Friday, August 15 - California has spent $285 million on fire suppression in the last six weeks. According to the San Jose Mercury News, "the biggest reason for the soaring costs is the massive size of recent wildfires." On Wednesday California Governor Arnold Schwarenegger wrote President Bush requesting more federal assistance under the Stafford Act. Barely half-way through the firefighting season the US Forest Service has already spent more than $1 billion of the $1.2 billion appropriated by Congress, according to the Oregonian. (Related, see Federal Disaster Role Grows)
Cyber Offense and Defense
Thursday, August 14 - Initial reports of a coordinated Russian cyberattack on Georgia have been disputed by some experts, according to CNET. While Georgian websites and other online services have been disrupted, the attacks are much less significant than the May 2007 disruption of the Estonian network. Last week at the annual Black Hat Security Conference the new director of the US National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Rod Beckstrom, focused on how to set priorities for a cost-effective defensive network architecture. The NCSC began operations in March.
Teens Charged as Terrorists
Wednesday, August 13 - Giles County (Virginia) sheriff's deputies have arrested two teenagers for making terrorist threats. Investigators say the two 18-year olds left eight threatening playing cards at the Pearisburg Wal-Mart on Saturday, August 9th. The cards read “9 people will die” and “9 people will suffer” with the date 8-15-08. A ninth card was found on a car at a Dairy Queen on Sunday, August 10. Officers say the teens were caught up with “The Joker” from “The Dark Knight,” and that the idea may have stemmed from the movie. The teens are being held on terrorism-related charges at the New River Valley Regional Jail without bail. (Mollie Halpern, WSLS-TV). Giles County is adjacent to the county in which Virginia Tech is located. Application of terrorism statutes is expected to become more common as both police and prosecutors become more familiar with their provisions.
Proposed Change to 28 CFR, Part 23
Tuesday, August 12 - The Department of Justice has proposed a change in the core federal regulation managing the collection and dissemination of criminal intelligence. Among other changes the proposed rule would add, "domestic and international terrorism, including the material support thereof,'' to the examples of criminal activities for which for which federally funded criminal intelligence systems can be appropriately used. Public comment is invited until September 2. More information is available from the Office of Justice Programs. UPDATE: In the Saturday, August 16 Washington Post this issue was its lead frontpage story.
Mid-Atlantic Tropical Wave
Monday, August 11 - A broad area of low pressure has formed between North Africa and the Eastern Caribbean according to the National Hurricane Center. This creates favorable conditions for the emergence of tropical storms. Last week the Climate Prediction Center increased the number of storms and hurricanes expected for the current hurricane season. UPDATE: On Friday, August 15 tropical storm Fay formed over the central Caribbean.
Toronto Propane Explosion
Sunday, August 10 - A massive explosion at a northwest Toronto propane supplier resulted in the evacuation of thousands and shut down Canada's busiest highway. More from the Globe and Mail. UPDATE: As of Friday, August 15 the cause of the explosion had not been determined. The financial, political, and other consequences of the blast were still emerging.
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