Day of Empowerment

State Representatives Kabir Karriem and Cheikh Taylor talk about the upcoming Day of Empowerment with advice on credit repair, expunging criminal records, COVID vaccinations, and voter registration. Categories: Featured, Local News Tags: day, empowerment, of

Nicer & more pleasant weather on the way

SUMMARY: After an unsettled Monday, our area will enjoy some cooler, drier and nice weather for the middle part of the workweek. Some lows may be down into the upper 50s Wednesday morning. Don’t get too comfortable because the summer heat and humidity will return along with chances of showers and storms heading into the weekend. TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with lingering…

DARE Camps Are A Fun Way To Teach Life Lessons

SALTILLO, MISS. (WCBI)  – Nearly fifty elementary students are spending their week hanging out with sheriff’s deputies, playing games, and learning life skills. It’s part of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department DARE Camp. As school resource officers, deputies, and volunteers helped out, the DARE campers were learning about teamwork, and getting exercise, by playing a relay game. The DARE camps…

Some snakes have made their way onto people’s property

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The summer heat and recent heavy rains have some unwanted guests slithering into yards and gardens around the Golden Triangle. Snakes have popped up; sometimes where people would least expect them. This time of the year they’re part of the Southern landscape, and the experts say whether you love or hate them;  the main thing to remember…

Jurors have been selected in Noxubee County murder trial

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Jurors have been selected for a Noxubee County Murder trial. Marcus Gardner allegedly shot his girlfriend, Chelsea Pace, to death at their home back in August of 2017. That’s according to the Noxubee County Sheriff’s Department. Pace’s four-year-old son was injured in the gunfire. A mistrial was declared back in March because not enough jurors showed up…

Trio of women blaze new trail while fighting fires for Starkville Fire Department

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – On May 13th, Savanna Sanchez, Sarah Thompson and Anna Beth Robertson became the largest group of women firefighters to work a 24-hour shift in the history of the Starkville Fire Department. “Just for little girls to see, hey there’s three girls working at the fire department right now. That’s pretty cool,” Thompson says. The three women are…

Catalytic converters are a hot commodity for thieves

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Back in the day, car radio and batteries were the prime targets for thieves. However, since January, people are going after a car part with a little more value. “Years ago, you wouldn’t ever think about stealing anything from a church. But nowadays, people will steal from anybody, and that’s kind of sad,” Fairview Church Minister…

Brief taste of drier air midweek

SUMMARY:  After an unsettled start to the work week, our area will enjoy some cooler, drier, and less active pattern for the middle of the week. Some lows may be down into the upper 50s Wednesday morning!  Summer heat and humidity will return starting Thursday and of course that means continuing chances of showers and storms heading into the weekend….

Choctaw Indian Fair

Tara Wheeler talks with Choctaw Indian Princess Elisah Jimmie about the upcoming Choctaw Indian Fair July 14-17. Categories: Featured, Local News Tags: choctaw, elisah, fair, guests, indian, jimmie, midday, princess

Cold front brings rain & storm chances for Monday

SUMMARY: Rain and storms are likely as we begin a new week as a cold front pushes through the region. Slightly cooler & drier air builds in for the middle of the workweek before the humidity and storm chances returns for the weekend. MONDAY: Rain and storm chances are likely for the rest of our Monday as our cold front…

Remembering one father’s legacy on Father’s Day

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the special bond between you and a father figure in your life. One MSU graduate is spending the holiday remembering some of those treasured moments with his dad. “He was more like a friend. Like my best friend, in a manner. But he was also my dad.” Jacob Breitenbach…

Local kids learn basic skills of entrepreneurship through Lemonade Day

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)-  People in the Golden Triangle lined up to lemonade from young entrepreneurs. Ella Freeman, a participant, said where and how she sold her lemonade didn’t happen overnight. It took several days to plan. “We’ve all been working hard on finding our lemonade stand and Friday is when we made the lemonade,” said Freeman. Over 200 kids signed up…

Winston co. Juneteenth celebration highlights black-owned businesses

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Juneteenth is being celebrated across the country today. Folks in Louisville hosted an event for black business owners to showcase their work in the community. Community members gathered in the Louisville Coliseum to acknowledge history and celebrate those making a difference. “It’s just like an overwhelming feeling,” Twyla Turner, owner of Twyla T. Presents and event…

Boys And Girls Club Members Get An Adventure In Reading

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – It has been an adventure in reading for a Boys and Girls Club. As kids were in-game time at the Haven Acres Boys and Girls Club Gym, ten and eleven-year-olds were in the computer room, learning about the plot and other details from this year’s novel for “Tupelo Reads.” “We have a great book this year…

Shannon Man Arrested On Multiple Felony Drug Charges

LEE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – A lengthy investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Department and the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit lands a Shannon man in jail, charged with felony drug offenses and other crimes. Forty-two-year-old Demond Fleming was arrested at his Shannon home.  Fleming is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute,  possession of crack cocaine with intent…

MSU Idea Shop camp inspires young entrepreneurs

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – There’s a camp for almost every interest from sports to dance. In Starkville, camp at Mississippi State’s Idea Shop is encouraging young entrepreneurs. “They just jump in head-first.” Over the past week, nine high school students from three different states got a taste of what running a business is like. Brooke Lammert, the iCreate Camp Director…

Mayor transition and inauguration plans in Columbus are underway

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The city of Columbus is one day closer to welcoming a new mayor for the first time in 15 years. Keith Gaskin’s campaign team says the transition process started just 2 hours after the election finished. Inauguration planning began Thursday. WCBI spoke with the city’s spokesperson and members of Gaskin’s team about how the process is going….

Noxubee Co. prosecutors will restart a murder trial on June 21st

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Prosecutors will try to restart a Noxubee County murder trial on Monday. Marcus Gardner is accused of killing his girlfriend, Chelsea Pace, at their Highway 388 home, back in August 2017. A mistrial was declared back in March because not enough jurors showed up to jury duty. Jurors are required to report or give the…

BRAC not a worry for Columbus Air Force Base

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus Air Force Base has been in the Lowndes County community since 1941 and it will remain open. Thousands of airmen have trained at the base for every military conflict since World War II. Base Realignment and Closure or BRAC has always been a concern since the late 1980s. That’s where government officials look to close…

U.S Army Corps of Engineers beginning to remove barge in Pickensville

PICKENSVILLE, Ala. (WCBI) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins removing a barge from the Bevill Lock and Dam. Crews started cutting the barge to start the salvage process. The partially sunken barge hit the lock and dam in Pickensville, Alabama last weekend. Heavy rains led to flooding waters before the incident. Several people even came out to watch…