The Why Archive

Why a system that's supposed to keep people out of jail putting so many people at risk of incarceration in Pennsylvania.

Bert Bell gets all the credit for founding the Eagles, but it was really a team effort.

Philly's no longer a two-party town. History was made Tuesday night when Working Families Party candidate Kendra Brooks won a seat on City Council.

The deadly yellow fever epidemic of 1793 rocked Philadelphia, then the capitol of a young United States. Here's how it gave rise to public health as we know it.

City Council is expected to vote next week on a bill to guarantee lawyers for low-income renters. Could it help fix Philly's eviction crisis?

A country club membership, California wines, a dog urine detector — all paid for with campaign cash. Why are Pennsylvania candidates allowed to spend donors' money this way?

The (mostly) true ghost story of a dank cave and an earnest monk who brought the nation's first doomsday cult right here to Philadelphia.

Would a Marsy’s Law amendment on victims’ rights infringe on bedrock rights of the accused? The last-minute legal fight over a question on the Pa. ballot.

Five-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez’s disappearance has subjected her mother to a social media-fueled tsunami of criticism and rumors.

A professor with a troubling and easy-to-find history of sexual harassment allegations was recently hired by Stockton University. Why that's struck a nerve with students.

A year ago, a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence. Here's why some survivors object.

Delaware County could be controlled by Democrats for the first time in history. Why the political shift from red to blue began long before President Trump.

Patients with sickle-cell disease are living longer and a cure could be around the corner. Why doctors in Philadelphia worry those adult patients might be left behind.

Federal regulators released a report that revealed just how close the city came to catastrophe after the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery explosion in June.

Why there could be more cases like Willy Veasy's as the Philly DA's office investigates allegations of coerced confessions and bad convictions.