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Sixers star needs surgery, S. Jersey church hires armed police, Nova Nation preps for Final Four | Morning Newsletter

All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.

Joel Embiid did not accompany the Sixers on their road trip.
Joel Embiid did not accompany the Sixers on their road trip.Read moreMatt Slocum / AP

Happy Friday, Philly! You made it! Your reward? Updates on Joel Embiid's eye injury, Villanova's prep for the Final Four, and the Phillies' first loss. But it's not all sports news. Below you'll also find a zero-bell Craig LaBan review (yikes!), great news for movie fans, and some Easter weekend to-do's. Enjoy.

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

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

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid to undergo surgery after eye injury, concussion

Not again. Sixers star center Joel Embiid will miss some more games as he undergoes surgery to repair his fractured orbital bone (near his left eye) following a collision in Wednesday's victory over the New York Knicks.

He also suffered a concussion during that same collision with teammate Markelle Fultz, who only just returned from an injury himself.

The head team physician for the Eagles says it could take Embiid up to four weeks to recover from both injuries  a.k.a., his appearance in the first round of the playoffs could be in jeopardy.

» READ MORE: Meet the kings and queens of Nova Nation 

When the Villanova Wildcats take the court Saturday for their Final Four match-up against Kansas, the Kellys and the Kilmers will be there. The couples have a storied history as the kings and queens of Nova Nation, having followed the men's basketball team around the country for decades.

Coach Jay Wright says the true March Madness began as soon as the players walked off the plane in Texas. Oh, and junior guard Jalen Brunson was just named the Associated Press college basketball player of the year.

Need a place to watch the game? Look no further than these top local bars.

» READ MORE: South Jersey church adds armed police following school shootings

A church in Washington Township, New Jersey is tightening security for weekend Masses following the shooting at a Parkland, Fla. high school that left 17 dead last month. They've hired officers from the local police department to patrol the grounds and banned backpacks and duffel bags.

But they're not alone. After the shooting in a Sutherland Springs, Texas church last year, houses of worship across the region added similar protections. Armed security officers in U.S. schools are on the rise, too.

What you need to know today

  1. The Phillies lost their first game of the season yesterday against the Atlanta Braves. Is Gabe Kapler's manage-by-numbers approach to blame?

  2. After shutting down its recent town hall meeting early, Temple University has revealed more details about the football stadium it hopes to build in North Philadelphia.

  3. City officials continue to probe a fire that killed four tenants of an unlicensed North Philly boarding house last week, and it seems the building owner's mismanagement contributed to the tragedy.

  4. After the defense argued he was the victim of mistaken identity, a jury has found Shawn Yarbray not guilty of trying to rob and kill Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh last year.

  5. A free Islamic-affiliated health clinic, once feared and fought by some of its neighbors, is officially opening in Northeast Philly.

  6. Two more members of the School Reform Commission have resigned — a clue they'll both be joining the new school board.

  7. Residents, officials and a developer all agree Embreeville, the controversial state hospital in Chester County, should be demolished. But they definitely don't agree on what should replace it.

Through Your Eyes | #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!

That’s Interesting

  1. Celebrating Easter this weekend? Why not make your own candy at home?  If you're set on going out, don't miss these local parades and egg hunts. 

  2. Restaurant critic Craig LaBan's zero-bell review of Founding Farmers, the farm-to-table D.C. import in King of Prussia, includes the phrase "disappointments were plentiful."

  3. The Flyers haven't made the playoffs yet, but you can already buy tickets for the possible first round. Cross those fingers!

  4. Big news for Philly film buffs: the Ritz movie theaters just joined MoviePass, aka "the Netflix of movie theaters."

  5. The Franklin Institute is opening a massive new exhibit about arcade games this weekend. Don't miss these 10 games while you're there.

  6. Rittenhouse is getting a new wine garden — from the brains behind Morgan's Pier and Concourse Dance Bar — and now it even has a name.

  7. The quickly gentrifying Northern Liberties neighborhood is bringing plenty of money to the area. Now residents want a new business improvement district to spread the wealth.

Opinions

"Give me a conflicted pro-choice woman who has the good grace to feel shame and regret over her decision to terminate the life of her child. I can stomach that better than this ghoulish display of girl power."
— Columnist Christine Flowers responds to a tweet from Planned Parenthood Keystone suggesting,
  1. Planned changes to bike lanes on Pine and Spruce Streets are unnecessary and disruptive to neighbors, writes columnist Stu Bykofsky.

  2. Jason Bloom, president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, writes that changes must be made improve employee safety following the death of an officer.

What we’re reading

  1. Through her own family story, one Philly woman has shone a personal light on St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church and the black Catholic community lamenting its sale, via PlanPhilly.

  2. A writer for PhillyVoice auditioned to be an Eagles cheerleader just for fun. Her tale — "hairography," fake eye lashes, and all — is as entertaining as you might expect.

  3. History buffs will want to read this unique account, via Hidden City, from a man who came to Philadelphia from Russia, alone, at age 13 in 1890.

  4. Restaurant diners are notoriously bad at keeping reservations. So, GrubStreet published an extremely detailed look at all the ways the industry is trying to reform our capricious selves.

  5. This fascinating and kind of scary BuzzFeed dive into how Nashville became a go-to bachelorette party destination may make you flinch every time you see one of those pedal-bus tours.

Your Daily Dose of | Sizzle

Philly streets are alive with the sound of cheesesteaks, Mummers, and SEPTA — so the Philadelphia Orchestra put it all in a real live symphony.