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.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest data obtained by the Deportation Data Project shows that the New Orleans ICE office's area of responsibility has the second-highest arrest rate in the country relative to its noncitizen immigrant population. -
Clint Cointment says his administration isn't hiding any public records about the Hyundai Steel deal, despite denying requests from residents, advocacy groups, the courts and the Gulf States Newsroom. -
Residents who live near where SpaceX’s rockets will be launched say they were kept in the dark about the project. -
Sheriffs receive 20% of Louisiana’s opioid settlement money but are not required to report how they spend those dollars. Records reveal how 43 offices are spending their share. -
Larry Hand, Entergy’s VP of regulatory and public affairs, wrote or suggested changes to PSC commissioners on two occasions, according to data obtained by the Gulf States Newsroom. -
Within months of signing a NDA with Laidley LLC, Letlow began buying stock in Meta and Nvidia. She didn't disclose those trades for more than a year. -
Judge sends Meta subpoena fight to full Public Service Commission in Louisiana. -
Records show Landry personally executed a "Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement" in April 2024 with Laidley LLC, the data center subsidiary of Meta Platforms. -
Legal experts warn that the NDAs could create a culture of fear and chill employees’ constitutionally protected speech. -
A new study analyzed nearly 12,000 calls to the Louisiana 988 helpline and found suicide-related calls rose sharply following unusually hot nights.
