RHCJC

‘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.

Poplarville faces challenges replacing old water lines

Whitney Argenbright, Morgan Gill, Gerome Webster, Kennedi Drake, Pragesh Adhikari, Evan Baronich, Samuel Hughes and Aidan Tarrant • March 17, 2025

Poplarville is working to replace its aging water infrastructure, but the upgrades are causing unexpected problems, including frequent water line breaks and boil water notices. Additionally, city officials said rising costs and the strain on old pipes are making the process even harder.

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.

Perry County Schools face budget struggles amid enrollment drop

Morgan Gill, Kennedi Drake, Stephani Perez Munoz, Sonya Woods, Colbey Penton, Srividya Karuturi, Nischit Sharma and Pragesh Adhikari • March 3, 2025

For 16 years, Perry County Schools have been underfunded under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the state's previous funding formula. During that time, the district navigated a cumulative funding loss of $8,747,681.

‘Delightful’ Hattiesburg grocery store fills gaps, provides local goods

Morgan Gill, Miracle Jennnings, Mallory Strickland, Srividya Karuturi, Nischit Sharma, Javion Henry and Evan Baronich • March 3, 2025

A new grocery store is filling a long-standing gap in downtown Hattiesburg. Sincerely Grocery, a boutique grocery store specializing in locally sourced and specialty goods, held its grand opening on Feb. 1 at The Prospect on Main.