Distilleries around the country are doing their part to fight the COVID-19 pandemic by making hand sanitizer. Robert Cassell, co-founder of New Liberty Distillery and President of the Pennsylvania Distillers Guild talks to KYW In Depth about the work involved in switching from making spirits to making hand sanitizer, where the biggest need for the hand sanitizer is, the collaboration between business and government needed to pull it off, and how you can help. Check out New Liberty Distillery here: https://newlibertydistillery.com/ PA Distillers Guild website: https://padistillersguild.com/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Congress is spending more than $2 trillion on a COVID-19 relief bill while much of our economy is shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. What's in the bill? How much of it is going to help you and your family? What about your employer? We asked those questions and more to Steven Portnoy, White House Correspondent for CBS News, who helps explain: - Why the added unemployment benefits are a bigger deal for most Americans than the direct checks - How much money you could get while you wait out this crisis - What's being done to make sure your employer can stay in business and hire you back - How the federal government is funding an attack strategy against the virus Steven also talked about a new finger prick test for coronavirus, the newest warnings from NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and what it's like covering the White House during a pandemic. Follow Steven Portnoy's White House coverage on twitter @stevenportnoy. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Uncertain times call for economics professors on speed dial. Villanova's David Fiorenza checks back in with KYW in Depth to answer a handful of questions, including: - As an economist, what's your biggest concern right now? - We've seen incredible gains and losses in the stock market, do you expect the volatility to continue? - What would a $2 trillion package do for the economy? - Did anything surprise you in the past week? >>>   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania is in a tough spot right now. Normally, they have hundreds of animal lovers who volunteer to help out with the dogs and cats at the center. But during the coronavirus pandemic, the limited on-site staff have to pick up all the work. They've also canceled fundraisers that they depend on to keep the Center going. On this episode of KYW In Depth, Carol MacKenzie talks with Providence Animal Center's Director of Advancement Justina Calgiano about what the shelter needs and the specific ways they need people to help during this crisis. Hint: have you ever wanted to foster a fur baby?   Providence Animal Center's website: https://providenceac.org/ "We realize people are up against some really tough odds right now. Finances are dwindling, and that's really hard, and it's really upsetting. But pets are family. And so we're trying to keep the family intact right now." - Justina Calgiano, Providence Animal Center.  >>> See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We're continuing our series on Olympic athletes from the Philadelphia area dealing with the postponement of the 2020 games by talking to two athletes who already had their tickets punched to the games. Jake Rosenberg is an Ardmore native who went to Harriton High School. He is an outfielder on the Israeli National Baseball team, which has qualified for the Olympics. Summer Rappaport is a triathlete who has made the US Olympic Team. She is a Villanova University alum.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo have been postponed. For some of the athletes who have been training for months or years for the chance to compete, postponing the Olympics means another year of work. For others, it means that some windows that were open this summer might not be open next year.  On this episode of KYW In Depth, Matt Leon reaches out to athletes in the Philadelphia area who have been trying to make Olympic teams. Nathan Gillis is a fifth-year senior at La Salle University. He has been training in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics to represent his home country of Great Britain in the 800 meter and/or 1600 meter track events.  Tyler Nase is a rower who took part in the 2016 Olympics and has been working to qualify for 2020. He is a La Salle College High School product and an assistant rowing coach at the University of Pennsylvania. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Philadelphia school district is trying to get laptops and internet access to all of its students. That means buying a very large number of computers, and trying to get internet access to the students who don't have it at home -- roughly half of the student population. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo is back on KYW In Depth to talk about how the district is planning to get it done. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Bad guys don't take days off, even during global virus pandemics. Federal authorities are sounding the alarm on scams like fake vaccines and cures during the COVID-19 crisis that prey on people's fear and target their wallets. On this episode of KYW In Depth, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Bill McSwain tells KYW Newsradio crime and justice reporter Kristen Johanson how the coronavirus scams being reported to the Feds are 'only limited by your imagination.' If you have been scammed or have a tip about something coronavirus related that you think seems fishy: Call the Department of Justice national hotline to report a scam: 1-866-720-5721 Or send an email to disaster@leo.gov See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Most businesses in the Philadelphia area are shut down right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for some essential businesses - what Pennsylvania calls life-sustaining - there are jobs that need to be filled, and now more than ever. Matt Lutcavage, chief HR officer at Giant Food Stores joins KYW In Depth to talk about the challenges faces by grocery stores and supermarkets during this crisis, what their biggest needs are, and what they're doing to keep employees and customers safe.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Times are getting tough for families who normally don't struggle to put food on the table. But for people who deal with hunger on a regular basis, the instability brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is very serious. On this episode of KYW In Depth, Stefanie Arck-Baynes from Philabundance and Greg DeLozier from the Food Bank of South Jersey talk to KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon about the biggest challenges they're facing in getting food to people they need it during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Philadabundance:https://www.philabundance.org/ The Food Bank of South Jersey:https://foodbanksj.org/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

If you live in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, or Delaware counties -- Gov. Tom Wolf says stay at home. KYW Newsradio's suburban bureau chief Jim Melwert joins KYW In Depth to break down what that order means, why it's different than the shelter in place orders we've seen in other states, and where the suburban counties are in fighting the spread of COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey is exploding. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo checks in on KYW In Depth with an update on the number of cases in the Garden State, and what assistance Governor Murphy is asking for from the federal government. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Custody, child support, and family court issues can be difficult for families to get through on a good day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they can feel impossible. Family law attorney Jennifer Brandt, the chair of the Cozen O'Connor Family Law group, joins KYW In Depth with tips on how families can navigate these tough issues during this crisis.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The COVID-19 outbreak pulled the plug on college sports across the boards. For spring sports, seasons were just getting started. So for college coaches who were expecting to be waist deep into the grind of a season -- what do they do when that season is brought to a very premature close? KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon caught up with two of the top college baseball coaches in the region - Fritz Hamburg of Saint Joseph's University and Jad Prachniak of West Chester University - to find out how they learned their seasons were over, how they've handled not being able to coach and what they are missing right now. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

A lot of people are out of work in Pennsylvania right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And many have never had to submit a claim for unemployment compensation before. The process can be confusing and intimidating. We've been getting a lot of questions about the unemployment process, so we took them and asked an expert to answer them. James Pearl is an attorney in Philadelphia, he's been practicing for more than 20 years, and he specializes in business disputes and pretty much everything surrounding small and medium businesses and employment issues. Pearl answers questions like: - Who is eligible for unemployment? - How much money can I expect, my full salary or a percentage? - Do I have to use my paid time off before filing for employment? Should I? - What do I put on the form? - How does my health insurance work while I'm not receiving a paycheck? - Am I eligible for unemployment if I have no one to watch my kids? IMPORTANT LINKS: PA Unemployment Website: https://www.uc.pa.gov Information for PA employees impacted by COVID-19: https://www.uc.pa.gov/Pages/covid19.aspx See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

UPDATE: The Governor has extended the deadline for enforcement until Monday, March 23, at 8:00 AM.  We know a bit more than we did last night about the ordered closure of non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania amid the coronavirus pandemi. And since then, some of the business types have switched categories. Ian Bush and Tom Rickert talk about the changes and wrap up one of the strangest weeks in the news we can remember. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Protection asks businesses with questions as to whether their organization needs to close to email ra-dcedcs@pa.gov. Any business interested in seeking a waiver to the order can reach out to the state directly by emailing ra-dcexemption@pa.gov or calling 1-877-PA-HEALTH and select option 1. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We don't hear a lot about the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. At least, we didn't until COVID-19 started being the only thing we talked about. But there's a lot we can learn from what was "almost certainly the worst plague in human history," according to George Wohlreich, President and Chief Executive Officer of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Wohlreich joins KYW In Depth to tell us what happened back then and what we've learned from it. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Can your blood type make you more susceptible to COVID-19? Why are men and women getting sick and dying at different rates? If we social distance well, how long will it take for things to go back to normal? Why do you need to stay 10 feet away from other people if you absolutely don't want to get sick? The answers to these questions and more come from Dr. Krys Johnson at Temple's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Johnson was also an Emerging Infectious Disease Fellow at Florida's Department of Health during the Zika outbreak. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Congressman Andy Kim represents New Jersey's 3rd district. He is currently self-quarantining after he came into direct contact with another member of Congress who tested positive for COVID-19. Carol MacKenzie talked to Congressman Kim about what self-quarantining looks like, what's involved, and what kind of symptoms he's experiencing. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has ordered the closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses starting at 8pm Thursday, March 19th. KYW Newsradio's Ian Bush, Charlotte Reese, and Tom Rickert break down the five-page list sent out by the governor's office to try and figure out what exactly is on the list of life-sustaining businesses, and what isn't. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Ian Bush asks Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney questions live on KYW Newsradio, including about how Philadelphia is preparing for more cases of COVID-19, the additional measures the city is taking to combat the spread of coronavirus, and how the justice system is operating during a pandemic. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We have a lot of questions about how this pandemic is affecting the economy, so we started by asking two economists from the Philly area some basic questions about the fallout from COVID-19. David Fiorenza is a Professor of Practice at the Villanova school of Business and Adam Pellillo is an Assistant Professor of Economics at La Salle University. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

SEPTA is changing how often the busses and trains run. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo talked to SEPTA management and he joins KYW In Depth to report back on what the changes mean for riders. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Gas stations are one of the critical businesses in New Jersey allowed to stay open at all hours. New Jersey is also the only state in the U.S. where it's illegal to pump your own gas. As a consequence, people who pump gas in the Garden State are now firmly on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, stuck between performing a critical job and trying to maintain social distancing recommendations. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo went to a gas station to talk with one of the people helping keep New Jersey's cars and trucks on the road. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The shelves at the grocery store where you normally find bottled water have been empty since people started stocking up for the COVID-19 pandemic. At the water utility company Aqua America, they've gotten some phone calls from people asking whether they should be concerned about coronavirus in drinking water, or if the virus could survive the water treatment process. Aqua America's Chief Environmental Officer Dr. Chris Crockett joins KYW In Depth to talk about how the utility cleans drinking water, why water treatment kills viruses, and how they're keeping employees safe. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.