Drug overdoses dropping but it is unclear why
Next Town Board member in Queensbury may come down to a coin flip
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After reading Brian Mann's reporting about overdose deaths dropping over the past two years, I took my book The Last American Newspaper off the shelf.
Over two decades, we covered substance abuse of various kinds at the newspaper while trying to make a difference in our community.
The chapter "Monsters After Midnight" chronicled our coverage of underage drinking after seeing eight teenage fatalities over a three-year span.
The reporting almost seemed quaint 20 years later.
Later in the book, I chronicled the prosecution of two Washington County parents in 2009 for looking the other way when their teenager threw drinking parties around the fire pit in their yard. That led to an accident where two high school girls died.
Finally, we covered the opioid epidemic in our community in 2012 with a heartbreaking story about two drug-addicted parents leaving their three daughters to fend for themselves in Poultney, Vt.
Those were tough stories to write and probably tougher to read, but ultimately, they drew much needed attention to the problem in our community.
Mann, the former North Country Public Radio reporter who now works for NPR now, reported this week that drug overdose deaths had fallen 10 to 11 percent nationally. In some places, the latest statistics indicate a reduction of 20 to 30 percent.
Professionals fighting addiction are encouraged, but still point out that deaths are topping 100,000 a year.
Unless we know someone battling addiction, we don't pay much attention to the drug problem in our country.
Driving down Elm Street past the Conifer Park outpatient clinic in Glens Falls, you are reminded the battle continues for many.
Mann, who has become the face of reporting on the opioid crisis for NPR, interviewed addicts in downtown Burlington who confirmed they were seeing fewer overdoses among their peers.
"For a while we were hearing about (drug deaths) every other day," said Kevin Donaldson, an addict living on the street. "When was the last one we heard about? Maybe two weeks ago. That's pretty few and far between."
That's still horiffic, but it may be progress.
Brad Finegood, who directs the overdose crisis response in Seattle, told Mann, "A year ago when overdose deaths continued to rise, I was really struggling with hope. Today, I have so much hope."
Mann reports that most of the experts are still not certain why there has been a reduction of overdose deaths. Some believe improvements in the availability and affordability of medical treatments for fentanyl addiction are significant while others believe it is the availability of naloxone - which reverses a drug overdose - is the key. One survey in the Seattle area found that 85 percent of high-risk drug users now carry the overdose reversal medication with them.
Locally, it is still a problem.
Between 2021 and 2023, there were 216 overdoses and 38 fatalities while Naloxone had been employed 125 times.
And that was just in Warren County. Here are the numbers:
2021 - 49 overdoses and 14 fatalities.
2022 - 54 overdoses and 11 fatalities.
2023 - 43 overdoes and 9 fatalities.
2024 - 64 overdoses and 3 fatalities (so far this year).
The statistics mirror Mann's national reporting. So while overdoses are up this year in Warren County, there have been just three fatalities.
The use of Naloxone appears to be significant.
Mann interviewed Eric Breeyear, who has been in recovery in Barre, Vermont for about a year. Breeyear said he was given naloxone repeatedly after experiencing fentanyl overdoses. The reality is those suffering addiction are routinely carrying naloxone just in case.
It is saving lives, but not a solution to the problem.
Queensbury appointment
The power play by the Republicans on the Queensbury Town Board seems to have met some public resistance.
The scuttlebutt is that councilman Tim McNulty has been taking some heat for trying to make a Republican appointment to the seat held by the late Harrison Freer.
It's good to hear that Queensbury citizens are not enamored by political appointments like the one being proposed.
Interviews were supposed to be done by the Town Board by midweek, but that was apparently not done. Instead, McNulty proposed a compromise candidate in Dave Deeb, who is on the town planning board.
Supervisor John Strough suggested putting the names of Deeb and former town councilman Catherine Atherden into a hat and picking a successor that way.
It should make Monday's Town Board meeting interesting.
Elise sign
It's that time of year when political signs scar the lawns all across the region.
Sorry, but they are ugly and make properties look cheap.
But I finally saw one on West Mountain Road in Queensbury that I could fully support.
Some editing was done to the traditional "Elise for Congress" sign with the owners writing in "Never" above and after the "Elise for Congress."
I think it is a great way to display a protest vote.
If you don't like how the congresswoman has changed over the past 10 years, then maybe you should go out and get an "Elise" sign and add your own message of protest.
"No Way Elise."
"Do nothing Elise"
"Never Elise."
Balloon festival
The Adirondack Balloon Festival kicked off Thursday at Crandall Park and continues through the weekend, so if you run into a big traffic jam on Ridge Road, well, you've been warned.
Drag Queen story hour
In an unusual press release, the Lower Adirondack Pride announced a Drag Queen Story Hour was going to be held on Saturday at noon without saying where the event was being held.
"In light of recent events, the location of the Drag Queen Story Hour will be kept private until the day before the event to ensure the safety and security of all attendees. The event will be held at a secure venue, and registered participants will received the location details via email on Friday, September 20, 2024."
Apparently, the negative reaction to a Drag Queen Story Hour just being scheduled in Lake Luzerne was enough to keep the location on a need to know basis for this event in Queensbury.
That is a sad indictment of where we are in this country and a community when kids story hour has to be kept secret.
"The Drag Queen Story Hour is more than just a ceflebration, it's a stand for love, inclusivity and the freedom to express who we are," said Cam Cardinale, president of the Lower Adirondack Pride. "We will never stop fighting for wht's right. We believe in a world where everyone is free to be themselves, and this event is one more way we're making that vision a reality."
Ghost tours
The Lake George Historical Society on Canada Street will continue its weekly ghost tours this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
You can find information on the tours at:
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
I saw one Elise for Congress sign where "ELISE" was transformed into "ELIES" and I had to do a doubletake, since it was done so well
Presumably there are serious issues for the Queensbury town board to deal with but they are using a tremendous amount of time and energy to seat a member for one or maybe 2 meetings - and then to be dismissed after the election.