COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – After 35 years with Columbus Fire and Rescue, the last eight of those as Chief, Monday was the final day on the job for Columbus Fire Chief Martin Andrews. “35 years, I always wanted to be a firefighter,” he says. “One of my main goals was to be the chief. I only wanted to be the…
LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- The expansion of a work-release program allows up to 25 Lee County Jail inmates to work and make money under certain conditions but hurdles standing in the way are preventing those inmates from taking advantage of the program. Governor Reeves’ Signature to House Bill 586 gives Lee County, Harrison County, and Rankin County inmates who are…
SALTILLO, Miss. (WCBI) – A Saltillo man has been denied bond on first-degree murder charges. 37-year-old Timothy Albert Turner was taken into custody by Tupelo Police for aggravated assault. The victim, Leonard “KC” Cooper passed away on Sunday and, Charges were upgraded. The assault happened at Steele’s Dive on West Main in Tupelo around 1:30 a.m. When police arrived, the…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo police are looking for a man wanted for murder. There is an arrest warrant for capital murder for Nijel Valdez Hall. The United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force is assisting investigators in the search. Hall is the suspect in a shooting on April 9th at Hodges Drive in Tupelo. Police found 21-year-old Raybric Mims of…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Starkville woman has been charged with accessory after the fact in a 2021 murder. Rymesha Coggins was arraigned in Oktibbeha County Monday afternoon. The murder happened more than a year ago. Investigators have been working on the case since then. Oktibbeha County deputies were called to the 22 hundred block of Hickory Grove Road….
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An investigation into a home invasion gets Lowndes County deputies more than they bargained for. Now an ex- Dollar General employee is in jail charged with stealing from his former bosses. Tyre Andre Ranch is in jail on a 1.5 million dollar bond. Ranch is charged with 4 counts of armed robbery. 3 of those…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s all about following your dreams. “If we face tomorrow we can do anything that we set our minds to and I’m so grateful for that,” said Alexander. That’s Bridgett C. Alexander’s motto….chasing your dreams. Teachers, firefighters, or a lawyer…that’s usually the answer for most kids when you ask them what they want to be when…
TUPELO,Miss. (WCBI)- The Lee County Coroner’s office is investigating the death of 31-year-old Leonard (KC) Cooper of Fulton. Around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, officers were called to 4187 West Main Street for reports of an assault. Cooper was taken to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, where he later died from his injuries. A suspect had been taken into custody for…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- A nearly empty cotton district during Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville isn’t the scene that most folks are used to. Tyler Klaas, owner of Boardtown Pizza and Pints, said crowds are usually shoulder to shoulder. “Got the cotton district arts festival kind of plays into it, great weather and it’s just more people in town than you…
FULTON , MISS. (WCBI) – We have all heard the saying, ‘Honesty is the best policy.” For one retired banker, that saying proved to be pivotal when he did the right thing as a teenager. As Billy Bolton was at the ribbon cutting for Community Spirit Bank of Fulton, he couldn’t help but think back to a time, when as…
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Former WNBA player and Starkville Native April Sykes is bringing it back home. Sykes is in Aberdeen offering basketball lessons to kids today and tomorrow. April Sykes has been to the top of her sport, but she started out in a small town that gave her a lot of support. Now, she wants to show young…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- It’s the first voice you hear during an emergency call: the 911 operator. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week highlights the critical work of dispatchers and operators. And their efforts don’t go unnoticed. When you dial 911, you’re connected to an emergency dispatcher within seconds. From start to finish,they’re the ones to assist in a time of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- People may be paying a little more for those Easter eggs this year, and it seems to be a supply and demand problem. Sunflower store manager John Kemp has dealt with shortages and price increases throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp said the price of eggs is up nearly 40%, meaning customers will be paying about two…
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI ) – They say April showers bring May flowers, but that’s not the case for Fall soybeans and cotton. Those weekly storms that have been blowing across North Mississippi are keeping farmers from preparing their fields for planting. The soggy conditions make it difficult to get machinery in the fields, and they damage the soil structure….
AMORY, MISS. (WCBI) – A lightning strike during Wednesday night’s storms is being blamed for a fire at a Monroe County Church. The fire caused some damage to the church building, but the pastor and congregation are counting their blessings and preparing for Easter Sunday. Lightning struck Amory’s First Assembly of God around 7 20 Wednesday evening. “One of the…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus Exchange Club recognizes this year’s winner of the Book of Golden Deeds Award. Doctor Josie Shumake is the 49th recipient of the award that showcases a person’s ability to selflessly serve his or her community. Doctor Shumake is a Lee High School graduate, a Mississippi State University, and a PHD graduate from the University…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) ) – Work started early this morning to repair a number of broken poles in the 4-County Electric Power Association territory. The utility believes about 20 poles were broken in Lowndes and Noxubee Counties, from Artesia to Brooksville. There were also some broken poles in the Mashulaville area. It took most of the day to make…
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Federal money is going to help improve the flow of goods along the Tenn-Tom Waterway. A 4 million dollar multi-modal grant is making it possible to run a rail spur from the Port of Aberdeen to the main Kansas City Southern rail line. The new line will make it easier to get goods from river barges…
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – First responders play a vital role in our community. Thursday, students in Chickasaw County meet those people with life-saving missions. The annual Chickasaw Safety Day was held at the Chickasaw Agri-Center Thursday. 250 Fifth graders talked to law enforcement, firefighters, and others about their jobs. 11 different speakers gave lessons on various topics, including electric…
GREENE COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – Just to the south of Aliceville in Greene County, Alabama storms damage several homes. Trees and powerlines came down in Eutaw. People took shelter in their homes as the high winds went overhead. Five or six homes and cars were damaged in the storm. Categories: Local News
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency releases some very preliminary numbers from Wednesday night’s storms. So far, 12 counties in the state are reporting damage. Three injuries were reported in Tippah County. These are very preliminary numbers and they will grow over the coming days. MEMA encourages people with home damage to use the agency’s self-report tool. The…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday night’s storms caused extensive damage throughout Winston County, with first responders working through the night to cut a path through all the trees that were blocking roads or on top of houses. “We could see there was a lot of damage,” says Louisville resident Renee Jones. “And I never dreamed about us coming home and…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Winston Plywood stepped away from the factory and into the community for a food drive Wednesday. The rotary club and Vowels grocery partnered with Winston Plywood to supply food to people in need. Winston Plywood is no stranger to giving back to its community. At the beginning of the pandemic, the company created a “giving box” where…