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Fired Wawa worker fights back, Eagles prep for preseason | Morning Newsletter

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

Jeffrey Armstrong at a different Rehoboth Beach Wawa in 2015, after the store won Wawa's "Voice of the Customer" program. The store's employees donned superhero garb.
Jeffrey Armstrong at a different Rehoboth Beach Wawa in 2015, after the store won Wawa's "Voice of the Customer" program. The store's employees donned superhero garb.Read moreJeffrey Armstrong

It's perhaps unthinkable to a true fan, but one man has a good reason to be angry with Wawa. Jeffrey Armstrong was fired from a Delaware store late last year, and he says the event set off months of stress and legal battles. In other Philadelphia favorites news, Eagles practice has begun in earnest and the Birds are prepping for preseason, which will be here before you know it. But the NFL has made some changes to gameplay you'll want to keep track of. Another development to look out for this week: a new affordable form of medical marijuana is hitting Pennsylvania markets. It's said to be a game-changer.

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

» READ MORE: Fired Wawa worker claims illegal lunch break policy led to ‘seven-month nightmare’

Jeffrey Armstrong used to work at a Delaware Wawa, but he thought the store's lunch break policy which didn't guarantee a half-hour break for every 7 ½ hours worked was illegal.

He raised the issue with his boss and human resources and even filed an internal ethics complaint, to no avail.

Then, just a few days before Christmas last year, he was fired. The reason? Well, it's shifted a few times. Now Armstrong is locked in a legal battle with the region's favorite convenience store.

» READ MORE: Eagles prep for preseason kick-off, rule changes included

The Eagles' first day of padded training camp practice Saturday included full participation by quarterback Carson Wentz, making his return by the season opener seem like a good bet. On Sunday he dialed it back a bit.

The Birds kick-off the preseason at home against the Steelers Thursday, Aug. 9, but the kick-off will look a bit different, thanks to new NFL rules. The league will also be penalizing more helmet-first hits this season.

Another change Eagles fans should watch for: an unofficial new catchphrase for the alpha dogs.

» READ MORE: ICE protesters move after Kenney ends data-sharing agreement 

On Friday, Mayor Jim Kenney announced that Philadelphia will not renew its data-sharing agreement, known as PARS, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when its contract ends in August.

It was a victory for the anti-ICE protesters who camped outside of City Hall for weeks after camping outside of the Philly ICE office. Protesters complied with a city-imposed deadline to dismantle their camp Saturday ahead of a planned construction project and have moved to Broad and Arch Streets.

But they say their fight isn't over. The protesters are also calling for the closure of a Berks County family detention center.

What you need to know today

  1. A redacted version of the highly anticipated grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse across six Pennsylvania dioceses could be released as soon as next week. But some of the names of more than 300 "predator priests" will be removed.

  2. Thousands have fled their homes as wildfires roil through California, with one blazing through an area the size of Philadelphia. The fires have claimed six lives, but fire crews say they're making progress.

  3. Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensaries are readying for a surge of new customers as the sale of cannabis in its most recognizable (and most affordable) form goes on sale Wednesday.

  4. You're not imagining it: life really is more expensive for America's millennials than it was for Gen Xers and baby boomers, according to new data.

  5. The number of overdose deaths dipped in Philadelphia during the first months of 2018, but the number of grandparents raising children in place of parents addicted to opioids is rising.

  6. Jeremy Nowak, a prominent civic investor and passionate advocate for Philadelphia, died Saturday of complications from a heart attack. He was 66.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Me neither, @chuckseye… 👀

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. The #MeToo movement has spurred many a conversation on sexual harassment and misconduct. Experts say the best way to reduce sexual harassment in the future is to start educating boys right now.

  2. New Jersey high schoolers are excited to attend college, just not at home. The Garden State is exporting far more college students than it's drawing, and no one's exactly sure why. 

  3. N3rd Street Gamers' e-sports camp sounds like a dream come true for the young gamer. But the kids don't hide behind computers all day; they get career advice, exercise and (gulp) go outside.

  4. The "secret sauce" to reaching your fitness goals? Personal trainer Ashley B. Greenblatt says it's all about creating an effective workout program — and it's not as hard as it sounds

  5. In 2016, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a walk-off homer against Phillies pitcher Edubray Ramos that, seven months later, led to a dust-up on the field. As of Friday, the two are teammates. But don't worry, they hugged it out.

  6. An oft-forgotten founding fathers fact: George Washington's first White House was right here in Philly. The house deed still exists, and it belongs to an Ambler treasure-seeker.

Opinions

"Climate change may never have the soap opera sex appeal of 'The Apprentice President,' but the dramatic changes that could save the planet from peril, in a future driven by electric cars and solar panels, are exciting and even, dare I say it, interesting."
— Columnist Will Bunch on the dangerously short attention spans Americans reserve for climate change news.
  1. After the city denied foster care referrals to Catholic Social Services unless they endorsed placement with same-sex couples, Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie of the Catholic Association writes putting faith-based organizations out of business is not the way to ensure diverse foster parents.

  2. All too often, videos of horrific police-involved shootings are brushed off based on the shooter's fear of their victim, writes David French, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, and such cowardice weakens the Second Amendment.

What we’re reading

  1. The Philly Socialists are coming to a town near you, reports City & State in their new profile on the growing organization. They're joining a speaking tour with other socialist groups this summer.

  2. The Washington Post's story on Ulysses, a tiny rural town in far north Pennsylvania, is a dark look at how a group of white supremacists is becoming bolder in the area.

  3. If you travel by air, you'll want to read The Boston Globe's detailed report on Quiet Skies, a previously undisclosed domestic surveillance program which collects data on the movements of traveling U.S. citizens.

  4. Have some downtime? Dive into two wild tales you have to read to believe. The first, via the Daily Beast, explains how an ex-cop used McDonald's Monopoly game to steal millions of dollars. Yes, seriously.

  5. The second, via Deadspin, tells how Serap Jangbu Sherpa finally kicked a dangerous habit: climbing the world's tallest mountains.

Your Daily Dose of | Wildlife

The Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center has cleaned, fed, and healed more than 1,500 animals since its April opening. And it does it all in a King of Prussia apartment.