Kat Stromquist

Q&A: How lethal injection ‘hides the violence’ of executions in the South and elsewhere A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty.

I chatted with death penalty researcher Corinna Lain on her new book that dives into the secret history of lethal injection.

Listen🎧 to that conversation here: www.wwno.org/law/2025-05-...

In Louisiana jails, women's treatment not measuring up, auditors report says A state legislative auditor's review highlights shortfalls in care for incarcerated women, including a lack of free menstrual products in some facilities.

A few Louisiana jails continue to use leg irons — shackles — on pregnant women, state auditors found.

They also dug up other problems like lack of access to enough menstrual products: www.wwno.org/law/2025-05-...

Hundreds protest Trump policies, salute labor movement at New Orleans May Day rally The demonstration condemned Trump's border crackdown policies that have led to the detention of students, activists and people without documents in Louisiana.

Protest activity continues in response to the Trump administration's immigration policies.

In New Orleans last week, that issue took center stage at a May Day march: www.wwno.org/immigration/...

Lil Wayne’s New Orleans Jazz Fest headlining set is a big moment for hip-hop artists Lil Wayne will close out the main stage for the first time in his career Saturday — a feat that’s eluded most other rappers who’ve performed at the festival.

As Jazz Fest winds down for another year, revisiting this story from @josephcking.bsky.social on what Lil Wayne's booking meant for the fest.

Read and listen🎧: www.wwno.org/music/2025-0...

Angola 'farm line' hearings highlight controversies over prison labor, heat A court hearing in Baton Rouge provided a rare window into working conditions on Louisiana State Penitentiary's "farm line," which prisoners are challenging.

ICYMI, a mildly #longread on the lawsuit in which incarcerated men are challenging Angola's "farm line" work.

A couple of them testified in court in late April: www.wwno.org/law/2025-04-...

Bill banning fluoride in Louisiana’s public water systems clears Senate committee SB 2 proponents presented unfounded links between the levels of fluoride in drinking water and autism, low IQ and thyroid problems at the hearing. The bill is strongly opposed by health experts and de...

Some Louisiana lawmakers are trying to ban fluoride in the state's public water systems. More with audio🎧 from @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social: www.wwno.org/politics/202...

Angola 'farm line' hearings highlight controversies over prison labor, heat A court hearing in Baton Rouge provided a rare window into working conditions on Louisiana State Penitentiary's "farm line," which prisoners are challenging.

People who worked on Angola's infamous "farm line" at the prison testify in court as part of federal lawsuit. Story from @kstromquist.bsky.social

www.wwno.org/law/2025-04-...

Scripps Howard Rural News Internship: Fall 2025 - Mississippi Free Press The Mississippi Free Press is hiring for a journalism intern.

We're thrilled that @mississippifreepress.org is one of 5 newsrooms in the U.S. hiring a fall rural reporting intern for this fall thanks to Scripps-Howard support. Please pass this far and wide; the position is open through the end of next week:

www.mississippifreepress.org/listings/ite...

How HBCUs are helping grow the next generation of Gulf South environmental activists Marginalized people often bear the brunt of environmental injustices. An annual conference in New Orleans is shaping young Black leaders to solve these issues.

In their latest, Danny McArthur took us to a conference cultivating the next generation of Black environmental justice leaders. Listen in🎧: www.wwno.org/coastal-desk...

Proposed Bourbon Street, French Quarter security changes spark debate at town hall The measures, which include closing a stretch of Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, were met with concern from some who feel their voices haven’t been heard.

Tensions ran high last night at a town hall about proposed changes to French Quarter security.

Via @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social: www.wwno.org/law/2025-03-...

Louisiana nabs Hyundai’s first US-based steel mill as part of $21B investment President Donald Trump touted the $5.8 billion manufacturing facility’s announcement as proof that his plan to impose tariffs on other countries is working.

Via @stephanbisaha.bsky.social, Hyundai is set to build a $5.8 billion steel mill in Louisiana.

He reports it will support manufacturing plants in Alabama and Georgia: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-03...

As Landry, Trump push immigration hard line, 2 La. agencies partner with ICE Two Louisiana law enforcement agencies have signed up for a program that grants trained local officers authority to identify and detain immigrants for ICE.

Pleased to share a little corner of byline with the great Bobbi-Jeanne Misick here: veritenews.org/2025/03/26/b...

Now, granted, I filed this request some time ago; much of what I was curious about has already come out in testimony and court documents. And there may be a vagary of the state's public-records law I'm overlooking here.

But you better believe I'm looking!

Louisiana executes Jessie Hoffman by nitrogen gas in 1st use of death penalty in 15 years With Hoffman’s execution, Louisiana joins Alabama as the only other state in the U.S. to use the controversial gas method on a person condemned to death.

A postscript: Yesterday I received a reply to a records request I'd filed for Louisiana's emails with Alabama's Department of Corrections since nitrogen gas was authorized. I'm told there are no responsive "public, non-privileged documents."

Really? Not a single email? www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-03...

Trump and DOGE Propel V.A. Mental Health System Into Turmoil A chaotic restructuring order threatens to degrade services for veterans of wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the @nytimes.com today — VA clinicians say they're being asked to conduct teletherapy for veterans in "call center" type environments, potentially compromising access, privacy and trust: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/u...

Louisiana executes Jessie Hoffman by nitrogen gas in 1st use of death penalty in 15 years With Hoffman’s execution, Louisiana joins Alabama as the only other state in the U.S. to use the controversial gas method on a person condemned to death.

Louisiana carried out its first execution in 15 years Tuesday, killing Jessie Hoffman Jr. with a new nitrogen gas method that unlatches possibilities for the state to someday carry out the sentences of 55 people living on death row.

✍️: @kstromquist.bsky.social for @wwno.org & Gulf States Newsroom

Louisiana will execute Jessie Hoffman Jr. this evening.

It'll be the first time the state has executed someone in 15 years and will be the first time they've used nitrogen gas to do it.

Here's a thread of @kstromquist.bsky.social work for the Gulf States Newsroom & @wwno.org covering this so far

Population fell in two-thirds of Louisiana parishes in 2024, census estimates show New Orleans has about 362,700 residents, a smaller population than it had in 2012.

As ever, I delight in a Census story. This one via @jeffadelson.bsky.social, who reports the Orleans Parish population lags well behind pre-Katrina totals.

“Ultimately people can’t stay if they can’t find jobs,” one expert said: www.nola.com/news/busines...

Have always loved the fancy one at La Petite Grocery, though it's been a few years.

It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans — and in this small, southeastern Dutch village Like New Orleans, the small village of Schaijk in the Netherlands is also celebrating Carnaval on Tuesday — and making an update to a centuries-old tradition.

It was Mardi Gras in the Netherlands too!

"Carnaval" celebrations date to the 14th century there, @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social reports. He met a princess in a small Dutch village. Listen🎧 or read here: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-03...

Huntsville could gain Space Command, but lose more, under Trump The 1,600 jobs Space Command would bring to the Rocket City might not make up for potential cuts to NASA and the Department of Defense.

Via @stephanbisaha.bsky.social, much is at stake during this administration around Alabama's fast-growing city of Huntsville.

As he reports🎧, it's a Southern outpost for federal workers in defense: wbhm.org/2025/under-t...

In the fight over Louisiana's execution plans, religion plays a prominent role Faith activism against the state's plan to resume executions adds to a history of religious engagement with social questions in the South.

I wrote about the role religion is playing in the battle over Louisiana's upcoming execution.

One related tidbit that didn't make it in — Jessie Hoffman's lawyers are arguing that his Buddhist breath practice makes a gas execution plan especially harmful: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-02...

It's the 5th anniversary of the COVID pandemic and we want to hear your experiences It's been 5 years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Ahead of this anniversary, NPR wants to hear from you.

Here's where @npr.org is asking to hear from people on the covid experience: www.npr.org/2025/02/28/g...

I reposted this story from last fall days before Louisiana announced it will commence executions after a 15-year pause, potentially via nitrogen gas.

The first execution dates are set for March. Will be following/reporting.

In a city without a plan, anti-public sleeping bills pop up at Jackson City Hall and state Capitol - Mississippi Today Multiple bills that target homeless encampments in Jackson have moved out of their respective houses. Advocates worry about the impact on one of the most vulnerable populations in a city without a hom...

In Mississippi, bills take aim at unhoused people and the practice of sleeping outdoors, @mayalmiller.bsky.social reports: mississippitoday.org/2025/02/20/h...

New Orleans tourism remains high despite NYD attack The Super Bowl is in town, and so far, fears that visitors would avoid the big game because of January’s attack on Bourbon Street have not rang true.

Before the Super Bowl, @stephanbisaha.bsky.social asked French Quarter businesses for their thoughts on how the New Year's Day attack might impact tourism.

Listen to what they said🎧: wbhm.org/2025/tourism...

Glenn Foster Jr’s family uses Super Bowl to bring awareness to his death, demand justice The former New Orleans Saints player's family called on others, including the NFL, to advocate for Foster — who died while in police custody in Alabama.

Hours before the Super Bowl, the family of a former Saints player gathered near the stadium where he used to play.

As @josephcking.bsky.social reports🎧, they're still looking for answers after he died in police custody: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-02...

Alabama’s 2nd nitrogen gas execution raises questions about method’s future use As Alabama sets the course for the controversial execution method’s future, activists and legal scholars say eyewitness accounts could halt widespread adoption.

Last night, Demetrius Frazier died after Alabama carried out the nation's fourth-ever nitrogen gas execution.

I reported on the future of the method and from Atmore during a similar execution last year. Advocates continue to decry the practice as experimental and cruel: www.wwno.org/law/2024-10-...

Louisiana coerced unhoused people into an unheated warehouse – and paid $17.5m for it Dozens of New Orleanians have been bused to a site with no floor and no blankets days before the city is to host the Super Bowl

When one unhoused man said he didn't want to go to the warehouse, officers told him: “It’s either that or jail.”

He offered to move. They said, “No, you can come with us or we’ll cuff you and throw you in jail.”

My latest:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Super Bowl 59’s Opening Night set the tone, thanks to St. Augustine’s marching band The historic predominantly-Black, all-boys Catholic high school in New Orleans helped kick off the weeklong celebration ahead of Super Bowl 59.

More Super Bowl coverage this week from @josephcking.bsky.social — a listen🎧 in to St. Augustine's "Marching 100" band, who helped kick off the festivities.

I'm always elated when I see their purple uniforms on the parade route: www.wwno.org/sports/2025-...