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PODCAST

Gulf States Gumbo

Gulf States Newsroom

Your weekly serving of stories from Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana — cooked up by the Gulf States Newsroom. We"re a team of journalists working with NPR & local public radio stations (WBHM, WWNO, WRKF, Mississippi Public Broadcasting) to cover the issues that matter to you – all across the region.

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All Episodes

14:16

Ghoulish Gumbo: Halloween tales from the Gulf South

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/10/31

Happy Halloween! On this week’s episode, we’re grabbing our mics and gathering around the campfire to find out which of our three states has the scariest stories. Three states, three reporters and three spooky tales. This episode is hosted by Ryan Vasquez. The podcast is produced by Elise Gregg, Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha and Orlando Flores Jr. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Joseph King is our social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. Let us know who gave

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14:16

Auto industry speed dating and Diwali upended by tariffs

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/10/24

On this week’s episode, we’re talking tariffs and their impact on cars and religion. They raised the cost of preparations for Diwali. And at a speed dating event at the Southern Automotive Conference, they caused some foreign manufacturers to look more closely at American suppliers. This episode is hosted by Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Elise Gregg, Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Joseph

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14:16

O Canada! Come back to Louisiana?

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/10/17

On this week’s episode, Louisiana’s lieutenant governor wants to find out why Canadians haven't visited the state.Also, sports and culture reporter Joseph King sat down with Hibbett Sports' vice president of marketing to learn more about a week of college basketball in a historic auditorium in Birmingham.This episode is hosted by Joseph King, who is also our social producer. The podcast is produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Elise Gregg. Nellie

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14:16

If you build the jobs, will the workers come?

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/10/10

On this week’s episode, we’re talking about jobs on their way to the Gulf South. Space Command is coming to Alabama and Hyundai is setting up in Louisiana. What’s not so clear, though, is who is going to get those jobs. We talk with economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha about why Americans are less likely to move for work these days, and what the Georgia battery plant immigration raid means for Hyundai’s Louisiana plans. This episode is hosted by Ryan Vasquez. The podcast is produced by

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14:16

Nobody knows who can get a COVID shot in Louisiana

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/10/03

On this week’s episode, we’re taking a look at who can get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Gulf South. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins sorts through the confusion around conflicting guidance that is causing some pharmacies to make their own rules about who can get the shot — and how they can get it.This episode is hosted by Kat Stromquist. The podcast is produced by Drew Hawkins, Stephan Bisaha, Elise Gregg and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Joseph King is

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13:59

Surviving the heat and reclaiming the land in the...

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/09/26

On this week’s episode, we visit the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the neighborhood still carries the scars of the storm — from empty lots to relentless heat. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins examines how rising temperatures are reshaping daily life for seniors in New Orleans — from sleepless nights to skyrocketing energy bills. WWNO and WRKF’s Coastal Desk reporter Eva Tesfaye brings us the story of an artist who fought to reclaim her family’s land

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14:16

As Gulfport, Mississippi, grows, so does its flood...

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/09/19

On this week's episode, we head down to coastal Mississippi. While Hurricane Katrina is largely associated with widespread flooding and displacement in New Orleans, it also devastated the Magnolia State, destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Gulfport, in the heart of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, is home to a group of historic Black communities that found themselves at the center of it all. WWNO and WRKF’s Coastal Desk reporter Michael McEwen reports on the increased development that

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13:59

What immigration crackdowns look like in the Gulf South

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/09/12

On this week's episode, we speak with WRKF reporter and Report for America corps member Alex Cox about a new immigration detention center at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary — better known as Angola — and how it fits into national trends. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins also speaks with Bobbi-Jeanne Misick of Verite News and criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist about their recent investigation into the connection between traffic arrests and immigration enforcement in

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13:59

Preserving culture after Hurricane Katrina

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/09/05

On this week's episode, we dip into our well of stories marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins explains how small, local publications helped salvage New Orleans' culture from the floodwaters, while sports and culture reporter Joseph King takes us to a musical hub formed after the storm. Plus, community engagement producer Nellie Beckett joins the show to discuss her work connecting people during this solemn

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13:59

A train ride along the Gulf Coast for the first time...

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/08/29

It’s been 20 years since a train service along the Mississippi Coast from Mobile to New Orleans was possible. Hurricane Katrina put a stop to that service. But in August, the train finally came back. In this week's episode, economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha takes the ride and stops at two locations along the Mississippi Coast to learn about the damage Katrina brought to the state and how it changed these communities two decades later. This episode is hosted by Joseph King, who is

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13:59

Gumbo Live: When water costs more than a car

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/08/22

On this week's episode, we stir the pot from the Saturn music venue in Birmingham. Recorded on August 9th, 2025, Joseph King interviews senior reporter Stephan Bisaha about nightmare utility bills. This episode is hosted by Joseph King, who is also our social producer. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. To get in touch with the

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13:59

What New Orleans heat sounds like

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/08/15

We know what the heat in New Orleans feels like, and we know what the data can look like with charts and graphs. But what does it sound like? On this week’s episode, we “sonify” the heat data, using music to illustrate how hot New Orleans has gotten over the last few decades — and how quickly temperatures are increasing. Public health reporter Drew Hawkins takes us through the process of analyzing the data and converting it into an accurate sonic representation.We also look at how

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13:59

Water versus land

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/08/08

On this week's episode, we venture onto the Pearl River, which flows through Jackson, Mississippi, down into southeastern Louisiana. For more than 100 years, that river has flooded in northeast Jackson. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been trying to stop the flooding, but each plan has caused backlash and concern from Jackson down to Slidell, Louisiana. We talk with WWNO’s Michael McEwen and hear from Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Shamira Muhammad about those worries. WWNO’s Eva

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13:59

Mom-and-pop grocers brace for SNAP cuts

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/08/01

Steep cuts are coming to to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, better known as food stamps. And that’s bad news for independent grocery stores that see the bulk of their sales from SNAP dollars.In this week's episode, economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha visits an Alabama grocer bracing for the cuts.Also, the Gulf South continues to be left out of the tech industry boom. Stephan also reports on the advantages of being a tech company in Mississippi — and what’s

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13:59

How losing funding for Narcan could lead to more...

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/07/25

Federal grants helped bring down opioid overdose deaths by supporting peer services, expanding treatment access and increasing the availability of overdose-reversal drugs — like Narcan. But the Trump administration has stalled that funding. In this week’s episode, we go to the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, to find out how losing the funding for overdose-reversal drugs could reverse progress made in the opioid crisis. We also hear from public health reporter Drew Hawkins and NPR’s Brian

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13:59

We break a New Orleans bar out of Facebook jail

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/07/18

Major hacks at big companies like Sony and Equifax often get plenty of attention. But small businesses fall victim to cyber attacks, too — about four times as often as larger organizations, according to a report from Verizon.For this week's episode, we go to a New Orleans neighborhood bar that lost about $10,000 because of scammers, along with losing access to her Facebook and Meta accounts — which helped drive a large part of its business. We also talk about how we helped get those

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13:59

The Dutch solved their opioid crisis. Can their...

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/07/11

As thousands in the United States die from opioid overdoses each year, the Dutch responded to their own opioid crisis by changing their approach. That included embracing harm reduction and an integrated public health model to policing drug use. In this week’s episode, public health reporter Drew Hawkins takes us to the Netherlands, where he explores how these different tactics could work in the Gulf South. And for this week’s Gulf States Gem: Drew went to Dutch Carnaval in a small village

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13:59

As storms surge, Alabama leads by fortifying its roofs

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/07/04

On this week’s episode, we’re handing the reins over to the NPR science podcast Short Wave. Our economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha went on the show last month to talk about how Alabama’s fortified roofs have become a model program, protecting residents from hurricanes and rising insurance costs. We also hear from NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer about a similar program in California meant to fight wildfires. This episode is hosted and written by Stephan Bisaha. The podcast is

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13:59

Louisiana gets serious about third-grade reading tests

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/06/27

In this week’s episode, we share some good news from the region: our states are leading the way on third-grade reading skills, a vital benchmark that can be a positive sign for future success in school. Mississippi was once at the bottom when it came to third grade reading levels. Now, it's close to the top. Alabama and Louisiana are climbing the ranks faster than other states, and Louisiana is implementing a new rule to make more gains. Starting this year, students who don’t pass a reading

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13:59

How capital punishment methods can go wrong

Gulf States Gumbo ·

2025/06/20

A quick warning — today’s episode is about the death penalty and includes talk about recent executions and methods. Capital punishment is a priority of the Trump administration, with the Deep South at the epicenter. We talk with our criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist about the new method Alabama pioneered. Kat also talks with researcher Corinna Barrett Lain about her new book, “Secrets of the Killing State,” and how executions can go wrong. This episode is hosted and written by

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55 results

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