Alcorn County roundup, Sept. 23, 2026: Absentee voting opens; school partner earns state honor
Alcorn County voters can now cast absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 general election under a new scanning procedure, leading a busy day of local news that also brought statewide recognition for an Alcorn School District partner, student activities in Kossuth, a Corinth High alumni honor, city property-cleanup action and a changing weather outlook.
Featured image: Stock photo of I Voted stickers. (Photo: Element5 Digital / Pexels)
Absentee voting opens with new scanning procedure
In-person absentee voting is underway at the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk’s office in Corinth. Under a new state law, voters casting absentee ballots in person now feed their completed ballots into an optical scanner instead of sealing them in envelopes for later processing.
The office will offer weekday voting through Oct. 31 and Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to noon on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31. The voter-registration deadline is Oct. 5. Mississippi requires voters to meet an absentee-voting eligibility category, and voters casting ballots in person must show photo identification.
Alcorn School District partner earns Governor’s Award
Strategic Solutions for Families received the 2026 Mississippi Association of Partners in Education Governor’s Award for its work with the Alcorn School District. The nonprofit provides character-building and life-skills programming to students from kindergarten through 12th grade across the district.
The program addresses bullying prevention, decision-making, empathy and planning for the future. It also supports teachers with snacks and other resources during demanding periods of the school year.
Kossuth students learn character through games
Kossuth Elementary School used a Friday tailgate to teach responsibility, courage and self-direction. Students rotated through cornhole, hopscotch, cup stacking and other activity stations tied to the Alcorn School District’s Capturing Kids’ Hearts initiative.
Kossuth High School athletes also competed with elementary students in an “Are You Better Than an Aggie?” challenge designed to model teamwork for younger students.
Corinth High selects Dr. Joseph Pratt as alumnus of the year
Corinth High School named Dr. Joseph Leonard Pratt its alumnus of the year. Pratt, a 1986 graduate and longtime family physician at Magnolia Family Medicine, will be recognized at halftime of the Oct. 2 home football game against South Pontotoc.
Pratt has practiced medicine for more than 30 years in the community where he grew up. He was a National Honor Society member and band president at Corinth High before attending Christian Brothers College and the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Corinth advances cleanup of vacant and overgrown properties
The Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen cleared the way for cleanup at three problem properties, including demolition of the vacant former Lusk Funeral Home on Martin Luther King Drive. The board also adjudicated overgrown railroad property at Young and Wick streets and a lot at 1609 Tate Street.
During the same meeting, aldermen accepted a $1.68 million bid for bathroom renovation work at the Corinth Library, approved funding for a veterans memorial and handled several personnel and commission appointments.
Corinth stays cool before a weekend warmup
The National Weather Service in Memphis expects near-normal temperatures through Thursday, followed by warmer readings late this week and into early next week. Its forecast graphic shows Corinth reaching 85 degrees Thursday, 87 Friday and Saturday, and 88 Sunday and Monday.
Mainly rain-free weather is expected through the weekend, according to the agency’s update.
Tishomingo County veteran returns to Vietnam battle site
Vietnam veteran Bruce Lemont returned to the place where he was wounded in 1968 during a trip organized for 10 veterans. Lemont, who served with Delta Company, 3rd Battalion of the 196th Infantry, said the visit brought a measure of peace more than 55 years after his combat service.
The trip was coordinated by the Longest Climb Foundation and included visits to former battle locations and a Peace Village for people affected across generations by Agent Orange. The story also points veterans in Tishomingo, Alcorn and Prentiss counties toward local oral-history and veterans-service resources.
This roundup covers qualifying Alcorn County News articles originally published from 4:30 p.m. Sept. 22 through 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 2026.
