(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Due to the rain and flooding in the area, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium will be closed to visitors today

(Wampum, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they responded to a call for a domestic disturbance on Beaver Street in Wampum Boro around 3 AM Tuesday morning, August 31, 2021.
Upon arriving on the scene and investigating it was determined that 43-year-old Justin Norris of Wampum engaged in a dispute with a 42-year-old female victim, also from Wampum, and it escalated into physical violence.

Norris was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment. He was subsequently incarcerated at the Lawrence County Jail. Charges were filed and are pending through the office of Magisterial Judge Jerry G. Cartwright Jr.

State police are not naming the victim or the exact location of the incident because it is an incident of domestic violence.

(Photo of Erie Lobby courtesy of Pa Cyber)

The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School has relocated several of its regional offices to provide bigger and better facilities for students and their families. Headquartered in Midland, the K-12 online school maintains a network of nine regional offices around the state that serve as hubs for enrollment, orientation, and year-round enrichment activities. PA Cyber has relocated its Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia offices to new addresses within the same metropolitan areas. Grand opening celebrations will be held for the Greensburg, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia offices after each location opens.

“We want to provide the best facilities that we can for students and their families. I am hopeful we will have a school year filled with activities at our nine regional offices,” says PA Cyber CEO Brian Hayden.

PA Cyber has been educating children online for 21 years and has had a presence in all the cities mentioned below for at least 10 years. The school relocated these offices to increase square footage and enhance visibility and accessibility for students and families.

• The Erie office relocated in early 2020, but the celebration was postponed due to COVID-19. A ribbon-cutting event will take place on September 30.
  1980 Edinboro Road, Erie, PA 16509

• The new Greensburg regional office will open for student activities in September.
  1040 Towne Square Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601

• The new Harrisburg office is expected to open in November or December of this year. The approx. 14,000-square-foot building marks PA Cyber’s 15-year presence in the city.
  3721 TecPort Drive, Suite 102, Harrisburg, PA 17111

• The Philadelphia regional office is relocating from Crum Lynne to Springfield, with a tentative move-in date of November or December 2021. The 12,500-square-foot building marks the school’s 15-year presence in the city. 825 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, PA 19064

Additionally, the State College regional office remained at the same address but expanded by adding a flex space for student activities and a larger family waiting area. PA Cyber will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 22 at 1700 South Atherton Street, State College, PA, 16801.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, September 4, through Monday, September 6, in observance of Labor Day.

(Photo taken by Frank Sparks)

The remnants of Hurricane Ida are making their way through the area today. The further south you travel the more rain you will face.

* Flash Flood Watch continues Through late tonight.

* Excessive rainfall associated with the remnant of Hurricane Ida
may result in a significant flash flood impacts across the watch
area. Rainfall totals of 1 to 5 inches are likely.

* In addition to flash flooding, considerable river flooding is also
possible. The greatest risk will occur along small streams in
southwest Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia in the higher
terrain of the Allegheny Mountains.

*Never drive through deep standing water and follow the monicker Don’t Drown turn around

Judge set to rule on Purdue Pharma’s opioid settlement plan
By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
A U.S. bankruptcy judge is expected to rule Wednesday on a plan for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments and others over its role in the nation’s opioids crisis. The deal could be worth $10 billion, with cash coming from members of the Sackler family who own the company. Under the deal, the Sacklers would give up ownership of the company and get protection from lawsuits over opioids. Purdue would be remade into a new company with profits being used to pay some victims and fund drug treatment, education and other measures to fight the opioid epidemic.

Pope inadvertently quotes Putin to chide West’s Afghan war
By ARITZ PARRA Associated Press
MADRID (AP) — Pope Francis criticized the West’s recent involvement in Afghanistan as an outsider’s attempt to impose democracy — although he did it by citing Russia’s Vladimir Putin while thinking he was quoting Germany’s Angela Merkel. Asked during a radio interview about the new political map taking shape in Afghanistan after the United States and its allies withdrew from the Taliban-controlled country after 20 years of war, the pope said he would answer using a quote that he attributed to the German chancellor. But the words were spoken last month by the Russian president in the presence of Merkel, during her visit to Moscow. Francis called for Christians across the world to engage in “prayer, penance and fasting” for Afghanistan.

Texas 6-week abortion ban takes effect, with high court mum
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight, but the Supreme Court has yet to act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would be the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United States since the high court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion across the country in 1973. The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks and before most women even know they’re pregnant.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today signed a proclamation of disaster emergency in anticipation of significant rainfall and widespread flooding expected from the remnants of Tropical Depression Ida.

“This dangerous storm continues to have devastating impacts across the South and as it heads toward Pennsylvania, we are expecting significant rainfall across the state. This proclamation will allow for our emergency preparedness teams to provide any support needed throughout the storm and its aftermath,” Gov. Wolf said. “I urge Pennsylvanians to monitor local weather and traffic conditions before making any plans and prepare for potential flooding.”

The heaviest rainfall is expected Wednesday into Wednesday night. Excessive rainfall associated with Ida combined with pre-saturated conditions will likely result in considerable flash, urban, and river flooding impacts Wednesday into Thursday in parts of south-central Pennsylvania. Widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches are expected across south-central Pennsylvania with locally higher amounts up to 7 inches possible.

Several streams and creeks are expected to reach minor to moderate flood levels in the Juniata and Lower Main Stem Susquehanna basins. A few points could crest above major flood stage on Thursday.

An isolated damaging wind gust or weak/brief tornado threat remains limited and confined to extreme southeast Pennsylvania.

As we anticipate flooding and in response to increasing localized short-duration high-intensity rainstorms that cause devastating flash flooding, the governor recently sent a letter urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to lower the federal damage assessment thresholds required for these events to qualify for federal aid.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has been tracking Ida since before it made landfall along the Gulf coast. The agency has held coordination calls with state agencies and county emergency management personnel to synchronize operations and provide a common operating picture among all agencies.

The Commonwealth Response Coordination Center (CRCC) will ramp up 24-hour operations at 8:00 AM Wednesday. with in-person or virtual staffing from the following agencies: departments of Environmental Protection, General Services, Health, Military and Veterans Affairs, Human Services and Transportation; Office of the Attorney General; Pennsylvania State Police; Fish and Boat Commission; Public Utility Commission; Turnpike Commission; American Red Cross; and Civil Air Patrol.

Motorists should watch for ponding on roadways and flooding in poor drainage areas while traveling.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) warns motorists not to drive across roads covered with water because even shallow, swiftly flowing water can wash a car from a roadway. Also, the roadbed may not be intact under the water. Never drive around barricades or signs on closed roads – Turn Around, Don’t Drown.

Anyone planning to travel should closely monitor weather conditions along travel routes. Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.