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 Regional Team:
Priska Neely, managing editor based at WBHM in Birmingham
Orlando Flores Jr., digital editor based at WWNO in New Orleans
Shalina Chatlani, health care reporter based at WWNO in New Orleans
Stephan Bisaha, wealth and poverty reporter based at WBHM in Birmingham
WBHM News Team | WWNO News Team | MPB News Team
Funding for the Gulf States Newsroom is provided in part by NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be as active as last year’s, when thousands in the Gulf South were without power for weeks after hurricanes Laura, Zeta, Cristobal and Delta. With that increased activity comes a bigger threat to the region’s power grid. How prepared are Gulf States’ energy companies for the threat to come?
The tips Dora Whitfield earned at Harrah’s Casino covered her bills. But like a lot of workers, returning to work isn’t as simple as following the help wanted signs.
Telehealth became a necessity for many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. But with state health emergencies expiring, laws that have made it more available could go away, leaving the region’s more rural areas hurting the most due to access barriers and disparities.
Alabama has recorded multiple cases of the delta variant. Meanwhile, this week Louisiana identified its first case of the delta plus variant, a mutation of the delta variant.
States across the South are making way for more patients to legally use medical marijuana. Alabama recently passed a law legalizing it, and Louisiana is expanding its medical marijuana program. This week, Mississippi was slated to join the pack, but the Supreme Court overturned the voters’ decision.
With the lowest vaccination rates in the county, many people in the Deep South remain at risk.
