Columbus native inducted into Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Five pioneers in broadcasting in Mississippi were inducted into the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame this week. Columbus native Birney Imes Jr. is part of the 2022 class. Imes began his career in broadcasting with WCBI radio in Columbus. He opened other radio stations in Tupelo, Clarksdale, Winona, and West Point from 1940 to…

Recent inventory check shows 34 handguns unaccounted for at CPD

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Nearly three dozen Columbus Police Department guns are unaccounted for and now there’s an investigation to figure out where they went. City leaders are trying to understand what happened to the handguns during a recent inventory check. The agency has seen guns taken in homes and car burglaries where officers were the victims. Although little information…

The Starkville Oktibbeha School District teaches about Vaping Dangers

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Starkville Oktibbeha School District is making an effort to educate parents on the hazards of vaping. The meeting’s goal was to expand their knowledge of Nicotine and THC products. Every Wednesday and Thursday The Starkville Oktibbeha School District provides parents with information on ways to keep their kids safe. This week Parents learned about Vapes…

Columbus Firefighters to see pay increase with new budget

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus Fire Department will see pay increases throughout the entire department. In Thursday’s city council meeting, members discussed raising wages for captains in the fire department. The proposed wage was to raise to $15.50 but members voted to raise it a dollar more to $16.50. Roughly 20 firefighters and staff sat in the council meeting awaiting…

Lowndes Co. Board of Supervisors passes 2023 budget

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Cities and Counties across Mississippi are setting their budgets for the coming year today. In Lowndes County, Supervisors passed what Board President Trip Hairston described as a “barebones budget, not much fluff.” Most areas will remain flat, and many of the increases are due to increased costs. Hairston says Supervisors were focused on 3 main…

Settlement reached in Federal Age Discrimination suit in Lowndes County

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lawyers for Lowndes County and its former Administrator reach an agreement in a Federal Age Discrimination suit. According to court documents, the lawsuit filed by Ralph Billingsley against the county and Supervisors Harry Sanders and John Holliman has been dismissed due to a settlement. In April 2020, supervisors voted to hire a new County Administrator…

Starkville Fire Dept. held assessment for potential new employees

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Starkville Fire Department held assessments at Fire Station two today for people who are interested in joining the team. The assessment consisted of strenuous workouts to see the potential in the men and women who applied. Starkville Fire Departments Tyler Davis says it’s more than suiting up and running into fires. “Typically when the public…

Raising awareness for human trafficking

Mississippi's 2021 human trafficking report

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, human trafficking is becoming more common in small towns rather than large cities. An agent from the human trafficking and special victims unit, Ashlee Lucas, spoke to the Columbus Exchange Club today. According to MBI’s website, there were 275 reports of human trafficking last year in Mississippi. 368 victims were…

Alcorn Co. man accused of stealing vehicle from volunteer fire department

ALCORN COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An Alcorn County man has been accused of stealing a vehicle from a volunteer fire department. Cedric Wilbanks of Corinth has been charged with grand larceny. The sheriff’s department posted on Facebook that Wilbanks is also facing three counts of burglary from incidents that happened during the time frame of when the service vehicle was…

Can you identify this suspect’s vehicle? He or she destroyed a mailbox according to police

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI)- As if the shipping industry didn’t have enough issues. The Amory Police Department needs your help to find a suspect who destroyed someone’s mailbox. In this video, the suspect knocks over a mailbox. Amory Police wants to know if you can identify the person driving the vehicle. If you have any information contact Amory Police at 662-256-2676…

Man accused of stealing and flying plane in North Miss. appeared in federal court

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The man accused of stealing a plane and flying around North Mississippi causing fear and panic has his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday. During the brief initial appearance in Federal Court, Patterson’s attorney Tony Farese requested a psychological evaluation for his client. Farese says Patterson has a history of emotional and mental issues. Patterson…

Drive by shooting in Pontotoc County leaves toddler injured

PONTOTOC COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Investigators in Pontotoc County are looking for suspects in two drive-by shootings. And one of them left a toddler injured. The most recent incident happened Tuesday on Wise Bend Road. Deputies got a report of the shooting between 6 and 6:30. A two-year-old was hit by the gunfire. There is no information on the child’s…

Noxubee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a weekend shooting

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – The Noxubee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a weekend shooting. Investigator Tina Williams tells WCBI the shooting happened on Robinson Road in the Cedar Creek community. Early Sunday morning, someone reportedly fired shots at an SUV traveling east on Robinson Road. There were four people in the S-U-V, but no one was hit by the gunfire….

Oktibbeha Co. Chapter of the NAACP donates water to Jackson residents

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Oktibbeha County Chapter of the NAACP teams up with a local church to help provide water for Jackson residents. Area churches and civic organizations carried bottled water by the case to Mt. Pelier Church in Starkville this morning. The church and the NAACP organized the effort. Academy Sports also donated water, and East Mississippi…

Attempted traffic stop leads to chase and arrest

LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An attempted traffic stop leads to a chase in Lee County. Now an Okolona man is in jail facing several charges. Late Saturday afternoon, Tupelo Police attempted to pull over a Jeep Track Hawk in the area of South Gloster and Mitchell Extended. The driver, who was identified as Dan Judd the second, went south…

Cookbook helps raise money for Alzheimer’s Association

Cookbook helps raise money for Alzheimer's Association

BALDWYN, Miss. (WCB)- A north Mississippi nursing  facility is raising money to help end Alzheimer’s. The Baldwyn Nursing Facility is selling recipe books for the Alzheimer’s Association. Nurses and other staff members will take part in the annual End Alzheimer’s walk at Ballard Park on Saturday the 17th. Clinical Nurse Educator, Amanda Moore, says Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia,…

Shooting in Winona kills one and injured two

WINONA, Miss. (WCBI) – The investigation continues after a shooting in Winona that left one person dead and two others injured. That shooting Friday afternoon put the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District on lockdown and even forced the cancellation of Friday night’s football game. The shooting happened on Powell Street near the elementary school. It’s the second in that area in…

Annual 911 Memorial Stair Climb a time to remember true heroes

Tupelo Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary organizes the annual event

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Hundreds turn out in Tupelo to remember the sacrifices made by first responders on September 11, 2001. Tupelo Fire Chief Kelly Elliott took a quick break from his monthly National Guard drill for the annual 9 11 Memorial Stair Climb. Chief Elliott was working at the state fire academy 21 years ago when the country was…

Two Boonville guys who are family members are arrested for an alleged kidnapping

PRENTISS COUNTY, Miss, (WCBI) – Two Boonville guys who are family members are arrested for an alleged kidnapping. The Prentiss County charged 18-year-old Dallas Blake Fischeal and 45 Terry Lee Dykes with Kidnapping from an incident 5th. Boonville Police charged Fischeal with statutory rape from that same incident. Investigators say the kidnapping happened in the county and the rape incident…

Crews working in Starkville to repair a water line

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – You may notice crews up and down main street in Starkville for water line repairs. The city is replacing an aging waterline downtown on top of addressing the sewer lines and stormwater draining issues in downtown. The repairs come on the heels of a design plan to make downtown and main street better. City leaders say…

Help continues to pour in for those affected by the water crisis in Jackson

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Help continues to pour in for those affected by the water crisis in Jackson. Congregations of the Northeast Mississippi State Baptist Convention have been conducting water drives. Churches from Lowndes, Noxubee, and Clay Counties have collected 12 hundred cases of water to help those in the Capital City. That water was loaded up and delivered…