The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

The holidays can be a tough time emotionally and mentally for people. Add that to a raging pandemic, and there are a lot of land mines we have to be aware of right now when it comes to our mental health. How will the last several months of 2020 leave a lasting impact on all of us? Dr. Rachel Daltry, Director of the Counseling Center at West Chester University joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk a...

The holiday season is special for children. It's a time of year when memories are made for them. But just about everything is different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So how do you handle that with kids? What questions should you be asking them? How do you approach discussions about what to expect? Dr. Jennifer Rich, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rowan University joins KYW Newsr...

If you enjoy sky watching, something very cool is on the horizon involving Saturn and Jupiter that you won't want to miss. The two planets are getting close enough to each other in the sky that they look like a single point of light. Dr. Eric Jensen, Professor of Astronomy at Swarthmore College joins KYW Newsradio in Depth to talk about why it's happening and the best days for you to watch a prett...

Many people are still working from home as the pandemic continues, but there are still a good number of workers that are still reporting to their workplace or job site or office. We've seen workplace COVID-19 rules and guidelines put in place everywhere, but how effective are they? Are things like temperature checks and deep cleaning as effective as we once thought? Dr. Thersa Sweet, PhD, MPH, Ass...

New unemployment claims hit the largest number since mid-September. Forget about a holiday hiring boom this year? Just a few more weeks until many programs that have helped Americans through the pandemic expire. If congress doesn't act, this could get ugly. And to top it all off, the virus is completely out of control and new restrictions are being implemented in places around the country. When yo...

Since the start of the pandemic we've seen a lot of businesses close and reopen and close again. Some industries are doing really well, but others have just been decimated. And the live music scene has taken it on the chin. For the most part, concert halls and music venues closed their doors in March and never really had a chance to open them back up. Philadelphia has a lot of great venues, but no...

Shipments of Pfizer's COVID vaccine are expected to start arriving in American cities early next week. It marks the beginning of a massive effort to vaccinate as many people as possible to help bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end. So what does that process look like? How do you manage the logistics of a massive operation like making sure an entire city gets access to the vaccine? Philadelphia...

A geomagnetic storm is coming to the Earth, from the Sun, as soon as Thursday, December 10. It could affect everything from appliances to satellites to making the northern lights visible in places that would normally never see them. We first got interested because KYW Newsradio is a radio station and we were curious about if space weather is going to affect anything we do here at work. So we calle...

The UK has started administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and regulators there have issued a warning because two healthcare workers had allergic reactions to it. Now, officials are telling people with a history of serious allergic reactions not to get the vaccine. Dr. Annette Reboli, Dean of the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and a physician and infectious disease expert joins KYW N...

December 8th is safe harbor day. It's a key date for presidential elections and the Electoral College, dating back to the election of 1876, when the country was still scarred by the aftermath of the Civil War. So what does the safe harbor deadline mean for the 2020 election? What is the status of President Trump's remaining lawsuits challenging the results of the election? And... why is Texas suin...

Food insecurity has been a constant problem in the US, and the COVID-19 pandemic has really put that problem on steroids. As the pandemic worsens and we see some really challenging days ahead during the holiday season, places like the Food Bank of South Jersey are working hard to help as many people as they can. Fred C. Wasiak, President & CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey joins KYW Newsrad...

The economy is still plugging along, slowly, but the unemployment numbers are unsettling. There's a lot of nervousness over the lack of a stimulus bill, with many programs ending at the end of the month. State and local governments are in big trouble, is there light at the end of the tunnel? And now there are rumblings about inflation -- so is there actually anything to worry about? David Fiorenza...

So many of us are spending the work day on Zoom calls right now that it's easy for people to start fixating on their appearance. When you spend too much time looking at yourself, especially in the absolutely brutal mirror called video chat, it's all too common to start picking out things you don't like. And some people decide to go a step further and do something about it. We wanted to learn more...

Scientists in Philadelphia have been working hard on a COVID-19 vaccine at the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with INOVIO Pharmaceutical. Dr. David Weiner is the Director of the Wistar Institute's Vaccine Center and co-founder of INOVIO. We wanted to check in with him to see what they've learned about the virus, how their vaccine development is going, and to get...

Election years are usually a little wild in America, but 2020 seemed like it was a different animal entirely. There are a lot of things that Republicans and Democrats don’t agree about but for some reason this year it felt like the parties had absolutely nothing in common. Not even a massive public health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic could bring people from both sides together. So what is...

We are in the midst of a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean the fight against the scourges of other diseases and viruses takes a break. HIV and AIDS may not grab the headlines like we saw 30 or 40 years ago, and a lot of progress has been made since then, but it is still a significant concern in the US and across the globe. Chip Lyons, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundati...

The Department of Justice is a critical institution in any presidential administration -- so how are the priorities of the DOJ going to change in the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration? What will the biggest differences be from the last four years? And who could we see as Attorney General? Michael Moreland, Professor of Law at Villanova University joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about...

These are incredibly difficult times for the hospitality and tourism industry as the coronavirus pandemic continues wreaking havoc on travel and social activities. And now that it's getting colder in much of the country, many of the small gains we made with outdoor dining and things like that are becoming less and less practical. That means a lot more uncertainty for a hospitality industry that ca...

Janet Yellen is back. What will the Federal Reserve veteran bring to the Treasury Department? We're heading toward the end of the year and there's still no stimulus. How much longer can small businesses hang on? Which economic indicators are the most troubling? And if you could design your own stimulus bill, what should it contain? David Fiorenza, Associate Professor of Practice at the Villanova S...

There are obviously situations and relationships across the globe that need immediate attention once Joe Biden takes office, so how will the incoming administration address foreign policy? Dr. Richard Gioioso, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to help break down the biggest issues and relationships the Biden team will need to address...

What's the difference between the handful of vaccines that look like they're going to be ready soon? What are the side effects? When are you going to be able to get vaccinated? Why do you need multiple doses for some of them? What's up with the super cold freezer thing? How long does the vaccine last? What happens if a statistically significant number of people just don't participate? Dr. Annette...

As we move toward a new presidential administration in January, we're taking a look at how the incoming Joe Biden / Kamala Harris administration is expected to approach many different areas of American life. Dr. Christopher Gambino, Assistant Professor in Animal Science at Delaware Valley University joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about the world of agriculture -- what's developed in the last...

How will a Joe Biden administration work with Congress? Of course, a lot depends on the makeup of the Senate, which we won't know until Georgia's elections in January. But assuming there's a divided government with Republicans in control of the Senate, could a Biden White House have a productive legislative relationship with Congress? Do the Senate backgrounds of the President-elect and Vice Presi...

It's certainly a strange presidential transition period, but it is one nonetheless and on January 20th we will have a new Commander in Chief in the White House. So what can we expect from the "lame duck" period in the next couple months? What's been accomplished in the past by lame duck presidents? And who were the most effective and least effective lame duck presidents in history? Rogers Smith, P...

It's a stressful time right now. COVID-19 cases are surging just about everywhere. There's a lot of concern about what the fallout is going to look like in a couple of weeks after people travel all over the country for Thanksgiving. And there's also a ton of concern about the economic situation and the fact that Congress still hasn't passed another stimulus bill. Dr. Avenel Joseph, Vice President...