The Why Archive

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.

The face of refugees coming to the U.S. is changing. The places they're going is changing, too. Why is that happening and what does it look like in Pennsylvania?

The fiasco that resulted in 1,000 students from two Philly high schools being out of class for three weeks exposed parents' anxieties about the safety of their schools.

More than 50 years ago, Philadelphia tried to remake the Eastwick neighborhood and failed. Now the city is trying to fix it. What will it take to correct past mistakes?

A judge's ruling that opening a place where people could use illegal drugs under medical supervision would not violate federal law could set a nationwide precedent.

New Jersey is one of a few states that hold statewide elections only in odd-numbered years. The goal was to focus voters' attention more on local issues. But is it working?

The Painted Bride wanted to sell its iconic building in Old City to a developer, but a judge ruled its mosaics were too "priceless" to destroy.

The Philadelphia School District boasts about increasing attendance rates. But at Edison High School, some students are swiping in, then cutting class.

The census counts prisoners in the districts where they're in incarcerated, not in their home districts. Why that's led to shifts in political power in Pennsylvania.

Pa. Sen. Pat Toomey is a rare Republican interested in some form of bipartisan gun control, but thinks are looking bleak for the bill he's tried, and tried, and tried to pass.

Raucous parties at Muhammad Ali's former mansion-turned-Airbnb has put Cherry Hill, N.J. in the midst of a bigger debate about how these rentals affect communities.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan is threatening to sue Sunoco on behalf of residents afraid of sinkholes along the Mariner East 2 pipeline route.

The Market East neighborhood has a dismal history when it comes to development. Could the Gallery mall's new replacement, Fashion District Philadelphia, be a different story?

It's been nine months since Philly banned smoking at city-funded drug rehab centers. Why it's hard to get answers about whether it's helping or hindering people in recovery.