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West Virginia foster parents say they need more support

Oct 9, 2019
Roughly 5% of the state's babies are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Families taking them in say they feel unprepared for the task.
A memorial in Huntington, West Virginia, in 2017.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Inside West Virginia’s overwhelmed foster care system

Oct 9, 2019
About 85% of the children in state custody have a parent who struggles with substance use disorder. The system is straining to care for them.
A homemade sign says "Think drugs gets you high give God a try," on a front lawn in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The town in Wise County has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.
Julia Rendleman/Marketplace
The Uncertain Hour | Season 3 | Episode 6

Kicking the habit

Apr 18, 2019

As jail costs pile up, one county is taking a new approach to community service

Apr 11, 2019
The opioid epidemic is filling jails. Wise County, Virginia, is looking for alternatives.
Mitzi Bowen, 44, of Wise, Virginia, cleans up after a resident moved out of the Commonwealth Apartments on Dec. 7, 2018. Bowen said she became addicted to opioids after her dentist prescribed Lortabs for tooth pain. "One day I woke up and I couldn't feel good without the pills," she said.
Julia Rendleman/Marketplace

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Opioids made it impossible to run his family business, so he became an undercover cop

Apr 3, 2019
Bucky Culbertson's career has followed the booms and busts of Wise County, up to his current job fighting the opioid epidemic.
Bucky Culbertson in his office, January 2019.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
The Uncertain Hour | Season 3 | Episode 3

Sentencing

Mar 28, 2019