iradiophilly | News - Shut Down Schools Sale Blocked, Sanders Wins Maine Caucuses, West Laurel Irish Hill Memorial

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Shut Down Schools Sale Blocked, Sanders Wins Maine Caucuses, West Laurel Irish Hill Memorial

by: Rebel - Havertown, PA
started: 03/07/16 8:46 am | updated: 03/07/16 8:46 am

A Philadelphia judge has blocked the school districtâ€™s plan to sell several shut down schools as a package, and the decision could cost the district millions of dollars. Judge Nina Wright-Padilla refused to okay a five-school package deal the district had with a Maryland developer after Point Breeze residents objected to including Walter Smith Elementary in the mix. In the thick of a building boom, neighbors wanted Smith to remain a school, not be converted to residential use. Their attorney Deborah Cianfrani says theyâ€™re very happy. The decision hurts the districtâ€™s efforts to unload schools it closed amid protests in 2013. The closings were touted as a cost-saving measure but the district is still maintaining 20 of them, with few offers on the others. A spokesman says the district is likely to appeal.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders swept to victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Maineâ€™s Democratic presidential caucuses on Sunday, riding a heavy turnout that left some participants waiting for hours to vote in the state. Sanders, who told supporters heâ€™d win if there was a strong turnout, beat Clinton by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 in voting in hundreds of communities across Maine. Democrats had hoped for solid participation, and turnout was higher than expected throughout Maine, including in Portland, South Portland, Lewiston, Bangor and Brunswick. In Portland, the line of people waiting to get inside a high school for caucuses grew to a half-mile. Some people waited more than four hours to get inside, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree went outside to bring them pizza. State Sen. Justin Alfond vowed to present legislation to do away with inefficient party-run caucuses and institute primary elections. In primaries, participants cast tallies via secret ballot as they would on Election Day, and the election is conducted by state and municipal officials. Caucuses are run by the parties and require a greater time commitment at local gatherings featuring speeches. Caucuses usually involve a public show of support for the candidates.
The gatherings in 400 cities and towns came a day after Republicans held their caucuses in Maine. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz beat New York businessman Donald Trump in the GOP contest in which the number of votes cast was more than triple the number in 2008. The votes will be used to select a slate of delegates to the state convention, where national delegates will be elected. Maine will send 25 delegates and five super delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, along with State Senator Andrew Dinniman and leaders of the regionâ€™s Irish community gathered at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Lower Merion Sunday to memorialize 57 Irish workers who died in 1832 building the railroad from which then Main Line got its name. With the sounds of bagpipes and gunshot salutes, the workers who all died within six weeks of arriving on the docks in Philadelphia were remembered in speeches and readings of Irish poetry at a memorial site inside the cemetery that was first dedicated five years ago. After they died working in horrific conditions in the searing summer heat in 1832, the bodies of the workers were tossed into a pit, their deaths kept secret for nearly 180 years, until a team of researchers uncovered a secret file. The team excavating from 2004 to 2012, finally began uncovering remains, studies indicating the seven workers found had, in fact, been murdered, shot or beaten to death â€” most likely by vigilantes fueled by hatred of immigrants, the Irish, Catholics and fear of their spreading cholera. So far the remains of two workers have been identified and they have been given proper burials at special ceremonies in the country they left, but would never see again. Five other sets of remains are now at the memorial in West Laurel Hill Cemetery. Fifty other workers remain unaccounted for as each day, Main Line trains roll past their still hidden grave on the rails they died building so long ago.

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