Researchers, patients optimistic in fight against alpha-gal syndrome

A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.

Rose LaForest, Nine PBS Oct 1, 2026

Water

Far offshore, scientists find fresh evidence of human harm to reefs

The Gulf’s Flower Garden Banks has been viewed as healthy, but a new study shows signs of damage.

Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator Sep 21, 2026

Data Centers

Mississippi River mayors help cities navigate rising data center interest

More than three-quarters of member cities in a Mississippi River coalition have been approached to host AI infrastructure.

Héctor Alejandro Arzate, Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk Sep 17, 2026

Rose LaForest

Rose LaForest joined the Desk in 2026 as a Report for America corps member. She is a multi-media journalist. Prior to Nine PBS, LaForest produced video explainers for WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, as part of an experimental program testing storytelling strategies for video journalists in local newsrooms. There, she covered a range of topics from reproductive freedom to local concerns over data center development. In 2024, she earned her master’s degree in broadcast and video journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she produced short documentaries on dementia-related wandering, juvenile incarceration, and even traveled to Argentina to cover the shifting cultural attitudes toward women in male-dominated sports.