Hurricane Harvey Latest • Arpaio Threatens McCain • Uber Gets A CEO: Patch Morning Briefing

It's Monday, and while summer does't officially end for another three weeks or so, we here at Patch know it's all winding down. So, as you get started on the last week before the unofficial end of summer this coming weekend, here are some stories we think you should know about.

HURRICANE HARVEY

Torrential Rains 'Beyond Anything Experienced'

Still going strong, Tropical Storm Harvey has claimed at least five lives and shows no sign of letting up as thousands await rescue. Rescue workers have plucked hundreds of people from atop homes overcome with floodwaters, and thousands more still seek rescue as torrential rains continue to punish Houston, turning roads into rushing rivers and huge swaths of neighborhoods into quickly rising swamps. (PATCH).

Houston Mayor Says Decision Not To Evacuate 'Smart'

“You give an order to evacuate, and you’re creating a nightmare," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, defending his Hurricane Harvey decision. "No one knew what direction it would go. How can you send your residents somewhere when you don't know where the storm's gonna go?" (PATCH).

Alligators, Snakes And Fire Ants: Oh, My!

There's so much awfulness coming out of Texas right now as the state gets battered relentlessly by Harvey. And, just when you think it can't worse? Like people, animals are seeking higher ground. And that means, alligators, snakes and fire ants are emerging from the bayous and complicating an already complicated time. (PATCH).

How You Can Help

Watching news of the destruction along the Texas Gulf Coast, you might have the urge to help in some way. Patch has assembled a guide to help you do just that. (PATCH).

In Other News

Meet The Winner Of The Biggest Jackpot In Illinois History

Sometimes, after some bad news, it doesn't hurt to have some good news. So, meet Pat Busking of Palos Heights, Illinois. She doesn't normally play the lottery...but, of course, she did recently. And she won nearly $400 million. (PATCH).

Uber Finally Gets A New CEO

Well, it hasn't been that long a search. It just seems like the search to replace Travis Kalanick has gone on for a lot longer (he resigned in June). Dara Khosrowshah, the CEO of Expedia for the past 12 years, will reportedly take the helm of the company. (PATCH).

Miami Cop Gets Four Years For Running Guns

Michael Freshko had pleaded guilty to illegally exporting five handguns and a rifle to the Dominican Republic through Miami International Airport. (PATCH).

Fake Kidnapping Scam Terrifies Parents

"You can threaten to kill me and that’s one thing, but you threaten to kill my child, that takes it to a new level," an FBI agent says. Thousands of people in the United States have been targeted — mostly parents — by a new scam saying their kids have been abducted and will be killed unless ransom demands are met. (PATCH).

Pardon In Hand, Arpaio Shows No Remorse, Threatens McCain

"It's probably payback time," the once-convicted former sheriff said of John McCain, the state's senior senator who is battling brain cancer. Meanwhile, Republican politics in Arizona are in a bit of turmoil.

This Will Not Help People Trust The Media

You would think that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel would have a good sense of Green Bay Packers history, what with the fact that they are both Wisconsin institutions. Well, then, how do you explain the paper identifying famed Beatles drummer Ringo Starr having been a member of the Packers? The paper meant Jim Ringo. We all make mistakes. (PATCH).

See? We Can All Get Along (Kind Of)

There were people on the right. There were people on the left. It was Berkeley. In the end, there were some tense moments, but the day was relatively violence-free. Some light skirmishes, but nothing else really. (PATCHES).

Mayweather Beats McGregor

After a $200 million payday, 50 wins, no losses and a TKO over MMA fighter Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing. "I think we gave the fans what they wanted to see," Mayweather said. (PATCH).

On This Date In History

1955 - Emmet Till, black teen, is murdered in Mississippi.

1957 - Sen. Strom Thurmond delivers a filibuster to prevent a vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

1963 - Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream speech" in Washington, D.C.

1968 - A police riot in Chicago in response to the 10,000 protesters there for the Democratic Convention

1990 - Iraq declares Kuwait to be a province, setting the stage for Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. invasion.

Born On This Date

1917 - Noted comics artist who helped create superheroes such as The Fantastic Four and The Avengers, Jack Kirby

1957 - Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei

1969 - Actor Jack Black and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and actor Jason Priestly

1982 - Singer LeAnn Rimes

1986 - Actor Armie Hammer

We hope you have a good day and see you back here tomorrow!

Photo: Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Hurricane Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26 in Katy, Texas. Photo credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press