Anyone who has had medical debt could tell you how unexpected and crippling it can be. What's worse, that debt can even follow your family after you die. But a group of queer activists in Philadelphia found a loophole in the system. With the help of Undue Medical Debt, they bought and forgave $2 million of medical debt, and they celebrated it in a symbolic burning. Sabrina Boyd-Surka finds out exactly how this was possible, talking with the local organizers, Undue Medical Debt’s CEO, and a patient whose life was changed when her debt was relieved.

We're about to have a golden opportunity to see Philadelphians shine on a global scale: at the 2024 Academy Awards. Colman Domingo, born in West Philly, is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in "Rustin", and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, from Mount Airy, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "The Holdovers". Both are Temple University graduates. Sabrina Boyd-Surka digs into their Philadelphia origin stories and how the city has shaped who they are today, with help from KYW's Nigel Thompson.

Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for IMDb.

Introducing a new project from another KYW Newsradio Original Podcast - "Ricochet" is a mini-series from Gone Cold: Philadelphia Unsolved Murders that examines the gun violence crisis in our country through stories of unsolved shootings in Philadelphia.

In the first episode, we talk with Joan Ortiz, whose 2-year-old daughter Nikolette was shot and killed in her arms. It was at the hands of a man named Tayvon Thomas, who grew up abused and neglected, and turned to drugs. We dig into both sides of this tragedy, examine the systemic failures that contributed, and ask why the most vulnerable feel the least protected.

To hear more of "Ricochet", follow Gone Cold: Philadelphia Unsolved Murders wherever you get your podcasts.

Recreational adult use of marijuana has been legal for over a year and a half in New Jersey, but small businesses still struggle to break into the industry, even if they were operating underground before. Sabrina Boyd-Surka visits the first Black, woman-owned cannabis manufacturing business in Delaware and the first independent edibles brand on shelves in New Jersey, ButACake, to find out how they established themselves legally after years as a legacy operator in New Jersey. And KYW South Jersey reporter Mike Dougherty joins us for a look inside the grow house of a multi-state operator, The Cannabist Company, where the team is trying to use their funding and resources to help smaller companies like ButACake get off the ground.

For pictures of ButACake’s kitchen and The Cannabist Company’s grow house, follow us on X @TheJawncast.

Check out Matha Figaro’s other business, CannPowerment, here.

When Bec Richman started out in rabbinical school, she felt lost. What was she going to do with herself? Then, her vision became clear: she wanted to learn how to scribe. The only problem was, tradition stood in her way. According to Jewish law, only men could be scribes, but Rabbi Bec and other non-male aspiring scribes like her worked around the rules. In a time when so much attention is being paid to religion and how it affects the world, join Brian Seltzer as he explores a growing movement within progressive Judaism, how a congregation in Philadelphia is pushing the movement forward, and the transcendent themes from this story that can be applied to people of all walks of life, regardless of how they worship.

Follow The Jawncast on X.

Links to organizations referenced in this story:

Congregation Rodeph Shalom

Stam Scribes

Songs performed in this episode by Rodeph Shalom cantor Bradley Hyman:

"Eitz Chayim Hi" (Robbie Solomon)

"Tri-Faith Nigun" (Jacob "Spike" Kraus)

In honor of Veterans Day, we’re revisiting the story of Michael Crescenz, a man who gave his life to save his fellow soldiers in the Vietnam War. He was the only Philadelphian to receive a Medal of Honor for that war, and his family and friends have done everything they could to make sure he’s remembered - from putting up a statue to renaming the VA Hospital - because his story represents so many others who don’t have anyone left to pass on their legacy. Sabrina Boyd-Surka talks with Michael’s brother and fellow veterans about who he was, how he became a hero, and how a whole generation had their lives shaped by this war.

You can get a copy of Michael’s biography here: “No Greater Love: The Story of Michael Crescenz, Philadelphia's Only Medal of Honor Recipient of the Vietnam War” by John A Siegfried and Kevin Ferris.

Photo courtesy of the Crescenz family.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheJawncast.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most classic horror and mystery writers of all time. We see countless re-creations of his stories around Halloween - like the new Netflix series “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Poe lived in Philadelphia for six years, which are said to be the happiest and most productive time of his life. He published 31 stories in that time. What was it that made Poe’s Philadelphia years so great? Sabrina Boyd-Surka visits the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site - one of the houses where Poe lived in Philadelphia - to get a glimpse into the life and mind behind these timeless, spooky tales, and to hear how this house may have influenced Poe’s writing.

For pictures of the Poe house, follow us @TheJawncast.

For many Philadelphians, the Painted Bride mosaic that covers an entire building on Vine St. has become a piece of the city’s identity, embedded with images and memories of the local art community. But as of October 2023, it’s being taken apart, and the building will soon be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use building. The artist, Isaiah Zagar, is now 84 years old, and he spent nine years making this mural. Sabrina Boyd-Surka and KYW’s Shara Dae Howard dig into the history of this mural, what it has meant to Philadelphia, why it couldn’t be saved, and whether or not public art is really meant to last forever.

Photo by Sarah Bloom.

Read more about the mural from Shara Dae Howard here.

Check out pictures of the mosaic here, and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) for more: @TheJawncast.

During two weeks in September, the Philadelphia area was gripped by a dramatic, unpredictable, and unnerving manhunt for a convicted killer. Residents impacted by the search wanted answers: how did Danilo Cavalcante escape from Chester County Prison, and where did he go? For nearly 150 years, one of Philadelphia’s most popular neighborhoods lived under the steady specter of incarcerated people breaking out of a maximum security prison in their backyard. What parallels can be found between escape stories from famed Eastern State Penitentiary and the Danilo Cavalcante manhunt? How did the presence of Eastern State affect the community that grew around it? Why is studying lessons from the past vital to thinking critically about the criminal justice system in the present? Brian Seltzer visited Eastern State Penitentiary to learn some history, get answers, and connect some dots. 

For all the twists, turns, and takeaways from escape to capture in the Cavalcante manhunt, check out Manhunt: Catching a killer in Chesco, an original podcast from KYW Newsradio.