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.
The Gulf States Newsroom thanks those who make our work possible through their support, including: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, Moises Itzkowich Foundation, Theresa McDonald, the Trust for Civic Life, Advancing Democracy, Haberman Foundation, WWNO, WRKF, WBHM, MPB, and individual donors from our region and across the country. To learn more about the Gulf States Newsroom, or to support our work, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.
The Regional Team:
Ryan Vasquez, acting managing editor based at WWNO in New Orleans
Orlando Flores Jr., deputy managing editor based at WWNO in New Orleans
Kat Stromquist, senior reporter covering justice, incarceration and gun violence based at WWNO in New Orleans
Drew Hawkins, senior reporter covering public health based at WWNO in New Orleans
Nellie Beckett, community engagement producer based at WBHM in Birmingham
Joseph King, sports and culture reporter based at WBHM in Birmingham
Elise Catrion Gregg, community engagement reporter based at MPB in Jackson
Marci Schramm, development director based at WWNO in New Orleans
Andrea Miller, business manager based at WBHM in Birmingham
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The declining number of Gulf shrimpers who are still in business are now struggling as gas prices rise and competition with cheaper imports remains high. -
Groups across the Gulf South are organizing, holding rallies and pushing back against efforts to eliminate Black congressional districts. -
Similar issues that plagued early voting in Louisiana were present on election day. The state Democratic Party says the “mass confusion” amounts to “voter suppression and voter intimidation.” -
In a “Red Alert” message, the incumbent senator claims “the Jeff Landry election process mess” has kept some from being able to cast their vote for him. -
The Baltimore-based organization partnered with the budding hip-hop star to bring its social-emotional learning curriculum to a New Orleans high school. -
In the Mississippi Delta, a crucial agricultural region, farmers say their patience is wearing thin. Reeling from the effects of tariffs, they must now also navigate rising fertilizer and fuel costs. -
Lawmakers adjusted funding amounts, added organizations that had not been vetted and gave themselves broader authority over how the money could be spent. -
As Mississippi looks for alternatives to its current system of restoring voting rights, one bill was pitched this session using Alabama’s system as a framework. -
The Louisiana Public Service Commission is scheduled to take up Entergy's procedural motion at its session on Wednesday (April 15). -
Residents around Meta’s data center in Holly Ridge, Louisiana, say the air is brown and the water is rust-colored. The Gulf States Newsroom is starting a monitoring project to test the air quality.
