WCBI News at 10 - 11/4/2020

WCBI News at 10 - 11/4/2020

Republican senator cindy hyde-smith is declared the unofficial winner over democrat mike espy and jimmy edwards.

Hyde-smith securing almost 56 percent of the vote.

Mississippi republicans are counting this hyde- smith win as a confirmation of their platform.

They believe it's the conservative candidates that best line-up with most mississippians' beliefs and values.

"the only thing better than beating mike espy is to beat him twice."

But in the rematch- mike espy out fundraised and outspent cindy hyde-smith.

"we built the bridge and even though i'm not be able to cross it personally.

Others behind me across it."

Espy says he'll leave the data infrastructure his campaign built for future candidates.

But we asked jackson state's dr. d'andra orey what it would take for democrats to win a statewide or federal office in mississippi?

:36 " you can't win with just the white vote.

You can't win with just the black vote.

And so the democratic party is going to have to find a way to create a coalition and that's just tough in a place that is based in rooted in race& division that is."

He's referencing race because he noticed a racial split in the counties won by espy.

"espy didn't win any white counties with the exception of about two and those were college towns.

He went oktibbeha all the counties that espy won were predominantly black counties."

Dr. glenn antizzo at mississippi college points out that the totals reflect what mississippi has come to expect in statewide races.

1:13 " it pretty much fits into a mold that you will find all throughout the south.

And it works something like this& a republican is going to win a statewide or federal office unless the republican candidate is fatally flawed."

And the added factor tied to turnout was the presidential election.

"i'm not sure if the democrats, regardless of the situation, would've been able to overcomeact that the president was at the top of the ticket and it really is hard to imagine that somebody was going to pull that lever for donald trump and then switch over to vote for mike espy."

But it seems at least some folks may have had a trump/espy combination on their ballot.

Why?

Analysts today pointed out that hyde-smith didn't do as well as trump in the state but espy outperformed biden.

Monitor intro last night, mississippians voted to pass initiative 65 which will allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to those with debilitating medical conditions.

The latest in a long line of states to make that move...wcbi reporter stephen pimpo has more on what comes next.

"mississippians spoke and they spoke very loudly."

That was medical marijuana advocate ronnie pollard's reaction to mississippi approving initiative 65 which legalizes the use of medical marijuana.

For ronnie, who's daughter has used cbd oil in her battle with lukemia, it was an emotional day.

"we have loved ones that have been in pain, have been fighting cancer have been in seizures and multiple other illnesses that this can help."

Ronnie volunteers with mississippi for compassionate care, the group that sponsored the campaign for the citizen lead initiative.

Doctors will now be able to prescribe marijuana to patients suffering from a list of 22 debilitating conditions, including cancer, epilepsy and als.

Su: there are still several steps left before mississippians can find medical marijuana at their local pharmacy.

"the state will have to figure out how they're going to regulate it.

I'm sure the state pharmacy board wants to be involved and maintain control."

The mississippi department of health will be in charge of regulating the growing, processing and distributing marijuana.

They are currently scheduled to have all new rules and procedures in place by july 2021.

After that, local pharmacies like robert's appothocary in columbus will need to qualify to carry it.

"i'm sure each dispensary will have to be certified by one or more state regulatory agencies."

Identification cards and treatment center licenses are currently expected to be ready by august 2021.

But once it is available, pharmacist robert white says it can open whole new treatment options for mississippians.

"in addition to pain, it's good for seizures, inflamation, post- partum depression."

In louisiana, it took close to five years from the time medical marijuana was legalized to the time it was available in dispensaries.

110420-gfxsot montgomery county now has a new school board.

Voters selected a new board to represent the winona montgomery consolidated school district during the election.

Here are the winners from last night.

School district superintendent teresa jackson says she's ready for a new start with this new board.

"as that team of five or three, you know, majority, they have a lot of power.

And so, their role is to set policy and to ask really good questions and to have ideas about how to improve the district and so i do think that everybody running has their heart in the right place so i'm looking forward to working with the new board."

The montgomer county and winona school districts consolidated two years ago.

Off top voters in noxubee county filled a supervisor seat during tuesday's election.

Unofficial returns show la-velle patterson-rice got the most votes for the district 3 position.

The post was held by sherman patterson who died in may after a battle with covid- 19.

The votes still have to be certified.

Intro yesterday, dozens of seniors at columbus high school voted for the first time.

And of those seniors were players from the falcons football team.

And to them, it's a moment they'll never forget.

Wcbi's bobby martinez has the story... having their voices heard..

Sot - ethan conner - senior - falcons football "it gave me motivation to help change the world."

Sot - karon hawk - senior - falcons football "a lot people died for us so we can vote."

But this time..

Off the football field..

Sot - christopher allen - senior - falcons football "this my first time voting so it felt good."

Was part of the falcons game plan this season..

Falcons head coach joshua pulphus says he is proud of his senior class for wanting to have their voices heard..

Sot - joshua pulphus - falcons head coach "proud and i'm honored for my seniors to take the initiative themselves.

They came to me this summer with the idea of trying to make a change wanting to become great citizens wanting to become great leaders in the community."

And from there..

Pulphus, along with fellow students like autumn lagrand and yolanda dawkins..

Created a campaign for students old enough to vote..

Sot - autumn lagrand - family consumer science teacher "the school had a big event where they set up tables like all week and they had student volunteers that were already involved in politics knowingly in the school helping everybody register to vote that was old enough."

Dawkins says social media played a major in helping them spread the message as well.

Yolanda dawkins - employment facilitator - chs "immediately when i posted.

I had a huge response of people complimenting me, thanking me, we are going to try our best, this is going to be our first time actually voting."

And tuesday was the students big day..

Natvo of student walking to bus to head to polls..

"columbus high is making history everyone....these are our registered voters..

They are getting on the bus..

They are getting ready to vote.."

Sot - ethan conner - sr "it means a lot because you know our coach tells us we are the future.

Sot - christopher allen - sr "it means a lot because i know my vote counts now."

To pulphis... tuesday morning felt like game day..

Because he understands that being a head coach of a football team..

Goes beyond playing under those friday night lights..

Sot - joshua pulphus - falcons head coach "just for them to understand the importance of it, i'm happy to see our culture change here at columbus high school not only on the football field but also in life and affecting these young boys becoming grown men."

Reporting in columbus..

Bobby martinez wcbi news first look stinger first look summary: a few more clouds will be around over the coming days but dry weather is here to stay into early next week.

Look for seasonably mild air to continue at least through next tuesday.

Some rain is possible by wednesday.

Wednesday night: clear with some high clouds moving in.

Lows in the 40s.

Light wind.

Thursday: a mix of sun and high clouds.

Highs around 70.

Winds se 2-6 mph.

New at 10 stinger goes here a jury has found the pastor of a starkville church is liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages in connection with a failed construction project.

The jury in a civil trial in oktibbeha county returned the verdict today against joseph stone, the pastor of second baptist church and head deacon terry miller.

The church trustees and finance department filed a lawsuit against stone and miller after the church paid a contractor more than 450- thousand dollars for work that was not performed on the construction project that began in 2015.

The jury found that stone and miller conspired with the contractor and ordered them to repay 500-thousand dollars.

The jury also found that stone likely took kickbacks from the contractor, donald crowther and ordered him to repay an additional 30- thousand dollars.

Crowther, meanwhile, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud.

A 5 vehicle pileup in oktibbeha county sends several people to the oktibbeha county sends several people to the hospital.

Sources close to wcbi tell us the wreck happened around 4 o'clock on highway 12 near lisa lane.

The collision involved three passenger vehicles, a truck and trailer, and a landscaping truck.

Those on scene said multiple people were injured, but they said it was hard to tell if any of the injuries were serious.

Central oktibbeha fire and rescue, the okitibbeha county sheriff's department, mississippi highway patrol, and och regional medical center all responded to the scene.

Stinger as we go to break, here's a look at some other local election results in our area... gfx wx open summary: a few more clouds will be around over the coming days but dry weather is here to stay into early next week.

Look for seasonably mild air to continue at least through next tuesday.

Some rain is possible by wednesday.

Tropics: the remnants of hurricane eta could still sneak up into florida or the eastern gulf of mexico by late in the weekend and early next week.

The latest data suggest it will not be a factor in our region but we'll keep watching.

Wednesday night: clear with some high clouds moving in.

Lows in the 40s.

Light wind.

Thursday: a mix of sun and high clouds.

Highs around 70.

Winds se 2-6 mph.

Thursday night: partly cloudy.

Lows in the 40s.

Friday: mostly sunny.

Highs in 70s.

Saturday - tuesday: a mix of sun and clouds.

Highs in the mid to upper 70s with lows in the 50s and low 60s.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the wcbi news app stinger sun and high clouds.

Highs around 70.

Winds se 2-6 mph.

Thursday night: partly cloudy.

Lows in the 40s.

Friday: mostly sunny.

Highs in 70s.

Saturday - tuesday: a mix of sun and clouds.

Highs in the mid to upper 70s with lows in the 50s and low 60s.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the wcbi news app stinger low 60s.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the highs in the mid to upper 70s with lows in the 50s and low 60s.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the wcbi news app stinger cash 3 lottery gfx goes here we begin tonight, we begin part two of our conversation on hospice care.

Hunter leech with baptist hospice golden triangle joins us for health talk with baptist.

Take a look.

No script open tuesday, november 3rd officially marked a day of change in mississippi as voters approved the new state flag ole miss coaches wasting no time with no better way to celebrate the victory than by raising the flag up this is video on the athletic campus at ole miss the athletic department out in full force for the raising of the new "in god we trust" flag....from head football coach lane kiffin, to head baseball coach mike bianco and head basketball coaches yolett mcphee-mccuin and kermit davis...everyone in attendance for the celebration back in june...coaches from across the state of mississisppi, including coaches from ole miss advocated for the changing of the state flag at the capitol in jackson the change is something the coaches says they're happy to see finally come to fruition kiffin: "it's an awesome day.

A lot of work went into this.

A lot of years.

I'm fortunate to be a part of it.

Just really happy for our state."

Mcphee-mccuin: "just proud that mississippi has a flag that's inclusive for everybody.

Just shoutout to everybody that had a part in that."

Davis: "you know i've been wondering for a lot of years when our state was going to make a change and have a flag that represented all of our citizens and people of mississippi."

Carter: "i think our coaches are excited.

Our student-athletes are excited.

It's something that will absolutely unite us in the state of missisisppi."

Right now, mississippi state football is preparing to play the only team in the southeastern conference that is performing worse than the bulldogs are m-s-u and vanderbilt set to square off in starkville on saturday state in need of some resurgance following the team's 41-nothing shutout against 2nd ranked alabama last weekend as the offensive woes continue for head coach mike leach's squad...staring q-b k.j.

Costello still uncertain to start this weekend following a recent injury leach saying earlier this week there's a chance we'll see will rogers get the start against the dores leach: "i'd say it's 50-50.

That's what they were last weekend too."

"i think he does a good job.

I mean you've got a guy that if covid hadn't hit, he'd have been at the prom three months ago.

I think that a guy that comes in and has the limited experience he does and does some quality things, i think it's been impressive.

And he's got a good presence and demeanor with the huddle."

Over halfway over halfway through this unprecendted season in the southeastern conference...week seven right on the horizon here let's take a look at the current standings in the s- e-c west right now -- alabama...the crimson tide have held the 2nd ranking in the nation for six week's now...currently holding the best record in the s-e-c overall...6-0 and undefeated obviously, with an s-e-c exclusive schedule conference and overall records will be identical other teams sitting in the top half of the s-e-c west...7th ranked texas a&m followed by 24th ranked auburn both the aggies and tigers with relatively similar records 4-1 for a&m and 4-2 for auburn... now looking at the bottom half of the west... ole miss sitting as the second worst team in the west...out of 7 teams the rebels sit at number 6... rebels with only two wins on the year...ole miss serves it's bye this week before south carolina in week eight meanwhile, mississippi state falls in last place in the west....bulldogs with only one win on the year..however, a win against vanderbilt this week would tie msu and ole miss up in the last spot in the west the saying goes that big time players make big time plays that's exactly the case for our wcbi player of the week!

North pontotoc's kaden wilson stepped up big time for the vikings as the team knocked off the defending 4a state champions corinth in a 49-46 track meet!

Wilson had 3 receptions for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns including this wrap around behind the back grab that wilson took 70 yards to the house!

The senior viking also had a 50 yard kickoff return that set up his game winning td reception with 10 seconds remaining to wrap up a night that he says he'll never forget!

"i think the behind the back is the best one for me.

I will remember that for awhile.

It was difficult.

I had it.

It fell so i put it on my hip and then pushing it all the way around i had to get control of it.

When i finally got control, i just ran with it hard."

Look last look last look last look last look last look last look