Homeland
Security
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 1 August 2011
Top Stories
•
Federal authorities are investigating the deaths of two girls, and the injuries of several other
Monsanto workers, electrocuted in a wet field while de-tasseling corn in Tampico, Illinois,
WBBM 780 AM Chicago reports. (See item 26)
•
The U.S. Army private who admitted he was planning to bomb a restaurant in Killeen,
Texas, popular with soldiers from Fort Hood, was ordered held without bond July 29,
according to CNN. (See item 34)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
• Energy
• Chemical
• Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
• Critical Manufacturing
• Defense Industrial Base
• Dams
SUSTENANCE and HEALTH
• Agriculture and Food
• Water
• Public Health and Healthcare
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
• Banking and Finance
• Transportation
• Postal and Shipping
• Information Technology
• Communications
• Commercial Facilities
FEDERAL and STATE
• Government Facilities
• Emergency Services
• National Monuments and Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: LOW, Cyber: LOW
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES-ISAC) [http://www.esisac.com]
1. July 29, Associated Press – (Illinois) 19,000 residents without power in northern
Illinois. Overnight thunderstorms left some Commonwealth Edison (ComEd)
customers without power in northern Illinois. About 19,000 ComEd customers woke up
to no electricity July 29. The majority of the problems were in Chicago, with about
11,500 outages. Northern suburbs saw 3,600 outages and southern suburbs had 3,500.
Rainfall flooded some roads and viaducts. It also boosted the total monthly rain
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recorded at O'Hare International Airport to 10.45 inches. That makes July the eighth
wettest month ever in Chicago.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8277785
2. July 29, United Press International – (Montana) EPA reviews oil on Yellowstone
River. Less than 3 percent of the observed sections of the Yellowstone River in
Montana downstream from a pipeline break are heavily affected by oil, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said. Exxon Mobil reported that around 1,000
barrels of crude oil spilled July 1 into the Yellowstone River from its 12-inch Silvertip
pipeline near Billings, Montana. The EPA in a statement the week of July 18 said crews
were "finding numerous, heavily oiled flood debris piles at various locations along the
shoreline and on the islands." In its latest update on survey operations along the
Yellowstone River July 28, the EPA said it found 2.7 percent of the first 10 miles of
river downstream from the pipeline break were heavily affected by oil. Less than 1
percent of the next 18 miles were observed to have heavy oil impacts, the agency said
in a statement. Because of the amount of oil-soaked debris left when floodwaters along
the Yellowstone River receded, the response includes nearly 900 personnel engaged in
remediation and assessment efforts. The EPA said it had to airlift some equipment into
areas previously inaccessible.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/07/29/EPAreviews-oil-on-Yellowstone-River/UPI-97851311942482/?spt=hs&or=er
3. July 28, Associated Press – (West Virginia) Worker electrocuted at coal prep plant
in W.Va. State and federal officials said they are investigating the death of a welder
who was electrocuted at a coal preparation plant in southern West Virginia. The state
office of miners' health, safety and training identified the victim as a foreman with 12
years of experience. The accident occurred July 27 at the Superior Processing Plant in
Maitland. The plant is undergoing renovations, and was not processing coal at the time.
The man was an employee of Marion, Illinois-based Mike Dover Corp., an independent
contractor. State officials said he had 15 months of experience at the Maitland mine.
The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is also investigating.
Source: http://www.dailymail.com/News/201107281200
For another story, see item 45
[Return to top]
Chemical Industry Sector
4. July 29, KCCI 8 Des Moines – (Iowa) Workers injured in chemical spill. Fire
officials reported a chemical spill early July 29 at Northern Transfer in Ankeny, Iowa.
According to fire officials, six workers were burned by sodium hydroxide. The spill
happened after midnight, but hazardous material crews were still cleaning up at 7 a.m.
"During the handling of the material, as far as we know, six to seven employees came
in contact with the chemical, and attempted to resolve the issue on their own, and
eventually found that they were incurring some injuries from contact with the product,"
said the Ankeny fire chief. He said the employees transported themselves to the
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hospital. More workers may have gotten checked out as a precaution, the chief added.
He said none of the injuries appeared life-threatening, and noted the spill does not pose
a threat to anyone in the area.
Source: http://www.kcci.com/r/28703584/detail.html
5. July 29, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) Pa. tire plant fire accident, caused by
chemical. A state police fire marshal said a chemical product used to make tires "selfheated", causing other flammable items to catch fire July 27 at a tire manufacturing
plant in Indiana, Pennsylvania. A trooper told the Associated Press July 29 he could not
identify the chemical because other agencies he wouldn't identify are still investigating
the fire that took place at Specialty Tires of America. The shop is located about 45
miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The trooper said the chemical in question must be stored
under "optimal" conditions, otherwise it will heat up by itself. Three firefighters were
hurt, and three employees were treated for smoke inhalation when they tried to put out
the fire, which destroyed a cold-storage area at the plant.
Source: http://www.abc27.com/story/15173351/pa-tire-plant-fire-accident-caused-bychemical
6. July 29, Jacksonville Daily News – (North Carolina) Sulfur storage claims false. After
a tumultuous 24 hours, opponents of now-abandoned plans for a sulfur smelting plant
in Morehead City, North Carolina will continue their celebrations. The Clean County
Coalition planned an informal event for the evening of July 29 to replace a community
meeting scheduled to hear from PCS Phosphate, the North Carolina State Ports
Authority, and other officials about the sulfur processing facility that had been planned
for the port. The governor held a press conference July 27, and announced PCS had
voluntarily abandoned pursuit of plans for a sulfur melting plant at the port. But
celebrations appeared to be short lived as apparently false reports spread after the news
conference of ongoing plans by PCS to build a warehouse at the port for dry sulfur
storage. A Clean County Coalition member sought to calm the outcry and correct the
information in a July 28 e-mail. He said he had received a call from a senior advisor to
the governor who said there is no plan they are aware of to build a 150-foot dry sulfur
pellet storage facility at the port, and any future proposal for the port would go through
full public disclosure, and input. The governor’s press secretary, confirmed the
information later July 28. “There is no plan before the state (for dry sulfur storage at the
port)."
Source: http://www.jdnews.com/news/claims-93590-false-morehead.html
7. July 29, WSAZ 3 Huntington/Charleston – (Kentucky) Faulty valve causes liquid
oxygen leak. Dispatchers said both lanes of U.S. 23 were open the morning of July 29
following a liquid oxygen leak at the Air Products plant in Ashland, Kentucky. They
said nearby rail lines were also back open. The leak was called in at 3:15 p.m. July 28.
Officials said it was caused by a faulty valve, and that it created a white cloud above
the plant. Crews worked through the night to shut down that part of the plant, and fix
the problem. They were still on the scene the morning of July 29. Officials said one
employee was injured and was taken to a local hospital with non life threatening
injuries.
Source: http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/126355043.html
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8. July 28, WSB 2 Atlanta – (Georgia) State fines Gwinett plant over chemical
emissions. The State of Georgia fined a Lawrenceville, Georgia company because it
pumped too many hazardous chemicals into the air, WSB 2 Atlanta reported July 28.
The company, Dolco, makes foam products, such as egg cartons. A WSB 2 reporter
found enforcement orders that showed it isn’t the first time the company has faced
emissions problems. Earlier in July, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
fined Dolco more than $11,000 for releasing more than 50 tons of “volatile organic
chemicals” over a 12-month period. That violates the terms of the company's state
permit. According to online state records, Dolco violated the terms of its air quality
permit twice before. In 2003, Dolco paid a $6,000 fine for emissions problems, and
another $11,000 in 2007. The company also paid a $13,000 fine in 1999 for violating
state haz-mat rules. In total, Dolco has paid the state more than $41,000 over the last 12
years.
Source: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28692468/detail.html
For more stories, see items 26, 28, and 31
[Return to top]
Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste Sector
9. July 29, Chicago Tribune – (National) Report calls for a new plan for U.S. nuclear
waste. The nation is failing in its attempts to deal with a growing nuclear waste
problem and needs to move forward — with or without Yucca Mountain — according
to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. The draft report,
submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Energy July 29, recommends that the government
free up a $25 billion fund designated for Yucca Mountain in Nevada, and use that
money to manage its nuclear waste now. Congress should create a new governmentchartered corporation dedicated to managing the nation's nuclear waste, the report
states, and then create several geologic disposal and interim storage facilities where
nuclear waste from the country's 104 operating reactors could be consolidated and
stored. The commission will take comments on the draft through October 31. A final
report is due to the Secretary of Energy in January 2012.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-report-calls-for-a-newplan-for-us-nuclear-waste-20110729,0,93551.story
10. July 28, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – (International) New global
rules for sensitive nuclear trade. The 46 members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) agreed in June on new global terms of trade for uranium enrichment and spent
fuel reprocessing technology (ENR). The new guidelines, published the week of July
25 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), represent a compromise
between states most eager to prevent sensitive know-how from proliferating, and others
that fear discrimination by the handful of advanced countries that do nearly all the
world’s commercial nuclear fuel processing. The new guidelines impose additional and
specific criteria for access to this technology. Compared to the NSG’s original
guidelines, the new ones establish a raft of specific conditions a recipient must meet to
obtain ENR items. These include being a party to and in full compliance with the
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Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); not being cited by the IAEA board of
governors or secretariat for safeguards deficits; having and complying with a
comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA; reporting on national export
controls as called for under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540;
committing and adhering to international nuclear safety norms; and having a bilateral
agreement with the ENR supplier state covering retransfer and assuring safeguards in
perpetuity.
Source: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/07/28/new-global-rules-forsensitive-nuclear-trade/4atv
For another story, see item 37
[Return to top]
Critical Manufacturing Sector
11. July 29, Reuters – (National) Volvo recalls 8,400 cars in U.S. for steering
issue. Volvo Cars is recalling 8,406 S80 models, built between March 8, 2006, and
May 16, 2007, for a potential power steering fluid problem that could lead to a burst
hose at the steering gear, causing a sudden loss of power steering, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site. Volvo dealers will inspect
the cars and make repairs as needed at no charge. The recall is expected to begin during
August. A Volvo spokeswoman said the company had estimated 6 percent of the
vehicles in the group would have the defect.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/29/us-volvocars-usrecallidUSTRE76S3O720110729?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
12. July 28, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – (National) Honeywell recalls
electric baseboard and fan heater themostats due to burn hazard. The U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Honeywell International
Inc., July 28 announced a voluntary recall of about 77,000 Honeywell electric
baseboard and fan heater thermostats. The thermostats were sold at home improvement
stores, HVAC and electrical stores, and to contractors from January 2000 to December
2007. The thermostats can overheat, causing them to melt and smoke. Honeywell has
received 16 reports of thermostats melting. The recalled thermostats are rectangular,
white, programmable thermostats used to control electric baseboard and fan heaters.
“Honeywell” or ”Cadet” is printed on the front of the thermostats that come in various
sizes. The model number and four-digit date code are printed on a label inside the front
cover of the thermostat. Only models with date codes beginning with 00, 01, 02, 03, 04,
05, or 06 are included. The affected models are: Honeywell CT1950A1003, Honeywell
CT1950B1002, Honeywell CT1957A1008, CADET T4700B1030, CADET
T4700A1040, Honeywell T4700B1014, and Honeywell T4700A1016. Consumers
should immediately stop using the recalled thermostats by setting the thermostats to 45
degrees or turning them off. Only models with a “B” in the model number have an off
switch. Consumers should contact Honeywell for a free replacement installed by
Honeywell.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11289.html
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[Return to top]
Defense Industrial Base Sector
Nothing to report
[Return to top]
Banking and Finance Sector
13. July 28, U.S. Department of the Treasury – (International) Treasury targets key alQa’ida funding and support network using Iran as a critical transit point. The
U.S. Department of the Treasury July 28 announced the designation of six members of
an al-Qa’ida network headed by a prominent Iran-based al-Qa’ida facilitator, operating
under an agreement between al-Qa’ida and the Iranian government. The July 28 action,
taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, demonstrated that Iran is a critical
transit point for funding to support al-Qa’ida’s activities in Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
This network serves as the core pipeline through which al-Qa’ida moves money,
facilitators and operatives from across the Middle East to South Asia, including to a
key al-Qa’ida leader based in Pakistan, also designated July 28. As a result of the
action, U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in commercial or financial
transactions with the designees, and any assets they may hold under U.S. jurisdiction
are frozen.
Source: http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1261.aspx
14. July 28, Bergen County Record – (New Jersey) Paramus broker admits role in
mortgage fraud scheme. A Paramus, New Jersey mortgage broker, one of three men
charged in a scheme to bilk lenders, admitted July 28 he helped generate millions of
dollars in fraudulent mortgage loans by inflating borrowers’ income, and assets. The
39-year-old pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud during
a hearing before a U.S. district judge in Trenton. He admitted that, from March 2008 to
January 2009, he and his co-conspirators hatched a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders
by doctoring residential loan applications to obtain millions of dollars in home loans.
The loan applications falsely stated borrowers put cash down at the closings and would
make the property their primary residence. They also showed inflated assets and
earnings for the borrowers, the man admitted. The former broker allegedly conspired
with a 38-year-old man from Maywood, and a 35-year-old from Sewaren in Middlesex
County, who were arrested last October in connection with the scam. With the help of
two attorneys, one of the co-conspirators arranged to purchase properties owned by
financial institutions, while the other co-conspirator recruited borrowers to buy the
same properties around the same time, authorities said. The conspirators caused the
borrowers to obtain loans on properties they did not own, and failed to record deeds
with the county clerk’s office, authorities said. When loans were approved, the funds
were wired to the lawyers’ trust accounts and disbursed among the conspirators, with
enough retained to cover the purchases made in the conspirator's name. After the deeds
were transferred to one of the men, he allegedly altered them to reflect a sale to the
borrowers at the inflated prices listed on the fraudulent loan applications and settlement
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forms.
Source:
http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/paramus/Paramus_broker_admits_role_in_mort
gage_fraud_scheme.html
15. July 28, IDG News Service – (International) Phisher who hit 38,500 gets long prison
sentence. A California man was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison July 28
for his role as the mastermind behind a widespread phishing scam that took in more
than 38,000 victims. He worked with Romanian scammers to drive users to Web sites
that were set up to look up like they belonged to legitimate financial institutions. After
victims entered their information on the sites, the Californian sold the data to two
alleged co-conspirators who used the information to set up lines of credit — typically
between $1,000 and $2,000 — at instant credit kiosks at Wal-Mart stores. They used
those lines, as well as fake credit cards made using the stolen data, to purchase products
from Wal-Mart, which they then sold for cash. Prosecutors said the co-conspirators
stole nearly $193,000 in less than 2 months by hitting Wal-Mart stores throughout
California. They have both been sentenced to prison in connection with the fraud,
according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice. When police arrested
the Californian in January 2007, they found stolen information, including bank and
credit card numbers, belonging to 38,500 victims. They also found 20 Web templates
used to make fake sites for businesses such as eBay, and local banks, including
Florida's Fairwinds Credit Union, and Washington's Heritage Bank.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218732/Phisher_who_hit_38_500_gets_long
_prison_sentence
For another story, see item 40
[Return to top]
Transportation Sector
16. July 29, Sacramento Bee – (California) Man arrested at Sacramento airport had
loaded gun in luggage. A 22-year-old traveler was arrested July 28 after authorities at
the Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, California, said they found a
loaded handgun in his luggage, the second such incident at the airport in a month.
About 5:45 a.m., a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer screening
checked baggage in Terminal B found what appeared to be a handgun in one bag, said a
Sacramento County sheriff's deputy. A search of the bag revealed a .40-caliber handgun
with several bullets in the chamber, he said. TSA officials contacted the sheriff's
department. Deputies arrested the suspect, a Georgia resident, on suspicion of carrying
a concealed, unregistered firearm, and carrying a concealed, loaded weapon in public,
both felonies, the deputy said. The suspect, who was headed to Chicago on a United
Airlines flight, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he was being
held July 28 in lieu of $10,000 bail. An unloaded firearm is allowed in checked
baggage, officials said, if it is in a carrying case, and if the passenger has informed the
airline beforehand.
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Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/29/3802399/man-arrested-at-sacramentoairport.html
17. July 29, Associated Press – (Louisiana) 4 companies fined $1 million for ship
pollution. A whistleblower's complaint about a cargo ship dumping waste in the ocean
led July 28 to a $1 million fine levied against four companies that own and operate a
fleet of vessels that regularly call on New Orleans. The conglomerate also was banned
by a U.S. district judge from operating in the United States for up to 5 years. In April,
Stanships Inc. of the Marshall Islands, Stanships Inc. of New York, Standard Shipping
Inc., and Calmore Maritime Ltd., pleaded guilty to 32 felony counts of violating ship
safety and pollution standards, along with obstruction of justice. A whistleblower
aboard the M/V Americana — part of the conglomerate's fleet — told the U.S. Coast
Guard last November the ship was dumping sludge and oily waste through the use of a
pipe to bypass required pollution equipment. Prosecutors said the whistleblower
provided cell phone pictures of the device being used at sea. The ship's owners also
were accused of falsifying a record book to hide the discharges. According to court
records, Stanships Inc. of the Marshall Islands, was a repeat offender, committing new
violations after it was fined $700,000 for illegal discharges, and falsifying records with
another ship September 29. On April 27, a U.S. district judge revoked the company's
probation, and banned the company's ships from further trade in the United States. The
judge ordered $250,000 of the latest fine to go to projects benefiting fish resources.
Source: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/news/4-companies-fined-1million-for-ship-pollution/6268138/
18. July 28, WTVJ 6 Miami – (Florida) Brothers busted for assaulting AA flight
crew. Two brothers were arrested at Miami International Airport (MIA) July 27 after
they allegedly assaulted an American Airlines flight crew, police said. According to a
Miami-Dade Police arrest report, American Airlines Flight 1755 was leaving the gate
for its flight to San Francisco just before 9 p.m. when a flight attendant noticed a man
was sleeping and was not wearing his seat belt. When the flight attendant tried to wake
him up, he was unresponsive and appeared to be intoxicated or on drugs, the report
said. The pilot decided to return to the gate, where he and the flight attendant tried to
wake him up. After several attempts, he was finally woken up and asked to leave the
plane due to his condition, the report said. As the crew was taking the man off the
plane, his brother decided to get off the plane to be with his brother. Police said the pair
became belligerent with the pilot and flight attendant, threatening the pilot's life. After
they had been taken off the plane, one of the brothers returned and punched the pilot in
the face, causing a bruise, lacerations and blurred vision in his left eye, the report said.
When the flight attendant tried to intervene, the other brother hit her in the shoulder,
according to the report. The brothers were not done with the pilot, attacking him and
beating him in the jet bridge, the report said. Other flight crew members and passengers
intervened and were able to keep the brothers until police arrived. Both were charged
with aggravated battery, and one was also charged with aggravated assault. The flight
did not leave MIA until 11:30 p.m., and arrived in San Francisco just after 2 a.m., an
airline official said.
Source: http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Brothers-Busted-for-Assaulting-AAFlight-Crew-126318788.html
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19. July 28, Dodge City Daily Globe – (Kansas) Dodge City Police investigate airport
incident. Local police are investigating an incident involving a man carrying an airsoft
gun at Dodge City Regional Airport in Dodge City, Kansas. The man was apparently
seeking travel information July 28, and he had been sitting in front of the terminal for at
least an hour when Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents approached
him, the police chief said. The man became annoyed and was rude to the agents, who
went back inside the terminal. When the TSA agents checked on the man a second
time, they saw he was carrying what appeared to be a firearm in one hand. The man
walked away without pointing the airsoft gun or threatening anyone. Police caught up
with the man in a field north of the National Weather Service office, and they found an
airsoft gun — a replica of a firearm that shoots hollow, plastic pellets — in his
possession, the chief said. He said police confiscated the gun but did not arrest the man.
However, authorities were still talking to the man and possible witnesses. It was not
immediately clear whether authorities would file charges.
Source: http://www.dodgeglobe.com/newsnow/x1704354613/Dodge-City-Policeinvestigate-airport-incident
For more stories, see items 1, 7, 37, and 53
[Return to top]
Postal and Shipping Sector
20. July 29, Quincy Patriot Ledger – (Massachusetts) Four face charges after mailbox
vandalism spree in Marshfield. Three young men and a juvenile from Marshfield,
Massachusetts, face criminal charges for allegedly destroying residential mailboxes on
Forest Street July 27. The suspects, 17, of Webster Street, and, 17, of Forest Street, and
a 17-year-old of Oak Street, were arraigned July 27 in Plymouth District Court on
multiple counts of malicious and wanton damage or defacement of property.
Marshfield police arrested the three men at shortly after 1 a.m. July 27. They said the
suspects damaged up to 10 mailboxes as they walked on Forest Street. Authorities also
issued a court summons to a 16-year-old who allegedly participated in the crime.
Source: http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x1510862933/Four-face-charges-aftermailbox-vandalism-spree-in-Marshfield
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
21. July 29, Associated Press – (Georgia; Texas) 8 sickened in salmonella outbreak. An
outbreak of salmonella involving papayas has sickened four people in Gwinnett
County, Georgia and four more in other Georgia counties, public health officials said.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said two other cases have been reported in
Cherokee County, and one each in Fulton and Dawson counties, according to the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. WSB 2 Atlanta reported July 29 that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration issued a recall July 23 for papayas from Agromod, a Texas-based
company. State health officials said they are working with the Georgia Department of
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Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on the produce
recall. Health officials said those infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and
abdominal cramps.
Source: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28703364/detail.html
22. July 29, Eagle Produce, LLC – (Arizona; New York; National) Recall of cantaloupes
from Arizona due to Salmonella announced. Eagle Produce, LLC of Scottsdale,
Arizona July 29 announced a limited recall of certain cantaloupes shipped from
Arizona to upstate New York, due to their potential to be contaminated with
salmonella. Although no illnesses have been reported, Eagle Produce has voluntarily
decided to recall the potentially affected shipments, which were sold at Sam’s Club
between June 2 and June 17, 2011. Sam’s Club has withdrawn all cantaloupes, and sent
a notification to members that bought these melons from clubs served by the
Johnstown, New York and Pottsville, Pennsylvania distribution centers. The recall is
limited to about 1,760 cartons of cantaloupes, each containing 9 melons, for sale in
bulk, in brown cardboard cartons each with the Kandy logo in white with the word
"Cantaloupes" in white lettering on a red background. The cartons have the lot code
147 count 9 printed on the side of the carton. Each melon bears a Kandy sticker with
the words "Cantaloupe USA". The recall is being implemented as a result of a routine
and random test directed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and carried out by the
New York Department of Agriculture. The company has ceased the production and
distribution of the product in question. Consumers who believe that they are in
possession of uneaten cantaloupes affected by this recall may contact Eagle Produce.
Source: http://starglobaltribune.com/2011/food-contamination-recall-of-cantaloupesfrom-arizona-due-to-salmonella-announced-10497
23. July 28, U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service – (Arizona; Nevada) Arizona firm
recalls various meat products produced without inspection. SHSCO Manufacturing
LLC, a Phoenix, Arizona, establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of meat
products because the products were produced without federal inspection, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
announced July 28. The items subject to recall were sold for institutional and/or
individual consumer use. They include 15 types of sausages sold under the brand name
Stanley’s Home Made Sausage Company, as well as knockwurst, several types of
bacon, ham salami, pork butts, and roast beef. Also recalled were products sold under
the brand name Banat, including sausage, bacon, salami, and pork shoulder. Other
recalled items were sold under the name Stanley’s Home Made Polish Sausage
Company, and Stanley's Jerky Company. And some recalled items were products
prepared for institutional use only. The meat products were shipped for distribution to
retail and institutional users in Arizona and Nevada. The meat products bear the
establishment numbers "EST. 34532" or "EST. 44139" in the USDA mark of
inspection. The problem was discovered by FSIS personnel, and is the subject of an
ongoing investigation. The FSIS may take additional regulatory action based on the
results of this investigation. It has received no reports of illness due to consumption of
these products.
Source:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_059_2011_Release/index.asp
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24. July 28, U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service – (Ohio; National) Ohio firm recalls
jerky products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen. Curly’s Custom
Meats, a Jackson Center, Ohio establishment is recalling about 33 pounds of teriyakiflavored beef jerky products because of misbranding, and an undeclared allergen. The
products contain an undeclared allergen, wheat, derived from a spice blend, which is
not noted on the label. The products subject to recall include: 4-ounce, 8-ounce, and 16ounce packages of "Curly’s Meats Beef Jerky Hickory Smoked-Teriyaki Flavor".
Products also bear the establishment number "EST. 27486" inside the U.S. Department
of Agriculture mark of inspection and package code 11077 or 1182. The products,
which have a 6-month shelf life, were produced March 17, 2011 and June 30, 2011, and
are available through direct Internet sales, or at the company’s adjacent retail store. The
problem was discovered by a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspector July
26, 2011 during a label review at the establishment. The FSIS and the company have
received no reports of adverse reactions.
Source:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_058_2011_Release/index.asp
25. July 28, Associated Press – (Idaho; National) Tests show suspect Idaho sprouts
uncontaminated. Tests show no traces of salmonella were found at a Couer d'Alene,
Idaho sprouts facility that was blamed for several cases of food poisoning, the
Associated Press reported July 28. Moyee Springs' Evergreen Produce recalled its
alfalfa and spicy sprouts under pressure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), which said the plant was linked to 25 cases of salmonella poisoning in people
from Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and New Jersey. But the Spokane
Spokesman-Review reports test results from July 28 showed no traces of the organism
on dozens of packages of sprouts, seeds, wash water, and processing surfaces. An FDA
spokeswoman said the negative test results do not rule out Evergreen as the source,
because the pathogen could have tainted only a portion of the food. The owner of
Evergeen said she has had to lay off 10 of 14 workers, and her company is on the verge
of collapse after customers stopped making orders in the weeks following the
government action. She has had to sell three vehicles to raise cash to pay her bills.
Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those who were
sickened with salmonella, including three who were hospitalized, had all eaten spicy
sprouts and alfalfa sprouts from Evergreen. The cases involved 10 people from
Washington, 3 from Idaho, and 10 from Montana. Since 1996, there have been 30
reported outbreaks of food-borne illnesses connected to raw or lightly cooked sprouts,
the FDA said.
Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Tests-show-suspect-Idaho-sproutsuncontaminated-1624049.php
26. July 26, WBBM 780 AM Chicago and Associated Press – (Illinois) Girls electrocuted
while de-tasseling corn in Northwest Illinois. Federal authorities are investigating the
deaths of two 14-year-old girls, who were electrocuted in a wet field while de-tasseling
corn in Tampico, Illinois July 25. One farm worker told a WBBM 780 AM Chicago
reporter that he heard the girls screaming, and he ran to help, but could do nothing
without becoming a victim himself. The Sterling, Illinois girls were de-tasseling corn,
when the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department said they were electrocuted by a field
- 11 -
irrigator. The 13-year-old male witness said the field was like a pond. The girls were
later pronounced dead at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. Two other workers were
seriously hurt. In all, six workers were treated at area hospitals. They were among
dozens working for St. Louis-based Monsanto, which said nothing like this has
happened before. As a precaution, the company has shut down its de-tasseling
operations in the Sterling-Rock Falls area for the time being, according to a company
spokesman. He said more than 1,000 people have been working for Monsanto this
summer. They receive training and are told to walk around irrigation systems. The
spokesman said the accident has been reported to the U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration.
Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/26/girls-electrocuted-while-de-tasselingcorn-in-northwest-illinois/
For more stories, see items 2, 17, 34, and 53
[Return to top]
Water Sector
27. July 28, Tullahoma News and Guardian – (Tennessee) Water line break spills nearly
4M gallons. An estimated 3 to 4 million gallons of water flowed from a major
waterline break at about 6:15 a.m. July 28 on Short Springs Road, causing low water
pressure for residents in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The estimated cost of the water is
$3,000 to $5,000 in wholesale prices, according to the Tullahoma Utilities Board
(TUB) general manager, who said costs will be absorbed in the budget with no effect to
TUB customers. In a typical day, customers use about 3 million gallons in water, the
manager said. TUB workers isolated the affected area from the tank and the city during
the repair. Only a handful of water customers were affected by repair work, which was
completed by 1 p.m. The aging 24-inch cast iron pipe is the largest water line that
supplies the city of Tullahoma with water from the Normandy Reservoir. The second
line, a 16-inch pipe, was installed following a previous break in the larger line more
than a decade ago. The previous water line break occurred about 1,000 feet from the
current leak.
Source:
http://www.tullahomanews.com/news/view_article.asp?idcategory=9&idarticle=10555
28. July 28, San Francisco Chronicle – (California) Chromium 6 limit in water goal set
by Calif. EPA. The California Environmental Protection Agency released the nation’s
first standard for limiting chromium-6 in drinking water, the San Francisco Chronicle
reported July 28. The agency set a public health goal for chromium-6 at 0.02 parts per
billion (ppb). The state’s department of public health planned to use the goal to help
create a legally enforceable limit on the cancer-causing chemical in drinking water. The
acting director of the agency's office of environmental health hazard assessment said
the goal "is the culmination of years of study and research on the health effects of this
chemical. As the nation's first official goal for this contaminant, it will be an important
tool" to develop a regulatory standard.
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Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/27/BA811KFUGE.DTL
29. July 28, DNAinfo.com – (New York) City waterways reopened after Harlem sewage
spill. All of the waterways in New York City that closed in the wake of a massive
sewage spill from the North River wastewater plant have been reopened, officials
announced July 28. "The most recent water quality sampling indicates that bacteria
levels found at these locations, and in New York Harbor has returned to acceptable
levels," the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said in a
statement about the beaches. Swimming at three Staten Island beaches was banned, and
recreational activities on the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers had been prohibited
following the release of more than 200 million gallons of untreated effluent from the
North River Wastewater Treatment plant. The DEP said it will continue to monitor
water quality for any changes.
Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110728/harlem/city-waterways-reopened-afterharlem-sewage-spill
30. July 28, KFOR 4 Oklahoma City – (Oklahoma) Ignored water main break infuriates
residents. Residents in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, are upset about a water main break
that has reportedly been spewing water for 3 weeks, KFOR 4 Oklahoma City reported
July 28. City officials said the leak may look like a lot of water, about 2,000 gallons a
day, but it is not when compared to the 190 million gallons a day the city pumps. The
leak caused a stream along ditches and roads, infuriating residents. City officials said
there is a priority list for what leaks get repaired first and since the leak did not impact
property, it is at the bottom. "There is actually nothing wrong with the hydrant," a city
spokesperson said. "...[A] valve needs to be replaced and to do that we would need to
shut down the 72-inch pipeline." Officials said they have two options; shut down the
pipeline and repair it, which will cause most of the southwest part of the city to have
very low or no water pressure, or they can let it run and allow residents to have water.
The city said they will repair the break when temperatures drop or it rains.
Source: http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-water-main-break-infuriates-residents20110728,0,78240.story
31. July 28, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – (New York) EPA seeks public input
on plan to clean up Peninsula Boulevard Superfund site in Hempstead, New
York. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan July 28 to clean
up the Peninsula Boulevard Superfund site in Hempstead, New York, by removing and
treating contaminated ground water from the site. The ground water is contaminated
with the volatile organic compounds tetrachloroethylene and tricholoroethylene,
chemicals used in dry cleaning that can adversely impact people’s health. Residents in
the area get their drinking water from the Long Island American Water Company,
which operates a well field about 1,000 feet north of the Peninsula Boulevard site.
Source:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/fc0a2ccf6724b2e4852578db0059cc44?Ope
nDocument
For more stories, see items 2 and 17
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[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
32. July 28, Huffington Post – (Texas) Texas Planned Parenthood clinic attacked with
molotov cocktail. A McKinney, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic was attacked with a
Molotov cocktail July 26, causing a small fire at the entrance of the building. Planned
Parenthood official said it caused "serious damage" to the facility. A spokesperson for
the Planned Parenthood Federation of America told HuffPost that Planned Parenthood
locations around the country have experienced similar attacks over the years because of
the organization's association with abortion. A clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, was
vandalized earlier in July with the spray-painted message, "you shall not murder."
According to the most recent statistics from the National Abortion Federation, there
were a total of 96 incidences of violence — including murder, death threats, vandalism,
arson and bombing — against U.S. and Canadian abortion clinics in 2010.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/28/texas-planned-parenthood_n_912710.html
33. July 28, ComputerWorld – (Tennessee) Tenn. BlueCross finishes enterprise-wide
data encryption. BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) of Tennessee announced July 28 it
has completed a $6 million project that encrypts all at-rest data throughout its enterprise
after 57 hard drives were stolen from it in 2009, potentially exposing the personal data
of more than 1 million members. The company said it spent more than 5,000 manhours on the encryption effort, which encompassed about 885TB of at-rest data. BCBS
said it is now encrypting all data on 1,000 Windows, AIX, SQL, VMware, and Xen
server hard drives; 6,000 workstation hard drives and removable media drives; 136,000
tape backup volumes; and 25,000 voice call recordings per day. The company said it
inventoried all the places data resides, including computer hard drives, servers, and
removable media devices, such as USB drives, and CD/DVD burners. In addition to the
encryption, BCBS adopted even stricter data use policies and procedures.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218727/Tenn._BlueCross_finishes_enterpris
e_wide_data_encryption
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
34. July 29, CNN – (Texas) Fort Hood bomb suspect held without bond. The U.S. Army
private who admitted he was planning to bomb a restaurant popular with soldiers from
Fort Hood, Texas is to be held without bond, a federal magistrate ordered July 29. The
suspect was formally charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Additional charges are likely, said a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in San
Antonio, Texas. The 21-year-old shouted an apparent reference to the 2006 rape of an
Iraqi girl by U.S. soldiers and a 2009 shooting spree by an army psychiatrist at Fort
Hood that killed 13 people, before being hustled out of the courtroom by marshals. A
- 14 -
Muslim American soldier granted conscientious objector status before going AWOL,
the suspect was held July 29 in federal custody at an undisclosed location. According to
the criminal complaint unsealed July 29, the suspect admitted he planned to turn two
pressure cookers found in his Killeen hotel room into gunpowder- and shrapnel-filled
bombs to detonate inside an unnamed restaurant popular with soldiers from Fort Hood.
Among other things, police and FBI investigators who searched the room found six
bottles of gunpowder, shotgun shells and pellets, and ammunition cartridges. Police
who arrested him found wire, a handgun, ammunition and an article titled, "Make a
bomb in the kitchen of your Mom" in the backpack he was carrying, according to the
complaint. The backpack also contained a notebook with a hand-written list for many
of the components police recovered. Killeen police arrested the suspect July 27 after a
gun store employee indicated his behavior had raised red flags when he purchased 6
pounds of smokeless gunpowder, and other supplies. The tip came from a retired police
officer who works at the Guns Galore gun store. He said the young man appeared
suspicious as soon as he pulled up in a taxi cab. The suspect browsed for about 20
minutes, the tipster said, choosing 6 pounds of gunpowder, shotgun ammunition, and a
magazine for a semiautomatic handgun. He asked what smokeless gunpowder was
before finishing the purchase. The tipster said he called police after discussing the
transaction at length with the owner of the store, which is the same place where the
army psychiatrist bought supplies for his Fort Hood shooting spree. The suspect joined
the infantry in 2009 and was assigned to Company E of the 101st Airborne Division's
1st Brigade Combat Team when he refused to deploy to Afghanistan on religious
grounds. The Army approved his request to be discharged as a conscientious objector.
But on May 13, he was charged with possession of child pornography on his computer,
according to the statement. After a June 15 hearing, at which the suspect was
recommended for court-martial, he went AWOL.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/29/fort.hood.arrest/index.html
35. July 27, Seattle Times – (Washington) Man accused of building firebomb in
university attack pleads not guilty. The man accused of building the firebomb used
by Earth Liberation Front radicals to torch the University of Washington's Center for
Urban Horticulture in 2001 pleaded not guilty July 27 to several federal charges. The
suspect, 31, was arrested July 6 in Chicago after his expulsion from China, where he
had been serving a prison term for selling drugs. A former student at The Evergreen
State College in Olympia, Washington, he is charged with conspiracy, arson, making
an unregistered destructive device, and using a destructive device during a violent
crime, a charge that could result in a life sentence. The 31-year-old was a purported
member of a cell of radical environmentalists known as "The Family" who are believed
to have participated in a string of arsons and other sabotage that caused $80 million in
damage in Washington, Oregon, California, and Colorado.
Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/07/27/2119075/man-accused-ofbuilding-firebomb.html
For another story, see item 46
[Return to top]
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Emergency Services Sector
36. July 28, Albany Democrat-Herald – (Oregon) Found military device prompts
evacuation. Sweet Home, Oregon police evacuated part of their station and moved
Oregon Jamboree campers away from the building July 28 after a man brought in what
appeared to be an explosive device. A team with the U.S. Air Force's 142nd Explosive
Ordinance Disposal Unit out of Portland took X-rays of the device and determined it
was a dummy round from a Vietnam-era cluster bomb. The military took the device
back to Portland to be sent away for dismantling. A community service officer said an
18-year-old Sweet Home man found the device, about the size of a soda can, on the
railroad tracks in the woods behind Foster School. He brought it to the police
department about 2 p.m. It was not possible to tell whether the device was inert just by
looking at it, a police sergeant said following the removal of the device. He said the
crews told him had it been an armed round, it would have been very sensitive to
movement and had a potential kill radius of up to 2,000 yards depending on the exact
type of the device.
Source: http://www.democratherald.com/news/local/article_c4368c5c-b96c-11e0-979e001cc4c002e0.html
37. July 28, Associated Press – (New York) NYPD pioneers new dirty bomb detection
system. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is testing ground-breaking
counterterror technology expected to dramatically increase its ability to detect and
thwart a potential radiation attack, officials said July 28. The technology will allow a
command center in lower Manhattan to monitor 2,000 mobile radiation detectors
carried by officers each day around the city. The detectors will send a wireless, realtime alert if there is a reading signaling a dirty bomb threat. The system already is
being tested under the watch of federal authorities in hopes it can be perfected and used
elsewhere. The radiation detection system is being developed as part of a $200 million
lower Manhattan security initiative. Police said the overall plan was inspired by the socalled "ring of steel" encircling the business district in London, England, but is broader
in scope and sophistication. The initiative will rely largely on 3,000 closed-circuit
security cameras carpeting the roughly 1.7 square miles south of Canal Street, the
subway system, and parts of midtown Manhattan. So far, about 1,800 cameras are up
and running, with the rest expected to come on line by the end of the year.
Source:
http://hosted2.ap.org/txash/f7ded15e4d4846268a17b79c1c4b7cb8/Article_2011-07-28US-NYPD-Security/id-9185fbd32e4c4bb8828d4259403bbad1
For another story, see item 5
[Return to top]
Information Technology Sector
38. July 29, H Security – (International) Unpatched hole in FlexNet License Server
Manager. The Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) published an advisory about a critical hole in
- 16 -
the FlexNet License Server Manager that attackers can use to gain control of a victim's
system. The vulnerability is found in the lmadmin component; when attackers send a
specially crafted TCP packet to port 27000, they can write data into the server's heap
buffer, leading to the possible execution of malicious code. The FlexNet License Server
Manager is only intended for use in local networks, and is normally not reachable via
the Internet. In January, the researcher who discovered the flaw reported the
vulnerability to Flexera, the company that makes the software –- because the firm has
yet to publish a patch, details of the vulnerability are now being made public in
accordance with the ZDI 180-day deadline.
Source: http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Unpatched-hole-in-FlexNetLicense-Server-Manager-1288337.html
39. July 28, Computerworld – (International) Windows XP PCs breed rootkit
infections. Machines running the Windows XP make up a large percentage of infected
PCs that can spread malware to other systems, Avast Software announced July 28.
Windows XP computers are infected with rootkits out of proportion to the operating
system's market share, according to data released by the antivirus company, which
surveyed more than 600,000 Windows PCs. While XP now accounts for about 58
percent of all Windows systems in use, 74 percent of the rootkit infections found by
Avast were on XP machines. XP's share of the infection pie was much larger than
Windows 7's, which accounted for only 12 percent of the malware-plagued machines
— even though the 2009 OS now powers 31 percent of all Windows PCs.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218722/Windows_XP_PCs_breed_rootkit_i
nfections
For more stories, see items 15, 33, and 40
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at sos@us-cert.gov or
visit their Web site: http://www.us-cert.gov
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and
Analysis Center) Web site: https://www.it-isac.org
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
40. July 28, threatpost – (International) Researchers find SpyEye operations hosted on
Amazon's S3. According to researchers at Kapersky Lab, cybercriminals have been
using Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) as a launching point for their
SpyeEye operation for at least several weeks. One researcher writes that cyber
criminals are drawn to Amazon's S3 offering for its gigabytes of storage, which they
can use to host Web-based attacks. Though S3 requires users to register to get access to
their accounts, cyber criminals have steered around that roadblock by registering their
AWS account using stolen credit cards, and personal information.
- 17 -
Source: http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/researchers-find-spyeye-operations-hostedamazons-s3-072811
41. July 28, Associated Press – (Oregon) Stolen phone cable leads to outage in Oregon
city. An Oregon telephone service outage in the Junction City area the week of July 25
has been blamed on the theft of an 80-foot-long section of cable for the copper wire it
contained. The Eugene Register-Guard reported the July 26 theft left hundreds of
people in the Junction City and Cheshire areas without landline telephone service. But
the wire was recovered after Lane County sheriff's deputies got a tip about a suspicious
man in a pickup truck. Investigators said metal theft often provides a quick payoff for
drug users. Officials estimated it cost about $50,000 to repair the cable that was
damaged.
Source:
http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/7a9a90288c5b4fe4875ddd2d432dc0f0/O
R--Stolen-Wire-Outage/
42. July 28, WPSD 6 Paducah – (Kentucky) Comcast outage fixed for some. Around 2
p.m. July 27, Comcast customers in the Paducah, Kentucky area began experiencing an
outage of Internet, and phone services. The outage continued into July 28, but came
back online for some in the afternoon. "[W]e have experienced a service outage that has
impacted our services in Paducah and surrounding areas," Comcast said in a July 27
statement. "While we are still investigating and researching the issues involved, it
appears that our fiber was damaged when utility crews were in the area working," it
noted. "Our fiber has been cut extensively in several places. We are in the process of
restoring, and are hoping to have all customers restored by the end of [July 27]."
Source: http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Comcast-outage-affects-areacustomers-126325563.html
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
43. July 29, Associated Press – (South Carolina) Another arson fire prompts $25,000
reward in Charleston. There was yet another arson fire in Charleston, South Carolina
July 28 — the fifth suspicious fire in a month and the 57th in 8 years — as authorities
offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. A team of local, state,
and federal investigators has been working on the cases that involve fires in
neighborhoods of homes with apartments largely rented by college students. The city
fire marshal said the most recent fires have been set between 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.
when someone, likely using a cigarette lighter, is burning furniture on the porches of
the homes. Earlier in July, a fire damaged the porch of a home while a fire about four
blocks away destroyed yet another home. Police have stepped up patrols in the
neighborhood, and firefighters have gone door to door with cards that remind people to
be wary, report suspicious activity, and to make sure they have smoke alarms.
Authorities said they have not yet developed a profile of who may be setting the fires,
and said it has not been determined if they might be targeting college students.
- 18 -
Source: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/07/29/2304216/another-arson-fire-prompts25000.html
44. July 28, San Diego Union-Tribune – (California) Explosive found in Lemon Grove,
wanted man arrested. An apartment building in Lemon Grove, California was
evacuated July 28 when sheriff’s deputies and San Diego police arrested a tenant on
warrants, and found a possible explosive in his residence. A police detective went to
the building on Central Avenue near Olive Street shortly after 11 a.m. looking for the
30-year-old suspect who had three outstanding felony warrants for burglary, a police
spokesman said. He said the suspect was outside, but when the detective stopped, he
ran into the first-floor unit he shares with his mother, who was at work. The suspect
refused to come out until about 1:45 p.m., when officers broke a window into his
apartment. Officers started searching the unit and found a length of metal pipe with
caps on the ends, the police spokesman said. He said the suspect told them it was an
empty pyrotechnic device of some sort, but officers called the sheriff’s bomb squad as a
precaution. At least a dozen residents were evacuated from the 3-story building. Central
Avenue, which had been closed during the arrest efforts and then reopened, was closed
again. Bomb squad investigators dealt with the pipe, and residents and traffic were
allowed back into the area within about an hour.
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/28/warrant-suspect-arrestedlemon-grove-possible-expl/
For more stories, see items 4, 5, 6, 15, 29, 34, 36, 37, 46, 51, and 52
[Return to top]
National Monuments and Icons Sector
45. July 29, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) Pa. county commissioners criticize Forest
Service for Allegheny oil, gas drilling delays. Commissioners from a northwestern
Pennsylvania county that includes part of the Allegheny National Forest have passed a
resolution expressing their "disagreement, opposition, and unhappiness" with what they
say is U.S. Forest Service (USFS) interference in gas and oil drilling. The USFS
temporarily halted drilling in April 2009, until an environmental assessment could be
done, to settle litigation brought by environmentalists. But a federal judge has since
ruled forest officials can't require environmental assessments before drillers can access
their mineral rights beneath the forest. The Forest Service owns the surface of the
forest, but private owners control the oil, gas, and mineral rights. The Warren Times
Observer reported the Warren County Commissioners passed the resolution. The USFS
has until August 8 to respond to a request by the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas
Association to hold it in contempt of court for allegedly violating the judge's order to
lift the drilling ban.
Source:
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/693b6f7d909c443c88829724965293af/PA-Allegheny-National-Forest-Drilling/
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46. July 29, Associated Press – (Texas) Tropical Storm Don won’t break Texas
drought, but parched state hopes more rain will follow. Tropical Storm Don was
bearing down on the Gulf Coast of Texas, and expected to make landfall late July 29 or
early July 30, according to the National Hurricane Center. Padre Island National
Seashore, south of Corpus Christi, closed its beaches and camping areas July 28. They
will remain closed until the storm passes. While a tropical storm warning was in effect
from Matagorda Bay south to the mouth of the Rio Grande, there were no plans to
order evacuations along coastal areas, said the Nueces County Emergency Management
coordinator. She said primitive beach camping would be restricted in county parks, but
camping for recreational vehicles on the other side of sand dunes should remain open.
Officials in Cameron County asked people in RVs and other “high profile” vehicles to
voluntarily leave campgrounds on South Padre Island. The county also began
distributing sandbags in Brownsville, Harlingen, and San Benito. Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi, located on the thin barrier island, announced July 28 it
would close until August 1. Don was about 255 miles southeast of Corpus Christi the
morning of July 29, moving west-northwest at 14 miles-per-hour with sustained winds
of 50 mph. Once ashore, Don was expected to move fairly quickly, making the threat of
flooding small. Only about 1 to 2 inches of rain were expected along most of the path,
with 3 inches possible in the heaviest areas.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/tropical-storm-don-wont-breaktexas-drought-but-parched-state-hopes-more-rain-willfollow/2011/07/29/gIQAD4UXgI_story.html
47. July 29, Chico Enterprise-Record – (California) Huge pot eradication effort targeted
second grow in Tehama County. Two men were arrested at an illegal marijuana grow
in Tehama County, California, July 27, about a mile from where U.S. Forest Service
officials were escorting media through a pot garden. Both grows were on public lands
in the Mendocino National Forest, and the raids are part of a massive, on-going effort
to locate and eradicate large cartel-type marijuana plantations in six counties. The men
were arrested near Horse Trough Ridge, in rugged terrain about 12 miles west of
Paskenta. One attempted to flee and was chased down by a law enforcement canine, but
sustained no injuries, a California Department of Justice spokeswoman said. The
suspect was taken to a local hospital, then booked along with his companion at the
Tehama County Jail in Red Bluff. The spokeswoman said she had no information on
the size of the marijuana grow, but believed it contained a substantial number of plants.
At the other Tehama County raid July 27 in which the media were invited, Forest
Service personnel uprooted 10,000 plants in a plantation in the Round Valley area, just
north of Forest Road M4. No arrests were made, but there was evidence growers hastily
left the garden, which was raided about 10 a.m. In operations which began July 11,
about 200 law enforcement agents working under the auspices of the Campaign
Against Marijuana Planting, have raided dozens of illegal gardens in Glenn, Tehama,
Colusa, Lake, Mendocino, and Trinity counties. As of July 28, 90 arrests had been
made, and nearly 400,000 pot plants eradicated. The spokeswoman said the California
justice department is reviewing each arrest to determine if any the suspects will be
subject to a federal indictment alleging cultivation of marijuana on public lands.
Arrestees are currently being held at county jails where they were taken into custody.
Source: http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_18574463
- 20 -
48. July 28, CNN – (Maryland; New York) Two indicted on charges of stealing
historical documents. Two men were indicted July 28 by a federal grand jury on
charges of stealing dozens of historical papers, including documents signed by
President Abraham Lincoln valued at $300,000. Federal officials accuse a 63-year-old
man, and a 24-year-old man of stealing millions of dollars of irreplaceable historical
documents from museums in Maryland and New York from December 2010 through
July and selling them. The men, both of New York City, are accused of stealing
documents from the Maryland Historical Society's museum library after an employee
thought the pair exhibited suspicious behavior. The indictment also alleges the pair
stole documents from the New York Historical Society. The two were slated to have an
initial court appearance in U.S. district court in Baltimore July 29. In the meantime, a
nationwide federal investigation continues. According to a Baltimore Police
Department report, an employee of the Maryland Historical Society said he watched the
24-year-old suspect take a document, conceal it in a portfolio, and walk out of the
library with it earlier in July. The report states 60 documents were found in the 24-yearold's locker near the library, some of which were signed out by the 63-year-old suspect.
Along with the papers bearing Lincoln's signature, other recovered documents included
signed commemorations of the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument, each
valued at $100,000, and presidential inaugural ball invitations and programs with an
estimated value of $500,000. The federal indictment states that on December 2, 2010,
the suspects stole seven copies of speeches given by President Roosevelt from the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in New York, among other
items. The 63-year-old allegedly subsequently sold four of the speeches for $35,000.
The two men are being held in the Baltimore City Detention Center, according to the
Maryland Department of Corrections database. The defendants face a maximum
sentence of 5 years in prison for conspiracy, and 10 years in prison for theft of the
documents.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/28/historical.document.theft/
49. July 28, Fresno Bee – (California) Lion fire in Sequoia forest spreads to 16,000
acres. Firefighters continued to battle the growing Lion Fire in the Golden Trout
Wilderness area to prevent it from spreading across Lion Creek, officials at Sequoia
National Park in California said July 28. The fire had consumed 16,350 acres by the
morning of July 28, a park spokeswoman said. She said the fire was 15 percent
contained, and that firefighters were making progress even as the fire spreads. Crews
were setting back fires to deprive the fire of fuel and stop its progress near Soda Spring
Creek, and around the historic Quinn Patrol Cabin in the Sequoia National Park. Built
in 1906 and used by the U.S. Cavalry, the cabin is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/07/28/2480851/lion-fire-spreads-to-16kacres.html
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Dams Sector
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50. July 29, Salt Lake Tribune – (Utah) Water flowing fast from Panguitch Lake after
valve fails. The release valve that controls the flow of water out of Panguitch Lake in
Garfield County, Utah, failed July 27, sending water out of the reservoir at five times
the normal rate, authorities said. No structures below the dam nor the integrity of the
22-foot-tall concrete structure were threatened, but officials said they do not understand
why the gate controlling flows from the dam cannot be regulated by the hand-operated
valve that raises and lowers a steel gate. An engineer for the division of water resources
said the incident increased the outflow from the reservoir from the normal 50 cubic feet
per second (cfs) to 250 cfs. By 6 p.m. July 28, the water level at the lake, normally 57
feet, had dropped 2 feet, officials said. A spokeswoman with the Garfield County
Sheriff’s Office said officials with Western Panguitch Irrigation will build a temporary
dam around the out-flow area July 29 so crews can determine the cause of the problem
and repair it, and stop water from draining from the reservoir.
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52283459-78/dam-lake-panguitchvalve.html.csp
51. July 28, Davenport Quad-City Times – (Illinois) Breach in levee allows Plum River
to flood Savanna. Record-setting rainfall caused the Plum River to rise in Savanna,
Illinois, which resulted in a levee breach July 28 around 6:15 p.m., forcing the
evacuation of a dozen homes. The breach occurred in the Portland Avenue levee after a
slow-moving storm system dumped 10.31 inches at the Dubuque, Iowa, airport July 27
to July 28, as well as 9.52 inches in Elizabeth, 5.35 inches in Freeport, 13.45 inches in
Galena, 2.89 inches in Mount Carroll, and 7.14 inches in Stockton, all in Illinois.
Evacuations went smoothy due to the help of fire departments from Thomson, Sabula,
Mount Carroll, and Shannon. Illinois State Police and the Carroll County Sheriff's
Department also helped.
Source: http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_2eb2062a-b99e-11e0-b36e001cc4c03286.html
52. July 28, YNN 10 Syracuse – (New York) Two feet of stop logs removed from
Croghan Dam. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) removed 2 feet of stop logs from the Croghan Dam in Lewis County, New
York, July 28. The move came less than a week after delaying plans to remove 5 feet of
logs. The DEC said the dam puts Croghan and its 3,000 residents at high risk for
flooding, but locals claimed the water is needed for firefighting and to save a local
lumber company that uses the water for power. The change of plans was partly related
to a $100,000 grant Croghan was awarded to study the dam and determine if it could be
rebuilt to the DEC's satisfaction.
Source: http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/551559/two-feet-of-stop-logsremoved-from-croghan-dam/
53. July 28, KSFY 13 Sioux Falls – (South Dakota) A dangerous situation is brewing in
White Lake. A potentially serious situation developed July 28 for Marshall County,
South Dakota, after hazardous weather compromised the dam along White Lake.
Officials said the potential for a catastrophic collapse of a local dam was looming. The
Marshall County highway superintendent said, "they said part of the top blew off of it,
or washed off, and there is a fairly good sized hole in roughly the center of the dam."
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The dam holds between 500 and 600 acres of water, the town's drinking water, which
overtopped the spillway at an excessive rate. The superintendent added, "I do not know
what kind of water they are talking about coming over there or if that blows out, but it
will definitely cause some damage to farmers' fields, county roads, township roads,
which we absolutely do not need at this point." About 100 yards from the spillway lies
Highway 27, if the spillway did collapse and released unknown amounts of water into
nearby farms and roads, it would be catastrophic, officials said.
Source: http://www.ksfy.com/story/15170605/a-dangerous-situation-is-brewing-inwhite-lake
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