(Dauphin) Police in Harrisburg are wondering whether there is an incredibly potent batch of heroin moving through the city, or if users simply are overdosing...(PennLive)

(Luzerne) While a suspected fatal heroin overdose could be viewed by responding police officers as a "case closed," that's not necessarily true, Drug Enforcement Administration officials told local officers Wednesday...(Times Leader)

(York/Adams) York and Adams counties are developing plans to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic with an initiative designed to provide more support for overdose survivors...(Evening Sun)

(Statewide) Legislation to require medical professionals who prescribe opioid drugs to receive education on the topic sailed through a Senate committee Tuesday...(Post Gazette)

(Statewide)...Those numbers have driven the DEA to create "Operation Trojan Horse," a coordinated effort with local and state law enforcement to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic. Today and tomorrow, the DEA will hold officer training sessions in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. respectively, as part of this program...(Post Gazette)

(Centre)...Centre County alone saw 34 deaths from overdoses in 2014-2015. Earlier this year, Centre Region law enforcement began carrying Narcan in their patrol cars. Narcan is a prescription medication that if administered in time, can reverse the effects of opioids and opiates...(State College)

(Luzerne)...Heroin remains at the root of this tragic trend. Of the record 95 fatal overdoses in the county during 2015, about half involved the opioid known for its euphoric rush and highly addictive properties, according to a new report from the Luzerne County Coroner's office...(Times Leader)

(Statewide)...Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has improved access to rehabilitation and to anti-overdose medicine. However, the governor has not committed to measures like compelling doctors to check a patient's drug history before prescribing narcotics...(Post-Gazette)

(Erie)...He is working to create a "warm handoff" program to ensure that every person who is hospitalized because of a drug or alcohol overdose is met by a qualified professional who can guide the patient through treatment options...(GoErie)

(Statewide)...But as the national opioid epidemic rages on, one of its problems is the lack of a common standard for reporting opioid-related deaths. That's important not only in terms of individual death investigations, but for steering public policy and resources to best address this important public health issue...(Times Tribune)

(Philadelphia) Neighborhoods that make up Philadelphia's River Wards and North Delaware sections were hit hardest by deadly opioid and heroin overdoses last year, according to new data released by the city...(NBCPhila)

(Northampton)...State Rep. Marcia Hahn organized Thursday night's forum, bringing together suffering families and Northampton County's district attorney, coroner and a common pleas judge in the search for answers...(Lehigh Valley Live)

(National) Last week the medical examiner confirmed what many had suspected - that Prince died of an opioid drug overdose.  It's an old story but a very sad one.  A celebrity dies of a drug overdose and the world mourns. And, of course, media outlets and the public in general become aware-ever so briefly-that we, as a country, are in the midst of a drug crisis-more specifically an opiate abuse and overdose epidemic...(Fox News)

(Maryland) There were 1,259 overdose deaths in 2015, with 86 percent involving opioids such as heroin and prescription painkillers, according to data released by state health officials Thursday. That was a 21 percent jump in deaths from 2014...(Morning Sun)

(Georgia) The head of the DEA office in Atlanta is warning about a deadly new street drug that can be 100 times stronger than fentanyl, the drug blamed for the overdose death of singer Prince...(WSBTV)

(New Mexico) After spiking in 2014, the number of drug overdose deaths in New Mexico decreased 9 percent in 2015. Preliminary data from 2015 shows that drug overdose deaths among New Mexicans dropped to 492 last year, from 540 in 2014...(Santa Fe New Mexican)

(National) U.S. senators want five drugmakers to account for increases in the price of a drug that's used to reverse the effects of prescription and illegal opioids, as the number of Americans overdosing on painkillers and heroin has skyrocketed in recent years...(Philly)

(West Virginia)...Early results show the needle exchange program, and Huntington's other recent efforts, may have made some headway: Overdose deaths were down by 40 percent in the first quarter of 2016, compared to the same period last year...(PBS)

(Rhode Island)...Firefighters administered Naloxone, also known as Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. As she was being taken to Newport Hospital, the woman was offered and accepted the assistance of a "recovery coach," the Fire Department said in a press release..(EMSWorld)

(Ohio) We understand. Blaming people with heroin addictions is easy. We all wish they had made a different decision. They do too. But life is never simple and one of its greatest challenges can be overcoming an addiction, especially to a powerful opiate that's destroying lives and families in every corner of society...(Newark Advocate)

(Washington) The epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction is stealing years and stealing lives. Confronting this public-health crisis locally requires a focused, compassionate effort to expand treatment...(Seattle Times)

(National) Two Princeton economists startled Americans recently when they reported that between 1999 and 2013, white middle-aged men and women in the United States, especially those with a high school education, were dying at an increasing rate from prescription and illegal drug overdose, alcohol and liver-related disease, and suicide...(Medscape)

(Canada) A report released by the BC Coroners Service suggests the number of overdose deaths linked to fentanyl across the province has levelled off somewhat...(Global News)

(Australia) A deadly batch of heroin is circulating Sydney, killing drug users just seconds after they inject the substance. A string of 13 deaths in one month has prompted State Coroner Michael Barnes to issue an urgent warning...(Sydney Morning Herald)