[naviga:h3]Rescue group goes to help with Irma[/naviga:h3]

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians with specialized skills are headed to help with the destruction expected from Hurricane Irma. Officials said 39 members of an urban search and rescue task force departed from Philadelphia on Wednesday for a staging area in Mobile, Ala.

They’ll meet up with other members of the group who have been working in Texas in response to Hurricane Harvey.

Another group, a team of eight state employees, is on its way to Fort Dix, N.J., to work with the U.S. Forest Service at a logistics staging area for up to two weeks.

[naviga:h3]Gov.: House budget plan is ‘nonsense’[/naviga:h3]

HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf says a plan assembled by a group of House Republicans to balance Pennsylvania’s budget is “nonsense” and urged House members to approve a $2.2 billion bipartisan plan that passed the state Senate in July.

Wolf said Wednesday the House GOP plan would divert aid from programs, such as volunteer fire companies, highways and county emergency response agencies.

Wolf repeated an earlier warning that he’ll have to start freezing some spending on Sept. 15 to prevent the state’s main bank account from going below zero.

The House returns to session next week, and a vote on the GOP plan is expected after that. Supporters insist the money can be diverted without affecting programs. It would avoid raising taxes on utility bills or borrowing, key elements of the Senate’s plan.