Samaritan’s Market provides bargain prices while helping those in need

Fulton nonprofit thrift store was started by a local family who wanted to give back to the community

FULTON, Miss. (WCBI) – A thrift store in Itawamba County is making a difference for those down on their luck. It was nearly three years ago when the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Fulton shut its doors. Diamond King owned the building that housed the store. “We had a lot of residents and workers here insist we keep the store…

Change is in the air for Golden Triangle Regional Airport

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI ) – Changes are coming to the landscape of the Golden Triangle with new manufacturing and the prospect of related industries building in western Lowndes County. Growth is contagious. That’s what the Executive Director Matt Dowell of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport is banking on. With the groundbreaking of a new, billion-dollar aluminum plant nearby, he…

Pilot Club hosts soup fundraiser to support adults with special needs

ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Hundreds of Itawamba County residents had soup for lunch while helping a Christian community for adults with special needs. The Pilot Club organized the “Bowls of Love” Fundraiser. For $20 dollars, guests could get a bowl of soup, and also a piece of handmade pottery, crafted by residents at Itawamba Crossroads Ranch. The nonprofit provides…

Saltillo man receives 10-year prison sentence for child sex crime

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – A man from Saltillo will spend 10 years in prison for a child sex crime after already serving time for the same crime. 46-year-old Dennis Gene Sullivan was sentenced this morning in U.S. District Court for possession of child sexual abuse pictures and videos. According to court documents, Sullivan was setting up a computer system for…

Governor Reeves pushes legislation to keep nurses in Mississippi

MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – An effort to keep nursing students in Mississippi after they graduate is now state law. Governor Tate Reeves signed the legislation into law Thursday. It’s called the “Skilled Nursing Home and Hospital Nurses Retention Loan Repayment Program.” Under the bill, the state will repay the student loans of nurses who choose to stay and work in Mississippi…

Town and Tower holds first meeting since 2019 on MUW campus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – An organization dedicated to strengthening relationships between the City of Columbus, Mississippi University for Women, and the Columbus Air Force Base gets back in the swing of things. Town and Tower held its first meeting since 2019 today on the MUW campus. The group invites area residents, business people, students, and elected leaders to come together…

Man faces drug charges after reportedly running from traffic stop in Tupelo

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A man in Tupelo is facing charges after police found drugs during a traffic stop. 37-year-old Dontavious Walker reportedly ran when narcotics agents and police officers stopped him Monday on South Gloster Street. After a brief foot chase, officers arrested Walker. He’s charged with possession of methamphetamine, enhanced because officers also found a gun. Walker’s bond…

Yalobusha County deputies investigate homicide of West Memphis teen

YALOBUSHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide after the body of a missing teenager from West Memphis, Arkansas was found Wednesday morning. Deputies got involved in the search for 18-year-old Fredarrious Wilson Tuesday after being contacted by the West Memphis Police Department. Wilson had last been seen Sunday. Investigators in Arkansas pinged the…

Columbus man arrested, faces elder abuse charges

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A fight with a relative led to elder abuse charges against a Columbus man. Tuesday, Columbus Police were called to an assisted living facility after reports of a fight. Gary Wayne Weaver reportedly got into an argument with an elderly relative. The argument turned violent, and Weaver is accused of throwing the older man to the…

Tupelo hospital uses camera system to connect parents with baby in NICU

The cameras were purchased with donations from the community as part of a fundraiser by the North Mississippi Health Care Foundation

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Being the parent of a newborn is stressful, even when there are no medical complications. But for those families with newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit, the stress is unimaginable. But the NICU at NMMC’s Women’s Hospital has a new camera system that lets parents keep track of their newborn 24/7. The technology is called…

Columbus mayor talks about city, county drug task force dissolving

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin is weighing in on the dissolution of the Columbus-Lowndes County Drug Task Force. Even though the City Council has not formally addressed the break up of the task force, the mayor spoke on the subject at his press conference today. Last week, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry announced that he was pulling…

Columbus city leaders discuss lease agreement for new CPD radios

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A second move to revisit the Columbus Police Department’s purchase of new radios meets with dead air. At Tuesday night’s meeting, an agenda item called for a discussion of rescinding the lease agreement for CPD’s new radios and putting the purchase through a reverse auction process to get radios with similar specifications to those of the…

Alabama governor calls special session to discuss ARPA, state funds

ALABAMA (WCBI) – Alabama’s state leader is putting emphasis on efforts to keep Alabama on good financial footing. Just one day after the start of the legislative session in Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey called lawmakers into a special session to discuss ARPA and state funds. Governor Ivey touted that Alabama is in good financial standing and should use the one-time…

Columbus Crime Lab will soon expand testing capacity

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus Crime Lab will soon be doubling down on its testing capacity. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Columbus City Council approved a crime lab request to lease a second gas mass spectrometer. The device is used to analyze evidence. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors recently purchased the same type of equipment for the city’s…

How MUW is working to keep students in the education field

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Around the nation, schools are struggling to fill teaching positions and keep them filled. The faculty at Mississippi University for Women recognizes that struggle to keep students in the education field and is working to fill that need. For many, teaching is a calling, but when education students become classroom teachers, many find that there are…

Louisville community sees small changes after prayer circle

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Last month, hundreds of men from Louisville got on their knees and prayed for their families and their city. And just weeks later they are seeing more prayer circles happening within the community and in schools. Loving your neighbor is important especially when you are in a close-knit community. However, in places like Louisville, it seems…

Itawamba Community College breaks ground on softball, tennis complex

The new complex is expected to boost recruiting efforts and bring more people to the city

FULTON, Miss. (WCBI) – A local community college is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a major project that is expected to help recruit top-notch athletes. A new $5 million softball and tennis complex is going up between the existing softball field and tennis courts on the Itawamba Community College campus. The 6,000-square-foot building will include locker rooms for men’s and…