MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – A majority of Mississippi continues to excel on its state reading exam. The Mississippi Department of Education reported that over 76% of third graders passed the state reading assessment during the spring semester. That’s over 31,000 students. That’s more than the 2021-2022 school year and the 2018-2019 school year before the COVID pandemic. For students who didn’t…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Another week of the Lowndes County court term ended with two men going to prison. We first told you about the conviction of Davonta Wells on Wednesday night. He was ordered to serve 16 years in prison after being found guilty of shooting into a dwelling and felon in possession of a handgun. He was…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Conversations on who should be Mississippi’s next education leader are gearing up. The State Board of Education will hold a special session on June 15 to consider who will take the interim state superintendent job this summer. The person selected will officially take the job on July 1. The next interim superintendent will also have the opportunity…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is remembering officers who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice. The department held its annual “Fallen Officers Memorial” Thursday morning. During the ceremony, deputies laid a wreath on a monument dedicated to officers who’ve died in the line of duty. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins spoke about the importance of remembering officers who took…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A historic Columbus park is getting a major facelift but not without a much-heated debate and the decision to put the city in more debt. Propst Park has been widely considered a local treasure that has stood the test of time. Now, it’s about to enter a new era. Built-in the 1950s, Propst Park has been…
Categories: Next to Nature
CALEDONIA, Miss. (WCBI) – Caledonia leaders are taking some of the first steps needed to plan for the future. There is a special called meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday night for town leaders to hear from a consulting firm. Mayor Betty Darnell said the town does not have a comprehensive plan. The consultants will gather demographic information about the Lowndes…
PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI) – Pontotoc police are asking for help to find a missing man. 35-year-old Brian Lee Dowdy was last seen on Highway 15, near Turnpike Road, in Pontotoc. He was driving a 2022 blue Chevrolet Silverado. It has a Texas license plate. The number is on your screen. Police believed he was headed to Texas to work but…
NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Neshoba County woman was accused of swindling more than $46,000 in SNAP benefits. The Mississippi Department of Human Services said April Long was indicted on the charge. She was accused of not reporting household income accurately to MDHS. The investigations division of MDHS collected the evidence and turned it over to the local district…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – It is National Police Week, a time to remember and honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting and serving. For Houston Police Chief Adam Harmon, the Northeast Mississippi Law Enforcement Memorial has special meaning. He knows many of the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, among them, his brother…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Franklin Academy began as a one-room school building over two centuries. Now the elementary school has almost 400 students and is modernizing its methods of energy consumption. The Tennessee Valley Authority award the school a $200,000 grant for energy-saving innovations. This includes LED lighting, enhancements to the school’s ventilation and filtration system, and strategic energy management…
VARDAMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – The learning gap in America can be quite large for students whose first language is not English. Many school districts in the area struggle to find and keep English learning teachers. In Vardaman, between high school and elementary, there are over 100 students who are in the EL program and only two EL teachers. WCBI spoke…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – WCBI paid a visit to West Oktibbeha County Elementary School for the school’s Career Day Event. Young students got to learn what it means to be a TV news journalist and a meteorologist from our very own Winston Reed and Isaac Williams. Kids were curious about the day-to-day life at our station and even the…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo police arrested a man this week for allegedly trying to stab an officer in 2020. A capias warrant was served on Caleb Ray Richardson for charging at officers with a fire iron and attempting to stab them. This happened at home where officers were called to. Richardson was charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Ideas on how to improve race relations in Starkville are being brought to the table. Five small groups will each present two ideas at the forum. These groups are made up of racially diverse people, totaling about 60 members. The ideas being presented come from previous sessions that took place in March and April. Mississippi State’s…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Testimony continued in a Columbus shooting trial. Davonta Wells was charged with shooting into a dwelling and felon in possession of a handgun. The reported shooting happened in April 2020 on Byrnes Circle. Wells was accused of shooting a home. At the time, investigators believed a domestic situation led to the gunfire. Former investigators at the…
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – UPDATE: West Point police report teen was safely located. (05/17/2023) West Point police need your help locating a missing teenager. 15-year-old Jason Andrew Sanders was last seen leaving his house Monday night around 8:30 in West Point. Police believed Sanders may be around Cottrell Street, South Gate off of Industrial Access Road, or Churchill Road…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Make plans to join WCBI and the CPI Group for the 2023 Job Fair. It starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 18, and runs until 1 p.m. The WCBI Job Fair is at the Lyceum at Lee High in Columbus. The address is 1815 Military Road, Columbus, Miss. 39701. You can find dozens of employers from…
Categories: In the Kitchen
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two students in the area are teaching us that age is just a number when it comes to getting your degree, or rather degrees. Kelsey Bolden and Tera Dora may only be 19 years old but they are gearing up to start their master’s program this fall at Auburn University. The students said their jump…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – In a world where safety and security are at the forefront of society, we rely on those who answer the call to serve and protect. National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week serves as a reminder of the vital role our law enforcement plays in our communities. From the blaring sirens that signal their arrival to the reassurance…
MATHISTON, Miss. (WCBI) – A Mathiston man is found guilty of eleven total charges in the District of Columbia, which includes assault with a dangerous weapon during the January 6 Capitol Breach. This photo was posted on Thomas Harlen Smith’s Facebook page. Smith was found guilty of nine felony charges and two misdemeanors. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Smith and…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi Department of Human Services has removed a hurdle for single parents seeking childcare assistance. According to our CBS affiliate WJTV, officials announced the Mississippi Department of Human Services removed the child support cooperation requirement for parents and guardians receiving child care tuition assistance through the Child Care Payment Program. This means that a single parent…