Lowndes County Sportsplex one step closer to becoming reality

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The long-awaited Lowndes County Sportsplex is a step closer to reality but many questions remain about the future. Supervisors awarded a $12.3 million bid to West Brothers Construction on Monday. That’s several million dollars below the estimate. Included in the plans are eight baseball fields, a multi-purpose facility, a parking lot, a playground, and a…

Lowndes County couple loses house during early morning fire

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Lowndes County couple loses their home in an early morning fire. Fire Coordinator Neil Austin says the blaze happened on Mason Drive West, just after 3:30 AM. The homeowners reported hearing a noise on the back porch and went to investigate. They found a wall of flames and were able to escape without injury….

Aberdeen Pilgrimage brings history to life

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – The popular event is back in Aberdeen after a three-year hiatus.  The Aberdeen Pilgrimage began today and there are lots of activities for this year’s event. History comes to life as Pilgrimage visitors step onto the front porch of “The Magnolias”.  The antebellum home was built in 1850 and is one of four homes on the…

MSU fraternity raises money to give back to kids in the community

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) -MSU’S Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity is raising funds for their community members, one dollar at a time. All donations will be given to the Boys and Girls Club of Starkville. Burgers are on the grill and carnival rides are getting started. “It’s really important for us as a chapter to be involved in the Starkville community and…

Children in the community get the chance to Touch a truck in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Sudduth Elementary hosted Touch a Truck this weekend. Students got the opportunity to meet the first responders and learn more about their role in the community. Touch-A-Truck gives area children an opportunity to check out different vehicles and machinery. Coordinators says this event could spark inspiration for children in the future. “They get to meet the…

Community of Columbus bans together to clean the city

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) -The Friendly City is working together to become a clean city. This weekend the community of Columbus started the ‘Pick it up, possum town’ project The project originated from Mayor Keith Gaskin. While this is just day one of the clean-up efforts. Each person I talked to says they feel it will make a difference. In the…

Drones have helped people and local law enforcement with storm damage

Advanced technology has improved almost every area of daily life

CALHOUN COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Advanced technology has improved almost every area of daily life. In Calhoun County some of that technology is helping the sheriff’s office get a bird’s eye view of things that they may have missed before. Drones have been helping departments with search and rescue, tracking suspects, and finding missing persons, but lately they’ve been in the…

Vice President Kamala Harris visits Mississippi

GREENVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Keeping small businesses alive…. it’s a challenge across the country. One place that knows that challenge too well is the Mississippi Delta. Vice President Kamala Harris makes a stop in Greenville today, with one goal in mind -investing in Small Businesses and Communities. One by one, businesses in Greenville appear to be vanishing… If you travel west…

Starkville PD arrest three people in connection to armed robbery

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville police arrested three people in connection with an armed robbery arrest. Jahri Doss and Dawson Beard are both charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery. Bond is $100,000 for both suspects. The hold-up happened at a camper site off of Reed Road. Kaya Rocha is charged with accessory after the fact and has a $10,000….

Noxubee Co. man indicted in connection to gas station shooting

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Noxubee County man is indicted in connection with a gas station shooting. Travontae Slaughter remains in the Noxubee County jail. A grand jury indicted him on the charge of aggravated assault. Slaughter’s bond was set at $100,000. He’s accused of shooting a man at Tenn Tom Grocery Store in late December 2020. The victim…

Starkville officials and leaders planted blue pinwheels at Emerson Discovery Center

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s a simple children’s toy that has taken on greater significance, especially in the month of April. Since 2008 the pinwheel has been used to symbolize child abuse prevention. Today, to mark the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month, nearly 50 city officials and business leaders in Starkville planted blue pinwheels at the Emerson Discovery Center….

Children and residents hold National Child Abuse Prevention parade

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Some of the smallest children in Clay County take to the park to raise awareness about a big problem. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. And elementary students and their teachers took part in a parade around Sally Kate Winters Park in West Point to focus attention on the issue. The kids carried signs…

MEMA releases second damage report after severe weather Wednesday

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has released the second damage report from Wednesday’s severe weather event. At least 9 tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service and six injuries have been reported. In our viewing area, Attala county 10 homes and 10 farms were damaged. Thirty-two counties have reported some sort of damage in…

Emergency service agencies to build more storm shelters in Mississippi

Time is critical when finding a structure that will keep you protected.

LOWNDES COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI)- Do you have a safe place to go during a tornado warning? Time is critical when finding a structure that will keep you protected. County agencies are working for citizens to have access to those places when severe weather strikes. ” It could be within minutes. They could have a thunderstorm, and then within minutes, it turns…

Noxubee County residents become victims to a tornado

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The weather today is clear and calm, but that wasn’t the case last night. People across North Mississippi found themselves in the path of thunderstorms, straight-line winds, and in some cases, tornadoes. One area family found themselves in the direct path of nature’s fury. “So I’m thanking and praising God that we are still here…

Lee County law enforcement searching for convicted sex offender

LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Crimestoppers of Northeast Mississippi are asking for the public’s help to find a convicted sex offender. Jesse Stephen Shelton was last seen when he was being released from Kemper County Correctional Facility on January 11th. He has not registered or reported to his probation officer since then, as required…

Blue Springs man facing several child sex crimes

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Blue Springs man is facing several child sex crimes. Lee County investigators believe he may have even given children drugs. 39-year-old Charles Bishop is charged with three counts of sexual battery, one count of fondling, two counts of child abuse/drug endangerment, and one count of aggravated domestic violence. Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson says…

One home is damaged in Monroe County after severe weather

MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – One home is damaged in Monroe County. However, the biggest concern was for downed trees. Morgan’s Landing, near Aberdeen, saw a number of downed and uprooted trees after storms swept through on Wednesday night. Many of the campers had limbs on them at Morgan’s Landing but not much damage. EMA Director Donna Sanderson says no…

21 counties damaged during severe weather across Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – 21 counties are reporting damage to homes after severe storms roll across the Magnolia State on Wednesday. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is also reporting three injuries. Two of those occurred in Noxubee County. The other was in Holmes County. MEMA released drone video from Forrest County, near Hattiesburg. In our area, homes were damaged in…