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Local News

MSU leaders encourage students to stay in the state after graduation

Recent research shows that many college graduates leave the state for jobs and money and a better quality of life
Joey Barnes,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- 50 % of Mississippi’s college graduates leave the state as soon as they get their diploma, according to the Mississippi State Auditor’s office study on brain drain. While that doesn’t come as a surprise to college instructors; at MSU, Student Advisors and mentors are working to keep growing businesses closer to home. Students at Mississippi State University…

Gaskinnn Cam
Local News

Mayor Gaskin calls a veto on insurance camera

Ansley Perkins,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Tuesday night the Columbus city council voted to contract with the Securix company to install cameras designed to look for uninsured drivers. Mayor Keith Gaskin and Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens have expressed concerns about the service. Mickens was the lone no vote. Today Mayor Keith Gaskin vetoed the move. Mayor Gaskin said he believes the…

Golden Egg Pic
Featured, Local News

Two lucky women in Alabama win golden egg hunt in Carrollton

Carrollton's Gold Egg Search brought crowds to the city square for a week-long scavenger hunt.
Joey Barnes,

CARROLLTON,Ala. (WCBI)- Two lucky women in Alabama are starting their weekend $700  richer. Carrollton’s Gold Egg Search brought crowds to the city square for a week-long scavenger hunt. Some have their heads up to the sky and others are combing through grass in search for a treasure. ” They say it’s simple, but I’ve been out here a couple of…

Bbq And Blues
Local News

Barbecue and Blues kicks off the weekend in Columbus

Eric Lampkin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The weekend gets a jump-start in Columbus this afternoon. A lunchtime crowd was treated to a hearty helping of Barbecue and Blues at the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center downtown. It’s all part of the 3 Day Catfish in the Alley celebration. Some folks came for the pulled pork – others were on hand for the tasty…

Muw Basketball
Local News

MUW host 1971 Women’s Basketball Championship team

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Homecoming at Mississippi University for Women means it’s reunion time for everyone. Including the 1971 women’s basketball national championship team. Players like Dot Easterwood Murphy reminisce on the journey to bringing home the school’s first title. Murphy told WCBI what she takes away from that championship moment over five decades ago. Head coach Jill Upton says…

Muw
Local News

MUW alums welcome back to campus for spring homecoming

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – For the first time since 2019 Mississippi University for Women is welcoming alums back to campus for Spring Homecoming. The weekend-long celebration started yesterday and runs through the weekend. One of the highlights every year is the recognition of the “Golden Girls”. Those are the alumnae celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation. This year it’s…

Amory Railroad
Featured, Local News, News Team

Amory Railroad Festival is back

Joey Barnes,

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI)- One of the most popular and longest-running festivals is back this week. “My favorite part is the music, I love live music so I come out here to get my chair out so I can listen,” said Stephanie Vanegas, who set up her chair Wednesday at Frisco Park in front of the railroad fest music stage. After…

Patio 45 Final Pic
Featured, Local News

Columbus Light and Water aids restaurant with sewer service after erosion caused five-month shutdown

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Columbus restaurant has been shut down since November 2021 after a burst septic tank led to significant erosion issues behind the building. “We’ve been operating for two years and all of a sudden, we started having a problem with the drainage canal in the back eroding the property,” says Curtis Bordenave, the general manager for…

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Featured, Local News

Mississippi department of education to resume accountability scores

Joey Barnes,

NOXUBEE COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI)- School report cards are back in Mississippi. The Mississippi Department of Education is set to release accountability scores for the 2021-22 school year. Accountability scores are based on the performance of student achievement, participation and graduation rates. And state testing shows the proficiency in growth. But the pandemic has put a strain in the classroom, that’s why…

Driving Pic
Featured, Local News

License plate scanning cameras coming to Columbus to cut down on uninsured drivers

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Tuesday night, the Columbus City Council voted to contract with SECURIX Systems to install cameras throughout the city to scan license plates and identify and fine uninsured drivers. SECURIX says Mississippi has the highest percentage of uninsured cars in the country. However, Vice Mayor and Ward 2 Councilman Joe Mickens says the choice is not that…

Black Cryp
Local News

The Tales from the Crypt is back after a two year hiatus

Ansley Perkins,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s been a favorite stop on the Columbus Pilgrimage for 3 decades now. Tales From the Crypt is back. For 34 years students from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science have been presenting the lives of past residents of Columbus buried in Friendship Cemetery. The program was on hiatus due to the pandemic. Now teachers…

Jasper Wagner
Crime, Local News

Tupelo bank robbery under investigation

Allie Martin,

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The suspect in a Tupelo bank robbery is behind bars over 150 miles away. Jasper Wagner of Tupelo was arrested around 4:30 this afternoon in Leeds, Alabama – that’s just outside of Birmingham. Wagner is accused of robbing the Community Bank branch on West Main around 12:30 this afternoon. No one was injured in that robbery….

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Featured, Local News

Aberdeen Public Utilities to get larger space for workers, customers

The city has purchased the Stevens Auction Company property
Allie Martin,

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – Aberdeen Public Utilities will soon have a larger space to work out of.  The city has purchased the buildings and land owned by a longtime businessman. Dwight Stevens is making sure everything is ready and in place for what will be the final auction from his company’s headquarters on North Meridian Street. “We will be selling…

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Featured, Local News, News Team

24 year old motorcyclist dies in highway crash

Joey Barnes,

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- A motorcyclist loses his life in a vehicle crash in Lowndes County on Tuesday. The Mississippi Highway Patrol says shortly before 6:30, 24-year-old Jimmy Handley of Columbus was traveling west on Highway 50 on his motorcycle. A report says Handley tried to pass one vehicle before colliding with the rear end of another. Handley died at…

Rodrick Johnson
Local News

Clay County murder trial continues in West Point

Joey Barnes,

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Clay County murder trial continues in West Point. The prosecution called several witnesses to the stand today. Roderick Johnson is one of three men accused of shooting and killing James White. White was killed in May 2015 at a mobile home on Dixie Road in Clay County. The district attorney’s office still has several…

Shelton Mcgreger
Crime, Local News

Man facing charges for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend

Aundrea Self,

LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A man is facing charges for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend and driving her from Tupelo to Oxford. Lee County investigators say police in Oxford contacted them Tuesday after a woman came to the police department saying she was forced in a car against her will. The victim told investigators she and her boyfriend, 45-year-old Shelton…

Blight Program
Local News

City council voted to adopt Blight Elimination program

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (W CBI) – Rundown properties are a problem in just about every town. In Columbus, city leaders are taking steps to clean things up. Tuesday night the city council voted to adopt guidelines for a Blight Elimination Program. The program would allow the city to demolish blighted properties and offer other uses for those cleared spaces, including redevelopment…

Catfish Alley
Local News

Catfish in the Alley coming back to Columbus

Eric Lampkin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Springtime favorite is back in Columbus this weekend. Catfish in the Alley comes to town Thursday. The 3-day event features Food, Crafts, and Music. This year’s Catfish in the Alley features a stellar musical line-up. Thursday night’s kick-off at the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center starts at 5 PM and features Just a Few Cats. Friday…

Wcbi Default
Crime, Local News

Investigation underway after inmate died in Pickens Co. jail

Joey Barnes,

PICKENS COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – An investigation is underway after an inmate dies inside the Pickens County jail. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says 44-year-old Samual Byrd of Hamilton, Alabama died this past Sunday. ALEA was asked to investigate Byrd’s death by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department. Special agents with the agency’s State Bureau of Investigation are handling the case….

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Featured, Local News

Tupelo City Council approves changes to development code for medical marijuana businesses

The amendments regulate medical cannabis businesses
Allie Martin,

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Tupelo City Council members have voted to amend the city’s development code to show where medical cannabis businesses can and can’t locate. Elliot Johnston opened “Hempsters” almost one year ago.  The west Tupelo business is a hemp dispensary, but Johnston plans on cultivating and selling medical marijuana, once the city finalizes its guidelines. “We would most likely…