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.

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Millions Petition to Reduce Trucker's 110-Year Sentence
In 2019, a truck driver in Colorado crashed into traffic killing several people, and causing a 28 car pile up. Today, the driver, Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos is serving a sentence of 110 years in prison. The sentence is causing outrage, and supporters of Aguilera-Meredos have started a petition asking colorado's governor to step in. this petition has now reached over 4 million signatures. Karen Nance, criminal defense attorney & former prosecutor, and Megan Schrader, opinion editor, Denver Post join cheddar news to discuss.
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