WHYY News

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Eric Garner
Where Eric Garner died, changes in policing win little applause
whyy.org - Associated Press
A police cruiser constantly sits a few feet from a small floral memorial to Eric Garner on the Staten Island sidewalk where he spent his dying …
Opioids
N.J. service providers say ‘harm reduction’ working on opioids, but more can be done
whyy.org - Joe Hernandez
New Jersey service providers who work with drug users say the state has come a long way in implementing “harm reduction” strategies but that more can …
SEPTA GM Jeff Knueppel to retire in December, PennDOT secretary eyed as replacement
whyy.org - Ryan Briggs
SEPTA General Manager Jeff Knueppel will retire on Dec. 31, at the end of his contract with the $2 billion-a-year transit agency, officials confirmed …
You can finally check SEPTA Key balance, add fare on a smartphone
whyy.org - Darryl C. Murphy
Smartphone-carrying SEPTA riders can now add money to their Key Card on the SEPTA app. The days of running to make an incoming train only to be held …
Asbestos
Videos of asbestos ‘snow’ at former GM plant in Delaware triggers probe, $66,000 penalty
whyy.org - Cris Barrish
A major demolition and construction project is underway to convert the former General Motors plant in Delaware into a center for e-commerce, …
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia officers reach deal with city over feared retribution in sexual harassment case
whyy.org - Associated Press
Two female police officers whose sexual harassment lawsuit led Philadelphia’s police commissioner to resign have reached a temporary agreement with …
Short-term Rentals
Tenants forced out of Old City apartments as building changes over to short-term rentals
whyy.org - Ryan Briggs
A residential building at 509 Vine St., known as the Boekel building, is turning into an apartment-style hotel. All units will become short-term …
Jim Kenney
Kenney says new commissioner must address ‘challenges’ in Philly’s police department
whyy.org - Emily Scott
Now former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross submitted his resignation letter to the city’s Managing Director Brian Abernathy on Monday …
Oil Refineries
Community meeting on the future of PES refinery was packed, loud and divided
whyy.org - Catalina Jaramillo
It was the community’s turn to say what should be done with the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. An explosion and massive fire destroyed part …
Opioids
Hospitals to share opioid treatment strategies under $10 million plan
whyy.org - Brett Sholtis, WITF
Health systems are known more for competition than working together, but when it comes to treating opioid addiction, that may be changing. Industry …
Taxes
How to get rid of property taxes? Lawmaker looks to retirement income.
whyy.org - Katie Meyer, WITF
One state House lawmaker is trying to pitch a new solution to a very old Pennsylvania problem: the reliance on school property taxes. Lebanon County …
Plastic
U.S. recycling industry is struggling to figure out a future without China
whyy.org - Christopher Joyce
The U.S. used to send a lot of its plastic waste to China to get recycled. But last year, China put the kibosh on imports of the world’s waste. The …
KIPP
Don’t eat the marshmallow: Students from a ‘no excuses’ charter grow up to tell the tale
whyy.org - Avi Wolfman-Arent
Jayuana Bullard sat upright on her bed — in a room wallpapered with lipstick imprints, in a house crumbling from neglect, in a neighborhood known as …
Plastic
West Chester hopes its plastic bag ban sends Harrisburg a message
whyy.org - Emily Pontecorvo
Council meetings in the Chester County borough of West Chester are usually not very well attended. But it was standing room only for the council’s …
Nuclear Waste
Three Mile Island is closing. Now what?
whyy.org
Ten years ago, the fracking industry was already booming in Pa., but people in Ohio were just starting to hear about it. Parallel efforts to limit …
Jim Kenney
Philly’s first woman police commissioner brings distinguished career — and disciplinary record
whyy.org - Ryan Briggs
The Philadelphia Police Department has a new top cop following revelations that former Commissioner Richard Ross allegedly ignored harassment claims …
Lawsuits
Philly’s police commissioner resigned after lawsuit alleging affair with officer
whyy.org - Max Marin, Billy Penn
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross’ sudden resignation appears to be tied to scintillating claims in a lawsuit alleging the city’s former …
Democrats
Democrats spending millions to try to take back statehouses
whyy.org - Associated Press
Democrats still shaken by the 2010 tea party wave that netted Republicans six governors’ offices, flipped 21 statehouse chambers and drove nearly 700 …
Jim Kenney
Why Philly Police Commissioner Ross resigned and who’ll replace him
whyy.org - Max Marin, Ryan Briggs, and Michaela Winberg
In a widely unexpected move that caused ripples of shock across the city, Mayor Jim Kenney announced the immediate resignation of Philadelphia Police …
Greenland
Earth’s future is being written in fast-melting Greenland
whyy.org - Associated Press
This is where Earth’s refrigerator door is left open, where glaciers dwindle and seas begin to rise. New York University air and ocean scientist David …
eCigarettes
Cigarettes can’t be advertised on TV. Should Juul ads be permitted?
whyy.org - Michelle Andrews
Why does e-cigarette maker Juul advertise its product on TV when cigarette ads are banned? The short answer: Because it can. For nearly 50 years, …
Oil Refineries
PES refinery lays off all but select few union workers, despite safety concerns
whyy.org - Dana Bate
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in South Philadelphia has laid off all union workers except a select few. That includes about 200 …
Slavery
Slavery and Philly: Since arrival of first enslaved Africans, deep scars exists here, across Commonwealth
whyy.org - Michael D’Onofrio, The Philadelphia Tribune
A native of the Germantown neighborhood, Mark Keenheel stepped into the Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery recently for the first time. He came face to …
Polling
In Pa. and beyond, polling shows key suburban voters want gun reform
whyy.org - Katie Meyer, WITF
A Republican polling firm says its latest survey found compelling evidence that a key bloc of swing voters want stricter gun control. The pollsters, …
108 apartments coming to vacant Poplar St. lot
whyy.org - Ryan Briggs
The owner of a popular Fairmount cafe and artisanal market has gotten permits to build a 55-foot-tall apartment complex on a vacant Poplar Street lot. …
Health Policy
Brand-name drug prices rising at slower pace, lower amounts
whyy.org - Associated Press
Drug companies are still raising prices for brand-name prescription medicines, just not as often or by as much as they used to, according to an …
Tuition
Video: Pa. ranks last in region for community college affordability, makes it 'impossible' for poorest students
whyy.org - Greg Windle, The Philadelphia Public School Notebook
When community colleges in Pennsylvania were formed, the goal was for the state to contribute a third of the costs, the local sponsor to contribute …
Oceans
How much hotter are the oceans? The answer begins with a bucket
whyy.org - Rebecca Hersher
If you want to know what climate change will look like, you need to know what Earth’s climate looked like in the past — what air temperatures were …
Dental Care
For low-income Pennsylvanians, dental care can be a nightmare
whyy.org
Navigating the world as a young transgender person can be challenging. That’s true even in places some might think it’s safe, like the health-care …