For the second year in a row, life expectancy in the U.S. has dropped, and the CDC is attributing the cause to opioid abuse. Rare Media is about to launch an extensive series about the opioid crisis' smallest victims – babies born to dependent mothers who are themselves, addicted. Gayle Putrich, Rare's Heartland Editor, tells how communities in Ohio and West Virginia are trying to help.
Ohio and West Virginia are at the center of the nation's opioid epidemic. Putrich tells us about Huntington West Virginia, where one in five babies born at Cabel hospital there has been exposed to drugs in the womb.
This condition is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. With so few resources dedicated to helping these children and families, clinics such as Brigid's Path in Ohio and Lily's Place in West Virginia are helping through grants and donations.
The case of a Texas man who was reported as a missing teenager in 2015 and found last week took an unexpected turn Thursday when police revealed it all was a hoax.
While you enjoy some of that sweet, sweet summer air conditioning this weekend, enjoy from our selection of recommendations that include superheros, American heroes, a culinary hero, and a character who is definitely not a hero.