LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- As the country faces the fourth wave of COVID-19, southern states are crippling by daily high case numbers. Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas are areas in dire need of more nurses and healthcare workers. Extending shifts, treating ill patients, and going to the next facility is the reality for most travel nurses. “People are exhausted, they’re…
JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI)- As Mississippi soars to new heights in new covid-19 cases Governor Tate Reeves doubles down on his stance to not issue a statewide mask mandate or lockdown. The state of Mississippi has requested and received federal assistance to combat the towering number of cases including 150 ventilators that are set to be here in the coming days….
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Caledonia High School students will move to a virtual format for the next two weeks. Parents received this letter today, letting them know the school district’s decision to go virtual. District superintendent Sam Allison says the high school will be on the virtual platform from August 16th thru 27th. All extracurricular activities are canceled during…
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The local chapter of a Greek organization is answering the call for help. When members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity found out the Noxubee County School district was pleading for PPE and other supplies for their students, they got to work. With help from the community, the group purchased 24-thousand masks for the elementary and…
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two men are arrested in a drug sweep through Noxubee County. 27-year-old Maxie Chandler and 36-year-old DeKendrick Bland are both charged with trafficking a controlled substance. Noxubee County Sheriff Tommy Roby says his deputies teamed up with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics to make the drug busts. He says more arrests are expected. Both men…
SUMMARY: Thanks to a front which will stall over the area, as well as tropical storm Fred, wet weather looks likely over the next few days and as we start next week. Rain and cloud cover will hold our highs down into the mid to upper 80s Sunday to Wednesday, a nice reprieve from the heat! Scattered shower and storm…
JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – For the second day in a row, Mississippi sets a single day record for new COVID-19 cases. The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting 5,023 cases and 31 additional deaths. The state’s total number of cases is now more than 381,000, along with 7,700 deaths. 98 percent of the cases in Mississippi are in unvaccinated…
SUMMARY: After dealing with the brutal summer heat & humidity all week long, changes are moving in for the weekend. Cooler temperatures but higher rain chances are on the way. We’re continuing to watch the tropics. TROPICS: Tropical Depression Fred is just north of eastern Cuba this morning. Tropical Storm Watches & Warnings have been issued for SW Florida &…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – There has not been an open ICU bed at OCH Regional Medical Center during the month of August. “Just a lot of very sick people,” says OCH Emergency Room and ICU Director Jacob Leggett. “We’re seeing an increased number of patients presenting with COVID signs and symptoms. Some of them are really critically ill.” The majority…
NOXUBEE COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI) We’ve been here before. Rural hospitals are struggling to keep units staffed with nurses and to get more of the public vaccinated. Hospital numbers are steadily climbing. Even though we’ve been in the pandemic for a year now, there’s still the unknown of what the surge could mean for healthcare. In Noxubee County, 1,437 people have contracted…
Prentiss County, Miss. (WCBI)- Multiple counties have made a series of arrests of catalytic converter thefts. The Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Department and the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department received information that led to the arrests of three suspects in their areas. Chase Teeter, Scott Behrens, and Devin McGuire are accused of cutting the converters off the mufflers of several vehicles including…
CHOCTAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Folks in Choctaw County have an easier opportunity to get vaccinated. The Mississippi State Department of Health is hosting a Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic at the Choctaw County Community Center. It opened yesterday in Ackerman. We are told that’s when a number of people showed up to get a shot. The clinic will be open again…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Investigators are trying to determine how a fire started at a Lowndes County home. The blaze was spotted by someone passing by the Highway 45 Alternate home, near Artesia. Fire Coordinator Neil Austin says there was moderate damage to the house. The owner happened to not be at home at the time of the fire. No…
PICKENSVILLE, Ala. (WCBI) – A former Pickensville, Alabama clerk will spend the next year in jail. 46-year-old Sidra Simpson pleaded guilty to the use of an official position for personal gain. As part of her plea deal, she will go to prison and be on probation for five years. District Attorney Andy Hamlin says Simpson must repay the Town of…
SUMMARY: Remaining at heat advisory levels for one more day. The weekend looks cooler with higher chances of afternoon showers and storms, as highs drop to right around the 90 degree mark. Rain chances stay elevated as we start next week, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Rainfall could be enhanced on Monday and Tuesday by moisture from…
SUMMARY: We still have another hot & humid couple of days for us before temperatures start cooling back down into the 80s. The trade off will be rain chances increasing this weekend into early next week thanks to a cold front and moisture from Tropical Storm Fred. TROPICS: A disorganized Tropical Depression Fred is moving back over the Caribbean after…
KILMICHAEL, Miss. (WCBI) – Eric Crisp was born into a life of addiction and drug abuse. “The earliest memory I have was, my parents were crackheads and they sold the front door off of our house for crack,” Crisp says. Growing up in Amory, Crisp says he sold his first bag of marijuana when he was 8 years old. He…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Younger people in Mississippi with COVID-19 are starting to fill hospitals. The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 3,163 cases and 25 deaths Wednesday. The death toll is 61 people Tuesday and Wednesday combined. 26 percent of the deaths are people under 50 and the majority of people being admitted to the hospital are under 50. Health…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Doctors and administrators at local hospitals need people’s help to continue to provide the best care for the community. Health care officials say it starts with carefully considering when to go to the emergency room. Chest pains and shortness of breath are a couple of cases where you need emergency room care. If your condition isn’t as…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The nation’s active-duty military men and women could soon be required to get the COVID vaccine. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin this week announced he plans to request a waiver from President Biden to make the vaccine mandatory for active duty service members. Right now, the vaccine is still offered on a voluntary basis. Mississippi Congressman Trent…
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) You may be able to get free legal help if you live in Chickasaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, or Webster County. The 14th Chancery Court District is hosting a free family law legal clinic Friday at the Clay County Chancery Courthouse. During the in-person event, attorneys will give advice on a variety of family law matters…
JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – A temporary medical facility to treat COVID-19 patients is being set up in a parking garage at the state’s only Level-One trauma center in Jackson. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is at capacity with COVID and non-COVID patients. 101 adults and 26 pediatric patients at the hospital have the virus. The U.S. Department of Health…
SUMMARY: The oppressive summer heat will stick around through Friday, with highs in the mid 90s and feels like temps well over 100. Rain chances will stay isolated. By the weekend, highs drop into the low 90s with scattered to numerous afternoon storms, a nice break from the heat! By next week, rain chances will stay elevated, potentially boosted by…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police continue to search for a shooting suspect. Detectives want to talk with 21-year-old Caleb Gardner of Columbus. A car he was believed to be driving at the time has been recovered after last week’s shooting. Call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers if you know where Gardner is today. The gunfire happened last Thursday at Southside…