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CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- September 26, 2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Gordonsville [Virginia] man [Mark Ryland Dowdy] faces felony charges in white powder case
2. Anthrax suspect [Bruce Ivins] said he solved case
3. Suspicious letter found harmless [at the Department of Veteran Affairs] in D.C.
4. Democrats unveil economic stimulus plans
5. Anthrax suspect [Bruce Ivins] was barred from labs after spill [of Bacillus Anthracis]
6. Health Center operated at loss in August [Flint Hills, Kansas]
7. U.S. Rep. Latham [R-IA]: Iowa projects secured in the final DOD appropriations bill
8. Hotel Anthrax Scare [Sterling, Virginia]
9. 111-year-old Epidemic Act set for burial
10. Court Rules in Army's Favor in the Newport Hydrolysate Shipments Case
11. Umatilla Depot [Oregon] begins incinerating VX land mines
12. Researcher [Texas A&M University chemist Dr. Frank Raushel] working on destruction of chemical weapons
13. Nuclear waste piles up at hospitals
14. [Israeli Defense Minister Ehud] Barak orders filters for new secure rooms
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1. *Gordonsville [Virginia] man [Mark Ryland Dowdy] faces felony charges in white powder case
"Mark Ryland Dowdy had a dispute with management at his former place of employment, Klockner Pentaplast outside of Gordonsville in Louisa County, 'over a leave of absence,' a search warrant affidavit states. Since then, signs calling for a boycott of the business - laced with a substance identified as benzoyl benzoate - were found near Klockner's facility, according to court records. 'And naturally, when he did that, it invoked fear on the workforce at the Klockner facility,' said Maj. Donald A. Lowe of the Louisa County Sheriff's Office. 'It's our belief that he did that to intimidate.'" (Culpeper Star-Exponent; 25Sep08; Brandon Shulleeta)
http://www.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/crime/article/ex_worker_faces_felony_charges_in_white_powder_case/21666/
2. *Anthrax suspect [Bruce Ivins] said he solved case
"Suspected Washington anthrax killer Bruce Ivins claimed to have solved the case in an e-mail message to himself, newly released court documents say. [...] After learning that FBI scientists had traced the bacteria to his laboratory, Ivins, a government bioweapons researcher, suggested to agents several other scientists who he said might be guilty, the documents say. [Ivins] died July 29 after an overdose of Tylenol as prosecutors moved closer to charging him [...]." (United Press International; 25Sep08)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/25/Anthrax_suspect_said_he_solved_case/UPI-85641222342690/
3. *Suspicious letter found harmless [at the Department of Veteran Affairs] in D.C.
"Authorities in Washington said 24 people were quarantined Thursday before it was determined that a suspicious letter posed no threat. Assistant District of Columbia Fire Chief Lawrence Schultz said the letter received by the Department of Veterans Affairs sparked police and fire crews to respond to the building after it was found to contain a 'written threat' and 'a fair amount of powder,' [...] 24 mail room workers were quarantined for about 90 minutes [...]." (United Press International; 25Sep08)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/25/Suspicious_letter_found_harmless_in_DC/UPI-48921222386702/
4. *Democrats unveil economic stimulus plans
"Top Senate Democrats on Thursday unveiled a $56 billion plan to stimulate the economy [...] The Senate plan also contains a bevy of smaller items [...] such as $55 million for upgraded radios for the U.S. Capitol Police and $905 million to combat bioterrorism and prepare for a possible flu epidemic." (Associated Press; 25Sep08; Andrew Taylor)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5injFfO8MlwJfFFF_n29IR630N94AD93E5Q8G0
5. *Anthrax suspect [Bruce Ivins] was barred from labs after spill [of Bacillus Anthracis]
"Anthrax mailing suspect Bruce E. Ivins' access to Army biodefense laboratories was revoked in March after he spilled anthrax on his pants and went home to wash them instead of immediately reporting the accident, according to an Army report. [...] The accident occurred March 17 at Fort Detrick while the microbiologist, who died of an apparent suicide July 29, was working with the relatively mild strain of anthrax [sic] used for vaccinating livestock. [...] Ivins reported the March accident to his supervisors at USAMRIID 1 hour and 20 minutes after it occurred. [...] The investigator wrote that a centrifuge bottle containing the solution had tipped over, spilling about 5 milliliters on Ivins's trousers. Ivins cleaned the surface of the cabinet and floor, and then walked home, washed his pants with bleach in his washing machine and dried them in the dryer before returning to USAMRIID [U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases] to report the incident." (Associated Press; 24Sep08; David Dishneau)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hsfQS_7ucH9f9KjqC93JfU7sbRjAD93D7AE80
6. *Health Center operated at loss in August [Flint Hills, Kansas]
"The Flint Hills Community Health Center experienced an $81,822.47 net loss for the month of August; however, that amount is below the expected loss for the month [...] In other business, board members discussed the mass vaccination flu clinic that the health center is hosting from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 21. The clinic is an opportunity for the public to get flu shots and a training exercise for local first responders to practice for a mass vaccination event such as a bioterrorism attack." (Emporia Gazette; 24Sep08; Brandy Nance)
http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2008/sep/24/health_center_operated_loss_august/
7. *U.S. Rep. Latham [R-IA]: Iowa projects secured in the final DOD appropriations bill
"Iowa Congressman Tom Latham has secured more than $18 million in federal funding for Iowa-based initiatives. The funding, which was appropriated through the 2009 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, supports a number of defense related programs [...] The legislation highlights the following Iowa programs for funding: [...] HyperAcute Vaccine Development-funded at $2.4 million. [...] Portable Rapid Bacterial Warfare Detection Unit-funded at $4 million." (Iowa Politics; 24Sep08; Fritz Chaleff)
http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=137081
8. *Hotel Anthrax Scare [Sterling, Virginia]
"The Holiday Inn on Holiday Drive in Sterling was locked down last Friday [19Sep08] evening as Sheriff's Office and Fire and Rescue officials investigated a suspicious package found nearby, Kraig Troxell, Sheriff's Office spokesman, said. Authorities were called at about 4:30 that afternoon when a package containing white powder that was thought to possibly be anthrax was spotted near some of the hotel's trash bins, Troxell said. 'After several tests, it was confirmed to be harmless,' he said." (Ashburn Connection; 24Sep08; Mike DiCicco)
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=319936&paper=67&cat=104
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9. *111-year-old Epidemic Act set for burial
"The 111-year-old Epidemic Act will soon be replaced by a stringent new law that the government claims will be able to effectively fight epidemics and new age diseases like HIV/AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and bio-terrorism by punishing those whose negligence leads to an epidemic. [...] The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has consulted the ministry on making provisions to counter bio-terrorism and has mentioned that there must be provision to tackle diseases like anthrax and small pox 'in case of its misuse.'" (Indo-Asian News Service; 25Sep08)
http://www.freshnews.in/111-year-old-epidemic-act-set-for-burial-75823
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10. *Court Rules in Army's Favor in the Newport Hydrolysate Shipments Case
"The ruling issued by Chief Judge Larry J. McKinney of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in Indianapolis, was in favor of the Army and granted the Army's motion for summary judgment. This ruling confirmed the Army's position that the litigation, initiated by a collection of plaintiffs on May 8, 2007, raised no genuine issues to be tried. [...] The court ruled that the caustic waste water, known as hydrolysate, is a hazardous waste, not a munition or chemical agent, and that the Army adequately considered the other risks inherent in the transportation of the wastes to Texas for ultimate disposal. [...] CMA [U.S. Army Chemical Material Agency] began shipping the Newport hydrolysate to Veolia Environmental Services in Port Arthur, Texas, in April 2007. In June, the Army voluntarily stopped shipments pending the July hearing in Judge McKinney's court." (PR Newswire; 25Sep08; Greg Mahall)
http://sev.prnewswire.com/aerospace-defense/20080925/DC3519525092008-1.html
11. *Umatilla Depot [Oregon] begins incinerating VX land mines
"Officials say the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Eastern Oregon has started the next-to-last phase of destroying its chemical weapons. VX-filled land mines were readied for incineration on Thursday. [...] Umatilla officials say the work on the VX land mines is expected to take two months [...]." (KPIC; 25Sep08; Source: AP)
http://www.kpic.com/news/local/29774174.html
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12. *Researcher [Texas A&M University chemist Dr. Frank Raushel] working on destruction of chemical weapons
"Raushel, the Davidson Professor of Science at Texas A&M, has been awarded a four-year grant of $1.2 million by the National Institutes of Health to carry out his work on organophosphates. [...] Researchers have discovered a bacterial enzyme, phosphotriesterase, which can recognize and destroy the toxicity of a broad spectrum of organophosphate nerve agents. What Raushel aims to do is design and characterize bacterial phosphotriesterases that are better at detecting, destroying and detoxifying those organophosphates that pose the most serious threats to human health." (Eureka Alert; 24Sep08; Frank Raushel)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/tau-rwo092408.php
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13. *Nuclear waste piles up at hospitals
"Tubes, capsules and pellets of used radioactive material are piling up in the basements and locked closets of hospitals and research installations around the country, stoking fears they could get lost or, worse, stolen by terrorists and turned into dirty bombs. For years, truckloads of low-level nuclear waste from most of the U.S. were taken to a rural South Carolina landfill. There, [radioactive] items [...] were sealed in concrete and buried. But a South Carolina law that took effect July 1 ended nearly all disposal of radioactive material at the landfill, leaving 36 states with no place to throw out [their waste]." (Associated Press; 25Sep08; Seanna Adcox)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jwdsBEsSY3yYEj7p1Z7FFsD75gCQD93E7S280
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14. *[Israeli Defense Minister Ehud] Barak orders filters for new secure rooms
"Worried about a non-conventional attack against Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved a new plan under which all 'secure rooms' built after 2009 will need to be fitted with chemical and biological filters. [...] 'All secure rooms have a metal tube opening to outside, and that is where the filter can be installed, at a low price of around $1,000,' one official explained. '[...] the new directive will only pertain to new homes and apartments.' [...] In the event of a non-conventional attack, filters in secure rooms would allow people to reside inside the room for an extended period of time without the need to wear gas masks [...]." (Jerusalem Post; 25Sep08; Yaakov Katz)
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017397242&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
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