RHCJC

Worn building, strong mission: The Arc keeps serving

Morgan Gill, Miracle Jennnings, Rasheed Ambrose, Nischit Sharma and Javion Henry • April 14, 2025

At small repairs — flickering lights, broken toilets and a growing list of maintenance needs — are a daily challenge. Amid the wear and tear, the nonprofit organization remains focused on what matters most: supporting individuals with disabilities.

Old gear, tight budgets: Rural fire crews make do

Justin Glowacki, Sonya Woods, McKenna Klamm, Pragesh Adhikari and Evan Baronich • April 7, 2025

The jacket Thomas Muffler wears to fight fires is 13 years old. Many hanging on the rack at the McHenry-Sunflower Volunteer Fire Department in Stone County are even older.

Hattiesburg West Seventh project brings both dust and hope

Morgan Gill, Miracle Jennnings, Rasheed Ambrose, Nischit Sharma, Javion Henry and Evan Baronich • April 7, 2025

After years of sewer backups, flooding and road deterioration, residents along West Seventh Street in Hattiesburg are finally seeing progress.

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.

‘Lord, have mercy’: Food aid cuts leave Mississippi families hungry for help

Samuel Hughes, Mallory Strickland, Rowan Luke, Gerome Webster and Hailey Perkins • March 31, 2025

After a busy morning, more than 20 cars stretched down Main Street in Poplarville as over 300 people waited for their monthly grocery pickup from Jacob’s Well Recovery Center.

With water park opening, Leakesville eyes tourism boost

Morgan Gill, Miracle Jennnings, Rasheed Ambrose, Nischit Sharma and Javion Henry • March 31, 2025

Mikel Franks has spent years watching storefronts open and close in Leakesville, a small city where steady jobs are hard to come by and economic growth always seems just out of reach.

Volunteers power emergency response in Stone County

Justin Glowacki, Sonya Woods, McKenna Klamm and Pragesh Adhikari • March 31, 2025

In Stone County, it’s not just career firefighters who race toward danger — volunteers do, too, leaving behind jobs, dinner tables and daily routines when the alarm sounds. Anna Mills, a registered nurse and volunteer firefighter, joined the service after a personal emergency.

Steel plant scrapped, Perry County left in limbo

Justin Glowacki, Sonya Woods and Pragesh Adhikari • March 24, 2025

Plans for an anticipated steel plant in Perry County have silently ended, leaving local residents unaware of what comes next.

Mississippi’s forgotten nuclear test site still under federal watch

Morgan Gill, Hailey Perkins, Kennedi Drake and Rowan Luke • March 24, 2025

There’s no signpost marking Mississippi’s only nuclear test site. There’s no visitor center, either — just timberland, wildlife … and a radioactive legacy buried beneath the surface.

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

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.

Leakesville addresses water infrastructure headaches ahead of funding deadline

Samuel Hughes, Pragesh Adhikari, Evan Baronich and Nischit Sharma • March 17, 2025

For small towns like Leakesville, keeping water flowing isn’t just about convenience — it’s about survival. Many of the city’s water lines date back to the 1970s, and while officials have worked to replace aging infrastructure, the costs add up quickly.