“In the News” is published quarterly and provides a sampling of stories, articles, or reviews that reference or relate to beliefs, myths, and narratives in Southern culture since 1970.

“Hurricane Katrina was a catalyst for change in New Orleans’ public defenders office” from NPR (August 5, 2025)

“At the time, estimates show New Orleans housed 6,000 to 7,000 people in the local jail, more than any other city in the U.S., according to the Vera Institute of Justice. The city’s incarceration rate was more than five times the national average per capita.”

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“Ryan Walters resigns as Oklahoma’s top public schools official to lead conservative educators’ group” from PBS News Hour (September 25, 2025)

“Republican Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s top public schools official who lauded President Donald Trump, pledged to put a Turning Point USA chapter in every high school to honor Charlie Kirk and end what he called ‘wokeness’ in public schools, is resigning to lead a conservative educators’ group.”

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“South Carolina quarantines 150 unvaccinated students as measles outbreak grows” from WJCL-22 (ABC) (October 10,2025)

“There have been an average of 27 new measles cases reported each week since the end of August, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual total – now up to 1,563 cases since January – is the highest by a significant margin since measles was declared eliminated in the US a quarter-century ago.”

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