skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, June 13, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump warns Iran to agree to a deal 'before there is nothing left'; 'No Kings' rallies planned across Massachusetts on Saturday; NV disability advocate alarmed by proposed cuts to Medicaid; Advocates push for economic inclusion during Pride Month in GA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats demand answers on CA Sen. Padilla's handcuffing and removal from a DHS news conference. Defense Secretary Hegseth defends the administration's protest response as preventative, and Trump vows protests of Saturday's military parade will be met with "heavy" force.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

EV charging stations are harder to find in rural America, improving the mental health of children and teachers is the goal of a new partnership in seven rural states, and a once segregated Mississippi movie theater is born again.

Animal Tranquilizer in Fentanyl Found in 48 States, Including Kentucky

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 25, 2023   

Fentanyl in Kentucky may be now laced with an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine, what drug officials are calling the "third wave" of the opioid epidemic. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, in the Commonwealth, Xylazine has so far shown up at DEA labs in the Florence/Covington area and in Louisville.

Orville Greene, DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge, explained Xylazine - also known as "tranq" is a powerful sedative and muscle relaxant that slows down the respiratory system and can cause severe, gaping wounds, and added Xylazine is worsening the drug crisis because it is not reversible by Naloxone, and because of the gruesome effects it has on users.

"One of the additional challenges is that people who inject drugs mixtures containing xylazine can also develop severe wounds, including necrosis, in some cases have led to to amputations," he said.

Xylazine has now been detected in street drugs in 48 states. Earlier this month The Office of National Drug Control Policy officially designated fentanyl mixed with Xylazine as an emerging threat to the United States.

Orville points out Xylazine is currently not a federally controlled substance, meaning it's easier to obtain and difficult to track.

"It allows the traffickers to reduce the amount of fentanyl or heroin for example, in the mixture and ultimately it just increases the profits. It's very cheap to obtain," he said.

A U.S. Department of Justice and DEA report found the prevalence of Xylazine in the illicit drug supply jumped by more than 193% in the South over the past two years. Xylazine-positive fatal overdoses have increased by more than 1000% in the region.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A single Abercrombie dairy facility will house 12,500 cows. Combined with the planned 25,000-cow Herberg site, these two operations will generate manure equivalent to that of a city of 1.5 million. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

North Dakota is facing growing opposition to two massive dairy operations planned near the Red River. Environmental advocates say the projects could …


Social Issues

play sound

The budget reconciliation bill being considered by the U.S. Senate proposes $863 billion in Medicaid reductions over a decade, with 10.9 million …

Social Issues

play sound

Next Monday marks the beginning of "PROTECT" week, when AARP helps seniors learn the signs of financial fraud. Experts say Maryland seniors can …


Researchers estimate only one in 1,000 sea turtles reaches adulthood. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

As World Sea Turtle Day approaches on Monday, an expert explains threats to sea turtles and their ecological importance along the coasts of the …

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Congress reviews budget slashes to health care in President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a new evaluation from the nonpartisan Cong…

Sensitive areas such as San Diego's Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve are experiencing impacts from degraded water quality and sea level rise. (Nancy D. Regan/Flickr)

Environment

play sound

California took a big step Tuesday toward the goal of conserving 30% of land and waters by 2030. The Ocean Protection Council adopted a roadmap to …

Social Issues

play sound

A Kent State University shooting survivor is warning Ohioans and others to take note of the U.S. military's involvement in immigration-related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Nevadans with disabilities are concerned with proposed federal cuts to Medicaid, despite claims from GOP lawmakers that the cuts target only waste…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021