Lee County deputies stop woman for swapped tag, find meth

LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A suspected swapped tag landed a Lee County woman in jail on drug charges. Lee County deputies stopped a vehicle on Highway 45 for having a switched tag. They said the driver, Melony Henderson, of Brewer also didn’t have insurance and was driving without a license. But that wasn’t the end of the road. Deputies…

FORGE partners with EMCC to host fair showing job interviewing process

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Hundreds of area students learn what’s it like to apply for a job and to be asked some tough questions. Teens from five counties and nine different schools converged at EMCC’s Communiversity Thursday. The FORGE organization partnered with the school to host the event. Small businesses and others were there to interview the students, take…

Noxubee County deputies ask for help locating missing man

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Noxubee County Sheriff’s Department needs your help in finding Kenneth Reed. Reed was last seen on Tuesday around 10:30 in Shuqualak. His vehicle was found on Paulette and Mahorner Road. If anyone has any information, please call The Noxubee County Sheriff’s Department or Noxubee County Emergency Management (E-911). For 24/7 news and updates, follow…

February 23, 2023 marks 4 years since deadly EF3 tornado in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Thursday, February 23, 2023 marks four years since a deadly EF3 tornado roared through the Friendly City. It left a trail of destruction from parts of downtown to 7th Avenue North and Railroad Street. Dozens of homes were damaged. Hunt Intermediate School was destroyed in the tornado while Sim Scott Park was heavily damaged. Ashley Pounds…

Former deputy chief, councilman urge caution before other cities disband special police units

Former Tupelo Councilman Willie Jennings and former Deputy Chief Robert Hall point to Haven Acres turnaround as a model for community oriented policing

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Willie Jennings remembers a time when it was considered risky to be in Haven Acres in the daytime, and dangerous once the sun set. “We was having a lot of problems with drugs, prostitution, all different sorts of crime,” said Jennings, a former Tupelo City Councilman.  He lived in Haven Acres in the late 80s and…

City leaders and Community members come together to pray

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) -Ask many grandfathers in the South to help you solve and problem and they’ll tell you to pray about it. That’s exactly what happened this morning in Louisville. Louisville went from scenes of a horrific deadly shooting just weeks ago to a prayer circle. On the heels of the convenience store shooting and other violence, city leaders…

Former Columbus mayor appointed to school board

Former Columbus mayor is appointed to the local school board.

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Former Columbus Mayor Robert Smith finds himself in public service once again. The city council appointed Smith the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees. Smith will take over current board president, Yvonne Cox’s seat early next month. The former mayor worked in education as a teacher, coach, and administrator before going to city hall. He…

West Point pharmacy looks to provide accessible healthcare

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Across the country, many independent pharmacies are selling out or closing up, and even large retailers are cutting staff and services. A home-owned pharmacy in West Point is bucking those trends. It is rolling out a new service to help its customers with their healthcare needs. A pharmacy tech at Point City said they’re stepping…

BMH-Golden Triangle CEO gives updates at Rotary Club meeting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle once received COVID-19 patients from across the southeast but not anymore. That’s one of the updates CEO Paul Cade gave the Rotary Club today in Columbus. Cade also talked about RN staffing, where the hospital only has an eight percent turnover rate. It is also no longer using contract nurses. The administrator…

Officers from across region attend funeral of TPD Captain Brett Moyer

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Police officers from across the state and the region turned out to pay their final respects to a longtime Tupelo police officer who passed away last week. Captain Brett Moyer’s casket was escorted from Hope Church to Tupelo Memorial Park by police officers, along with members of his motorcycle club and many friends. Moyer suffered a…

Pontotoc County SRO faces criminal conspiracy charge

PONTOTOC COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Pontotoc County School Resource Officer is facing a criminal conspiracy charge. Sheriff Leo Mask confirmed to WCBI that David Vandiver was arrested by deputies. He was charged with conspiracy to attempt to possess a controlled substance, which was Adderall. Mask said Vandiver was terminated from the sheriff’s department during this ongoing investigation. Vandiver had…

North Mississippi man publishes book more than 50 years in the making

'A Time to Listen' is a collection of decades of notetaking in Reed's Bible

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – It was the spring of his senior year at Vanderbilt, and Jack Reed Jr. took Old Testament as an elective. His textbook was the Bible. Reed started taking notes on the pages of his Bible and never stopped. “When I listen to speakers, preachers, Sunday school teachers, I take notes, it helps me remember them and…

Calhoun County child dies after accidental shooting

CALHOUN COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Calhoun County child died after an accidental shooting. Sheriff Greg Pollan said the shooting happened Monday afternoon on County Road 361. 10-year-old Oaklee Brasher died. Pollan told WCBI no charges will be filed and the shooting is being ruled accidental. No other details are being released at this time. For 24/7 news and updates,…

Columbus City Council will consider banning sale of ZAZA

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus City Council is considering putting a ban on a new drug taking over the streets. We’ve been telling you about the drug ZAZA that law enforcement in Lowndes County has been sounding the alarm on. It is sold at neighborhood gas stations. One doctor is even calling it “gas station heroin”. Lawmakers are also…

MBI investigates fatal officer-involved shooting in Okolona

OKOLONA, Miss. (WCBI) – New information on a story we first brought you at Midday. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Okolona. The shooting happened Monday morning in the 1700 block of Highway 32. MBI said no law enforcement was injured but one person was fatally injured. Their name has not been released….