Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC

‘We’re doing this from the heart’: Communities respond to Mississippi foster home needs

Samuel Hughes, Cadence Renfro, Sameen Chand and Rochak Basnet • August 18, 2025
Monica Robinson begins her day at 5:30 a.m., driving a school bus before starting her full-time job as a social worker for a Mississippi school district. After work, she heads home to another gig: caring for her three foster children as well as her biological son. 

Mississippi leads nation in deadly heartworm infections

Justin Glowacki, Sami Jordan and Nischit Sharma • August 18, 2025
“We diagnose about 1 in every 8 dogs with heartworm disease,” said Tamara Huff, shelter director of Hub City Humane Society. “Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes … it just takes one bite from one mosquito for your pet’s life to change.”

Ampact tutors strengthen skills in Hub City schools

Morgan Gill, Alexa Hatten, JC Roberts and Sameen Chand • August 18, 2025
As Hub City students settle into a new school year, tutors from Ampact, a national nonprofit, are once again working alongside the city’s public school teachers to help students succeed.

No board, no clarity: Beauty educators stuck in licensing transition

Justin Glowacki, Sami Jordan and Nischit Sharma • August 11, 2025
For six years, Asheena Woods taught barbering students state laws, walked them through the licensing process and gave them structure, support and transparency.

‘Nowhere to Go’: Hattiesburg’s unhoused face uncertainty under new state laws

Samuel Hughes, JC Roberts, Rochak Basnet and Whitney Argenbright • July 28, 2025
Two new state laws are raising concerns across Mississippi, particularly in communities where support systems for unhoused people are already strained.

Harrison County group proposes ‘Baby DJ’s Law’ to help locate endangered children faster 

Samuel Hughes, Whitney Argenbright, Cadence Renfro and Rochak Basnet • July 21, 2025
One year after 4-month-old Denilson Elligson died during a medical crisis while the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services tried to find him, a Harrison County committee is pushing for a new law and stronger community partnerships they hope could prevent similar tragedies.

Leadership lapse stalls Mississippi’s beauty board

Justin Glowacki and Nischit Sharma • July 21, 2025
More than 50,000 licensed beauty professionals across Mississippi are in regulatory limbo.

Cotton prices down, costs up: Mississippi farmers face harsh decisions 

Justin Glowacki, Sami Jordan and Nischit Sharma • July 14, 2025
Mississippi cotton farmers are losing money — and some are preparing to abandon the crop altogether due to falling prices, extreme weather events, rising input costs and trade tensions. 

Training the future: Mississippi expands AI in schools, colleges

Justin Glowacki, Alexa Hatten, Sami Jordan and Nischit Sharma • July 7, 2025
Mississippi is pouring tens of millions of dollars into artificial intelligence education, promising to modernize classrooms and prepare students for tech-centered careers.

HIV prevention advances, but stigma persists

Justin Glowacki, Sami Jordan and Nischit Sharma • June 30, 2025
For John, a 19-year-old from rural Mississippi, getting medication to prevent HIV came with more than just a prescription — it came with fear.

Mississippi looks to reverse brain drain with jobs, education

Morgan Gill, JC Roberts and Sameen Chand • June 30, 2025
For Stephanie Rodriguez, Mississippi offers safety, affordability and a quieter lifestyle, but for Gunnar Hamm, it was a place he couldn’t wait to leave. Their stories reflect the growing divide in how young adults view life in the Magnolia State — and what’s driving many to look elsewhere for opportunity.

Mississippi airports race to secure federal funds before 2026 deadline

Samuel Hughes, Cadence Renfro and Rochak Basnet • June 23, 2025
With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set to expire in 2026, Mississippi airports are rushing to lock in federal dollars before time runs out. The funding, which began flowing in 2022, offers airports across the country the chance to tackle long-delayed improvements.
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