Harrisburg, PA – On the morning of September 11, 2001, Col. Paul J. Evanko, then head of the Pennsylvania State Police now retired, raced to a state emergency command center as soon as he heard the first plane had hit the World Trade Center in Manhattan. What he did not know is how he and his colleagues would be drawn into the attacks minutes later when the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a rural field in western Pennsylvania.

“Witness to History” features Evanko’s actual handwritten field notes from the morning of 9/11. These unique documents, which Evanko donated to the Pennsylvania State Archives in 2016, are on public display for the very first time. They detail the rapid unfolding of events and offer a minute-by-minute accounting of decisions made to secure the crash site and protect Pennsylvanians.

“Witness to History” is copresented by the Pennsylvania State Archives and The State Museum of Pennsylvania, both bureaus of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), the commonwealth’s official history agency. WITF Public Media, a contributing partner in the exhibit, provided video commentary from Evanko.

“Witness to History” opens on Thursday, September 9, 2021, and is on display through Sunday, January 2, 2022.

For more information on the documents on display in the exhibition, read “Col. Paul J. Evanko’s Field Notes from 9/11” in the Summer 2021 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage.

For a detailed account on 9/11 from the perspective of Governor Tom Ridge, read “The Man for the Moment: Tom Ridge and the 9/11 Inflection Point,” also in the Summer 2021 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage.

ABOUT THE STATE MUSEUM OF PENNSYLVANIA

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania’s fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth’s vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania’s story is America’s story.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Admission is $7 for adults (ages 12-64), $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $5 for children (ages 1-11).

The State Museum has joined other museums across the country in Museums for All. This program enables low-income families to visit participating museums for a nominal fee of $2 per person with the presentation of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card and identification. This offer is for general admission only and excludes special programs or events.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is returning to the White House Monday to address the nation on the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. This, as the planned withdrawal of American forces turned deadly at Kabul’s airport Monday as thousands tried to flee Afghanistan a day after the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The White House says Biden will travel back to Washington from the Camp David presidential retreat to speak to the nation. It will be his first public remarks on the Afghanistan situation in nearly a week. Senior U.S. military officials say the chaos at the airport left seven people dead Monday, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet.

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot partially automated driving system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the action Monday in a posting on its website. The agency says it has identified 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control have hit vehicles with flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board or cones warning of hazards. The probe covers 765,000 vehicles from the 2014 through 2021 model years. Autopilot has frequently been misused by Tesla drivers, who have been caught driving drunk or even riding in the back seat while a car rolled down a California highway.

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) — The death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that battered Haiti is soaring as rescuers race to find survivors amid the rubble ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm. Authorities on Sunday raised the casualty toll to at least 1,297 dead and 5,700 injured. Thousands more are displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas are sheltering in streets or soccer fields with their few salvaged belongings while overloaded hospitals scramble to help those who were injured. The devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, which is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night, bringing the potential for heavy rain, flooding and landslides.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Thousands of Afghans have rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport, so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death. U.S. officials said the chaos at the airport left at least seven people dead. The crowds of people rushing the airport Monday came as the Taliban enforced their rule over the wider capital after a lightning advance across the country that took just over a week to dethrone the country’s Western-backed government. The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing an end to a two-decade campaign in which the U.S. and its allies had tried to transform Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s top general says the United States could now face a rise in terrorist threats from a Taliban-run Afghanistan. That warning comes as intelligence agencies charged with anticipating those threats face new questions after the U.S.-backed Afghan military collapsed with shocking speed. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, told senators on a briefing call Sunday that U.S. officials are expected to alter their earlier assessments about the pace of terrorist groups reconstituting in Afghanistan. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Greg Benedetti)

Beaver County Native Joe Walton died at a nursing home in Florida yesterday.  He was 85.  Walton had a storied football career with Pitt and with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins in the pros.  Walton later returned to coaching and was head coach of the New York Jets for five seasons.  A memorial service for Joe Walton will be held in Beaver Falls at a date to be determined in late August.

The Hookstown post office is holding a dedication ceremony to honor Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin at 1 p.m. today. The Brighton Township and Raccoon township man died while serving in Afghanistan.  Elchin graduated from Hopewell High School and joined the Air Force as a special tactics combat controller and was trained for various combat operations.  Elchin was 25 years old when a roadside bomb exploded outside of Ghazni province on Nov. 27, 2018, killing him. He received many honors including the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart medal, an Air Force Commendation Medal and a NATO Medal.  Connor Lamb, Air Force Col. John Robinson, and representatives for Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey will participate in the ceremony. Beaver County Radio’s Matt Drzik will be in attendance as well.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Saturday notified all COVID-19 vaccine providers that immunocompromised individuals who are fully vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna are able to receive an additional dose. The notification follows recommendations announced Saturday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

“We are pleased that the federal government is taking steps to ensure individuals who are immunocompromised have the opportunity to receive another layer of protection against COVID-19,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “The department is already working with vaccine providers on this important protection for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians. We are confident in our ability to meet the needs of this critical population by our previous successful vaccination efforts and current vaccine supply.”

Currently, the CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people who are fully vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna receive an additional dose of vaccine.

Individuals should consult their health care provider if they are unsure as to whether they are moderately or severely immunocompromised based on their health condition, history, or status. Immunocompromised individuals who are fully vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna and are looking to receive this additional dose of the respective vaccine, should consult their health care provider before scheduling a vaccine appointment. Additionally, health care providers are encouraged to communicate with their patients who would benefit from an additional dose.

The FDA has not recommended an additional dose for other individuals at this time.

“We encourage unvaccinated eligible individuals to get vaccinated to help protect people in our community who are unable to get vaccinated, like those who are under the age of 12,” Beam said.