The Regional Roundup – January 31st

Plaintiffs in the landmark school funding lawsuit in Harrisburg officially wrapped up their case last week, making room for Republican legislative leaders to defend their position that per-pupil spending in the Keystone State is adequate. We discuss testimony from key players, like Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite, and talk about the defense strategy most likely to play out.

Guest: Mallory Falk, WHYY education reporter for Keystone Crossroads

Are attitudes changing over the right to medical aid in dying for the terminally ill? After almost 7 years of reintroduction, a Delaware House Bill has legislative support and may be picking up momentum. We’ll discuss the political and emotional debate, and how the pandemic may have impacted public perception.

Guest: Rep. Paul Baumbach, Representative for the 23rd District in the Delaware House of Representatives 

With winter weather underway this weekend, we’ll talk about the mesmerizing science behind each flake and what make’s our region so unique when it comes to meteorology with the author of what’s been called the “first book to fully examine snow as a historical, cultural, and scientific phenomenon.”

Guest: Anthony Wood, atmosphere journalist and author of  Snow: A History of the World’s Most Fascinating Flake

We Recommend

Chalkbeat Philadelphia: Constant cutting is ‘heartbreaking,’ testifies Wilkes-Barre leader in Pennsylvania school funding case “…plaintiffs showed pictures of poor building conditions, including a room in which two students were wearing coats because of the cold.”

WHYY: Should Delaware allow terminally ill patients to be prescribed medication to end their life? “Baumbach points out that 10 other states, including New Jersey, now allow medical aid in dying, and that his bill is modeled on the law in Oregon, which has been in place for 25 years.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘We haven’t seen anything like this in years.’ A ‘bomb’ and a blizzard rock Philly and the Shore “As it got colder, the snow turned more powdery, but it was no pushover…”