Eagles clinch No. 1 seed, Sixers deliver Christmas win, Philly businesses fail to recycle | Morning Newsletter
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Good morning, Philadelphia. Hope all who celebrated enjoyed a nice holiday this weekend. If you're still on a bit of a break, I hope you're filling up on some leftover cookies and reveling in the two gifts Philly sports left under the tree.
If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and feedback, so please email me, tweet me @aubsn, or reach our social team on Facebook. Thank you for reading.
— Aubrey Nagle
» READ MORE: Eagles clinch No. 1 seed in ugly win
It wasn't pretty, but the Eagles gave fans who spent the holiday at Lincoln Financial Field the best Christmas gift they could have received: a win over the Raiders to clinch the no. 1 seed in the postseason. The 13-2 Birds officially have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
But wary fans are wondering how much that advantage will matter after the defense carried QB Nick Foles through a sloppy game, with "St. Nick" even eliciting boos from the testy crowd. Cornerback Ronald Darby went from goat to hero with a fourth-quarter, last-minute interception set up for Jake Elliot to hit a game-winning field goal with 22 seconds remaining. Then the defense squeezed a touchdown from a turnover on the Raiders' last play.
As columnist Bob Ford writes, the performance "didn't lend confidence that there would be that many games in the postseason for the Eagles." Thankfully, convincing a Bradley Cooper-voiced snowball to make amends with Santa Claus on behalf of rowdy fans must've earned the team a little Christmas magic.
» READ MORE: Philly businesses not doing their part to recycle
Is your workplace dotted with blue recycling bins that are really used for other trash? You're not alone. Despite city ordinances, most Philly businesses required to recycle are not recycling properly, according to a new review of city records and data.
In fact, nearly four-fifths of them have not filed required recycling plans with the city. To top it off, the city could be losing out on tens of millions of dollars each year from uncollected recycling fines and unenforced rules.
The city's lax enforcement and businesses' lack of compliance could put plans for "zero waste" in Philly by 2035 in jeopardy.
» READ MORE: Miss America Organization cleans house after email scandal
The Miss America Organization has made some major changes after emails sent by the group's leadership ridiculing contestants over their intellect, weight, and sex lives surfaced last week. Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sam Haskell resigned just a day after being suspended for emails dating to 2014.
Chairman of the board of directors Lynn Weidner and president and chief operating officer Josh Randle have both resigned, too.
The Miss America pageant has long been a staple of Atlantic City. "The Miss America Organization is bigger than a handful of people," said outgoing Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian on Saturday. "She has been part of Atlantic City's history since 1921, and she will always be part of our history."
What you need to know today
The Sixers gave fans the gift of a Christmas Day W, too, with Joel Embiid scoring 25 points in a 105-98 victory over the New York Knicks. Naturally, Philly fans made themselves heard as they flooded Madison Square Garden.
The annual re-crossing of the Delaware River by Revolutionary War reenactors was done in yesterday by high winds, despite efforts to save it from cancellation with new boats.
From museums and Flyers games to horseback riding academies, adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities have found places of grace all over the city where they can build community.
The Philadelphia Orchestra Association has revoked Charles Dutoit's title of conductor laureate and discontinued its association with him following allegations of sexual misconduct revealed last week.
Opioid deaths have plagued the Temple University community on and off campus. Now students are calling on the university to recognize its impact and face the crisis head on.
In honor of Emily Fredricks, the 24-year-old cyclist killed by a truck while riding in a bike lane last month, advocates have chained a "ghost bike" to a traffic light at 11th and Spruce Streets.
Analysis of public data on drug arrests in Philly and South Jersey reveal some concerning discrepancies, further complicating how marijuana cases will be handled if and when it's legalized in the area.
PNC is the latest company to provide bonuses to staff following the GOP's overhaul of the nation's tax laws last week. Over 47,000 employees will receive $1,000.
In the midst of recent tax bill talk, city officials are sharing advice on paying your taxes and ask you not to forget those local levies.
» READ MORE: #OurPhilly
We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out to build those followers!
That’s Interesting
An online community has rallied around a baby who was attacked by a raccoon in North Philly last week, donating thousands of dollars to the girl and her family in the spirit of the holiday season.
A year in bells: here's how restaurant critic Craig LaBan rated Philly's restaurants this year.
This Germantown woman embraces the term "cat lady." She spends her free time caring for and feeding her neighborhood's 80 cats.
Still have relatives in town? Get out and about with these fun to-do's around the city.
After nearly 50 years in the business, sports journalist Mel Greenberg is still the go-to guru in women's basketball, having helped put coverage of the sport on the map.
A popular Instagrammer was traveling the world, trying to walk the globe with his adorable dog, when he suddenly fell off the radar earlier this year. He has since reappeared in…New Jersey.
You need to meet Jasmine Yedra. Amid countless setbacks and daunting odds, the Central High School senior has fought back from homelessness to set her sights on college and beyond.
Ever been inside an original trinity rowhouse? Find out what makes the uniquely Philadelphian residence so, well, unique.
Opinions
President Trump's speech marking Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has wrecked a pre-Christmas tourist season that is especially important to Palestinian Christians, writes columnist Trudy Rubin.
With empty nests and Philly on the up-swing, "Word Mavens" Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic wonder whether it's time to give the city another try.
What we’re reading
In a year of reckoning around sexism and harassment across many industries, Philly urban anthropologist Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman writes for NextCity that urban planning, too, must address its culture problems.
Like Philly, New York has seen its fair share of gentrification since the Great Recession. This Buzzfeed report on how victims of foreclosure saw their Brooklyn homes end up on popular real estate show Million Dollar Listing is devastating.
Scientists are mapping parts of the Arctic that are only now navigable thanks to climate change. But, as The Washington Post writes in a beautifully illustrated report, the more they map, the more they encourage harmful traffic to the delicate area.
Thanks to the year's punishing news cycle, self-care has become a trendy watchword. The New Yorker takes it a step further, positing that skin care, for some, has moved from hygiene routine to coping mechanism.
Now this is a hot take: The Ringer writes that 2017 was the year the playlist finally usurped the album. What do you think?
Your Daily Dose of | Enthusiasm
Feeling the post-holiday blues already? Let this enthusiastic Christmas recital performance by a South Jersey third grader cheer you up. (You’ll see why it went viral!)