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Local News

A Columbus resident had a bullet go through her patio window

Columbus investigators are still back and forth, working the scene of a weekend shooting
Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Columbus investigators are still back and forth, working the scene of a weekend shooting. The shooting happened Sunday afternoon at Cypress Park Apartments. Police Chief Fred Shelton said no witnesses came forward; however a resident who wasn’t there at the time came home to see that her patio door window had been shattered by a bullet. A…

Man
Local News

Spring Break Expo introduces students to an inspiring man

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- A Columbus organization is using spring break as a chance to offer fun activities for students while introducing them to leaders in their community. ‘One Columbus Community Group’ is hosting the Spring Break Expo this week. Youth in the area are able to participate in workshops, dance classes, drama classes, kickball games, talent show, and more. Students…
Local News

Starkville residents last chance to comment on sign ordinance

Eric Lampkin,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville residents will have one more chance to comment on a sign ordinance that’s been 11 years in the making. The 3rd Public Hearing for the sign ordinance is on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The rule requiring all pole-mounted signs to be removed and replaced by monument-type signs…

Starkville City Hall
Local News

Starkville leaders discussing extending city’s leisure and recreation district

Eric Lampkin,

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville city leaders could be extending the city’s leisure and recreation district. The Board of Aldermen will consider calling for the first public hearing on moving the borders of the entertainment district from University Drive up to Collegeview Drive and Adkerson Place. In leisure and recreation districts patrons are allowed to have open containers of alcohol…

columbus police department
Crime, Local News

“Blue Flu” at Columbus PD has passed, officers back at work

Joey Barnes,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The “Blue Flu” at the Columbus Police Department appears to have passed, for now. Police Chief Fred Shelton says the five officers that called in “sick” this past Friday returned to work over the weekend. Mayor Keith Gaskin told WCBI the organized call out was in response to working conditions and promotion within the department. Some…

Bent
Featured, Local News

Zachary’s hosts 4th annual fundraiser to support the Humane Society

Folks in the Friendly City are supporting their furry friends.
MorrisAdmin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Zachary’s hosted their 4th annual St. Patrick’s Day Party. Zachary’s invited the community of Lowndes County to the restaurant to help support the Lowndes County Humane society. Folks in the Friendly City are supporting their furry friends. Zachary’s is kicking off the 4th annual St. Patrick’s Day Pawty to raise funds for the Lowndes County Humane…

handcuffs
Featured, Local News

Vernon man charged with elder abuse

Joey Barnes,

LAMAR COUNTY,Ala. (WCBI)- A Lamar County jury returns a guilty verdict against a Vernon man charged with felony elder abuse. Vernon Police arrested 30-year-old Terrance Moore after a confrontation with a 70-year-old woman on July 11th back in 2020. Moore didn’t know the woman and he was parked in front of her house for half an hour that evening. The…

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Local News

Adjusting to new normal: Business owners share pandemic concerns

Many if not all people felt the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Joey Barnes,

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt throughout the U.S.   On March 11, 2020; the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. From safety restrictions and finding other methods of serving the community, dozens started the shift in adjusting to a new normal. The virus impacted schools, businesses,…

Code
Featured, Local News

High School students see real life medical scenarios as part of “Code Blue and Red” drill

The exercise is meant to spark an interest in the medical field among students
Allie Martin,

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Students from four area high schools got a chance to see real-life medical scenarios as part of a drill at the ICC Tupelo campus. The drill was called “Code Blue and Red” and it used ICC’s Health Science students to help simulate three scenarios,  a COVID patient, labor and delivery and a trauma accident. ICC’s President…

Mean Girls
Featured, Local News

A fourth grade student writes book to stop bullying in schools

The fourth grader shows her class about the power in words. 
Joey Barnes,

CLAY COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI)- It happens in classrooms, on the school bus, on the playground. Bullying. A student at West Clay Elementary is tacking the issue cover to cover. The fourth grader shows her class about the power in words. Classroom worksheets and recess, that’s the agenda for most students. But, there are some issues that go beyond the playground, like…

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Local News

Students question their spring break plans as gas prices rise

MorrisAdmin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Spring Break is almost here and students are getting ready to crank their cars up and head down the road. But the spike in gas prices has some students checking their wallets to see if they can stretch their cash enough to get to their destination. It’s the week students have been looking forward to since…

School Funding
Local News, State News

MDE investing millions of dollars into online health and safety platform

Joey Barnes,

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi Department of Education is investing millions of dollars to provide a web-based health and safety platform for school districts around the state. The platform will provide several features including surveillance cameras with the ability to detect crowd congestion, virtual tours of schools for situational awareness in schools, a mobile app for emergency notifications and…

Bobby Joe Stafford Jr
Crime, Local News

Lowndes County inmate facing another charge after escaping custody

Joey Barnes,

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Lowndes County inmate is facing another charge after briefly escaping from custody. 42-year-old Bobby Joe Stafford Jr. was wanted for possession of stolen property. He’s now also charged with escape. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says while Stafford being brought to Columbus from Monroe County he kicked out the window of a patrol vehicle. When the…

Odell Robinson
Crime, Local News

Oktibbeha county deputies make chase through Starkville

Joey Barnes,

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Oktibbeha deputies go to make a traffic stop but it ends in a chase through Starkville. 40-year-old Odell Robinson the third is charged with felony fleeing, tampering with evidence, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Investigators tell WCBI that a K9 attempted to stop Robinson on Highway 12. The pursuit went out into…

Latidlais
Crime, Local News

Federal jury in Oxford convicts Louisiana man in child sex case

Eric Lampkin,

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – A federal jury in Oxford convicts a Louisiana man in a child sex case that stretched from Gonzales, Louisiana to Monroe County. Ronald Joseph Latiolais the third has been found guilty of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity. The charges stem back to April 2019 when the then…

Drug Bust
Crime, Featured, Local News

Lowndes County narcotics agents make large drug bust

Joey Barnes,

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Lowndes County narcotics agents make a large drug bust and complete a two-year investigation. Now, 45-year-old Antonio Cockrell is charged with possession of methamphetamine, along with trafficking meth, cocaine, and marijuana. He’s also charged with three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of possession of a stolen firearm….