The 5 WHYY News stories you couldn’t stop reading in 2025

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It’s been a busy year for WHYY News, marked by major policy changes, cultural flashpoints, triumphs and tragedies that resonated far beyond the Philadelphia region — including an Eagles Super Bowl victory parade, a trash strike, massive SEPTA cuts, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and a fiery Northeast Philadelphia plane crash.

Readers turned up in large numbers for stories that helped explain the impact on their world. These five were the most read and most engaged with from WHYY News this year.

7 killed in Northeast Philly plane crash

As commuters made their way home on the evening of Jan. 31, a small plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia. WHYY News reporter Kenny Cooper went immediately to the scene.

Later that night, Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed all six passengers on board the plane, as well as one person in a car, were killed in the fiery crash. At least 22 people on the ground were injured.

“I know that the good people of Northeast Philadelphia … saw fuselage, saw destruction, and saw things that no one should ever have to experience in their neighborhoods,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

A team of reporters continued to cover the story that night and on through its aftermath.

New laws in New Jersey

Changes are coming to the Garden State in 2026. On New Year’s Day, the statewide minimum wage will rise to $15.92 per hour, reported David Matthau.

Several other new laws will take effect next year, including toll hikes and changes to the way New Jersey supports its military veterans.

And if you’re looking for legal notices in a newspaper, you might need to look elsewhere starting in March.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new laws taking effect in New Jersey next year.

Invasive ticks swarm southeastern Pennsylvania

A potentially serious threat is spreading through the commonwealth.

Asian longhorned ticks were first discovered in the U.S. in 2017 on a New Jersey sheep farm just north of Philadelphia, wrote Liz Tung and Alan Yu.

“Longhorn ticks are found in 27 counties in Pennsylvania — almost the entire southern half of Pennsylvania,” said Keith Price, who manages the Vector Management Laboratory at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

As the calendar turns to 2026, Pennsylvanians will want to keep a close eye on the invasive species, with the hope it does not become a public health threat.

A former Eagle and Super Bowl champ goes to prison

Wendell Smallwood Jr. was a reserve running back and kickoff returner for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2018, which included the Super Bowl-winning squad in 2017.

In court, Smallwood stated that he had defrauded federal government programs, and he admitted to fleecing the Internal Revenue Service for $645,000, reported Cris Barrish.

On Sept. 18, Smallwood was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

“I make no excuses for what I have done,” Smallwood said in court before being sentenced. “I have nobody to blame but myself.”

Here’s the full story on Smallwood’s path from a Super Bowl championship to incarceration.

What’s the buzz with 6-7?

A hot topic this year was the phrase “6-7.” The two digits combined were named Dictionary.com’s word of the year.

The song by Philly rapper Skrilla, “Doot Doot,” includes the lyric, “The way that switch, I know he dyin’ … 6-7.”

Though the track was released last year, the phrase found its way into widespread public vernacular in 2025.

The global phrase has Philadelphia roots and mass appeal — that’s why it’s rounding out our top five stories from 2025.

Dillon Dodson wrote about the phrase’s origin and meaning.