News & Views

After the Freeh Report and the NCAA came down hard on Penn State for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, it was not only an eye opener at Penn State, but also for other universities around the country.  WRTI’s Joe Irizarry speaks with Temple Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw and his counterpart at Villanova, Vince Nicastro, to discuss how each university is moving forward after the fallout at Penn State. 

The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments this week for an affirmative action case, Fisher v. Texas.  WRTI's Timothy Churchill interviews a professor of political science and constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania about two landmark precedents for racial balancing in higher education, what's at stake in Fisher and how the Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, might decide. 

September 17, 2012 - With federal and statewide elections around the corner, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is taking a hard look at the state's voter ID law. With few exceptions, the law requires PA voters to show a qualifying photo ID to get into the voting booth. Will it be effective on Tuesday, November 6th?  That question was the focus of oral argument before the Commonwealth's High Court last week. WRTI's Meridee Duddleston presents a glimpse of the session. The hearing was broadcast by Pennsylvania Cable Network. Updates below...

Pennsylvania's politically split Supreme Court is considering a challenge to a lower court ruling that upheld the state's polarizing voter identification law.

The law requires a state-issued photo ID card to vote, and supporters say it will help prevent voter fraud. Voting-rights activists have now shifted strategies from attempting to overturn the law, to instead putting up to a million state-issued photo ID cards in the hands of residents.

State officials recently estimated it is possible nearly 200,000 Philadelphia residents alone don't have proper ID.

The Philadelphia Police Department is using social media in an innovative way - tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are helping the department's closure rate. WRTI's Jim Hilgen talks with Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, and members of the department's social media team, about how using the Internet is helping combat crime in the city.