Series
Glenn Foster Jr’s family uses Super Bowl to bring awareness to his death, demand justice
The former New Orleans Saints player's family called on others, including the NFL, to advocate for Foster — who died while in police custody in Alabama.
Deep cuts to NIH funding would cause economic harm across Trump-friendly Alabama
Birmingham has become one of the country’s leading hubs for biomedical research. Banners downtown brag about the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s status in the top 1% of institutions for NIH funding, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars into the region.
New Orleans has beefed up security for Mardi Gras. For smaller parading krewes, it’s costly
The city is requiring more police officers at parades this year, putting higher costs on smaller, independent krewes vital to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras heritage.
A rare bipartisan coalition in Alabama pushes ban on machine gun conversion devices
Conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there's currently no state law prohibiting possession.
A second winter storm brings cold, rain and snow to millions
Heavy West Coast rain means mudslides threaten fire-ravaged California. Millions of Americans elsewhere get snow, rain, extreme cold and some tornadoes.
Alabama governor vows to sign bill that writes definitions of male and female into state law
The state House of Representatives voted 77-12 for the bill that defines sex based on reproductive organs that are present at birth. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey who has vowed to sign it.
Here we go again: More winter storms are heading for much of the U.S.
Break out those shovels, because storms are about to dump a mess of snow and ice on a large part of the U.S. As of noon Tuesday, at least 20 states were under winter warnings or advisories.
Tourism in New Orleans remains strong despite terrorist attack. Will the trend last?
The Super Bowl is in town, and so far, fears that visitors would avoid the big game because of January’s attack on Bourbon Street have not rang true.
Bestselling novelist Tom Robbins dies at 92
Robbins dazzled readers with the whimsy and imagination in his books, including Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
Snow and ice blanket parts of the northern U.S., and more winter weather is on the way
A mix of snow and ice blanketed a large swath of the northern U.S. over the weekend, after a major winter storm hit parts of the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region and the Northeast.
Republicans target immigration in legislature’s opening week
Republicans hit the ground running as the Alabama legislative session started this week. Among their top priorities is a package of immigration bills, which advanced out of committee and onto the Senate. We talk about that and other action this week with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television.
U.S. veterans work to make sense of New Year’s Day incidents: It’s ‘doubly tragic’
U.S. veterans are worried that two deadly incidents involving current and former service members could increase stigma, or paint veterans as somehow damaged.
In wake of mass shootings, Alabama lawmakers eye ban on Glock switches and public safety bills
After a violent year marked by multiple mass shootings in Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers from both parties are backing a proposed ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
Crime and education on the agenda for the 2025 legislative session
The 2025 legislative session in Alabama kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 4 with plenty on the agenda. Education, public safety, and of course the budgets are expected to come up. We get a preview of what's ahead with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Amid sewage issues, a nonprofit is helping Alabama Black Belt residents find solutions
As the region grapples with poor sanitation, groups like the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program are taking it upon themselves to address the issue.
Watch: ‘Voices of District 2’ highlights challenges, strengths of Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District
Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's virtual listening session discussing its coverage of Alabama's 2nd Congressional District during the 2024 election.
The Gulf South needs more sexual assault nurse examiners. Is teleSANE the answer?
While some see telemedicine as a useful tool to help provide care to sexual assault survivors, others believe it's not enough to solve the nursing shortage.
In New Orleans, focus shifts toward community recovery, healing after terror attack
Officials and health experts are working to make sure those affected by the Bourbon Street attack have access to the medical and financial resources they need.
The 2024 moments that will stick with us: Reflections from the Gulf States Newsroom
Our regional reporters reflect on delightful, discarded moments they had in the field as they covered stories across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
‘Driven by something greater’: Meet Birmingham’s trainer to the stars of today and the future
Otis Leverette, better known as ‘Coach O,’ is a strength and conditioning coach in the South that’s impacting athletes' lives beyond sports.
Q&A: The little-known history of how enslaved people were jailed in antebellum New Orleans
Author John Bardes discusses how Louisiana’s complicated history with mass incarceration began with imprisonment being used as a tool against enslaved people.
Alabama leads US in ‘pregnancy criminalization’ cases following Dobbs decision: report
The report’s findings help shed light on the use of criminal laws informed by the idea of fetal personhood, a legal premise gaining traction in the South.
One-day strikes are in: Why unions are keeping it short on the picket line
Strikes can be a double-edged sword. Keeping them short can help workers gain leverage while minimizing the pain for those who don’t have it.
Medicaid coverage is expanding into prisons in 2025, starting with children
New federal policies extend Medicaid to incarcerated youth and open the door for adult inmates to get coverage before they’re released.
Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes
Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.
In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence
As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.
Here are 3 questions to ask before panic buying during a supply chain breakdown
The dock worker strike in October led to some shoppers panic buying the wrong items. Here are tips for how to prep the right way, according to experts.
Challenges to forced prison labor gain steam, have resonance in the Gulf South
A lawsuit objecting to conditions on the Louisiana State Penitentiary's "farm line" is among at least three legal challenges percolating in the Gulf South.
‘Where’s Jeff?’: Unhoused and struggling with opioid addiction in Birmingham
As Alabama decides how to spend its opioid settlement funds, a good Samaritan spends her free time helping “her people” who struggle with addiction.
Alabama’s 2nd nitrogen gas execution raises questions about method’s future use
As Alabama sets the course for the controversial execution method's future, activists and legal scholars say eyewitness accounts could halt widespread adoption.
In coastal Louisiana, a sacred mound is returned to the Native American tribe who built it
The Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha tribe views the land’s rematriation as a joyous occasion — even though it’s disappearing due to coastal land loss.
Efforts to restore voting rights for people with felony convictions lag in the Gulf South
A new report shows that more people with past felony convictions can vote in this election cycle than previous ones, but millions remain disenfranchised.
