Cosby trial begins, property assessments rise, Flyers and Sixers on a roll | Morning Newsletter

A suspected poison gas attack in Douma, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, killed at least 40 people Saturday, including children. President Trump responded via Twitter Sunday, condemning the attack and calling Syrian President Bashar Assad an "animal."

George Hopkins, the decorated longtime director of The Cadets, an award-winning Allentown-based drum corps, has resigned after nine women accused him of sexual harassment and assault.

As city officials continue to host town hall meetings about safe injection sites, those who have seen addiction up close are becoming unlikely advocates for the sites.

Critics are unhappy with the nine members who will soon make up the Philadelphia Board of Education, suggesting Mayor Jim Kenney's picks leave out activists and focus on those with power. 

Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial primary has already taken a negative turn, with one campaign ad calling candidate State Sen. Scott Wagner a "deadbeat dad." 

A Collingswood woman who helps women being sexually exploited has become a mother hen of sorts at local strip clubs. But the impact of the heroin epidemic is transforming her work. 

Construction on Sunoco's Mariner East 2 pipeline continues to cause problems (like sinkholes and well damage) for Chester County residents. Are the company's drilling methods to blame?

If you're one of the 87 million Facebook users whose data may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica, the Trump-affiliated firm which allegedly used the data for political ad campaigns, you'll be getting a note from Facebook today.

Get ready for sparkly pizza, bagels, and even gravy. Edible glitter is the latest (and maybe prettiest) food trend.

Philly e-sports fans could be just as wild about their hometown pro team, the Philadelphia Fusion, as some are about the Eagles and Phillies. The only problem? The Fusion plays in California.

Handywoman Beth Allen (who wants to be "the Rachael Ray of the do-it-yourself world") is teaching a home improvement course for women that's so popular Bucks County Community College had to expand the class.

Petty's Island, which lies in the Delaware River between Camden and Philly, will one day be a big, beautiful park. In the meantime, it's staying clean thanks to volunteers picking up hundreds of gallons of trash.

Seventeen local photographers spent the past six months creating a photographic survey of Philadelphia, and you can see what they've captured in a new exhibit.

Reporter Juliana Reyes shares a touching story about her 95-year-old grandfather and how they've bonded over lunch in his hometown of Manila.

Teresa Miller, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, writes that more Pennsylvanians benefit from welfare programs than they think, and conversations on "welfare reform" should reflect that truth.

Raising the minimum wage would not lead to a pay cut for restaurant servers, Pennsylvania State Sen. Christine Tartaglione writes, but would lift tens of thousands of workers out of poverty-level wages.

Patti LaBelle's food empire and the cooking skills that have always lurked beneath her music career are the focus of a delicious new Philadelphia Magazine profile on the Philly native.

Another food story with a heavy dose of inspiration: Billy Penn details how four local food trucks turned their brands into brick-and-mortar stores.

The Original Apostolic Faith Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in North Philadelphia was devastated by a fire last month, but is already planning to rebuild. The Temple News has the story.

Part of a special issue focused on Martin Luther King, Jr. after the anniversary of his assassination last week, the Atlantic has published an interesting essay suggesting the tragic event sparked the beginning of hip-hop.

Has Facebook devalued birthdays? That's what Fast Company is asking after one writer's decision to keep the date private.