The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

Why can’t more projects be as fast as I-95? Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

After a portion of I-95 collapsed on June 11, many thought it would take months to reopen. Well, months turned into 12 days. Why were crews able to rebuild so quickly? What went into rebuilding? And, why can’t other projects be done as swiftly? Dr. Tripp Shenton is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware. He explains the process of rebuilding I-95 and why it was easier and faster than other projects.

Breaking down barriers for kindergarten Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

Children often come into kindergarten with the basic skills down: from academic skills like counting and simple math to softer skills like taking turns and learning right from wrong. But during the pandemic, many children weren’t going to preschool to learn these soft skills, making it that much harder for kindergarten students and teachers alike. Dr. Aimee E. Ketchum is a pediatric occupational therapist and assistant professor at Cedar Crest College in Allentown. She explains the barriers families and childcare providers face and how it affects children’s kindergarten readiness.

SCOTUS redefined the Clean Water Act, again Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Between 1973 and 1980, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, both of which enforce the Clean Water Act, defined the water they protected as “all waters that could affect interstate commerce.” Since then, a lot has gone into defining and redefining exactly what these waters are. Enter the Supreme Court. Their recent decision in Sackett v. EPA means that a significant amount of wetlands are no longer federally protected. How will this affect EPA regulations? Alex Geisinger is a professor of law at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University. He explains the history of the CWA and what this decision means for both private property owners and public spaces.

SCOTUS upheld the Voting Rights Act – Is this a new age of democracy? Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

The Supreme Court case Allen v. Milligan was a challenge to Alabama’s congressional map which was redrawn in the wake of the 2020 census. Despite more than a quarter of Alabama’s population being Black, only one district had a majority of Black voters. Activists argued that the new map directly violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which SCOTUS agreed with. What influenced the court's decision? Dr. Susan Liebell is a political science professor at Saint Joseph's University. She explains what this ruling means for democracy and the court.

The PGA / LIV merger: did the Saudi government just buy golf? Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

On June 6, the PGA Tour agreed to merge with its rival LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. The fund is controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, a controversial figure who rules over a kingdom accused by many of human rights abuses. Why did the two organizations merge? What does this mean for golf? And, more importantly, how will this affect professional sports moving forward? Andrew Brandt is the Executive Director of the Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova Law School. He tells us about what this new golf entity might look like.

What does immigration look like after the end of Title 42? Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

When President Biden lifted the COVID-19 public health emergency in May, he subsequently removed the Title 42 provision limiting immigration into the United States on the grounds of a public emergency. What was Title 42? What will replace it? And, how does this affect the processing and number of immigrants coming to the U.S.? Fernando Chang-Muy is the Thomas O’Boyle lecturer of law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He tells us about the immigration process and how the U.S. benefits from foreign workers.

LGBTQ+ support, or "rainbow capitalism?" Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

Days before the beginning of Pride Month, Target made headlines by announcing that, in select stores, it would be removing certain LGBTQ+ merchandise and pivoting its Pride strategy on the heels of backlash from a small but aggressive group of customers expressing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. Since then, the reaction from the LGBTQ+ and allied communities has been fierce. Bryan Buttler owns and operates a media relations firm based in Philadelphia that supports the LGBTQ+ community. In a conversation with KYW Newsradio’s Matt Leon, Buttler provides tips and resources for consumers to find out more about how much a company actually supports the LGBTQ+ community, and shares insights on the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on the economy.

Deeper than botox – examining advancements in plastic surgery Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

When plastic surgery practices reopened after the initial wave of the pandemic, procedures increased by 44 percent, according to a 2021 report by the American Society of Aesthetic Surgery. The top three surgical procedures were liposuction, breast augmentation, and abdominoplasty. While these procedures are common, they overrepresent the types of plastic surgery that exist. Which surgeries are underrepresented? How were they discovered? Dr. R. Barrett Noone’s book, “From Trenches to Transplants,” examines the history of plastic surgery, beginning at the trenches of World War I. He tells us how the practice has advanced over the years and how he thinks plastic surgery will evolve.

Is the US still a top destination for international students? Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

In 2020, international student enrollment in the United States dropped 15 percent because of pandemic era travel restrictions, according to Higher Ed Dive. While numbers are slowly increasing, with 948,519 students enrolling in the 2021/2022 academic school year, they don't rival pre-COVID levels. What’s affecting international student enrollment? Why is it important for the U.S. to have international students? And, what are international students looking for in higher education institutions? Martyn J. Miller is the assistant vice president for Global Engagement at Temple University. He tells us about international students' concerns and how we can learn from what other English speaking countries are doing to increase international student enrollment.

How the brain responds to anxiety May 30, 2023

Show notes

Millions of Americans are dealing with anxiety, and much about anxiety is a mystery. However, recently researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK released some fascinating discoveries from work with mice that could lead to a better understanding of the neural roadmap behind feelings of anxiety, and more importantly, might eventually help provide a better tool kit for treating anxiety in humans. To learn more about this research, we caught up with Dr. Nathan Baird, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Saint Joseph’s University

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected