WURD Radio

Stephanie Cole is the co-owner of Young American Hard Cider and Tasting Room located in the historic Germantown neighborhood, where you can enjoy hand crafter hard ciders made from local, all natural Pennsylvania apples and light food bites made fresh and in-house. She joined Dr. Peterson for Ready, Set, Grow's "Door Front to Storefront" series to discuss Young American Hard Cider and Tasting Room...

Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos is a video journalist for The Associated Press covering breaking news in and around Ohio. His reporting spans from officer-involved shooting trials. He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the case of Jason Meade. Jason Meade is a former Franklin County, Ohio sheriff deputy and Baptist pastor, who is being charged with murder and reckless homicide for shooting Casey Goodson Jr. 5...

Tom Moore is the author of "The Corporate Power Reset that Makes Citizens United Irrelevant", and Senior Fellow for Democracy Policy at the Center for American Progress where he focuses on democracy and government reform. He joined Dr. Peterson for this week's Center for American Progress segment to discuss an update on his plan to remove corporate money from politics, which has already caught the...

Julia Cadwallender is the Managing Director for Read By 4th. Catherine Collins is the Library Coordinator in Youth Services and Programs at the Free Library of Philadelphia. They joined Dr. Peterson for this month's Philly Reads segment to discuss what Read By 4th was doing at the Roots Picnic, and the Free Library's summer programming.

Ryan N. Boyer is the Business Manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, a consortium of more than 50 labor unions in Philadelphia’s building and construction trades. He joins the show to talk about his thoughts on voter turnout, his thoughts on the recent primary elections, and more.

Zulene Mayfield is the Co-Founder of Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living. She joined the show to talk about ongoing environmental justice issues in Chester, Pennsylvania and the fight behind the Stop Trashing My Air Act. She discussed the push to stop Philadelphia trash from being burned in Chester, the health impacts on residents, and what quality of life really looks like while commun...

Gregory S. Jenkins, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Meteorology, and Director of the Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering and Design with Africa. He joins the show to talk about El Niño, climate change, and air pollution impacting Black and Brown communities in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. We also discussed a new project tracking pollution in historically redlined neighborhoods co...

Ben Tinsley is a French teacher based in Colombia, South America. A teacher of almost 2 decades and a lifelong student, Ben has dedicated his professional and personal life to the pursuit of substantive diversity, equity, and belonging in education. In the classroom, he has had the opportunity to work with teachers and schools around the world to develop curricula that center Black Indigenous Comm...

Todd Anthony is a Philadelphia native who is an actor, writer, producer, director, and singer. He is one of the brightest rising artists in entertainment. He is currently starring in a one-man show that he also wrote, called RED. This production details the life and legacy of legendary civil rights activist, Malcolm X. This show is also directed by Emmy®-nominated actor Crystal Lee Brown — marking...

Bobbi Block is an actor, director, and producer working in unscripted and scripted theater for 35 years. In 1992, she co-founded ComedySportz Philadelphia (Csz) an organization that showcases improv comedy, where two teams of improvisers compete for points by playing a series of improv games. Bobbi was Csz's Director of Applied Improv for 34 years, Education Director for 15, and Artistic Director...

Del Matthews is the Senior Vice President of Baseball Development at Major League Baseball, where he oversees operations that impact the game at every level. He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss his MLB Career, the HBCU Swingman Classic, and MLB’s All-Star Weekend happening in Philadelphia in July.

Kirstin Cornnell is the Director of Family Support for the Pennsylvania Prison Society. Late last year, the Pennsylvania Prison Society joined Evening WURDs to discuss their bus program allowing those that need transit to see their incarcerated loved ones. Kirstin Cornnell joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the possibility of the Pennsylvania Prison Society's bus program coming to an end if they do no...

Alli Lee is an education innovator and strategic leader who has forged new paths in learning and literacy for over 15 years. As Vice President of Program at Book Trust, Alli Lee leads national initiatives that ensures every child can experience the joy and power of reading through book choice and ownership. As an early literacy non-profit, Book Trust has supported more than 75,000 Philadelphia stu...

In this episode, Tech Life Steph talks about small businesses and the AI that they should be implementing to make workflow more seamless. Steph sits down with a Google AI expert, Nick Burns, to explain what new features have been added to Google. The second guest is Darlene Jennings of TRISPIRE LLC to explain the usefulness of ai and small businesses.

Host Ernest Owens sits down with Chief Defender Keisha Hudson of the Defender Association of Philadelphia to discuss Mayor Parker's founding decisions for the public defenders association.

Chris Norwood joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeating Senator John Cornyn in the Senate primary runoff, and the republican push back on Donald Trump.

Dr. Alycia Marshall is the 7th President of Community College of Philadelphia bringing outstanding leadership, expertise, and dedication to student success required for the city's college. She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Rhythm and Rise, the 60th anniversary of Community College of Philadelphia.

Lindsay Smiling is Wilma Theater's Co-Artistic Director. Eric Marsh is the Co-Founder of Fathering Circle, the partnering company of The Wilma Theater that is committed to community-driven storytelling. They joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the thought-provoking production of "The America Play" by Pulitzer Prize-Winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, which is currently running until Sunday, May 31st.

Michael Giardina is the Deputy Director of Operations at the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. He joins the show to talk about the City’s new public flood monitoring system designed to give residents real time flood data across Philadelphia. Giardina discussed how the technology will help communities prepare for severe weather, protect property, and improve emergency response in flood p...

Joanna Weiss is the Co-Executive Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center. She joined the show to talk about how courts across the country have used fines and fees as a revenue system that traps families in debt. Weiss explained how missed payments can lead to suspended licenses, job loss, and housing instability, while reforms have already delivered billions in financial relief nationwide.

Imani Thompson is the author of the upcoming book, "Honey", A dark, provocative, adrenaline-rush of a novel about a graduate student who murders bad men and justifies it in the name of feminism, by a bold new voice in fiction. Imani joins the show to talk about the context of "Honey", and to discuss some of its common themes such as Afro-pessimism, feminism, Black pain, and more. Imani is intervie...

Dr. Darrin Anderson is the president and CEO of The Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that empowers Black Americans and other historically underserved communities to achieve social equity, economic independence, civic power, and full civil rights. Dr. Anderson joins the show to speak about ULGP’s annual Empowerment Gala, which honored 28 Philly high school students with $5,000...

Dr. ShantaQuilette Develle is a globally recognized leader, bestselling author, and trusted voice in women’s health equity, leadership, and reinvention. A former tax and forensic accountant who retired from the IRS after surviving a stroke on the job, she brings a powerful perspective on resilience, wellness, and the hidden ways stress and silence impact women’s health. Dr. ShantaQuilette joins th...

Robert Dunham joins the show to discuss a story in the Inquirer. When court appointed lawyers turn from advocate to adversary.

Emily Rizzo is a Philadelphia-based multimedia journalist and audio producer who specializes in accountability reporting, education and community crisis, and is invested in using data to increase government transparency and hold election officials accountable. She joined Dr. Peterson for this week's Citizen WURD segment to discuss her recent Philadelphia Citizen article, “The School Where Kids Can...