Father charged after investigation of Columbus boy’s death
Travis Tuttle, of Columbus, Indiana, has been arrested for neglect of a dependent resulting in death and possession of a narcotic drug. The charges come from the March 21st death of his 8-year-old son, who died from fentanyl exposure. On the night of his death, the boy was allegedly sleeping on the couch of Tuttle’s home, and was found unresponsive at 11am the next morning. Court records describe the child as having been found with vomit on him and white foam coming from his mouth. Police discovered foil and white powder residue on the coffee table and also in a dresser in Tuttle’s bedroom. The autopsy revealed that the boy died of acute fentanyl and diphenhydramine intoxication. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid known for its potency. The incident is believed to be accidental, but criminal, nonetheless.
Annual survey gauges substance use, mental health issues among Indiana college students
Indiana University researchers have released results from the 2021 Indiana College Substance Use Survey, an annual survey that gauges the use of substances such as vaping products, tobacco, marijuana and alcohol among college students across the state. The survey also investigated issues of mental health, finding that more than a third (38.7%) of the students reported experiencing periods of sadness or feeling depressed.
The 12th annual survey found that:
- 74.5% of students age 21 or older consumed alcohol in the past month, compared to 40% of students under age 21.
- 81.8% of the students who had used electronic vaping devices reported using them with tobacco/nicotine, and 59.1% reported using them with marijuana/THC.
- Female students were least likely to use marijuana as compared to nicotine in vaping devices.
In addition to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana, the survey investigated students’ consumption of prescription drugs not prescribed to them, hallucinogens, inhalants and other illegal drugs. Survey results show that 2.6% of the students took prescription stimulants not prescribed to them. The survey found that most students who reported using alcohol, tobacco and marijuana did so before entering college. However, 67.1% of the students who had used cocaine and 62.6% of the students who reported consumption of hallucinogens first did so after entering college.
When it comes to consuming alcohol, the study found:
- 66.5% of the students age 21 or older drank alcohol at off-campus houses or apartments in the past year, and 56.7% did so at bars or restaurants.
- For underage students, off-campus houses or apartments were the most common locations for drinking alcohol (46.6%), followed by residence halls (16.6%).
- The most common reasons to drink alcohol reported by all participating students were “to have a good time with friends” (83.5%) and “to relax” (54.6%).
- 59.9% of students ages 21 to 25 reported drinking “to relax” compared to 48.6% of underage students.
- 38.4% of the underage students reported drinking alcohol “to experiment.”
The survey also investigated mental health problems. College students were asked to share how many days in the past month their mental health was not good, including experiencing stress, depression or problems with emotions.
- On average, students reported 10.2 days of poor mental health in the past month.
- More than one-third of the students (38.7%) reported experiencing periods of significant sadness/hopelessness that lasted for two or more weeks.
- Thirteen percent of the students reported having seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
The 12th Indiana College Substance Use Survey was conducted in spring 2021. The findings are based on responses from 8,059 students age 18 to 25, from 23 Indiana colleges: 14 public and nine private schools.
City to Dedicate Aurora Almanac Art Installation at Trades District Garage
The City of Bloomington invites community members to a celebration of the installation of the artwork Aurora Almanac at the Trades District Garage on Friday, December 3, at 5pm. The City of Bloomington commissioned Aurora Almanac, by Esteban Garcia Bravo in partnership with Weber, Inc. as part of its plans for the construction of the Trades District Garage. Installed on each floor of the garage’s north and south stairwells, Aurora Almanac comprises seven panels of three-dimensional tile lit in alternating colors. Several of the designs that make up the piece were created by local residents who attended workshops facilitated by artist Garcia Bravo.
The Trades District Garage is located just south of West Tenth Street between the Showers City Hall building and the B-Line Trail, just east of North Rogers Street. The event will take place near the south entrance of the garage.
This Week in Hoosier History
1838 – Governor David Wallace and a group of prominent citizens took the first steam train ride in Indiana. They traveled along 15 miles of track owned by the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. They rode to Graham’s Fork near the Muscatatuck River. It was reported that at one point on the trip they reached a speed of 8 miles an hour.
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