Local business created service to help you deck the halls

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Homeowners are putting up holiday decorations. Lights and yard ornaments can be challenging to manage. Checking connections, stringing lights, and making sure all of those bulbs work can turn even the happiest Christmas into a bah-humbug. That’s why some people turn to companies like Worker Bees. Worker Bees began in Starkville as a full-service cleaning…

Louisville Police arrest shootout suspects

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The Louisville Police Department arrested three people in connection to a shooting at a convenience store earlier this month. Deanquis Phillips, Issac Eliand, and 17-year-old Yatavious Morris are accused of shooting at each other at the store parking lot on November 10th. A second juvenile has also been charged. Police say one suspect was grazed in the…

25 pounds of marijuana seized during drug bust

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – Three people were arrested at a home in Houston last night when probation officers stopped by for a home visit. 26-year-old Lankki McMillan, 21-year-old Jatya Cook, and 28-year-old Ladarius Watkins, all of Houston are charged with aggravated trafficking of marijuana and aggravated trafficking of THC. The officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana at the home…

Cool Friday, warmer weekend, cold next week

SUMMARY: We’re going to be feeling weather whiplash over the next week! We end this work week on a chilly note, before things turn milder for the weekend. A powerful cold front will bring a chance of rain Sunday night and a blast of cold air for the beginning of next week. Some slow moderation will occur as we get…

Judge: Mississippi faces crisis of alleged violent criminals with mental illnesses going back on the streets

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Tommy Gandy remains in the Clay County Detention Center on a $4 million bond after his second arrest over the past 8 years involving an armed standoff with law enforcement. It’s a situation that 16th Circuit Court Judge Jim Kitchens says he has seen all too often in his nearly 30 years as part of Mississippi’s…

Local churches take part in ‘Operation Christmas Child”

West Jackson Street Baptist Church sends its shoe boxes to a children's home in Mexico

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Churches across our area are busy packing shoeboxes full of Christmas gifts for children around the world. At Tupelo’s West Jackson Street Baptist Church, a “packing party” was held Wednesday night. Shoe boxes full of Christmas gifts were packed and prepared to be shipped out.  It’s part of a ministry known as “Operation Christmas Child.” The…

MHP prepares ICC criminal justice students for trooper academy with new program

The C.O.R.E. program gives students a look at what it takes to be a MHP trooper

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Students at Itawamba Community College who want a career with the Mississippi Highway Patrol are getting a look at what it takes to prepare for the academy. On an abandoned runway at the Tupelo airport,  Mississippi Highway Patrol driving instructor Master Sergeant Sedrick Jackson is showing ICC criminal justice students how it’s done. The students are…

Enrollment rises for commercial truck driving program at EMCC

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Labor shortages and supply chain are economic issues we keep hearing about this year. And there’s one place these two issues come together. Commercial truck drivers, the people who get our goods from their source to the stores, are in short supply. Many companies are struggling to meet demands because there aren’t enough drivers to make…

Students in Starkville spent past month building instruments

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s more than a song. It’s a hands-on way to play music. Nine guitar students in the Starkville area spent the past month building their own instruments. The workshop took place at the Idea Shop in downtown Starkville, sponsored by the MSU Department of Business and the School of Human Sciences. Jeffrey Rupp is the Director…

Two local groups hosting a turkey drive are over halfway to their goal

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two local groups hosting a turkey drive are over halfway to their goal. The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department and the Community Benefit Committee have been accepting turkey donations. They will give away the turkeys to families and individuals in need this Saturday at the soccer complex in Columbus. With just days to go before the…

District Attorney Scott Colom could be headed to the federal bench

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – District Attorney Scott Colom could be headed to the federal bench. U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson has recommended him for an open position as a federal judge. Thompson confirmed earlier this week that he has sent a letter to President Biden endorsing Colom as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi….

Local military and business leaders hosted a town hall meeting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Military leaders, the business community, and policymakers come together in Columbus to discuss ways to improve conditions for the area’s military personnel. Columbus Air Force Base and the Department of Defense host a Town Hall style meeting this morning to give community leaders a better understanding of the issues that affect military families. They also drove…

State Representative McLean hopes to bring Equal Pay topic to upcoming legislative session

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An area lawmaker gives a preview of the 2022 Mississippi legislative session. District 39 State Representative Dana McLean briefed Lowndes County business and community leaders on some of the issues that the legislature is getting ready to tackle in January. At the top of that list – Medical Marijuana. Lawmakers have been working on a…

Columbus passes sound ordinance to stop ‘unreasonably loud or disturbing’ noises in city limits

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Columbus is taking new measures to prevent people from making “unreasonably loud or disturbing” noises within city limits. The city council approved the new sound ordinance Tuesday night that lays out specific limits for the decibel level allowed depending on the time of day and specific location in the city limits: If a…

Columbus City Council approves four-day workweek, passes pay raise for hourly employees

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Just over a year after moving to a five-day workweek, the city of Columbus will be moving back to a four-day work schedule. The city council made the decision Tuesday night and is something city workers have been hoping for. “When I came on board as mayor and started going through the budgeting process, every department…

Lawhon Elementary students celebrate raffle ticket sales efforts

More than $15,000 raised during Disney raffle ticket sales

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Students at one Tupelo elementary school have reason to celebrate. They have raised a huge amount of money through raffle ticket sales. For weeks students at historic Lawhon Elementary sold five-dollar raffle tickets, for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World. Those raffle ticket sales raised more than 15 thousand dollars.  Teachers whose classes…

Hotel Tupelo on track to open early next year

The new boutique hotel gives a nod to Tupelo's past

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo’s newest entry in the hospitality business gives a nod to a historic predecessor. Hotel Tupelo is being built in the Fairpark District.  It is named after the original Hotel Tupelo, which, for years, was a popular spot for social gatherings, business meetings, and out-of-town guests. The new Hotel Tupelo is a boutique hotel, built by…

One man dead after two large trucks collided in Noxubee County

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – One man died Wednesday morning when two big trucks collided on Highway 45 in Noxubee County. The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 45 and Highway 388. One truck was pulling a load of cotton; the other, logs. Witnesses said the driver of the 18 wheeler carrying the cotton was crossing Highway 45, heading…