The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

Can my employer make me get a COVID-19 vaccine? Breaking down vaccine mandates and exemptions. Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Many employers are starting to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their staff in hopes of keeping everyone safe. But how far does an employer's power reach? They have to make exemptions for medical conditions and religious beliefs - what does it take to prove you qualify for one of those exemptions? On this episode of In Depth, KYW Newsradio's Carol MacKenzie asks those questions to Scott Burris, a Temple law professor and director of the Center for Public Health Law Research. He explains how employer vaccine mandates work, and when they don't.

We Need Black Teachers: The campaign to recruit Black educators and increase teacher diversity Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

In the Philadelphia School District, most of the students are Black or Brown -- yet few students see teachers that look like them at the front of the classroom. So why aren't there more Black teachers? Sharif El-Mekki, a former Philadelphia school teacher and principal and the Founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, and Mimi Woldeyohannes, the Center's Director of Strategic Partnerships join KYW Newsradio in Depth to talk about the national effort to recruit young Black people to think about teaching as a profession and highlight the impact teachers can make on students. Find out more here: https://www.thecenterblacked.org/

Concerts, live sports, and entertainment can convince people to get vaccinated: Morning Consult survey Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

If you haven't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine yet, would needing to show proof of vaccination to go see your favorite band convince you to get the shot? According to survey results from global intelligence company Morning Consult, concerts and movie theatres and live sports could actually move the needle on people getting vaccinated. Sarah Shevenock, entertainment reporter for Morning Consult joins the podcast to talk about what the survey found about vaccine requirement, masks, and the power of entertainment.

Check out the results here: https://morningconsult.com/2021/08/31/vaccine-requirements-sports-movies/

The delta variant is dragging down the economic recovery, and it's high time for an infrastructure bill Sep 03, 2021

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First time jobless claims released Thursday were low but the jobs report showed nearly half a million fewer jobs were created than expected. The culprit? All fingers are pointed to the delta variant. And as much of the Philadelphia area and parts of the east coast is recovering from the remnants of Ida and the tornadoes and flooding that resulted, it's never been more clear that we need an infrastructure bill. David Fiorenza, economist 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.

Prison gerrymandering, explained Sep 03, 2021

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The Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Committee has made an important decision in the midst of redistricting with regards to incarcerated people. Up until now in Pennsylvania, They have been counted as residing where they were incarcerated, but now when it comes to state legislative districts they will be counted as a resident of where they live when not incarcerated. We wanted to talk more about what is called prison gerrymandering, so we caught up with Dr. Rory Kramer - Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminology at Villanova University.

Texas' new abortion law: Why the Supreme Court didn't do anything, and the future of Roe vs Wade Sep 02, 2021

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A strict new abortion law has gone into effect in Texas. Opponents of the law say it could spell the beginning of the end for abortion access in the US. So what does the law mean? How will it be enforced? And why did the Supreme Court choose not to act at the last moment? Dr. Michael Moreland, Professor of Law at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law is back on KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about the new law in Texas and what it means for the future of abortion access both in Texas and the rest of the country.

Need help with student loans? Take advantage of the last payment pause and other tips to stay afloat Sep 01, 2021

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People who owe money on their student loans are getting another reprieve -- the Department of Education extended the freeze in loan payments and interest until January 31st. But the department called this a final extension and the Secretary of Education says these extra four months are here to give borrowers the time they need to prepare for the resumption of payments. US News surveyed about 1100 people and asked if they'd be able to resume their payments -- about 64% said they'd have trouble doing so. About 72% said they'd make different student loan decisions if they had to do it all over again. Beverly Harzog is a personal finance expert for US News & World Report, she joins In Depth to break down the survey and offer tips for anyone who is staring down a student loan.

"Why not just quit your job?" This woman made a significant career change, from retail to engineering -- and you can too Aug 31, 2021

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We have heard an awful lot about people quitting their job in the midst of the pandemic and pivoting towards a new career. Maybe people are taking stock of things and just deciding it's time for something new. But for the most part, we’ve heard about this idea in the abstract and in statistics and discussions -- we wanted to talk to someone who has done it and find out the why, the how and how it is going. Jessica Talotta lives in Delaware County, PA, she joins KYW Newsradio in Depth to talk about her decision to make a significant career change, how she did it, and advice for people who think making a career change might be the right move for them.

Back to school economy update, childcare questions, and eviction concerns Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

A lot happened in the economy this past week -- jobless claims actually went up just a bit. We're getting ready for fall and back to school, but not enough people are talking about the role of childcare in the economic recovery. Fed chair Jerome Powell is cautioning against squeezing the economy. And what is the Supreme Court's eviction moratorium decision going to mean for the economic recovery as the delta variant continues spreading? David Fiorenza, economist 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.

Sick and tired of 'the customer is always right:' the worker shortage and American service culture Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

The food service and hospitality industry continue to be seriously affected by the worker shortage. The reasons behind this shortage are complex, but we were curious about how much the concept and the idea of the customer always being right could be working against the industries in this moment. Is it possible that some people who would usually make up part of this work force are tired of catering to customers' demands -- especially the unreasonable demands from disagreeable customers in the midst of a global pandemic? Dr. Ceridwyn King, Associate Professor and the Paul Anderson Research Fellow at the School of Sport Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University is on the podcast to talk about being fed up with 'the customer is always right' and how that plays into America's current workforce dynamic.