LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) The economy is improving, but COVID-19 related supply chain issues are still plaguing area manufacturers. That was one of the messages from Golden Triangle Development LINK C-E-O Joe Max Higgins today in Columbus. Higgins says that while most local companies have weathered the pandemic, and the LINK has about 600 million dollars worth of projects in…
SUMMARY: The remnants of Ida will be exiting Mississippi today, leaving a cloudy sky much of the day. Warm but LESS HUMID air is in store later in the week. TUESDAY: Cloudy with scattered showers with highs in the 70s to near 80 degrees toward I-55. Winds will stay breezy and shift to the northwest behind Ida’s remnants. WEDNESDAY: Expect a mix of…
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Hurricane Ida got residents in the area prepared for the worst. The Chickasaw County EMA director and fire chief agree that they did their best to over-prepare for what Hurricane Ida would do. While there was no damage or flooding, during the day, they still want to keep their community safe. If damage does occur around…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A Northeast Mississippi hairdresser takes top honors in a global award show that those in the business say is equivalent to winning an Oscar, Grammy, or a Heisman Trophy. Every day, Amber Moyer creates works of art at “Shear Envy” Salon, on North Gloster Street. The Tupelo salon owner began her career nearly twenty years ago…
ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – While not as severe as originally feared, emergency crews in Choctaw County stand at the ready for the impact from Ida. “Wind, wet ground is a bad mixture for trees to fall,” says Choctaw County Emergency Management Director Brent McKnight. “Culverts could stop up and flood the roadway and you wouldn’t even know it.” The Ackerman…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville may become the second city in Mississippi, after Jackson, to require vaccinations for all city employees. A vaccination policy will soon come before the board of aldermen in Starkville. “It is important for us to be available to the public and do our job,” Mayor Lynn Spruill said. City leaders said they are listening to…
SUMMARY: Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday as a category 4 storm in Louisiana, and while it continues to weaken as it moves inland, impacts are likely across north MS and west AL today and Tuesday. Conditions will improve by Wednesday. MONDAY: Conditions will gradually deteriorate as steady rain becomes heavier in the afternoon and evening hours. A spin-up tornado or two will…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Tupelo pd investigate multiple incidents at the Tupelo fair in August 28th. Right now, we know when police arrived at the scene, several teenagers were arguing and fighting. There is even a possibility gunshots were fired. Officers detained three teenagers in the incident, later releasing them to their parents by the Lee County Youth Court with pending…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The impact of Ida is sending folks to the northern counties of Mississippi. As Hurricane Ida makes landfall, Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast, more people are searching for higher ground in the northeast Mississippi region. For Econo Lodge in Columbus, the phones are ringing off the hook. Dozens of folks are checking out rooms to wait…
JACKSON,Miss. (WCBI)- Governor Tate Reeves issues the State of Emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Ida. The storm will impact counties in southern and central Mississippi. Reeves says 19 shelters across the state will be open for citizens. There, folks can also get sandbags and tarps. Reeves says FEMA is distributing food, water, generators, and other resources in the region to…
EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI)- Forming relationships with neighbors and citizens is the glue that holds everyone together; especially in small towns. People in Eupora hosted a softball tournament in honor of a city employee they lost earlier this year. As teams lined up at the plate or got ready to take the field they had a special person in mind; Rusty…
WEBSTER/LOWNDES COUNTIES, Miss. (WCBI) – Hurricane Ida will be reaching the Mississippi gulf coast tomorrow and is predicted to be in Northeast Mississippi by Monday. “Today is a preparing day. So, start preparing now,” Emergency Management Director, Cindy Lawrence said. In most situations, folks want to be ready. As Hurricane Ida approaches Mississippi, Emergency Management Director of Webster County, Barry…
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- As the state crime lab faces a backlog in autopsies, county coroners struggle to find holding facilities. It can take several weeks to a month to get results from investigations. And the prolonged process can be costly. $80 per day. That’s the average price coroners pay for a holding facility. Yearly fees run close to $100,000….
WEBSTER COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Webster County Sheriff’s Department is taking high-pressure training to another level. “We’ve never had nothing like this in Webster County. And really, it’s a special thing and we’re taking it serious,” Sheriff David Gore. Law enforcement officers are trained to handle difficult and dangerous situations. Webster County Sheriff David Gore started the S.R.T., the…
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – The man who killed the University of Mississippi student will spend the rest of his life in prison. 24-year-old Brandon Theesfeld pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Friday. Theesfeld was charged with the 2019 capital murder of fellow University of Mississippi student Ally Kostial. Kostial, 21, was found dead near Sardis Lake in Mississippi in July…
ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – Residents of Aberdeen can take part in a city-wide clean-up day this weekend. On Saturday, residents can take part in a citywide initiative called “Let’s Get Clean Aberdeen.” Volunteers will be working in the cemetery, picking up trash, homeowners are asked to get litter out of their yards, and Alderwoman Lady B Garth is coordinating clean-up…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) -The newest production from the Tupelo Community Theatre takes the audience back to the 1920s, as part of a murder mystery, with lots of surprises. TCT is presenting “The Play That Goes Wrong” this weekend. The storyline is set at a University drama society’s play about a murder mystery, and things take a lot of twists and…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Throughout the week, members of the Department of Homeland Security have been visiting businesses in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Noxubee counties to spread awareness about improvised explosive devices. Operation Flashpoint is a joint effort between DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI to help businesses spot suspicious purchases that could end up as homemade bombs….
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- A little can go a long way. It’s what employees at the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society are saying as medical supplies are donated for operations. Spay and neuter operations are considered major but common surgeries. Clinics require trained professionals and reliable equipment. When it comes to needing a quick fix, the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society struggled to get pets…
ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – A Monroe County town is looking to improve its quality of life with a USDA rural development grant. Aberdeen is one of five communities that will benefit from a USDA Rural Development Grant. That grant will help Aberdeen plan for improvements, such as streetscape enhancements and other projects to spur community development. “One of the main…
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (WCBI) – August 26th is Women’s Equality Day across the United States. The day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote, and the struggles and advances of women since then. Columbus Air Force Base marked the occasion with a luncheon celebrating women in leadership roles in…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Organizers of the Market Street Festival met at the Columbus Exchange Club Thursday discussing changes during this year’s event. Everyone in attendance is asked to wear masks and socially distance themselves. Several hand-sanitizing stations will be set up through the festival grounds. The bleachers at the stages will not be included to avoid large crowds. The Main…
SUMMARY: By now you’ve probably heard of tropical depression 9 brewing in the gulf. Models have been very bullish and consistent for days with the depression entering the gulf and becoming a strong hurricane. Eventual landfall will likely be in Louisiana, potentially as a major hurricane, with the name Ida. The current forecast has us on the eastern side of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday morning, city leaders debuted one of the 10 new Neighborhood Watch Camera Systems they will be installing throughout Columbus. Mayor Keith Gaskin and Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton held a press conference at city hall and had the camera unit on display. “We’re demonstrating to the citizens and to those who are committing crimes in…