Terrorism still dominates the nation’s headlines, but locally the fear that once accompanied those headlines has declined dramatically in recent months.

Anthrax scare calls have become a thing of the past in the Lawrence area.

“We haven’t had a call since the end of the year,” said Jim McSwain, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical chief.

That’s quite a contrast from Sept. 12 to early November, when Fire & Medical’s Hazardous Materials Unit logged 83 calls about mysterious white powders or envelopes.

But the state is continuing to shore up weaknesses that might otherwise provide an opening for terrorists to exploit.

“We’ve learned some lessons,” said Mike Heideman, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Plans for coordinating emergency responses to biological, chemical or other forms of terrorist attacks are developing that involve state, local and federal agencies, along with hospitals and health departments.

A $12.2 million federal grant the state received this year is fostering coordination efforts.

During the height of the anthrax scares, KDHE was swamped with powder samples to test from across the state. At times more than 10 KDHE experts manned a telephone bank to answer questions, Heideman said. Now, KDHE has one epidemiologist on call 24 hours a day, as it did prior to the anthrax scares, he said.

Late last year U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft asked state and local agencies to assist the FBI in interviewing 5,000 Mideastern men in the country on non-immigrant visas. There were 50 believed to be in Kansas, but it turned out that there were fewer than 30, Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Larry Welch said.

A total of six KBI agents interviewed 16 men on the federal list. Some law enforcement agencies across the country refused to assist the FBI because of concern about individual rights violations.

“I had no qualms about it,” Welch said. “We didn’t detain anybody. They were voluntary, and we didn’t have a single person decline to be interviewed. It just went smoothly.”

The KBI also assisted the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in tracking and checking foreign visitors in Kansas with inappropriate visas. The KBI made 20 arrests, Welch said.

The only recent terrorism-related scare occurred Tuesday, when some people were frightened by a low-flying B-1B bomber participating in a “welcome home” celebration for the Kansas University men’s basketball team.

Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin isn’t surprised that, at least locally, people are following President Bush’s advice to return to normal life.