The Why Archive

Whether Tamaqua, Pa. teachers will be secretly armed depends on competing interpretation of the law and an ugly school board election in the near future.

Is it "row house" or "rowhouse"? Why the question of a single space is so contentious, so steeped in Philly history, and so wrapped up in our city's identity.

Pennsylvania is shutting down Three Mile Island for good next month. With the nuclear plant gone, how will the state produce carbon-free energy?

More than 1 million adults on Medicaid in Pennsylvania have only bare bones coverage. Why is getting dental care so hard for these patients?

Some South Jersey blueberry farms were recently cited for illegally housing migrant workers in sheds without proper septic systems — for years.

Forty people in Pennsylvania have alleged they were sexually abused when they were in the Boy Scouts. Some allegations go back decades, but accusers may still be able to sue.

The creators of the Phillie Phanatic are threatening to make him a "free agent." Now, the Phillies are suing to keep that from happening.

A handful of blocks in Philadelphia get fined again and again for trash, but it doesn't seem to be stopping the litter.

Too much poop on the street has led to an outbreak of of Hepatitis A in some Philly neighborhoods. Could public restrooms fix the problem?

Camden has given tax breaks to companies already getting big ones from the state. Is the city catering to big corporations at the expense of its residents?

In Philadelphia, there many more trees in wealthy neighborhoods than in lower income ones. What are officials doing to make sure streets are equally green?

In New Jersey, more than a million tons of plastic end up in landfills each year. But is it possible to live without it?

The search is on to identify two men in a series of photos from a gay wedding that were printed in a North Philly drugstore in 1957 — but never returned to their owners.

Blue lights have been popping up around Philadelphia, even in some Starbucks bathrooms. Are the lights a solution to the opioid crisis or are they making it more dangerous?

Drexel University is building a public school on its campus border, much like the University of Pennsylvania did two decades ago. Will that accelerate gentrification?