White Powder Found In Letter To Candidate's Office

RICHMOND, Va. - Hazardous materials teams and investigators combed the headquarters of a Republican congressional candidate in Chatham after a letter containing white powder was opened.

Robert Hurt's congressional campaign spokesman Sean Harrison says the powder was found in an envelope Hurt opened Friday afternoon.

Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said results of tests conducted on the substance will be available in two to three days. Taylor said the U.S. Postal Service is leading the investigation.

"It is a criminal offense to mail a suspicious material, even if it is nontoxic," Taylor said. "... It did give rise to concern. Unfortunately in today's society, you can't take any chances with these things."

Harrison said Hurt followed decontamination procedures after opening the envelope, including washing thoroughly and changing his clothes, before going home to his family Friday evening.

Hurt is trying to move from Virginia's state Senate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

He is challenging first-term Democrat Tom Perriello for Virginia's 5th Congressional District seat.

The race is one of the nation's most closely watched midterm House races.

www.wtkr.com

7th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection A Huge Success

On Saturday, May 8 nearly 100 Eastern Shore citizens lined up at the Mother Earth Day Festival on Chincoteague to drop off nearly 3.5 tons (7,326 pounds to be exact) of household hazardous material for proper disposal by Care Environmental Corporation, of Landing, New Jersey. Saturday's successful effort brought in the most hazardous waste in the history of the event.

A variety of materials were brought in for proper disposal including old paint, stale fuels, pesticides, flammable aerosols, oxidizers, batteries, and asbestos shingles. In addition, nearly 200 pounds of reusable paint was collected and donated to the Eastern Shore Food Bank.

The Eastern Shores landfills are not engineered to handle these materials and hazardous wastes that illegally enter the landfill could potentially threaten the health of Eastern Shore residents. Hazardous wastes also tend to accumulate around everyones homes over time creating unnecessary health and safety risks at home. Every quantity of hazardous waste brought in through the collection program ensures that that waste will not pollute our water resources on the Eastern Shore and endanger the quality of our water and our health.

For tips on safer use, storage, and disposal of all types of household hazardous waste please contact Curt Smith with the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission and visit the A-NPDC on the web at www.a-npdc.org and on Facebook. Next years collection is currently scheduled to be held in Northampton County.

The event was sponsored by Accomac and Northampton Counties, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Ground Water Committee, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, the A-NPDC, the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance, the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of Chincoteague, the Chincoteague Natural History Association, Spangler Construction, and the Eastern Shore Soil & Water Conservation District.

www.shoredailynews.com