Mississippi
What to know about Alabama abortion rights after SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. Here’s what the decision means for the Gulf South region.
Privacy researcher worries about a ‘scenario where everyone is a sheriff’ post-Roe
As the U.S. moves toward a post-Roe world, our digital world will need to change with it. A cybersecurity researcher explains why for the Click Here podcast.
With vanpooling, workers and employers find a ‘win-win’ amid a tight labor market, high gas costs
As 2022's economic woes continue, more people are using vanpools as a cost-effective way to get to work. It’s also helping out their employers.
Q&A: After federal complaint for COVID vaccine rollout, what’s next for Mississippi?
The NAACP’s and SPLC’s federal complaint claims that Mississippi didn’t equitably spend its federal COVID-19 relief funds, leaving out communities of color.
A day after SCOTUS leak, Gulf States begin to prep for a future without Roe v. Wade
While nothing officially changes until the Supreme Court delivers its decision, advocates on both sides of the issue are preparing for an end to legal abortion.
What does a successful guaranteed income program look like? Jackson might have the answer
A successful guaranteed income program in Jackson, Mississippi could offer insights to cities in Alabama and Louisiana as they launch their own pilots.
Q&A: After DOJ’s Parchman report, what changes are needed at Mississippi Corrections?
The Gulf States Newsroom’s Brittany Brown details the Department of Justice’s report on the Mississippi State Penitentiary, and what comes next.
As Gulf South lawmakers fight over Medicaid, new moms weigh in: ‘Safety nets do save lives’
The COVID-19 health emergency could end soon; tens of thousands of new mothers could lose their healthcare coverage unless legislators take action.
Record-high gas prices are cutting into Alabama drivers’ budgets. Here’s how they’re coping
The added expense affects people in Alabama’s Black Belt differently, including road trippers, commuters and even those who can’t drive.
Why Gulf South oil producers can’t protect the region from rising gas prices
Experts say activating unused oil wells could temper the rising costs of gas, but consumers should not expect prices to get anywhere near their COVID low.
After a wave of HBCU bomb threats, a look at another era of violence at Jackson State
In 1970, the campus was the scene of a violent shooting by police that left two young men dead, many others injured and campus changed forever.
The 2021 Jackson water crisis and the cracks that remain in a long-damaged system
A year ago, below freezing temperatures collapsed Jackson, Mississippi’s water system, revealing longstanding cracks in its infrastructure.
Mississippi’s plan to stop Alabama from stealing its teachers? Pay them thousands more
As Mississippi lawmakers plot how to keep more teachers in the state, educators warn the state’s bill targeting critical race theory could drive them away.
Critical race theory divides Gulf South educators and state leaders
Critical race theory is a hot-button issue for politicians in the Gulf South. Alabama and Mississippi are attempting to pass new laws prohibiting it.
With the mental health system strained, here’s how some people are coping during the pandemic
Alabama is among the bottom of states for media health providers per capita. That has people looking online and other places to find help.
Prison visits are back in the Gulf States. Many have not seen loved ones for nearly 2 years
This holiday season, many incarcerated people in the Gulf States are seeing their loved ones for the first time since March 2020 due to COVID restrictions.
How the social safety net has — and hasn’t — changed in 2021 in 5 charts
Updates to SNAP, TANF and the Child Tax Credit have helped families in the Gulf South, but not everyone has been able to access the improved benefits.
Families in need received more from the social safety net in 2021. How helpful was it?
Experts hail changes like the Child Tax Credit and increases in SNAP benefits as historic. But were recipients better off after getting them?
As Supreme Court heard Mississippi abortion ban case, Gulf South demonstrators rallied in DC
Hundreds of demonstrators for and against abortion rights protested in front of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of a monumental hearing on Wednesday.
More renters in the Gulf South face eviction, but states are still slow providing aid
A slowed rollout to federal aid, tedious applications and non-cooperative landlords are just some of the issues renters are now facing a few months after the CDC’s eviction moratorium ended.
Why Black teens are getting vaccinated at higher rates than white teens across the South
Data acquired from health departments across the Gulf South show that among 12 to 17 year olds, Black teenagers are getting vaccinated at roughly one and a half times the rate of white teenagers.
Despite Record Number On The Road, Women Truck Drivers Still Face Barriers Getting Into Industry
Experts say trucking can lift women out of poverty, but barriers like lack of access to child care keep them out.
Uneven Vaccine Rollout Threatens To Leave Black Communities Behind
An NPR analysis of COVID-19 vaccination sites around the country found that access is uneven in cities across the South.
With New Flag Design, Mississippi Ushers In A New Symbol Of Hope
Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved a new design for a state flag to replace the Confederate-themed flag that had been in place since 1894.
Pandemic Complicates Preparations for Hurricane Season
Hurricane season in the Deep South is nothing new. But hurricane season with a pandemic? That is different.
COVID-19 Crisis Threatens To Bankrupt And Close Struggling Hospitals In The Rural South
The executive director of the Alabama Rural Health Association says closing rural hospitals is his greatest concern. That's because these hospitals located across the Deep South were struggling to stay open before COVID-19.
All Quiet on Alabama Immigrant Front in Face of ICE Raids in Neighboring Mississippi
It may have been an uneasy quiet for the large number of Hispanics among the 86,000 people employed in the Alabama poultry industry, but it has been quiet here since the 680 workers at Mississippi plants were arrested Wednesday by immigration authorities.
Promoting Humanities in a Math and Science World
Listen to Alabama politicians talk about education and you’ll hear about workforce development. They say schools should focus on math and science to help industry grow. There’s less emphasis on music or literature. That concerns John Parrish Peede. The Mississippi native became chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities earlier this year.
Alabama Has Second-Highest Infant Mortality Rate in U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a major report on infant mortality today. Alabama did not fare well. After Mississippi, it had the highest rate of infant death in the nation.
Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South: A Look Across the Region
Over the next ten years, the number of jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields are expected to outpace other industries by about five to ten percent. That’s according to the group Change the Equation, an organization that pushes for greater STEM education in schools. Yet, throughout the South, particularly in rural and high poverty communities, administrators have trouble attracting educators qualified to teach STEM.
Teaching Tough Topics: Teaching Civil War History In Mississippi As Symbols Fall
In Mississippi, the Civil War still stirs emotions. It’s not so much that teachers disagree on how it should be taught, but that ongoing attempts by the University of Mississippi and several cities across the South to shed Confederate symbols have called up old ghosts. Sandra Knispel reports for the Southern Education Desk.
Study Centers and Counselors Give Student-Athletes Academic Support
Football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics. College sports are a way of life in the South. Fans pack into stadiums or glue themselves to TV's to watch their favorite teams battle it out. But the pressure on a young person to succeed on the field or court is only half the battle. College athletes are also expected to succeed in the classroom.
