The Why: Philly Explained

In Philadelphia, 1 in 23 adults is on probation or parole. Violations of those terms can lead to even more time under court supervision or being sent behind bars. Why is a system that’s supposed to keep people out of jail putting so many people at risk of incarceration? Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Samantha Melamed says one big reason is the wide discretion judges have in these cases.

Click here to read Samantha’s recent series with reporter Dylan Purcell, “The Probation Trap.”

If you’re even a little deep into Eagles trivia, you’ve probably heard of Bert Bell, the man who created the Philadelphia Eagles, invented the college draft, and arguably saved the NFL. But you may not have heard about the woman behind Bert: Frances Upton. Reporter Jeff Barnd tells the story of Philadelphia’s sports power couple and why we have them to thank for the team we know today.

Philly’s no longer a two-party town. History was made Tuesday night when Working Families Party candidate Kendra Brooks won a seat on City Council. It’s the first time a council seat reserved for a minority party has gone to an independent, and the first time a third-party candidate won any elected office in the city since 1980. Max Marin with WHYY’s Billy Penn explains why she won and what it means for the future of Philly politics.

In the summer of 1793, yellow fever swept through Philadelphia, killing thousands of people at a time when the city had no plumbing or sewage facilities. While these filthy conditions did not cause the disease, Maiken Scott, host of WHYY’s The Pulse, explains why the epidemic actually led to cleaning up the city — and to the creation of modern public health.

Maiken and historian Michael Yudell recently created an audio walking tour where you can visit five sites around Philadelphia’s historic Old City to learn about the outbreak. Read more and check out the tour here.

Many Philadelphians are unfairly evicted because they don’t have lawyers to represent them, fueling a crisis in the city. That’s why City Council is expected to vote next week on a bill to guarantee attorneys for low-income renters. Could it really help? WHYY’s PlanPhilly reporter Jake Blumgart breaks it down.

A country club membership, California wines, and… an ultraviolet dog urine detector? All items Pennsylvania lawmakers have paid for using campaign dollars. Angela Couloumbis, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Spotlight PA, explains why it’s legal for candidates to spend donor cash this way — and to hide what they spend it on.

Just in time for Halloween, we bring you the (mostly) true ghost story of a dank cave and an earnest monk who brought the nation’s first doomsday cult to Philadelphia. Join The Why’s Shai-Ben Yaacov and Kelsey Hanson on a journey through Wissahickon Park to the Cave of Kelpius.

A question on Tuesday’s ballot asks Pennsylvania voters if they want to amend the state constitution to grant crime victims a new set of rights. But civil libertarians are crying foul, saying the amendment, known as “Marsy’s Law,” could infringe on bedrock rights of the accused. Reporter Meir Rinde tells us the story behind the debate and explains what’s at stake.

Five-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez has been missing since mid-September. Almost immediately, the community came together to try to find her. But almost as quickly, racial bias and social media began fueling a growing backlash against Dulce’s mother. WHYY’s Ximena Conde helps us unpack why the mother of a missing child has been so closely, and sometimes cruelly, scrutinized by the public.

WHYY recently revealed Stockton University hired a a professor with a troubling history of sexual harassment allegations. Officials at the South Jersey school say they didn’t know about the allegations, but a quick Google search shows that history was easy to find. Reporter Joe Hernandez breaks down why one hiring decision has again flared tensions over how the university is handling complaints of sexual harassment and assault.