White powder found in Pennsylvania courthouse
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A suspicious white powder was found in a county courthouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Friday, a local sheriff said.
The Lehigh County Courthouse was not evacuated and there were no injuries reported, Lehigh County Sheriff Ronald Rossi said.
Rossi said a letter had arrived in the courthouse mail room on Friday morning and an assistant had found white powder inside the envelope.
"That is what started this whole thing," Rossi said. "They don't know if this is the real thing. They have to test the powder."
A local Hazardous Material team was examining the powder, Rossi said.
Suspicious substances were sent to two Florida courthouses on Thursday, reviving memories of the 2001 anthrax attacks that raised biological warfare fears soon after September 11.
Up to five people came into contact with the potentially hazardous materials at each Florida courthouse, located in Palm Beach County and Fort Lauderdale. No injuries were reported.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070112/ts_nm/security_pennsylvania_dc
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New White Powder Scare At PB Co. Courthouse (Florida)
Jan 12, 2007 1:12 pm US/Eastern
PALM BEACH For the second day in a row, there’s another mysterious powder scare at the Palm Beach County courthouse. It follows two suspicious powder incidents at both the Broward and Palm Beach county courthouses on Thursday.
According to WPEC, an envelope with a mysterious powder substance was found in the Palm Beach County Courthouse jury room Friday morning. The room was sealed and no one was exposed to it. The courthouse remains open, however, a hazardous materials team is on the scene.
According to WPTV, the mayor's office is reporting the substance may be tellurium, the same powder found Thursday in the mailroom. Tellurium can be dangerous if it’s not handled properly and can cause eye and skin irritation.
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http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_012104948.html