The Why Archive

The idea of giving citizens a monthly basic income has come up on the presidential campaign trail. Now, Philly wants to try it as a way to lift some residents out of poverty.

In Pennsylvania, party big-wigs choose candidates for special elections through a shadowy process that leaves voters out. Why don't voters get to choose who's on the ballot?

Two days after a judge cleared the way for Philly's supervised injection site to open, plans fell apart. Now it's facing more opposition than ever.

Census advocates are worried that an RNC mailer called the "2020 Congressional District Census" will confuse Pennsylvanians and cost the state federal funding.

Here's the story behind the "Boner 4ever" tag on Philly's historic Beury Building, now slated for renovation. Why some are calling for preservation and others? Not so much.

People in Pa. prisons are counted as residents of where they're incarcerated instead of where they lived, leading to shifts in political power. Can a new lawsuit change that?

In 2014, many cities and townships in Pennsylvania started to decriminalize marijuana possession. So why have pot arrests increased since decriminalization began?

It looks like Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery might be shut down for good. What do you do with a heavily polluted piece of land bigger than Center City?

They're better reflections of the whole nation, but their late primary elections give voters in Pa. and N.J. less influence in the 2020 presidential race.

In the 1990s, Philly created a program to sell blighted properties for only $1. Here's why it hasn't quite worked out as the city intended.

Philly has one of the country's strongest laws to protect immigrants from being scammed by fake legal help. So why are complaints of fraud on the rise?

Two brothers found themselves at the center of a racist incident in their rural Pa. town. Their response complicates traditional narratives around race and 2020 politics.

Why a system intended to integrate Wilmington's public schools led to less diversity — and why some think reopening a traditional public high school could help.

Throughout the mid-20th century, Philly looked at turning South Street into a highway. Here's why the iconic party, music and shopping destination was spared.

A look at former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter's new job on the campaign trail — from stumping at rallies to defending his candidate (and himself) amid controversy.