Largely rural Monroe County is generally quiet, especially compared to its more populous neighbor to the north, Wayne County.
But The Monroe News, in its list of top stories for 2013, identifies the heroin epidemic as the region's most important news trend of the year.
1. HEROIN EPIDEMIC RATTLES AND RALLIES COMMUNITY #Heroin use has become epidemic in Monroe County, official say. #Local officials and everyday people looked for ways to stem the tide of deaths, and The News started a series of articles profiling people affected by the drug.
The paper published more than a dozen major stories on the epidemic and its effects on the community, including articles on drug users, their families, law enforcement and a judge who sees the ravages of heroin in his courtroom. As of early November 33 people had died from drug overdoses in Monroe; 13 of the deaths were directly related to heroin. Last year, 40 people died from drug overdoses; 14 of those deaths were directly related to heroin.
The paper's No. 2 story of the year was coverage of the celebration that marked the bicentennial of the 1813 battle in which British troops and their Native American allies fought American soldiers in the War of 1812.
Monroe County has a population of 153,000. In comparison, Warren alone has 134,000 residents.
