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Philly police misconduct costs millions, Eagles crush Bears, city controller eyes mayoral run | Morning Newsletter

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Kareem Torain, left, and his lawyer Michael Pileggi, right, at his lawyers office in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. Torain was in prison for 13 years after being arrested on what he said was evidence fabricated by the narcotics squad behind hundreds of convictions that have since been tossed out. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer
Kareem Torain, left, and his lawyer Michael Pileggi, right, at his lawyers office in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. Torain was in prison for 13 years after being arrested on what he said was evidence fabricated by the narcotics squad behind hundreds of convictions that have since been tossed out. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff PhotographerRead moreJessica Griffin

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Welcome to Monday, folks. Getting out of holiday mode and into work mode can be tough, but it's going to be a sunny day and the Eagles won, so the city should be perky. Before diving into today's news, enjoy this brief diversion: Prince Harry is engaged to an American.

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 @aubsn, or reach our social team on Facebook.

— Aubrey Nagle

» READ MORE: Philly paying millions to resolve allegations of police misconduct

The city has quietly started to settle the more than 300 lawsuits against onetime members of an infamous narcotics squad accused of fabricating evidence, illegal searches, and other misconduct.

Complicating matters, six of the officers were vindicated in a 2015 criminal trial and five of them are back on the force.

How much will it cost? It could be $8 million for the narcotics cases, in addition to millions for other lawsuits alleging police misconduct — all ultimately shouldered by taxpayers.

» READ MORE: Eagles blowout Bears

The Eagles crushed the Bears yesterday 31-3, giving the Birds a 10-1 record on the season and putting them one step closer to clinching the NFC East. Despite getting sloppy with the ball, as columnist David Murphy writes, they're making a habit of big wins.

The defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight game and Carson Wentz threw three, inching closer to a franchise record. Zach Ertz became the Eagles' first 100-yard receiver and Alshon Jeffery led a crowd-pleasing touchdown celebration that turned his teammates into bowling pins.

Oh, and in case you missed it, former Eagles coach Chip Kelly will be the next football coach at UCLA.

» READ MORE: City controller eyes the mayor’s office

On Primary Day last May, city controller of 12 years, Alan Butkovitz, was unexpectedly voted out of office, to be replaced by political novice Rebecca Rhynhart as the Democratic nominee. Rhynart went on to win the general election. What's next for Butkovitz?

He's far from officially declaring a run against Mayor Kenney in 2019, but Butkovitz has had his eyes on the mayor's office for years. He even hired consultants for a 2015 bid that never materialized.

If he does run, it won't be the first time he's faced off against Kenney. Butkovitz has been a vocal critic of the administration, especially of the soda tax. We haven't even gotten through 2018 and already a 2019 race could be shaping up. What a world.

What you need to know today

  1. Despite system reforms, top Pennsylvania pension earners collect more than $215,000 a year. Gary Schultz, the former Penn State vice president who pleaded guilty in the Jerry Sandusky scandal, for instance receives $330,699.

  2. An erupting volcano in Indonesia has forced mass evacuations on the island of Bali. About 100,000 people are in the danger zone and the international airport has closed, stranding thousands more.

  3. New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy's plan to raise taxes on the wealthy may have already hit a roadblock: the GOP agenda. His promise to fully legalize all forms of marijuana, on the other hand, could upend Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program.

  4. Local governments are setting their budgets for next year and Bucks County property owners could see a tax increase. (Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties should be safe, for now.)

  5. Sunday marked the third shooting of a toddler in Philadelphia this fall when a 3-year-old girl shot herself in her Southwest Philly home.

  6. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head has resigned and both he and the Trump administration say they get to name his successor. The interim director filed suit against Trump Sunday night.

  7. Happy holidays from the Philadelphia Parking Authority: free metered parking on Saturdays after 11 a.m. is in effect now through the new year.

  8. Fans are trusting the process so much that the Sixers have the second-highest home attendance in the NBA. They play the Cavs tonight at home.

» READ MORE: #OurPhilly

Sunday morning vibes

A post shared by Valerie Johnson (@valer1ej) on

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. CNN political commentator and Temple professor Marc Lamont Hill is opening a new bookstore and cafe today in Germantown, and it's all inspired by his late Uncle Bobbie.

  2. The Rev. Al Sharpton will visit Meek Mill at Chester State Correctional Institution today. The visit is part of criminal justice reform efforts by Sharpton's civil rights group, the National Action Network.

  3. You could be the boss of The Boss's house. The home Bruce Springsteen grew up in is for sale.

  4. Wawa lovers owe everything to Heritage's. The family-run New Jersey convenience store chain just celebrated its 60th anniversary, and its founder taught Wawa everything they know.

  5. Remember the couple who wanted to raise $10,000 to help a local homeless man last week? Yeah, they actually raised over $362,000. Here's how he's going to spend it.

  6. New Jersey just elected its first Sikh mayor and Ravi Bhalla, mayor-elect of Hoboken, is ready to get to work.

  7. Did you know many college students struggle with food insecurity on campus? Rutgers-Camden and other local colleges are helping out by installing food pantries.

Opinions

"The irony is that with 'Trump awful' the bright shiny object that's impossible to ignore, 'GOP awful' is on the brink of its greatest and most diabolical victory ever." — Columnist Will Bunch writes that the Trump-centric news cycle is eclipsing a villainous GOP tax plan.
  1. Frederico Bartels of the Heritage Foundation's Center for National Defense writes that congress could, and should, shed excess military infrastructure and save $2 billion each year.

  2. Laura Ellsworth, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, calls for the GOP to offer solutions, not just problems, and to cut the political spectacle.

What we’re reading

  1. Han Dynasty hosted a Wu-Tang-themed dinner, complete with a performance from Ghostface Killah, and this Philly Mag recap will make you wish you were there.

  2. City Council will hold a public hearing this morning on the proposed bill that would mandate affordable housing units in certain new developments. Curbed Philly wrote an excellent explainer of it all. 

  3. A Temple grad from Brazil has found YouTube fame by fishing in and around the city (yes, including the Schuylkill). PhillyVoice's profile on Leo Sheng is charming. 

  4. I have never understood the point of Fabergé eggs, but thanks to this Artsy history I realize I've underestimated the objet d'art.

  5. I'll admit it: I'm a Frasier fan. But I'm nothing compared to these folks The Ringer talked to who write Frasier fan fiction all over the internet (like, a lot of fan fiction).

Your Daily Dose of | Razzle-Dazzle

The Macy's Christmas Light Show may seem like old hat to city dwellers, but visitors continue to ooh and ahh at the dazzling show 61 years later.