Opening arguments begin in Clay County murder trial

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Opening arguments begin this morning in a Clay County murder trial. 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. Two others were indicted in connection with the shooting. Raheem Johnson was convicted and…

Mississippi bill could bring freestanding emergency rooms to Chickasaw County and other rural areas

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday, the Mississippi State Senate followed the House passed a bill that would create freestanding emergency rooms in rural counties that do not have one. Chickasaw County is one them. “In a life or death situation, you have your Golden Hour they taught us that that person needs to get to critical care,” Chickasaw County EMA…

Past severe weather helps implement new plan

An EF-5 tornado devastated the small town of Smithville  just over a decade ago

SMITHVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Severe weather is all too common this time of year; how people prepare for storms is often influenced by whether or not they been through one. An EF-5 tornado devastated the small town of Smithville  just over a decade ago, and the lessons learned from that experience still affect preparation today Smithville principal Chad O’Brian was the…

31 counties reporting damage from March 30th storms

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – 31 counties are now reporting damage from last week’s severe weather that rolled across the state. In our area, 15 homes were damaged in Calhoun County and ten houses were damaged in Yalobusha and Attala Counties. Attala is reporting ten homes and four in Lafayette. Numbers from Noxubee are incomplete. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says…

Man indicted in connection to Macon shooting

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A man is indicted in connection to a Macon shooting. Shedrick Shanklin is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, shooting into a dwelling, and arson. A Noxubee County grand jury recently returned the indictment. The shooting happened in December 2020 on North Turner Road. Two people were inside the home when the shots were fired….

Kelly Elliott takes the reins as the next Tupelo Fire Chief

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Kelly Elliott takes the reins as the next Tupelo Fire Chief. He was sworn in this morning at the BancorpSouth Conference Center. Mayor Todd Jordan made the recommendation last month to the city council. Elliott was the Fire Chief for the 172nd Airlift Wing of the Mississippi National Guard. He has over 30 years of experience…

Starkville sign ordinance takes effect in one month

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The clock is ticking for some businesses in Starkville. Those that haven’t complied with the city’s sign ordinance now only have one month to make the necessary changes. May 5th is the deadline to replace all pole-mounted signs with a lower profile, monument-style signage. The city is in the process of surveying affected areas to see…

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…