There are two drugs that have become buzz words when talking about drugs available on the streets.
In Indiana there were 2,089 deaths due to all drugs. In Washington County, there were six total drug deaths (five of these from opioids) in 2023, up from the four deaths in 2016.
One drug that is most familiar is Fentanyl, which is a Schedule 2 controlled substance and is a synthetic opioid. It is similar to morphine, but 100 times more potent.
Opioids are any drugs that act on opioid receptors in the brain. They may be natural or synthetic and include such drugs as Fentanyl, heroin, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Percocet and Nitazene. They slow the body down too much sometimes.
Fentanyl does have legal medical use when prescribed to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery. What’s the problem with Fentanyl? None, if created in laboratory-controlled environment.
Since Fentanyl can easily be made in a lab and can be smuggled into our country from Mexico, it is readily available. Much of this illegally manufactured drug is not controlled, and usually it is unknown how much of it may be lethal. There’s no quality control or oversight.
Due to Fentanyl’s ability to produce the effect of analgesia (the absence of pain) or euphoria, it is often mixed with other illicit drugs to increase the effects of those drugs. These drugs include heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. These mixtures increase the likelihood of a fatal interaction.
When the illegal labs produce Fentanyl, it is not an exact science. Two milligrams of Fentanyl can be lethal depending on the user’s body weight, tolerance and past use.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) analysis has found that .02 to 5.1 milligrams of Fentanyl, twice the lethal dose, can be found in an illegal Fentanyl tablet. Taking these illegal pills is sort of like playing Russia roulette with your life. There is no way of knowing if the pill contains Fentanyl, how much or none at all.
The DEA states that drug trafficking organizations typically distribute Fentanyl by the kilogram. One kilogram is equal to 2.2 lbs. This could kill 500,00 people. Estimated deaths just from Fentanyl in 2023 were 74,700.
The newest drug on the block appearing in some areas is Nitazene, which has been discovered in central Indiana. The coroner in Hamilton County has called it “The Frankenstein drug,” because of its potency. It has also been discovered in Ottawa, Canada.
This fine cocktail of poison was discovered in the 1950s as a potential replacement for morphine. Nitazene is a Level One controlled substance. Due to its strength, it was never released by United States Food and Drug Administration. Nitazene is 50% stronger than Fentanyl.
Nitazene may be identified as white tablets with three sides and labeled with an “M” and “8”.
How to tell if a person may be having an opiod overdose? Symptoms may include the following:
Loss of consciousness or body going limp.
Choking.
Heartbeat may be slowed or has stopped.
The face may lose color and feel cool or clammy to the touch.
“Pinpoint” pupils.
The victim may be non-responsive.
Extremities like fingertips and lips may have a blue tinge.
Breathing may become slowed, erratic or cease altogether.
The person may develop a gurgling or deep snoring sounds.
Sometimes the affect of opiod drugs can be temporarily reversed with Naloxone, often known by the brand name Narcan. Additional doses of Naloxone maybe necessary to offset overdose.
If a person is displaying signs of overdose, call 9-1-1, administer Narcan (Naloxone), and administer breathing resuscitation if the person has stopped breathing or is struggling to breathe.
A box that dispenses Narcan can be found in Washington County at LifeSpring Health Systems at 1321 Jackson St., Salem. The drug is free with no contact needed.
Narcan is also available at Washington Co. Health Department, where you will receive a 15-minute training session. It is made available from a state grant, so you must also sign a paper, according to Alicia Thompson.
Information for this article was obtain through the Drug Enforcement Administration websites and LifeSpring Health Systems.
Two milligrams of Fentanyl can be fatal. This tiny amount of powder is shown next to a penny to illustrate just how small of a dose may be fatal.
One of the newer illicit drugs on the street is Nitazene, which may resemble this pill.
Narcan, in its nasal spray form, is a fast-delivery system available to the public that may short-circuit an opiod overdose. It is often provided free of charge, and is a crucial item to add to medicine kits.
NaloxBoxes offer free doses of the overdose reversal drug Naloxone and are available in the Indiana counties listed above.
Sometimes a hidden talent is discovered on America’s Got Talent—so was the case of Richard Goodall.
Goodall, 55 years old, has been a janitor in the Vigo County School Corporation in Terre Haute. He would sing as he worked. He has been a janitor for 23 years.
The middle school students noticed his talent and greatly encouraged him to tryout on AGT. The first time he tried out in 2009 in Chicago, he didn’t get past the first audition. He would wait some 15 years before trying again, and this time with different results.
He made it to the stage of AGT in front of the Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and the sometime hard judge Simon Cowell.
Nervously he took the stage and introduced himself. After a pause to collect his composure, he began to sing. He sang a really appropriate song, “Don’t Stop Believing,” a song made popular by Journey in 2005.
It wasn’t long before the audience was standing, clapping and dancing to this song.
The judges were taken away with him. At that point he got the total approve of the judges and the roaring applause of the audience.
This greatly humbled the 55-year-old janitor into tears, but the great finale of this performance was yet to come.
Heidi Klum so taken by his performance hit the Golden button, showering the stage with golden graffiti.
She said, “Richard, Richard, Richard! You are living proof that we should never ever stop dreaming, believing, and singing! I cannot wait for America to fall in love with you like I have. It’s an honor to hit my Golden Buzzer for you.”
The Golden Buzzer sends the contestant directly to the Live rounds.
This year there are four stages Audition, Live Quarterfinals, Live Semifinals, and a two-week Finale event.
Howie Mandel said, “You just cleaned up.” Cowell chimed in with “You are my hero.” Of course, he made it to the Live Semi Finals where he sings “How am I supposed to live without you.” originally performed by Michael Bolton.
Goodall said he started singing along with his Radio Shack stereo. He is also in a band called “ ManOpause.”
Tragically his wife Patty died of cancer three year ago.
He is presently engaged to Angela Vanoven. Having missed the first audition, she was in the audience for the Live Semi Finals.
Richard said this was not on his radar and he never had been on a plane before. At a local send-off at the Vigo County Fairgrounds, country music star Walker Hayes gave Goodall a brand-new Buick. Mullen’s Dressing had their own gift for Goodall—a lifetime supply of dressing.
Watch AGT cheer this Hoosier on. Download the America’s Got Talent App and vote to send him through the Live Shows to the Finale.
Richard Goodall
Goodall overwhelmed by confetti after receiving a "Golden Buzzer."
Goodall with his fiancee Angela Vanoven.
Early bird registration is open for the Preserving Historic Places Conference 2024, in Madison, IN through Sept. 1.
Conference sessions will highlight Main Street successes, heritage tourism, local preservation commissions and innovative approaches to preservation.
The conference take place in Madison Oct. 22-25. Madison is a town rich in 19th-century architecture and heritage that provided a hub for industry, commerce, the Underground Railroad, and transportation.
Full conference registration ends October 11. For information and updates see indianalandmarks.org/tours-events/preserving-historic-places-conference.
A decade ago, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce commissioned a study on the state’s water supply to provide an account of the resource so vital for everyday life and economic development. Now, through the Indiana Chamber Foundation, the organization has released its follow-up research, “Water Policy and Planning: A 10-Year Update.”
This new report is intended to help set the stage for an integrated water management plan for the state, a key infrastructure and energy priority in the Indiana Chamber’s Indiana Prosperity 2035 visioning plan.
Like the first effort, this study was prepared by INTERA Incorporated, which has a location in Bloomington.
“Today, we have more observations of water levels and more information about flows (than in 2014),” says Jack Wittman, project leader and vice president and principal water resource hydrologist for INTERA. “We have a framework for planning that we’ve simply never had before.”
That’s exactly what the Indiana Chamber was seeking to accomplish, remarks its president and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders.
“Water is such a critical resource for all Hoosiers and it’s imperative to assess current levels as well as help legislators and planners put Indiana in a strong position for the future. We’re grateful for the contributions of all involved in this important study, which we hope can help inform next steps for local and state officials.”
General findings in the new report reveal water in the state is plentiful, but not evenly distributed. Distinctions abound based on geography. For instance, north of the Wabash River, every community, manufacturer and irrigator reportedly has access to their own local groundwater or stream.
In central Indiana, however, water must be well-managed to meet demand as it contains a diversity of sources that include reservoirs, rivers and well fields. And in southern Indiana, “regional water systems have long been the foundation of growth and economic development,” according to the report, relying since the 1960s on sources that include Patoka Lake, Monroe Lake and Brookville Reservoir.
One finding is that while total withdrawals for industrial use are declining overall, capacity may be added regionally as opportunities open for new development.
To avoid conflict, study authors assert, new facilities need to have access to adequate cooling and process water as well as guidance for planning new wastewater returns. In previous decades, industrial water use steadily declined and the use of surface water correspondingly dropped.
The summary continues: “New developments could reverse this trend, so the state needs to consider these plans carefully as the availability within any basin is determined. Where local supplies are unable to satisfy demands for process water, proposals for inter-basin transfers need to be developed with some basic guidance and direction from the state.”
The report also relays that groundwater withdrawal has increased more rapidly than surface water diversions since the 2014 study. The aquifers of the state are becoming increasingly important as a means of satisfying seasonal demands while controlling costs of treatment and conveyance.
Overall, Indiana has enough water for existing proposals and demand, thus putting the state in a much stronger position than, say, its arid western counterparts. Yet the focus turns toward the future.
“What we have to do is think about how future demand might be distributed and how that looks, whether it’s a matter of organic growth from cities or whether we’re actually building mega developments in particular areas,” Wittman offers. “In either case, we have to understand what the effects of high demand for water might be in different basins.”
Using the water study findings to craft meaningful legislation and processes will be the next phase of work. State and federal action will undoubtedly be key, but governments closer to the sources also should play a role.
“Local governments need to be more involved in the process,” Wittman suggests. “There are experiences that counties have now with being more directly involved in the question of water. That needs to be brought to the table and considered.”
Other recommendations include further emphasis on planning; continued coordination by the Indiana Finance Authority; sustainable funding; establishing criteria for setting environmental flows and a framework for data monitoring; developing guidance for regional plans; and cultivating a living state water plan (to build on regional plans).
For the Indiana Chamber, the study release is phase one. “Between now and the start of the legislative session, our organization will be meeting with key lawmakers to share the research and work collaboratively to help shape policy in 2025,” notes Sinders. “We also will be reaching out to local chambers and government officials across the state to highlight these findings and talk about what this means in their communities and how we can partner on enhanced resource planning.”
The research project also included consultations with the Indiana Chamber Water Resources Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives from water utilities, drinking water professional organizations, consultants, relevant state agencies, agriculture, aggregate operations and environmentalists.
Investors in the water study are: ACEC Indiana; AES Indiana; Aqua Indiana; Citizens Energy Group; Ginovus; Indiana American Water; Indiana Farm Bureau; Indiana Mineral Aggregates; Indiana Pork Producers; Indiana Section, American Water Works Association; Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn Marketing Council; M.E. Simpson Company, Inc.; National Association of Water Companies, Indiana Chapter; and The Nature Conservancy.
View the full Indiana Chamber Foundation study at www.indianachamber.com/water.
Washington County, Indiana (August 21, 2024) – One of society’s greatest responsibilities is to care for its children. During this Child Support Awareness Month, we acknowledge the critical role financial support plays in the prosperity of children.
Without support from a noncustodial parent, children may lack essential resources like food, clothing, education and childcare. Establishing financial support requirements for separated parents allows the basic needs of a child to be met. Once this legal obligation is established by a court of law, the Indiana Department of Child Services and local prosecutors must work together to hold parents accountable for financially supporting their children.
“We take this job seriously because child support is about the child, not the parents or the past,” said Washington County Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. “Parents must meet their legal obligations, and our state and local agencies should ensure children have a chance to succeed by chasing down this support. In Washington County, we will continue working to provide all children with resources to meet their basic needs.”
The Washington County Child Support Division currently manages 761 open cases and has collected $1.5 million. Of all paternity cases filed, over 100% have resulted in established paternity. Additionally, 99% of child support petitions filed have led to a child support order, and 74% of all pending cases are actively collecting support. In cases involving only child support arrearages or collections on past-due support, 75% are successfully collecting. Washington County exceeds the national average in each of these categories.
Child support is critical to ensuring our children can thrive, and failing to collect child support payments is a disservice to our children. No matter how personally involved a parent is in a child’s life, providing financial support is a tangible and crucial way to care for a child.
Learn more at www.in.gov/dcs/child-support/.
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