Gulf States Newsroom

The community around Meta’s data center has questions. We’re looking for answers.

Drew Hawkins

The Gulf States Newsroom wants to find out what residents in Richland Parish want to know concerning Meta's Hyperion data center's impact on their lives by monitoring and testing the air, water and dust.

Eddie Lejuine holds a stack of utility bills on the front porch of his home in Hackberry, Louisiana, on Friday, January 23, 2026. Lejuine said that an increase in his electricity bills, combined with a decrease in his fishing catch, may force him to move.

Louisiana’s LNG exports are driving out fishermen and driving up utility bills across the U.S.

Drew Hawkins, Paul Blest (More Perfect Union)

The multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas industry has reshaped the landscape, the economy and the daily lives of the people who have lived in Cameron Parish for generations.

A sign reads “Addiction is a Disease” in James Moore’s bike shop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on January 28, 2026. Moore, whose son died from a fentanyl overdose, was part of the advisory council that made recommendations for spending opioid settlement funding to the state legislature.

As Mississippi waits to spend opioid settlement funds, children and families suffer

Drew Hawkins

Mississippi will receive more than $400M to fight the opioid epidemic. So far, officials haven't directed it toward programs that support addiction recovery.

Volunteers at the Tallahatchie-Oxford Missionary Baptist Association in Lafayette County look over donations from Second Responders during the first weekend in February. Churches, charities and community organizations have all come together in northern Mississippi to meet critical needs in the area.

Community organizations step up in Gulf South winter storm recovery: ‘The need is so big’

Elise Catrion Gregg

After January's winter storm, the Oxford community has come together to take care of those needs — not just while waiting for other responders, but also fill persistent gaps.

In this file photo, a Medicare Advantage PPO card rests on top of a Medicare card in Portland, Ore., June 10, 2024.

Louisiana ranks last in latest Medicare scorecard; here's why

Drew Hawkins

A new Commonwealth Fund report paints a stark picture of how Medicare is serving older adults and people with disabilities in the Gulf South.