Current Nationwide
Threat Level
ELEVATED
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov

The Associated Press reports that officials believe a welding job likely sparked a fire on
July 30 at the El Dorado Chemical Co. plant in Bryan, Texas that forced thousands of people from their homes and closed Texas A&M University’s main campus. The fire
threatened to ignite explosive ammonium nitrate. (See item 5 )

According to USA Today, cybersecurity experts are racing to tame a fast-spreading computer virus, called Clampi, that takes aim at financial accounts that are universally used by businesses.
At least 500,000 computers have been infected by Clampi since March, a
researcher said recently at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. (See item 13 )
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
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Energy
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Chemical
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
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Banking and Finance
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Transportation
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Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
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Postal and Shipping
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Critical Manufacturing
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Information Technology
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Defense Industrial Base
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Dams Sector
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Communications
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Commercial Facilities
SUSTENANCE AND HEALTH
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Agriculture and Food
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Water Sector
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Public Health and Healthcare
FEDERAL AND STATE
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Government Facilities
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Emergency Services
National Monuments and Icons
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES − ISAC) −
[ http://www.esisac.com
]
1.
July 31, Associated Press – (Louisiana) Vital La. oil port left vulnerable to hurricanes.
One of the nation’s most important economic assets — the booming oil hub called Port Fourchon — is turning into a sitting duck for hurricanes as the beach that
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protects it from the Gulf of Mexico washes away. The miles-long sand bank — blasted last year by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and by Katrina and Rita three years before that
— is nearly all that keeps the Gulf from inundating the pipelines and shipyards that handle 15 percent of all crude oil flowing to inland refineries. Port Fourchon, about 70 miles south of New Orleans, supports 90 percent of the Gulf’s 3,700 offshore platforms and connects with the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port — the only U.S. port capable of handling the largest oil tankers. The offshore port is tied in by pipeline to about half of domestic refining capacity, most of it on the Gulf Coast. Officials worry that unless work begins immediately to bolster the port’s defenses, a direct hit from a strong
Category 3 storm or worse could cripple the facility for weeks and create a national energy crisis overnight. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to begin work in 2011 on a
$243 million shoreline restoration project for the Caminada Headland, where Port
Fourchon sits. Port officials are eager for the corps work to begin but say they need to immediately shore up the facility’s eastern flank with $20 million of improvements. So far, the port has not been able to raise money for breakwaters, man-made dunes, and other protection. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it does not pay for damage to a natural beach, and a proposal to use stimulus funds was rejected. The port’s economic development director said he was trying to raise $10 million in state, port, and local funds, and that he would turn to the energy industry “if we come up short.”
Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/31/ap6725078.html
2.
July 31, Reuters – (Texas) Exxon Mobil has operation issue at Baytown, Texas plant.
Exxon Mobil reported an unspecified operational issue at its Baytown facility in Texas, according to a message on a community hotline on July 31. In the message, Exxon said it experienced at 1:45 a.m. on July 31 an operational issue at the facility, which has a chemical plant as well a 567,000 barrel per day refinery, the nation’s largest. The company said in the message it was working to return operations to normal. A company spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSN3141673520090731
3.
July 31, News Journal – (Delaware) Brief emergency routine activated at Valero.
Valero briefly activated an emergency routine at its refinery near Delaware City
Thursday after what was described as smoke or a small fire at a power plant. An engineer for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said the incident partially coincided with a noisy and noticeable but unrelated shutdown of a hydrogen handling unit. A spokesman for Texas-based Valero said the emergency call was quickly canceled. Production rates were unaffected by the problem. The engineer said idling of the hydrogen plant for repairs could affect units that remove or recover sulfur from some processes at Delaware City. The 210,000 barrel-per-day plant handles high-sulfur crude oil.
Source: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090731/BUSINESS/90730056/1003
4.
July 31, Occupational Safety and Health Administration – (Louisiana) Alleged safety violations at Louisiana refinery lead to $110K fine.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Calcasieu Refining
- 2 -

Co. with alleged serious and other-than-serious violations of federal health and safety regulations following an inspection at the company’s facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Proposed penalties total $110,600. OSHA’s Baton Rouge Area Office began an investigation January 27 that found 27 serious and five other-than-serious violations.
Serious violations include failing to provide process safety information for pressure vessels, sufficiently develop a written mechanical integrity program, conduct regularly scheduled inspections, designate hazardous classified locations, conduct compliance audits, and maintain an audible alarm system. Other-than-serious violations include failure to provide employees with information on developing mechanical integrity element requirements; obtain and evaluate all contractor’s safety information and programs before performing work in the Number 2 crude unit, and maintain the required records on contractor injuries and/or illnesses. Calcasieu Refining Co., an operating subsidiary of Houston, Texas-based Transworld Oil USA Inc., which specializes in refining gasoline, diesel, naphtha, mineral spirits, and jet fuel, employs about 93 workers at the Lake Charles facility.
Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southcentral/2009/07/31/102664.htm
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For another story, see item 6
5.
July 31, Associated Press – (Texas) Welding believed to have sparked fire at TX chemical plant that forced thousands to flee homes. Officials believe a welding job likely sparked a fire at a central Texas chemical plant that forced thousands of people from their homes and closed Texas A&M University’s main campus. The fire threatened to ignite explosive ammonium nitrate used as a fertilizer ingredient. A worker with
Brazos County emergency management said on July 31 the investigation is continuing but “the best information we have” indicates the blaze started during a welding job. He says fewer than 1,000 people were out of their homes as the El Dorado Chemical Co. plant continued smoldering. He says authorities hope to get the remaining residents home soon. According to Texas A&M’s Web site, the campus would reopen on July 31.
The fire began midday July 30 at the plant in Bryan, about 100 miles north of Houston.
At least 34 people were treated for injuries.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-warehousefire,1,3386464.story
6.
July 29, KERO 23 Bakersfield – (California) 3 workers complain of pain after hydrochloric acid leak. Around 6:45 a.m. on July 29, a call was received by the Kern
County Fire Department, for a possible chemical leak at 21100 Stockdale Highway west of Bakersfield. Eighteen Kern County Firefighters responded to the incident assisted by
Kern County Environmental Health Agency. Upon arrival, crews were faced with approximately 18 people working at Inergy, a liquid petroleum gas company. Three of the workers were complaining of mild irritation to the eyes and throat. All were treated at scene and refused transport to hospital. The cause of the incident was attributed to the malfunction of equipment at an adjacent chemical processing plant. A small amount of
- 3 -

hydrochloric acid was discharged from a vent pipe which vaporized into a gas cloud and was carried west by the prevailing wind. The cloud dissipated very quickly and did not cause any concern to local residents.
Source: http://www.turnto23.com/news/20215687/detail.html
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7.
July 30, North County Times – (Illinois) Exelon Ill. Braidwood 2 reactor trips off line.
Exelon Corp’s 1,152-megawatt Braidwood 2 nuclear power unit in Illinois was shut early on July 31 after the unit tripped off line late on July 30, according to separate reports from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The unit, in Braceville, in Will County, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago, automatically tripped from full power late on July 30, the NRC said in an event report. The NRC said an Unusual
Event, the lowest of the agency’s four emergency classifications, was declared, due to the loss of offsite power for greater than 15 minutes. “Unit 2 tripped as a result of the over-current trip of the 2 C reactor coolant pump. Both station auxiliary transformers on
Unit 2 subsequently tripped off line. All control rods fully inserted on the trip. Auxiliary feedwater auto-started and maintained Steam Generator water level,” the report said.
The report added that the unit was stable and that Unit 1 was unaffected. Unit 1 continued to run at full power early Friday, according to the NRC’s reactor status report.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN31411827200
90731
See also: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/eventstatus/event/en.html#en45238
8.
July 29, Ashbury Park Press – (New Jersey) Exelon wants info on Oyster Creek tritium leak withheld. The owners of Oyster Creek Generating Station have asked the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the full analysis regarding the cause of a recent tritium leak at the plant not be made public. Earlier this month, state senator and assemblymen called for the immediate release of the root-cause analysis of the leak that occurred in April at the plant in the Forked River section of the township. “We will discuss what our review of the root-cause analysis found in our upcoming inspection report on the groundwater contamination issues at Oyster Creek,” an NRC spokesman said on July 29. He added that the report should be issued next month. The NRC spokesman explained why Exelon asked that the full report be withheld from the public.
“It makes several arguments, including the proprietary nature of information in the document and its concern that the disclosure of the contents will restrain company personnel from being as ‘frank, candid and self-critical’ in the future. We have not yet ruled on the request, pending the submittal of additional information from Exelon,” he said. “We have asked the company to provide us with a nonproprietary version of the root-cause analysis that could be available for public dissemination.” The Oyster Creek plant is investigating a potential release following the discovery of radioactive tritium while a cable was being replaced April 15, according to a report filed with the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. Levels of tritium in a cable vault were found while the cable
- 4 -

was being replaced to an emergency service water pump, according to an NRC report.
Source: http://www.app.com/article/20090729/NEWS/907290354/1070/NEWS02/Exelon+wants
+info+on+Oyster+Creek+tritium+leak+withheld
9.
July 28, North County Times – (California) Boxer takes up request by nuke plant activists.
Just a few months before it is scheduled to begin cutting a 28-foot hole in one of the San Onofre Generating Station’s two reactor domes, Southern California Edison may be facing a new round of scrutiny at the federal level. In a letter dated July 14, a
U.S. Senator from San Francisco is asking the chairman of the NRC to look into activists’ requests that the pending operation be postponed in light of the commission’s recent concerns about workers’ performance at the seaside plant. The agency has already denied a request by a group of anti-nuclear activists who want the reactor work postponed, but the Senator’s letter may carry more weight because she chairs the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee. So far, the Senator has received no response from the NRC on her request. In a report released this spring, regulators were sharply critical of the workplace culture at San Onofre and said workers needed to improve their adherence to the plant’s strict maintenance and safety procedures in order to head off potential problems. A previous inspection found that a contract worker at San Onofre had skipped fire-watch rounds for five years, then falsified records to cover his tracks.
Local nuclear activism groups, especially the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, have cited such incidents in asking that the NRC postpone San Onofre’s upcoming retrofit project, which would replace two 640-ton heat exchangers inside each of the plant’s two concrete containment domes. The procedure is scheduled to begin in October.
Source: http://www.northcountytimes.com/articles/2009/07/28/news/coastal/oceanside/zae4b762
7fc414ccc882576000082298f.txt
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For another story, see item 34
10.
July 30, Associated Press – (West Virginia) ‘Green goo’ revealed toxic leak at WV zinc plant. For at least five years before a resident noticed what she calls “a green goo” seeping out of the ground below a former zinc-smelting plant in the town of Spelter, water loaded with potentially toxic heavy metals was trickling into the West Fork River.
The resident took it upon herself to patrol the site after she and nine other plaintiffs won a class-action lawsuit against DuPont in 2007 over long-term exposure to toxins from the site. The woman, one of thousands who may eventually share in $380 million in damage awards, did not believe DuPont’s claims during the trial that Spelter was clean and ready for redevelopment. Although the seep she noticed last year is sealed now, she does not buy the state Department of Environmental Protection’s assertion that no harm was done. The DEP says high levels of dissolved metals in the seep rapidly dispersed, soaking into the soil as they flowed downhill, then were further diluted in a river that no one downstream uses for drinking water. The only risk, the agency says, might be to
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fish. During more than 90 years of operation, the Spelter smelter produced more than 4 billion pounds of slab zinc and 400 million pounds of zinc dust for use in rustproofing products, paint pigments and battery anodes. By 1971, a toxic waste pile stood 100 feet tall and covered nearly half of the 112-acre site. Dust often blew from the site into homes in nearby communities. The plant closed in 2001, and DuPont worked with state regulators to demolish factory buildings and cap the site with plastic and clean soil. But two years ago, after a lengthy trial, a jury ruled that DuPont was negligent in creating the waste pile, and that it had deliberately downplayed and lied to its neighbors about possible health threats. Damages now on appeal to the state Supreme Court included
$196 million meant to punish DuPont for its conduct, $130 million to fund a 40-year health screening program and $55.5 million to clean up private properties.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g1iezLqFrPIECjT1hltZh_htAAp
QD99OKOB83
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11.
July 30, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – (National) Frigidaire recalls clothes washers due to fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Frigidaire, on July 30 announced a voluntary recall of about 35,000
Crosley, Frigidaire, Kelvinator, Kenmore, Wascomat, and White-Westinghouse clothes washers. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. An internal defect in the washer’s drain pump can cause heat to build up, posing a fire hazard to the consumer. No incidents or injuries have been reported.
Consumers should immediately unplug and stop using the machine. Consumers should contact Frigidaire or Sears (if unit was purchased there) to schedule a free repair.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09292.html
12.
July 28, U.S. Government Accountability Office – (National) Warfighter support:
Information on Army and Marine Corps ground combat helmet pads. Both the
Army and the Marine Corps currently use pads that are manufactured by Team Wendy, a company based in Cleveland, Ohio, and are supplied through National Industries for the Blind, an organization that packages and supplies helmet pads to the Army and
Marines through the AbilityOne program. These pads were selected based on the results of prior Army testing, as well as value. Helmet systems, including helmet pads, have undergone a variety of tests, including tests to judge their relative protection in comparison with the sling suspension system and tests to judge comfort and ease of use.
The Army and Marine Corps are actively seeking new options to improve helmet technology. In 2007, in an effort to spur industry to design a more effective pad system, the Army issued a request for information seeking an off-the-shelf technology solution that could increase blunt impact protection over the current performance standard. The current testing standard for blunt impact protection requires that a helmet dropped at a speed of 10 feet per second be able to diminish the force to which the wearer’s head accelerates to under 150 g.2. According to Army officials, the request for information called for the same degree of protection at a drop speed of 14.1 feet per second, with the
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ultimate objective of increasing this drop speed to 17.3 feet per second. To date, no manufacturer has submitted a pad system that passes the testing at 14.1 feet per second, but the Army believes that this call for an improved technological solution will motivate industry to develop better performing pads. Additionally, the services are looking for new alternatives for protecting against blunt impact injury. This effort includes outreach to other countries and sports organizations, and research into the causes of traumatic brain injury.
Source: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-768R
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13.
July 31, USA Today – (National) Clampi virus targets companies’ financial accounts.
Cybersecurity experts are racing to tame a fast-spreading computer virus that takes deadly aim at financial accounts that are universally used by businesses.
The virus, called Clampi, “is pretty scary,” says the editor of DarkReading, a technology security news site. “It’s worth worrying about.” At least 500,000 computers have been infected by Clampi since March, and it is spreading “by leaps and bounds,” a researcher told cybercrime experts meeting recently at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.
Anti-virus programs can detect and block Clampi, but the attackers are adept at tweaking it so it gets through, the researcher says.
Clampi is one of a few dozen
“banking Trojans” that target online financial transactions.
But unlike some that prey on consumers’ online banking accounts, the criminals behind Clampi “are going after bigger fish,” primarily companies, says a senior analyst at anti-virus firm F-Secure.
Windows PCs can pick up the Clampi infection when a user clicks on a tainted Web page, including ones on innocuous-looking legitimate sites that have been hacked.
An infected PC then waits to see if the user logs into personal accounts at any of 4,600 Web pages for a wide array of businesses and government agencies, and their banks.
It then sets a trap to obtain the user name and password of network administrators who have clearance to access all of an organization’s Windows PCs. It logs on as the administrator, then spreads companywide.
Attackers are then able to wire cash transfers to “mule” accounts they control using banks’ automated clearinghouse (ACH) systems.
Because Clampi and other banking Trojans are so ubiquitous, businesses should make online financial transactions only on PCs dedicated to those tasks, and that are not used for e-mail, accessing social networks or browsing the Internet, the researcher says.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2009-07-30-clampicomputer-virus_N.htm
14.
July 30, Associated Press – (Texas) 34 taken to hospitals after woman sprays perfume in Texas call center. At first, fire officials suspected that carbon monoxide or some other toxic fumes had sickened almost 150 people at a Texas bank call center.
It turned out that perfume was to blame. A MedStar ambulance spokeswoman says 34 people were taken to hospitals, 12 by ambulance, after reporting dizziness and shortness of breath on July 29 at a Bank of America call center in Fort Worth. An additional 110 were treated at the scene. The Fort Worth fire lieutenant says the incident started with two people complaining about dizziness after a co-worker sprayed perfume. Others
- 7 -

reported being sick when an announcement was made that anyone with similar symptoms should exit the building.
Investigators do not know what type of perfume was sprayed.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,535501,00.html?test=latestnews
15.
July 30, Associated Press – (New Jersey) NJ woman admits to $15M investment scam. The former operator of a Clifton-based real estate investment program has admitted that she fraudulently raised more than $15 million from hundreds of investors.
The operator pleaded guilty on July 30 in federal court to a one-count information charging her with mail fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces up to 78 months in prison when she is sentenced November 24.
Prosecutors say the 51-year-old operated a Ponzi scheme from 2004 through December 2007, using money from later investors to pay earlier ones. Other funds raised were used to pay her mortgage and other personal expenses.
She told investors their money would be invested in real estate in the U.S. and overseas and promised a 100 percent return within one year.
Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090730_ap_njwomanad mitsto15minvestmentscam.html
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16.
July 31, Charlotte Observer – (North Carolina) Airport back to normal after scare.
On the afternoon of July 30, a piece of industrial equipment called a portable combustion analyzer brought operations to a standstill in one part of Charlotte/Douglas
International Airport. Security scanners spotted the portable combustion analyzer in a case at the luggage area in Concourse A, and it brought about a shutdown of operations.
Personnel from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg police bomb squad were called to the scene. The mystery was cleared up before 3 p.m., about 90 minutes after it began — but only after several arriving flights were kept away from gates, and passengers inside the airport were prevented from moving anywhere near the cordoned-off area. One passenger who arrived about 1:30 p.m. on a Northwest flight from Minneapolis told the Observer that the TSA would not let people from his flight leave Concourse A while the search was going on. Another passenger said they were kept away from the baggage area and then informed that the flight had been canceled.
Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/862870.html
17.
July 31, Desert Sun – (California) City tracks down Union Pacific to clean up debris.
Shacks reaching 20 to 30 feet high, with piles of debris to match were visible to those on their way to the Palm Springs Train Station — or Interstate 10. The site consisted of the skeletal remains of a couple of buildings and a years-old train wreck. “It was an eyesore,” said the city of Palm Springs Building and Safety Supervisor. The dump site near Interstate 10 and Indian Canyon Drive had been there anywhere from 10 to 15 years, he said. Attempts had been made to get the owners to clean it up — to no avail. It was found that the dump was owned by Union Pacific. The code compliance officer and
- 8 -

building inspector were then assigned to the task. Union Pacific agreed to come in and do the asbestos removal and hazardous waste cleanup.
Source: http://www.mydesert.com/article/20090731/NEWS01/907300368/1006/news01/City+tr acks+down+Union+Pacific+to+clean+up+debris
18.
July 31, Washington Examiner – (District of Columbia) Orange Line train catches on fire during rush hour. A fire on an Orange Line train the morning of July 30 filled the system with smoke and forced a train operator to put out the flames with an extinguisher.
The fire broke out about 8:20 a.m. on an inbound train near the McPherson
Square station, said a Metro spokesman. A “collector shoe” underneath the train caught fire, he said. The shoe connects the train to the electrified third rail to give the train power.
The operator had to exit the train in the tunnel and use a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, he said. The train was brought into the station, where passengers were evacuated, and the train was taken out of service, he said.
Metro turned on ventilation fans. But he said smoke was reported as far as L’Enfant Plaza, four stops away. A Metro spokesman said officials are still trying to determine what caused the metal shoe to catch fire. No one was reported injured.
Source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Orange-Line-train-catches-on-fireduring-rush-hour-8044012-52106107.html
19.
July 30, WUPW 46 Toledo – (Michigan) Airport runway lights damaged.
Authorities in Lenawee County, Michigan are asking for help to catch the person or persons responsible for damaging the runway safety lights on the southwest corner at the
Lenawee County Airport. During the nighttime hours of July 26, authorities say someone entered the Lenawee County Airport property and damaged numerous runway lights. Those lights are used to navigate small aircraft to safety in inclement weather and during the evening and overnight hours. The damage nearly caused the airport to close due to the lights being out of service.
Source: http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/wupw_Airport_runway_lights_damaged_072
909
20.
July 30, KING 5 Seattle – (Washington) Road crews come up with creative fixes in the heat. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews laid down burlap sacks on the historic University Bridge spans and are watering them down to cool the expansion of steel and concrete. The two spans expanded so much in the heat July 29,
SDOT says they were touching. SDOT engineers refused to open it for marine traffic for fear of damaging the drawbridge. The Washington State Department of Transportation has also closed the Ebey Slough Bridge to marine traffic because of concerns over expansion of the joints which move it. State road crews are also fixing weak roadway spots on Interstate 90 near Preston and State Route 7 in Spanaway which have wilted in the heat. SDOT says its only other concern is the buckling of a sidewalk near Alki and that all other bridges are fine. An SDOT spokesman says the burlap idea came from an
SDOT engineer and had never been tried before July 30.
Source: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_073009WXB-heat-bridge-road-
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dangers-TP.9138f7f8.html
21.
July 29, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – (National) Secretary Napolitano announces $78 million in Recovery Act funds for transit security officers and equipment. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary today announced nearly $78 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Transit
Security Grant Program (TSGP) funding for approximately 240 new law enforcement officers at 15 transit systems across the country to enhance the nation’s ability to guard against acts of terrorism. “Securing our mass transit systems requires well-trained personnel on the ground to protect against those who seek to cause harm,” said the
Secretary. “This Recovery Act money will create critical law enforcement jobs that will help our nation prevent terrorist attacks.” The grants will provide approximately $35 million for approximately 125 new officers in the New York Police Department through the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as well as additional resources in other urban transit systems across the nation. The three types of grants announced today include: Anti-Terrorism Teams, including overt and covert officers whose activities focus on terrorism prevention; Explosive Detection Canine Teams, which consist of an explosives detection canine and an officer/handler; and Mobile Explosives Detection
Screening Teams, which deploy trained officers and explosives detection technology for random security screening in the transit environment.
Source: http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1248891182416.shtm
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For more stories, see items 1 and
45
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Nothing to report
22.
July 31, Associated Press – (International) Sustainable seas? Overfishing easing in places of 10 ecosystems studied, 3 still overfished but 5 are seen as improving.
Two years after a study warned that overfishing could cause a collapse in the world’s seafood stocks by 2048, an update says the tide is turning, at least in some areas.
“This paper shows that our oceans are not a lost cause,” said the lead author of the report from
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Of ten areas of the world that were studied, significant overfishing continues in three, but steps have been taken to curb excesses in five others, the author reported. The other two were not a problem in either study.
A member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted a dramatic recovery of haddock on Georges Bank, off New England, as well as improvements in redfish, scallop and other fish. But still others, such as cod and flounder, remain vulnerable, he said at a briefing. Still being overfished, the report said, are the North and
Baltic seas and the Bay of Biscay region. A newly developing problem is the movement
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of major fishing efforts to the developing world, with foreign fleets operating off east and west Africa under access agreements with local governments. These fleets compete with local fishers and almost all the fish they catch is taken to industrialized countries.
“The prognosis for Africa is not nearly as good as it is for wealthier areas,” commented a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Mombasa, Kenya. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of California, Santa
Barbara.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32222783/ns/world_news-world_environment/
23.
July 31, KCRG 9 Cedar Rapids – (Iowa) CR warehouse fire still smoking, three days later.
Cedar Rapids firefighters on Friday were still on scene at the old Farmstead Foods plant fire. Crews had been there for the last few days — providing security and watching the smoldering building just in case flames flare up again. On Friday morning, white smoke could still be seen rising from the building. A CRFD spokesman said it will be smoking for days and the fire has not flared up again. The firefighters and a fire truck on site are there to monitor the situation, in case it does flare up, but he says there is no danger to the area. The fire started Tuesday and destroyed the large brick building at the plant. The fire is suspicious because the building had no electricity. Authorities started investigating the cause of the fire on Wednesday. It took multiple crews and dozens of firefighters to battle the fire. Large bails of cardboard combined with piles of corn inside the building acted as fuel. The massive brick structure, owned by the city of Cedar
Rapids, is considered a total loss.
Source: http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52196467.html
See also: http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/51995252.html
24.
July 30, Associated Press – (National) House passes far-reaching food safety bill. The
House passed a food safety bill on July 30 in the wake of the recent outbreak of salmonella in peanuts that killed at least nine people. The bill, 283-142, would require more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers and give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to order recalls. It also would require the
FDA to develop a system for better tracing food-borne illnesses, and the government could impose new penalties on those who violate the law. Food companies would be required to create detailed food safety plans. The legislation gained new momentum in the wake of several highly publicized outbreaks, including salmonella in peanuts earlier this year that killed nine people, sickened hundreds of others and was linked to shoddy practices at a peanut company in Georgia. The outbreak led to one of the largest product recalls in U.S. history. The bill, which has support from the food industry as well as a wide range of consumer groups, would give the agency the authority to order recalls if a company fails to act on its own, and would increase the frequency of inspections to high-risk food processing facilities. It would charge food processors an annual $500 fee to help defray the cost of increased enforcement. Sponsors tweaked the legislation in recent days to appease the farm-state members who objected to it. Last-minute changes included modifying the way a trace-back system would work, clarifying that some hardto-trace products, such as grains, would not be tracked to individual farms. It also lessened paperwork for some farms and clarified that some smaller operations would not have to register with the FDA or pay fees.
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32228749/ns/health-food_safety/
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25.
July 31, Washington Post – (District of Columbia) Water pressure during NW fire hampered aid. District firefighters battling the blaze that gutted an upper Northwest mansion on the night of July 29 had grave difficulties finding enough water to douse the flames, despite promises from city officials two years ago that the water problems that had plagued them at previous fires would be fixed. Fire officials said the low pressure they found forced them to tap hydrants blocks away and even bring in reinforcements from Montgomery County. D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) officials said the hydrants performed as they should have. D.C. Council members are calling for answers, and the mayor said his office will oversee a joint investigation with the fire department and WASA. “We have already started to gather stories from first responders, stories from neighbors and stories from families,” the mayor said. “We will issue a public report in explicit detail. I know there are probably no shortage of questions.” He said he expects a report early next week. WASA officials are testing the two water mains that were used to fight the fire in the 3000 block of Chain Bridge Road NW. The mansion belongs to former D.C. Board of Education president and the fire ruined much of her prized art collection. So far, officials have not detected any water flow problems, said
WASA’s assistant general manager for water services. D.C. fire chief said the department is trying to figure out what happened. “We don’t know how the fire hydrants were used,” he said. “We have begun a thorough investigation to help make the best determination of what happened so that the water supply issues get resolved as quickly as possible.” He said the cause of the fire and the difficulty of extinguishing it is under investigation.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073000108.html?hpid=moreheadlines
26.
July 31, WTHR 13 Indianapolis – (Indiana) Algae found at 2 central Indiana reservoirs. The Indiana State Department of Health is advising people to avoid contact with a blue-green algae that has been found at two popular central Indiana reservoirs.
Elevated levels of the algae have been found at Morse and Geist reservoirs in Hamilton and Marion counties. And high levels of algae toxin have been detected at Geist reservoir. A state epidemiologist says people boating, swimming or skiing in either lake should avoid direct contact with the algae. Above all, they should avoid swallowing lake water. Also, a fish kill in the White River near Rocky Ripple in Marion County noticed by members of the public late last week appears to be the result of an excessive algae bloom. Both DNR and IDEM dispatched investigators on July 24, after several reports from concerned citizens. Neither agency found evidence of a spill, but instead found brownish water and scummy algae on the water’s surface. The director of IUPUI’s
Center for Earth and Environmental Science collected water samples in the area on July
24 and 27, and documented a diatom algae bloom.
Source: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=10813396
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27.
July 30, Associated Press – (Nevada) Radioactive water creeps beyond Nevada test site. Radioactive groundwater laced with the remnants of Cold War nuclear weapons testing is inching its way beyond the Nevada Test Site boundary, where scientists expect to soon find it for the first time. The concentration of tritium is much higher than safe drinking water guidelines, but Department of Energy officials note it will still be contained within the surrounding Nellis Air Force Base test and training range, in an area not accessible by the public. “Under our strategy we don’t do any remediation. The only thing we can do at this point is adopt a long-term monitoring plan,” said the director of the drilling and monitoring project. Water from a recently completed upstream well, near a cavity of the powerful Benham nuclear test of 1968, has found tritium levels 3,000 times above the safe drinking water limit, the director added. The effort outlined in a 687-page report is to determine where the tainted water is traveling.
It relies on plugging data from a network of wells in Nye County into a sophisticated computer model. A state official said that if the contamination appears to be heading toward a public water well, the Department of Energy will be required to provide water to affected residences and communities. “Obviously we’re not close to that,” said a federal facilities bureau chief for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, citing that there is no current technology to clean up the contamination. But authorities want to know where and how fast it is flowing to protect the public. Scientists from
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico will analyze sample results next year to link the contaminants to particular nuclear tests.
Source: http://www.kolotv.com/southernnevadanews/headlines/52098372.html
28.
July 31, San Francisco Chronicle – (California) California hospitals may miss retrofit deadline. A majority of California hospitals will not be able to meet state-mandated deadlines for seismic retrofitting because of the nation’s credit crunch and their own deteriorating revenues, according to a report issued July 30 by the California Hospital
Association. The report, based on a survey conducted by the trade group in April, found that 64 percent of hospital chief financial officers said they would not be able to comply with the state’s 2013 or 2015 seismic deadlines. They blamed interest rate increases, the credit squeeze and a greater number of uninsured patients seeking care for the financial difficulties. Under state law, the state could force hospitals to close if they fail to meet the deadlines. About a third of the state’s 430 hospitals responded to the survey.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/30/BA6B191LLK.DTL
29.
July 31, Roanoke Times – (Virginia) Fire shutters South Roanoke dialysis center. The cause of a fire late July 29 in Roanoke is still under investigation. An official said fire crews were able to save about 65 percent of the building. A four-alarm fire that broke out at a South Roanoke building shuttered a dialysis center and caused at least $3 million in damage, according to the city fire department. No one was in the building.
Patients who sought treatment at Fresenius Medical Care Crystal Spring Dialysis,
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housed in the Cambridge Building, were notified of the fire and directed to alternative centers, according to a news release from the center.
Source: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/213684
30.
July 31, Miami Herald – (Florida) 2 accused of stealing hospital records for lawyer.
A Miami man was charged on July 30 with buying confidential patient records from a
Jackson Memorial Hospital employee over the past two years, and selling them to a lawyer suspected of soliciting the patients to file personal-injury claims. The man allegedly paid the ultrasound technician $1,000 a month for the hospital records of hundreds of patients treated for slip-and-fall accidents, car-crash injuries, gunshot wounds and stabbings, federal authorities said.
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1165571.html
31.
July 29, U.S. Government Accountability Office – (National) Influenza pandemic:
Gaps in pandemic planning and preparedness need to be addressed. The U.S GAO released a report on July 29 stating that gaps still remain in current pandemic preparations. GAO’s work points out that while a number of actions have been taken to plan for a pandemic, including developing a national strategy and implementation plan, many gaps in pandemic planning and preparedness still remain. This statement covers six thematic areas: (1) leadership, authority, and coordination; (2) detecting threats and managing risks; (3) planning, training, and exercising; (4) capacity to respond and recover; (5) information sharing and communication; and (6) performance and accountability. “The current H1N1 pandemic should serve as a powerful reminder that the threat of a pandemic influenza, which seemed to fade from public awareness in recent years, never really disappeared,” GAO’s report summary stated. “While federal agencies have taken action on 13 of GAO’s 24 recommendations, 11 of the recommendations that GAO has made over the past 3 years have not been fully implemented. With the possibility that the H1N1 virus could become more virulent this fall or winter, the administration and federal agencies should use this time to turn their attention to filling in the planning and preparedness gaps GAO’s work has pointed out.”
Source: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-909T
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32.
July 28, Davidson News – (North Carolina) Local hospital part of regional emergency drill. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center of Mooresville in Gaston County was one of 18 hospitals and nine emergency agencies in the Metrolina area that took part in a region-wide disaster exercise on July 28 sponsored by the Metrolina Trauma Advisory
Committee. The exercise was designed to test the capacity of each participating facility and to test the responsiveness of all participants. The mock scenario involved a “terrorist attack” on a freight train carrying toxic chemicals through Gaston County, leading to a train/tanker collision and derailment at Cox Road and I-84. Volunteer “patients” were taken to Gaston Memorial Hospital.
Source: http://davidsonnews.net/2009/07/28/local-hospital-part-of-regional-emergencydrill/
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33.
July 31, Associated Press – (Utah) Air Force: Radioactive material lost in F-16 crash.
The U.S. Air Force has notified federal regulators that a “minuscule” amount of radioactive material from targeting equipment was lost when an F-16 crashed in Utah last month. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on July 30 that the military has filed a report with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the use of radioactive material. The newspaper says eight microcuries of americium-241 are thought to be buried about 35 miles south of Wendover. That is about the same amount found in four to eight smoke detectors. Americium is a radioactive material often is used in testing devices. The cause of the crash is not known.
Source: http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/state/air-force-radioactive-materiallost-in-f-16-crash-748784.html
34.
July 30, Switched – (National ) Presidential motorcade, safe house info revealed in
P2P data leak. Earlier this year, Tiversa, Inc., a firm which monitors peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing services, discovered leaked information about the President’s helicopter on a computer in Iran. On July 29, the company’s CEO told the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee that Tiversa has discovered even more extremely sensitive documents, this time on the LimeWire file-sharing network. According to
Computerworld, the files included information about a Secret Service safe house for the
President’s family, and the Pentagon’s network infrastructure. The files also contained specific details about motorcade routes, and every nuclear facility in the United States.
As a result, the committee chairman plans to introduce a bill which would ban P2P sharing on all government computers and networks.
The committee also lambasted the
LimeWire chairman (who was present) for allegedly not implementing tighter security measures which had been requested by the government two years ago. A U.S. representative said that the “recent LimeWire leaks range from appalling to shocking.” But, Tiversa also issued the committee a warning two years ago, when a board member and retired-General said that the “American people would be outraged” if they knew the full extent of the sensitive information being leaked through file-sharing networks.
Source: http://www.switched.com/2009/07/30/presidential-motorcade-safe-house-inforevealed-inp2p -data-lea/
See also: http://www.crn.com/software/218900042;jsessionid=4S1I1ZMMPKYEGQSNDLPSKH
0CJUNN2JVN
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For another story, see item 5
35.
July 31, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer – (Kentucky) Old cell phones a 911 problem.
Old cell phones in the wrong hands are causing a problem for the Daviess County,
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Kentucky sheriff’s department, clogging emergency lines and taking up valuable time for dispatchers and deputies, one official said. The problem stems from noninitialized cell phones, or phones that are not being used on any plan or payment method, the
Daviess County 911 Director said. Though these phones cannot dial normal numbers, they can still dial 911. These older cell phones also pose another problem. Because they do not have a specific number assigned to them, dispatchers cannot call back. This year,
13 percent of those 911 calls to the dispatch center from the noninitialized phones were not emergency calls. “It’s a tremendous problem, and it’s twofold. One, it ties up the resources, and two, it ties up the line. If there’s an emergency on the line, it may not get through in a timely manner because the line is tied up,” he said. These older cell phones also pose another problem. Because they do not have a specific number assigned to them, dispatchers cannot call back.
Source: http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2009/07/31/4301689.htm
36.
July 30, WSPA 7 Spartanburg – (South Carolina) Suspected meth materials evacuate
Fountain Inn police station. The Fountain Inn, South Carolina police department was evacuated overnight after materials — believed to have been used to produce meth — made some personnel ill on July 29. The police chief said they made an arrest under a new law in South Carolina that allows prosecution against people who have just the supplies for a meth lab. The police chief said when the evidence was returned to the police station, people started feeling sick. The chief says there were residue fumes on the items that were seized. The Department of Health and Environmental Control evacuated the building until 6:30 a.m. DHEC workers were there the following morning to clean and change air filters.
Source: http://www.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/fountain_inn_police_investigate_meth_lab
_thursday_morning/24278/
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37.
July 29, McClatchy-Tribune News Service – (South Carolina) Gear stolen from S.C. firefighter’s truck. The person who broke into a volunteer firefighter’s truck on July 27 can now talk to police, fire and EMS officials through a hand-held radio they stole.
Thieves found the radio in a Clover firefighter’s truck parked overnight at a home on
Clover. It is worth $3,600 and owned by York County Government, according to a report from the Clover Police Department. The 800 megahertz radio allows emergency personnel to communicate about urgent situations, said a Clover police sergeant.
Source: http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/Gear-Stolen-from-SC-Firefighters-
Truck/46$64720
38.
July 31, SmartCompany.com – (International) Apple computers vulnerable to new cyber attacks, expert warns. Apple Mac computers are not foolproof and can be manipulated by hackers despite their virus-free reputation, a security expert has warned at a conference in Las Vegas. A Mac researcher said at the Black Hat security conference, which is one of the top conferences in the industry, that while Mac viruses
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remain rare they will become more popular as Apple gains market share. The researcher demonstrated a type of software that is designed to run on certain systems to steal information or control a computer.
The “Machiavelli” technique effectively took advantage of vulnerabilities in Apple’s software that many users ignore, as the Mac computer is often marketed by Apple as hardware that does not attract viruses. “There is no magic fairy dust protecting Macs,” he told The Age. The researcher, who co-wrote
“The Mac Hacker’s Handbook” with another computer researcher, pointed to research that shows Apple held 9 percent of the computer market in the second quarter of the year. The two also said that because the Mac software holds more code than Microsoft’s
Windows operating system, there are more opportunities for hackers to take advantage of the software.
Source: http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20090731-applecomputers-vulnerable-to-new-cyber-attacks-expert-warns.html
39.
July 31, Computerworld – (International) Adobe patches 12 Flash bugs, 3 caused by
Microsoft. Adobe on July 30 patched 12 vulnerabilities in Flash Player, including three it inherited from faulty Microsoft development code and one that hackers have been exploiting for at least a week.
In a security advisory published on July 30, Adobe briefly spelled out the dozen vulnerabilities, 10 that were pegged as potentially leading to hijacked systems or with hackers executing their own malware on a machine.
The vulnerabilities affect the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of Flash Player. Still to patch: the Solaris edition.
Last week, Adobe had promised that it would patch Flash on
July 30 after reports surfaced of attacks against both Flash and Adobe Reader, a popular
PDF viewer. Hackers have been attacking users running Flash through drive-bys hosted on compromised Web sites, and targeting people running Reader via a bug in the Flash interpreter baked into that program.
Reader and Adobe Acrobat are slated for an update on July 31.
Adobe also took care of three vulnerabilities within Flash that were the result of the company’s developers using a buggy Microsoft code “library” when they built the program. On July 29, Adobe confirmed that it had used Microsoft’s flawed development code, specifically the Active Template Library (ATL), a code library included with
Visual Studio, to create both Flash Player and Shockwave Player. The latter was patched that same day.
Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136116/Adobe_patches_12_Flash_bugs_3_ca used_by_Microsoft?taxonomyId=86
40.
July 30, Associated Press – (International) Anti-theft software could create security hole. A piece of anti-theft software built into many laptops at the factory opens a serious security hole, according to research presented on July 30.
The “Computrace” software, made by Vancouver-based Absolute Software Corp., is part of a subscription service that is used to find lost or stolen computers. Many people do not know it is on their machines, but it is included in computers from the biggest PC makers. The software is built into computers at the factory because that embeds it so deeply that even the extreme act of uninstalling the operating software will not delete it. The software is included in a part of the computer known as the BIOS, which refers to programs used to boot the computer. The service Absolute sells can be valuable because sensitive data can
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be purged remotely from a stolen machine. The computer is still able to reach out to a specially designated Web site for instructions even if a criminal is tampering with the machine. But research by two individuals with Boston-based Core Security
Technologies, and presented on July 30 at the Black Hat security conference in Las
Vegas, shows it can cut two ways. If a criminal has infected a computer that has the
Computrace technology, he can take deep control of a machine. That is because he is able to modify the computer’s settings to maintain a connection with that machine even if the operating software is uninstalled then reinstalled, an extreme way, but sometimes the only way, to make sure a computer is cleaned of viruses.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32228651/ns/technology_and_science-security/
41.
July 29, CNET News – (International) Single misplaced ‘&’ caused latest IE exploit.
A security hole in Internet Explorer that opened the browser to hackers since early July was caused by a single typo in Microsoft’s code.
An errant ampersand (“&”) took the blame for the exploit, admitted Microsoft in a blog published on July 28 at its Security
Development Lifecycle (SDL) Web site.
A security program manager at Microsoft explained in his blog that the typo corrupted the code of an ActiveX control used by the browser. The control was created by Microsoft using an older library of code, which
Howard admitted has flaws. Because of those flaws, the typo caused the code to write untrusted data, exposing the browser to the bad guys.
Outside of its regular Patch
Tuesday routine, Microsoft issued an emergency fix for IE, which it said would block attempts to exploit the flaw in ActiveX controls.
Development tools like Microsoft’s own Visual Studio use the same library of code, known as Active Template Library
(ATL). On the same day it released the emergency patch for IE, the company also released a Visual Studio fix.
The manager said the typo would have been difficult to spot in a review of the code, and that none of Microsoft’s code analysis methods would have uncovered it either.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10298697-75.html
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US
−
CERT at soc@us
− cert.gov or visit their
Website: http:// www.us
cert.gov.
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center)
Website: https: / /www.it-isac.org/.
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42.
July 29, TechSpot.com – (International) Apple claims jailbroken iPhones could harm cell towers. Furthering their long-standing opposition to people ‘jailbreaking’ the iPhone, Apple asserts that the practice could lead to massive denial of service attacks on cell towers. Apple’s claim is that people tinkering with the iPhone’s software innards could execute commands that would crash cell tower software, resulting in people being unable to make phone calls or otherwise causing havoc on local cell networks. They draw a comparison between people jailbreaking the iPhone to someone breaking into a
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corporate network and damaging computers.
Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/35635-Apple-claims-jailbroken-iPhones-couldharm-cell-towers.html
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43.
July 29, Quad-City Times – (Iowa) Internet provider suddenly goes offline. Clinton
County administrative offices are among hundreds of businesses and homes who were left without online access, Web sites and e-mail after an area Internet provider shut down recently without notice.
Since July 27, customers of CIS Internet Services flooded the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce office with calls, trying to get information about why they have no Internet service, the chamber president said on July 29.
All complaints are being referred to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and Better Business
Bureau.
The company provides Internet service to the Clinton area, including
Camanche, Low Moor, DeWitt, Bellevue, Maquoketa and Fort Madison in Iowa and
Fulton and Morrison, Illinois. The cis.net Web site also was not functional on July 29.
The Clinton County Board of Supervisors met in an emergency session on July 29 and decided to declare the county’s contract with CIS Internet Services void and move immediately to find a new provider, the County attorney said.
The county’s Web site has been down since early in the week, and employees at the Clinton County Administration
Building have been unable to receive e-mails, said an administrative assistant for the board. She said county officials were unable to reach anyone from the company to find out what was wrong.
The assistant said the county has received good service from CIS in the past, but that Internet service and e-mail access are “essential for the function of government now.”
Source: http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_c8618bf4-7ca8-11de-836b-
001cc4c002e0.html
44.
July 31, Associated Press – (Illinois) Suspicious bag outside Harpo Studios is harmless. Bomb and arson detectives say a suspicious package discovered outside
Harpo Studios in Chicago is harmless.
Chicago police news affairs officer says security personnel found a dark backpack with wires hanging out of it on July 31 in a flower bed near the studios.
Police blocked off nearby streets as bomb and arson detectives investigated.
Police say the investigation using “remote diagnostics” determined there was no bomb. But police will not say what was in the backpack.
The investigation was completed and the streets reopened a few hours later. The building was not evacuated.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMfsrZZ95yHK4LjQLC6w4Wy
HpU7QD99PHJE02
45.
July 30, New York Daily News – (New York) Company jeopardized safety of New
Yorkers by faking results of concrete testing, prosecutors say.
A Westchester, New
York company compromised the safety of millions of New Yorkers by faking results of concrete testing at some of the city’s biggest construction jobs, prosecutors charged July
29. Stallone Testing Labs and the lab’s director are accused of cutting corners at 96
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projects — from the high-profile 1 World Trade Center, a La Guardia Airport control tower, a Trump World Tower, the RFK (Triborough) Bridge and Goldman Sachs headquarters to apartment buildings, subway stations and schools. “The safety net was bypassed,” the Manhattan district attorney said. Stallone cut corners to churn out tests quickly and make more money, the district attorney charged. The charges came after a
$4 million Buildings Department study last month revealed “pervasive nonconformance with code requirements” at five concrete testing labs. The Buildings Department suspended Stallone’s license. “Nothing is imminently going to fall down,” the prosecutor said.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/07/30/2009-07-
30_company_faked_results_of_concrete_testing_prosecutors.html
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46.
July 30, Associated Press – (Ohio) Man pleads no contest in Ohio park bomb scare.
A Pennsylvania man accused in a bomb scare at an Ohio amusement park has pleaded no contest to inducing panic.
Police at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio accused the 27year-old of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania of leaving a fake bomb under his car at the park on July 17. A bomb squad destroyed the device, which turned out to be harmless. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, he faces up to six months in jail. The park has not said much about the device, though one police official said it contained wiring.
Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20090730_ap_manplead snocontestinohioparkbombscare.html
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Nothing to report
47.
July 31, Tri-City Herald – (Washington) KID says canal leak fixed; customers should have water today. Water began flowing much sooner than expected into the Kennewick
Irrigation District (KID) main canal on July 30. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation repaired a leak in a diversion canal near Prosser without the canal system having to be drained, which could have halted water deliveries for up to two weeks. Crews discovered the leak on the morning of July 29 in the Chandler Canal, the primary source of water for KID’s main canal. The repairs patched a crack and filled a void around the canal’s foundation and access road, the bureau said. The leak in the bureau’s canal came on the heels of a leak in KID’s Badger Canyon main canal that caused the evacuation
July 27 of seven homes about 50 to 80 feet below. Barring unforeseen problems, KID expects to have a water delivery schedule available by noon on July 31.
Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/829454.html
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48.
July 30, Eureka Times-Standard – (California) Arcata levee repairs to begin Aug. 3.
Construction on the Arcata Levee Repairs Project will begin August 3 and will continue until approximately November 30. The project makes necessary repairs to the levees at
Frank Klopp Recreational Lake and the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant, which were damaged during the winter 2006 series of storms. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency and state grants are funding this work. Construction crews will be working five days a week, and possibly on nights and weekends as required. Pedestrian access to the
Klopp Lake/Mt. Trashmore area and the trails surrounding the oxidation ponds are subject to closure and public access will be limited to weekends only.
Source: http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12944222
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