CitizenCast

This Mother's Day, one West Philly woman wants to help the suffering of mothers and children through "grief weaving."

During this semiquincentennial season, Dr. James Peterson looks at the story of a woman enslaved at Stenton in 1776, which brings up more questions than answers. And that is as it should be.

Come November, the House and Senate may flip. Increasingly, the Supreme Court is being viewed as the last bastion of power. Ali Velshi explains.

Amid the ongoing conversation about free speech, democracy-loving Americans should be paying attention to — and exercising — their First Amendment right to … show up, together

When it feels like the world is without hope, how do we move forward each day? Kimberly McGlonn has some advice for you.  Do you have a question for Kimberly? Follow the link below to submit a question and we'll do our best to feature it in an upcoming episode. Fill out the form here

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, Denver just became the latest major city to launch a comprehensive plan for repairing and expanding its sidewalk networks. What is Philly waiting for?

Inspired by his own medical crisis, Al Dashiell is bringing registered nurses into his Center City barber shop to administer health care to his clients while they're in a familiar place. Chopped P.H.D. will hold its next screening this week, on Thursday, April 23rd, from noon until about 2 p.m. For more information,  visit this story on the web.

Ronnie Polaneczky is a senior editor at Philadelphia magazine who recently wrote the article "Why Philly Needs an Ona Judge Day." She joins Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDS, accompanied by Carl Singley who co-founded the Ona Judge Coalition, to talk about a major push to commemorate Judge with her own day.

... there's hope for other democracies that are backsliding into illiberalism. Ali Velshi explains.

In this episode of Philadelphia Promise, Christine Speer Lejeune, editor-in-chief of Philadelphia magazine, sits down with author, political thinker and all-around Renaissance man Richard Vague. In his new book,  The Banker Who Made America , Vague shines a spotlight on Thomas Willing, a highly influential Philadelphian who leveraged the power of American banking to help the country win its indepe...

What if your primary care physician gave you a script for more time outdoors? Prescribe Outside, a program from CHOP,  is doing just that . Writer Courtney DuChene visited just such a nature gathering with doctors, patients and a whole lot of kids.

On this episode of Gardening For Good, The Woodlands runs a volunteer-staffed program to restore flowers to cradle graves and build community in the process. For more information on volunteering, visit this story on the web.

On this episode, Dr. James Peterson argues that at the root of the shootings and violence and poverty cycles that plague our society sits literacy--quietly creating an architecture of inequality  

... starts with dehumanizing your enemies. Ali Velshi makes the case that Donald Trump's threats to destroy an entire country are much more than bluster.

In the final episode of this award-nominated essay, Tom McGrath asks what it would take to set Philly on the right path and protect the city from the whims of Washington D.C.

People aren't leaving cities. They're pulling into their own remote work spaces and eschewing the civic reasons they chose urban living in the first place.

The effects of Trump's cuts are broad and deep. In this essay, nominated for an NCRM award, Tom McGrath explains how Philadelphia got so hooked on federal assistance and what it means for our future.

One of the 2025 Erinda Sheno Memorial Prize winners, a junior at the Academy at Palumbo makes a beautiful argument for a multi-lingual, multicultural city and nation. Our differences don't just make us stronger — they're also worth fighting for.

Trump's cuts are hitting Philly hard. In this story, nominated for an NCRM award, Tom McGrath explains why the city is uniquely vulnerable to the president's economic rampage ... and how Philadelphia can (maybe) fortify itself for the future.

On this episode of Guest Commentary, Philadelphia is last in economic mobility among the 50 largest U.S. metros and stagnant in job creation. A chamber of commerce chair and a former U.S. ambassador, unite to say there's a better way.

"Trump's off-the-cuff musings of the war perplexes even his own advisors," Ali Velshi reports. Even our allies are being left confused. As French President Emmanuel Macron declared, "When you want to be serious, you don't say everyday the opposite of what you said the day before."

The CHOP physician and voice of the pro-vaccine, pro-health science movement stands in stark opposition to RFK Jr. Hear his story and why he was chosen as the 2026 Citizen of the Year.

Developed by Penn Engineering grads, Sonura is a high-tech beanie that protects preemies' ears by blocking out the loud sounds of an intensive care nursery and supporting parent-baby connections.

Recently nominated for a National Magazine Award, this story by Sandy Hingston suggests that despite political name-calling, social media meltdowns and public life feeling more hostile than ever, quiet acts of kindness might just reveal a growing civility--one small moment at a time.

After publishing his story, Don't Look Now ... But Philly is Safe , Larry Platt joined Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss one of the biggest crime turnarounds in modern history