A program is helping veterans that are in prison find a new normal

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Veterans are often praised for their efforts to keep our country safe, but sometimes even those men and women take a wrong turn in life. A member of the Mississippi Incarcerated Veterans Program was in Columbus to tell others how they can help get these former service members back on the right track. When people hear…

Golf tournament will help wounded veterans

Former police chief of Sulligent, Alabama and a National Guard veteran wanted to do something for heroes

SULLIGENT, Ala. (WCBI) – An Alabama veteran is helping organize a golf tournament to help those who have sacrificed for this nation. Eugene Hollis is taking a break from playing golf to ensure everything is in place for a weekend tournament. “I’ve been listening to news about veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project.  I thought it would be good if…

Mississippi Board of Education voted to repeal a 1990 gun policy

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – In a story from the Mississippi Free Press Thursday afternoon, the Mississippi Board of Education voted Thursday to repeal a 1990 policy that prohibited anyone other law enforcement officers from bringing a gun to school. The board said the 20-year-old policy does not mesh with the state’s 2011 enhanced-carry law. In reporting from Ashton Pittman, the…

Stabbing suspect caught due to unauthorized dip in motel pool

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A stabbing suspect is busted thanks to an unauthorized dip in a motel pool. Last Wednesday Tupelo Police were called about a stabbing victim at the Walmart on South Gloster. The victim was taken to NMMC. It was determined that the assault actually happened near the old Milk Plant on Carnation Street. A witness identified a…

Family and friends gather at Ole Miss to spread hope that missing student Jay Lee will come home

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday evening, friends, family, and many others held a rally for still missing student Jay Lee on the Ole Miss campus.  The message to Lee’s family was simple:  “Jay is still here and we’re just waiting for him to come home,” says classmate Precious Thompson, who recited a prayer during the event.  Concerned members of the…

NEMCC Police Chief oversees upgrades during his first year on the job

Campus police also have access to counselors to help with mental health calls

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The campus police department at Northeast Mississippi Community College has more resources to protect and serve. One of the main goals Chief Anthony Anderson had when he took the job one year ago was to upgrade the tools and resources for his officers. ” We’ve upgraded our lighting system, working with the administration, come back and…

A local historian presents lost treasures of Mississippi and Alabama

An expert in history drew a crowd on Wednesday at The Columbus Lowndes Public Library

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- An expert in history drew a crowd on Wednesday at The Columbus Lowndes Public Library. Jim Phillips love of show and tell started years ago. Phillips travels throughout Mississippi and Alabama showing off small treasures he’s collected over the years. “When I was at the University of Alabama, I graduated in 1971 with a undergraduate degree I got…

Columbus mayor updates citizens on several projects and police chief search

What's Next for the City of Columbus?

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus city leaders are looking for ways to move forward with several projects and the search for a new police chief. Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin took time out Wednesday morning to update the public on some of the issues facing the city and plans to address them. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Council voted to…

Former MDHS employee pleads guilty to mishandling department funds

HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A former employee with the Mississippi Department of Human Services pleads guilty to mishandling Department funds. Lashanda Feazell was charged with Embezzlement after an investigation by the MDHS Investigations Division. Feazell was accused of using the agency’s credit card to pay her personal cellphone bill to the tune of just over $5,700 between August 2018…

Murder trial in Oktibbeha County ended in a mistrial

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A murder trial in Oktibbeha has ended in a mistrial. The jury was seated Monday in the case against James Dustin Nixon. But Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens says he had to declare a mistrial. Kitchens said testimony on Tuesday revealed that the State Medical Examiner’s office had evidence that neither the defense nor the district…

Man tried to run over worker sent to repossess his car

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s a dangerous job. That’s what one repo man found out in Noxubee County. Noxubee County Sheriff Tommy Roby says a man working for a repossession firm was trying to recover a vehicle near Highway 14 West and Mt. Mariah Road. That’s when the sheriff says the suspect, 24-year-old Ladarius Tompkins tried to run down…

Unique business allows customers to hang out with cats looking for forever homes

"Twisted Whisker Cat Cafe' opens in Tupelo this week

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A new business in Tupelo allows customers to have a refreshment, do some work, or hang out with friends, surrounded by cats, that are up for adoption. Marcie and Connor Harper are cat lovers, so when they visited Chattanooga and saw a Cat Cafe, they had to drop in. “We loved the experience, it was great,”…

A 2003 cold case reopened- arrests a suspect

Clay spent years not knowing who committed the crime; until she came across detective Ramirez Ivy

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- For law enforcement officers, working a cold case takes a lot of time and going over every detail of every piece of evidence; all to bring the suspect to justice and closure to the victims and their families. That persistence has paid off for a West Point woman, and the investigator who helped find her suspected…

Aberdeen mayor says fixing decades-old mold problem at federal courthouse will boost city economy

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Renovations to the Thomas G. Abernethy Federal Building in Aberdeen got underway Wednesday to fix mold issues that date back to at least 1992. “They will change the windows, they will go in and do abatement to clean out the mold situation and they will upgrade the technical part of the building,” says Aberdeen Mayor Charles…

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is officially open for business

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s opening day for Starkville’s newest sports bar. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is officially open for business. The latest addition to the Starkville hospitality scene is on the Highway 12 bypass next to LaQuinta Inn. Walk-On’s features over 80 TV screens to catch all of the latest sports, and the restaurant has nearly 200 people on the…

Starkville PD honors trailblazer who passed away

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A late Starkville police officer who broke barriers and became a trailblazer in her career is honored by her former agency. In the early sixties, Margaret Wade joined the department and became SPD’s first female parking enforcement officer, amongst other roles. She eventually took over as administrative assistant for the department, responsible for payroll and budgeting,…

Three people facing charges in Oktibbeha County after man was beaten

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Three people are facing charges in Oktibbeha County after a man was beaten over the weekend. Tommie Wren Junior, Stacy Jones, and April Kellum are charged with aggravated assault in the case. Investigators tell WCBI deputies responded to a home on Sturgis West Point Road shortly after 3:00 Sunday morning. A victim who had been…

Low income home energy assistance program available for Mississippians

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Rising summer temperatures can often lead to costly energy bills. But a program in Mississippi is helping families beat the heat. The Mississippi Department of Human Services announces the low-income home energy assistance program. LI-HEAP provides funding assistance to eligible households. And there are a few options up for request like home energy bills, energy crisis, and…