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Thousands join Broad Street Run, grads get words of wisdom | Morning Newsletter

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Runners take part at the start of the Philadelphia Blue Cross Broad Street Run.
Runners take part at the start of the Philadelphia Blue Cross Broad Street Run.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO

Happy Monday, Philly. If you spent a lazy Sunday morning hanging around the house or taking a leisurely brunch, you may want to skip our recap of the Broad Street Run, where thousands of your fit neighbors spent their early hours accomplishing admirable physical feats. Or maybe it will serve as much-needed fit-spiration. You can always run next year, right? Speaking of running, the primary elections are just around the corner, and the races for governor, lieutenant governor, and more are heating up. Get to know the candidates with profiles and new Editorial Board endorsements below. On your mark, get set, go!

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

» READ MORE: Thousands race in 2018 Broad Street Run

While many of us were relaxing or sleeping in, roughly 45,000 people joined Philly's 39th annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run yesterday. That makes it the largest 10-mile race in the country, for those keeping track at home.

With cheers and funny signs (with more than a few mentions of the Eagles) spectators egged on the crowd, which included a few familiar broadcast faces.

Want to try it next year? Look no further for your workout heroes: Daniel Kemoi, from Elkton, Md. was the first person to cross the finish line at the Navy Yard and Sophy Jepchirchir of Chapel Hill, N.C. claimed the women's title.

» READ MORE: From trashman to governor? GOP hopeful Scott Wagner wants to be Pa. ‘cleanup guy’

Scott Wagner once called Trump a "mini-Wagner." A Republican state senator, millionaire, president of a York County-based waste-hauling company and the GOP's endorsed candidate for Pennsylvania governor, Scott Wagner says he's the polar opposite of Gov. Tom Wolf.

Can he eke out a victory without the help of the politically moderate southeast? Insiders say anything can happen, but first Wagner has to beat Pittsburgh-area lawyer Laura Ellsworth and former health-care consultant Paul Mango in next week's primaries.

Harrisburg insiders joke that it's Lt. Gov. Mike Stack who has the best gig in the state, though, thanks to its six-figure salary and comparatively low profile. It's no wonder so many are vying for the job.

» READ MORE: Grads get words of wisdom from a prince, an Eagle, a fighter pilot

It's that time of year again: the commencement speakers are coming and local colleges will host a prince, an Eagle, a Nobel Prize winner, a prominent filmmaker, two actresses and more to lend their words of wisdom.

Heather "Lucky" Penney, an Air Force fighter pilot, will be speaking to students at Widener University next month. As a rookie pilot on Sept. 11, 2001, she faced a suicide mission as America was under attack and now she's sharing her story.

What you need to know today

  1. The man seen walking through Abington last week with a loaded AR-15 on his back has been involuntarily committed after friends told police he had joked about shooting up local schools. 

  2. After losing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal Saturday, the Sixers have one more shot to keep their season going. They play the Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center tonight at 6 p.m. and if they hope to win they'll need Robert Covington and Dario Saric to pull their weight.

  3. You better not be reading this while you drive. Texting and driving are rampant in Pennsylvania, but few culprits ever get a ticket. Police say it's a problem with the law as it's written.

  4. Teachers and students at three Philly schools were shocked to find a man who had been allowed in to talk to students last week and presented himself as Alicia Keys' DJ was a actually fraud with a troubling past.

  5. Not your usual neighborhood disturbance: Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has claimed nine homes since lava began shooting out of its openings on Thursday.

  6. Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the CIA, offered to withdraw her nomination ahead of her Wednesday confirmation hearing. Democrats say she should be disqualified due to her involvement with a now-defunct program of detaining and brutally interrogating terror suspects.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

It kind of looks like these pets are break dancing, no, @shanwards?

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. Grab your walking shoes, roller skates, and bikes. The city has scheduled its third annual Philly Free Streets event and this time, North Philly is getting the car-free treatment.

  2. In 1954, Germantown High School senior Joseph Johnson may have been the first black pole vaulter to win the city championship at Franklin Field. Well, the apple does't fall far from the tree. Last week, Johnson watched his grandson Caleb continue the legacy.

  3. A new release of a 1974 Frank Sinatra concert recorded at the Spectrum is bringing back memories for fans, and for the promoter who confirmed rumors that "friends" of Sinatra roughed him up for the best seats.

  4. Sports drinks are advertised as hydration for elite athletes, but in reality many teens are guzzling the drinks whether they need them or not. Spoiler alert: that's not good.

  5. Remember when MTV's Real World series spent a season in Old City at a former bank? Well the confessionals are long gone and the building has been transformed into a sleek tech headquarters.

  6. Fire departments are desperate for volunteers, so they're getting creative with their recruiting tactics by showing up at your church or book club.

Opinions

"But we can do better. We need to raise our expectations around what are acceptable cleanliness and maintenance conditions. And we need to be more vigilant about how we do this work. "
— Philadelphia School District superintendent Dr. William R. Hite responds to a damning report on the state of environmental hazards in Philly schools.

  1. Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes is calling for the federal government's help to erase discriminatory redlining practices from rapidly changing Philly neighborhoods.

  2. Ahead of next week's primary elections, the Inquirer Editorial Board has released endorsements for Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Jeff Bartos in the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor's race, and Laura Ellsworth in the GOP governor primary.

What we’re reading

  1. What's wrong with South Street? A new Philadelphia Magazine essay asks why the legendary street hasn't taken advantage of the rest of the city's boom. It's a long read, but a thought-provoking one.

  2. Streets Dept. founder and curator Conrad Benner wrote for PlanPhilly that the new LOVE Park and official closing of Graffiti Pier prove the city's losing its most iconic spaces. 

  3. After the most recent Philly Tech Week, Technical.ly co-founder Christopher Wink says that the city's size means the tech sector faces problems, but is open to even more opportunities. 

  4. Now that the suspected Golden State Killer has been caught, the Los Angeles Times checked in on his victims and their neighbors. Their descriptions of his reign of terror are, well, terrifying. 

  5. Esquire has published the story of a 24-year-old Australian man who, thanks to a bank glitch, got access to unlimited money. You bet it was a wild ride.

Your Daily Dose of | Virtual Reality

You won't find any Pac-Man or Space Invaders at the Liberty arcade in Glassboro. But you will find virtual reality experiences that send you flying around town like Iron Man.