Segment 1: While the rest of the nation has seen a decrease in the number of drug overdose deaths, Missouri and Kansas have seen a rise.
In 2018 death by drug overdose declined 4.2% in the United States, but Missouri saw an increase of 17% while Kansas saw a 5.6% rise. Public health officials from each side of the state line offer their thoughts on what was behind the respective upswings.
- Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- Ashley Wegner, section chief of Health Planning and Policy, Clay County Public Health Center
Segment 2, beginning at 24:18: Improvements in the St. Louis region have not fully realized the hopes of some residents.
The 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, altered national views on the relationship between law enforcement and the cities they serve. Two reporters who have continued to cover Ferguson since the shooting share thoughts on how much has changed in the city, county and state where Brown died.
- Jason Rosenbaum, political correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio
- Rachel Lippman, courts, public safety and city politics reporter for St. Louis Public Radio
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