Morning Roundup - January 12th

From the San Jose Mercury News, on a disrupted lottery scam:

Federal authorities Monday handed a $7,000 check to an elderly San Jose woman, money that was intercepted at the Canadian border as part of a sweepstakes scam - but she still lost $300,000 in a previous scam.

The $7,000 was recovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Canadian police have not yet arrested those involved with that scam, officials said.

The victim, an 82-year-old woman who asked not to be identified, told the Mercury News she was told by phone in early 2009 that she won $4.5 million in the Canadian sweepstakes. She said a "lovely gentleman'' who claimed to work for the U.S. Department of Justice told her she needed to pay taxes before she was to claim the winnings.

The woman cashed in her savings and sent in three checks totaling about $300,000, she tsaid. Then, the man told her she'd also won a $10 million lottery in Hong Kong and would have to pay $1 million in taxes to claim that prize. And she sent in even more money - $7,000 in cash - before authorities got wind of what was happening?.

They intercepted the envelope containing the money at the Canadian border, according to ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

From the Eureka Times Standard, on the damage toll form this weekend's earthquake in California:

As Humboldt County continued the process Monday of assessing the destruction left in the wake of Saturday's earthquake, the figures kept creeping up, with more than $28 million in damage now estimated in Eureka alone.

"We're still inspecting damaged buildings, so we do expect that number to increase," said Gary Bird, public information officer for Eureka's emergency response team.

While Eureka was the hardest hit in Saturday's 6.5 earthquake that struck at 4:27 p.m. about 20 miles west northwest of Ferndale, damage reports trickled in Monday from other areas of the county. Meanwhile, the Humboldt County Chapter of the American Red Cross continued to help the 14 individuals displaced by the quake connect with services, retain shelter and generally move on with their lives.

The county's state and national representatives also continued working Monday to ensure the area is in line for federal and state aid, if it's needed.

From the Associated Press, on a fuel spill in Alaska:

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report that an underground diesel tank on Alaska's Adak Island has leaked fuel.

Adak Petroleum personnel said Monday night that a tank containing about 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel had reportedly released an unknown amount into Sweeper Cove.

The workers reported that the fuel is contained within the cove, and they are using recovery equipment to clean it up.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen says Coast Guard personnel and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation workers are making plans to fly to Adak on Tuesday to assess the size of the spill and monitor cleanup.

Public Events
1:30 PM EST
National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Under Secretary Rand Beers will deliver remarks highlighting NPPD’s critical infrastructure protection efforts at the National Infrastructure Advisory Council Quarterly Business Meeting
National Press Club (Ballroom)
529 14th Street NW
Washington, D.C.