TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A Tupelo man will spend over 16 years in federal prison for his part in a drug trafficking operation. 40-year-old Jeremy K. Mairidith pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana in November in Federal Court in Oxford. Today, Judge Michael Mills sentenced Mairidith to 200 months in federal prison. That’s just over 16 and…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – NFL Star and former MSU Bulldog Jeffrey Simmons is helping local Boys and Girls Clubs raise money. Simmons was the special guest Tuesday night for “Sports Talk” benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle. Before the event on the MSU Campus, Simmons stopped by the Starkville Club to visit with members and give…
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Yokohama Tire Manufacturing in Mississippi wants to be the employer of choice in the Golden Triangle, and the business is taking significant steps to prove that to potential employees. Philip Calhoun, Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, estimates that the West Point plant contributes at least $6 million each year to the local economy. “We…
MONROE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – Winners of a recent beauty pageant handed out gifts of appreciation to deputies at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Several of the queens and a king from the M 17 Pageant handed out gift cards to Elmo’s Military Surplus store to MCSO staff. The show of appreciation takes place during National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week….
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Investing in stocks is never a guarantee. Sometimes that can be a hard lesson. Retirement funds have been taking a hit lately, and that has some retirees and those thinking about making that move concerned. When some people think of retirement they think of that money they’ve set aside for their relaxing years; however when the market…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police make an arrest in connection to a deadly shooting. 20-year-old Johnathan Slaughter is charged with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Bond has not been set. Slaughter turned himself in this afternoon to Columbus police. He’s accused of shooting and killing Amarcus McMillian at a Waterworks Road apartment this past…
LAMAR COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – Law enforcement is investigating a shooting death in Lamar County, Alabama. District Attorney Andy Hamlin says Lamar County deputies were called to a home on Steedley Road on Monday morning. 40-year-old Andrew Patrick Cunningham died at the home from gunshot wounds. Right now, they are calling the case a death investigation. The Lamar County Sheriff’s…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) With two fatal shootings in less than a month, crime has been a topic of conversation in Columbus. Youth crime and how to prevent it have been in the spotlight, especially as Summer Break approaches. Incidents involving young people usually spike in those months when students are out of school and have fewer things to keep them…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Stopping the slide. That’s one of the motives behind a plan that would alter the school year for Columbus public school students. Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Doctor Cherie Labat took her proposal for a modified school calendar to the Columbus City Council Tuesday night. Under the plan, the school year would begin in July and…
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is the highest it has ever been in Mississippi. Triple-A is reporting the average price in the state right now is $4.16. The national price is $4.56. In our region, Attala County had the highest average price of $4.40. Claiborne County had the highest in the state. As…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus police are investigating a shooting at a northside park. The gunfire happened about 8 o’clock Tuesday night at Sim Scott Park. Police Chief Fred Shelton says officers were in the area and heard the shots. When they arrived at the park people were leaving. The incident was caught on a camera the city recently installed…
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY, Miss. (WCBI)- State Auditor Shad White speaks often about Mississippi’s “brain drain.” Now, he says it’s made worse by an increase in crime. Jackson is experiencing major crime. In 2021, the city was ranked number one in homicides per capita in the nation. In its brain drain research, White’s office found that 30% of college graduates who…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – As Kaitlyn Sanborn and Kady Rose Hailey prepare for their high school graduation ceremonies, they can’t help but think of the person they won’t see sitting in the crowd. Their childhood friend Carmen Smith, who died when she was just 12-years-old. So the girls spent their final semester of high school keeping their friend’s legacy alive…
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Gas prices are climbing to new levels here in Mississippi, and it’s impacting some people differently than others. One local sheriff’s department talks about some of the troubles they’re facing with the increased prices. Gas prices are pushing some folks to change their traveling plans. Sheriff James Meyers said those prices could be closer to that four…
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Students at Joyner Elementary in Tupelo were able to show off their artistic talents as a mural is unveiled. The second graders have been working on a mural on the outside wall of the gym for months, with the help of art instructor Kit Stafford. Students were able to choose what they wanted to go in…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A Starkville alderman is considering a different type of paid parking. Alderman Hamp Beatty wants to talk about and research a kiosk-based parking system. Park Mobile does not offer a kiosk parking. The Cotton District is the area being considered. The city is finishing up work on painting parking spaces that will be impacted by the…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s signing day at Columbus High School. This time we’re not talking about sports. CHS held its annual “Academic Signing Day.” During the program, graduating seniors announced their choices for college. 38 students shared their decision with classmates and guests. Several of them accepted scholarships from the school of their choice. Madisyn Turner says she’s excited…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Secretary of State’s Office has a lot on its plate, and today Michael Watson was in Columbus to educate area leaders on some of what his office does. Watson explained some of the areas his office oversees. Business services have been getting a lot of interest lately. Watson, the governor, and lawmakers have been working…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Malfunctioning traffic lights could be the root cause of a late morning Columbus crash. The accident happened at Highway 45 and 18th Avenue North intersection. It appears a car was leaving the Kroger parking lot and crossing Highway 45 when an 18-wheeler collided with the car. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital….
While often not a consistent threat in our neck of the woods, hail still poses a major risk to life and property. Meteorologist Jackson Chastain goes over the hail formation process in this week’s Weather Whys. Categories: Featured, Featured Weather, Local News, Weather
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A man will spend the next 40 years in prison for killing a Columbus man. Malcolm Hill pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced today in Lowndes County Circuit Court. Hill was involved in the shooting death of Marcus Pate in October 2018. Investigators believe Pate was killed during a robbery inside of his 11th…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Monday was the first day of Mississippi State’s annual iCanBike Camp, which teaches children and adults with special needs how to ride a bicycle on their own. The camp returns for its third year at the Sanderson Recreation Center after a break due to COVID-19. “When you learn to ride when you’re five or six, it’s…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant has identified the man killed in a Friday afternoon shooting. And Now the Columbus Police Department is asking for the community to help find the suspect. 23-year-old Amarcus McMillian was shot and killed Friday in an apartment on Waterworks Road in Columbus. A second person was injured in that shooting. So…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County Supervisors have voted to give tax breaks to the newest owners of Columbus’s Leigh Mall. The Golden Triangle Development LINK has drawn up a Regional Economic Development Act Agreement to allow the Hull Group to recoup some of the tax money it will be paying in as it completes renovations. Supervisors approved their…