NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) -Two business partners in Columbus could face up to 75 years in prison and fines of more than 2 million dollars after being accused of sending in fraudulent documentation in PPP Loans. Jabari Edwards and Antwann Richardson are also accused of using the money to gift friends and family and even making donations to Jackson State…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi’s First Lady is encouraging everyone to spend part of their weekend helping others. First Lady Elee Reeves is helping to host a day of service on Saturday. The First Lady will be helping to clean up trash in Vicksburg as part of ” Mississippi Serves, a day to volunteer.” The First Lady will be working…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – State Farm agents in the Tupelo area are making the 100th birthday of that company with a donation to help hungry people in the region. State Farm agents sponsored a party in Fairpark during the lunch hour, giving away free snow cones to guests. It was also an opportunity for the agents to donate 10 thousand…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A report on cybersecurity in public school districts across Mississippi shows mixed results, according to the State Auditor. State Auditor Shad White released the report “Cybersecurity in School Districts” on Thursday. The state auditor was the guest speaker at the Tupelo Kiwanis Club and said the report shows that some school districts are taking appropriate…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. Members at Allegro plaza say they’ve seen more people coming in and testing positive for the virus. For about a month they had not seen many patients coming in with symptoms or testing positive but in the last couple of weeks, they’ve seen otherwise. “Most people are presenting…
CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Clay County deputies arrest a man accused of taking a van, with a plan. Albert Dale Chism of West Point is in the Clay County Jail charged with Grand Larceny. According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Chism stole a van out of someone else’s yard, took it to a scrapyard, and sold it for…
CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office gets some new tactical equipment thanks to the generosity of its neighbors. The 4 County Foundation donated $10,000 to the Sheriff’s Office. The money will be used by the Sheriff’s Special Response Team to buy helmets with integrated hands-free radios. The team is made up of 7 members and a…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County investigators make an arrest in a deadly shooting. 26-year-old Joshua Whitley is charged with second-degree murder. He remains in the Lowndes County jail waiting on his initial appearance. The shooting happened Thursday evening on Ben Christopher Road in the New Hope community. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says Whitley and 25-year-old Monique McDonald got into…
ALABAMA (WCBI) – More people have joined Alabama’s workforce, keeping the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the southeast. Governor Kay Ivey announced today Alabama’s May unemployment rate is 2.7%. That’s down from April’s rate of 2.8%. Ivey says the state’s average weekly wages have risen by 20% since May 2019. In our area, Lamar County’s unemployment rate is…
CALEDONIA, Miss. (WCBI) – Thursday marked the start of the Mississippi Dizzy Dean state softball tournament in Caledonia. But for four members of the Caledonia 12 and under All-Stars, it marks the end of an era. Katelyn Hill, Kennedy Trotter, Rylee Clardy and Gaige Downs have come a long way since they first stepped onto the diamond together. “When we…
NEW HOPE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a domestic incident where a woman was shot and killed at her home in New Hope Thursday evening. Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says deputies responded to a report of gunfire in the 400 block of Ben Christopher Road sometime after 5 p.m. The sheriff says the victim…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The sun is blazing and the temperature isn’t expected to cool off anytime soon. Summer camps are going on but camp leaders say they’re monitoring kids time outside to try and keep them cool. “Try to limit our outside activity. We were outside yesterday for a kickball game and we had fun with that, but before we…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Around 9 a.m. federal agencies made their way inside the J5 building in Columbus. State and local law enforcement agencies also assisted going through the building and collecting files. Here’s what we know at this moment. ” It’s bad for the city and it’s bad for J5,” said Gaven. That’s the statement former city council member Bill…
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Former Aberdeen Mayor Maurice Howard finds himself facing another embezzlement charge, even with a reported name change. Richland Police tell WCBI Howard rented a vehicle from Enterprise and refused to return the vehicle. Now, he’s charged with embezzlement under contract. Investigators also say Howard used the name Maurice Jackson to rent the truck. Howard is…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Successful military bases depend on partnerships among a variety of groups. Thursday, in Columbus those groups came together for a Military Town Hall Meeting to discuss the successes at Columbus Air Force Base and learn more about what the State is doing to help military families. Governor Tate Reeves signed 2 executive orders, one establishing the…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Two business partners are facing up to 75 years in prison and more than $2 million in fines over PPP loans. The federal government is accusing the men of giving money to family, friends, Jackson State University and even buying Court Square Tower. The federal indictment against Jabari Edwards and Antwann Richardson accuses the men of…
GRENADA, Miss. (WCBI) – Grenada police make an arrest after an explosive device is found outside a home. Now, Nickolaus Cole is facing state and federal charges. Grenada police say Cole threatened to blow up a home on Gayosa Street on Wednesday evening. The homeowner called officers after the threat. Grenada police and fire departments all went to the scene….
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – WCBI has been told J5 Solutions in Downtown Columbus is currently being raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI agents are at the Courtsquare Towers on 2nd Avenue North where the company is housed. Dozens of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are currently raiding the J5 Solutions building in downtown Columbus. PIO Katie…
AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department says that one of the most troubling elements of the area’s increased drug activity is the rising number of infants born with drugs in their system. Meth, cocaine, morphine and heroin are some of the drugs that Neonatal Intensive Care Unit director Dr. Zhear Al-Godi says he finds most often in…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The kids are the future, and people in Louisville want to help pave their way to a bright one. During the whole month of June, some students have got one on one interactions with local police officers and firefighters. The HERO program will end on June 28th, but organizers feel that the kids will have a deeper…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Middle school students from across Northeast Mississippi are getting an up close look at advanced manufacturing as part of the “Tek 2 Go” Camp. It is a hands-on lesson in welding for students at the Tek 2 Go camp. Jerry Pettigrew, an instructor at ICC, says students in this camp have a unique opportunity. “Tek 2…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – School may be out, but in Starkville, the cafeteria is still open…sort of. The Starkville Oktibbeha County School District’s summer meal program is going strong. Kids up to 18 years old can stop by Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary every weekday for free breakfast and lunch. The feeding program runs until June 30th but will take a…
HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Mississippi parents’ group is suing the State to stop public money from going to private schools. Parents for Public Schools Incorporated has filed a lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court to challenge Senate Bills 27-80 and 30-64, which were signed into law in April and go into effect July first. According to the suit,…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Students in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District no longer have to wear uniforms. At its June meeting, the Board of Trustees amended the dress code. The new policy removes uniform requirements for students in grades PreK-7. So beginning this school year, students in grades PreK-7 will not be required to wear school colors, t-shirts, shirt styles, and…