The Why: Philly Explained

A volunteer firefighter’s interest in a far-right extremist group has Haverford Township residents fighting over how far local governments should go in vetting the activities and views of public servants. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Maria Panaritis explains why the incident has exposed deep divisions in the Delaware County town.

A West Philly clinic still sits empty six years after Dr. Kermit Gosnell was sentenced to life in prison for cutting the spinal cords of multiple babies born alive during botched or illegal abortions. Reporter Jen Kinney explains why a fight over what to do with that “house of horrors” has become a flashpoint in the abortion debate.

More than 5,000 people are serving life in prison in Pennsylvania. Now there are efforts to help some of them get a chance at parole. WHYY’s Aaron Moselle explains why lawmakers and the courts are reexamining life sentences in Pennsylvania. How far are they willing to take reforms?

SEPTA police officers are getting new service weapons after a transit cop’s sidearm recently discharged while still in its holster. Darryl C. Murphy with WHYY’s PlanPhilly explains why that same weapon — the Sig Sauer P320 — has a history of misfiring and is the subject of multiple lawsuits.

Twenty minutes after Villanova University sent out a campus active shooter alert last Monday, the school sent another update saying there was no threat. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Anna Orso explains why students, parents, and campus security experts are divided on whether Villanova jumped the gun.

Every school year, parents in all 50 states have to prove they’ve gotten their kids vaccinated — unless they get an exemption. WHYY’s Avi Wolfman-Arent and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Rita Giordano explain why there’s been a sharp uptick in exemptions recently in New Jersey — and why schools started requiring vaccines in the first place.

A Philadelphia City Councilman has introduced a controversial bill that would make it harder to open hookah bars outside Center City. Jake Blumgart with WHYY’s PlanPhilly explains why that has some residents and hookah bar owners up in arms — and why we can expect more fights like this as the city grows and changes.

Lancaster County is home to the nation’s largest settlement of Amish, a religious community that lives simply and shuns technology. But even as the Amish population has grown six times faster than the general U.S., WITF’s Rachel McDevitt explains why some are choosing to leave.

The remains of about 180 children are buried on the grounds of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in central Pennsylvania — which was created to assimilate native children into white culture. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff Gammage explains why they died — and how tribes are starting to reclaim some of those bodies and bring them home 100 years later.

Tipped workers in Pennsylvania make only $2.83 an hour, and, while their employers are supposed to make up the difference to get them to the minimum wage of $7.25, that doesn’t always happen. Malcolm Burnley, a reporter with The Fuller Project, explains why service workers are paid this way in the first place — and why it’s so hard for many in this booming industry to make ends meet.