Columbus City Council beginning search for next police chief

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus City Council is getting to work to begin the search for the city’s next police chief. At a work session today, council members and the mayor began selecting members for a search committee that will help select a chief. They also began putting together a job description and figuring out a salary range for…

Columbus City Council discuss future of Luxapalila Creek Park

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Luxapalila Creek Park will remain closed for the time being. The park came up at Thursday’s Columbus City Council work session. The Army of Corps of Engineers officially closed the park Monday. Before that there had been complaints of lack of maintenance and reports of vandalism. A group of interested residents has expressed interest in cleaning…

Clay County officials continue to search for wanted gunman

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It has been over a week since a man was shot to death in Clay County and the search continues for the gunman. Sheriff Eddie Scott says no arrest has been made in the shooting death of 72-year-old Joe Parker of Houston. Parker, who was disabled, died at the scene of the shooting on Webber…

Columbus Municipal School District could have interim Superintendent

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus Municipal School District could have an interim leader as early as Thursday evening. A special called meeting with the board of trustees is scheduled for six o’clock tonight. Former Superintendent Dr. Cherie Labat resigned on Tuesday, just before the board was set to meet and discuss her employment with the district. The agenda calls…

Community raises nearly $10K for beloved Starkville Café waitress after fire destroyed her home

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville Café has been a landmark downtown for years. And not just for their pancakes and scrambled eggs. Meet Shirley Powell. She’s been a waitress at Starkville Café for 22 years. “I love my customers, I love the atmosphere here and I love the people that I work with,” she says. “She’s one of the reasons…

Health care officials encourage people to be cautious with rising covid case numbers

COVID-19 cases are trending upward again; fortunately, this round doesn't have as many hospitalizations

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- COVID-19 cases are trending upward again; fortunately, this round doesn’t have as many hospitalizations. Health care officials say they’ve adjusted to the new norm and are doing what they can to help keep numbers low. The staff at Allegro Plaza in Columbus saw numbers decline in June 2022, but in July 2022 they started to climb again,…

Columbus Chief of Police Fred Shelton’s last week on the job

COLUMBUS, Miss – (WCBI) Columbus Police Chief is less than a week away from retirement. But as he wraps up his tenure with CPD, Shelton took time out to reflect on his nearly 40 year career. Chief Fred Shelton has been with the Columbus Police Department for 38 years, the last 5 of those as Chief. Shelton says that being…

No bond for murder suspect Tim Herrington, who was in relationship with victim Jay Lee

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – Tuesday, Judge Gray Tollison denied bail for suspect Tim Herrington Jr., who is charged with first degree murder in the death of Ole Miss student Jay Lee.  The nearly six-hour bond hearing in Lafayette County Circuit Court shed major light on the continuing murder investigation. Lee’s mother says that after going through the day and not…

Famous Maroon Band training for the football season

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s day two of a week long band camp for the Famous Maroon Band. This year’s band is made up of 386 members. They spent most of the morning on the practice field getting their sets together for the show this fall. Last night’s rain members say put them a little behind. Their days start at…

Law enforcement encourages parents to get gun safes

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – Accidental deaths among kids don’t often happen, but law enforcement encourages parents to do their part to help limit it from happening. Macon police stress to families to keep guns out of the way of kids or to use gun locks. The police department is expecting to get more gun lock-in soon to issue out to…

Ackerman burglar broke into a Tobacco Shed

ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – An Ackerman burglar uses a garbage can to help make a clean sweep. Ackerman police say this man broke into a Tobacco Shed about 2:30 Tuesday morning. The thief was inside the store about 45 seconds before crawling out of the broken glass front door. If you have any information call Ackerman police or Crime Stoppers…

Grand jury in Greenville declined to indict Carolyn Bryant

LEFLORE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – – For more than 70 years, there has been controversy surrounding the woman at the center of the Emmett Till lynching. Tuesday a grand jury in Greenville declined to indict Carolyn Bryant on kidnapping charges and on manslaughter charges. Dewayne Richardson, Leflore County District attorney says the grand jury cited insufficient evidence. Emmett Till was…

Three people are accused of helping several inmates escape

ALCORN COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Three people are accused of helping several inmates escape from the Alcorn County jail. Ana Ruiz, Yira Sauceda, and Elias Jimenez are all charged with felony aiding of jail escape. Ruiz and Sauceda were arrested this past Friday, which was the day of the escape, in Alcorn County. Escapees Antonio Reyes, Samuel Sims and Hunter…

New Executive Director of the MSMS brings new ideas

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The new Executive Director of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science brings a unique perspective to the job. Donnie Cook introduced himself to business and community leaders in Columbus, briefed them on the mission of MSMS, and shared his plans for the school’s future. Cook was among the first graduates of MSMS. Now he’s back…

Starkville Oktibbeha School managing mental health

STARKVILLE, Miss (WCBI) – Kids spend a lot of their time in schools. Now, some schools are stepping in to help those young people better manage their mental health. At the beginning of the school year, administration and students may not know each other; But, the Starkville Oktibbeha School district is using technology to open up lines of communication. The…

City of Columbus is speeding up the installation of speed bumps

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Columbus is speeding up the installation of speed bumps. Over the past few years, the traffic control features have been put in around town to slow speeders in residential areas. A new design and new materials are allowing public works crews to cut installation times in half. The older, one-piece concrete speed bumps…

Argument leads to gunfire outside of a Tupelo hangout

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – An argument leads to gunfire outside of a Tupelo hangout. Ferris Price is charged with shooting into a motor vehicle and Thomas Spann is charged with drive-by shooting. Tupelo police say officers were called to Mike’s Bar and Grill this past Sunday. Witnesses told TPD two men got into an argument in the parking lot and…

Man arrested after allegedly stealing Mantachie police car

ITWAMABA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a Mantachie police car and leading law enforcement on a two county chase. 31-year-old Robert Earl Spradling was taken into custody after spike strips were used to stop him. Itawamba County investigators say the incident happened Saturday night on Hodges Drive in Mantachie. Spradling is accused of…

Partnership Middle school adds a furry friend to the attendance

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – As the new academic year starts, schools are largely putting the virtual world of the last few years behind them. One area campus is adding an extra feature to make its physical presence more welcoming to students. The Partnership Middle School in Starkville is adding a furry faculty member to help ease kids into school. After…

Child was killed after an accidental shooting over the weekend

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – A little girl is killed after an accidental shooting over the weekend in Macon. Police Chief Davine Beck says the shooting happened Saturday evening on East Street. Officers arrived at the home to find the four-year-old had been shot. She was taken to Noxubee General Hospital where she died. The shooting remains under investigation and no…

Columbus police continue to investigate four separate shootings

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police continue to investigate four separate shootings over the weekend that sent two people to the hospital. A man was shot in the arm in the 1900 block of 2nd Avenue North about midnight Saturday. The victim told police he heard gunfire as he was walking home and realized he had been hit. Later that…

Mississippi ranks 48th overall when it comes to child well-being

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – New data shows that Mississippi ranks 48th overall when it comes to child well-being. The Annie E. Casey Foundation looked at key areas in child well-being, from education and economic status. The organization ranked the state 39th in education and 49th in economic well-being. Mississippi is ranked 50th in health and family and community. We checked…