The Why: Philly Explained

People getting hit and killed on the SEPTA tracks is a common tragedy — it happens almost every month. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jason Laughlin looked into how that affects the people operating those trains and found out that for many of them, it’s a traumatic hazard of the trade.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

How guilty should we feel about eating cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving? Like most large-scale agriculture, commercial cranberry farming can be rough on the environment. But Steph Yin, reporter for WHYY’s The Pulse, explains why the unique environment of the New Jersey Pinelands has managed to stand up to farming practices there.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission says “Redskins” is a slur for Native Americans, but will still allow a Bucks County school district to use the nickname for some of its sports teams — with other conditions. WHYY reporter Aaron Moselle explains why this ruling doesn’t seem to settle the six-year dispute in Neshaminy just yet.

A recent test showed extremely high levels of lead at Frederick Douglass Elementary School in North Philadelphia, but officials didn’t tell parents until reporters with WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads and PlanPhilly started asking. It turns out the school probably isn’t alone, but Avi Wolfman-Arent and Ryan Briggs explain why it’s hard to say just how many other older school buildings in the region could have similar serious problems with their water.

Princeton Theological Seminary recently announced that it would set aside nearly $28 million for reparations to make up for the school’s ties to slavery — one of the largest efforts of its kind. The Why’s Annette John-Hall explains why some black students at the seminary are rejecting the proposal, and how it’s forcing a bigger conversation about what making reparations should actually look like.

New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew was one of only two House Democrats to vote against the impeachment inquiry playing out in hearings this week. WHYY’s Joe Hernandez explains why a democrat in a blue state is taking this stance and how it reflects the shifting politics of deep South Jersey.

Media mogul Byron Allen says Philadelphia-based cable giant Comcast wouldn’t carry his channels because he’s black. The case has gone all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and how the justices rule could have serious consequences for civil rights cases in the future. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Christian Hetrick explains why this lawsuit carries so much weight.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in prosecuting drug overdose deaths as homicides. Prosecutors say it’s an important tool to fight the opioid epidemic by charging big-time drug dealers — and helps families get justice for their loved ones. But Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Aubrey Whelan explains why that’s often not the case.

The federal government has guidelines in place for how transgender inmates should be treated in America’s jails and prisons. But a recent Philadelphia case shows those rules aren’t always being followed, specifically at Riverside Correctional Facility, the city’s only female jail. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Pranshu Verma explains why.

Almost three months after the nearly eight-hour police standoff in North Philly, which saw six officers shot, but no one killed, the city took the unprecedented step to repair homes on the block that were damaged by bullets — for free. Layla A. Jones, reporter for WHYY’s Billy Penn, explains why Philadelphia went to such lengths to patch things up in a city wracked by gun violence.