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Why Pittsburgh is Pa.'s sports capital, Trump's Jerusalem declaration, birth control's cancer risk | Morning Newsletter

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

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)Read moreAP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Good morning, Philly. Today, Ronnie Polaneczky's moving four-part series on adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities comes to a close; it's a must-read, if I may say so. And the world is watching as the aftermath of President Trump's declaration on Jerusalem unfolds.

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: Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania’s sports capital. Why not Philly?

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh couldn't be more different. Philly's bigger, louder, more historic — and then, of course, there's the fans. So why has Pittsburgh won more than twice as many major professional championships in the last 50 years?

Perhaps the city's identity clings to its championships and their fans are less likely to gripe about a struggling team. Or maybe it defies explanation.

As each city's NFL team eyes up the Super Bowl, reporter Frank Fitzpatrick investigates why the Steel City is the "City of Champions." (Philly fan trigger warning: there are infographics, and they will make you a little sad.)

» READ MORE: Falling Off the Cliff: Life After Death

Aging parents of adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities must devise plans for their children's future, one where they're no longer around, well in advance. These difficult conversations are made more so by the sometimes limited care options available.

The final chapter of columnist Ronnie Polaneczky's series "Falling Off the Cliff" focuses on how parents ensure their loved ones will be cared for.

» READ MORE: Trump’s Jerusalem declaration gets strong reaction

Yesterday, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and vowed to move the U.S. Embassy there. Reactions to the declaration, which broke with 70 years of U.S. policy, have ranged from joy to outrage.

Leaders across the globe have condemned the move, which many fear will spark protests and violence and delay critical peace talks. Perhaps ironically, Trump's move undermines what son-in-law Jared Kushner has been trying to do for months: devise a new peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Hamas militant group called for a new armed uprising and Palestinians called for protests in wake of the announcement. As columnist Trudy Rubin writes, the move "seemed more oriented toward pleasing his evangelical base (and key Republican donor Sheldon Adelson) than achieving peace."

What you need to know today

  1. Two years ago, hundreds of Sharswood residents were displaced as the housing authority cleared the way for neighborhood redevelopment. Yet only 10 percent of the property owners have received compensation for their lost homes. What's taking so long?

  2. Birth control pills boost the risk of breast cancer, a new study confirms. But for some women, this risk is still offset by other health benefits, including reduced chances of other cancers.

  3. Time named the Silence Breakers of 2017 "Person of the Year" — featuring activist Tarana Burke whose #MeToo movement is Philly-inspired. 

  4. Did you know Pennsylvania's 5,889 DACA recipients contributed $20.8 million in local and state taxes last year? A statewide coalition was just launched to highlight economic impacts like these and to protect Dreamers.

  5. It may not be a health care bill outright, but the GOP tax plan is going to have major repercussions on health care. Here's how it will impact Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents. 

  6. Campbell's Field is headed for demolition, and Rutgers-Camden wants to replace it with a sports complex — and Camden is chipping in $7.5 million.

  7. Hear that? That's the sound of Pennsylvania students cheering: The state is reducing the number of standardized tests it requires and pushing them back later in the year.

  8. As Disney and 21st Century Fox get close to inking a huge deal, another media giant wants to get in the ring: Comcast is eyeing up Fox's television, movie studio and global assets.

» 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. It's the holiday season, which means plenty of packages are being delivered each day — and plenty are getting stolen, too. To combat theft, neighbors are banding together and getting creative (think: beer can booby trap).

  2. Don't worry, Cataldi fans: the WIP radio host isn't retiring after all, despite rumors he might.

  3. A quarrel turns deadly: A dive into the Inquirer archives reveals the twisted tale of one firefighter killing another, a Civil War vet, inside a Queen Village fire house in 1875.

  4. When a Valley Forge insurance executive won a day with famed director M. Night Shyamalan, he asked the 65-year-old one question that changed her life: "What do you really want to do?"

  5. Temple is one of three teams that have played both the Army and the Navy this season. So, naturally, we had Temple players assess the teams' performance ahead of this weekend's game.

  6. Prepping for the Eagles-Rams game? Check out reporter Paul Domowitch's scouting report and catch up on the film breakdown from Seattle. 

  7. City planners want your eyeballs — calm down, just their movements. A group of Penn researchers are testing special glasses to record how humans see the urban environment to make city streets safer for all.

Opinions

"In a criminal justice system in which the danger one poses is largely determined by race and class, Manafort is at the top of the food chain and Mill is at the bottom." — Author and radio host Solomon Jones examines how Paul Manafort and Meek Mill's brushes with the law have led to very different outcomes.
  1. In Pennsylvania's gerrymandering case, it's impossible to defend the congressional map because the evidence makes it indefensible, writes Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a law professor at the University of Chicago.

  2. After a string of children were recently injured or killed by easy access to guns, the Inquirer Editorial Board has one piece of advice: lock up your guns, Philly!

What we’re reading

  1. Everyone knows Philly loves block parties, so one Northeast Philly man is combining them with faith and healing to help addicts recover. Billy Penn's latest Reentry Project story is a tale of perseverance.

  2. If you've never seen the inside of a FedEx center during the holidays, well, this PhillyVoice peek inside a local facility will make you want to leave cookies and milk for these Santa's helpers.

  3. Over at Rolling Stone, playing SimCity helped this New Yorker understand their city's problems. At most it's a novel way to learn more about urban planning, at the least it's a great excuse to play some games.

  4. Is going to the gym the new going to church? As someone who's been lured into too many fancy exercise classes, this take on "the consumerist church of fitness" from The Atlantic hooked me.

  5. The uptick in women coming forward with accusations of sexual assault and harassment has had a different effect on college campuses: more men are suing accusers for defamation, Buzzfeed reports.

Your Daily Dose of | Artful Thinking

Learning to see is fundamental to being an artist and a doctor. So Penn Medical students are studying art to become better observers.