Local News
‘Highly potent heroin’ said to be in the area, 4 dead
Needle in the gutter. (File photo.)
WINCHESTER, Va. — Virginia police say three overdose deaths occurred Friday in Clarke and Frederick counties, indicating a “highly potent heroin” in the area, according to a media release from the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition.
Police confirmed that a 31-year-old Leesburg man died from an overdose in Clarke County. In Frederick County, two men, ages 33 and 38, also died Friday. Authorities have not yet released their identities. A fourth victim, a 28-year-old woman, died from an overdose in Warren County on Monday.
These four deaths bring the total fatal overdoses this year to six. Police say there have also been 11 nonfatal overdoses reported in 2017.
Police say Carroll County, Maryland officials reported seven overdoses within hours of each other on Friday.
Lauren Cummings, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, says authorities believe there is a batch of heroin in the area that has been laced with fentanyl or carfentanil, which would increase the potency of the heroin and could lead to an overdose.
Fentanyl — a fast-acting narcotic painkiller and sedative — is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, while carfentanil, a fentanyl analog, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
A media release from the Virginia State Police said officers with the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force are increasing efforts to identify the source of the drugs to prevent additional overdoses.
Simple Steps to Reduce Wildfire Risk Around Your Home
Lyme Disease Cases Continue to Rise as Tick Season Returns
County Receives 5 More FY-27 Budget Overviews Prior to Closed Meeting on Administrator Search & Business Expansion
Belle Grove Opens March 21 With First Public Viewing of Memorial Quilts Honoring Enslaved Individuals
Iran At a Crossroads: Democracy, Monarchy, and the Lessons of the 1950s
Federal Judge Upholds Ruling That Certain Ex-Felons Should Not Automatically Lose Voting Rights
Virginia Lawmakers Explore Autonomous Technology for Transportation
Misconceptions About Multiple Sclerosis
Five Reasons to Consider a Career in the Community Sector
Frederick County Cattle Carrier Crash – Animals Still Reported At Large
‘Grow Up’: Former Republican Delegate Defends Civil-Rights-Themed Mailers in Redistricting Fight
Virginia One Step Closer to Probation Reform With Bills Headed for Spanberger’s Desk
Merit Versus Reality: Town Council Weighs Priorities Against Finance
Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: American Beaver
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 3/9/2026
Discover Rotary with the Rotary Club of Warren County
Maureen Cora (Cooper) Valdez (1942 – 2026)
President Trump Secures Trillions in New U.S. Investments as Companies Expand American Manufacturing
Judge Blocks Some of Trump DOJ’s Sweeping Changes to Immigration Appeals
Front Royal Women’s Resource Center to Host ‘Dare to Dream’ Luncheon March 28
Virginia’s Congressional Republicans Urge Trump Admin to Review Legislation to Tighten Oversight of VMI
Plug-In Solar Panels Near Approval by General Assembly
Civil Rights Imagery in Anti-Redistricting Mailers Draws Outrage in Virginia
What Is a Cull Animal?
