Eagles look super, Ivanka Trump visits Philly area, Jewish headstones restored | Morning Newsletter
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Look, I know the Eagles are 6-1, but there are still nine games left in the season. Sure, they are sitting atop the NFC East, and sitting pretty with the best record in the NFL, but they also lost key offensive and defensive leaders to injury, most likely for the foreseeable future. Granted, this is their best start since 2004, when they opened the season 7-0 and reached the Super Bowl, but I distinctly remember them losing that Super Bowl. There are so many reasons to be guarded, and … Oh, what the hell: Why can't us?
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— Tommy Rowan
» READ MORE: Carson Wentz’s touchdowns lead way to NFL’s best record
Jon Gruden was right: Carson Wentz can move.
Not only did Wentz overcome a slow start to throw for 268 yards and four touchdowns en route to defeating the Redskins 34-24 Monday night, but he was also the leading rusher with 63 yards on the ground. He also Houdinied his way out of a sack.
Crucial injuries to linebacker Jordan Hicks and offensive lineman Jason Peters' dampened spirits, but they couldn't overshadow just how good the Eagles second-year quarterback appears to be, and how that could make the Eagles a serious contender as the season approaches its halfway point.
And yes, Lane Johnson, we remember.
» READ MORE: In Bucks, Ivanka Trump touts benefit of tax cuts for middle class
At the end of Monday's town hall meeting on her father's tax reform plan at a senior center in Richboro, Ivanka Trump flashed a grin at the audience, reported Aubrey Whelan. "Is there anything more invigorating," she asked, "than getting out of Washington?"
It was the most Trumpian thing she'd said all day, Whelan wrote, after a session spent soberly discussing the merits — but not too many of the details — of the Republican plan to overhaul the tax code.
The White House adviser and presidential progeny characterized the plan as an improvement for working-class families — in particular a proposed expansion of the child tax credit, which she advocated on the campaign trail.
» READ MORE: Vandalized Jewish cemetery in Philly restored after donors give $300K
Mount Carmel Cemetery is once again a resting place.
In February, the historic Jewish cemetery at Frankford and Cheltenham Avenues was vandalized — about 275 headstones were damaged — but the burial ground's monuments have been fully restored.
What you need to know today
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, addressing the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Center City, formally designated the criminal gang MS-13 as a priority for federal law enforcement. He vowed to use agencies ranging from the FBI to Homeland Security and the IRS to dismantle what he described as an organization that "threatens the lives and well-being of each and every family and each and every neighborhood [it] infests," Chris Palmer reported. Confused? Here is a full explainer on MS-13.
Michael Froehlich got so fed up with the "We Buy Houses" signs blanketing his West Philly neighborhood that he put an offer out on Facebook: $1 per sign. After two days he had collected 200 signs, reported Julia Terruso. Now a second neighbor has offered $200 for a second collection. It's not a permanent solution, but Froehlich, a lawyer at Community Legal Services who specializes in homeowners rights, said he's seen far too many people fall for the fast cash scams.
Philip Ahr said in a letter that he was resigning as Radnor Township Board of Commissioners president for "personal reasons," but would continue to serve as a commissioner representing parts of Bryn Mawr and Villanova, nearly two weeks after he was charged with distributing and receiving child pornography.
Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams used his mother while he was a free man. Now, he's trying to use her to get out of prison. Columnist Jenice Armstrong asks: Should he be freed to go see his mother?
At least five Advance Urgent Care centers in the Philadelphia region, Scranton, and State College, Pa., have been raided by federal law enforcement agencies. The raids were conducted as part of an investigation into overprescribing of opioids, according to sources.
Along with a strong evaluation from his bosses, the School Reform Commission, William R. Hite Jr. is getting the first raise of his five-year superintendency. He'll be making $311,760 per year.
The association of Pennsylvania prosecutors said Monday it sees some positives in a new report that found death sentences are more common when the victim is white and less common when the victim is black.
» READ MORE: #OurPhilly
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That’s Interesting
A 15-foot "Trump Rat" caricature balloon — with the president's bouffant hair style, a red tie, and Confederate flag-style cuff links — was inflated in front of the 10-foot bronze statue of Frank L. Rizzo on Monday, the 97th birthday anniversary of the former Philadelphia police commissioner and mayor, in front of the Municipal Services Building, writes Julie Shaw.
Hypnotized (or appalled) by all the flickering images on citizens' cell phones, not to mention the growing number of animated advertising video signs illuminating the sides of bus shelters and rooftops in Center City? Signs are good you'll have even more to gawk and gasp at, Jonathan Takiff writes, as SEPTA rolls out video screens beaming inside buses and (eventually) subway platforms.
Fashion columnist Elizabeth Wellington writes about Tarana Bruke, a onetime Philadelphia artist, fashion blogger, and agent for social change. Ten years ago Bruke, while living in Philly, started the Me Too movement on her MySpace page, which recently inspired the viral hashtag.
Port Richmond home values have risen $17,500 in the last year, indicating a 15 percent increase in the burgeoning neighborhood. The median home sales price in the River Wards community is about $132,750. Here are three homes for sale under $200,000.
Sixers recorded the team's first win of the season behind stellar performances from Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Philadelphia and some of its neighbors are among 238 cities and regions across North America that are bidding to become home to Amazon's planned second headquarters campus, according to a tally posted on the company's website Monday. Across the Delaware River, meanwhile, Gov. Chris Christie is getting slammed by some for choosing Newark over Camden (as well as Jersey City and New Brunswick) to be the state's 'official' Amazon HQ bid. But columnist Kevin Riordan argues that Christie has been good to Camden.
WMGK's John DeBella is planning to donate 1,000 baseball cards to a youngster who lost his collection in the California wildfires.
Opinions
There seems to be something special about this Eagles season: The feeling that our time has finally arrived. We cheer for this year's Eagles, writer and historical William C. Kashatus says, because these Birds remind us of ourselves.
The 31-second TV campaign ad, paid for by the Delco Democratic machine, further represents that we live in an era when, in politics as in war, truth is the first casualty. Bob Martin, a retired Inquirer writer and editor, says attempts to discredit the all-Republican County Council are "fake news."
What we’re reading
An online startup called The Athletic is gobbling up some of the country's top sportswriters. Can its subscription-based, sports-only platform succeed where mainstream news outlets have failed? [New York Times]
Is this list of the 100 most influential Philadelphians accurate or way off? [Philly Mag]
Critics say the brutal "Brawl in Cell Block 99" is the dawn of the "Re-Vaughnaissance" — an unexpected rebirth for actor Vince Vaughn. We kind of agree. [Chicago Tribune]
If you've ever watched Face/Off, the Nicolas Cage/John Travolta classic, you'll be able to appreciate this recap of the crazy scene that unfolded at the film's 1997 red carpet premier. [The Ringer]
While a growing number of Hollywood actresses feel emboldened to speak publicly about the harassment they suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein and men like him, female crew members say they can't risk raising their voices. [The Hollywood Reporter]
