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Mueller investigation results, top 3 Philly sports teams make big news | Morning Newsletter

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

Robert Mueller
Robert MuellerRead moreJames Berglie/Zuma Press/TNS

You'll need a coat. A rain-soaked Sunday seeped into Monday, so we're celebrating the penultimate day of October on a soggy note. But don't pull out your heavy winter jacket: The first batch of charges in the Russian election-meddling investigation could be publicly announced today, and we're expecting a lot of hot air blowing up from the south.

If you like what you're reading, 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 @tommyrowan, or reach our social team on Facebook.

— Tommy Rowan

» READ MORE: Eagles win

The Eagles won Sunday, making them 7-1 and playoff-bound, but they're not the only major sports team in town making big news.

Shortly after the Eagles concluded their 33-10 romp of the 49ers, news spread that the 2017 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz — and so far underperforming pro — was headed to the injured list, following in the wobbly footsteps of his predecessors.

And then the Phillies got in on the action, with word coming that the Fightins' have hired Gabe Kapler their next manager, in what proved to be a busy news night for the town's pro sports teams.

Flyers, you're up. Don't blow it tonight against Arizona.

» READ MORE: Frustrated with Russia investigation, Trump demands Democrats and Hillary Clinton face more scrutiny

President Trump unleashed a flurry of messages attacking Hillary Clinton and Democrats, a day before the first charges may be announced from a special prosecutor investigating Russian involvement in last year's election.

In that vein, Jonathan Tamari writes that the self-aided purge of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake shows the extent to which President Trump has reshaped the GOP within a short time.

» READ MORE: New twists in N.J. murder case where a body was buried in a backyard

A few days after Halloween last year, two Lumberton Township brothers were sent to the Burlington County Jail after they were charged with killing their housemate and burying him in the backyard.

A year later, details about what happened before and after the alleged murder on Spencer Court are coming into focus based on testimony given during a pretrial hearing in Superior Court in Burlington County and interviews with neighbors and people involved in the case.

What you need to know today

  1. Columnist Jenice Armstrong spoke briefly with the mother of jailed ex-Philly DA Seth William on Friday. "I just want to see my son," Imelda Williams told her.

  2. Police shot an armed suspect Sunday afternoon in a parking garage at the King of Prussia Mall, though authorities remained tight-lipped as to the circumstances. The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. on the second floor of a garage that leads into the Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom.

  3. A few months ago, the city cleared out its big set pieces of suffering at the heart of the opioid epidemic: The Gurney Street train gulch, the McPherson Square library lawn, and the hulking ruins of Ascension of Our Lord parish. But when you take away these so-called "safe places," you have to offer something better, or else people will just move into more perilous, and more public, spaces, writes Mike Newall.

  4. A rescue group said outdoor shelters for feral cats on Pier 70 along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia were the target of arson for the third time in two weeks. The Stray Cat Relief Fund started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,000 to replace the shelters, which it said were burned to the ground on Saturday. By Sunday morning, it had raised more than $5,000 and increased its goal from $5,000 to $7,000.

  5. When he ran for governor eight years ago, Gov. Chris Christie promised he would hold the line on New Jersey property taxes, the highest in the nation. So just how did he do? We look at the changes in property taxes statewide and in our local counties. Overall, the statewide average stands at about $8,300, and we look at what he or anyone else could have done differently.

  6. Democrats have made historic gains in Philadelphia's collar counties, of significance in national and local elections. They now hold a significant registration advantage in Delaware County, once ruled by one of the nation's most-potent GOP machines. But despite the gains, the Dems still have never won a county council seat or judgeship. That could change this time around as it appears that they actually have a chance next month, writes Michaelle Bond.

  7. Will the GOP Congress' cap on 401(k)s survive? Meanwhile, notes Erin Arvedlund, Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella starts a listening tour around the state regarding the retirement savings shortfall.

» 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. Another reason to hate the end of daylight saving time: More assaults.

  2. Cape May is infested — with ghosts — and medium Craig McManus seems to know them all. He has written five books on them, with a sixth in the works. And this time of year is his Super Bowl.

  3. Drone toys are all the rage, and Philadelphia/Drexel-based tech wiz Pramod Abichandani has dreamed up one of the niftiest. A top holiday pick by the Toy Insider, the Aura drone is uniquely steered with the prof's gesture-tracking glove controller.

  4. This recently married couple picked out a houseful of furniture before they started dating.

  5. Why this Nittany Lion puts up with a Buckeye's abuse: Penn State alumnus Diane Mastrull opines on a friendship of 35 years, and why it comes with an intense rivalry.

  6. Box lunches, believe it or not, are one of the best deals in Center City, writes Allison Steele.

Opinions

"After all, if government does anything, shouldn't it encourage more gambling and filling the skies with bottle rockets? What could go wrong?" — Writes columnist John Baer, who looks at the possibility of a political fallout from a 'Stanger Things' Pennsylvania budget that's way late and fiscally flawed.
  1. Last week's partial release of the JFK-assassination files is the latest twist in a cover-up that's lasted 54 years. No wonder a cynical American electorate turned to Trump, writes national political columnist Will Bunch.

  2. Walking into the Pennsylvania Capitol was like stumbling onto the set of "Mad Men." Men in monogrammed cuff links and custom-made suits purposely striding down the halls trailed by women, often young, often in subordinate positions. You could cut the testosterone with a knife, says Harrisburg reporter Angela Couloumbis, who describes her experience covering the Capitol while female.

What we’re reading

  1. Ireland Wanted to Forget. But the Dead Don't Always Stay Buried. The Lost Children of Tuam. [New York Times]

  2. How the NFL, Players Forged Anthem Detente Amid Gaffes, TV Ratings Concerns: The behind-closed-doors story. [ESPN]

  3. The Yahoo With the Microphone. A visit to a Trump rally in Ohio. [Esquire]

  4. What Happened to Rachel Gray? Barry Jones was sent to death row for the murder of a 4-year-old girl. Did Arizona get jt wrong? [The Intercept]

  5. Welcome to Idaho. Now go home. North Idaho has become one of the most desirable places in the West for conservatives to relocate. So why is the local Republican party tearing itself apart? [Buzzfeed]

Daily Dose Of | Mischief

Locals know the night before Halloween as Mischief Night. The term isn't used everywhere, and it sometimes confuses newcomers to the Philadelphia region. Here, we explain what it's all about.