The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

The questions parents ask about teens and the COVID-19 vaccines Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

A lot of teens have been vaccinated, including kids in the 12 to 15 year old range, but some parents still have questions about their kids and the COVID-19 vaccines. We asked Dr. Lee Beers, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics to come on the podcast and talk about the most common questions parents are asking, the messaging around kids and the vaccines, booster shots, and the effort to convince both kids and adults to get vaccinated in the months ahead.

Tracing COVID-19's origin: Did the virus escape from a lab? Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

There has been a lot of talk lately about the origin of COVID-19, and more and more attention is being given to the theory that the virus could have emerged from a lab leak from a lab in Wuhan, China. So what's the evidence of the lab leak origination theory, and how does it stack up with the other theory of record, that the virus jumped from animals to humans? Dr. Joseph Amon, Director of the Office of Global Health at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health is on the podcast to talk about lab leaks and how often they occur, and what's behind the different theories of how this pandemic started.

Do you need a vacation too? Airlines are looking for a bright future May 31, 2021

Show notes

The travel and tourism industry was hit very hard by travel restrictions and stay at home orders, and airlines were a big part of that. So how have the airlines held up over the pandemic? What should we expect as life continues to return to normal, and how are the airlines positioned if we see a spike in demand in the summer as vaccine numbers continue to rise? Dr. Benjamin Altschuler, Assistant Professor at the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about what the pandemic did to airlines and what's next.

Pandemic economy update: How much inflation is too much inflation? May 28, 2021

Show notes

The economy is roaring heading into the summer months and shore towns are trying have a year that makes up for the last one and then some. There are a lot of good signs for the economy including jobs numbers -- but we're also seeing inflation as well. There are a couple of reasons for this, including the stimulus checks, but how do we know how much inflation is too much inflation? 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.

Jersey Shore businesses say they're desperate for summer employees May 27, 2021

Show notes

2020 at the Jersey Shore was complicated. Coronavirus and restrictions to hold the virus at bay hung over the summer season, and a lot of businesses weren't sure if they would make it. 2021 is a totally different story, with a different set of challenges. Beach towns are welcoming back visitors without capacity limits and other restrictions. And in Wildwood, there's both surging optimism for a massive summer season, and a lot of worry that the ongoing worker shortage will rain on the parade.

How a Pennsylvania cheerleader's free speech case made it to the Supreme Court May 27, 2021

Show notes

You wouldn’t think a cheerleader not making varsity squad would end up being the origin of a case being argued before the Supreme Court, but here we are. It’s actually a very fascinating case out of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It involves big issues like free speech and how much influence and power school districts have on what students can say. Dr. Michael Moreland, Professor of Law at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law breaks down the origins of the case, how it made it to the Supreme Court, and why you should care about it.

How the pandemic made us appreciate local food, and local farmers May 25, 2021

Show notes

From worker shortages at meat packing plants to supply chain failures that left crops to go bad in fields, agriculture has taken a shock to the system over the past year. Farmers needed to learn to adapt very quickly. The good news is that in a lot of cases, they did. And once some local farmers figured out to survive, they also figured out how to thrive. Dr. Jacqueline Ricotta, Professor of Horticulture, chair of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about what farmers learned from pandemic, how people learned to love local food, and what trends could stick around even after all of this is finally over.

Free classes, rent assistance, 'We made some quick decisions.' How West Chester University made it through the pandemic May 24, 2021

Show notes

It's been an incredibly challenging last 15 months or so in higher education. Colleges and universities had to keep their students and employees safe and figure out how to function during a pandemic that caused campus shutdowns and necessitated remote learning on the fly. So how did students, faculty, and administrators make it through? West Chester University President Chris Fiorentino says he and his team made some really hard decisions really quickly. Fiorentino joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about his experiences navigating the University through the pandemic and how they made the decisions to go in person in the fall.

Pandemic economy: It looks like a beach season for the record books May 21, 2021

Show notes

Can you imagine pre-pandemic unemployment levels? Don't blink, but we're almost there. And even though the jobless claims are coming down, the help wanted signs are not. Affordable housing feels like a pipe dream as home prices keep going up. And then let's talk about the shore. Rentals are booked through the season, which started early, and all signs are pointing to a record breaking beach season. 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.

What Biden’s plan to tax the rich will actually do May 21, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden has put forth a couple of pretty bold pieces of legislation over the last several weeks – an infrastructure bill, the American Jobs Act, and then the American Families Act. There's been a lot of talk about what the bills would do, but not as much as how they would be paid for. These bills would change the tax system a lot -- much more than just making rates higher for the wealthy and for corporations. Andy Weiner, Director of the Graduate Tax Program and a Practice Professor of Law at Temple University's Beasley School of Law joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to break down what the proposed tax changes could do, and why wealthy people and corporations pay so little tax in the first place.