The Why Archive

In March, Philadelphia residents received 88 million robocalls — and there's no end in sight. Why are robocalls increasing and why are they so hard to stop?

A feral cat colony on the Delaware River waterfront has city agencies, environmentalists, and cat-lovers pitted against each other.

Recent student protests of professor Camille Paglia at University of the Arts reflect the larger debate about free speech on campus.

Your parents are still the biggest indicator of how successful you'll become.

Who is George Norcross? And why is New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy convening a task force to look into a state program from which Norcross and his allies have reaped benefits?

As of Monday, Philly has stopped the controversial practice of sending half its recyclables to an incinerator.

Dennis Deska is not considered competent enough to stand trial for aggravated assault, but he still went to jail — not a psychiatric hospital.

Philly's changing demographics, and what some residents see as a renewed threat to Chinatown’s cultural identity, are at the center of this debate.

Joe Biden is making his third presidential run after two disappointing campaigns in 1988 and 2008. Will his history of putting his foot in his mouth come back to bite him?

As Philly's vacant land becomes more valuable to buyers, growers who claimed abandoned lots for community gardens are at risk of losing these beloved spaces.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf wants to raise teachers' salaries across the board. But is that only a Band-Aid solution to a more complex problem?

Why have the victims of childhood sexual abuse by nuns been ignored? And how do gender imbalance and church hierarchy work together to minimize their stories?

Philadelphia architect Louis "Lou" Kahn came up a grand design plan for cutting down on traffic congestion 60 years ago. Why wasn't it embraced?

Two-thirds of Philly's public schools don't have playgrounds. Research shows the spaces are beneficial for kids, so why is it so hard to build them?

Philadelphia has many old, iconic buildings and neighborhoods. So why are so few of these sites historically preserved and protected from the wrecking ball?