MediaBlitz! Aug 23 2056

INTERNATIONAL

• A widespread VITAS outbreak in Chicago, UCAS, leads to a military quarantine of the city. "Our greatest fear has been realized," says UCAS President Thomas Steele. Over four thousand are believed infected.

FWD METRO

• CBI steps up search for a material witness to the Bedford Magical Facility bombing.

NATIONAL

• The CAS prepares for the worst food shortage since the Aztlan invasion of 2034 as the "Misplaced Winter" shows no sign of abating.

POLICLUB

• Six Das Nachtmachen Policlubbers are attacked in public by a group of fifty in Houston for "bringing the winter upon us all," according to the mob's instigator as he was being led away by police.

SPORTS

• How will the Chicago quarantine affect the Midwest's sports teams? Lee Grady investigates.

WEATHER

• Scientists around the world scramble to decipher Mother Nature's code to bring about a weather control system. "...a global disaster such as this early winter calls for the formation of some way to control the weather," said the IOAA.

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Washington, FDC, UCAS (NewsNet) - A previously unknown form of Virally Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome (VITAS) has broken out in the UCAS city of Chicago. Over 4000 people were known to be infected, according to an announcement by the White House at 2pm EST today. "Our worst fear has been realized," President Thomas Steele said in a press conference this afternoon. "An outbreak of a deadly viral infection like VITAS in a densely-populated city has occurred. In response, the city of Chicago has been placed under quarantine. But rest assured that your government is doing everything in its power to assist the citizens of Chicago."

In a brief question and answer period, the president could not speculate on how this version of VITAS has been able to spread so quickly though city. When asked if this could have been a terrorist attack against the UCAS, the president did not verify or deny the theory.

"The last time VITAS hit, the death toll was astounding," the president said. "But the difference between 2010 and today is that we were able to move quickly and quarantine the infected area before it had a chance to spread. We know what we're dealing with this time. We've had over four decades to prepare for a VITAS strain. This will be dealt with quickly."

VITAS was first detected in New Delphi, India, in 2010. Within weeks of its first appearance, VITAS cases were reported around the planet. Most fatalities occurred in areas where medical care is scarce and in high-population centers where supplies of medicines and vaccines are insufficient. By early January, 2011, approximately 25% of the world's people were infected.

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Mid-Cities, CAS (MediaBlitz!) - Federal authorities continued their search Tuesday for a material witness to last Thursday's fatal bombing at Bedford Magical Facility, a compound where a Texas Ranger magical group is rumored to be headquartered.

Eriq Relynn, a 31-year-old white male whose last known address was Hurst, Texas, is the man sought by the CBI. He is the registered owner of a gray Nissan pickup truck seen near the compound around the time of the blast.

On Saturday, dozens of federal agents searched for Relynn in two counties throughout the FWD area. CBI agents questioned several people believed to be his friends and acquaintances, but there were no reported sightings of either Relynn or his truck. A material-witness warrant was issued Friday for Relynn.

"We want to talk to this guy really bad," said Carl Woodverbe, a spokesman for the Confederate Bureau of Investigations.

An all-points bulletin has been issued for the gray truck, which bears Texas license plate ALQ-781-RX. CBI and local police urge anyone who has seen this vehicle to call the local police.

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