Gulf States Gumbo

Happy Halloween!

We're back with more Ghoulish Gumbo on this week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo.

We've got three new spooky tales — all involving ghosts — from each state, with a new cast of characters taking off their journalism caps to see who’s the most haunting storyteller — Maya Miller in Mississippi, Nellie Beckett in Alabama and Aubri Juhasz in Louisiana.

This episode is hosted by Orlando Flores Jr., who is also a producer for the show.  The podcast is produced by Juhasz, Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

This week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo is all about music.

The seventh annual Public Radio Music Day is Wednesday (Oct. 28), and in the wake of massive cuts to public media, this year's celebration is more important than ever. 

Public radio stations with music programs — like our partner stations in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi — bolster local musicians and music economies. They bring their communities together through live events and digital spaces. And they preserve regional history and culture. 

Regional News Editor Tanya Ott talks with some of the hosts of our region's music programs: Jon Malone — AKA DJ Supreme — the host of The Classic Hip-Hop Show at WBHM's The Hub; Taylor Caffery, the host of folk music program Hootenany Power at WRKF; and Burgin Mathews, host of The Lost Child at WBHM.

This episode is hosted by Ott, who is also a producer for the show.  The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

This week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo marks the show's second anniversary!

To celebrate, Regional News Editor Tanya Ott looks back at some of the best episodes of our show's run so far — from the cost of hurricane evacuations and covering major live events to special investigations cooked up by the team.

This episode is hosted by Ott, who is also a producer for the show.  The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

In this week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, community engagement reporter Elise Catrion Gregg hosts a double feature looking at how Mississippi celebrates Elvis Presley — Tupelo's native son and the King of Rock and Roll. 

Joining her is Nick Perkins, an Elvis Tribute Artist and the 2018 champion of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Competition at the Tupelo Elvis Festival. 

This episode is hosted by Elise Catrion Gregg.  The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected]. 

And support our local station partners by donating to  WWNO, WRKF, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week’s episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, we’re talking about tribal colleges and universities — known as TCUs — and why our region has none.

Community engagement reporter Elise Catrion Gregg shares her reporting, and we look at how some TCUs are still reaching students in the South.

This episode is hosted by Aubri Juhasz. The podcast is produced by Maya Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week’s episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, senior reporter Drew Hawkins and youth and families reporter Aubri Juhasz talk about one of the strongest selling points for data centers in the Gulf South — jobs.

Aubri takes us to Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, where students are training to become data center technicians.

This episode is hosted by Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores, Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, WRKF, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week’s episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, sports and culture reporter Joseph King digs into why Birmingham, Alabama, has caught the attention of one of the world's premier extreme sports competitions.

The head of location scouting for FISE — Festival International des Sports Extrêmes — says Birmingham has "one of the best skate parks in the U.S. It's unbelievable!"

This episode is hosted by Orlando Flores Jr. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week’s episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, senior reporter Drew Hawkins takes us to Pecan Island — where SpaceX is building the world’s biggest spaceport. 

State officials are hyping it up, but residents fear it’ll do irreparable damage to the place they call home. 

This episode is hosted by Elise Catrion Gregg. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Maya Miller, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores Jr., and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected]. 

And support our local station partners by donating to  WWNO, WRKF, MPB, or WBHM.

Gulf States Newsroom's former economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha has written about data centers, Dollar Generals and housing affordability. Now, at NPR, he covers personal finance, capturing stories of economic impacts on southern communities.

In this week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, Stephan joins government and democracy reporter Maya Miller to talk more about his work.

This episode is hosted by Maya Miller. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores Jr., and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected]. 

And support our local station partners by donating to  WWNO, WRKF, MPB, or WBHM.

Last year, the Gulf States Newsroom examined the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina in a live event at the Prytania Theater.

This year, we returned to the Prytania on August 20th, where our development director Marci Schramm convened a panel of scientists, activists and community leaders working to organize and protect New Orleans ahead of future natural disasters.

We started with a short documentary screening from the Katrina Archive, followed by a presentation by documentary filmmaker Dr. Wesley Shrum and Louisiana State Museums’ Becky Mackie.

Senior reporter Drew Hawkins also sat down with Dr. Bryan Piazza, Broderick Bagert, James Karst, Sister Alicia Costa, Meagan Williams and Jessica Dandridge-Smith to hear about their triumphs and challenges in the work of hurricane preparation.

This episode is hosted by Nellie Beckett, who is also our community engagement producer. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Elise Catrion Gregg, Maya Miller, Drew Hawkins, Tanya Ott, Orlando Flores Jr., and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.