Fewer Opioid Deaths In Wisconsin

FILE PHOTO: A bottle of prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. sit on a counter at a local pharmacy, in P
FILE PHOTO: A bottle of prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. sit on a counter at a local pharmacy, in P

MADISON, Wi (MetroSource-WSAU)  Fewer people in Wisconsin died of an opioid overdose last year. 

The latest numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services show a ten-percent drop in the number of people who died after taking opioids. 

Just under 840 people died from an opioid-related cause in 2018.  It's the first time since 2015 that opioid-related deaths in the state dropped. 

Tom King

Tom grew up in Wausau listening to sports on WSAU and music on our sister stations WRIG and WIFC and decided early on that that was where he wanted to be. After graduating from Wausau East in the mid 70's Tom headed to UWSP. He worked at the college radio station WWSP and weekends on WIFC while earning a degree in Communication.

After college he worked a year at WKAU radio in the Fox Valley before returning to Wausau and moving into radio sales. He missed the on-air work and returned to the air when WOFM went on the air and when it was purchased by Midwest Communications was asked to take on the sports position on WSAU. He has spent the last 13 years as part of the WSAU morning team while also broadcasting Wausau East sports and contributing to the morning show on WIFC.

If you listen to the show you know that Tom is the coach of the Wausau American Legion Baseball team. He's married (Sandy) with two sons (Wade & Cory) and spends his spare time reading, listening to music, watching movies and tv shows and following most of the major sports.