Featured, Local News

Possible human remains found, Tupelo investigators to confirm identity

Tupelo Investigators are working to recovery the possible remains. 
Joey Barnes,

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)-  Tupelo Police were notified possible human remains were located in the Old Belden Circle area. Union County Mississippi Search and Rescue are conducting following up searches for a missing person, Lori Ann Cockrell. Cockrell was last seen on August 10th in 2021. Tupelo Investigators are coordinating the recovery the possible remains. TPD said it’s a lengthy process…

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Featured, Local News

SOCSD to host summer feeding program in June

Joey Barnes,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is helping you save a little on your grocery budget this summer. Here’s one reason you should go back to school this summer. The program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. That means meals will be delicious and meet daily nutritional guidelines. And, for the kids, it’s free. The Henderson-Ward…

Msu Appreciation Day
Local News

Mississippi State University Staff Appreciation Day held Friday

Eric Lampkin,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Staff and support personnel at Mississippi State University finish the school year on a high note. MSU Staff Appreciation Day was held Friday at The Junction. MSU employees got a chance to unwind and enjoy the free food, including MSU Ice Cream, live music, games, activities, even a chance to win a few door prizes. University…

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Local News, State News

Alabama sets new unemployment record at 2.8%

Joey Barnes,

ALABAMA (WCBI) – Alabama sets a new unemployment record, as the seasonally adjusted rate drops to 2.8%. Governor Kay Ivey confirmed April’s numbers this morning. This was a drop from 2.9% in March. The state has also seen rises in wages. Average weekly pay for workers in Alabama has gone up $21 over-the-year. Lamar and Pickens Counties both saw drops…

Milwaukee Tools
Featured, Local News

Milwaukee Tool plant bringing over 800 jobs to Grenada as they expand manufacturing across Mississippi

Joey Barnes,

GRENADA, Miss. (WCBI) – Thursday was the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Milwaukee Tool facility being built in Grenada. Mississippi Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and several other state officials were in attendance to celebrate the plant and the 800-plus jobs it is expected to bring. While the ceremonial shovels went in the dirt…

Formula Can
Featured, Local News

Families search for substitutes to baby formula amid national shortage

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- You can check the shelves at the supermarket for infant baby formula, but you may be out of luck. Shortage woes continue across the U.S. Some parents face desperate attempts to feed their hungry babies, like finding formula alternatives. Health professionals say some families are giving their babies whole milk and goat’s milk as substitutes for their…

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Local News

Employers are looking to get and retain good employees

Local businesses and industries are hiring; however finding and keeping employees can be a challenge in a competitive workforce
Joey Barnes,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Local businesses and industries are hiring; however, finding and keeping employees can be a challenge in a competitive workforce. Companies and businesses are doing what they can to recruit and retain workers. Labor shortages have and are hitting all sectors of work. On Thursday WCBI held a job fair from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the…

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Featured, Local News

Annual field day is a popular end of year event for elementary students

Students take part in field day at Tupelo's Rankin Elementary
Allie Martin,

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – It was the annual Field Day at the elementary school.  Students could take their shot at dunking a teacher in the dunking booth, there was corn hole, face painting, tug of war, potato sack races, and other games. It’s an opportunity for students to have fun as they close out a school year, and also learn…

Leo Memorial
Local News

Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department honoring fallen officers

Joey Barnes,

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department honored the fallen officers of years past and now they have something to show for it. Agencies across the country have participated in ceremonies for law enforcement officers week. Today, multiple local agencies gathered at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s office for a moment of silence, a song of tribute to…

Job Fair Web
Local News

Local residents come to WCBI job fair searching for new opportunity

Joey Barnes,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI ) – WCBI’s job fair had over two dozen companies and roughly 200 people coming in looking for a job. The gym floor at the Starkville sportsplex had constant foot traffic from potential employees looking for their best fit. For some, they felt the job fair was the best spot for them to sell themselves to their…

Crime
Crime, Local News

Tupelo man to spend over 16 years in federal prison

Eric Lampkin,

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A Tupelo man will spend over 16 years in federal prison for his part in a drug trafficking operation. 40-year-old Jeremy K. Mairidith pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana in November in Federal Court in Oxford. Today, Judge Michael Mills sentenced Mairidith to 200 months in federal prison. That’s just over 16 and…

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Local News

Former Bulldog turned Titan giving back in Starkville

Eric Lampkin,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – NFL Star and former MSU Bulldog Jeffrey Simmons is helping local Boys and Girls Clubs raise money. Simmons was the special guest Tuesday night for “Sports Talk” benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle. Before the event on the MSU Campus, Simmons stopped by the Starkville Club to visit with members and give…

Yokohama Tire Pic
Featured, Local News

Higher pay, summer internship part of Yokohama Tire’s plan to become Golden Triangle’s top employer

Joey Barnes,

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Yokohama Tire Manufacturing in Mississippi wants to be the employer of choice in the Golden Triangle, and the business is taking significant steps to prove that to potential employees. Philip Calhoun, Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, estimates that the West Point plant contributes at least $6 million each year to the local economy. “We…

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Featured, Local News

M 17 Pageant winners deliver gifts to Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputies

MCSO staff got gift cards to Elmo's Military Surplus Store
Allie Martin,

MONROE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – Winners of a recent beauty pageant handed out gifts of appreciation to deputies at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Several of the queens and a king from the M 17 Pageant handed out gift cards to Elmo’s Military Surplus store to MCSO staff. The show of appreciation takes place during National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week….

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Local News

Retirement stocks have dropped and financial advisers offer tips to those that are worried

Retirement funds have been taking a hit lately, and that has some retirees and those thinking about making that move concerned
Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Investing in stocks is never a guarantee. Sometimes that can be a hard lesson. Retirement funds have been taking a hit lately, and that has some retirees and those thinking about making that move concerned. When some people think of retirement they think of that money they’ve set aside for their relaxing years; however when the market…

Johnathan Slaughter
Crime, Local News

Columbus police make arrest in connection to deadly shooting

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police make an arrest in connection to a deadly shooting. 20-year-old Johnathan Slaughter is charged with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Bond has not been set. Slaughter turned himself in this afternoon to Columbus police. He’s accused of shooting and killing Amarcus McMillian at a Waterworks Road apartment this past…

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Crime, Local News

Law enforcement investigating shooting death in Lamar County

Joey Barnes,

LAMAR COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – Law enforcement is investigating a shooting death in Lamar County, Alabama. District Attorney Andy Hamlin says Lamar County deputies were called to a home on Steedley Road on Monday morning. 40-year-old Andrew Patrick Cunningham died at the home from gunshot wounds. Right now, they are calling the case a death investigation. The Lamar County Sheriff’s…

Crime
Crime, Local News

Columbus City Council discuss crime prevention for summer break

Eric Lampkin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) With two fatal shootings in less than a month, crime has been a topic of conversation in Columbus. Youth crime and how to prevent it have been in the spotlight, especially as Summer Break approaches. Incidents involving young people usually spike in those months when students are out of school and have fewer things to keep them…