Gulf States Gumbo

On this week's episode, WWNO education reporter Aubri Juhasz talks with us about the legal battle behind Louisiana’s attempt to display the Ten Commandments in public schools. 

We also hear from senior reporter Kat Stromquist on the impact recent immigration enforcement in New Orleans could have on Mardi Gras tourism. 

This episode is hosted by Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Elise Catrion Gregg, Kat Stromquist, 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, Shamira Muhammad of Mississippi Public Broadcasting joins us to recap her reporting on the burning of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson this month. Police say the fire was deliberately set, and the event has shaken some Mississippi communities. 

We also hear an update from community engagement reporter Elise Catrion Gregg about the state of food banks in the Gulf South. 

This episode is hosted by Joseph King, who is also our social producer. The podcast is produced by Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. 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, we look at how expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act will impact people in the Gulf South. 

Public health reporter Drew Hawkins was on the road talking to folks in the region while Congress debated extending the subsidies in December. He gives us a sense of what he’s hearing. 

This episode is hosted by Elise Catrion Gregg. The podcast is produced by Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

On this week’s episode, we look back at 2025 and the stories we’ve told. 

As part of a Gulf States Newsroom tradition, the team reflects on the moments that stuck with them and how they will help shape their coverage in 2026. 

This episode is hosted by Orlando Flores Jr. The podcast is produced by Elise Catrion Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, families found themselves trying to recover and put their lives back together during the holiday season. 

In Mississippi, one museum is documenting what that looked like for folks on the coast 20 years ago. 

In this week’s episode, community engagement reporter Elise Gregg reports from Waveland, talking to the people there in 2005, and the people keeping those memories alive today. 

This episode is hosted by senior reporter Kat Stromquist. The podcast is produced by Elise Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our social producer is Joseph King.  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.

Introducing Who Owns the Flavor: New Orleans. 

On this week’s episode, we explore what makes New Orleans cuisine unique, and which restaurants are working to preserve the city’s famous flavors. 

For their capstone project, a student reporting team at the University of Missouri travelled to New Orleans to interview famous families in the restaurant scene about the cultural ownership of food. Today’s episode is the third in a three-part series exploring food branding and culinary communities along the Mississippi River. The series is named for the question it seeks to answer: who owns the flavor? 

This episode is hosted by the project's producer, Sophia Anderson. It is voiced by Paige Halter, and reported by their team at the University of Missouri. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

On this week’s episode, we check in with reporters covering an immigration sweep in the Gulf South. 

Bobbi-Jeanne Misick from Verite News gives the lay of the land for the enforcement and shares the reaction from South Louisiana's immigrant communities. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins and education reporter Aubri Juhasz from partner station WWNO also chime in with what they're hearing about community response, including in schools. 

This episode is hosted by Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Elise Catrion Gregg, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

On this week’s episode, we remember challenges at the Orleans Parish Prison after Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of people were left behind for the storm. 

Senior reporter Kat Stromquist spoke with a survivor of that experience, and also talked to people running jails and prisons in the Gulf South about their hurricane plans, which look a little different today. 

This episode is hosted by Orlando Flores Jr. The podcast is produced by Elise Gregg, Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha, and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

On this week’s episode, we’re taking a look at data centers. Tech company Meta says it’s building the largest data center in the world — in Richland Parish, Louisiana. 

Since construction started, residents have been dealing with an onslaught of traffic — dump trucks and 18-wheelers heading to the site using two-lane country highways. An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins found the increased truck traffic is also causing more crashes. 

This episode is hosted by Joseph King. The podcast is produced by Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Elise Gregg, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.

On this week’s episode, we take a look at how drug checking services save lives in the Netherlands — and why there aren’t any in the Gulf South. 

The Dutch support these services with national and local funding. In the Gulf South, many of these programs aren’t legal, and federal funding cuts threaten the harm reduction services that do exist. 

This episode is hosted by Elise Gregg. The podcast is produced by Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. 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.