Morning Briefing: A Veterans Day birthday celebration as we salute those who served

WEATHER
There's frost on the windows and a cold breeze blowing through the town. Expect an overall chilly day, with the high reaching just 47 degrees.

NEWS
WWII veteran turns 103 on Veterans Day

On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I came to an end following the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany that called for a ceasefire effective at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Across the ocean, in the United States, Eugene Vickers of Newtown Square was celebrating his third birthday on that same day. On Veterans Day 2018, Vickers, a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, will turn 103 years old. The following day, at 11:11 a.m., on the twelfth day of the eleventh month, Vickers will ride with three other World War II veterans in special cars, as honorees in the Delaware County Veterans Day Parade in Media. This year’s parade will be in honor of the 100th anniversary of World War I.

World War II veterans meet for the first time

Bells will be ringing from Valley Forge to Swedesburg and beyond on Sunday in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. The joy that World War I was over that was felt by those who were alive in 1918 will be echoed in an unprecedented observance, with the sound of ringing bells resonating in communities all over the world on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, marking 100 years since the end of World War I.

1,000 take part in walk to combat opioid, heroin crisis in West Chester

More than 1,000 race participants and supporters of all ages came together in Everhart Park in West Chester on Saturday morning at the start of the Chester County Color 5K, a color run and walk benefiting programs that will combat the opioid and heroin crisis in Chester County. With the support of lead sponsor Independence Blue Cross, the Chester County Commissioners, District Attorney, the Department of Drug & Alcohol Services and the Health Department hosted the Color 5K, run through the streets of West Chester Borough on Saturday morning.

Pottstown can be next Phoenixville, says developer

About 25 Pottstown leaders from government, business and education met over breakfast to hear insights from Manny DeMutis, president-owner of The DeMutis Group of Phoenixville, a highly successful developer who has helped lead Phoenixville’s revitalization. This event, held Wednesday at the Hobart’s Run office at 701-703 High St., was one of an ongoing series of informal monthly breakfast meetings hosted by Hobart’s Run and The Hill School to spark collaboration and information-sharing in the borough.

Towamencin planning Sunday ceremony at 'Veterans Memorial Park' cemetery

Members of the public are invited to help commemorate local veterans by formally dedicating a local landmark. At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, the Towamencin Township Veterans Committee, along with local American Legion Post 933, will hold a short dedication ceremony for its newly designated “Veterans Memorial Park."

SPORTS
McCaffery: Jimmy Butler makes Sixers different, and not only in a good way

Their idealism was cute at the beginning, a way to keep the naive subdued and dazed, a basketball-by-numbers shout-out to all who had come of age in the era of fantasy sports. The Sixers wouldn't need to use their wits, or their wisdom, or even their eyes to build a championship team. They would just lose games, collect draft choices, win titles, and repeat. Risks? What risks? The plan would work. Even if they weren't certain of it, they would make others believe. And that was almost as satisfying.

Dallas week brings uneasy memories for Eagles great Harold Carmichael

It was 77 degrees and clear when Harold Carmichael completed his remarkable NFL career in 1984. The unseasonable late-October warmth was different, but not nearly as odd as the uniform the all-time Eagles great was rocking in his 13th and final season. The almost forgotten story will bubble up again Sunday night when the Eagles entertain the Dallas Cowboys. The career that began with Carmichael coming off the board to the Eagles in the seventh round of the 1971 draft and becoming their all-time leading receiver ended as a sub with the Cowboys, of all outfits.

Couturier gets sharper, Flyers get hotter

You might not have noticed, but Sean Couturier has played in every Flyers game this season. He's still in the middle of their top line, still a defensive anchor up front, a skilled playmaker and sneaky scorer. It's just that with the start Couturier had, there might have been questions as to the state of his game. Even his teammates might have silently wondered a bit. "He was pretty good out there," Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg said Saturday of Couturier. "It's great to have him back to the same way he was last year. He's not been that bad as some say ... good for him."

Booth scores 23 points, No. 9 Villanova routs Quinnipiac

Having been a part of the coaching staff that brought Phil Booth to Villanova, Quinnipiac coach Baker Dunleavy knows exactly what the Villanova senior is capable of. "He's every bit as good as any player in the country and I think he'll show that this year," Dunleavy said. Booth scored a career-best 23 points in No. 9 Villanova's 86-53 victory over Quinnipiac on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center, where a 2018 national championship banner was raised.

ENTERTAINMENT
Get inside the angry mind of Lewis Black in Wilmington

Here's a shocker: the notoriously raging Lewis Black's blood pressure is "perfect." With effortless comic timing, the 70-year-old anti-authoritarian comedian, playwright and actor followed the remark with: "It's like everything else is rotting." Black's "The Joke's on US" tour comes to the Grand Opera House Nov. 15. "I love that room. The way it's built, it turns into a great room for comedy," he said in a phone interview.