Housing growth is reshaping communities across Mississippi’s Gulf Coast — and in Jackson County, that growth is beginning to affect local schools.

In this episode of Matter of Fact, we take a closer look at how new housing developments in the St. Martin area are prompting the Jackson County School District to consider changes to school attendance zones. District leaders say the proposed rezoning is meant to prevent overcrowding as enrollment rises, but some residents are questioning whether the timing is right and whether schools have the resources to support the area’s growth.

Host Hilawe Tibebe walks through the reporting behind the RHCJC News story “St. Martin housing growth sparks school rezoning in Jackson County.” You’ll hear from junior reporter JC Roberts about how development trends are influencing school planning — and why families in the St. Martin and Vancleave communities are paying close attention to what comes next.

The episode also features our What Is True? fact-checking segment with media literacy coordinator Walker Scott, who explains how audiences can evaluate information about school rezoning, enrollment data and public policy decisions. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the difference between verified records, projections and personal perspectives when following local education issues.

Together, the reporting and analysis show how growth, public planning and community voices intersect — and why local journalism plays a key role in helping residents understand decisions that affect their schools and neighborhoods.

When a bridge suddenly closes, the immediate concern is safety. But for reporters in Ocean Springs, the closure of the Davis Bayou Bridge raised another question: what information about infrastructure safety should the public be able to access?

In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the reporting of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s investigation into the bridge closure and the legal battle over access to inspection records. The reporting began after the bridge was shut down in March 2025, disrupting traffic and raising questions about how long structural problems may have existed and who knew about them.

Listeners learn how the Center pursued answers by filing a public records request with the Mississippi Department of Transportation seeking inspection reports and maintenance records. When the request was denied under a federal safety-data exemption, the Center appealed the decision and later filed a complaint with the Mississippi Ethics Commission.

The commission ultimately ruled that the records should be released under the Mississippi Public Records Act — a decision that arrived as lawmakers considered new legislation that could limit access to certain roadway safety documents.

RHCJC reporter Justin Glowacki joins host Hilawe Tibebe for a Behind the Lens conversation about the investigation, including how the reporting evolved from a local infrastructure story into a broader examination of transparency and government accountability. Glowacki discusses the process of speaking with city, county and state officials, filing public records requests and reporting on legislation that could directly affect journalists’ ability to obtain information.

At its core, this episode explores a fundamental question: when public safety is involved, how much information should the public be allowed to see?

Listeners can read the full reporting on the Davis Bayou Bridge and the Center’s public records case at RHCJCNews.com.

When a pet goes missing, every hour matters. In Pearl River County, local volunteers and law enforcement are working together to shorten the time between “lost” and “home.”

In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the reporting of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s story, “Pearl River County introduces microchip stations to reunite lost pets faster.” The episode explores how two new public microchip scanning stations — located at the Picayune and Poplarville police departments — are helping residents identify lost animals quickly and safely.

Listeners hear from Haley Crow and Donna Lowe with the Pearl River County SPCA, who explain how the stations work, why microchipping increases reunion rates and how community collaboration made the initiative possible. They also discuss the shelter’s intake challenges — more than 3,000 animals in a single year — and how faster identification could reduce stress on both animals and volunteers.

Senior student reporter Kristen Kaylor joins host Hilawe Tibebe for a Behind the Lens conversation about reporting on community-centered solutions, what surprised her during the process and why small, practical initiatives can have meaningful local impact.

In our What Is True? segment, Media Literacy Coordinator Walker Scott breaks down common misconceptions about pet microchips — including the difference between microchips and GPS tracking — and explains how residents can verify how new technologies work, who manages the data and what privacy protections are in place.

At its core, this episode asks: how can a simple piece of technology — about the size of a grain of rice — help bring a community closer together?