Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC


Let us investigate your “What is True?” request!
Learn more or
submit your request.


Image of nine mobile sports betting apps on cell phone.

House attempts to keep mobile sports betting alive

Justin Glowacki, Matthew Martin, McKenna Klamm and Pragesh Adhikari • March 10, 2025
For the second consecutive year, an attempt to legalize mobile sports betting in Mississippi collapsed in the Senate Gaming Commission as House Bill 1302 failed to advance on March 4. Despite overwhelming support in the House, where it passed 89-11, the bill met the same fate as last year’s proposal, dying in committee without reaching the Senate floor.

Food banks brace for increased demand as Mississippi declines federal summer food program

Morgan Gill, Miracle Jennnings, Srividya Karuturi, Nischit Sharma, Javion Henry and Gerome Webster • March 10, 2025
Federal food aid has dwindled after Gov. Tate Reeves opted out of the federal Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program for the second year in a row, leaving more families in southeast Mississippi struggling to put food on the table.

Mississippi’s ‘unusual’ lack of laws leaves abandoned pets unprotected

Justin Glowacki, Stephani Perez Munoz, Sonya Woods, Matthew Martin, McKenna Klamm, Pragesh Adhikari and Miracle Jennnings • February 24, 2025
Across Mississippi, pets are being abandoned on bridges, at dead ends and even outside closed animal shelters. The issue has grown more pressing as shelters reach full capacity, leaving pet owners with two options: wait for an available surrender date or leave their animals in a place where no one will see them.

Mississippi farmers face losses due to inflation, poor market conditions

Samuel Hughes, Kennedi Drake, Rowan Luke, Rasheed Ambrose, Gretta Graves, Gerome Webster, Hailey Perkins and Evan Baronich • February 24, 2025
Farmers in southeast Mississippi are facing rising production costs, making it harder to stay profitable. With crop prices fluctuating and economic uncertainty ahead, many are searching for new solutions to sustain their livelihoods. 

Mississippi lawmakers aim to tackle abandoned properties

Samuel Hughes, Miracle Jennnings, Rowan Luke, Mallory Strickland, Srividya Karuturi, Gretta Graves, Gerome Webster, Evan Baronich and Hailey Perkins • February 17, 2025
Tall grass creeps up boarded windows. Overgrown lots hold little but broken glass and flat tires. Rotten porches sag under the weight of years of neglect. These sights of urban decay are common in Mississippi – and cleaning them up is not a simple job.

Mississippi researchers investigate growing tick-borne allergy to red meat

Joshua Wilson, Kennedi Drake, Gretta Graves, Evan Baronich and Nischit Sharma • February 10, 2025
Mississippians are no strangers to ticks, but residents of the Magnolia State may be surprised to learn that these pesky parasites are capable of spreading a food allergy that makes red meat particularly hazardous.

Mississippi works to keep police officers from leaving for better pay 

Samuel Hughes, Kennedi Drake, Rowan Luke, Stephani Perez Munoz, Srividya Karuturi, Matthew Martin, Gerome Webster and Hailey Perkins • February 10, 2025
Mississippi lawmakers are advancing House Bill 855 to help police departments across the state retain officers by offering financial incentives. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey Harness, D-McComb, would provide a one-time, $600 stipend to certified law enforcement officers who have worked at least one year at their agency.
Mississippi state capitol

Mississippi lawmakers push PERS funding, teacher recruitment, insurance relief in 2025 session 

Samuel Hughes • February 3, 2025
Mississippi lawmakers are prioritizing Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi reform, teacher recruitment and insurance relief as key legislative goals for the 2025 session. 

Mississippi tax reform bill promises grocery savings, higher gas costs

Samuel Hughes, Gerome Webster and Morgan Gill • February 3, 2025
A proposed tax reform in Mississippi promises to cut grocery taxes and raise gas costs to support infrastructure improvements, marking a major shift in the state’s approach to taxation and funding. 

AMPLIFY: High preterm birth rates in Mississippi highlight health care barriers

Morgan Gill, Aidan Tarrant, Mallory Strickland and Evan Baronich • January 20, 2025
Mississippi has the highest preterm birth rate in the United States, standing at 15%, compared to the national average of 10.4%.
What southeast Mississippi mayors want from the state Capitol in 2025

What southeast Mississippi mayors want from the state Capitol in 2025

Samuel Hughes • January 13, 2025
The 2025 legislative session is underway, and state Capitol leaders are preparing to tackle major issues affecting Mississippians. From tax reforms to infrastructure improvements, the decisions made under the dome will have lasting impacts on communities across the state.

Bill of Health: Policymakers, health care professionals explore potential consequences of expanding Medicaid

Morgan Gill • January 6, 2025
Medicaid expansion has been a contentious issue across the United States, especially under the Affordable Care Act, and in southern states like Mississippi. While some argue it increases access to health care for low-income individuals, others, including Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and Brown, raise concerns about its long-term economic sustainability, effects on state budgets, and potential impacts on the health care system.
Load More Stories