{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://comstock.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/winchester-star-region-hit-overdose-blitz", "Winchester Star: Region Hit With Overdose Blitz", "2016-09-30", "2016", "2016-09", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Barbara Comstock", "C001105", "comstock.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WINCHESTER \u2014 Agents with the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force have responded to eight nonlethal overdoses in the city and Frederick County since Monday, according to a Thursday news release.\nIssued by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, the release states that, while lab results will ultimately determine the narcotics involved in each overdose, investigators believe five of the cases involve heroin. Three were likely synthetic drugs.\nTask force agents also say the drugs have made their way into the region from Baltimore.\nEight overdoses, coalition Executive Director Lauren Cummings said Thursday, is an unusual number to see in the area in a given week, particularly after none had been reported the week prior.\nThe region, comprising Winchester and Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Shenandoah and Page counties, has likewise seen 21 overdose deaths so far in 2016, Cummings said. An additional 75 people have suffered nonfatal overdoses in that span, also called overdose injuries. In 2015, 30 people in the region died from overdoses; 55 suffered overdose injuries.\nCummings said there is no indication that the recent spate of overdoses are linked to heroin laced with an elephant tranquilizer known as carfentanil, which may be responsible for high volumes of overdoses in places such as Huntington, W.Va., where, on Aug. 12, the Associated Press reported that 26 such incidents occurred in a four-hour span and stretched emergency services and first responders to their limits.\nThe coalition is asking the public to take heed of the following behaviors in those around them, which may indicate issues with substance abuse, and seek help:\nChange in friends  \n\tDeclining grades  \n\tLack of motivation, no \"drive\"  \n\tDisciplinary issues at school  \n\tLoss of interest in activities  \n\tAbsences at school or work  \n\tSelling, pawning, stealing or missing valuables and cash  \n\tFrequent use of mints, gum, candy or chips to mask breath  \n\tHiding items in cars, wallets, hat rims or prescription bottles  \n\tAvoiding loved ones or providing irrational excuses for absences  \n\tIncreased sensitivity or becoming defensive or detached  \n\tAnxiety, depression or frequent mood swings  \n\tIrritability  \n\tIsolation, or spending long periods in the bathroom, shower or car  \n\tChanging sleep hours, or napping and falling asleep at odd times  \n\tDecline in physical appearance and self-care.  \n\tSudden onset of or increased cigarette use  \n\tIncrease in speeding tickets or minor accidents  \n\tWearing long-sleeve shirts during warm weather (possibly to cover track marks)  \n\tIf you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, a comprehensive listing of addiction resources in the Northern Shenandoah Valley can be found at www.roadtorecovery.info.\n\u2014 Contact Christopher Earley at cearley@winchesterstar.com\nRead the full story at The Winchester Star here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://comstock.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/winchester-star-region-hit-overdose-blitz"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9336471557617188, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}