{"id":115149,"date":"2026-02-16T11:28:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/115149\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T11:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:28:06","slug":"paul-robeson-high-school-is-facing-closure-in-a-repeat-of-a-2013-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/115149\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Robeson High School is facing closure, in a repeat of a 2013 proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Monday, Philly. If the weekend\u2019s warmer temps had you craving summer, just pretend you\u2019re in Clearwater, Fla., where spring training continues for the Phillies under palm trees and blue skies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia School District tried to shut down Paul Robeson High School before. Now, it\u2019s back on the chopping block as one of 20 schools recommended for closure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And days after the arrest of Iriana DeJesus\u2019 alleged killer, family and friends gathered in Hunting Park to honor her memory, 25 years after the 5-year-old\u2019s death<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in 2013, West Philadelphia\u2019s Robeson High narrowly avoided a shutdown after its community pushed back against the district\u2019s plan to move its students into William L. Sayre High, two miles away.<\/p>\n

The small, human services-focused school is on the brink again: The district last month named Robeson on its recommended closures list, along with Roxborough\u2019s Lankenau High School<\/a>, Southwest Philly\u2019s Motivation High School<\/a>, Kensington\u2019s Conwell Middle School<\/a>, and 16 others. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s despite Robeson earning praise in recent years as the district\u2019s most-improved high school. <\/p>\n

Now, like they did over a decade ago, its students and other community members are pushing back.<\/p>\n

Education reporter Kristen A. Graham explains Robeson\u2019s deja vu.<\/a><\/p>\n

In other education news: Quakertown Community School District Superintendent Matthew Friedman is on leave as of Friday for an undisclosed reason<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 Now I\u2019m passing the mic to reporter Michelle Myers.<\/p>\n

Lizasuain DeJesus, 65, had received many calls from Philadelphia homicide Detective Joseph Bamberski since her daughter Iriana disappeared in 2000. But Thursday\u2019s call was different: He was calling to tell her that the police had made an arrest in Iriana\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

DeJesus called her daughter Iyanna Vazques, 34, to deliver the news. \u201cIt was like a weight lifted off my shoulders,\u201d Vazques said. She was 8 years old when her little sister disappeared, the week of her birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my best friend and I remember it like it was yesterday,\u201d Vazques said. She could recall what her sister was wearing and how her hair was done the day she disappeared. An arrest in the case felt \u201clike a dream,\u201d she added. \u2014 Michelle Myers<\/p>\n

Read on for details of Sunday\u2019s memorial event and the decades-spanning case.<\/a><\/p>\n

What you should know today<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/p>\n

The new bakery opened this weekend at Fifth and Dickinson Streets. Offerings include chewy Bavarians and big-bellied Swabians, which are fat enough to stuff. Just look at the long hot-provolone pretzel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde0 Trivia time<\/p>\n

Shane Gillis\u2019 hit Netflix series Tires received $6 million in tax credits from the state to film its third season in the Philly area. Where is the show set and filmed?<\/p>\n

A) Coatesville<\/p>\n

B) Ambler<\/p>\n

C) Upper Darby<\/p>\n

D) West Chester <\/p>\n

Think you know? Check your answer.<\/a><\/p>\n

What we\u2019re…<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcda Eager to visit: The 150-square-foot used bookshop now open on Passyunk Avenue<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfaa Impressed by: This former South Jersey kid\u2019s turn as the script writer for Ringling Bros.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd59 Sad to see: Lebanese restaurant Manakeesh is closing its West Philly location<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd96 Sneaking a peek at: The Franklin Institute\u2019s new Universal theme parks experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u26bd Reviewing: The Union\u2019s players and schedule highlights as the 2026 season gets underway<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde9 Unscramble the anagram<\/p>\n

Hint: South Jersey figure skater<\/p>\n

VIOLA BEAUTIES <\/p>\n

Email us if you know the answer<\/a>. We\u2019ll select a reader at random to shout out here. <\/p>\n

Cheers to Joanne Walsh, who solved Sunday\u2019s anagram: Mel Greenberg. The Inquirer staffer\u2019s poll brought cohesiveness to women\u2019s college basketball and created a platform for household names today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo of the day<\/p>\n

The weekend\u2019s near-balmy weather left Philly\u2019s streets littered with artifacts from a bygone era \u2014 January \u2014 including Wawa cups, parking tickets, and a truly unfortunate amount of dog poop. See what else is left behind as the city thaws<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcec Your \u2018only in Philly\u2019 story<\/p>\n

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you\u2019re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again \u2014 or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This \u201conly in Philly\u201d story comes from reader Jasmine Chiu, who describes a comfortingly familiar neighborhood scene:<\/p>\n

I live in the Fairmount\/Center City area and without fail, every Thursday night, I see a big group of guys playing basketball right outside my window. It could be sub-Arctic temperatures, like we\u2019ve experienced these last few weeks, or it could be pouring rain \u2014 these guys are STILL out there playing ball. When it\u2019s nice and warm out, I see them set up some chairs in the parking lot and sit in a circle and share a cold one together. <\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t had a moment to introduce myself or learn more about this weekly tradition, but I have so much respect for how they show up week after week for each other. There\u2019s something heartwarming about a bunch of dudes committing to their community and making time to play a sport and keep up with each other\u2019s lives (or at least that\u2019s how I imagine it peering from my window).<\/p>\n

Wishing you a week full of connections to your own community. Thanks for starting it with The Inquirer.<\/p>\n

By submitting your written, visual, and\/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, including the grant of rights in Section 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Monday, Philly. If the weekend\u2019s warmer temps had you craving summer, just pretend you\u2019re in Clearwater,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[54799,69,71,70],"class_list":{"0":"post-115149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-paul-robeson-high-school-closure-list-iriana-dejesus-memorial-arrest-case","9":"tag-philadelphia","10":"tag-philadelphia-headlines","11":"tag-philadelphia-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}