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It comes to solving crimes.... law enforcement often rely on the áyourá help... in the golden triangle... the public can now help out from the palm of their hand... it's an app called p- 3 tips... our quentin smith talks with the lowndes county sheriff's department about the new app.... so quentin how soon can the public use this app???

Scott..

It's up and running right now// instead of calling crime stoppers to report a crime....you can now send everything in a text into the app... lowndes county sheriff eddie hawkins believes the app will help them solve crimes faster and improve relationships between law enforcement and the community... helping solve crime with one touch of a finger.

A crime fighting app called p3 tips allows you to text in tips regarding a crime, all while remaining anonymous.

"it's a nationwide app and if you go to it and click on mississippi, and then click on the city of columbus, it will bring up the golden triangle crime stoppers.

Then you can report that information through the app and it goes straight to crime stoppers, and then the crime stoppers coordinator will get this information and push it out to the right entity who need this information from the public."

"basically it's a tool for better communication, just the sheriffs department and the community working together to solve crimes that are going on in our community."

Anything from pictures..

To videos can be sent in through the app.... all you have to do is log onto the app.... select the city and county where the crime is taking place... choose the type of crime it is..

And type up a quick description detailing what's happening..

"once law- enforcement is able to make an arrest or make a case on these individuals, then they will get a code number to collect a reward."

With the p3 tips app, the public can send in tips on crimes that have happened recently...as well as crimes that still remain unsolved.

With the tech savvy world that we're living in....investigators at the lowndes county sheriffs department believe this is an innovative way to get everyone in the community involved...especial ly the younger generation.

"i talked to a lot of kids who don't want to come by the police department or really don't want to call and talk to crimestoppers, but you can text all of your information and it's just you and the computer."

Once you've submitted a tip, the crime stoppers coordinator might send back follow up questions// hawkins says if this happens, the user remains anonymous at all times.

The app is free on apple and android devices.

Take gfx off top once you've downloaded the á p-3 tips appá maybe you can help the lowndes county sheriff's department find a suspected armed robber..

They have released this picture of the suspect// investigators say it happened at the dollar general on highway 45 near the columbus air force bast sunday night just before 10// the man allegedly had a hand gun // deputies believe the man left in a small blue car with tinted windows// no word on how much money he got away with.

Anyone with information is asked to call golden triangle crime stoppers// a roundtable discussion was held this morning by the columbus police department to discuss the departments latest updates and future objectives// the discussion was led by police chief fred shelton// chief shelton says an issue the department is facing as of late is officers leaving the department before their contracts are up// other topics addressed were police jobs available at the department.

Shelton says there are currently 35 entry level openings// also, social media..

Shelton wants the public to not believe everything they see on social media when it comes to crimes in columbus// "when we see something on facebook, that don't look right.

We go.

And we fix it.

And we put it out .

So what i'm telling you is the most credible information you going to get is from the city website or the official columbus facebook page.

Or our twitter account."

If you're interested in joining the columbus police department, we'll have all that information for you on our website// first look summary: long awaited sunny and dry conditions will settle in just in time for the start of the weekend.

Some showers are possible late sunday but better odds of rain and perhaps some thunder will exist sunday night and monday.

Another blast of cold air is possible by the middle of next week and we can't totally rule out some snow flakes on wednesday.

Time will tell.

Thursday night: turning clear and much colder.

Lows in the upper 20s with wind chill values dropping into the low 20s and teens.

Northerly winds 10-15 mph.

Friday: sunny.

Highs in the mid 40s.

Winds n 10-15 mph.

Friday night: clear as folks along the pearl river are cleaning up their homes from after this round of flooding-- others are looking to clean up the trash that's now washed up// courtney ann jackson has the latest on the next steps// the pearl river is still receding.

But it's leaving behind an ugly---and dirty truth.

Christopher lockhart owns capital city kayak adventures.

"that's the thing about trash...it floats and it flows.

It might be a bottle that came all the way from north mississippi that found its way stuck in our creeks.

Or it could be a bottle from madison that found its way from the chick fil a to the pearl river.

But majority of the creeks that go through the city, they do drain into the river."

We've introduced you to lockhart before---during a previous pearl river clean sweep.

Last year---they were stationed in several spots up and down the pearl and collected more than 40 thousand pounds of trash.

"no matter how much cleaning you do, that trash is going to flow from somewhere."

As we rode along to the edges of the water thursday---we saw everything from old bottles, styrofoam cups and tires.

"some old trash.

You're going to find bottles and pepsi cans that haven't been in circulation in decades.

So, that stuff gets unearthed and uncovered.

But at the end of the day, it's a personal responsibility.

Wildlife didn't put the trash there, we did."

It's enough to grab the attention of the first family.

"the trash that the rising waters has brought to our friends and our neighbors is quite frankly unbelievable.

And so i believe that as we move to the future, we should all be willing to do our part to help in that cleanup effort.

And my family is certainly ready to roll up our sleeves and my family is certainly ready to roll up our sleeves and help."

First lady elee reeves plans to lead a volunteer effort to clean up when the water fully recedes and they know where they can have the biggest impact.

Courtney ann jackson wcbi news top oktibbeha county emergency management hosts a disaster preparedness expo// the event offered helpful resources that families may need ahead of severe weather// mississippi is no stranger to mother nature's fury and emergency personnel want to make sure everyone's prepared for the worst// "we ask everybody to have a preparedness kit ready and sustainable for at least 72 hours.

This event helps everybody understand what that means.

Have a kit, a communication plan..it helps get families and your business back to normal faster."

There were about 30 booths set up at the safe room on lynn lane there tonight// they also held a storm spotter training class// a new hope elementary robotics team is up against some big tech guys in an upcoming competition// why they say they're not worried..that story when we come back// roll re entry centered up you don't hear of middle schoolers taking on high schoolers in any competition// but for the robotics team at new hope elementary, they're facing an older match up// before they head into their state competition friday, wcbi's bobby martinez caught up with these talented young stars who tell him, they're not worried about who they're up against// "definitely some late nights.

I know me and my teammate over here have been up here until 9 o'clock one night."

It's been a grind to get this point.

Where only..... "the best of the best get there."

The robotics team at the new hope elementary school..

Have stamped their invitation to an intense state competition friday in hattiesburg.

And to make matters more intense for these elementary students..

Sot - lucas sloan "we don't have many middle school robotics teams here.

They're all down at the coast.

So whenever we compete we usually compete against high schoolers."

And regardless of the outcome, this team has come a long way.

Each team member building life lessons they can take outside of the playing field.

Brady hogan - the teams main programmer and public relation manager says this experience is something he'll never forget.

"i've had a great experience throughout all this.

It has showed me a lot of things on how to build team ship.

And how to you know , get through the hard and tough things in robotics.

And also preparing me for the future."

As for chloe evans and hunter yarbrough, joining a robotics team has helped them learn how to be team players.

Sot - chloe "i think the experience.

You get you make a bunch of new friends.

And it's really fun to get and see like what the robots do.

Sot - hunter yarbrough "we learn a lot about or framing and engineering.

And we learn a lot about sportsmanship."

Off top students at the mississippi school for math and science get a glimpse of life in the business world// the students took part in a business plan competition// students had to design a business plan that addresses a growing concern in the state// the juniors and seniors split up into five teams and made their pitches to a panel of judges// first place winners got a three thousand dollars cash prize// msms partnered with cadence bank and lee way financial to put on this year's competition// roll wx open summary: long awaited sunny and dry conditions will settle in just in time for the start of the weekend.

Some showers are possible late sunday but better odds of rain and perhaps some thunder will exist sunday night and monday.

Another blast of cold air is possible by the middle of next week and we can't totally rule out some snow flakes on wednesday.

Time will tell.

Thursday night: turning clear and much colder.

Lows in the upper 20s with wind chill values dropping into the low 20s and teens.

Northerly winds 10-15 mph.

Friday: sunny.

Highs in the mid 40s.

Winds n 10-15 mph.

Friday night: clear and cold.

Lows in the mid to low 20s.

Saturday: sunny.

Highs in the low to mid 50s.

Saturday night: mainly clear and chilly.

Lows in the low 30s.

Sunday: increasing clouds but mainly dry.

Some late day and evening showers are possible.

Highs in the mid 50s.

Monday: warmer highs in the upper 60s.

Areas of rain with some embedded thunder.

It doesn't look like we'll have any strong to severe storms to worry about at this point but we'll keep watching it.

Tuesday: sun and clouds.

Seasonable highs in the low 60s.

Wednesday: turning much colder with temperatures topping out in the 40s.

Some data suggest there could be some rain or snow around but we're going to keep the chance of moisture at just 20%.

Stay tuned for updates.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the wcbi news app summary: long awaited sunny and dry conditions will settle in just in time for the start of the weekend.

Some showers are possible late sunday but better odds of rain and perhaps some nearly 5 million americans are living with congestive heart failure// but there are things you can do to improve symptoms// in tonight's health talk with baptist we look at treatment options// hi, i'm dr. julius kato, invasive cardiologist and part of the cardiology team at baptist memorial hospital - golden triangle.

Tonight i want to talk to you about treatment options for heart failure.

Heart failure caused by damage to the heart that has developed over time can't be cured.

But, it can be treated, quite often with strategies to improve symptoms. successful treatment depends on your willingness to get involved in managing the condition.

Your treatment plan may include: ?

Life style changes such as maintaining or losing weight; tracking your daily fluid intake, avoiding or limiting alcohol and caffeine; quitting smoking; eating a heart-healthy diet; following a regular exercise routine; managing stress; monitoring your blood pressure and getting adequate rest.

Also, prevent lung infections by getting your flu and pneumonia vaccines.

Other treatment options may include: ?

Medications ?

Devices and surgical procedures ?

Ongoing care people with mild to moderate heart failure often can lead nearly normal lives as a result of the changes recommended by their doctor.

It takes a team to manage heart failure, and you are the key player.

Your cardiologist will prescribe your medications and manage other medical problems. other team members, including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, exercise specialists and a lot is happening in hollywood// we get a sneak peek when we come back// al pacino leads a al pacino leads a team of vigilantes in a new amazon prime series, and hollywood hits the "blue" carpet for the premiere of pixar's "onward."

Nichelle medina has those stories and more in today's eye on entertainment.

Al pacino stars in the amazon original series "hunters."

The show follows a secret group of vigilantes in new york city, where nazis in hiding conspire to unleash the fourth reich in america.

The 10-episode dark thriller premieres on prime video on february 21st nats& "oh god, he's gorgeous isn't he" it's the story of an inspiring underdog.

In the first trailer for "dream horse," toni collette plays a welsh woman with aspirations to breed and own a racehorse.

She gets her neighbors to invest, and soon her horse rises through the ranks.

Based on a true story, "dream horse" races into theaters in may.

And hollywood hits the blue carpet for the premiere of "onward."

Tom holland and we'll have a last look at your forecast when we come back//