WDBD FOX 40 Jackson MS Local News, Weather and Sports
WDBD Television for Jackson, MS
By WLBT Digital | January 23, 2020 at 1:05 PM CST – Updated January 23 at 1:05 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – U.S. Marshals apprehended a man in Jackson Thursday.
Ryan Chandler was arrested at the Magnolia Apartments on Capitol Street.
He was wanted by police for aggravated assault and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By WLBT Digital | January 23, 2020 at 7:39 AM CST – Updated January 23 at 9:08 AM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A local Jackson animal rescue group responded to an anonymous call about a dog in danger Tuesday afternoon and what they found made them sick.
An emaciated dog in deplorable condition, not even a year old, was sitting in a plastic crate in a backyard in Jackson.
Temperatures had dropped down into the 20′s the previous two nights, yet somehow this dog survived.
The owner of the dog showed up when the rescuers was there and surrendered the dog to them.
Lovingly named Sweet Pea, the 9-month old dog was rushed to the vet.
The vet said her body temperature was low and she almost froze to death. He didn’t know how she survived the 20 degree cold and said she was a survivor and wants to live.
Not only is Sweet Pea malnourished, but she has mange, upper respiratory issues and a prolapsed rectum that has been that way for awhile.
Rescuers said she was eating and trying to play, despite her injuries. She was sweet and gentle with all who handled her.
Sadly, the sickening condition of the dog isn’t a rare sight for the rescue. Dogs in this condition and worse come in all the time.
Animal breeding and cruelty laws are weak in the state of Mississippi. Advocates have tried to get the laws strengthened over the years, but overpopulation and abuse is still an ongoing issue.
“It’s terrible how some of them come in.” Board Member Tracy DeVries said, “There’s no real system to manage all of the issues including these extreme cases where there’s been neglect or abuse, and then add on a series of issues to that. We’re just one shelter in the area – a very big one- and we are all overwhelmed and in need of funds, volunteers, fosters, adopters, as well as advocates and educators to share better ways with the community to care for these animals who through no fault of their own end up with us. We wish we had one, but there’s no fairy godmother paying all of our bills”
Sweet Pea will stay at Animal Medical Center for awhile as she recovers and has surgery.
Update on Sweet Pea. She has survived the night and will have surgery tomorrow. The vet thought it important to have…
Posted by Animal Rescue Fund of MS (ARF) on Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Donations can be called into Animal Medical Center at (601) 354-3622.
You can also mail donations to 395 West Mayes Street Jackson Ms. 39213 or Paypal the rescue at arfms@comcast.net.
Be sure to follow the rescue’s facebook page for updates on Sweet Pea and other dogs with similar stories to her.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By Chelsey Sellars | January 22, 2020 at 7:42 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 8:29 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – China shut down air and train travel out of the city of Wuhan, in the central part of the country, as they battle the coronavirus breakout.
“There are only 7 types of coronavirus that we know of which can do this. The majority are just limited to the animals,” said Dr. Bhagyashri Navalkele from UMMC broke down what the Center of Disease Control calls a serious outbreak.
It is similar to the SARS outbreak that happened in 2002.
The CDC said this coronavirus may have come from a seafood market in Wuhan, China that has since been closed.
“Human to human transmission cases have still not been confirmed… that’s where it’s suspected that the people got in contact,” said Navalkele.
Airports in China and the U.S. have created checkpoints to check passengers for symptoms like a fever.
“More of a lower respiratory infection, which means shortness of breath. They might have cough, they might bring up some phlegm, they can or cannot have fever along with all the other symptoms,” said Navalkele.
Navalkele said people traveling to Asia are more susceptible to getting sick along with those with weak immune systems.
However, early detection will lead to treatment; “the treatment is supportive care so basically you rest, you give appropriate hydration so fluids and treat as the symptoms occur.”
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By David Kenney | January 22, 2020 at 7:42 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 7:42 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – From Bellingrath Road to Bellewood Drive, from Dinsmor to northwest Jackson, residents have reported the same strange odor.
“It was in the front yard,” Wilson Day said. “Come out the front door. Definitely smelled the odor. It was noticeable, it was a strong, natural, gas smell.”
Atmos Energy says they received hundreds of calls reporting gas smells in Ridgeland and Jackson.
They went to check the source of the odor and found they did not have any leaks.
They’ve now hired a 3rd party environmental company to find out where the stench is coming from.
“It is strange, but I do appreciate they checked it and didn’t smell it. That they continued to pursue the people’s request to find out what was going on and have an outside firm to independently look and see what the cause was. Hopefully they’ll be able to pin it down,” said Day.
Atmos won’t be releasing the source of the smell until the testing is done.
Those results expected any day now.
They say if you smell gas call 911 and get out of the area.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By Roslyn Anderson | January 22, 2020 at 7:00 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 7:00 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the nation, that means one in four children struggle with hunger.
A charitable agency feeding those families is now in desperate need and hopes you will help stock their shelves.
“We need things that we can feed a family with,” said Salvation Army Communications Director Melissa Hartfield as she walks through the barren food storeroom.
The Salvation Army pantry is practically bare.
The shelves are empty of the food needed to feed low income families in the Jackson metro area.
Hartfield said there has been a recent drop in food donations.
The bare shelves are usually stocked with food for the Grocery Assistance Program.
The charity sees a slump in donations around the Christmas holidays and in the summer.
“It just started to run low last week. We just go through groceries pretty quickly, especially when the kids are out of school,” said Hartfield. “So we’re feeling the bump form Christmas vacation when those kids are not getting the breakfast and lunch at school”.
Wednesday morning volunteer Lisa was moving canned and non-perishable items from the main pantry to a smaller pantry where they are packed for distribution to families.
They are in need of canned meat and vegetables and staples like rice, beans, soup and peanut butter.
“We really do try to put together groceries where you can actually create meals and keep your family fed not just a bunch of canned vegetables,” added Hartfield.
In 2018 the Salvation Army fed 1,500 families.
According to Feeding America.org, in Mississippi, 573,610 people are struggling with hunger,163,530 of them are children.
The Salvation Army is hoping you will remember those families and donate non-expired canned and non-perishable food to the Presto Lane location.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By Jacob Gallant | January 22, 2020 at 4:53 PM CST – Updated January 24 at 2:47 PM
OXFORD, Miss. (WLBT) – A fleet of robots is swarming the Ole Miss campus.
No need to worry, though: These robots are actually delivering meals to students and staff.
Beginning Wednesday, students can have food and drinks delivered to them anywhere on campus with the Starship Deliveries app.
The app will deliver anywhere on campus using one of 30 robots who wheel across the sidewalks.
The service even works with student meal plans.
Items can be ordered from Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, McAlister’s, Panda Express, Which Wich, Qdoba, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Raising Cane’s, Steak ‘n Shake, Freshii, Papa John’s and Sambazon.
The robots can carry up to 20 pounds of food and drinks. Deliveries typically take just minutes.
The robots use artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around any obstacles. They can even drive over curbs, across streets and through rain or snow.
In case of any issues, a human can take control of the machine manually.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Man wanted for armed robbery in Jackson
By China Lee | January 22, 2020 at 4:35 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 4:37 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson police are on the lookout for an armed man that was caught on video camera.
This man wearing an orange shirt, glasses, and a wide brimmed hat is wanted for an armed robbery that happened at a storage facility.
It happened on N. West Street in October of 2019. Police say he took some money and then ran away.
If you recognize this man call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).
You could get a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By Jacob Gallant | January 22, 2020 at 4:14 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 4:20 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Eli Manning is set to retire from the NFL.
Manning, a former Ole Miss star, is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference Friday.
The two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback just finished his 16th season in the league. He compiled 366 touchdown passes across 236 games.
He was the first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and had his best performances in the postseason, defeating the Patriots in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
By China Lee | January 22, 2020 at 2:54 PM CST – Updated January 22 at 7:37 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Another inmate has died at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton confirms that the inmate was found hanging in his one-man cell in Unit 29 Wednesday morning.
MDOC has identified the inmate as Thomas Lee, 49.
MDOC said officers performed CPR for several minutes before he was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m.
Lee pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Oct. 20, 2014, in Grenada County Circuit Court for the death of Grenada police Capt. Wayne Haddock.
Haddock was struck by a fleeing car on Oct. 7, 2011, while attempting to lay spikes across Mississippi Highway 8 west to stop the car. Lee was a passenger in the car.
The county coroner says the cause of death “appears consistent with ligature hanging,” but the official cause and manner of death are pending confirmation by an autopsy and an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Four other inmates have died at Parchman since the beginning of the new year.
The investigation into the death is ongoing, and the cause and the manner are pending confirmation of an autopsy. Identification of the inmate is pending notification of the next of kin.
— MDOC (@MS_MDOC) January 22, 2020
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Hinds County emergency crews deliver heart medicine to man blocked by flood
January 21, 2020 at 8:49 PM CST – Updated January 21 at 8:49 PM
HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – Flooding from the Pearl River continues to impact residents who live in the flood zone.
River Ridge Road outside of Terry has been flooded out for several weeks now.
Residents who have a loved one on that road called county officials in for help to check on him and to bring him his heart medicine.
Hinds County Emergency Operations responded with a boat to assist them.
It was hard navigating the strong current running over the roadbed, but officials were able to navigate through the waters and reach the man.
He was doing well and his home was not in danger of being flooded out, but it was surrounded by waters from the Pearl River.
Tracy Funchess, an Operations Coordinator with Hinds County E.O.C. said, “I’ve been operating boats for a while. We go through boat training, high water rescue training. That’s why I would only let one person get in the boat with me. It took a little while to get back there. It was a little shallower than we thought it was, but it all came together.”
Hinds County officials say it’s never safe to navigate a flooded road in a car or even in a boat.
There can be undercurrents which can cause people to lose control, and get swept away.
Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.
