Karen Francisco is the Editorial Page Editor of the Journal Gazette and joined Charly Butcher on “Fort Wayne’s Morning News” to talk about this week and the JG kicking off a series of articles about the state’s opioid epidemic this Sunday. There were more than 400 opioid-related deaths in Indiana last year and drug overdoses — many of them opioid-related — occurred in all parts of the county.
Their stories look at some of the victims of opioid addiction, including a 70-year-old widow, and also the challenges that first responders face on drug overdose calls. They also have an editorial about preschool in Indiana. Some legislators say we need more data before we expand the small preschool pilot program. They have demanded the same data on the effectiveness of many other other costly programs — and long-term research overwhelmingly confirms the economic value of investing in early childhood education.
