Morning Briefing: Teacher accused of assaulting toddlers; Family of slain 8-year old sues; 76ers knocked around in New York

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

WEATHER

The rain is gone, the sun will be out, but the wind has remained. Expect the high to hit about 63 degrees.

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NEWS

Family of slain 8-year-old Fanta Bility files wrongful death suit

The family of an 8-year-old slain outside an Academy Park High School football game in August has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Borough of Sharon Hill, its police chief and two named officers. The Aug. 27 shooting death of 8-year-old Fanta Bility has caused a firestorm in the borough and county after an initial investigation by Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer’s office found that she was likely killed by police gunfire.

Teacher at The Malvern School charged with physical assault of 3 toddlers

A teacher at a private school for young children in Chester County has been arrested and charged with physically assaulting three toddlers there last month, slamming them on hard surfaces on multiple occasions and yelling at them to “shut up” when they began crying. Victoria Aronson was charged on Monday by Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department (WEGO) with several offenses, including three counts of felony aggravated assault of a victim less than 6-years-old, simple assault, endangering the welfare of children, and harassment.

Shae Ashe resigns from NASD school board

Norristown Area School District School Board President Shae Ashe stepped down from his post Tuesday. Attorney R. Emmett Madden, who is representing Ashe, issued a statement to The Times Herald late Tuesday afternoon: “Mr. Ashe takes the concerns of his constituents very seriously. He denies any wrongdoing and points out that all allegations have been rumors, and nothing more. He is ready to co-operate in any investigation. He encourages the public to allow a proper investigation so everyone who wants to be heard has their opportunity. Only then can we fairly form opinions.

Spring-Ford grad earns ‘perfect’ AP research score

Spring-Ford Area High School 2021 graduate Navya Murahari earned a perfect score on a college-level Advanced Placement Exam this spring. Murahari was one of only 375 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Research Exam. “We are extremely proud of Navya and very excited to see her commitment to her research result in this incredible accomplishment. Navya challenged herself with a complex research topic, and her perseverance allowed her to overcome every obstacle she faced throughout the research process,” said Murahari’s Advanced Placement teachers Jaclyn Ritter and Julie Korchowsky.

At boyfriend’s homicide trial, Hatfield woman recalls death of her 4-year-old daughter

At times choking back tears, the mother of a 4-year-old girl recalled for a jury the day her little girl died, allegedly after being beaten and strangled by her live-in boyfriend. Pailenn Bunrout told a Montgomery County jury she was at work at a Towamencin Township supermarket when she received a text message from her boyfriend, Marquis Lamont Thomas, at 7:45 a.m. Oct. 18, 2016, telling her that her daughter, Kailee “won’t wake up.” Bunrout testified she told Thomas to call 911 and that she was returning home immediately.

SPORTS

Walker scores 19, Knicks romp to end 15-game skid against 76ers

With Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks can do things they couldn’t last season. Or the three seasons before that. Walker scored 19 points in his best game with his hometown team and the Knicks snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-99 victory Tuesday night.

Eagles’ Gannon sees communication as key when it comes to Fletcher Cox

Two days after defensive tackle Fletcher Cox very publicly said he couldn’t play in the Eagles’ passive scheme, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said he would try to give the six-time Pro Bowl player more opportunities to rush the passer. That would entail freeing the soon-to-be 31-year-old Cox from the constant double-teaming that’s worn him down through a brutal 2-5 Birds start. “We’ll try to do that and we’ve got some things in our pocket that we’ve done up until this point and some things that we’re taking a look at to get that done,” Gannon said Tuesday.

Flyers head westward to find out more about themselves

The blessing of a four-game homestand to begin a season, even if it did include validation tests against the Bruins and Panthers, left the Flyers equally excited and curious. Though they had secured at least a point in three of the games, they lost two and took a one-game losing streak into Western Canada, where they would learn what much of it meant. Wednesday night at 10, they will visit the 5-0-0 Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid, who leads the NHL with 13 points. Thursday at 10, they will be in Vancouver, having lost in a shootout to the Canucks, 5-4, in the season opener. The Flyers will face the Calgary Flames, who won three of their first five, Saturday night at 10.

Soft schedule stretch could help put Union in prime playoff position

The highest hurdle in the backstretch of the Union’s season has been cleared. Though the team has long held its fate in its hands, the road to the finish this week is even clearer. On the heels of a 1-0 win over Nashville SC Saturday night, the Union (13-8-10, 49 points) sit second in the Eastern Conference. With Wednesday night’s game at 13th-place Toronto FC (7:30, PHL17) and Saturday’s visit from 14th-place FC Cincinnati, the Union have favorable matchups to chart their playoff direction.