Mississippi

Created by President Obama in response to the BP oil spill last summer, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Task Force is now working on a project that restores the flow of sediments to wetlands in Texas. Funding from BP helps facilitate the costly process.

Researchers estimate that roughly three-quarters of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico is still dangerously concentrated in the water, a claim that disputes official word from the government that much of the oil has been safely dispersed.

In Pass Christian, Mississippi, it seemed WalMart was on board for a village-style, mixed-use development that would include one of their stores. That is, until Walmart brass heard about the project.

With the layoff of City Planner John 'Rusty' Lewis, Natchez, Mississippi is left with only one employee in its planning department - and she retires next week.

A number of curb ramps in Jackson, Miss., are built to meet federal regulations but are completely unusable by wheelchairs. [VIDEO]

By 2100, vast stretches of the Mississippi Delta will be lost to sea level rise, according to a recent study. More than 5,000 square miles could be lost, including much of New Orleans, researchers say.

It was hailed as the solution to America's infrastructure spending deficit, but the influx of private funds has come to halt along with the failure of banks and the huge investment from the Recovery Act. Plus, many schemes aroused taxpayers wrath.

Hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast can still live in government-provided trailers to buy their temporary homes for only $1, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA has redone official maps of flood-prone areas across the country, designating some as flood zones for the first time.

Two years after the program's authorization, 500 cottages intended for residents displaces after Katrina have still not been built. Meanwhile, they have cropped up in Mississippi, which faced less damage overall.

Gulfport, Mississippi lays plans to be the home of America's largest container port facility.

Jason Miller reports how coastal Mississippi cities and towns are moving post-Katrina plans and ideas towards implementation.

This is Mississippi's third year in a row topping CalorieLab's United States of Obesity report. The BBC goes to Jefferson County, MS to find out why.

Flood waters along the Mississippi River continue to rise, leaving many Midwest towns deep under water. The Army Corps of Engineers has just identified 27 levees that may not be high enough to handle the rising waters.

Gas prices have just surpassed the $4 mark, but the impact is far from uniform throughout the nation- poor, rural counties, particularly in the south and west, suffer disproportionately.

An Army Corps of Engineers flood control project in south-central Mississippi is in danger of being vetoed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But supporters have not given up hope.

The editor of Grist's recent series on the Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi River offers some thoughts about the future challenges and issues facing the region.