STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Last week, the Starkville Oktibbeha School District announced its plans to borrow up to $87 million to update or build new facilities. While the news may have some parents of future high school students hopeful, there are still a few more hurdles for the district to clear. The state law that officially consolidated the Starkville City…
LAMAR COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – The inmate mental health crisis goes beyond the 82 counties in Mississippi. We are learning it’s affecting county jails just across Stateline. We spoke with a mother in Lamar County, Alabama about her journey to get her son out of the prison pipeline and into a mental health treatment facility. For 11 years, this Lamar…
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (WCBI) – Legendary Mississippi State football star Johnie Cooks is being remembered in Starkville and around the country. Cooks died on July 6. Cooks made a name for himself at Mississippi State with three All-SEC awards. He was a top NFL draft choice in 1982, going in the second spot to the Baltimore Colts. Cooks played for…
CARROLL COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The truth did not set a Leake County man free this week. On Thursday, a Carroll County deputy made a routine traffic stop in Carrollton. During that stop, the driver reportedly admitted to the deputy that there were drugs in the vehicle. He was right. A search turned up a felony amount of meth, some…
LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new round of an old scam. Someone is calling residents claiming to be with Circuit Court or the Sheriff’s Office and telling them they have a warrant out for failing to appear for jury duty or a court date. The scammer then tells the person…
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (WCBI) – Former Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson has died at the age of 51. McCray-Penson served as the Bulldogs coach for the 2020-2021 season and lead them to a 10 and 9 record that year. She played at Tennessee before playing professionally for six different teams, becoming a three-time WNBA all-star and being inducted…
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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Here in the Southeast, hot and humid weather is inevitable, but that does not mean high electric bills have to be. Jon Turner at 4-County Electric Power Association said managing energy costs when temperatures rise is for personal benefit. “Lower energy cost equals a lower bill,” Turner said. “In the bigger picture, the more we…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Recently, we reported on fathers serving in law enforcement having the opportunity to induct their children into the profession as well. A change in city policy will now allow for generations to serve together in the Columbus Police Department. Columbus City Attorney Jeff Turnage said the city’s former policy concerning nepotism limited recruitment efforts. “It prohibited…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A northeast Mississippi man is reunited with a memento from his days when he played for the University of Alabama, under legendary coach Bear Bryant. This is a story more than fifty years in the making. It was 1971 and the Alabama Crimson Tide had just started using the wishbone offense under Coach Bear Bryant. That…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The duties of law enforcement are going beyond the usual as they are often faced with dealing with mental health crises within the community. Mississippi Today reported that, on average, 25 inmates are sitting in jail waiting for beds to open up at state mental hospitals. And while that is a temporary solution to get…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Local politics can be a fickle business. The population of a district or ward can change over time, and so can residents’ attitudes. Getting re-elected isn’t a sure thing. At Wednesday night’s board meeting, the Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a resolution making July 6 Roy A. Perkins Day in Starkville. “I am in this job…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A service organization in Columbus is throwing a big party to benefit a special Christmas project. The Community Benefit Committee is hosting its annual “Party with a Purpose” on July 28. The group has adopted all of the children in the foster system in Lowndes County and several from the Columbus and Lowndes County School…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Rooted in the downtown community, Financial Concepts celebrated its 35th anniversary. Hoping to expand, in 2021, the company purchased the lot where the Gilmer Inn use to sit to build a new office building. Columbus City Council decided the designs for the construction of the new building have to be approved by both the Columbus Preservation…
CARROLL COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A traffic stop in Carroll County landed a Greenwood man in jail. On Wednesday, Carroll County deputies pulled over a green SUV in Carrollton. After questioning the driver and the passenger, the deputies were given consent to search the vehicle. They also searched the driver, Recardo Reed of Greenwood, and reportedly found a clear bag…
SALTILLO, Miss. (WCBI) – A trip to Saltillo landed a Corinth woman in the Lee County Jail. Last Friday, Saltillo police were called to a possible burglary on Smith Drive. Officers were told that a woman had entered an apartment through a window. She then left the apartment and reportedly tried to get away in a car that was not…
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Amory was shaken to its core three months ago following the devastating tornadoes of March 24. One apartment complex was damaged so badly that all of its residents were left looking for new homes. Moore Manor is rebuilding but one of its former residents is still suffering from the aftermath of the…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s been a month since the CEO and administrator for OCH Regional Medical Center went to the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to inform them of their decision to contract with Global Medical Response to provide Emergency Medical Services. As of last Friday, you may have noticed a change to the ambulances in Oktibbeha County…
PLANTERSVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Less than two years after starting the animal control department in Plantersville, Officer Jason Lessel was recognized by his peers during the recent MML conference. “I was surprised, but honored,” Lessel said. Lessel has been a police officer with Plantersville for six years but saw a need for an animal control officer to help deal with…
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle are making sure children in the community have hot meals while school is out for the summer. The clubs in Columbus, Starkville, and West Point serve breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. While several school districts in the area host summer feeding programs, some of those…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Oktibbeha County recently bought a new fire truck. The county was in need of a new truck after one was sent to another department and an older truck needed to be serviced. They got this one for a reduced cost. The new truck has many new features. Oktibbeha County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Joe Pennell…
UNION COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Somebody celebrated the Fourth by stealing a trailer, now the Union County Sheriff’s Office and Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi need your help to find them. Around midnight on the morning of July 4, someone in a newer model, white, Toyota Tundra crew cab pick-up hooked up to a green, John Deere tractor-hauler trailer in…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – As they arrived at the Performing Arts Center at Tupelo High School, each contestant was “sashed” by the newly crowned Miss Volunteer America Hannah Perrigin. This time last year, Perrigin won Miss Mississippi Volunteer. “For this week, I want to encourage all the girls, the teens and misses to make friends. They will get exactly what…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued fewer tickets but reported more fatalities this July 4 Holiday compared to last year. The 2023 Independence Day Holiday Travel Enforcement Period only ran two days this year, from 6 a.m. Monday until Midnight Tuesday. During that time, State Troopers wrote over 4,400 tickets and made 49 arrests for impaired driving. They…