Lowndes Co. deputies are investigating shooting at Greentree Apartments

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County deputies are investigating a shooting at the Greentree Apartment complex. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says a security guard was walking around patrolling the complex when he found someone inside his vehicle. That complex is just off Lehmberg Road. The security guard told deputies that he confronted the person in his vehicle. A short time…

Mississippi University for Women professor researching new treatment methods for cystic fibrosis

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Dr. Ghanshyam Heda, a biology professor at the Mississippi University for Women, has spent 25 years researching treatment methods for cystic fibrosis. The disorder causes serious damage to a person’s lungs, digestive system, and other organs. According to the Mayo Clinic, the life expectancy for someone with CF is 30 to 40 (sometimes 50) years. “They…

Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition urges volunteers to help at cooling shelters

Temperatures are blazing and that's not good for folks who have to deal with the heat all day long

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Temperatures are blazing and that’s not good for folks who have to deal with the heat all day long. Community organizations are doing what they can to help people that are homeless try and stay cool by opening cooling shelters. Homelessness is a problem everywhere, even in the golden triangle area. The Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition saw…

Winona pd look into viral video of an officer tasing a man while handcuffed

This video has been shared nearly 800 times on Facebook. 

WINONA, Miss. (WCBI)- Winona Police said they are “looking into” a viral video showing two of their officers arresting a man over the weekend. Witnesses believe excessive force was used, along with a taser while a person was being taken into custody. This video has been shared nearly 800 times on Facebook. Now, folks in the Montgomery County town are…

Tupelo is well represented in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”

Stars and those who knew Elvis talk about the movie, and the entertainer's influence during Graceland screening

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WCBI) – The long-awaited movie about the life of Tupelo’s own Elvis Presley opens nationwide Friday.  The movie, by director Baz Luhrmann, has received critical acclaim from reviewers, and those closest to Elvis. As much as he enjoyed playing Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann’s “ELVIS’ Tom Hanks says he looked forward to seeing Austin Butler make a…

Columbus Police Department to receive new vehicles

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus Police Department will be getting some new wheels, and the move could save money down the road. At this week’s meeting, the City Council voted to enter into a lease agreement with Enterprise to replace the Police Department’s aging cruisers. The city had figured the cost of buying some new vehicles into this year’s…

Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board has a new director

MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board has a new director. Mark Smith was appointed to the post Thursday. Smith has been serving as the agency’s interim director since May when he replaced Stacey Pickering. Pickering served as director from 2018 until his sudden resignation in May. Smith has 40 years of combined Military experience serving in both the…

Columbus Arts Council introduces the arts to children

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- In an economy struggling with unemployment and inflation amongst other things, it makes it difficult to raise money for the arts. Donations are key to keeping the Columbus Arts Council afloat, let alone thriving. COVID-19 was also a major wrench being thrown into the Art Council’s plans. The non-profit like many other facets of the arts was…

Grenada County gets $5.3 million grant for industrial park road to continue manufacturing growth

GRENADA, Miss. (WCBI) – The Greater Grenada Partnership announced June 14th that the county is getting a $5.3 million grant that will go towards creating a four-lane road into its industrial park. It’s the latest in a series of major investments into the county’s growing manufacturing sector. “This total access road that’s going to be built for the citizens in…

Aberdeen native Billy B is having a living estate sale

Chance for the public to own some eclectic items from the make up artist to the stars

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – An Aberdeen native, known as the make-up to the stars, is downsizing, and now you could buy from his personal collection. John Beard has organized a lot of estate sales, but none quite like this one. “This is by far, the biggest estate sale we’ve ever done. There are thousands of items for sale,” Beard said….

Columbus’s plans to spend its share of American Rescue Plan Act money

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Columbus’s plans to spend its share of American Rescue Plan Act money continue to take shape. At a press conference Wednesday morning, Mayor Keith Gaskin discussed how the ARPA Funds have been earmarked so far. Originally, $1.3 million was set aside for incentive pay for city workers. Only about 700,000 of that will…

Columbus and Greenville Railroad hosted a job fair

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Several area residents came out today to explore a new career track. Columbus and Greenville Railroad hosted a job fair in an effort to attract some new talent. The 100-year-old line is looking for locomotive conductors. To some, it may sound like an old-fashioned job, but modern conductors are responsible for the many operation and safety…

Lowndes County Supervisors will be getting a raise

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County Supervisors will be getting a raise, just not immediately. Senate Bill 27-19 passed during this year’s legislative session and increased the maximum amount County Supervisors across the State can be paid. Boards only have to vote to approve the raise and spread it on the minutes of the meeting. Lowndes County Supervisors approved…

Chief Duane Hughes is the new chief for Columbus Fire and Rescue

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The search for a new chief for Columbus Fire and Rescue is complete. Interim Chief Duane Hughes can now drop the “Interim” from that title. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Columbus City Council voted to promote Hughes to Chief on a full-time basis. Hughes replaces Chief Martin Andrews, who retired in March after 30 years in…

Starkville Utilities debuts new Operations Center to expand water, electric and other services to customers

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Tuesday afternoon, Starkville Utilities held an official opening ceremony to debut its new state-of-the-art Operations Center. They invested nearly $2 million to unite their water, electric and other services in one place. “Having everybody in one location, utilizing shared facilities, shared resources, will help us and make us more efficient and make us more responsive to…

Drone competition is underway in Starkville and its going to be essential for law enforcement

Teams from across the nation competed in the third stage of the First Responders U.A.S Triple Challenge in Starkiville

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Teams from across the nation competed in the third stage of the First Responders U.A.S Triple Challenge in Starkiville on Tuesday June 21, 2022. The competition was hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology; it featured the advances in drone technology. Competitors put their best bot forward to try and capture…

NEMCC Career Development Academy provides inspiration and motivation

The camp helps young people explore possible career choices, and also teaches valuable life skills

BOONEVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – As one group of campers was building bridges out of balsa wood for an engineering project, another was playing a fast-paced, musical game. This is the fifth year NEMCC has hosted the Career Development Academy Camp.   It runs three days a week. And every day is a full day. “We usually start out with breakfast…

June is designated Men’s Health Month

Written by Victoria Bailey

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The month of June is all about the guys. Men’s Health Month rolls around each year to remind gentlemen to stay in the know about personal wellness. “We don’t like to go to the doctor at all, We men do, we don’t like to think that we need to have anything fixed,” said Hank Norwood, Pharmacist….

Rising gas prices slowing down road work progress

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Rising gas prices are not only slowing down drivers, but they’re also slowing down the folks paving the roads. An increase in fuel and material prices is forcing Lowndes County Supervisors to adjust the budget for this year’s road paving program. Supervisors had allotted 2 million dollars to resurface 17 miles of roads across the…