Regional journalists Monica Hesse (The Washington Post) and Beth Macy (The Roanoke Times) will join Pulitzer Prize recipient Eric Eyre (Charleston Gazette-Mail) in a discussion of important issues impacting communities nationwide—including the opioids crisis and the effects of economic decline on rural communities—and the vital role of local journalism to an informed citizenry. Community questions will follow the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Reginald Shareef (Radford University).