Tech companies have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars to build new data centers. These centers are the backbone behind AI and are being built across the country – including two record-setting $10 billion dollar projects in Mississippi. But while billions being invested in communities might sound great, our economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha reports they create few permanent jobs. 

A new collection of essays, art and poetry by men incarcerated at the Mississippi State Penitentiary — best known as Parchman Farm — is shedding light on one of the country's most notorious prison units. It's the culmination of a more than three year effort that began shortly after the most violent period in Parchman's history. Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Michael McEwen has that story. 

And Louisiana has carried out its first-ever nitrogen gas execution — the second state to use that method to put someone to death, after Alabama. Our criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist reports the execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr. is the state's first in 15 years. 

This week’s Gulf States Gem: the meatloaf at Ajax Diner in Oxford, Mississippi. 

This episode is hosted and written by Stephan Bisaha. The podcast was produced by Danny McArthur, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Tyler Taboada Pratt. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

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

In this episode, environment and communities reporter Danny McArthur, economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha and WBHM managing editor Andrew Yeager discuss what's at stake for Gulf South scientists as the Trump administration makes cuts to big agencies — like the National Institutes of Health.

Also, sports and culture reporter Joseph King meets with a Black Masking Indian queen in New Orleans. As she retires from parading, she reflects on cultural appropriation. This week’s Gulf States Gem: Maria's Mercado in Morton, Mississippi.

This episode is hosted by environment and communities reporter Danny McArthur. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Tyler Taboada Pratt. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

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

This week, we’re on the water.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management made some new rules to help clean up old oil wells in the Gulf. WWNO's Eva Tesfaye talks with environment and communities reporter Danny McArthur about why some states aren't happy — and suing to prevent it.

Also, Danny takes a river trip down the Mississippi River with teens taking in the great outdoors.

This week's gem: Alabama's lakes, rivers and bays. 

This episode is hosted by sports and culture reporter Joseph King. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Danny McArthur, Orlando Flores Jr. and Tyler Taboada Pratt. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

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

Who pays for security at the Mardi Gras parades everyone loves? 

Public health reporter Drew Hawkins reports that, oftentimes, smaller independent krewes foot their own bill. And it's getting more expensive after the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans. 

Also, economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha visits the French Quarter to talk to businesses in the wake of that attack.

This week’s Gulf States Gem: Picks from a Carnival historian. 

This episode is hosted and written by criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Danny McArthur, Orlando Flores Jr. and Tyler Taboada Pratt. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

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

Out. Of. Network. Dreaded words for anyone who needs life-saving medical care. But sometimes doctors in an insurance company’s network can’t perform that care. Our public health reporter Drew Hawkins tells us about one Mississippi family who went above and beyond to get a critically needed surgery— but were still denied.

And we hear about what the Trump Administration’s plans to cut health research would mean for Alabama. 

For this week’s Gulf States Gem we brag on our favorite libraries. 

This episode is hosted by economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha and edited by Tyler Pratt. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

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

Two men with military ties made headlines after two deadly incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Some veterans have been trying to make sense of the tragic events. 

And our criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist is joined by Texas Newsroom reporter Lauren McGaughy to tell us more about these deadly events and the reporting they’ve been doing around them. This week’s Gulf States Gem: Lauren  shares why she loves Mardi Gras, which includes decorating boots and having French Quarter brunches.

This episode is hosted by environment and communities reporter Danny McArthur and edited by Tyler Pratt. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

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

How the big game is impacting the Big Easy.

We’ll hear about some of the steps being taken to help keep people visiting New Orleans for the Super Bowl safe in light of the New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street. And we’ll also hear more about how the Super Bowl impacts the culture and the people who live and work in New Orleans — and about some of the players connected to the Gulf South you might see out on the field. 

This episode is hosted by health equity reporter, Drew Hawkins, and produced by Stephan Bisaha. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

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

Alabama’s Black Belt has been dealing with sanitation issues for a long time, and now residents are creating ways to solve their problem. Our Environmental justice reporter Danny McArthur has been investigating these issues for years and tells us more. We also find out what Louisiana is doing with empty homeless encampments with the Super Bowl a week away. This week’s Gulf States Gem: The McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama. 

This episode is hosted by sports and culture reporter Joseph King and edited by Stephan Bisaha. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

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

Missing water bills can cause headaches for utility customers. Economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha tells one Alabama family's story and looks into how smart water meters can be a solution. Also, reporter Matt Bloom from partner station WWNO reports on a push to close parts of the French Quarter to car traffic in the wake of a truck attack.

This episode is hosted by criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist and edited by Tyler Pratt. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

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

There’s a shortage of specialized nurses who play a critical role in providing care to sexual assault survivors. Particularly in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. They are called sexual assault nurse examiners — or SANEs. Our health equity reporter Drew Hawkins explains that one potential solution is to use telemedicine — but it’s currently not available in the Gulf South.

Also, Louisiana has a long history with the French language. And while most Louisianans no longer speak it, a growing number want their kids to learn. The question is: what kind of French? WWNO’s Aubri Juhasz takes us to a school down the bayou that’s taking a novel approach — by teaching students to talk like their grandparents. 

And we check in on the Cookie Inflation Index. 

This week’s gem – Mt Fuji in Tupelo, Mississippi. 

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