TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A Tupelo man was charged with killing a woman in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday. Tupelo police investigators believe Ricky Shumpert stabbed the victim, 43-year-old Tyronza Heavens, to death. Officers responded to reports of the stabbing on North Church Street. That’s where they found Heavens with multiple wounds. She was taken to the North…
GUNTOWN, Miss. (WCBI) – As we celebrate National Police Week, it’s an opportunity to highlight those who protect and serve. Those officers on school campuses are protecting our most valuable asset, our children. Whether he is sitting with students during lunch, walking the halls, or helping with cafeteria cleanup, Lee County Deputy Matthew Williams is right at home on the Guntown…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi’s unemployment rate is at a historic low. However, there are still people looking for jobs and companies needing workers. “There can be a fit for anyone,” said Erin Bragg from the CPI Group. Hundreds of people walked through the Lyceum at Lee, searching for their new or next opportunity. Bragg said finding jobs are not…
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Pedaling towards better health is the goal for leaders in Noxubee County. The people with Mississippi State University’s AIM for Change program were researching a transportation plan for Noxubee County. That’s when they found another problem they said needed to be addressed. “That’s how we got the results that transportation was needed in Noxubee County…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Leaders and members of the Columbus Boys and Girls Club are showing off their new look. A renovation project at the club recently wrapped up and the public could come inside to see the changes. The project included new flooring throughout the building along with updates to the kitchen and restroom areas. Club members also now…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – In this competitive job market, some employers look for employees that stand out from the usual crowd of applicants. Steel Dust Recycling out of Milport, Alabama, employs nearly 40% of Lowndes County residents and is looking to add to it. Human Resources Manager Joe Fleming offers tips to anyone entering the job force. “We look…
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Montgomery County is changing its hours for this Saturday. This is a one-day-only change. The DRC at the Montgomery County Coliseum will be open from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. this Saturday only. It will resume its normal hours on Monday. Those hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m….
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…