Hour 1 Last year, Philadelphia became the last major U.S. city to adopt a law requiring lobbyists to register with the city. Its passage was one of Mayor Michael Nutter’s campaign priorities, and government watchdogs said it would help consign Lincoln Steffens’ “corrupt but contented” description of the city to history’s dustbin. And it was [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, politics |

Hour 2 All the Earth’s seven sea turtle species are endangered. The United States waters are home to six of the species, including the Gulf of Mexico, where the 2010 BP oil spill devastated much of the turtle population. Fishing, climate change, tourist density and coastal manufacturing have been closing in on the habitats of [...]

Filed under: animals, author, crime, environment, world |

Hour 1 The debate on Capitol Hill over raising the debt ceiling – the $14 trillion limit on how much the federal government can borrow to pay its debts and keep things going — rages on.  If a decision isn't reached by August 2, the U.S. could default on its debt obligations.  Democrats say we [...]

Filed under: economy, politics |

Hour 2 Saggy eyelids and too many wrinkles got you down?  To fix it, all you need is a little courage, some faith and enough money.  Cosmetic surgery and non-surgical procedures to improve appearance have, for more and more folks, become the new normal.  How did we get here?  Is it a new definition of [...]

Filed under: author, culture, health, medicine, psychology, science, social issues |

Hour 1 It looks like, for now, the $27.15 billion Pennsylvania budget agreement is going to be approved before the Thursday deadline.  And Governor Corbett got most of what he wanted including no tax increases and no natural gas extraction fees.  We’ll get an update on the budget agreement and other legislative battles in Harrisburg [...]

Filed under: Pennsylvania, economy, education, politics |

Hour 2 Does your doctor use a computer at your appointment?  Or maybe a smart phone?  Technology has always been an important part of medicine, giving doctors better tools to detect, treat and mend their patients but today’s new smart technologies are altering the role of the physician in ways different from the past.  This [...]

Filed under: author, health, medicine, science, technology |

Hour 1 Since 1997 when Pennsylvania first authorized the establishment of charter schools, over 70,000 students in grades K-12 have enrolled in one of 135 "bricks and mortar" charter schools and a dozen cyber charter schools state-wide .  In Philadelphia, one out of four students attends a charter school and the numbers are growing.   Charter [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized, education, family issues, parenting |

Hour 2 It’s no surprise that soldiers fighting in war zones develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the fighting and the bloodshed. But far more children suffer from PTSD from the violence they witness or experience at home or in their neighborhoods.  In Philadelphia there are thousands of shootings each year, many of them homicides, and [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, crime, criminal justice, education, family issues, health, law enforcement, medicine, parenting, social issues |

Hour 1 A day after Philadelphia City Council voted to approve the budget, we convene a journalists roundtable to assess a busy June at City Hall. We’ll discuss what we learned about the Nutter administration, about Council in its current form & what to expect after new Council members join, the city's financial picture and [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, economy, education, politics |

Hour 2 [Rebroadcast] Philadelphia is home to the Mutter Museum, a medical museum famous for its anatomical specimens and medical oddities.  One of the most interesting collections is in a set of drawers that contain nearly 2,000 objects that were swallowed and then extracted without surgery by renowned laryngologist Chevalier Jackson in the early 20th [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, author, culture, history, medicine |