Lowndes County Supervisors accept bid from Enterprise Rentals

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County deputies will soon be getting some new wheels, and they could save the county some money down the road. Lowndes County Supervisors accepted a bid from Enterprise Rentals to provide vehicle fleet services for the Sheriff’s Department. After pricing new vehicles and examining maintenance costs for his fleet, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins began exploring…

Lowndes County approves its first ARPA-related expenditure

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County approves its first ARPA-related expenditure. The Horne Group of Jackson will get $300,000 for its consulting services. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors approved the fee today at its meeting. Supervisors contracted with the Horne Group to identify and prioritize projects that qualify for American Rescue Plan Act funding. The 300 thousand dollar…

Contact Helpline Comprehensive Training Class

COLUMBUS, Miss. (Press Release) –  CONTACT HELPLINE will offer comprehensive crisis training classes, featuring skilled professionals as guest presenters on 3 consecutive Saturdays, March 26, April 2, and April 9, 2022. Topics covered in the classes will include Active Listening Skills, Substance Abuse, Death & Grief, Rape, & Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Intervention, Mental Illness &…

Two local veterans honored for service with quilts

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A pair of area veterans receive a colorful “thank you” for their service. William Buchanan and Melissa Saraiva were honored today at the Columbus Lowndes Public Library. The veterans were each given a quilt from the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Buchanan served in the Pacific in World War Two and in Korea. Saraiva served in the…

Clay County deputies investigate deadly weekend shooting

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Clay County deputies continue to investigate a deadly shooting that happened over the weekend. The homicide investigation started on Blake Road, close to the Pine Grove Road intersection. Sheriff Eddie Scott says deputies were called after 41-year-old Mikel Craven was found lying in a ditch. The Cedar Bluff man was taken to the hospital and…

A Columbus resident had a bullet go through her patio window

Columbus investigators are still back and forth, working the scene of a weekend shooting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Columbus investigators are still back and forth, working the scene of a weekend shooting. The shooting happened Sunday afternoon at Cypress Park Apartments. Police Chief Fred Shelton said no witnesses came forward; however a resident who wasn’t there at the time came home to see that her patio door window had been shattered by a bullet. A…

Spring Break Expo introduces students to an inspiring man

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- A Columbus organization is using spring break as a chance to offer fun activities for students while introducing them to leaders in their community. ‘One Columbus Community Group’ is hosting the Spring Break Expo this week. Youth in the area are able to participate in workshops, dance classes, drama classes, kickball games, talent show, and more. Students…

Starkville residents last chance to comment on sign ordinance

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville residents will have one more chance to comment on a sign ordinance that’s been 11 years in the making. The 3rd Public Hearing for the sign ordinance is on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The rule requiring all pole-mounted signs to be removed and replaced by monument-type signs…

Starkville leaders discussing extending city’s leisure and recreation district

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville city leaders could be extending the city’s leisure and recreation district. The Board of Aldermen will consider calling for the first public hearing on moving the borders of the entertainment district from University Drive up to Collegeview Drive and Adkerson Place. In leisure and recreation districts patrons are allowed to have open containers of alcohol…

“Blue Flu” at Columbus PD has passed, officers back at work

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The “Blue Flu” at the Columbus Police Department appears to have passed, for now. Police Chief Fred Shelton says the five officers that called in “sick” this past Friday returned to work over the weekend. Mayor Keith Gaskin told WCBI the organized call out was in response to working conditions and promotion within the department. Some…

Zachary’s hosts 4th annual fundraiser to support the Humane Society

Folks in the Friendly City are supporting their furry friends.

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Zachary’s hosted their 4th annual St. Patrick’s Day Party. Zachary’s invited the community of Lowndes County to the restaurant to help support the Lowndes County Humane society. Folks in the Friendly City are supporting their furry friends. Zachary’s is kicking off the 4th annual St. Patrick’s Day Pawty to raise funds for the Lowndes County Humane…

Vernon man charged with elder abuse

LAMAR COUNTY,Ala. (WCBI)- A Lamar County jury returns a guilty verdict against a Vernon man charged with felony elder abuse. Vernon Police arrested 30-year-old Terrance Moore after a confrontation with a 70-year-old woman on July 11th back in 2020. Moore didn’t know the woman and he was parked in front of her house for half an hour that evening. The…

Adjusting to new normal: Business owners share pandemic concerns

Many if not all people felt the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt throughout the U.S.   On March 11, 2020; the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. From safety restrictions and finding other methods of serving the community, dozens started the shift in adjusting to a new normal. The virus impacted schools, businesses,…

High School students see real life medical scenarios as part of “Code Blue and Red” drill

The exercise is meant to spark an interest in the medical field among students

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Students from four area high schools got a chance to see real-life medical scenarios as part of a drill at the ICC Tupelo campus. The drill was called “Code Blue and Red” and it used ICC’s Health Science students to help simulate three scenarios,  a COVID patient, labor and delivery and a trauma accident. ICC’s President…

A fourth grade student writes book to stop bullying in schools

The fourth grader shows her class about the power in words. 

CLAY COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI)- It happens in classrooms, on the school bus, on the playground. Bullying. A student at West Clay Elementary is tacking the issue cover to cover. The fourth grader shows her class about the power in words. Classroom worksheets and recess, that’s the agenda for most students. But, there are some issues that go beyond the playground, like…

Students question their spring break plans as gas prices rise

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Spring Break is almost here and students are getting ready to crank their cars up and head down the road. But the spike in gas prices has some students checking their wallets to see if they can stretch their cash enough to get to their destination. It’s the week students have been looking forward to since…