Local paper has this (not sure if registration is required):
http://tinyurl.com/y45qd3
Frontpage of paper has this:
http://www.statesman.com
Strange, and a bit disturbing. My wife and 13 year old just left for school about 20 blocks north of this area, and of course she left her cell phone at home this morning...
In case registration is required:
"Drivers should avoid Congress Avenue this morning
By Joshunda Sanders | Monday, January 8, 2007, 05:41 AM
The City of Austin Office of Emergency Management is asking drivers to avoid the area of Congress Avenue from Cesar Chavez to 11th Street and adjacent streets this morning because the roadways are blocked. The city says a public safety incident has blocked access to roadways and buildings in that area. According to the Austin Police Department, at least a dozen dead birds have been found in the area.
UPDATE from the Austin Police Department: Congress Avenue from Cesar Chavez to 11th Street, as well as one block on either side of Congress Avenue is currently closed down and will remain closed until approximately noon. Individuals that work in this area should not come in until further notice.
UPDATE: Brazos Street is currently backed up heading toward the Capitol area."
12 year old with a BB gun perhaps?
Guy Fawkes?
ping
Rove moving the hurricane death ray machine through Austin in the dark of night?
Latest text from local paper:
"Congress Avenue from Cesar Chavez to 11th Street is closed this morning after authorities discovered a dozen dead birds in the area. Workers in downtown office buildings along Congress will not be allowed in the area until about noon, authorities said.
Austin police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said authorities received a call about 3 a.m. this morning about the birds in a two-to-four block area on Congress.
Austin fire officals responded and began collecting samples from the birds. “What they are doing is some follow-up testing to see if there is anything we need to worry about,” Chovanetz said. “At this point it is strictly precautionary. We want to make sure there is nothing in the air, the water, the buildings before we let people in.”
Austin-Travis County Medical Serices officials said no one was injured in the incident."
Local radio station said "dozens", this site says "a dozen". I typically don't trust the local Pravda/Austin Statesman newspaper but who knows.
sw
Sorry, after I posted, I realized that I have confused my historical figures. Not Guy Fawkes, but Charles Whitman has to be responsible.
Was it foggy there this morning? If flying into a fog,and they can't see ducks and geese will fold in their wings and fall to the ground.
WABC in New York is reporting some kind of gas smell in the City....no news yet....
A strange discovery in Austin? I thought maybe they found a conservative.
Bush's fault.
Gang warfare among the birds?
marking
Oh I figured they must have actually found a Republican there.
Formation flight with a bad leader and a bad ending.
Dead birds in Austin, gas smell all over Manhattan, illegal middle easterers sneaking into the Miami ports, and the islamokkkrats havent had control of congress for a week yet!!
Parts of Texas capital closed after dead birds found
Mon Jan 8, 2007 4:29 PM GMT
AUSTIN (Reuters) - The downtown area of the Texan capital of Austin was closed on Monday as a precaution after the discovery of several dozen dead birds, officials said.
"The area will be closed until at least noon (1 p.m. EST) today," Austin police department spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said.
Officials said the street closures were a precaution in case the deaths were related to something like a gas leak but they did not believe there was any direct health threat.
"We ... do not feel that there is a threat to the public's health," said Dr Adolfo Valadez, medical director for the Travis county health and human services department.
He added that the department did not think avian flu was responsible for the deaths of the birds, which included grackles, sparrows and pigeons. The birds were being tested.
The area affected includes the commercial heart of the city, preventing thousands of workers from reaching their jobs, but not the state legislature which was due to open its 2007 session on Tuesday.
Some buildings in New York were evacuated and a train service temporarily suspended on Monday morning due to the smell of gas throughout much of Manhattan, but authorities said there was no danger and no indication it was a terrorist attack.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2007-01-08T162923Z_01_N08362915_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-AUSTIN-CLOSURE-DC.XML