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Drew Hawkins

@wadrewhawkins.bsky.social
720 followers 318 following 65 posts

public health reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom | writer | producer/host | New Orleans vs. all y’all contact: drew @ gulfstatesnewsroom dot org

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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Type Investigations @typeinvestigations.org · 30/03/2026
@wadrewhawkins.bsky.social reports with @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social: www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio... /5
typeinvestigations.org
'A muzzle on elected officials': NDAs 'cloak' Louisiana's biggest business developments - Type Investigations
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Gulf States Newsroom @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
An investigation by the Gulf States Newsroom’s @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social found dozens of elected officials in Louisiana have signed NDAs related to large-scale developments. Critics say the agreements keep communities in the dark. 🧵 MORE: www.wwno.org/local-region...
wwno.org
'A muzzle on elected officials': NDAs 'cloak' Louisiana's biggest business developments
Louisiana officials signed non-disclosure agreements as Amazon's $12 billion data centers unfolded in secret.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Type Investigations @typeinvestigations.org · 27/03/2026
Louisiana officials signed non-disclosure agreements as Amazon's $12 billion data centers unfolded in secret. @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social reports in partnership with @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social : www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...
typeinvestigations.org
'A muzzle on elected officials': NDAs 'cloak' Louisiana's biggest business developments - Type Investigations
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Delaney Nolan @delaneynolan.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Thank you to @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social over at Gulf States Newsroom for these generous questions and for reading Happy Bad so closely! <3 @wwno.org @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social www.wwno.org/arts-culture...
wwno.org
Q&A: How New Orleans author, journalist Delaney Nolan finds hope in her new novel
Nolan discusses the journey of writing her debut novel, how her journalism informs her fiction and more with the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
ANTIGRAVITY Magazine @antigravitymag.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
@wadrewhawkins.bsky.social recalled the Top 5 Events that Didn’t Save Us from Financial Ruin of 2025
antigravitymagazine.com
One Battle After Another: The ANTIGRAVITY 2025 Year-End Top 5
As Smash Mouth famously prophesized, “the years start comin’ and they don’t stop comin,’” and this latest chapter wrought an exceptionally high volume of historic moments, so much so that we didn’t…
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Commish. Davante Lewis @davanteforla.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Stories like this only reaffirm my “no” vote. We can't know for certain that the quick economic development dollars the state stands to earn right now will 🟰worthy infrastructure investment in the end. @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social @lailluminator.com lailluminator.com/2025/11/22/m...
lailluminator.com
Construction on Meta’s largest data center brings 600% crash spike, chaos to rural Louisiana • Louisiana Illuminator
There have been 64 crashes between January and mid-September this year, compared to just nine for all of 2024, according to police records obtained by the Gulf States Newsroom.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
My investigation into traffic and crashes around the Meta data center site in Richland Parish, Louisiana (what Meta says will be the largest in the world) aired on @npr.org Morning Edition today:
npr.org
Construction of Meta data center causing 'dangerous and reckless' road conditions
Meta is building the world's largest data center in rural Louisiana, but its construction has led to dangerous road conditions in the area, with dozens of crashes reported on a small, two-lane road.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
A couple of months ago, I was out in Richland Parish, LA, talking to people about the new Meta data center being built. Everyone talked about the traffic and reckless drivers. So, I started looking into it. Their concerns were valid. 🧵 www.wwno.org/local-region...
wwno.org
Construction on Meta’s largest data center brings 600% crash spike, chaos to rural Louisiana
An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays and dangerous roads in Holly Ridge.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
USC Center for Health Journalism @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Congratulations to Audrey Brown, Christopher Burrell, Rebecca Cadenhead, @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social , Will Katcher, @josephinelee.bsky.social , Rachel Livinal, @jimmylovrien.bsky.social #CHJDataFellowship #DataFellows
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Gulf States Newsroom @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
From @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social | Anyone looking for a COVID shot for themselves or their kids in Louisiana is facing a new maze of pharmacy restrictions after changing federal guidance on the vaccine. MORE HERE ⬇️
wwno.org
Louisiana pharmacies make their own rules amid confusing COVID guidance: ‘It’s clear as mud’
Unclear rules and inconsistent interpretations of federal and state COVID-19 vaccination rules leave families confused and vulnerable patients unprotected.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Dan Fox @dantigravity.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Thank you @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social for getting my good side.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Barry Scholl @barryscholl.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Great reporting from Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social and Gulf States Newsroom @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
There have been a lot of stories about the media in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Here's a story you haven't heard. It's about a small, punk-rock monthly magazine called Antigravity. @antigravitymag.bsky.social www.wwno.org/katrina-20/2...
wwno.org
‘Down but not out’: The punk zine that helped keep New Orleans’ culture afloat after Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Antigravity Magazine played a vital role in helping local media dispel rumors and keep their audience informed.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Bernadette Woods Placky @bernwoodsplacky.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
From Drew Hawkins... "What does heat in New Orleans SOUND like? We know what it feels like. We know what the data looks like. But I had this idea of a way to represent the temperature data through sound — using music." www.tiktok.com/@drewhawkins... @climatecentral.org @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Type Investigations @typeinvestigations.org · 31/07/2025
For the latest Backstory, we sat down with @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social to discuss his investigation, "Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them," produced in partnership with @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social: soundcloud.com/typeinvestig...
soundcloud.com
Drew Hawkins: Reporting on the Shortage of Trauma-informed Nurses in the Gulf South
In this episode, we sat down with Drew Hawkins to discuss his new investigation, “Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them,
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
The Trump Administration is delaying critical funding used for opioid overdose prevention — especially naloxone (Narcan) — from the CDC’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program. Cutting or delaying this funding could directly lead to more overdose deaths. wbhm.org/2025/alabama...
wbhm.org
Future of Alabama’s Narcan program in peril
OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it’s responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
A really well-reported story by @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social on the importance of sexual assault nurse examiners and the impacts for survivors who lack access to them in the Gulf South: www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...
typeinvestigations.org
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them. - Type Investigations
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
ANTIGRAVITY Magazine @antigravitymag.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
@wadrewhawkins.bsky.social wrote about today's ICE raids, Latin America's banana plantations, and the history that connects them. antigravitymagazine.com/feature/frui...
antigravitymagazine.com
Fruit of a Poisonous Tree - ANTIGRAVITY Magazine
On a recent Friday morning in New Orleans, while shoppers perused high-end luxury items at stores inside the Canal Place mall like Saks Fifth Avenue and Banana Republic, while workers sipped their cof...
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Danny Cherry Jr (twitter/Insta/tiktok: @Deecherrywriter) @deecherrywriter.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Absolutely loved this story. Talks about the links between the Latin American coups of the mid 1900s and the modern disappearing of migrants in America. (From @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social in @antigravitymag.bsky.social ) antigravitymagazine.com/feature/frui...
antigravitymagazine.com
Fruit of a Poisonous Tree - ANTIGRAVITY Magazine
On a recent Friday morning in New Orleans, while shoppers perused high-end luxury items at stores inside the Canal Place mall like Saks Fifth Avenue and Banana Republic, while workers sipped their cof...
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
peregrine kate (she/her) @peregrinekate.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Powerful and eloquent essay that updates the long and shameful history of U.S. involvement in “disappearances.” How many more years will pass before we in the U.S. end these abuses and make real amends?
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
This is the story of a man with no name who was disappeared from a mall in New Orleans. It's about disappearances—past and present. About the U.S. legacy in Guatemala. About banana empires, CIA coups, and the people still paying the price. antigravitymagazine.com/feature/frui...
antigravitymagazine.com
Fruit of a Poisonous Tree - ANTIGRAVITY Magazine
On a recent Friday morning in New Orleans, while shoppers perused high-end luxury items at stores inside the Canal Place mall like Saks Fifth Avenue and Banana Republic, while workers sipped their cof...
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
ANTIGRAVITY Magazine @antigravitymag.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Jamilla Webb attended the second national Get Free: A Black Feminist Reunion conference (featuring keynote speaker Angela Davis); @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social‬ investigates banana plantations, ICE raids at Canal Place, and the history that connects them...
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
A big list of 30 opioid settlement story ideas and 30 other public health story ideas: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... I created this with @aneripattani.bsky.social and @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social .
docs.google.com
60 opioid settlement and other public health story ideas - (IRE)
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Building empathy into #addiction and #homelessness coverage, by @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social healthjournalism.org/blog/2025/06... via @healthjournalism.org #journalism
healthjournalism.org
Building empathy into addiction and homelessness coverage
At HJ25, panelists spoke about fostering empathy and nuance in stories about people living with addiction and homelessness.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Tons of great stories in here — guarantee you’ll get some ideas! Great working on this with @edmahon.bsky.social and @aneripattani.bsky.social
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
New Orleans put its own spin on the #nokingsday protests in cities across the country #neworleans #noking #trump @gulfstatesnewsroom.bsky.social @npr.org
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 14/06/2025
"Alabama has 44 certified [sexual assault nurse examiners] for the entire state. Louisiana has 42." "Mississippi only has 6 — for a population of almost three million." "It's a life-lasting impact when those services are not there for a survivor." #USA #Healthcare
typeinvestigations.org
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them. - Type Investigations
© Type Media Center document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). All Rights Reserved.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Type Investigations @typeinvestigations.org · 13/06/2025
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them. @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social reports in partnership with Gulf States Newsroom (@wwno.org): www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...
typeinvestigations.org
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them. - Type Investigations
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
AltStateGov @altstategov.altgov.info · 08/06/2025
Found this on Instagram by Gulf States Newsroom and @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social interviewing those on medicaid. Every day people living, working, and trying to survive. Don't let the narrative be of lazy people committing fraud. We all know people using medicaid whether they tell us or not.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
a short explainer on HB 531 re: forensic medical exams, which just passed in the house at the Louisiana legislature #louisiana #legislature
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
A bill moving through the Louisiana Legislature is drawing attention to major gaps in how the state provides care for sexual assault survivors. Rep. Johnson introduced it and said “The situation is so dire, it’s like the Wild Wild West.” www.wwno.org/public-healt...
wwno.org
Bill aims to fix Louisiana’s ‘broken’ care system for sexual assault survivors
The bill, introduced by state Rep. Travis Johnson, calls for improved information for patients and a comprehensive audit of the state’s resources for care.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I went to the Angola Prison Rodeo the other weekend -- the only rodeo in the country where incarcerated men compete in bull riding, buck breaking, and other controversial, dangerous events (like "Convict Poker") my latest: www.wwno.org/law/2025-05-...
wwno.org
Brutality and humanity at the Angola Prison Rodeo
While the event has been criticized for its controversial and dangerous events, it also offers a chance for participants to connect to the outside world.
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Kat Stromquist @kstromquist.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
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...
wwno.org
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...
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Orlando Flores Jr @orlandofloresjr.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
In a 6-3 vote, a bill that would ban the addition of fluoride to Louisiana's public water systems cleared the state senate's Health and Wellness committee Wednesday. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for debate. MORE from @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social for @wwno.org & the Gulf States Newsroom ⬇️
wwno.org
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...
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
an internal email from Purdue Pharma CEO Craig Landau, perfectly summarizing the origins of the opioid epidemic
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
went out with a self-described “harm reductionist” in Birmingham, AL last night. narcan is everywhere — and overdose deaths are down. But resources for users are sparse and tranq like xylazine is causing horrific wounds in a population hesitant to get medical care. #opioid #medsky
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
An Alabama judge ruled the state's attorney general can't prosecute people or organizations who help people get an abortion in another state. My latest for NPR/KFF: www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
Judge rules Alabama can't prosecute groups helping patients get abortions elsewhere
Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, the decision allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Visited Vets Recover in Mobile, AL. They have one of the state’s two detox facilities and their entire mission and approach is centered on the peer-to-peer relationships critical for recovery for veterans #medsky #opioid
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Kat Stromquist @kstromquist.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
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-...
wwno.org
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.
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Kat Stromquist @kstromquist.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
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...
wwno.org
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.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
in the netherlands for a reporting trip on harm reduction and opioid use, went to a small Dutch village and got to catch the Carnaval celebrations. here's a short fun piece on what I found there: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-03...
wwno.org
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.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
ICE playing “Ice, Ice, Baby” at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. #neworleans #ice
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
A couple of months ago, I got a call from a Mississippi family who told me about their battle to get their insurance company to approve life-saving heart surgery -- only to have the hospital then refuse to do the operation. #medsky My latest: www.wwno.org/wwno/2025-02...
wwno.org
Inside a Mississippi man’s fight with health insurance and a hospital for life-saving surgery
Trevor Malosh’s heart surgery was finally on the books after months of negotiations with his insurance company and the hospital. Then, another setback happened.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
story on @npr.org this morning about extra security costs impacting independent Mardi Gras parades -- with appearances from local krewes Chewbacchus and Krewe du Vieux. Appreciate the thoughtful opening from @steveinskeep.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...
npr.org
Cost of securing events in New Orleans rises after deadly New Year's Day attack
Carnival season is in full swing in New Orleans. The cost of securing parades has become more expensive for organizers since the deadly New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
In light of the New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street, New Orleans is requiring more police officers for security for parades. More cops = more costs. The city covers these costs for larger, more traditional parades. But not independent walking parades. My latest: www.wwno.org/latest-news/...
wwno.org
New Orleans has beefed up security for Mardi Gras. For smaller parading krewes, it's costly
The city is requiring more police officers at parades this year, putting higher costs on smaller, independent krewes vital to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras heritage.
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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
who is she
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Reposted by Drew Hawkins
Orlando Flores Jr @orlandofloresjr.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
You can listen to @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social radio spot on the NFL Players Association statement for @npr.org newscast here ⬇️
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Orlando Flores Jr @orlandofloresjr.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Nurses on strike in New Orleans gained a new supporter on Friday — the NFL Players Association. Days before Super Bowl 59 in the Superdome, the org said it “stands in solidarity” with the nearly 600 UMC nurses negotiating their first union contract. More from @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social & myself
wwno.org
Nurses striking in New Orleans receive support from NFL Players Association ahead of Super Bowl 59
In a statement, the NFLPA said it ‘stands in solidarity’ with the nearly 600 nurses attempting to negotiate its first union contract with LCMC Health Systems.
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Professor Carl Nivale @profcarlnivale.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Your Professor was honored to be interviewed by @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social for Gulf South Gumbo on LPB, NPR, and podcast. It was a lot of fun and we discussed some serious Carnival history and topics! I also reveal my favorite #kingcake of 2025! #controversial #carnival2025 #OurCarnivalHeritage
New Orleans TV personality Professor Carl Nivale on the left, pointing to the right at NPR reporter and host of Gulf South Gumbo, Drew Hawkins. The Professor is wearing his trademark mortarboard hat, covered in appliques and edged in brocaded gold sequined trim. His beard is glittered purple and green. On his throat, a jabot tie with a gold jeweled fleur de lys pin. His mantle is deep purple with gold flowers embroidered along each side. The mantle is trimmed with fluffy green metallic organza, over the Professor's black robe. Mr. Hawkins is dressed in an olive green cap, glasses and thick brown moustache, and a matching green T-shirt for NPR and Gulf South Gumbo. Behind them, the stage at Rivertown Theaters.
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Mitch M @mitchicism.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
We get to recommend a story for a 30 minute discussion in the grad fiction workshop I was able to hop into this semester, and I'm pitching Wound Paint by @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social (published on @havehashad.com), because it's the first story that jumped to mind that I think everyone needs to read.
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