States across the country are struggling to hold off a rising tide of opioid abuse and Florida is no exception. But Nick Evans reports the return of harsh penalties for possession—a hallmark of the war on drugs—is frustrating a broad spectrum of advocates and officials.
Manatee and Sarasota Counties have seen overdose deaths from drugs like heroin and fentanyl spike in the past few years. And at the same time, the number of children being removed from their homes and placed into foster care has increased dramatically. As Stephanie Colombini from member station WUSF reports, there's a connection there.
A new report on how Florida handles young human trafficking victims is receiving mixed reviews. Sascha Cordner reports.
One of Florida’s most experienced clemency case attorneys describes the current system and its massive case backlog. At the same time, as Tom Flanigan reports, a proposed constitutional amendment would grant automatic clemency to many non-violent felons.
As lawmakers return to Washington to debate healthcare, they’ll have new ways of communicating with voters back home, through Facebook. But Kate Payne reports it’s not yet clear how the social media giant’s new tools could affect the political conversation.