Regional Morning Briefing: Local firefighter killed in Philadelphia; battle heating up over marijuana

Good Morning. Here are some of the top stories from around the region.

WEATHER

One last day of this brutal cold? It’s supposed to shoot all the way up into the 30s Monday, but today we are left with the terrible teens.

CLICK HERE to check your local forecast.

NEWS

Matt LeTourneau, a Delco native and longtime Springfield volunteer, dies in Philadelphia row home blaze

The flag was at half mast at the Springfield Fire Company Saturday afternoon as firefighters climbed ladders to hang black bunting over their bays to commemorate Matt LeTourneau, one of their life members who died earlier that morning fighting a blaze in a Philadelphia row home. “It’s tough, it’s very, very tough,” said Tom Foran, Springfield acting deputy chief. “Our deepest sympathies are for him and his family and we’re here for ... whatever the family needs.”

Brutal winter takes toll on minds, wallets

Besides being wicked, the winter can be costly. Yet no price tag can be placed on being safe and preventing a tragedy. That’s why county officials are asking the community to check on those who may be vulnerable to plunging temperatures and food shortages. In fact, that was the imperative message stressed by Denise Stewart, director of the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging. COSA deals with 8,000 to 9,000 senior citizens in any given year and about 4,000 of those receive a direct service.

U.S. Rep. Costello goes on attack after Sessions’ marijuana crackdown

The U.S. Department of Justice decision to rescind Obama-era guidance on marijuana enforcement is facing bipartisan criticism from local lawmakers. On Friday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6, of West Goshen, announced he is circulating a letter to his colleagues that will be sent to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, expressing objections about Sessions’ directive issued Thursday. The directive would give federal prosecutors more authority to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where cannabis has been legalized in some form.

6-vehicle crash shuts down Route 422 near Stowe

It’s the worst possible place on Route 422 for a serious accident and that’s where it happened on Saturday morning. A six-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes of a construction zone shut down the busy highway for about 90 minutes. The crash occurred around 10:15 a.m. in what many Route 422 motorists refer to as the “cattle chute” near the Stowe exit where traffic is diverted to a single narrow lane in a construction zone.

Area business schools use headlines for ethics lessons

Professors at area business schools have no shortage of subjects to discuss with students these days. From workplace sexual harassment scandals in the movie and news industries to reports of rampant misbehavior at onetime startup darling Uber, the headlines are providing plenty of fodder for the leaders of ethics classes at area universities.

Man gets probation for spying on female co-worker in Montgomery Township

A Montgomery County man faces court supervision after he admitted to invading the privacy of a female co-worker by planting a camera under her desk and recording her at their Montgomery Township workplace. Anthony Joseph DePaul, 35, of the 100 block of Chalet Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to four years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy in connection with incidents that occurred between November and December 2016 while he worked at Teva Pharmaceuticals in Montgomery Township.

SPORTS

Playoffs still a longshot as Flyers’ season hits halfway point

Be their expectations half full or half empty, the Flyers can only be determined to not be half-gassed at this halfway point of the season. Everything else about their appointed mission to make the playoffs is a much murkier matter. It is a team with talent, but possessing only enough depth to be talking playoffs from the cellar of the Metropolitan Division. Even with a rather impressive 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues Saturday, the Flyers (18-15-8) still have one foot in the division basement while stretching one step closer to harboring realistic postseason hopes.

Supporting cast helps Villanova’s Wright earn 400th victory

It’s safe to assume Marquette did not have Eric Paschall and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree high on its scouting report for its encounter with third-ranked Villanova Saturday, and for good reason. Paschall came into the game averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting seven percent from 3-point range (2-for-27). Cosby-Roundtree had yet to crack double figures in his brief career at Villanova. As offensive threats go, then, they had to be down on the threat list.

Falcons beat Rams in NFL Wild Card game to set up game with Eagles

The Atlanta Falcons know they’ll have to win three consecutive road games to get a chance for Super Bowl redemption. The Falcons already nabbed the first victory by spoiling a festive night in Los Angeles, and they seem quite confident about their chances to run the table in other people’s buildings on the way to Minneapolis. Matt Ryan passed for 218 yards and hit Julio Jones for an 8-yard touchdown with 5:48 to play, and the defending NFC champion Falcons advanced from the wild-card round with a 26-13 victory over the upstart Rams on Saturday night.

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIE REVIEW: So-so ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ unlocks sufficient scares

While it’s not the meatiest role an actress could ever hope for or the biggest movie franchise of the day, there’s something nice about Lin Shaye’s parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier becoming the central figure in the “Insidious” series. Involved in 2010’s “Insidious” and 2013’s “Insidious: Chapter 2” to varying degrees, Elise became the central figure in 2015’s “Insidious: Chapter 3. The character is also at the heart of the relatively entertaining new scarefest “Insidious: The Last Key,” which like “Chapter 3,” is set before the events of the first two flicks.