WCBI NEWS AT SIX - 08/24/2020

WCBI NEWS AT SIX - 08/24/2020

Good evening evening... the people who make sure columbus students get home safe and sound put the brakes on today.

Some bus drivers for the columbus municipal school district stage a walkout..

Drivers say in july they were promised six hours of work a day making 12 dollars an hour-- but now they're only working 4 hours a day.

About half of the district's drivers showed up today to protest and hold signs.

Columbus school board president jason spears says the district is on a hybrid schedule and that reduces the amount of hours that drivers are needed.

To help offset the loss of hours, the board recently passed a pay raise for it's most experienced drivers.

However, some drivers believe more should have been done.

"we came on expecting a certain amount of pay and a certain amount of hours.

Today at the last minute, we were told that we would only be getting four hours, when we're supposed to be getting six.

What they're doing to us is ridiculous.

It's unfair... unexpected... i hope they will step up and do what they are supposed to do because we can't work for free."

Spears tells wcbi parents were called to pick up some of the children today, and a few buses had to run double routes to get everyone home.

The district says all bus routes will be covered in the morning.

More information is released today in a columbus high- speed, deadly crash.

The man killed in that horrific columbus accident is also identified.

This was the scene as a helicopter flew one of the crash victims to a hospital on sunday evening.

Lowndes county coroner greg merchant says 45- year-old sheldon campbell died at the scene.

Columbus police say the head-on crash happened at an excessive speed on wilkins-wise road in a blind curve.

Campbell's fiance' was airlifted to a birmingham hospital.

Cpd says 20-year- old dustin gwathney was driving one car and had a 14-year- old passenger.

A 17-year-old cousin of gwathney was in the third vehicle involved.

Gwathney was later airlifted to a jackson hospital.

The 14-year-old was not injured and the 17-year-old was treated and released from the hospital.

Their names were not released.

Chief fred shelton says charges are possible in the investigation, which is not complete.

Oktibbeha county deputies are investigating a weekend armed robbery.

Investigators say it happened at the aspen heights apartment complex.

The victims told deputies that two men with a gun robbed them.

No one was injured.

If you have any information about the crime call golden triangle crime stoppers.

Gfx a starkville man is charged with 15 counts of aggravated assault after a shootout, near the mississippi state campus.

22-year-old jerome davis remains in the oktibbeha county jail.

One person was injured in the july 16th shooting.

Deputies were called to the sprint mart, located at the roundabout on blackjack road about the gunfire.

The shooting did not happen on the msu campus.

Investigators are not saying what led up to the shooting but do expect more arrests.

Stinger top no arrest is made in an oktibbeha county apartment complex shooting.

The shooting happened at aspen heights, on blackjack road, this past thursday.

Sheriff steve gladney tells wcbi that deputies were originally called about someone trying to get into an apartment.

Investigators tell wcbi the shooting started with a domestic situation.

There were two people inside of the apartment at the time of the shooting and the gunshot victim was the person trying to get inside.

The incident remains under investigation.

Thou shall not steal... it's one of the commandments, but law enforcement say three men didn't learn their lesson when they went to church.

Over the past few weeks, six churches in lee county and three in union county were burglarized.

Law enforcement announced the arrests today.

James dykes is charged with receiving stolen property and possession of methamphetamine, justin wages is charged with receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Reid raines is charged with four counts of burglary of a church.

Top a columbus man pleads guilty to a 2019 armed robbery.

Trellis campbell plead guilty in lowndes county circuit court.

He will be sentenced later this week.

The hold-up happened in june 2019 at a daycare on byrnes circle.

Johnnie summers was also arrested in the case.

Campbell will be sentenced later this week.

Gfx off top a neighborhood feud in lowndes county leads to gunshots.

Now, 48-year-old cecil alexander iii is charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Lowndes county investigators say deputies were called to christian circle on sunday night after a house was hit by a bullet.

Deputies and detectives determined the shot came from a neighbor's house after a previous argument.

No injuries were reported.

Alexander remains in jail.

A pile of scrap metal goes up in flames and it takes firefighters hours to put out.

The blaze started about 11 am at columbus scrap on what is known as "the island."

Assistant fire chief duane hughes tells wcbi it's believed insulation inside of scrap refrigerators, washing machines, or dryers could have sparked the blaze.

He says recent high temperatures could have played a contributing role.

However, the exact cause of the blaze will take some time to investigate.

No one was injured during the fire.

The size of the fire was one of the difficult aspects of putting out the flames.

This afternoon, lowndes county district 5 volunteer firefighters put foam on the smoldering fire.

First look stinger first look toyota mississippi revamps its grant program in the wake of covid 19.

Each year, toyota makes grants available to a variety of programs, including those that help the environment, and programs targeting science, technology engineering and math in schools.

However, the effects of measures to stop the spread of covid 19 have caused the automaker to re focus its grant efforts.

For example, in may, team members helped at mobile food pantries across the area.

The grants have helped groups such as the united way, amory food pantry, and the mississippi school for math and science, among others.

"we want to make it the best place for everyone to live in the community, not just our team members, but all of the people who live in the communities we operate, so it's really part of our dna and what makes toyota special."

There is no minimum or maximum amount for the grants.

A west point church is helping families keep food on the table.

St.

Paul missionary baptist church hosted a drive- thru food drive today.

The giveaway was open to anyone in clay county.

As people drove up, volunteers loaded their cars with boxes of meat and other food.

Pastor eddie longstreet says his congregation is committed to helping anyone in need.

And certainly with the skyrocketing prices of food and individuals having to determine whether to pay rent or pay bills or buy their medicine- and certainly this is an added benefit to this community.

We've given over $250,000 worth of free food giveaway.

We have.

We had four last week.

The church distributed 840 boxes of food during today's giveaway stinger far from friends and loved ones, a young starkville family find peace and hope.

Scott martin has their story next on wcbi news at 6.

In monitor the year 2020 seems to keep throwing bombshells.

For one starkville family it started before the coronavirus pandemic when they learned their then unborn son, might not survive.

Fast forward to june 2020..wilder williamson arrives and today continues to get stronger.

Wcbi's scott martin shares how the williamson family and a group of friends and strangers are staying wilder strong.

Little wilder williamson was born with a mass on his right lung.

Doctors first made the scary discovery back in january, six months before his due date// after a few visits with different doctors, blake and charlee williamson were told news no parent wants to hear.

"it was really grim.

They were like there's a good chance this baby won't make it to term or that it could be a stillborn.

The mass had started out so big they were afraid of cardiac arrest."

The mass was keeping his other lung from developing.

The williamson's were referred to a hospital in houston, texas.

By the time charlee was 32 weeks along, houston would become their temporary home.

"their major concern was he was not going to survive if he was born in mississippi.

Like at umc.

They didn't have the technology or surgeons to be able to perform the surgery he would probably need at birth."

Wilder was born at 39 weeks.

Immediately after birth he was put on a heart lung bypass machine.

He also underwent surgery where doctors removed the lower and middle lobes of his right lung.

Wilder was five weeks old the first time he was held by his mom and dad.

"we didn't see his eyes open for almost a month.

It was like the first week of july.

It was another miracle just to see your childs eyes open for the first time."

After 63 days on a ventilator, doctors were finally able to remove it giving the williamson's another glimpse of hope.

Though the road to recovery is still long, one thing wilder has proven so far, is he's a fighter.

"he's a living, breathing, testimony of the power hope, the will to survive, and the power of prayer."

Charlee says so many people were asking for updates so she gives daily updates on facebook.

They're still in texas and will be for several weeks to come.

Coming up tomorrow the williamson's share what the journey has been like during the middle of a global pandemic and how their hometown has been their rock// stinger open weather wrap two shot weather wrap stinger a pair of mississippi state bulldogs are exercising their right to opt out of the upcoming season...details on that story, next in sports not many conferences are going forward with having a fall athletic season...the s-e-c is one of those few for players in the southeastern conference, there's options for competing in the coronavirus pandemic student-athletes can now choose to opt out of the season and not lose a year of eligibilty mississippi state has seen two of its players opt out, junior cornerback tyler williams and senior wide receiver taury dixon dixon announcing on twitter earlier today that he will exercise his option to opt out and graduate transfer for next year head coach mike leach touched on players opting out this weekend following williams' decision..

Leach says right now he's focused on his players showing up to practice leach: "if they're there i coach them.

That's kind of of where were at because it is kind of a moving target and not just that they mess with legislation on such things as we speak.

So, i'm in the if you're there i'm going to coach you real hard mode.

It's where i'm at."

The countdown to the s-e-c season continues with kick-off about just a month away, the ap releasing preseason rankings for all teams...whether they plan to compete in 2020 or not seven teams in the southeastern conference cracking into the top 25 of the ap's preseason rankings however, ole miss and mississippi state...neither able to make the cut alabama coming it at no.

3 followed by georgia at no.

4 the reigning national champs, lsu sitting pretty at no.

6 and dan mullen's florida team earns the no.

8 spot four s-ec in the top ten sitting outside of that is auburn at no.

11 texas a&m at no.

13 and tennessee coming in and securing the last spot at no.

25 although neither the bulldogs or the rebels were able to secure a ranking...mississipp i state did receive 3 votes...ole miss received none the southeastern conference plans to kick-off the season, saturday september 26th mississippi public schools are busy adjusting to new policies released by the m-h-s-a-a as well as governor tate reeves eupora announcing its plans for fall sports some of the guidelines laid out by eupora high school include no mask no entry...if you want to attend a high school volleyball game, football game then you have to wear a mask the school will also be conducting temperature checks prior to entry of the event per the governor's orders...particpan ts will be allowed to purchase two tickets per event any extra tickets that are not purchased by partcipants will be available to purchase on game day and will be first come first serve however, no tickets will be sold at the gate each school is conducting entry differently...check with your school for any rule changes eupora's football season officially begins on the road at french camp on september 4th..if you can't get in to watch the game you can always see the highlights right here on wcbi endzone while the public schools still wait to get started...m- a-i-s and alabama enters week two of the high school football season here's a look at upcoming games this week in m-a-i-s -- delta streets at columbus christian -- hebron christian at calhoun academy -- kirk academy at heritage academy -- winona christian at winston academy over in alabama -- aliceville at gordo -- hamilton at sulligent -- pickens co at linden -- berry at south lamar -- phil campbell at lamar co.

When we return...chief meteorologist keith gibson will have a last look at your forecast.

You are watching wcbi news at six.

Listen up "young and the restless" fans!

Set your dvr's... y and r will re-air at 1:05 am, right after the wcbi news at ten rebroadcast.

Today's episode was interrupted by president trump's speech this morning.