The Why Archive

Hydroflouric acid is a toxic chemical used in local refineries. Why a release during the recent South Philly refinery explosion would have been disastrous.

Penn economist Rafael Robb bludgeoned his wife, Ellen to death in 2006 and was released after only 10 years. Why his case revealed cracks in Pa.'s criminal justice system.

Hundreds of unclaimed dead are lying in morgues and unmarked graves in the Philly suburbs. Who are they and why is no one claiming their remains?

A cherished Philly mural was on the verge of demolition. An outraged community help save it. A tale of happens when public art collides with new development.

Did New Castle County's busing program ultimately achieve racial integration and help close the achievement gap for black students there?

Kim Stringer has struggled with mental illness for a decade, but her parents can't get her committed. Why a recent change in state law meant to help doesn't go far enough.

For years, Cheyney University's been on life support. Now, with a balanced budget & infusion of funds, America's first historically black university could be turning a corner.

Lucy The Elephant, the 65-foot-tall Margate landmark, turns 138 Saturday. The country's oldest roadside attraction has withstood natural disasters and threats of demolition.

Hahnemann's own bankruptcy filings say a plan to close the hospital involves the largest "orphaning" of medical residents the country's ever seen.

PFAS chemicals have been discovered in some private water wells in Bucks Couny. Why are some Pennsylvanians only now realizing their water is contaminated?

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross has vowed to fire some officers who made offensive Facebook posts. But whether those firings stick isn't up to him.

VisionQuest wants to open a center that would house 60 unaccompanied immigrant teen boys. Why Philadelphia, immigrant advocates, and its own staff are pushing back.

A dispute over a bill and a violation of rules in the Pa. Senate recently devolved into a brouhaha that went viral. What does it say about the state of state politics?

The U.S. government isn't paying to keep up the place where it was born — and the city of Philadelphia isn't helping much either.

Decades before YouTube, Marion Stokes taped everything on TV — nearly a million hours of it. Was she a hoarder or an archivist?