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(LOS ANGELES) — Dangerous weather conditions are affecting nearly the entire state of California over the coming days.

A second round of atmospheric rivers is bringing even more rain and flooding to Southern California in less than a week, exacerbating life-threatening flooding in the region for tens of millions of residents.

The system is forecast to be one of the most significant storms in state history, bringing the threat of flash flooding possible from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, as well as heavy snow and wind in the mountains. Widespread power outages, roadway flooding, mudslides and the likelihood of numerous swift-water rescues are anticipated, according to the National Weather Service.

A flood watch has been issued for a large swath of the Golden State — from Redding to Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego — affecting 40 million people.

There is a high risk of excessive rainfall for much of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. This indicates a 70% risk of meeting life-threatening flash flood rainfall conditions, according to the NWS. Severe and widespread flash floods are expected in the area, even in places that don’t normally experience flash flooding.

Some of the regions expected to receive the brunt of the moisture are already inundated from the last system.

Santa Barbara, where evacuation orders have been issued, has received 300% of its normal rainfall for this time of year in the last seven days alone. The ground in the region is extremely saturated and unable to soak in additional moisture, causing fast-falling rainwater to wash away immediately, creating conditions for significant flash flooding.

Rain totals will be impressive in Santa Barbara, with 3 to 6 inches across the coastal and valley areas and 6 inches to a foot of rain for the foothills and mountains — especially from Santa Barbara County and south. Any thunderstorms that develop will bring the heaviest rain, up to 1.5 inches per hour, forecasts show.

The storm system is so strong that an extremely rare hurricane-force wind warning has been issued off the coast of Big Sur and Gorda, with wind gusts potentially reaching up to 90 mph.

There is also a chance for brief tornadoes and waterspouts from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles throughout Sunday. In the Los Angeles metro area, winds are expected to gust 25 to 40 mph on Sunday. Farther north, from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo, wind gusts from 50 to 70 mph are expected.

A high surf advisory has also been issued. Large breaking waves of 20 to 25 feet are expected in the Bay Area. Big Sur could see waves up to 35 feet, while Santa Barbara could experience waves up to 20 feet, forecasts show.

A winter storm warning has been issued in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Heavy snow is expected to mix with winds up to 85 mph, which will cause impossible driving conditions, extensive tree damage and widespread power outages. Between 2 and 4 feet of snow is forecast in the highest elevations.

Along the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Lake Tahoe could see between 1 and 3 feet of snow, with other parts of the mountain range seeing 2 to 4 feet above 5,000 feet. At times, snowfall rates may exceed 3 inches per hour.

Here’s to expect on the timing of the storm (all times Pacific):

Sunday, Feb. 4

Heavy rain began falling in the Bay Area around 2 a.m. Sunday, extending southward and reaching Santa Barbara by 7 a.m.

By 3 p.m., heavy rain will be situated over Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, with heavy snow in the mountains, as well as damaging winds.

The heavy precipitation will slowly push south overnight but will continue in the Los Angeles area through the evening hours, making travel difficult and dangerous in places that flood.

Monday, Feb. 5

By 4 a.m. Monday, the heaviest rain will be occurring in the San Diego area, triggering flood threats in the region.

Through the day, rain will still fall steadily from Santa Barbara to San Diego, which is why a flood watch is in effect there until Tuesday. The rain is not expected to let up, and water levels in streams and rivers will continue to rise, making some roadways impassable.

Light and moderate rain will continue from the Bay Area to San Diego — and heavy snow in the mountains — by 3 p.m., causing the flood threat to continue.

Tuesday, Feb. 6

Rain will still be coming down on Tuesday morning from Santa Barbara to San Diego, forecasts show.

In the afternoon on Tuesday, the rain will break up and become more scattered, but there will still be periodic heavy downpours from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.

Rain and snow are expected to be coming down across much of the West at this time.

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(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indianapolis police are investigating the homicides of two women who were found slain in a similar manner near each other just days apart.

Indianapolis Interim Police Chief Christopher Bailey said they have not determined if the two deaths are connected but that there are “similarities in these two cases.”

“We’re here out of an abundance of caution to share information with the community that we can share and ask for information that will help move these investigations forward,” Bailey said at a press briefing on Friday.

The body of the first victim — Shannon Lassere — was found on Saturday, Jan. 27, on the city’s far east side, police said. The body of the second — Marianne Weis — was found five days later about 150 yards away, police said.

“Both victims either lived in or had strong connections to this area on the far east side,” Capt. Roger Spurgeon told reporters during the briefing. “Both victims were killed in a similar manner. Both victims were white females in their 50s.”

Police did not provide any details on how the women were killed or on any possible suspect or suspects in the cases.

“There’s certain pieces of the investigation that just can’t talk about right now to make sure we protect the integrity investigation,” Bailey said.

Police are working with the Indianapolis Marion County Forensic Service Agency to identify any forensic evidence from the scenes, Spurgeon said. They are also asking people in the area to review their cameras for anything suspicious or unusual.

“We don’t know if these crimes are connected at this point and that’s why we’re asking for the public’s help,” Spurgeon said. “If you have any info on these victims or know where they have been in the days before their death, we want to know. If you have cameras in the area that caught something suspicious, we want to know.”

The police department said it is increasing patrols in the area and detectives will be canvassing the neighborhood in the coming days. Bailey advised residents to be alert in the area.

“Report suspicious behavior, be with somebody and call 911 if something just doesn’t feel right or you fear for your safety,” he said.

The interim chief said they are in the early stages of the investigation and police are working to bring closure to the victims’ families.

“I can’t imagine the loss that these families feel right now when their loved ones were taken away from them in this manner and that’s why we’re here,” he said.

Lassere’s children were left reeling by their mother’s killing.

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(CALIFORNIA) — A powerful atmospheric river storm system is expected to bring life-threatening and damaging flooding, wind, snow and waves to California this weekend.

Flood watches will be in effect starting Saturday night through Tuesday in central and southern California. Dangerous and life-threatening flooding is possible with this event, including in urban areas.

Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches will be common, with 6 to 12 inches possible across south and southwest-facing foothills and mountains. The heaviest rain is expected Sunday and Monday, with up to 1 inch per hour possible during the peak. Long durations of heavy rainfall — from three to six hours — are also forecast.

Abundant freeway flooding in high-populated areas is expected. Even the lowest projections for rainfall will be enough to produce damaging flooding, according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to stay off the roads on Sunday.

“We’re fortunate that much of the storm will hit Sunday when many people are home anyway,” Bass said during a press briefing late Saturday. “But when in doubt, stay home. Stay informed.”

The city will be fully staffed to prepare to respond to any water-related emergencies and has “bolstered” its air resources in anticipation of the storm, the city’s fire chief, Kristin Crowley, said at the briefing.

There will be the threat of extensive rock and mudslide activity on mountain and canyon roadways, which could cause significant travel delays and road closures.

Evacuation warnings were issued on Friday for parts of Santa Barbara County due to the incoming storm’s “potential to produce flash flooding, debris flows and landslides.” Emergency officials said residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, while people with disabilities and those with large animals were advised to leave.

Damaging winds will also be a big issue. Gusts between 60-80 mph are forecast on Sunday, especially in the mountains off the California coast.

Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Extensive wind damage is expected in mountain areas.

A high surf advisory is already in effect, lasting through Monday. Waves could reach 20 feet, peaking Sunday.

There is an increased risk of ocean drowning. Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Large breaking waves can cause injury, wash people off beaches and rocks and capsize small boats near shore.

Significant damage to roads or structures is not expected, according to the National Weather Service.

Winter storm warnings will also be in effect from Saturday evening to Tuesday in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where very heavy snow is expected.

Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 feet are expected, with up to 5 to 6 feet at the higher mountain peaks.

Timing the storm
Rain is forecast to move in Saturday evening and continue to intensify and spread through the night.

By Sunday morning, heavy rain is expected along much of the California coast, with heavy snow in the mountains.

Late Sunday afternoon, as the Grammy Awards are underway in Los Angeles, the heaviest rain from this storm will be centered over Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Flash flooding is likely, including in urban areas, as well as damaging winds. Delays are expected at Los Angeles International Airport.

By Monday morning, the heavy rain is expected to be in the San Diego area, with flash flooding likely. The rain is forecast to continue and get lighter throughout the day.

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(OKLAHOMA) — A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Oklahoma late Friday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake’s rating would tie it for the fourth largest rating in state history.

The epicenter of the earthquake, located just northwest of Prague in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, is just 50 miles to the east of Oklahoma City.

There were no reports of any damage or injuries in the region but officials are currently working to survey the situation.

“Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains, although less frequent than in the West, are typically felt over a much broader region than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the west,” the USGS says on their website. “East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area more than ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.”

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(CALIFORNIA) — A California woman alleges she was assaulted by sheriff’s deputies while detained in a hospital in 2022 and awaiting medical treatment, according to a federal lawsuit filed against five officers from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

Malia Ashad, 31, who was detained in a hospital, according to the lawsuit that was filed Thursday, can be seen crying and screaming on body camera footage obtained by ABC News, as deputies press her head against the hospital bed as they restrain her. The video, provided by her lawyer, is highly edited and the circumstances before and after it are unclear. The sheriff’s department has not released the body camera footage.

“From start to finish these deputies behaved in a manner consistent with a band of thugs,” Treva Stewart, one of Ashad’s attorneys, said in a statement to ABC News. “Who delighted in attacking the unarmed mother of two rather than disciplined law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect and serve.”

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News in a statement that Ashad was arrested for battery of a person and a peace officer. The district attorney did not pursue charges, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The released clips are a limited and skewed depiction of the incident and do not represent the totality of what occurred,” the sheriff’s office told ABC News. “Beyond stating that the complainant received appropriate medical treatment during that incident, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office must reserve further comment on a lawsuit for which we have not received service.”

Ashad is demanding a jury trial for the five California deputies involved in the incident and to be paid an unspecified amount for damages, penalties, costs, interest and attorney fees, according to the complaint. Deputies allegedly denied Ashad a CT scan ordered by a physician after she was brought to the hospital by police for alleged initial attacks, according to the lawsuit.

“To this day no one has yet explained to me why I was refused this standard medical test after the supervising doctor told me I needed one,” Ashad told ABC News in a statement.

The hospital did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

Ashad attended a hearing regarding a civil matter on August 9, 2022, when a woman whom Ashad had a restraining order against began to attack the mother of two by repeatedly striking her in the head and face with a cell phone, according to the complaint. Body camera video shows a woman suddenly stand and hit Ashad in the head multiple times while she remains seated. The video did not show what instigated the scuffle.

Deputies then rush toward the two women, according to body camera footage. Officers handcuffed Ashad’s hands behind her back and forced her arms up before deputies led her out of the courtroom, according to the complaint.

“Instead of arresting the aggressor in the situation,” Ashad’s attorneys told ABC News in the statement, “sheriff’s deputies continued the courthouse attack by striking Ashad twice in her head, causing her to fall and strike her head on a table, seize and temporarily lose consciousness.”

Deputies transported Ashad to Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Campus’ Emergency Department where a physician determined she required a CT scan to rule out a brain injury, according to the complaint.

“We’re not taking her to CT [scan] for anything,” a deputy can be heard saying to hospital staff on body camera video. “All I need is her cleared for incarceration. She’s going to jail.”

“I understand, but that’s the physician’s order,” a hospital staff member responded.

Once at the hospital, Ashad was supposed to be under the care of the hospital staff and was ordered to change into a paper gown, which is standard protocol, the lawsuit states.

“As any woman would, I requested a female officer be present before changing into the paper gown for the CT scan,” Ashad told ABC News in a statement. “I didn’t know then that the same female officer would, and could, simply overrule a supervising physician and cancel medical treatment he determined was necessary.”

Ashad refused to be taken to jail before receiving a CT scan, resulting in deputies grabbing her and holding her down on the hospital bed, which caused her to lose consciousness twice, according to the complaint.

The deputies never allowed Ashad to get a CT scan while in detainment and she was taken to jail instead, according to the lawsuit.

“First, the male deputies viciously attacked Ms. Ashad in the courthouse, leaving her bloodied and concussed. Then they hauled her off to the hospital where they continued their unnecessary and unreasonable attack,” Angel Alexander, one of Ashad’s attorneys, told ABC News in a statement. “The level of callousness, brutality, and arrogance these deputies displayed is stunning even by their standards.”

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(PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa.) — Punxsutawney Phil — perhaps the world’s most famous groundhog — has woken up on Friday and not seen his shadow meaning, according to legend, that we are destined for an early spring.

Legend has it that if he sees his shadow then winter will continue for another six weeks but if Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow spring will come early.

The weather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — located approximately 75 miles northeast of Pittsburgh — during the announcement was overcast with temperatures hovering slightly above freezing in the mid to upper 30s.

Still, no matter the weather, this hasn’t stopped an estimated 30,000 people annually from attending the festivities which originally stems from the Christian holiday Candlemas Day as well as Pennsylvania Dutch traditions going back several generations.

Phil’s actual prediction, however, takes place ahead of time in a place called Gobbler’s Knob, a small hill just outside of the town, and has done so each year since 1887. This year marks the 138th time the event has occurred, according to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office,

The men in top hats surrounding Phil during the ceremony are members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle. According to their website, their role is to “protect and perpetuate the legend of the great weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.”

Phil’s predictions have been fairly even over the past decade or so. From 2015 to 2020, the groundhog predicted a longer winter three times and an early spring three times. But overall, dating back to 1887, according to the Associated Press, Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter more than 100 times.

In fact, Punxsutawney Phil has now predicted six more weeks of winter 107 times and an early spring only 21 times — with no record of 10 of those years since 1887, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ultimately, Punxsutawney Phil’s “predictions” should really be taken with a grain of salt.

In the 10 annual predictions from 2013 to 2022, Punxsutawney Phil has actually been even less accurate that flipping a coin with this weather predictions. He has been right just four times in that period — 2020, 2016, 2014 and 2013 — and was incorrect in the six other instances.

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(NEW YORK) — Elementary and middle school students have only made up some of the losses in math and reading they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report finds.

For the report, published Wednesday, a collaborative team at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, looked at the first year of regular testing between spring 2022 and spring 2023 for school districts in 30 states.

Overall, students managed to recover about one-third of the original loss in math and one-quarter of the loss in reading. While these gains are historic, students are still not where they should be, the researchers found.

“Both of those gains were large by historical standards, but the gains in average achievement are masking the dramatic widening in achievement that happened between 2019 and 2022, and just the failure of many of the high poverty districts to catch up,” Dr. Thomas Kane, co-author of the report and faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research, told ABC News.

When broken down by subject, only students in Alabama returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels in math, meaning levels seen in 2019, the report found. However, students in 17 states are still one-third behind 2019 levels in math.

Meanwhile, students in three states — Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi — returned to 2019 reading achievement levels while students in 14 states remain more than one-third of a grade level behind in reading.

The report’s authors say that districts would need at least another year of recovery in math and two more years in reading for students to catch up to pre-pandemic level achievements.

However, even if last year’s pace could be maintained, students will not be caught up by the time federal relief expires in September.

K-12 schools received $190 billion in federal aid from Congress during the pandemic, most of which went to high-poverty districts. Currently, $51 billion of aid remains, which must be returned to the federal government if unused by September. The authors say states and districts should use the remaining funds to help students catch up academically.

The report also found that in many states, the recovery of math and reading losses has been led by wealthier districts, including those in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Kane said in Massachusetts, high-poverty districts didn’t just fail to catch up but lost further ground between spring 2022 and spring 2023 so the improvement came from the higher-income suburbs, which he called “disappointing” and “concerning.”

Nilesh Patel, a high school principal at Kairos Academies in St. Louis, has seen the advantages families in wealthier districts had during the pandemic.

“During the pandemic, many high-income families relied on private tutors to maintain their students’ achievement while lower-income families didn’t have the resources to do the same,” he told ABC News. “A lot of school-based interventions meant to close the gap were too little, too late. What we really need are strong early childhood interventions.”

Dr. Jade Cobern, a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, told ABC News that disparities between high and low-income areas mostly affect racial and ethnic minorities.

“Not only do some disparities still exist, but in some places are getting worse for these groups of kids. It’s essential for these kids that we focus more research and resources to close these gaps,” she said.

Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor, added that educational disparities could lead to broader health inequalities in the future.

To recover pre-pandemic losses, the researchers recommend schools take several steps including informing parents if their child is below grade level in math or reading so parents have time to enroll their kids in summer learning and for schools to expand summer learning in 2024.

Additionally, they recommend districts contract “high-quality” tutoring and after-school programs before September for the 2024-25 school year.

“For next school year, because under the federal law, they can’t spend the money on their own employees’ salaries after September, but they can make payment payments on, you know, contracts as long as those contracts were signed before September,” Kane said.

ABC News’ Dr. John Brownstein contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Former Trump Org. Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg is in plea talks with the Manhattan district attorney’s office to resolve a potential perjury charge, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

If the negotiations succeed, Weisselberg would plead guilty to lying on the witness stand when he testified in October at the civil fraud trial that names him, his former boss — former President Donald Trump — and others as defendants, the sources said.

The plea negotiations, which the sources described as being in the early stages, were first reported by The New York Times. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment. An attorney for Weisselberg did not respond to a request for comment.

During his testimony, Weisselberg struggled to explain why former President Trump’s 5th Ave. triplex, which is less than 11,000 square feet, was listed on statements of financial condition as 30,000 square feet.

“It was almost de minimis relative to his net worth, so I didn’t really focus on it,” Weisselberg said during the trial. “I never even thought about the apartment.”

But Forbes published an article following Weisselberg’s appearance that accused him of lying under oath and suggested Weisselberg did think about the apartment because he played a key role in trying to convince the magazine the apartment was as big as Trump’s financial statements said.

At trial, a lawyer with the New York attorney general’s office, Louis Solomon, confronted Weisselberg with emails from Forbes magazine seeking clarity about the apartment’s size and a letter signed by Weisselberg certifying the excessive square footage to the Trump Organization’s accountant, Mazars USA.

“Forbes was right; the triplex was actually only 10,996, right?” Solomon asked. “Right,” Weisselberg finally conceded.

If Weisselberg ends up pleading guilty to a perjury charge it would mark his second criminal conviction. He previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges and testified against the Trump Organization, which was convicted in 2022 of tax evasion.

His testimony was careful not to implicate Trump and Weisselberg is not expected to be called as a witness in the Manhattan DA’s criminal case against Trump that accuses him of falsifying business records in connection with a hush payment to porn actress.

Trump is on trial in New York in a $370 million civil lawsuit that could alter the personal fortune and real estate empire that helped propel Trump to the White House.

Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and other top Trump Organization executives are accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of engaging in a decade-long scheme in which they used “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” to inflate Trump’s net worth in order get more favorable loan terms. The trial comes after the judge in the case ruled in a partial summary judgment that Trump had submitted “fraudulent valuations” for his assets, leaving the trial to determine additional actions and what penalty, if any, the defendants should receive.

The former president has denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys have argued that Trump’s alleged inflated valuations were a product of his business skill.

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(NEW YORK) — Nearly 140 people have fallen sick during a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on a three-week Queen Victoria cruise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Cunard Cruise Line ship departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 22.

Overall, 123 passengers and 16 crew members have reported being ill during the voyage as of Thursday, according to the CDC. The cases are for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active cases, the agency said.

The predominant symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC said. The cause of the outbreak is unknown, according to the CDC.

There are 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members on the ship in total, according to the CDC.

In response to the outbreak, the cruise line and crew have isolated ill passengers and crew and increased cleaning and disinfection procedures “according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan,” the CDC said.

“Cunard confirmed that a small number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria,” Cunard said in a statement. “They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all guests and crew on board.”

“Measures have been effective,” the statement continued.

The cruise is scheduled to go to San Francisco before ending in Honolulu on Feb. 12.

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program is monitoring the situation remotely, including “reviewing the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures,” the agency said.

This is the second cruise outbreak reported by the CDC so far this year. Last month, 100 people — including 92 passengers and eight crew members — were reported ill during a Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation cruise that sailed from Jan. 3 to Jan. 12. The cause was norovirus, the CDC said.

The CDC logged 14 outbreaks on cruise ships in 2023, mostly caused by norovirus.

Medical staff on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction must report gastrointestinal illness cases to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program when at least 2% of passengers or crew have a gastrointestinal illness.

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(ATLANTA) — Authorities in Georgia are searching for 30-year-old murder suspect Zion River Shaka, who was mistakenly released by Clayton County authorities last week, according to ABC affiliate WSB in Atlanta.

Last week, Shaka was transferred from the Fulton County Jail and sent to the custody of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office for a scheduled hearing with instructions to return to the Fulton County Jail afterward, however, he was mistakenly released after the hearing, according to WSB.

Shaka has been in Fulton County Jail since 2020, ABC News confirmed, though details of his case have not been released.

Deputies are reportedly actively searching for Shaka’s whereabouts.

This week, officials in Fulton County said court and other systems in Georgia’s most populous county were hacked over the weekend, interrupting routine operations.

Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta, was experiencing a “widespread system outage” from a “cybersecurity incident,” County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said Monday in a video posted on social media. Notably, he said, the outage is affecting the county’s phone, court and tax systems.

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