TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Summertime means vacations, travel, and more outdoor activities, but it can also be a tense time for hospital patients depending on blood transfusions. Blood donations are down, while demand is up, but Vitalant South encouraged people to roll up their sleeves for an annual blood drive. Jenny Lloyd took a few minutes out of her workday…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Military recruitment is at an all-time low. The Air and Space Force Association Symposium projects about a 10% shortfall this year in the active Air Force. The Commander of Columbus Air Force Base joined Columbus City Leaders and MUW administrators to discuss recruitment and growth. Just like MUW relies on recruitment for students, Columbus Air Force…
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Did you hear the forecast? Temperatures may be near 90 this weekend. While it’s a great time to be outside with your pets, it’s important to protect them from the heat. A local veterinarian at Emerson Animal Hospital Dr. Ashley Janzen said animals need exercise, but excessive time outdoors can lead to serious health issues…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Investigators believe a dispute between two young men lead to death in Louisville. The shooting happened less than five blocks from the police department. Fortunately, officers were able to catch the alleged shooter in minutes. “It seems like we take two steps forward and three steps back but we’re going to keep pushing keep trying, keep…
CORINTH, Miss. (WCBI) – A three-month-old baby has died from head injuries and now the parents are under arrest. On June 14, Corinth Police officers were called to Douglas Street regarding a three-month-old unresponsive baby. The baby was taken to Magnolia Regional Health Center and then transferred to LeBonhuer Children’s Hospital in Memphis Tennessee. The three-month-old died later that night…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A downtown development project in Columbus is temporarily on hold while the city council studies proposed changes. When Financial Concepts purchased the former Gilmer Inn property from the city, one of the conditions of the contract was that the city had to approve design plans for future construction at the site. At a special call meeting…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Columbus is sticking with its current garbage company to pick up trash. After hearing bids from multiple companies, the mayor and city council decided to continue using Golden Triangle Waste Services. The city is negotiating with GTWS on either picking up one day each week or two days each week. Residents will see…
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi State University named its new police chief and assistant chief. Kenneth Rogers will lead the department. The next in line is Assistant Chief Brian Locke. Former Chief Vance Rice is now the Chief Safety Officer at Oklahoma State University. Rogers was appointed as interim chief after Rice left in February. The new MSU PD…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A man allegedly tried putting a Tupelo Police Officer in a headlock following a traffic stop. TPD said Monday, an officer pulled over William Westmoreland near South Gloster Street for multiple traffic violations. Westmoreland allegedly exited his vehicle immediately and became verbally aggressive. Police said the officer approached the vehicle again after Westmoreland drove off for…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A bill making its way through the United States Senate could mean $83 million for work at military installations in Mississippi, including about $49 million for the Columbus Air Force Base. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill, MilCon-VA for short, was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, meaning it will move on to be…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A river runs through it. The Tenn-Tom Waterway means traffic and a booming river economy. That’s why the Tennessee-Tombigbee Water Authority is working to improve the waterway and make it more competitive. This includes deepening the river from nine feet to 12 feet. They are also planning to build a barrier to help with the Asian…
WINONA, Miss. (WCBI) – When the Mayor of Winona, Aaron Dees, was asked what led to the arrest of a city official at a board meeting, he said this has been ongoing. “I think it’s been building for quite a while with false accusations,” said Dees. According to the mayor, tensions have been brewing for almost two years and finally…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A mother of four children was home alone in Lowndes County when a family member discovered the worst. Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the death of the 39-year-old woman, Summer Danielle Tennyson. A person of interest is in custody for unrelated charges at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators have not charged anyone with…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The future of energy production is already taking shape in the Golden Triangle. During Covid, the area landed its first solar panel farm. Since then a second one has been built and a third one is in the works. The growth of solar farms could contribute more to the economy than just renewable energy. There…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo will get a skate park for beginners thanks to a recent victory in a national competition. Local skateboarders have always been a tight-knit group, but recently, Tupelo skateboarders got a big boost from people across the area, state, and nation. “I’ve never seen the community get behind something like that on that level,” said Matt…
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – An Oxford Police Officer and a group of mechanics came to the rescue for a kitten. Officer David Mahaffey heard a strange noise when he got in his vehicle and when he looked underneath, he noticed a stray kitten. Unable to reach the furry friend, he took his vehicle to the Oxford City Shop. The crew…
BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Two Booneville Police Officers have been terminated, and a third has been demoted. Police Chief Michael Ramey confirmed that the Board of Aldermen took that action. The officers who were fired have been identified as Austin Kidd and DJ Wilkerson. Briley Strickland was demoted to patrolman. Ramey said he could not comment further on specifics of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A student at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science can now add “Award-Winning Podcaster” to her list of achievements. Rising Senior Georgianna McKenny is this year’s winner of National Public Radio’s Student Podcast Challenge. McKenny, a podcasting newbie, finished tops out of a field of over 33 hundred entries from 48 states, The District of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Kids are having a roaring good time during Vacation Bible School at First Methodist Church of Columbus this week. Along with their normal activities, Debbie Taylor, founder of Golden Triangle Outdoors, spoke to the kids about what it is like to live with a disability. The theme of this week’s VBS is about celebrating each other’s…
LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Drivers in the Brewer and Shannon area of south Lee County need to plan ahead for a detour. Part of County Road 520 will be closed beginning July 5. Crews will be replacing the bridge located about nine-tenths of a mile west of Highway 6 on CR 520. That section of the road will be…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus city officials are also debating increasing the city borders. Officials are already looking into expanding east but are now considering going north towards Columbus Air Force Base as well. The proposed annexation is very early in talks. City officials want to be confident that moving north will benefit the city. It is also important that…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – City officials are continuing to consider implementing a “red cup law.” During Tuesday night’s council meeting, the city council voted to create a committee to continue to discuss a “red cup law” for Columbus. The proposed committee would consist of both city leaders and local business owners to get different opinions on the topic. The committee…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Oktibbeha County deputies made another arrest in connection with a May shooting. 18-year-old Jamionte Paster of Starkville was charged with shooting into an automobile. The shooting happened at The Hangout apartments back on May 10. One person was shot and several vehicles were hit by gunfire. Investigators believed there was a party at the complex…