NEW ORLEANS, La. (WCBI)- A Mississippi chef wins the 17th annual Great American Seafood Cook-off. Chef Austin Sumrall is the nation’s new King of Seafood. Sumrall participated in the competition in New Orleans with 12 other culinary chefs across the U.S. in 2017, Sumrall opened his restaurant, White Pillars, in Biloxi. He has worked for a number of award-winning restaurants….
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-A man is in the hospital after being shot following the Artesia Day festival. Deputies found one male victim on Obama Street suffering from gunshot wounds on his face and neck. Investigators believe several people were gathered at the festival when shots rang out just after midnight. The victim was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital and later…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Across the country, employers are looking to hire people in all positions. One local store had such a hard time, they closed for a short time just to focus on hiring. “We’ve never had this degree of short-staffness,” Johnathan Howard said. Johnathan Howard is the General Manager of McAlister’s Deli in Starkville. He said the lack…
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI)- Helping a neighbor was the message for one organization in Aberdeen as members host a back-to-school drive. The Aberdeen Brothers of Loyalty M.C. and Sisters of Loyalty S.C. offered free school supplies, good food, and a little fun for kids to start the school year on the right foot, not only to help the kids but the…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Keep Tupelo Beautiful teamed up with a downtown church to enhance Gum Tree Park. Members of the First United Methodist Church of Tupelo youth group painted a sensory path on the sidewalk for various activities like hopscotch to motivate children to exercise. Kathryn Rhea is the Director of Keep Tupelo Beautiful. Rhea said volunteers are essential in…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Front lines workers and first responders are needed in every community. In Columbus, the Police Department opened its doors to find new recruits. “I’ve been doing it for over 30 years and I know there’s great reward,” Assistant Chief Doran Johnson said. Doran Johnson is the Assistant Chief of Police in Columbus. He said career day…
SUMMARY: You saw it here first… the 90s are back! 90 degree temperatures that is! We are back to the typical summertime pattern as we head into the second week of August. TONIGHT: Clear skies with a low of 70. One of the last nights feeling comfortable! TOMORROW: Mostly sunny skies for Sunday, a high of 94. Humidity starts to…
SUMMARY: Warm and fairly quiet summer weather is in store for the weekend. While a stray shower or storm is possible, most spots will remain dry. The summer heat and humidity is making a comeback as we head into a new workweek. SATURDAY: Mostly sunny skies. Maybe the chance of a stray shower or storm during the heating of the…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An inmate at the Lowndes County jail has died. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says the inmate was found unresponsive just after 7 AM Thursday inside their cell. Coroner Greg Merchant says an autopsy will be done on 39-year-old Brian Jeffery Davis of Vernon, Alabama. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case. A cause of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The number of available ICU beds in Mississippi is at a critical level. And it’s the same or worse for other states in the region. Many of those will end up in the hospital, and of those, dozens will need intensive care. Hospitals across the South are dealing with a surge of the COVID-19 delta variant. “As…
SUMMARY: Warm and fairly quiet summer weather is in store for the weekend. While a stray shower or storm is possible, most spots will remain dry. More spotty storms and warmer temperatures are likely next week. FRIDAY NIGHT: Evening rain and storms fizzle. Some patchy fog. Lows in the upper 60s. SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. A 10% chance of…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – From the neighborhoods to City Hall, people have had enough of the trash that is left on the sides of the road and private property. City leaders said they all have heard the same request: clean up the Friendly City. “It’s beginning to be overbearing that this illegal stuff is being thrown everywhere all over the…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Students in the Columbus Municipal School District headed back to campus today. But this isn’t just any First Day of School. For the first time since March 20-20, all students reported to class on the same day. Last school year, most schools in the district stayed with a hybrid model, splitting classes in half, and students…
SUMMARY: Spotty summertime shower & storm chances are set to return heading into the weekend as our typical summer weather pattern returns. Highs in the 80s are more likely Friday with the 90s set to take over heading into the weekend, along with the summer humidity. FRIDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with a stray shower or pop-up storm…
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Grief and confusion continue to grip the town of West Point after a plane crash claimed the life of 65-year-old Gary Dedeaux and his grandson Luke Reed. “He was as sharing and caring about his fellow man as anybody I’ve ever known,” says West Point Chief Operating Officer Randy Jones. Former West Point mayor Robbie…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Mississippi State Department of Health reported 3,164 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day. State health leaders discuss the spread of the delta variant with hopes to slow the rise in numbers. During the fourth wave of COVID-19, the Delta variant brings higher numbers of infections leaving intensive care units with limited rooms to take in…
BOONEVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – A giant cross is raised in Northeast Mississippi. The cross-raising ceremony was a celebration. When fundraising began for the cross-project in Prentiss County last September, Deryl Saylors had no idea how long it would take to raise the money. “We didn’t have a clue, we thought it would take a year or more, people just came…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Two people are in the hospital after a shooting in Columbus. Just before 12:30 pm Columbus police and Lowndes County sheriff’s department went to the 1400 block of the fourth street south for reported gunshots. Chief Fred Shelton says it’s believed two people got into an argument in the Southside Market store. That’s when the suspect…
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Oxford, Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen, former Officer Matthew Kinne, and 10 unnamed police officers are facing a federal lawsuit. Attorneys for the family of Dominique Clayton announced the suit today. Last month former Oxford Police Officer Matthew Kinne pleaded guilty to killing Dominique Clayton. The suit alleges that Kinne was acting under…
SUMMARY: Spotty storm chances are set to return over the next week as a standard late summer weather pattern develops. Highs in the 80s are more likely Friday with 90s set to take over again after that. THURSDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds. Lows in the upper 60s. Calm winds. FRIDAY: Partly to mostly cloudy. A 20-30% chance of pop-up showers and…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- A Columbus barbershop made sure students were razor-sharp before going back to school. The first 50 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 were given a free haircut at The Spotlight Barbershop. The Back to School Haircut event was sponsored by the Blu-Print Foundation. Columbus city schools will open on August 6th. Categories: Local News Tags:…
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – After nearly 3 years of delay, an Arkansas woman charged in the hit and run death of D’Shante Nix of Starkville has her day in court. Haley Singleton pleaded guilty today to Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Death. The plea comes nearly 4 years after Nix’s death. On September 25th, 2017 D’shante Nix…
ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – Going to big kid school can be nerve-wracking for the whole family, especially for the little ones in class. The Ackerman 20th Century Club partnered with Ackerman Elementary to make sure each of the smallest students has a buddy. For the last several years the organization has donated stuffed animals to the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes…
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – Ole Miss will now temporarily require masks for all students faculty and staff indoors on campus despite vaccination status. The recent surge in state and regional COVID cases is prompting the University to require masks for all indoor activities and all indoor locations This includes public office spaces, classrooms, conference rooms, and other academic spaces like…