The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

'When the facts change, we have to be willing to change as well.' School masking guidance from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

The school mask debate has been raging for more than a year and half. But a lot has changed since this time last year. In the second interview of KYW Newsradio In Depth's two part series on school masks, KYW's Jim Melwert talks to Dr. David Rubin, the director of CHOP Policy Lab which has been key in informing school boards and administrators on how to handle everything from in person learn, hybrid learning, physical distancing, and now, once again, masking.

Could school districts get mask mandate court rulings overturned? Feb 11, 2022

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Perkiomen Valley school district in Montgomery County voted to lift its universal masking requirement. But a federal judge overruled that decision when families of some students claimed it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's a complicated story with really important local ripple effects, so we asked Villanova Law Professor Michael Moreland to help us to understand the case in question, what it means for schools and students, and what's going to happen next.

"What's wrong with me?" How changing your outlook could help cure pandemic blues Feb 11, 2022

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If you've been feeling depressed or uninspired as the second year of the pandemic winds down, you're not alone. But University of Pennsylvania psychologist Dr. Melissa Hunt thinks it might be time for us to start changing how we think about our new world. From letting go of certain fears to thoughtfully framing sensitive issues like masking, Hunt shares some insights and tips about how to shake off those pandemic blues.

'Don't be afraid, be mindful:' Getting from pandemic to endemic Feb 10, 2022

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How do we get from where we are right now in the pandemic to a place where COVID-19 is endemic and we just learn to live with it? What would endemic COVID mean for how we live our lives? How do we approach an endemic pandemic as a society? Dr. Seth Welles, Professor of Epidemiology at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health joins the podcast for to help us get our heads around being okay with living with a virus that has so totally upended everything.

A supervolcano eruption could be catastrophic, but 'wouldn't wipe out humanity:' Doomsday Scenarios, ep. 3 Feb 09, 2022

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A volcano erupted underwater in Tonga recently, starting a tsunami that caused incredible damage. The blast was visible from space. So how much damage could a massive eruption from a supervolcano actually do? Where are the hot spots? And what would happen one mile, ten miles, and a hundred miles away from the eruption? There's a little bit of good news -- Dr. Loÿc Vanderkluysen, associate professor in volcanology at Drexel University says although a supervolcano would have catastrophic effects, the odds are pretty good it would not entirely wipe out humanity.

Redistricting: Not as bad for Democrats as pundits thought it would be Feb 09, 2022

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More and more states are locking in the maps that will be used as the basis for elections for the next decade. And the redistricting process hasn’t played out the way many thought it might. We wanted to dig into this so we caught up with Dr. Joshua Weikert, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Civic Engagement at Immaculata University.

A 30 second Super Bowl ad costs $6 million. Is it worth the price tag? Feb 08, 2022

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The Super Bowl is Sunday, and for every person looking forward to watching the Bengals and the Rams, there’s probably somebody that is just as excited if not more excited to check out the Super Bowl commercials. A 2022 Super Bowl commercial that runs 30 seconds costs as much as $6 million dollars. Can that ad really be worth the price tag? What does a company need to do to have a commercial that really resonates? We get the answers to those questions from Joe Glennon, associate professor of instruction and chair of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Temple University’s Lew Klein College of Media and Communication.

Political pressure, free speech and human rights at the Beijing Olympics Feb 04, 2022

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The Winter Olympics in Beijing are here, and many countries including the United States have instituted a diplomatic boycott for the games -- the athletes will still go but the high level politicians and diplomats won’t in protest of China’s human rights abuses. China is a country with no free press. Dissent is cracked down upon, and that could create problems for athletes from the US and other countries that try to speak up and or take political stances. We wanted to talk about the pitfalls of this situation and what it could mean so we caught up Dr. Jonathan Howe and Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, assistant professors at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management.

Pandemic economy: "the January jobs report is really good" Feb 04, 2022

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The January jobs report is out, and guess what? Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza thinks it's really good! In his weekly check in, David also recaps the encouraging GDP from 2021, and implores the Fed to just get it over with and make its impending interest rate hike.

Brian Flores vs. The NFL: What we're learning about professional football's race problem Feb 03, 2022

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Brian Flores was recently fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins after three seasons, the last two of which he led Miami to a winning record. Now he has filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams, including the Dolphins, alleging racial discrimination. There's a lot going on and a lot to unpack in this story, so we asked Andrew Brandt, executive director of the Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova University, host of the Business of Sports podcast, and former VP of the Green Bay Packers to come on the podcast and explain what's happening.