Too many local news outlets have disappeared in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. The Gulf States Newsroom was created to ensure that stories related to health care, criminal justice, the economy and other important issues continue to be told. WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana, WBHM in Alabama, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and NPR are working together as a regional newsroom to plan coverage, share resources and add reporting power in a story-rich region that has for too long gone under-covered.
Support for the Gulf States Newsroom comes from WBHM, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR, the Commonwealth Fund and the Public Welfare Foundation. To learn more about the Gulf States Newsroom, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.
The Regional Team:
Ryan Vasquez, interim managing editor based at WWNO in New Orleans
Orlando Flores Jr., digital editor based at WWNO in New Orleans
Stephan Bisaha, senior reporter covering economic mobility based at WBHM in Birmingham
Kat Stromquist, senior reporter covering justice, incarceration and gun violence based at WWNO in New Orleans
Drew Hawkins, public health reporter based at WWNO in New Orleans
Nellie Beckett, community engagement producer based at WBHM in Birmingham
Joseph King, sports and culture reporting fellow based at WBHM in Birmingham
Danny McArthur, environment & communities reporter based at Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson
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A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty. -
Legislation to impose additional fines on people convicted of sexual assault is moving through the Louisiana Legislature amid federal cuts to the centers. -
While the event has been criticized for its controversial and dangerous events, it also offers a chance for participants to connect to the outside world. -
The demonstration condemned Trump's border crackdown policies that have led to the detention of students, activists and people without documents in Louisiana. -
Lil Wayne will close out the main stage for the first time in his career Saturday — a feat that’s eluded most other rappers who’ve performed at the festival. -
A court hearing in Baton Rouge provided a rare window into working conditions on Louisiana State Penitentiary's "farm line," which prisoners are challenging. -
SB 2 proponents presented unfounded links between the levels of fluoride in drinking water and autism, low IQ and thyroid problems at the hearing. The bill is strongly opposed by health experts and dentists. -
The American Lung Association's latest "State of the Air" report shows air quality has worsened in some Gulf South metro areas. -
Past success bringing foreign car companies stateside means the U.S. has more to lose and less to gain in today’s trade wars. -
Urban flooding has long plagued Treme, a historically Black neighborhood in New Orleans. Residents are getting creative to find solutions to the issue.
