WCBI NEWS AT 10:00 - 08/24/20

WCBI NEWS AT 10:00 - 08/24/20

Thank for staying up with us tonight, i'm cash matlock.

We're going to begin tonight with tropical storm laura -- and the growing threat it could slam into the gulf coast as a category 3 hurricane in just about 48 hours... with millions of americans in its path.

The governor of texas is declaring a state of disaster... and coastal cities there and in louisiana are telling people to get out now.

Louisiana highways bumper to bumper..

Evacuees trying to get out as a weakening marco charges in... threatening storm surge and coastal flooding.

Obviously since katrina everyone is more sensitive to any kind of storm coming this way this shelter in low lying plaquemines parish filling fast..

Even amid covid concerns.

Theresa frantz and her daughter left their home..

Others stayed behind.

So i got two family members down there that we don't know if they gonna make it.

Tonight, the texas coast is bracing... as a bigger threat - laura is looming.

We don't have the luxury of time so the time to prepare is right now the storm already plowed through haiti and the dominican republic..leaving at least a dozen dead.

Janet shamlian, cbs at least a dozen dead.

Janet shamlian, cbs at least a dozen dead.

Janet shamlian, cbs news.

First look stinger first look a different kind of storm is brewing in columbus this evening... 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."

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.

Vo 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.

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.

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.

Two inmates from the central mississippi correctional facility die today at a jackson hospital.

The mississippi department of corrections says 69-year-old willie terrell leflore and 45-year-old joseph whitehead died this morning at merit health central.

Leflore was serving a 20-year sentence for sexual battery in desoto county and whitehead was sentenced to 25 years after being convicted of 2nd- degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in washington county.

No foul play is suspected in either case.

The cause of death is pending an autopsy.

During a typical year, toyota makes grants available to environmental programs and initiatives focusing on science, technology, engineering and math in local schools.

However, for the rest of the fiscal year, the automaker is targeting its grants to support covid 19 relief.

Wcbi;s allie martin has more.

Team members from toyota mississippi have been helping with covid 19 related relief efforts since the spring.

A mobile food pantry in prentiss county to help those impacted by the economic shutdown over covid 19 is one example of the initiatives funded by the community grants.

"we've donated about 150 thousand dollars to local non profit organizations to support whatever needs they have."

Those grants have helped groups such as the united way, amory food pantry, mississippi school for math and science, toyota also donated hand sanitizer to hospitals in lee, union and pontotoc counties.

The grants will also help expand wi fi access and reliability for students and schools.

"we've seen a need in wifi capability that some of these surrounding areas have, so we are partnering with our headquarters is team to see what kind of options we can offer to the local county schools, city schools, to increase their wifi capability.

" before toyota opened its blue springs plant, the automaker promised to be a good corporate citizen.

Lauder says the covid 19 relief grants will help communities where toyota team members live and work.

"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."

Standup close there is no minimum or maximum amount for the grants and the application process is still the same.

Go to toyota's website and apply online, in blue springs, allie martin, wcbi news.

To review grant guidelines and submit an application, visit www dot toyota grants dot com slash t-m-m-m-s a local community college attempts to ease the economic burden and uncertainty caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

Itawamba community college announces today that it will be offering several free short-term career pathways to qualifying students from now until december.

This is all a part of the re-skill mississippi initiative.

The new program will target individuals who are unemployed, furloughed, or displaced and offer them pathways to medical, electrical, and industrial fields.

é "that money coming from, actually through the state legislature from the federal government under the cares act workforce and education fund is going to be a tremendous way for us to help the people in our local community find short term training where we can pay their tuition for that short-term training and get them into the workforce as soon as possible at a much higher wage of living."

The state workforce investment board, the mississippi department of employment security and mississippi's four local workforce areas collaborated to develop the program.

Stinger stinger well where the emotional ups and showers that are in the where the shuttle route to central alabama for nine hours ... tomorrow morning when you wake up to the shower to some fresh breeze heavy downpours possibility we were required structural wednesday through ... required at least until thursday morning ... those moments load meant 70s ... another look at laura wright white very tall storm clouds the just an explosive development looking like it's been explored here ... once the sun gets on to open waters the gulf of mexico there's a chance we wednesday ... category three storm moved through louisiana were on the eastern side of the forecast models to exit towards louisiana fourth dvds were isolated tornado maybe on friday ... additional wait and see the tropical storm ... significant 7 to 12 feet when we were about to be some rain templates and when thursday friday will according to a recent study from the major hospice trade association, more than 65 percent of americans use hospice services when in their final stages of life.

This week on health talk talk with baptist, we've got everything you need to know about hospice care.

Take a look.

No script billboard attached billboard attached hospices for those needed there's no place like home for hospice and receive.

Surrounded by the one you will also seem hospice medical to spiritual counselors sugars as nurses they trained volunteers to a whether you're at home nursing home personal care home or assisted living will your position of ... curtain rod and works for a staff of 24 hours a day control tantrums of nausea medication by monitors medical equipment commercials spiritual death is hospices partnered with baptist memorial hospital goings on with previously will help make sure he returned home and safe as possible call for more information subject to 243117 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 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 lamar co.

Still to come..

Lamar -- phil campbell at lamar co.

Still to come..

Chief meteorologist keith gibson returns with tonights last look.

You are watching wcbi news at ten.

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.

Last look