The Phillie Phanatic has held down the job as the Phillies mascot for more than 40 years. But now a feud between the design firm behind the mascot and the Phillies organization means that suddenly, the future of the Phanatic could be a question mark. This week on the podcast, KYW Newsradio's Paul Kurtz breaks down what makes the Phanatic unique in the universe of baseball mascots, and Peter Wakiyama, a partner at Pepper Hamilton's intellectual property department helps us understand what's actually happening, why the two sides are fighting, and what the odds are that 2020 ends up being the Phanatic's last season in Philadelphia. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Years ago, Nick Renn, a South Jersey funeral director, began giving tours of funeral homes to high school classes learning about grief. Nearly a decade later, he continues to give tours and teaches students about his profession. But one thing that has changed since the tours began is the effects from the opioid epidemic. He says now about 30% of the average business for many funeral homes in the area are overdose deaths. This week on the podcast, KYW In Depth host Carol MacKenzie and producer Charlotte Reese get a tour of Sweeney Funeral Home in Burlington County and see what the opioid crisis looks like through the eyes of a funeral director. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, Iowans in Philadelphia got the chance to participate in their state's caucus from a thousand miles away. A room in a University of Pennsylvania residence hall transformed into Philadelphia's first ever Iowa caucus satellite location, where fourteen Iowa Democrats tried to convince each other to upgrade their presidential preference -- while a lot of curious Philadelphians watched. This week on KYW In Depth, Andrew Kramer reports back from the first Iowa caucus in Philadelphia, and David Thornburgh, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy talks about the outsized impact young voters could have on the 2020 election. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

In 1945, Ernie Gross came one hour away from being murdered in the Dachau death camp. Don Greenbaum was an American soldier sent to liberate him. 75 years later, they're among the last surviving people who are able to tell the story of what they did and what they saw. KYW In Depth is a KYW Newsradio Original Podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on the Radio.com app, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Mariner East Pipeline system goes across 17 counties of Pennsylvania, carrying natural gas liquids past neighborhoods and schools. Some residents of Delaware and Chester Counties say issues like water contamination have been happening ever since construction started. This week on the podcast, KYW In-Depth producer Charlotte Reese went to talk to people in Thornbury Township, Delaware County who say their lives have changed ever since the work on the pipeline started in their back yards. KYW In Depth is a KYW Newsradio Original Podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on the Radio.com app, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.    See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Prohibition went into effect in America 100 years ago, and the City of Brotherly Love tested the ban on alcohol to its limits. Philadelphia responded to the 18th Amendment with thousands of speakeasies, bathtubs full of gin, a wave of organized crime, and public officials who looked the other way. This week on KYW In Depth, the Beer and Booze Broz take over the podcast to tell uncorked stories of prohibition in Philadelphia. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Philadelphia's Mummers parade is in the national spotlight again for all the wrong reasons after two Mummers wore blackface on New Year's Day. The racist display was quickly and roundly criticized by Philadelphia officials and Mummer representatives alike, but some Philadelphians say the parade is now more trouble than it's worth. This week on KYW In Depth, we take a look at the roots of the parade and Mummer traditions, and ask how the Mummers plan to move forward without repeating the mistakes of the past. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

One of the most devastating things a person can go through is the death of a loved one, especially if it's because of an act of violence. When someone is murdered in Philadelphia, families often don't know where to turn. The people at the Anti Violence Partnership of Philadelphia are there to help navigate the court system, connect grieving families with counseling, or even just provide emotional support in a court hearing. This week on KYW In Depth, we meet two of the people whose job it is to help when no one else is there. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This week, Philadelphia's major broadcast, print, and digital media outlets came together in an unprecedented show of unity after certain reporters, including KYW Newsradio's own Kristen Johanson, were excluded from a press conference at the Philadelphia District Attorney's office. This week's episode is the story behind that incident. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf granted clemency this year to 8 people serving life sentences. One of those people is David Sheppard. He's 54 years old, and in 1992 he was one of four people convicted of the robbery and murder of Thomas Brannan, a pharmacy owner in Overbrook. Sheppard served 27 years in prison before he was given his freedom. But after an email from the Lieutenant Governor accusing Delaware County's District Attorney of trying to hold up his clemency and a social media post by Kim Kardashian West, Sheppard found himself suddenly in the middle of a war of words on the national stage. KYW In Depth is a KYW Newsradio Original Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast on the Radio.com app, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Navigating the criminal justice system can be long and painful for families of murder victims. It sometimes takes more than a year for a murder case to wind its way through court in Philadelphia. Rusten Johnson, whose daughter Kierra was murdered in 2017, has experienced this first hand. He’s sat through more than three dozen court listings, waiting for justice for his daughter. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

In the next couple of weeks, you're going to see some changes coming to this podcast feed -- starting with the name and how often new episodes will be released. Scroll Down is becoming KYW In Depth. Every Friday, starting on December 6th, we'll take one of the local news stories that KYW's reporters are covering on the radio, and we'll dig into it on the podcast, talking about why it matters and how it will affect people who live in the Philly area. The podcast name and artwork are going to change. What's not going to change is the high quality storytelling and real, factual, on-the-scene reporting you expect from KYW Newsradio and KYW's original podcasts. We want you to meet the team making KYW In Depth, so Charlotte, Allie, and Carol are on the podcast this week to introduce themselves. We're excited about the new project, and we're exciting about going weekly! See you on the 6th.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Port Richmond is a Philadelphia neighborhood known for its great polish food, the best pound cake in Pennsylvania, and a working class, blue collar vibe. But for the better part of the past couple years, the neighborhood has been turned upside down. Two different infrastructure projects have claimed the trolley, the ramp from I-95, and the main road through the business district. Today on the podcast, we're following John McDevitt through Port Richmond to meet some of the characters who live there and find out how the neighborhood is reacting to the changes. Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert (@teerick) in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe!  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Spotted Lanternfly has invaded Pennsylvania, and it's kicking bark and taking names. So far its only natural predators are humans who enjoy squishing bugs, and we're losing. But there might be some hope for the humans -- a secret weapon named Rachel Bergey. She's 14, she's an inventor, and she's on a mission to save the trees and kill the lanternflies. Jim Melwert (@JMelwert) joins the podcast to talk about the coolest science fair project we've ever heard of. Check out his article about Rachel on kywnewsradio.com. Scroll Down is produced by Tom Rickert (@teerick) in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe!  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

On Wednesday, August 14th six police officers were shot in North Philadelphia. KYW Newsradio covered the harrowing standoff that night and into the morning. It was an intense, scary, and completely affecting 8 hours of radio. Today on the podcast, we wanted to bring you that night. Or at least what it sounded like on the radio -- in a much shorter amount of time than the 8 hours it took to play out. This is what we heard and what we found out that night, as it happened, as heard on KYW Newsradio. Scroll Down is produced by Tom Rickert (@teerick) in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe!     See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of a story we started last year about a remarkable woman named Carol Orzel. Carol was 59 years old when she died from a very rare bone disease. Her last wish was for her body to be donated to the Mütter Museum -- so scientists could study her skeleton and learn more about the disease that killed her. KYW reporter Mark Abrams (@MAbramsKYW1060) is back on the podcast today to tell us how Carol's wish was fulfilled. You can hear the first part of the story wherever you get your podcasts (it's episode #37), or at kywnewsradio.com. Read more about Carol Orzel on kywnewsradio.com.  To find out more about the Mütter Museum, check out their great website at muttermuseum.org. Find out more about the great work done by Skulls Unlimited at their website, skullsunlimited.com.  Remembrance photos of people who have passed away from FOP can be found at ifopa.org. Carol's photo is there too. Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert (@teerick) [LINK = https://twitter.com/teerick ] in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod [LINK = https://twitter.com/scrolldownpod ]. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe!  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Part one of the story of Carol Orzel originally aired in August of 2017. We're re-airing the episode today because part two is up next! Carol Orzel had a very rare bone disease. It's called Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP. It's a condition she shared with only about 800 or 900 people around the world. And when Carol died, she had a request: she wanted her skeleton to be displayed in the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. Mark Abrams (@MAbramsKYW1060) joins the podcast to talk about the life, death, and legacy of Carol Orzel. Check out the article Mark wrote about Carol: CLICK LINK For more about the Mütter Museum, head to muttermuseum.org. Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Newsradio studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the podcast on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod, and you can follow Tom on Twitter at @teerick. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

When Bucks County Recorder of Deeds Robin Robinson discovered the county's oldest deeds weren't in her office, she threw herself into a search and rescue operation that took her from an old, musty Doylestown warehouse to a laboratory in Vermont. Today on the podcast, Jim Melwert (@JMelwert) has the story of a rediscovered treasure trove of history. Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert (@teerick)  in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe!  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Jawuan Jones is not your typical barber. He finds a spot in the city -- anywhere, really, from a sidewalk in Center City to Love Park -- sets up a chair and a generator, and hangs up a sign that reads "Free Haircuts for Homeless." Then the line starts, and Jawuan gets to work. Today on the podcast, KYW Newsradio reporter Cherri Gregg (@CherriGregg) takes a trip to Jawuan's office, the median at the center of Broad Street just south of City Hall, to find out more about the barber to the homeless. Follow Jawuan on Instagram: @haircut4homeless Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Newsradio Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. And you can follow Tom: @teerick. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Update: Free

During World War II, a lot of working age American men were drafted or joined the armed forces. They left a lot of jobs back home that needed to be filled to power the war effort. In many cases, the jobs were taken by women, who became known as Rosies (as in Rosie the Riveter). Now, 75 years after D-Day, there's a movement underway to find the Rosies who are still with us. Scroll Down producer and reporter Charlotte Reese takes over the podcast this week with the stories of two Rosies who helped in the war effort, and one woman has made it her life's mission to reunite the working women of World War II across the country. Find out more about the American Rosie Movement at thanksplainandsimple.org  Scroll Down is hosted and produced in the KYW Newsradio Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Maddie Gebert is great at lacrosse. She's a junior at Temple University, a star on the women's lacrosse team, and one of the best players in the American Athletic Conference. And she's doing all this while living with epilepsy. Matt Leon (@MattLeon1060) is back on Scroll Down to talk about Maddie's story. Check out his article on Maddie at kywnewsradio.com.  Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. And you can follow Tom: @teerick  Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Store owners in Suburban Station have a problem. Crime, drug use, and homelessness is up, they tell KYW Newsradio, and business is down. Way down. And they think it started when a homeless outreach center in the station expanded its services. Today on the podcast, Justin Udo takes their concerns to the city, SEPTA police, and the Hub of Hope, three different organizations with a lot invested in Suburban Station. He found a lot of different ideas -- about solutions to the situation, and even about what the problem is to begin with. Follow Justin on Twitter at @JustinUdo, and check out his article about Suburban Station on kywnewsradio.com  Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. And you can follow Tom: @teerick. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Operation Stone Wall started as an investigation into a cocaine ring in South Jersey. One year later, New Jersey's attorney general says four people in that ring became the very first to be charged under a new law criminalizing ghost gun trafficking. This week on Scroll Down, Steve Tawa and Kristen Johanson tell us about ghost guns, how Operation Stone Wall developed, and what's next for New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Read Steve's article about Operation Stone Wall on kywnewsradio.com Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the show on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod. And you can follow Tom: @teerick. Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the first part of this story in episode 40, anywhere you get your podcasts, or on kywnewsradio.com Peter Biar Ajak has been in a notorious prison in South Sudan for the last 7 months. Friends of the jailed peace activist and political prisoner say his situation has gotten worse since we talked to them last, back in September of 2018. Follow the effort to free Peter on Twitter: @FreePeterBiar  and on Facebook: @FreePeterBiar  Tim Jimenez (@timjradio) helped bring Peter's story to the podcast today. Scroll Down is hosted and produced by Tom Rickert in the KYW Newsradio studios in Philadelphia. You can follow the podcast on Twitter: @ScrollDownPod, and you can follow Tom on Twitter at @teerick. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.