MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi Republican party launches a women’s initiative to recruit and train more women to run for office or become more active in the party. The announcement was recently made outside the GOP headquarters in Jackson. This plan is one way that leaders believe they can grow the party. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch says despite women…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – As those who knew Sam Westmoreland cope with the sudden death of the MSU offensive lineman, the man who coached him at Tupelo High School is speaking out. We talked to Coach Ty Hardin who shared his memories of coaching number 76. Tupelo head football coach Ty Hardin last saw Sam Westmoreland on the sidelines of…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Trash continues to pile up in Columbus and Lowndes County. In September, we reported about the shortages of staff and trucks at Golden Triangle Waste Services. Today the waste service released a statement on Facebook. The statement describes how waste service employees have been working seven days a week to try to get to people’s…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Keeping students to stick around the magnolia state is what a few local entities pushed for today. East Mississippi Community College Communiversity, the Forge Foundation, and Mississippi Construction Foundation teamed up for the third year to host the Forge Your Path Career Expo. Roughly 2,000 eighth graders throughout the area got the chance to walk…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Sweet Peppers Deli is getting a little bit sweeter. The restaurant business is notoriously fickle. Tastes and trends change, but in Columbus, a deli has become an institution. For a quarter of a century, Sweet Pepper’s Deli has been a go-to for many in Columbus and the surrounding area. Whether it’s Friday night with your friends…
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – After the arrests in Monroe County of four daycare workers, many people are wondering what is next for the accused. Three sets of parents have filed abuse charges in Monroe County Justice Court. This follows a viral video taken at the Lil’ Blessings Childcare and Learning Center in Hamilton in early October. In the video,…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Scary moments this afternoon for two Lowndes County drivers. The two-car crash happened on Highway 82, eastbound, near where you can see the Communiversity from the highway. Both vehicles were heavily damaged. Traffic was backed up for at least a mile while crews worked to clear the scene. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo Police, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and Lee County Youth Court need your help to find a teenager who may have run away. 17-year-old Zariah Williams was reported missing on October second. She was last seen by her guardian on September 30th. Zariah is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Oktibbeha County deputies arrest the man accused of shooting a woman in the head. 23-year-old Jonathan Williams is charged with two counts of aggravated assault. The shooting happened Tuesday evening in the Sunset Subdivision. Investigators say the bullet damaged the victim’s scalp. She was treated and released from the hospital. Deputies tell WCBI there were…
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Chickasaw County deputies are asking for help to find a missing man. 21-year-old Carter Bliven was last seen this past Tuesday on County Road 416 in Woodland. He is 6-foot-1 and weighs about 250 pounds. Bliven was last seen driving a blue Chevy Equinox with the tag number on your screen. If you know where…
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – One of the men involved in a deadly hit-and-run in Oxford is formally charged. Tristan Holland had been held in the Shelby County, Tennessee jail. He was extradited to Oxford and charged with accessory after the fact. Holland’s bond was set at $25,000. Seth Rokitka is charged with one count of Manslaughter, one count of Aggravated…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The International Paper Foundation gave $63,000 to various Golden Triangle organizations. In all, 15 non-profits received various grants from the foundation. Today, the check was delivered. This is the IP Foundation’s annual allocation to causes in the community that promote education and literacy, health and wellness, disaster relief, and community needs. The local mill will also…
BROOKSVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The town of Brooksville finds itself looking for a police chief, once again. Virginia Rich tells WCBI she has resigned, effective immediately. She took over the Brooksville police department back in April. The Noxubee County town had not had a police chief for eight years when Rich got the job. Rich has worked as an officer…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A Louisville ministry known for bringing hope to the community is now hoping to regroup after a fire damages its building. Angela Nance has been arrested in the case and is being charged with arson of a religious building. Usually, when families are displaced by a fire or find themselves in a crisis in Winston County,…
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Arrest warrants are issued for five former workers at a Monroe County daycare where a cell phone video was taken showing workers scaring toddlers. The investigation began after a video was posted, showing workers at Lil Blessings Child Care and Learning Center in Hamilton wearing a mask from the movie Scream, scaring children. The daycare…
COLUMBUS (WCBI) – It’s a regular chore. You set your garbage out for pick-up on trash day. But what happens when trash day rolls around, and it doesn’t get picked up? Now multiply that by two, sometimes three days, and all of your neighbor’s garbage as well, and you’ll see why a lot of people are talking trash in Columbus….
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County deputies said a man was throwing drugs out the window, narrowly missing children playing, while running from law enforcement. 28-year-old Eldridge Pete Langford III is charged with felony possession of marijuana and felony fleeing. The sheriff’s department’s Special Tactics Investigative Narcotic Group or STING Unit was doing surveillance in the area of 17th…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Absentee ballots are now available for the November 8th General Election. There are two ways to vote absentee. You can go by the Circuit Clerk’s Office, or you can get a mail-in absentee ballot. If you choose to vote in-office, you can go by the Circuit Clerk’s office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday….
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A partnership between an Oktibbeha County Supervisor and a Starkville Alderman paves the way for improving a major connector road. Garrard Road is a busy stretch of road connecting the Starkville City Limits and Highway 25. Thousands of drivers travel the road every day, and it was beginning to show the strain. Both the city…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Mississippi State football player has died. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt has confirmed a young man who is an MSU football player has died. MSU Athletics released the following statement: “Mississippi State University was deeply saddened to learn of the death this morning of freshman student-athlete Samuel Westmoreland, 19, of Tupelo, Mississippi. Westmoreland, a…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Two north Mississippi schools received federal money to help boost security. Chickasaw and Union County School Districts have both been awarded more than $495,000. U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith announced the Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Service grants this morning. The Districts can use the funds to help with coordination with law enforcement, security…
GREENVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The man accused of shooting and killing a Greenville detective last week faces a capital murder charge. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed Kamarcus Charles is out of the hospital and officially charged in connection to the death of Myiesha Stewart. Kamarcus Charles Charles was injured during the shootout near Highway 1 and Highway 82 last Tuesday….
BOONEVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – The $2.2 million check will help North East Mississippi Community College enhance its truck driving training program by funding two simulators for students. The money will also help create another LPN class for future healthcare workers. The funding came from Accelerate Mississippi, the centralized office promoting workforce development. “We were creating this office of workforce development…
COLUMBUS, Miss (WCBI) – As the COVID pandemic begins to fade, new studies are now showing some of the lasting effects. Recent research suggests that babies conceived and born during the pandemic face social and communication developmental delays. The pandemic not only shut the country down but may also have shifted the future development of the next generation. A study…