Eastern Standard - Sept. 18th, 2025

The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to become insolvent in 2032. Mike Murphy, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff at the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget breaks down the consequences for Kentucky beneficiaries.

Hazard bookstore owner Mandi Fugate Sheffel is now out with her own book, The Nature of Pain: Roots, Recovery and Redemption Amid the Opioid Crisis. Recalling Barbara Kingsolver’s fictional Demon Copperhead, Sheffel provides a riveting account of her own experiences with drugs, the loss of a loved one to addiction, her estrangement from family and friends, and finally her rehabilitation and hope to encourage others.

Encouragement is the clear aim of Freedom House in Clay County. The facility accommodates mothers with children and pregnant women struggling with addiction and it's about to expand. Jennifer Hancock, CEO of Volunteers of America, tells us how this service is making a difference in lives.