Villanova heads to Final Four, Philly joins March for Our Lives, SEPTA plans a new bus route | Morning Newsletter
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Good morning, Philly. Hope you had a restful weekend. Today we've got basketball fever as Villanova moves closer to the NCAA championship game and the Sixers make the playoffs. We're also taking a look back on Saturday's March for Our Lives, plus plans for a new SEPTA bus route. Let's get the week started.
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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
» READ MORE: At Philly’s March for Our Lives, calls to remember that gun violence is nothing new
Parents, teachers, and neighbors marched alongside them, but it was students who took center stage Saturday at March for Our Lives rallies around the country. Thousands joined the march in Philadelphia, where speakers reminded the crowd that gun violence is a reality black and brown students have faced and fought for decades without celebrity concerts and magazine covers.
Hundreds more took buses from Philly down to D.C. to share their experiences and join hundreds of thousands of their peers at the national march on Washington. Students of Bucks County's Pennridge High School, who sat in detention for joining this month's National School Walkout, were with them in spirit.
In case you missed it: check out some of the best signs from this weekend's rallies.
» READ MORE: Villanova heads to the Final Four after tough win
For the second time in three years Villanova is headed to the NCAA tournament semifinals, thanks to a hard-fought defensive win over Texas Tech Sunday — a game even Coach Jay Wright called "tough and ugly."
Both teams shot only 33.3 percent, but that didn't stop Texas Tech coach Chris Beard from becoming a Villanova believer. They'll play No. 1 seed Kansas this Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas. Kansas beat Duke 85-81 in overtime last night.
If Villanova continues on to the championship game, they'll face the winner of Saturday's match-up between 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago and No. 3 seed Michigan.
» READ MORE: SEPTA wants a new bus route to connect Grays Ferry, University City, and Fairmount
The Route 49 bus — if it's approved by SEPTA's board later this year, that is — will be the system's first all-new bus route in nearly a decade. That's kind of a big deal, considering it's also contending with shrinking bus ridership and looking to tackle a bus route overhaul in the next three years.
But SEPTA planners think they have the magic formula that could finally link Grays Ferry, University City, Fairmount and Brewerytown with one line. And it only took three years and three different designs, plus plenty of community input.
What you need to know today
The process is looking pretty trustworthy: as of last night, the Sixers are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Over the weekend rookie Ben Simmons, an Australian native, showed his support for Saturday's March for Our Lives — just before earning his tenth triple-double.
Rep. Ryan Costello, a Chester County Republican, announced Sunday he will not be running for reelection, giving Democrats an opportunity to flip the Sixth District.
A priest from St. Martin of Tours parish in Northeast Philadelphia is under investigation for "alleged misconduct with minors" and has been put on leave.
Porn star Stormy Daniels was threatened to keep silent about an alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump in 2006, she said in a highly anticipated TV interview Sunday.
Parishioners around the city celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday, but there were no real palms at one famed Philly church. They went green by not going green.
No trespassing signs along a stretch of the Pine Barrens in Evesham, New Jersey, have neighbors worried about future development on the land.
A 90-year-old man was saved from a fast-moving fire in his Camden home Friday thanks to some quick-thinking good Samaritans whose names have just been revealed.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
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Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s Interesting
In the mood for paella? Look no further than restaurant critic Craig LaBan's recommendations in South Philly, the Northeast, and Ambler.
The nation's first state-sanctioned marijuana research project is unfolding right here in Philadelphia, and it could turn the city into the Silicon Valley of cannabis.
Will Smith is back on TV as the host of a new show called One Strange Rock and, of course, he worked some Philly references into the next episode.
Mark your calendars, Phillies fans. Pitcher Jake Arrieta makes his debut April 8. Even better: the team's early 2018 schedule is looking like an easy start to the season.
In case you missed it, over the weekend new Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett was indicted on a felony charge related to Super Bowl LI in 2017, and many questions about the incident remain unanswered.
The Walnut Street Theatre is traveling back to the 1980s for an appearance in the next episode of Jenkintown-set ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. Keep an eye out, theater buffs.
Opinions
Valerie Harrison, Temple University's senior adviser for equity, diversity and inclusion, responds to columnist Ronnie Polaneczky's suggestion that school leadership is "tone-deaf" when addressing sexual violence.
The naming of John R. Bolton as President Trump's next national security adviser is "a recipe for diplomatic delusions and military overreaching," writes Washington Post columnist George F. Will.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia Magazine has published a profile on Phillies manager Gabe Kapler's "Brilliant, Baffling, and Utterly Fascinating Baseball Mind" and, honestly, that pretty much sums it up.
Would you walk around town barefoot? A new non-profit group has explained to PhillyVoice why they want everyone to kick off their shoes.
New parents will enjoy this handy dandy map Billy Penn has put together of changing rooms and nursing-friendly spots around Philadelphia.
Speaking of nursing, female candidates running for office around the country are breastfeeding in their political ads, and they've told NPR so far the response has been great.
Ahead of Saturday's March for Our lives, Teen Vogue published profiles on young anti-gun activists from Ferguson to St. Louis to Riverton, Wyoming, showing how gun violence impacts different demographics across the country.
Your Daily Dose of | Friendship
An unlikely friendship between a prison guard and his horse has blossomed into a nonprofit that makes hospital patients smile.