Drew Hawkins
Public Health Reporter, Gulf States NewsroomDrew Hawkins is the public health reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration among public radio stations in Louisiana (WWNO and WRKF), Alabama (WBHM) and Mississippi (MPB-Mississippi Public Broadcasting) and NPR. He covers stories related to health care access and outcomes across the region, with a focus on the social factors that drive disparities.
Before joining the team, Drew freelanced for multiple outlets including The Guardian, Scalawag Magazine, Louisiana Illuminator, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, LitHub, and others.
Drew was born in Lafayette, grew up in LaPlace and moved to Ponchatoula after Katrina. He studied creative writing at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), and earned degrees at LSU in Baton Rouge. In short, he is a proud product of South Louisiana.
-
Jefferson Parish is using opioid settlement money for a new drug court. Is it the best use of funds?The parish is poised to receive $65 million from the legal settlements fund. Some argue the money would be better spent on preventative programs and other initiatives. -
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. -
Lawmakers adjusted funding amounts, added organizations that had not been vetted and gave themselves broader authority over how the money could be spent. -
The Louisiana Public Service Commission is scheduled to take up Entergy's procedural motion at its session on Wednesday (April 15). -
Two years ago, we investigated the Liquified Natural Gas export build out on the Gulf Coast. We followed those exports around the world from Louisiana to Germany to Japan to unravel the story of LNG.But that story isn’t over. Today, host Carlyle Calhoun returns to LNG with Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins. They talk about how people in Southwest Louisiana are still being impacted by this build out, how LNG exports are affecting your electricity bills and what the war in Iran means for this industry. -
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. -
Louisiana officials signed non-disclosure agreements as Amazon's $12 billion data centers unfolded in secret.
