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.

Alabama profits off prisoners safe enough to work at McDonald’s, deems them too dangerous for parole

No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. Best Western, Bama Budweiser and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded and unruly prison systems in the U.S.

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Share your thoughts on gun violence in Birmingham

Anyone in Birmingham who wants to weigh in on how to address the city’s gun violence can do so through a survey offered by an independent gun violence commission. The commission has been working since October to find ways to reduce Birmingham’s homicide rates.

Barely Legal: Some officials in Alabama want to outlaw delta-8. Others want to make it safer

Delta-8, which comes from hemp, is processed to create a concentrated form of THC. It’s legal for sale in Alabama … at least for now.

Federal regulators say an Alabama coal mine’s plans may violate law, leaving citizens at risk

A “ten-day notice” issued to Alabama officials aims to mitigate risks to citizens living above Oak Grove Mine. It comes after months of state inaction and community outrage.


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 wants to lower recidivism rates by 2030. What are the obstacles?

Last year, Alabama set an ambitious goal for itself: lower recidivism by 25% and increase post-incarceration employment rates by 50% by 2030. But a recent study on the state's criminal justice re-entry programming shows that many formerly incarcerated people are falling through the cracks.

An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant

Towana Looney is the fifth American given a gene-edited pig organ — and notably, she isn’t as sick as prior recipients who died within two months of receiving a pig kidney or heart.

Remembering Gip’s Place and the Bessemer bluesman who started it all

The unassuming juke joint operated in the backyard of longtime Bessemer resident Henry “Gip” Gipson. Gipson died five years ago this fall.

Girls Rock Birmingham gives future artists the spotlight

Picture a rock band and chances are it’s a bunch of men. But Girls Rock Birmingham, a local youth organization, is fixing that spotlight on girls by giving them the chance to take the stage to rock out.

Alabama lawmakers eye change to school funding formula

Lawmakers have no plans to increase taxes but are looking to revamp the formula that divvies out state funds.