Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
A University of Southern Mississippi student listens as Joshua Wilson presents the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s “Ask Me What Is True?” media literacy training on April 15.

Free media literacy session set for June 6 at Gulf Park

May 23, 2025
A free media literacy training will be held Friday, June 6, at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.

Rising insurance premiums push homeowners to the edge

Samuel Hughes and Nischit Sharma • May 19, 2025
Nita Hope, 62, has lived in the same home since 1990.  Now, she’s boxing up her life, painting the walls and putting it up for sale.
Sticks, leaves and small debris washed ashore Feb. 24 on Biloxi East Central Beach.

Mississippi fishermen sue the state over oyster reef leases

Justin Glowacki • May 8, 2025
A group of commercial fishermen has filed a lawsuit in Harrison County Chancery Court, seeking to block the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources from finalizing the leases. 

Mississippi tourism faces seasonal staffing strain

Samuel Hughes, Rowan Luke, Gerome Webster, Hailey Perkins and Kennedi Drake • April 28, 2025
As the summer travel season approaches, Mississippi’s tourism businesses are facing a familiar challenge: not enough workers.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins delivers the keynote speech, calling the new home a chance for veterans to stay connected to their communities. (RHCJC News)

New veterans home brings Gulf Coast families closer to care

Samuel Hughes, Mallory Strickland, Gerome Webster and Pragesh Adhikari • April 21, 2025
With flags waving above the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s newest long-term care facility, veterans, state leaders and community members recently gathered in the Tradition community to celebrate the opening of the Vito J. Canizaro Veterans Home.

Biloxi’s Saenger Theatre prepares for an encore

Samuel Hughes, Mallory Strickland, Rowan Luke, Nischit Sharma and Hailey Perkins • April 14, 2025
Biloxi is meticulously restoring the theater to its former grandeur, with plans to make it a modern performance venue while preserving its historic character. 

With nowhere to go, more face homelessness on Mississippi’s coast

Samuel Hughes, Nischit Sharma, Mallory Strickland, Gerome Webster and Hailey Perkins • March 24, 2025
Betty has been on the Gulf Coast for three years. Her journey away from her hometown of Fourt Collins, Colorado, began when she and her mother lost their home.
Mississippi public housing struggles as federal funding falls short

Mississippi public housing struggles as federal funding falls short

Samuel Hughes, Pragesh Adhikari and Aidan Tarrant • March 17, 2025
From cinderblock, single-story duplexes and quadplexes to rows of brick townhomes, public housing projects aren’t difficult to spot in Mississippi — particularly those that buckle under the weight of their age.
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.
The sun set Feb. 24 on Biloxi East Central Beach.

Bacterial advisories prove challenging for beachgoers, businesses

Samuel Hughes, Kennedi Drake, Rowan Luke, Rasheed Ambrose, Gretta Graves, Gerome Webster and Hailey Perkins • March 3, 2025
Soft sand, cool water … and high levels of bacteria? Mississippi’s beaches are popular spots for spring break visitors, and they’re a cash cow for local businesses. However, visitors might discover a regular roadblock in their planning: advisories of high levels of bacteria along Gulf Coast beaches.

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.

Memorial Health System takes over Biloxi hospital, what will change?

Justin Glowacki, Rasheed Ambrose, Matthew Martin, McKenna Klamm, Javion Henry and Evan Baronich • February 17, 2025
On Feb. 1, Memorial Health System officially took over Merit Health Biloxi, solidifying its position as the dominant healthcare provider in the region. According to Fitch Ratings, Memorial now controls more than 85% of the local health care market.
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