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Eagles head to Super Bowl, government shutdown continues | Morning Newsletter

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Fans at Broad & Walnut celebrate the Eagles going to the Super Bowl.
Fans at Broad & Walnut celebrate the Eagles going to the Super Bowl.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

We're going to need a few more dog masks, folks. A very happy Monday it is as the city celebrates the Eagles heading to the Super Bowl, underdogs once again. Philly will be a lot kinder today, if maybe a bit bleary-eyed. If you turned in after the buzzer, don't worry: plenty of your neighbors climbed greased light poles in your stead.

If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up here.

— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

» READ MORE: Eagles beat the odds to earn Super Bowl spot as a city celebrates

It wasn't a dream: the Eagles pummeled the Vikings 38-7 last night and the Philadelphia region erupted in celebration knowing the Birds are headed to the Super Bowl. They'll face Tom Brady's New England Patriots, in a repeat match up from the last time Philly made the big game in 2005.

About Those Fans

  1. Let's cut to the chase: here's how to buy tickets to Super Bowl LII Feb. 4 in Minnesota.

  2. Strangers hugged, couples kissed, and the fight song was everywhere. After a day of building anticipation fans took to the streets around Philadelphia to soak in the win.

  3. The big party was virtual, too. Social media had a field day with the blowout.

Relive the Game

  1. Took too many snack breaks? Refresh yourself with this minute by minute breakdown of the game.

  2. Nick Foles put in a performance for the ages, throwing 352 yards for three touchdowns with no interceptions.

  3. But Foles couldn't have done it without wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Ertz.

  4. Speaking of Ertz, his wife and United States women's national soccer team midfielder Julie Ertz learned he would head to the Super Bowl moments after winning her own game, and her reaction was just precious.

What's Next for the Birds

  1. Reporter Zach Berman quickly takes a look at what the Eagles face next in the Patriots.

  2. Sunday's celebration was just the beginning and fans are convinced another win is possible, writes columnist Mike Sielski.

  3. Tom Brady should be wary of the coming defensive storm — one Eagles' legend Reggie White would have been proud of, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

Want to follow the Eagles' Super Bowl journey up close? Sign up for our daily Early Birds newsletter.

» READ MORE: What the government shutdown means for you

Lawmakers spent the weekend working toward a solution (and blaming their opponents) for the government shutdown that went into affect at midnight Friday. There's a vote on a short-term funding bill scheduled for noon today.

So, what does this mean for you? Well, immediately, not much  unless you work for the federal government, in which case you might start losing pay.

Most federal departments will be closed, but many government services haven't made clear how they'll be affected. One thing was certain this weekend: tourists were sad to find both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were closed.

What you need to know today

  1. A new report says U.S. Rep Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania used thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim from a former aide. Gov. Tom Wolf has urged him to resign. Meehan has denied the allegations of harassment but not the payment.

  2. Last night was also the Screen Actors' Guild Awards; the female-focused show was swept by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Veep and This Is Us.

  3. Thousands of women converged on Benjamin Franklin Parkway Saturday to join the second Women's March on Philadelphia. They and hundreds of thousands more at sister marches across the country walked to support women's rights in what columnist Will Bunch called, "an oxymoron of anger and joy."

  4. New Jersey's U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is back in hot water: Federal prosecutors said Friday they will retry the Democrat after a jury deadlocked on bribery charges against him.

  5. An autopsy has shown that former Phillies pitcher and fan favorite Roy Halladay had morphine, amphetamine, and Ambien in his system when he fatally crashed his plane in November.

  6. An alleged homegrown terrorist's path to ISIS  from Atlantic City High School emerged last week in an Atlantic article and court filings.

  7. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey are seeing widespread flu this season, and this year's vaccine has been less effective than usual at preventing it. Wash your hands, everyone.

  8. More young women are being prescribed ADHD medications than ever before, but the CDC is saying more research is needed to understand how the meds might affect pregnancy.

» 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

  1. Filming for Martin Scorsese's movie about Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran's life in the Philadelphia mob has begun, but not in Philly. City streets are being recreated in Queens.

  2. The Eagles aren't the only winners today: the Flyers climbed into a playoff spot yesterday with a 2-1 overtime win over Capitals.

  3. Center City's traffic problems and safety concerns are out of hand. But aid is on the way, likely in the form of more police dedicated to traffic enforcement.

  4. Furniture lovers, guard your wallets: Center City's getting a CB2 store, the younger, hipper sibling of Crate & Barrel.

  5. A 22-story apartment tower is being planned along the Delaware River, complete with a restored and landscaped Pier 35.

  6. Prepare to embrace the process: The Sixers have won six of their last seven games, and they're heading into an easier schedule during the second half of the season.

  7. The city is targeting street fliers in a new anti-litter campaign, but entertainment promoters are worried the crackdown could hurt the culture scene.

  8. Like the famed Serial podcast? Try Undisclosed, a podcast following the case of a Philly juvenile lifer who a judge found innocent but is still behind bars.

Opinions

"As we embrace the new year, let's take to heart these words from the Dalai Lama: 'Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.' Even the smallest acts of kindness can have a big impact on the lives of others."
— — Paula Moore, senior writer for the PETA Foundation, encourages us all to bring comfort to the lives of others, including animals.
  1. Amazon's search for HQ2 has shortlisted cities in a tizzy, but their selections are pretty conventional and ignore the chance to save a struggling city, writes Bloomberg View columnist Stephen L. Carter.

  2. It's time to revisit the 10-year tax abatement as part of a broader conversation about fair taxation and growth, writes Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke.

What we’re reading

  1. Are quiet sidewalks and a lack of curbside parking plaguing your neighborhood? As PlanPhilly explains, there's a reason street-facing garages keep popping up even where they're banned.

  2. NPR reports that the victims of October's deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas are not receiving nearly the support and funding that victims of other comparable tragedies have received. The story is truly gutting.

  3. Holly Otterbein, who recently joined us as the Inquirer's Clout reporter, wrote a compelling profile of Trump-loving, garbage company-running Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Scottt Wagner for her former home, Philadelphia Magazine.

  4. Curbed Philly has taken a look back at the mansions that used to line Rittenhouse Square, complete with fun before-and-after photos from the turn of the 20th century.

  5. If you've yet to hear about the Tide Pod Challenge — great work, keep it up. If you have heard of it, The Ringer put together a nice explanation of where on earth this joke came from.

Your Daily Dose of | Opportunity

The Philadelphia School District is running out of plumbers. To plug the hiring hole, they've developed a new apprenticeship program to get vocational school graduates skilled trade jobs.