The Why Archive

In their final show, hosts Shai Ben-Yaacov and Annette John-Hall look back on some of their favorite episodes of The Why — and unpack the stories that make Philly Philly.

Philadelphia voters approved a new independent commission for people to file complaints against the police last month. The old one was criticized as ineffective.

Ten years after it was sued for racial bias, the city still employs the controversial police tactic known as stop-and-frisk. Mayor Jim Kenney says he wants it to end. Will it?

Philadelphia photographer Kyle Cassidy captured images of essential workers for his series Between Us and Catastrophe.

Pa. lawmakers haggled for six months over how to spend $1 billion in CARES Act money while businesses struggled. In the end, Gov. Wolf sided with Republicans.

Not only are women serving as caregivers for family members and monitors over their children's virtual learning, but they're also more likely to lose their jobs in 2020.

The Wanamaker Organ, still spreading holiday joy at Macy's in Philadelphia, has endured and entertained through the 1918 Spanish Flu and 2020 coronavirus pandemics.

Activists have called for UPenn to support city schools for years. So why is Penn giving now — and what does it mean for the future?

The DE legislature will swear in 3 members of the LGBTQ community. Queer Delawareans say that representation is important for protecting increasingly-threatened rights.

With COVID numbers rising, more schools are going all remote But what your child has access to depends on what you have time for and how much is in your wallet.

The Trump campaign has filed numerous lawsuits aiming to stop Pa. from certifying its votes. WHYY reporter Ryan Briggs explains the suits and where they are going.

Coronavirus is surging in Philly, and asking people to distance isn't stopping the spread — so the city is entering a new phase of life in lockdown

Delaware's bipartisan political culture helped shaped Joe Biden's career. But it remains to be seen if that spirit of compromise will work in the White House.

After years of back and forth, New Jersey voted to legalize recreational marijuana. So why do some cannabis activists say it isn’t enough?

Watching videos of police killings, like the one of Walter Wallace Jr., can be traumatic, especially for Black and brown people. Should people share them anyway?