here is the report from cincinatti news source......[covington, ky is across river from cinci....connected by bridge]

Anthrax Scare Closes Covington IRS

Reported by: 9News Staff Web produced by: Liz Foreman 10/9/01 10:29:35 AM

A potentially hazardous substance has been found in an envelope at the mailroom at the Internal Revenue Service in Covington.

An IRS employee called police around 8:30 a.m. and said a letter containing white powder had been received.

An unknown number of mailroom employees have been quarantined and part of the building has been locked down.

The HAZMAT team has entered the building and is assessing the situation and the substance.

IRS spokesman Chris Kerns said the HAZMAT assistance, lockdown and quarintine are standard emergency procedures.

There are no injuries or illnesses reported at this time.

The 24-hour IRS center employs 3,000 people including 1,200 at its main building in Covington.

9News will update the story as more information becomes available.

here is link to 9 news out of cinci....may want to check on it as day goes by. nothing on nat`l news yet.

http://www.cincinow.com/news/breaking.shtml

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Answers

So noted.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Hey, Mutter -- since it's the IRS, what do you suppose that it's a hoax? That someone just sent something scary in to cause trouble? The IRS doesn't strike me as a huge target for terrorists.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Meemur, dunno. i`m sure there are going to be alot of nut cases out there now 'playing'. you know the freaks come out at night and all that.;)

but guess we shouldn`t take anything too lightly at this point. figure when they are hiding the vp, maybe we should be a little more alert too, eh?

vp hiding.....thats another story and discussion now isnt it? hehehe

just wanted as many as possible to know about this 'Just In Case'

stay safe all!

mutter:)

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

If someone has mutter's address, please let her know.

Cincinatti Enquirer News Update - Updated 12:04 p.m.

IRS center shuts down after hazardous material scare

By Patrick Crowley The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - A 3,500-employee IRS office in Covington is under a full lockdown today, and hazardous materials experts are investigating after workers reported a suspicious sticky substance in an envelope that had been handled by several people.

Emergency workers brought one woman wearing a blue business suit out of the building and began scrubbing her down in a large black tub. After scrubbing her, they removed her clothes, wrapped her twice plastic and took her to St. Elizabeth's Hospital North for further decontamination and observation.

Otherwise, no one was being allowed in or out of the Cincinnati IRS Center on Fourth street, and fire department hazmat teams were seen taking hoses into the building.

Officials placed the suspicious letter in a can, which was placed in a police car and driven to a waiting Hamilton County Sheriff's Office helicopter and flown away.

Chris Kerns, a spokesman for the IRS said the building, which can have as many as 3,500 workers in offices and 188 children in its childcare facility, is in ''standard procedure lockdown.''

The center, which processed 20 million individual and business tax returns from seven states, has had about 20 similar incidents in past 5 years.

But this lockdown, coming as the nation anticipates retribution for the U.S. bombing of Taliban and terrorist targets in Afghanistan comes only a day after six people were hosed down by hazardous materials crews at a doctor's office on Montgomery Road in Sycamore Township , following delivery of a suspicious package Monday.

Local and national officials are scrambling to increase stockpiles of medical tools to fight a potential biological attack and one such incident seems to be unfolding in south Florida.

Federal officials suspect foul play rather than an environmental source is at the root of two Florida anthrax cases that have left one man dead and hundreds of co-workers lining up for medical tests.

The FBI on Monday sealed off the Boca Raton offices of American Media Inc., where both men worked, and agents donned protective gear before going inside.

The IRS center can have up to 188 children in its childcare center for employees. About 5,000 people are employed by the IRS in Cincinnati, with about 3,500 working at the center.

The Associated Press and Enquirer staffers Lori Hayes, Amy Higgins and Chris Mayhew contributed to this report.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

"The IRS doesn't strike me as a huge target for terrorists."

The IRS doesn't strike me as a huge target for FOREIGN terrorists. As far as pissed off domestics, well...

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

CinciNewsNow

West Chester Restaurant Quarantined After Chemical Scare

Reported by: 9News Staff Web produced by: Liz Foreman 10/9/01 12:18:24 PM

Police in West Chester have quarantined employees and customers at the Frisch's restaurant on Cincinnati-Dayton Road near I-75 because of a chemical scare.

Police said they are investigating a small vial filled with a clear liquid that was apparently left in the restaurant overnight.

Some people at the scene said the vial was left by some men of Middle Eastern decent after they made a scene at the restaurant, but police refuse to confirm that.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Thanks Mutter for alerting us and others that have put up other articles! Please don't anyone take me wrong but, this in some ways is worse then if they had come out and shot people. At least we could defend ourselves from a known person that was in front of us.

This is absolutly incredable!

There was an article a few days ago that said, they were warned...if they use biological or chemical attacks on the United States, we would use more then what we are using on them now. Sorry I don't know which article it was at the moment.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001