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Article: A Bitter Taste Of Powdered Sugar
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 2, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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One in an occasional series
Once upon a time, it was unimaginable that a pinch of
confectioners' sugar could paralyze small-town America. But that was
once upon a time.
On Oct. 23, at 7:50 a.m., postal clerk Ron Hubbard -- "No L in
front of my name, just Ron Hubbard" -- was at his workstation sorting
mail when a bit of white powder fell from an envelope onto his blue
shirt and triggered something that resembled a cataclysm.
Ten officers -- a third of Murray's police force -- descended on
the city's only U.S. Post Office. So did the county's director of
emergency management, with his white Level C Tyvek suit and a
backpack of bioterrorism-response supplies. The place was disinfected
with ...