Mississippi
Watch: Residents escape wrath of tornado in Columbia, Mississippi
A tornado in southern Mississippi was captured on video sending debris into the air on Wednesday. (Cody Stevens)
COLUMBIA, Miss. – A late afternoon tornado struck the town of Columbia, Mississippi, on Wednesday, as residents snapped videos of the twister while it quickly moved through the southern portion of the state.
Many of the town’s approximately 5,000 residents had a front row seat to the twister and captured the powerful event on their cell phones.
In the videos, debris can be seen being thrown into the air as the tornado touched down in mixed-use areas of Columbia.
“You’re looking back toward between Broad Street and Church Street around East Avenue,” two-term mayor Justin McKenzie could be heard telling viewers on Facebook and those standing by his side. “Law enforcement now is reporting that there is some kind of debris in the tornado. Boy, that’s not a huge one, but I gather it has dropped down after entering into the town.”
DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER SWEEPS ACROSS SOUTH FROM MONSTER WINTER STORM, SPAWNING TORNADOES
At least one tornado was spotted moving through Columbia, Mississippi, where cameras captured the funnel touching the ground.
Cody Stevens was one of the many of the local residents who was out and about on what felt like a warm spring day before the storms moved through.
“Just narrowly avoided a tornado right outside Columbia, MS. I’m going go change my underwear now,” Stevens stated after coming face-to-face with the twister.
According to local officials, several businesses and homes were damaged, but fortunately, no significant injuries were reported in the immediate aftermath after the storm.
The town’s police and emergency management teams conducted a survey of the area, while power crews worked to restore electricity to more than 100 customers in the affected region.
The tornado occurred on what was considered to be an Enhanced Risk day by the Storm Prediction Center across several southern states.
Communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were placed under a Tornado Watches through the late evening due to the threat of rotating supercells.
Enhanced Fujita Scale
(FOX Weather)
HOW ARE TORNADOES RATED? THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE EXPLAINED
A particularly dangerous Tornado Warning was issued for communities around Thomasville, Alabama, where radar detected significant debris lofted more than 15,000 feet in the air.
Following the storm, scattered power outages were reported and photos from the Coffeeville area, north of Mobile, showed several trees and power lines down.
Alabama storm damage from Coffeeville. (2/12/2025)
(@mattmatta131/X / FOX Weather)
Authorities will likely need the help of sunlight to continue their assessments to determine the full extent of the damage in Alabama.
Despite the widespread storm threat zone, there were less than a handful of reports of confirmed tornadoes through Wednesday evening, during what has been a down year for tornadic activity across the country as a whole.
PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi’s first Dutch Bros is now open in Pearl!
The coffee shop had its grand opening on Wednesday, July 8, around 5 a.m. It is located at 200 Bass Pro Dr.
To celebrate the grand opening, customers can enjoy $3 medium drinks on Wednesday.
Store hours are Sun-Thurs: 5 a.m.- 10 p.m., Fri-Sat: 5 a.m.- 11 p.m.
Dutch Bros now has stores in 26 states.
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Mississippi
Police investigating video of Nolan Wells’ alleged argument on Horn Island before Mississippi teen went missing
MIAMI – Police are said to be investigating a video that allegedly shows a heated argument before Mississippi teen Nolan Xavier Wells went missing and was later found dead – as his grandfather said: “There’s nothing right about this.”
The 18-year-old star football player vanished during a Fourth of July boat trip with friends Saturday and a body which authorities said matched his description was found Monday morning.
Wells was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday “talking to a girl” at the north end of Horn Island, a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Cajun Navy Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.
Law enforcement have been looking into a viral clip circulated online which appears to show several people having an “intense” argument near the shoreline, TMZ reported.
It sparked speculation that the tense moment could be connected to Wells’ disappearance.
However, authorities have not confirmed that the footage is authentic or whether the people seen in it have any connection to the college student.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that Wells’ friends had left the island and gone back without him, ABC News reported.
“From what we understand, he chose to stay there,” Ledbetter added.
Ledbetter said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon that officers want to speak with anyone who “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island that day.”
Meanwhile, the family of the teen – who played as a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College – said they were seeking answers.
“Too many unanswered questions — how can a Island that was searched yesterday produce my grandsons body this morning,” his grandfather Christopher Wells Sr. wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“There’s nothing right about this, Nolan Xavier Wells deserved the same things that people he knew and associated with will enjoy in life.”
Wells Sr. later said Wells’ mom Christine and dad Elmore had “prayed for a positive outcome but they also had to prepare themselves for the worst”, adding that “it’s time for answers.”
Photos of the 6-foot-1, 180-pound teen showed him shirtless while sporting blue swim trunks, sunglasses and grinning alongside friends on a boat before he went missing.
The United Cajun Navy non-profit disaster relief organization launched aerial reconnaissance during the search to scour the waters between Horn Island and Ship Island, stretching south to the Chandelier Islands.
The United States Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department also reportedly assisted in the frantic search.
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Staff
Global manufacturing giant Jabil plans to open a massive new production facility in Marshall County, representing a $119 million corporate investment that will create approximately 2,200 jobs North Mississippi, officials announced Tuesday, July 7.
The St. Petersburg, Florida-based company is purchasing and renovating an existing 1.5 million-square-foot facility to support customers in the booming data center infrastructure market.
The expansion comes just nine months after Jabil first entered the Marshall County landscape. In September 2025, the company’s healthcare division announced a separate $70 million investment over three years to establish X-ray sterilization capabilities in the area.
“Investments like this are why Mississippi has one of the hottest job markets in America,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement, noting the quick turnaround between Jabil’s local projects. “Jabil would not be making this investment unless the company was confident that Mississippi and her people can deliver results.”
The Mississippi Development Authority is assisting the project through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, known as the MFLEX program. Additional support is being provided by Marshall County officials, AccelerateMS and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Large scale facility is key
State economic leaders emphasized that the scale of the facility positions Mississippi to capitalize on the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure.
“A 1.5-million-square-foot operation producing data center infrastructure isn’t a marginal project,” said Bill Cork, MDA executive director. “It’s proof we are in the game for advanced manufacturing tied to global demand.”
Jabil operates in more than 25 countries with a workforce of 140,000 employees, providing engineering, supply chain and manufacturing solutions across the robotics, automotive, healthcare and energy sectors.
Matt Crowley, Jabil’s executive vice president of global business units for intelligent infrastructure, said domestic capacity is becoming increasingly vital for the industry.
“Companies across the data center ecosystem are looking to build fast, and they’re increasingly looking to build in the United States,” Crowley said.
A timeline for the completion of the renovations and the start of hiring has not yet been disclosed.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
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