WCBI News at Six - October 24, 2018

WCBI News at Six - October 24, 2018

Good evening and thanks for joining us... for the past 27 years law enforcement in the golden triangle have been using crimestopper to help catch criminals.

Blair schaefer sat in this morning as the crime stopper board made plans for the coming year... she joins us live from the columbus municipal complex with more on what makes the program work..

Aundrea, crime stoppers allows people in the community to help law enforcement keep residents safe.

In fact just last week two suspects were arrested due to a tip submitted to this program.

I found out more about it this morning.

Nat sound-phone "you have reached golden triangle crime stoppers."

This toll free tip line has been helping law enforcement in the golden triangle track leads and arrest suspects for almost three decades.

Though there's a financial incentive , tipsters don't always collect the cash.

"a lot of the people that call us don't even want money they just want to give information to us i don't necessarily want to be involved in the police report and this and that but the information that they give us has led to the arrest of some individuals."

Clay county sheriff eddie scott is chairman of the golden triangle crimestoppers board.

His says the anonymous tips are carefully vetted.

"if this information is good and if it leads to an arrest this information is brought before the board the board then votes to actually pay this information that was given.

Just last week, a tip to crimestoppers led columbus police to two suspects in a recent homicide investigation.

Scott, says those tips are a big part of what make crimestoppers so successful, but the boots on the ground help close the cases.

"they're really committed to our community and making it a safe place.

Without these guys i don't believe our program would be what it is today."

Since crime stoppers began the board has paid out over $250,000 for tips and law enforcement agencies have made 1428 arrests.

Reporting live in columbus - blair schaefer wcbi news... a drug raid lands two men in the oktibbeha county jail.

22 year-old dontavis bruce of starkville and 21 year-old chandler carter of ripley are both charged with possession of a schedule two controlled substance and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Cash and drugs were seized at an apartment during the bust.

Bond for the two men has not been set.

A maben man is accused of shooting and hitting a vehicle that had two people inside.

Quentin ware is now charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Deputies were called to the sunset community in oktibbeha county this past weekend about shots fired.

Investigators believe ware fired the gun from another vehicle.

No one was injured.

Ware's bond has not been set.

You may have been surprised to hearing tornado sirens this morning.

As part of the statewide fall severe weather preparedness week, emergency sirens were tested and tornado drills were held around the state.

The test also helps alert emergency management officials to any problems in the system.

In lowndes county, the sirens did ánotá go off in caledonia this morning.

Crews were sent out to check on the issue..

But what happens when it's not a drill.

One lowndes county high school has first hand experience with a twister.

Our rylie livingston reports that one decade later, teachers and students still respect the tornado drill.

10 years ago the unthinkable happened.

"all of a sudden it got dark.

I have a skylight, so it got completely dark.

There was no sunshine coming through the power was out and our ears started hurting."

The students were in class when an ef-3 tornado hit caledonia high school.

"mr. putnam made the call to bring them all over here and that building is the building that had a bus on top of it at the end of the storm so that call that he made had everyone over here in the same building and safe."

Teachers and staff worked to keep students safe.

Today the goal is still the same.

"preparation is the key you have to prepare and we have drills in order to prepare students to prepair staff to know what to do if a drill or an event actually happens so we prepare we prepare monthly we practice fire drill's we practiced tornado drills such as the one that happened today ."

"every teacher has a crisis management plan and we revisit that frequently in faculty meetings.

Students know the crisis management plan the students know where to go the teachers know where to go."

The drills keep students calm.

"i think that's one good thing about having the drills they'll be used to do when yet as opposed to just waiting until the tornado comes and i think that's when you're panic would be is if you had not been through the drill just make it a routine i guess you could say."

The halls might be empty now... but if that siren sounds again teachers will be ready to make sure their students are safe.

Lowndes county has started taking extra precautions when it comes to tornado safety.

New hope high school, caledonia elementary, and the career technical center all have tornado shelters.

First look stinger first look wednesday night: clouds increase with showers developing by sunrise.

Lows should generally be in the low 50s but a few spots may briefly dip into the upper 40s.

Northeasterly winds between 2 and 6 mph continue.

Thursday: clouds and showers are likely with the chance of rain between 60-80%.

Clouds and showers will limit highs to the mid to upper 50s.

Cool air and easterly winds between 10 and 15 mph will make for a damp and dreary day all around the region.

Total rainfall with this system should be in the 1/4" to 1" range.

Friday: some showers may linger during the first half of the day but a drying trend should as the day wears on.

Mostly cloudy conditions will continue for the majority of the day.

Highs in the upper 50s changing lives and providing better futures.

That's the goal of a program at east mississippi community college.

It's called mississippi integrated basic education and skills training.

Or mi-best..

Jory tally joins us with more on these students' accomplishments ..

The program helps students get their high school equivalency diploma, while learning workforce skills.

It's completely free and is set up so students can do dual enrollment.

So far, it's benefited roughly 100 students.

"just my environment and just where i'm from and everything.

People barely make it, so i wanted to be the ones who make it."

That's why 20-year old thomas brown enrolled in the mi-best program.

He's specializing in automotive technology.

Brown was a senior when he dropped out of high school now, two years later, he's on a different path.

"i wanted a better career path.

I wanted to get my life on track.

I got my ged this year, so yeah, i just wanted a better life and better opportunities and a better job."

Mi-best career navigator jeremy tate says students from 17 years old up to 59 years old have reached those goals because of this program.

"the students are actually going to work on their high school equivalent and they can do career tech programs, which they can get a one year certificate, or they can get an associate's degree, or they can go through our workforce programming and do anywhere from five week courses, like commercial truck driving, or eight week courses, like manufacturing skills."

Karl mast is another student who just completed his ged.

The brooksville native says without mi-best, he'd be working on the family farm instead of chasing his dream job in the cyber security field.

"so far, it's vastly improved my information of computers and what they can and can't do and how to secure them and improve them."

Improving futures is why mi-best came along a few years ago.

It's an initiative through the w.k.

Kellogg foundation and tate says he believes it's something that will continue grow.

"they are big into community colleges and they saw a need within our state to fill the middle wage gap, so we have integrated program that works on putting those workers in those middle skilled jobs for that middle wage."

Tate also says students also have the chance to get their workkeys certificate.

Centred up it's not every day you get to argue in class, but that's what some columbus middle schoolers are doing.

Our educator of the week, krystal morris, is teaching her students how to get make their cases effectively.

And she does it by drawing from something they understand - áreality televisioná..

"you just develop a love for one another....and if i see that they are struggling in an area i just want to just reach out and help them.

I want them to ne successful and i want to produce productive citizens in our community...so if can just do anything i can just to help them...further along the way then that's what i want to do" to see your favorite teacher on tv....visit wcbi dot com.

Stinger santa's workshop is setting up shop in north mississippi... it's time to get started on some christmas shopping... ..

And help out a good cause... we check in live when we come back... take educator of the week billboard welcome back - it's only october but the tupelo furniture market is turning into a christmas wonderland... the annual celebration village is about to get underway, and our allie martin is already getting in the holiday spirit... stinger weather open wednesday night: clouds increase with showers developing by sunrise.

Lows should generally be in the low 50s but a few spots may briefly dip into the upper 40s.

Northeasterly winds between 2 and 6 mph continue.

Thursday: clouds and showers are likely with the chance of rain between 60-80%.

Clouds and showers will limit highs to the mid to upper 50s.

Cool air and easterly winds between 10 and 15 mph will make for a damp and dreary day all around the region.

Total rainfall with this system should be in the 1/4" to 1" range.

Friday: some showers may linger during the first half of the day but a drying trend should as the day wears on.

Mostly cloudy conditions will continue for the majority of the day.

Highs in the upper 50s to around 60 are likely.

Plan on temperatures in the 50s for high school football.

Weekend: a few showers are possible saturday but the chance is only at 20%.

The same story holds for sunday afternoon and evening as well.

Cooler 60s are expected on saturday with milder 70s on sunday.

Next week: fair weather is likely through halloween.

It looks like mother nature won't be sending any major should generally be in the low 50s but a few spots may briefly dip into the upper 40s.

Northeasterly winds between 2 and 6 mph continue.

Thursday: clouds and showers are likely with the chance of rain between 60-80%.

Clouds and showers will limit highs to the mid to upper 50s.

Cool air and easterly winds between 10 and 15 mph will make for a damp and dreary day all around the region.

Total rainfall with this system should be in the 1/4" to 1" range.

Friday: some showers may linger during the first half of the day but a drying trend should as the day wears on.

Mostly cloudy conditions will continue for the majority of the day.

Highs in the upper 50s to around 60 are likely.

Plan on temperatures in the 50s for high school football.

Weekend: a few showers are possible saturday but the chance is only at 20%.

The same story holds for sunday afternoon and evening as well.

Cooler 60s are expected on saturday with milder 70s on sunday.

Next week: fair weather is likely through halloween.

It looks like mother nature won't be sending any major tricks our way until november begins.

Two more weeks of the regular season of high school football we've already seen area teams begin to lock up division titles and seeding in the playoffs, but there are so many that are still up for grabs our game of the week for week eleven features two teams battling for both the twitter poll has spoken.... our game of the week takes us to eupora for calhoun city taking on the eagles... another division where one game separates three teams....the wildcats are on top, but with a win from eupora, it could totally change the landscape of 2a north the division rivalry has be owned by city....five straight wins against eupora...with the eagles last win coming in the 2012 postseason we'll be live from eupora coming up on friday, with much much more getting you ready for the week eleven the east webster wolverines have battled through the ups and downs of a high school football season, but as the playoffs approach, the wolverines have relied on a senior leader to get hot at the right time our jonathan flippo has more with our student athlete of the week.

Jonathan flippo: at east webster, you're either a part of friday night lights....or on the baseball diamond..

For senior athlete sloan hillhouse, being a part of both sports was always the goal.

Student athlete sloan hillhouse: "i've always wanted to play football and baseball, and i love sports.

Everybody here has always played football and baseball."

Nats: 3 seconds of sloan hitting dummy pad.

Flippo: hillhouse has started for the wolverines each of the past two season, but its been a different sloan in 2018 defensive coordinator jason smith notices a new fire hillhouse has brought to his defense defensive coordinator jason smith: "he always gives us great effort, but this year i think he's turned it up a notch.

I mean he's been everywhere on the defensive side of the football.

He's given us a hundred and ten percent effort.

Been everywhere on defense.

He's been our leading tackler about every game.

He's been a spark for us on defense."

Flippo: the coaches that know hillhouse the best know there's more to the senior off the field than simply making a tackle or delivering a base hit.

Head football coach ron price: " he plays offense, defense, and special teams for us.

Plays shortstop and pitches for the baseball team, and has an a average in the classroom.

It just tells me that he is disciplined.

He uses his time wisely, and he's focused.

He wants to be successful at anything he chooses to do."

Head baseball coach wes johnson: "to me sloan is what high school sports is all about.

He's a guy that came in and progressively has gotten better every year because he's put in the hard work, and he's put it what it takes to get better both in the classroom and on the athletic field and he's just been a joy to coach."

Flippo: and when he's not making plays on the field, there's a good chance you can find sloan in the great outdoors.

Hillhouse: " i like to hunt.

Whn i get out of practice early i'll go hunting or fishing or something like that.

I like deer hunting, duck hunting, everything since i was little."

Flippo: sloan and his team close out the regular season on friday with a road trip to leflore county.

Flippo: reporting in east webster, jonathan flippo, wcbi sports.

Last look stinger last look