The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

The evolution of homecoming Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Fall in the U.S. means homecoming season. For colleges and small town high schools, it's a treasured event, activating people's nostalgia and bringing in a lot of money for schools. How did this tradition start? And how has the meaning and value of homecoming changed over the years? We caught up with Bryant Simon, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of History at Temple University, who takes us through the history of homecoming and how it follows the path of American history, from its creation in the early 20th century, to pushback against it in the 60s and 70s, to its heyday in the 80s. We also get into what a modern day homecoming looks like and what it could mean for alumni to reunite after a year separated by a pandemic.

The most pointlessly destructive political fight in Washington Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

The threat of a government default because Republicans and Democrats are arguing over the debt ceiling is a seemingly frequent occurrence. We're going through the drama right now. And it might be the most pointless and needlessly destructive fight in Washington. Dr. Laura Bucci, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University says the stakes are too high for politicians to casually turn the debt ceiling into a political football, and to top it all off, the money they're fighting over is money that Congress has already authorized to be spent.

Kids and COVID-19: how coronavirus affects kids has changed over the pandemic Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Many parents are anxiously waiting for the green light to get their young children under 12 vaccinated from COVID-19. Meanwhile, doctors continue to try to up the numbers of kids 12 and older to get their shots. Dr. Lee Savio Beers, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics joins the podcast to talk about kids, the COVID-19 vaccines, the dangers of the Delta variant, and how the playing field has changed for kids over the course of a very long pandemic.

The websites Dr. Beers recommends for more information:

https://getvaccineanswers.org/

https://healthychildren.org/

Food bank prepares for a 'tidal wave' of need Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

The Food Bank of South Jersey is still experiencing substantial need among the people they serve. The organization's president and CEO, Fred Wasiak, tells KYW Newsradio In Depth's Matt Leon that with the expiration of benefits and state-to-state rent moratoriums changing, there are several factors at work that could create a "tidal wave" of need.

What Halloween, home sales, and supply chains will tell us about the pandemic economy Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

It looks like the housing market is seeing a bit of a resurgence, but what does that mean for people trying to buy or sell or renovate their homes? Halloween season is in full swing, and it could have major implications for the economy. There's a showdown looming over the debt ceiling. Why are politicians fighting over money that's already been spent during a pandemic? And why are we still having serious supply chain issues? Economist David Fiorenza joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to break down the economic news of the week and how it applies to your life.

How to prepare for extreme weather disasters Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

We've seen an unprecedented amount of extreme weather recently. Since September is National Preparedness Month, we thought it would be a great time to catch up with Paul Huang, FEMA's Acting Associate Administrator of Resilience, and learn about what we all can do to be prepared. Huang talks about putting together a disaster kit, checking your insurance, and how to have this conversation with kids. You can find more information and tools for disaster readiness from FEMA at ready.gov.

"A wake of confusion": The effects of the new Texas abortion law Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Texas's new, highly restrictive abortion law, SB8, has been in effect for a few weeks now. What has it changed for residents of Texas, and what does it reflect about U.S. courts and the future of Roe v. Wade? We caught up with Rachel Rebouche, Interim Dean and Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law, to talk about what's been happening in Texas, in other states, and nationally as a result of this new law. We discuss how both state and federal courts have been responding and why the Supreme Court didn't block SB8. Plus, Rebouche describes some of the real-life effects caused by lack of access to abortion, and where she thinks we could be in a year.

The "shadow docket" explained: should the Supreme Court have to show its work? Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Part of the fallout from Texas' recent controversial abortion ruling is that the concept of a "shadow docket" has come under closer scrutiny. On this episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth, Temple University law professor Laura E. Little explains why this relatively new and previously under-the-radar practice is all of a sudden drawing so much attention, and how it could affect the perception, the mechanisms, and the transparency of the United States Supreme Court.

'See your doctor:' the pandemic's secondary ripple effect Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

For nearly 20 months, COVID-19 has been top of mind. The pandemic, however, has created another troubling development. People are now putting off addressing general health concerns that could be better managed by routine check ups or general well visits. To curb this trend, Philadelphia family practitioner Dr. Vicki Bralow says simply pick up your phone, call your doctor, and check in. She joins KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon on In Depth.

Pandemic economy update: The new employment normal? Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

The weekly jobless claims showed a slight increase, but they still represent a pandemic low that seems like it's stabilized a bit. Continuous claims, however, continue to go down. There was good news with retail sales which rose in August instead of dipping -- and there's a lot to talk about auto sales and the ongoing chip shortage. David Fiorenza, Associate Professor of Practice at the Villanova School of Business, joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about what happened this week in the economy and what it means for all of us in our daily lives.