WATCH: A discussion on what’s behind the spread of dollar stores with the Gulf States Newsroom
Gulf States Newsroom managing editor Priska Neely (top right) moderates a virtual discussion between senior reporter Stephan Bisaha (top left) and guest panelists Kennedy Smith (middle left), Lauren Chenarides (middle right) and Willie Lake (bottom) on July 18, 2023. The discussion was part of a virtual listening session the Gulf States Newsroom hosted on Bisaha's four-part series on what’s behind the spread of dollar stores in the Gulf South region and the consequences across rural and urban neighborhoods.
Last year, Gulf States Newsroom senior reporter Stephan Bisaha authored an award-winning story on how a rodent infestation at a Family Dollar warehouse in Arkansas forced more than 400 stores across six Southern and Midwestern states to temporarily close.
One of the stores affected was in York, Alabama, a town of about 2,500 people near the state’s border with Mississippi, where many residents depend on it because the town has no grocery store.
The story was the catalyst for a four-part series that Bisaha reported earlier this year that explains what’s behind the dollar store spread — especially in the Gulf South — and the consequences across rural and urban neighborhoods. The series also highlights plans for further expansion that are in the works, coupled with stories of communities who are pushing back.
On July 18, Bisaha and Gulf States Newsroom managing editor Priska Neely hosted a virtual listening session for the series. They were joined by guest panelists Lauren Chenarides, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, Kennedy Smith, a senior researcher at the Institute for Self-Reliance (ILSR), and Willie Lake, the mayor of York, Alabama, for a conversation and Q&A session afterward.
Highlights from the listening session include:
- 4:15: Gulf States Newsroom senior reporter Stephan Bisaha is introduced and discusses how the series originated
- 7:55-28:27: The audio series is played for the audience
- 28:49: Our three guest panelists are introduced
- 29:53: Stephan gives an update on the responses he received after the series aired
- 31:53: Panelist Kennedy Smith speaks on community reaction to the ILSR’s guide for fighting off dollar stores
- 33:35: Panelist Lauren Chenarides speaks on what it will take to understand the true impact of dollar stores
- 37:10: Panelist Wille Lake speaks on the good and bad of dollar stores in rural towns, like York
- 40:06: The audience Q&A session begins
- 55:49: Panelists speak on research they would like to see in the future to get a better understanding of the dollar store situation
You can watch the full listening session below.
MORE FROM STEPHAN BISAHA ON DOLLAR STORES
- A rodent infestation shut down Family Dollar stores. How one Alabama town is coping
- Dollar store workers are organizing for a better workplace. Just don’t call it a union.
- Dollar stores are everywhere in the South. These 5 charts explain what’s behind their growth
- Advocates warn of a ‘dollar store invasion.’ Researchers are still figuring out the consequences
- With ‘dollar stores in every direction,’ some communities are saying enough
Alabama to begin working with a consulting company that’s under criminal investigation
McKinsey & Company, an international consulting business, will help the state of Alabama develop a new strategic economic growth plan. The company is undertaking that project, while also dealing with a probe into whether it engaged in a criminal conspiracy.
‘Stupidity of politics’: Medicaid expansion effort dies in Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers couldn’t come together to pass a bill that could have expanded Medicaid for thousands of residents.
This spiky-stemmed invasive grass is taking over Alabama
Classified as one of the worst weeds in the world, cogongrass aggressively crowds out native species and costs Alabama landowners tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Gambling bill in doubt with three days left in the legislative session
Alabama lawmakers are coming down to the finish line for this year’s legislative session. Many bills await passage, but perhaps the biggest one up in the air is a lottery and gambling bill.
Pro-Palestinian demonstration draws counter-protest at University of Alabama
Students gathered demanding the school call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire and to push the school to sever ties with defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
A new Statehouse and related projects will cost about $400 million
The Alabama Legislative Council, a 20-member panel comprised of legislative leaders and their appointees, approved the construction of the new Statehouse last year. The panel was given an update on the project on Wednesday.
