Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades received A grades in Tupelo and Amory

TUPELO AND AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – North Mississippi Health Services’ hospitals in Tupelo and Amory are recognized by a national safety organization. The Tupelo and Amory locations recently received an “A” from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Grades reflect the hospital’s efforts to protect patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital. Leapfrog is an independent national watchdog organization that…

Man accused of taking car in jail, vehicle not found

WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A man accused of taking a car is in jail but the vehicle hasn’t been found. Nathan Cotton was arrested in Neshoba County on Wednesday night. Winston County deputies believe he took a white Dodge car earlier this week. Sheriff Jason Pugh says the vehicle was taken from a home on Highway 397. The car’s…

Golden Triangle NAACP leaders call on judges to grant more parole hearings for nonviolent inmates

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday, members of the Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha county branches of the NAACP held a demonstration calling on judges to grant more parole requests for nonviolent offenders. Many held pictures of some of the people who are now eligible for parole, who have spent anywhere from 10 to 30 years behind bars. “You got a…

Former Starkville Fire Department employee charged with embezzlement

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A former Starkville Fire Department employee is accused of misusing city equipment. 45-year-old Clarence Parks is charged with embezzlement: fraud committed in public office. Starkville police say the investigation started after internal and external complaints. He was an employee at SFD at the time of the complaints. Investigators did not release specific allegations against Parks but…

Remains of dead dogs were found in Noxubee County

NOXUBEE CO, Miss. (WCBI) – Remains of dead dogs were found in Noxubee County, and police are looking for the people who dumped them there. The Noxubee County Sheriff’s Department is looking for the person or people who did this. Right now they don’t know how or why the dogs ended up there, but one theory is that it may…

Students wrapped up training in Milam Elementary Girls Leadership Academy

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) –  It was a room full of girl power! More than 30 students in Tupelo wrapped up months of training in the Milam Elementary Girls Leadership Academy. The school club for female students fosters characteristics like courage, confidence, and goal-setting. The girls have been participating in programs and activities that help them not only build leadership skills,…

Two Alabama residents accused of home repair fraud

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two Alabama residents are accused of taking payments for a pool, and leaving their prospective customers in the hole. Investigators with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Amanda Remer and Kirk Lewis of Aliceville for Home Repair Fraud. The pair are accused of taking an$8,000 pre-payment to install a swimming pool for a resident,…

Columbus Mayor visits MUW’s Speech and Hearing center

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The next time Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin goes on a listening tour he should be able to hear what folks have to say. Gaskin visited the Speech and Hearing Center on the campus of Mississippi University for Women for a hearing screening Wednesday morning. May is National Better Hearing and Speech Month. It’s a time to…

17 year sentence for Lamar County man for child sex crime

LAMAR COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI)- A Lamar County man will serve 17 years in prison for child sex crimes. 51-year-old Byron Keith McCalpin was arrested for sexually abusing a child under 12-years-old. The victim reported the abuse in March 2020. McCalpin will not be eligible for parole for good time release based on the nature of his conviction. McCalpin will have…

Murder trial began in Winston County on Wednesday

WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A murder trial began in Winston County Wednesday. Ru-shaka Cobb has been charged with murder. He was arrested in December 2019 by Choctaw Tribal Police. Cobb was taken into custody on the Crystal Ridge Reservation in Winston County. He’s accused of shooting and killing Lee Andrew Hughes Junior. The 27-year-old’s body was found just before…

Columbus Police arrest two armed robbery suspects, searching for one

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police arrested two armed robbery suspects and are looking for one more. 32-year-old Arsenio Wells and 18-year-old Charlie Owens III are both charged with armed robbery. Police Chief Fred Shelton says the alleged incident happened on April 14th. Investigators believe the victim was picked up in a vehicle and driven around. After he bought a…

Bond set at $1 million for Oktibbeha County homicide suspect

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Bond has been set at $1 million for an Oktibbeha County homicide suspect. Arti Brown was extradited to Oktibbeha County on Tuesday. He’s charged with murder and remains in the Oktibbeha County jail. 32-year-old Dylan Meikle was shot outside the Links Apartments this past Friday night. He later died at the hospital. Investigators quickly identified…

Alabama governor relieved over capture of Casey White and Vicky White

CARROLLTON, Ala. (WCBI) – Casey White will soon be returning to a north Alabama jail, following his capture and the apparent suicide of Vicky White. Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey expressed her relief that the manhunt was over. “I’m delighted that they’re no longer a negative force in our society,” she says. “I congratulate law enforcement on their efforts and…

Alabama governor visits Pickens County sawmill to put spotlight on forestry and recreation

PICKENS COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – Governor Kay Ivey toured businesses in Alabama’s Black Belt Tuesday to promote the importance of the forestry and recreation industries to the state’s economy. “Carrollton, Alabama’s got a lot of timber and that’s a good thing,” the governor says. Her first stop was Cooper Marine and Timberlands in Carrollton. “She understands what forest products are…

Columbus man gets 18 years in prison for January 2020 shooting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Columbus man will spend the next 18 years in prison. Terrius Armistad pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and burglary. An armed robbery charge was retired in the case. Armistad shot a man in January 2020 on 20th Street North in Columbus. At the time, investigators told WCBI the shooting stemmed from an argument over money….

Motorcycle riders urge motorists to be more aware of those on two wheels

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month nationwide

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – May is “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month” and local motorcyclists say they want motorists on 4 wheels to be aware of those on 2 wheels. Late last year, a motorcycle rider was heading North on Gloster, when a van turned in front of him. His GoPro captured what happened next. Miraculously, he walked away from the crash with…

School superintendents are looking to keep their teachers happy

The teacher pay raise that Gov. Tate Reeves signed in May will keep some of those teachers around

SMITHVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Teachers help make the world go ’round, their efforts are often overlooked; pushing some to leave the field. The teacher pay raise that Gov. Tate Reeves signed in May 2022 will keep some of those teachers around and even bring in some fresh faces. Finding substitute teachers has also been an issue for many places. Dr. Cherie…

Columbus man indicted for murder of his mother and sister

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The man accused of killing his mother and his sister is facing capital murder and first degree murder charges. That’s the indictment returned by a Lowndes County grand jury for Jaquenton Bush. He’s accused of killing 8-year-old Jayda and 49-year-old Erica Brewer. The shooting happened in June 2021 on 26th Street North. Some witnesses reported hearing…

Late African American leaders from Columbus were celebrated at Sandfield Cemetery

MSMS students took the stage to showcase the research they've done on former leaders and other prominent figures from the friendly city

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Sandfield Cemetery is the resting place of many Columbus’s earliest black leaders, and as the community recognizes the Eighth of May Emancipation Day, students from the Mississippi School for Math and Science remember some of those buried there. “Sandfield cemetery is the oldest African American cemetery in the city of Columbus and a lot of 19th and…