A mayoral election in the Saxony town of Görlitz made headlines this weekend when CDU politician Octavian Ursu defeated AfD candidate Sebastian Wippel. Ursu got 55.2% of the vote compared to Wippel’s 44.8%.
An election was initially held three weeks ago. Wippel got the most votes at the time, but he didn’t receive a majority, so a second election was required.
During the first election, Green candidate Franziska Schubert received 27.9% of the vote, coming in third place. She withdrew her candidacy during the second election to support the CDU candidate.
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The Plansche im Plänterwald water playground in Treptow remains closed after police say at least 30 children complained of itching and skin rashes. The Treptow-Köpenick Bezirksamt, or district office, said the cause of the rashes is still unknown.
According to the district office, a company had been hired to extract oak processionary moths which had been spotted in trees by the playground. It’s unclear whether the skin rashes were caused by the insects themselves or by the removal methods, especially if any chemicals were used.
The district office says the fire department has taken water samples to further investigate the cause.
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