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.
Many households adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to a survey. However, there were also pets that were raised in isolation in the same period if they weren't adopted. Michael S. Gould, canine trainer and founder of Hounds Town, and Sam Reilly, a dog management specialist and trainer, both joined Cheddar News to explain how they have built up pets' confidence and social skills ahead of being potentially adopted.
Court records show that the Maryland judge who was shot to death outside his home presided over divorce case of the man now identified as person of interest in the killing.
October is Breast Awareness Cancer Month as the disease affects millions of American families. Elissa Kalver, founder of Wegotthis.org, joined Cheddar News to explain how breast cancer inspired her to create her own nonprofit and provided some details of her personal battle while maintaining a family.
