Morning Briefing: Flu still strong in region; Eagles getting a special visitor

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

WEATHER

We get a bit of a break from the bitter cold today. Expect the high to be about 47 degrees. Some kind of precipitation will be coming overnight, so be prepared.

CLICK HERE to check your local forecast.

EAGLES AT THE SUPER BOWL

Live from the Super Bowl: Get the inside look at everything that’s happening in Minnesota

Reporter Bob Grotz (@bobgrotz on Twitter) is out and about the Eagles at the Patriots as they get ready for Super Bowl LII. You can get all the behind-the-scene stuff from him and others as we lead up to the big game.

From Super Bowl to Super Bowl to Super Bowl: A timeline of events each year the Eagles have played in the big game

This is the third time the Eagles have made it to the Super Bowl. Things looked a little different in 1981 (76 cents for a gallon of milk? Phillies are champs?) when they lost to the Raiders and 2005 (Remember W.?) when the Eagles lost to the, ahem, Patriots. Here is a comparison year-to-year of everything that happened.

West Chester sandwich shop owners are headed to the big game

A couple of local super-fans are jetting to Minneapolis to see the Eagles play against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Co-owners of Lorenzo’s Steaks and Hoagies, John Cannon and Vince Anastasi, were all smiles on Monday as they discussed realizing every Eagles fan’s dream to attend Sunday’s big game in Minnesota. Cannon gave up his season tickets 10 years ago after holding them for 28 years. He’s ready to see the Birds play and has the seat location at U.S. Bank Stadium, in the corner of the end zone, memorized – Section 140, Row 35.

Eagles look forward to hearing down and dirty wisdom from Favre

To get to where they want to go, the Eagles are importing the Hall of Fame quarterback who beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Brett Favre is dropping by Saturday to give the Eagles a pep talk. And not a moment too soon. The Super Bowl LII showdown Sunday with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots is Sunday.

NEWS

Dem powerbroker Bob Brady to retire from Congress

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-1 of Philadelphia, is giving up the seat he’s held for two decades. “Today I’m just choosing family over service,” the incumbent said at his Spring Garden Street headquarters Wednesday afternoon. “There’s nothing I love more. I’ve been married to my wife 21 years and out of 21 years, I spent 20 of them, four days a week, in Washington, D.C.”

Number of flu cases climbing in Berks, Chester, Montgomery counties

As the flu season reaches its peak, nearly 5,000 people in Berks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties have been sickened, according to state statistics. “We are seeing about double what we saw last year,” said Michel Masters, communicable field supervisor for the Montgomery County Health Department.

Limerick man admits strangling woman during domestic incident

A Limerick Township man potentially faces jail time after admitting to choking a woman during a domestic disturbance and to assaulting the woman’s daughter when she tried to intervene. Kwasi Nyame Sakyi, 44, of the 300 block of Aronomink Drive, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of strangulation and simple assault in connection with a July 8, 2017, incident at the Limerick residence. Judge Risa Vetri Ferman deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Sakyi.

‘Fair Districts’ group continues making case for new legislative map

A local group is making a push for a fix to Pennsylvania’s gerrymandered legislative districts once again. Representatives of Fair Districts PA, a statewide group seeking to change the way those districts are drawn, made their case to Hatfield’s commissioners last week, on the heels of a state Supreme Court decision throwing out the current map. “This is very timely. There’s a lot going on right now,” said Rich Rafferty, outreach coordinator for Fair Districts PA: Montgomery County.

SPORTS

Nets beat 76ers 116-108 to snap 4-game skid

Feeling good after his best performance since knee surgery, D’Angelo Russell was just happy his struggling team won. Especially because of what it meant to Jahlil Okafor. Russell scored 22 points, Okafor capped the decisive spurt of the game with a basket against his former team, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the 76ers 116-108 on Wednesday night to snap a four-game skid.

Several Capitals players end droughts in 5-3 win over Flyers

After three games without a goal, T.J. Oshie decided how he’d celebrate his next score. Another 10 games went by before he finally scored in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 comeback victory over the Flyers on Wednesday night. Oshie lifted his arms and looked up after becoming the third Capitals player to end a lengthy goal drought in the game.

ENTERTAINMENT

ART: Philly’s Institute of Contemporary Art unveiling three new installations

The galleries at the Institute of Contemporary Art have been closed for a few days for exhibit installation, but will throw open their doors in a big way Feb. 2. That’s when three exhibitions that explore how artists responded to rapidly changing environments in contemporary society launch for the 2018 winter season.