. of keeping a list of one’s posi- the community with positive ing, violence, self-esteem, teen averaged 299 in January. Green leads the discussion, tive traits and other points re- role models who will have a pregnancy and college/career Unexpected start-up ex- but the girls are constantly en- lated to self-esteem. healthy infl uence in their lives choices. It focuses on train- couraged to chime in and share What do the girls like best and to foster scholarship, com- Please see SUPERVISORS | 2 their thoughts and examples about the program? For munity service and sisterhood. Please see SISTERS | 3 ‘He’s like walking history’ Civil rights pioneer will be part of Tishomingo County High School event BY BOBBY SMITH riot and made the 28-year-old traveled extensively throughout Highway 51, Meredith was an opponent of ebonics, a word [email protected] air force veteran an icon of the the state on a “Walk for Educa- bushwhacked — blasted with used to describe the language of A civil rights pioneer is com- civil rights movement. tion & Truth,” Meredith’s way three volleys of buckshot by African Americans. ing to Tishomingo County High “Everybody is excited about of keeping his promise to God unemployed Memphis resident Along the way his seemingly School. him coming,” said TCHS ca- that he would spend the rest of Aubrey Norvell. contradictory actions have James Meredith, the fi rst reer/technical counselor Di- his life helping black students After a brief period of recu- puzzled and enraged those who black Ole Miss student, will ane Byars. “He’s like walking get prepared for college. peration, Meredith would con- wish to use his energy and intel- speak at Tish County’s “History history. If you’re my age you The “Walk for Education & tinue his march and help hun- ligence for their own ends. and Unity Program” on Friday, remember him from hearing Truth” isn’t the fi rst time Mer- dreds of black Mississippians The “History and Unity Pro- Feb. 22, in the school gymna- about what was going on at Ole edith has used a trip across the register to vote. gram” will also feature the mu- sium. Miss, and for the students, they state to raise awareness for a While Meredith is a symbol sic of Cassie Bonner, an Oxford- In 1962 Meredith broke the all know about him from the cause. of the civil rights movement, he based singer and songwriter color barrier by becoming the history books.” In 1966, he began a one-man has never allowed himself to be who has worked with Beyonce fi rst African-American student Meredith will speak about “March Against Fear” from controlled by any organization. and Alicia Keys. to attend classes at all-white Ole his ideas for improving Missis- Memphis all the way through Years after he became the fi rst The program begins at 10 Miss. Meredith’s admittance to sippi’s education system. Mississippi. black student in a Mississippi a.m. Everyone is invited and the college sparked a campus Last year, the civil rights icon Just south of Hernando on college, Meredith came out as there is no charge. Index On this day in history 150 years ago Stocks........8 Weather......10 Queen Victoria gives an address to Parliament on why her Classified......14 Obituaries........6 government has refused to attempt in mediation between the Comics........9 Opinion........4 United States and the Confederate States. Her reasons — State/Nation ...5 Sports......12 there were few expectations of success. 2 • Daily Corinthian Local/Region Tuesday, February 5, 2013 Woman continues quest to reunite with siblings BY JOEL MCNEECE Calhoun County Journal “I can’t The last time Shirley explain the Bratton of Calhoun City saw her brothers and sis- feeling. There ters was more than 60 was a whole years ago when they were being carried to the Meth- lot of love odist Childrens’ Home in coming out.” Jackson for adoption. Her father was in pris- on, and her mother was Shirley Bratton incapable of caring for the On visiting with her six children. oldest living sister and two brothers Shirley searched un- successfully for her lost family for decades, fi nally They were raised in a very making progress when modest home place in her daughters Laura Ed- Tishomingo County. wards and Leigh Childs, Shirley never knew why both of Calhoun City, they were sent to Jackson. joined the search. “I don’t know if it was After more than 60 my mother’s decision or years of wondering what Social Services had some- had become of her sib- thing to do with it,” she lings, she was recently re- said.