The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

For as much havoc and damage as the July 4th weekend storms did around the Delaware Valley, the timing couldn’t have worked out more advantageously for PECO’s union. Days after launching a historic strike, IBEW Local 614 gained decisive leverage in contract negotiations due to weather-related service interruptions. Find out how a happy union could make for happier customers. And even though summer...

Not only was Philadelphia the birthplace of America, its influence has remained prominent in shaping the nation the United States has become over the last 250 years. Ahead of the July 4th, 2026 semiquincentennial milestone, KYW Newsradio compiled a feature series profiling trailblazing people - some you’ve probably heard of, others you likely haven’t - whose contributions, courage, and innovation...

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington announced who will be in charge of the transition to close 17 schools and modernize 169 others. Get to know Assistant Superintendent Dr. Shakeera Warthen-Canty. Meanwhile, the city continues riding the high of the FIFA World Cup. A woman associated with an anti-AI cultlike group is charged with killing her parents in Delaware County. And the 76ers picked...

The courts have not been kind lately to Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, as a series of rulings and revelations this week punished the conduct of District Attorney Larry Krasner and his office. First came a state Supreme Court decision resulting in unprecedented oversight of any and all cases Krasner seeks to overturn moving forward. Then, later in the week, documents were unsealed detailing the sus...

Summer is here and school is out! Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. grades himself for his job performance as superintendent during a tumultuous academic year, while sharing the School District of Philadelphia’s plans to establish a transitional office for students and families impacted by impending building closures. KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo also asks Watlington for an early peek at en...

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner stopped by Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office this week to drop off a letter requesting more funding. Parker laughed off the move as a stunt, saying Krasner was putting on a “one-man show” she wanted no part of. Was Krasner’s gesture genuine, or was Parker onto something? Could Krasner have ulterior motives, and would they have anything to do with the title...

When is $48 million still not enough? That’s the big question Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. is facing after deciding to move forward with hundreds of job cuts in the School District of Philadelphia, despite City Council’s recent funding boost. The superintendent explains his reasoning to KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo, while also addressing the controversy surrounding Pride festivities at...

Mayor Parker had big plans, but City Council gave her tax proposal a big “no.” Find out why the two sides couldn’t find common ground on a key issue during recent budget negotiations. Speaking of common ground, Democrats and Republicans in the Pennsylvania Assembly appear poised to send a bill to the Governor’s desk requiring a statewide bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools. While a Camden scrap...

The School District of Philadelphia may not want to budge on its facilities plan, but that doesn’t mean Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. isn’t willing to keep lines of communication open. From having frank conversations with students at schools set for closure to hearing concerns from City Council members, the superintendent understands there are pockets of people still upset with his vision. He addresses...

Mayor Parker has shifted her budget plan, lowering the proposed tax on hotels and instead adding a tax increase on short-term rentals like Airbnbs. The Philadelphia School Board approved a budget that includes $225 million in classroom cuts. Tuesday is New Jersey’s primary election - will progressive, grassroots Democrats beat out establishment candidates? Matt Leon recaps the week’s biggest headl...

Have you seen the recent viral “Can you read?” TikTok that exploded for over 15 million views? The montage doesn’t reflect well on the reading aptitude of Philadelphia high school students, who are shown in the video struggling to read simple sentences and words on index cards. Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. told KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo he hasn’t seen the clip, but the superintenden...

In Tuesday’s primary election, all eyes were on District 3’s congressional race, where progressive candidate Chris Rabb won over candidates backed by major Philadelphia Democrats. We hear about that and the broader election results in the Commonwealth, plus a battle in Lower Merion over laptop use in classrooms, and a fire that burned down a Delaware church with ties to the Underground Railroad an...

It’s been more than a year since the School District of Philadelphia, under the direction of the Board of Education, launched Project RiSE, an initiative aimed at tracking the future of charter school performance and accountability in the city. In addition to giving an update on the program’s timeline, Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington talks to KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo about...

Residents in Limerick, Montgomery County are not happy about the proposal to build an AI data center in their community. Primary election day is Tuesday, and there’s really only one race that everyone’s watching in Philadelphia: the race to fill Dwight Evans’ congressional seat in District 3. We also hear about driverless cars in Philly, the PGA Championship, and the 76ers firing their president,...

The School District of Philadelphia won’t be closing any facilities until after the 2026-27 academic year, but with his plan now approved by the Board of Education, Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. realizes staff and students at lame-duck buildings could be in store for anxious, bittersweet emotions. The superintendent tells KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo how his administration intends to su...

Colman Domingo’s star has seen a meteoric rise the past decade. But the West Philadelphia native and Academy Award-nominated actor hasn’t forgotten the importance of his formative years, including the time he spent at Temple University. Earlier this week, while in town to give the school’s commencement speech, Domingo caught up with some old friends from his college days. One of them was KYW Newsr...

Protesters caused a ruckus at this week’s Philadelphia School Board meeting, where the Board ultimately voted to pass the superintendent’s facilities plan that includes closing 17 schools. After a rough start to the season, the Phillies fired their manager, Rob Thomson. And Monday is the last day to register to vote for this year’s primary election - we hear about the biggest race on the ballot in...

The Philadelphia School Board was scheduled to vote on a plan to close 17 schools in the district this Thursday, but after pressure from City Council, they delayed the vote by a week. We hear the latest on what’s in that plan, including one more school that was removed from the list. Plus, a Montgomery County man found himself the target of an ICE investigation after sending a 4-sentence email adv...

As the Board of Education appears poised to take a long-awaited position on the School District of Philadelphia’s facilities master plan, tensions have escalated between district officials and local lawmakers. Some Council members have gone as far as to threaten withholding funds from the district if it follows through on closing over a dozen buildings. Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. finds himself smack...

Cue the boxing bell! It’s round 1 between Mayor Parker and Uber, as the two sides duke it out over the administration’s proposed rideshare tax to help fund Philadelphia public schools. Also at City Hall this week, lawmakers moved forward with legislation aimed at limiting ICE’s power in Philly. And the Flyers are Stanley Cup playoffs-bound for the first time in six years (while the Sixers’ postsea...

So far, the press for the School District of Philadelphia’s $2.8 billion facilities plan has skewed mostly in one direction. Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. gets it. Communities feel strong attachments to schools; closure talks cause tension. The counterpoint, however, is that nearly 160 buildings will benefit from the proposal. Watlington tells KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike DeNardo...

A garage being built for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia collapsed on Wednesday, killing multiple construction workers. America 250 has been the talk of the town, but new tourism predictions say it might not draw the crowds we’ve been expecting. The former World Cafe Live was shut down for operating without a liquor license. And the Philadelphia Latino community has been grappling with the...

Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. believes the School District of Philadelphia’s $2.8 billion facilities master plan presents a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to eliminate buildings with poor and unsatisfactory ratings, while expanding higher-quality pre-K and extracurricular offerings. Any next steps, however, are currently on hold, as the Board of Education continues to review the proposal. KYW Newsradi...

The U.S. Supreme Court held a hearing this week on birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. We break down the case, plus get the latest on the city's budget talks, the federal case over the EEOC's request for lists of Jewish students and faculty from the University of Pennsylvania, SEPTA's efforts to boost its Regional Rail fleet, and local chefs and restaurants in the f...

The School District of Philadelphia’s facilities master plan has been in the hands of the Board of Education for over a month. As Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. and district community members continue to wait for next steps, the superintendent addresses why certain buildings were removed from the initial closure list and others weren’t. Watlington also shares with KYW Newsradio Education Reporter Mike De...