Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC
Reporting What Matters

RHCJC

No complaints, no action: MDEQ says no sewage violations on Pascagoula River

Justin Glowacki • June 16, 2025
Despite public concern and warnings from the state’s marine resources director, Mississippi’s top environmental agency said it hasn’t received a single complaint in the past five years about houseboat sewage on the Pascagoula River — and has taken no enforcement action as a result.
A measuring tape next to a deterorating wooen support piling in river water shows how much width has been lost.

Ocean Springs bridge reopens after emergency repairs

Justin Glowacki • June 12, 2025
After three months of detours and construction, the Davis Bayou Bridge on Hanshaw Road is set to reopen following the completion of emergency repairs.

Raw sewage, murky oversight: Who’s policing the Pascagoula?

Justin Glowacki, Whitney Argenbright, Alexa Hatten, Jaydon Koss and Nischit Sharma • June 9, 2025
Raw sewage is leaking into the Pascagoula River — at least, that’s the concern raised by the leader of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. But as state agency staff members split on the scope of the problem, some communities are already taking action to keep their waters clean. 

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. 

Vancleave rezoning debate pits rural life against growing suburbs

Justin Glowacki, Rowan Luke, McKenna Klamm, Hailey Perkins and Miracle Jennnings • April 28, 2025
Tucked behind fields, farms and winding creeks, a quiet stretch of rural land could soon give way to a new conservation-style subdivision — if the county approves a developer’s rezoning request.

Pascagoula diners help serve up parks, fields, fun

Justin Glowacki, Mallory Strickland, McKenna Klamm and Pragesh Adhikari • April 21, 2025
Charlotte Jerde remembers her granddaughter’s first birthday at Beach Park — watching her run through the splash pad, laughing and chasing water jets.

Ocean Springs bridge closure raises questions over missed warnings

Justin Glowacki, McKenna Klamm and Pragesh Adhikari • April 14, 2025
The sudden closure of the Davis Bayou Bridge on Hanshaw Road has left residents detouring, buses rerouting and local officials pointing fingers not just over the bridge’s crumbling support structure but over who knew what — and when. 

Jackson County schools expand training for skilled trades

Samuel Hughes, Mallory Strickland, Rowan Luke, Gerome Webster, Hailey Perkins, Aidan Tarrant and Evan Baronich • April 7, 2025
As Mississippi grapples with a deepening workforce shortage, leaders in Jackson County are looking to high school classrooms for solutions.

Jackson County braces for stronger storms, rising flood risks

Justin Glowacki and McKenna Klamm • March 17, 2025
Chris Snyder has lived just 500 feet from the beach in Ocean Springs for 43 years. He knows firsthand the destruction hurricanes can cause.
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.
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