Special « CBS Philly

(The archbishop of Philadelphia's former residence on City Avenue. Photo provided by whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com.)

2012 Year in Review: Retrenchment in the Philadelphia Archdiocese

It was a rough year for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which had to sell off several valuable properties including the archbishop’s residence and a seashore villa, lay off employees, and fold the “Catholic Standard and Times” newspaper.

2012/12/26

2012 Year in Review: Two Philadelphia Firefighters Killed in Kensington Blaze

It was a tragedy that shook the city of Philadelphia: the loss of two firefighters in a wall collapse during a massive warehouse fire in Kensington.

2012/12/26

New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Pres. Obama, and FEMA administrator Craig Fugate walk to Marine One for an aerial tour of the South Jersey areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. (Credit: Jewel Samad/ AFP/ Getty Images)

2012 Year in Review: Gov. Christie Finds Himself Repeatedly in National Spotlight

The governor put aside party differences, and an imminent election, to praise President Obama as they worked together on hurricane relief.

2012/12/26

2012 Year in Review: 48 Septa Employees Share Huge Powerball Jackpot

This past spring, a group of Septa employees had the luckiest lunch break in company history.

2012/12/26

(A badly damaged home in Sea Isle City, NJ after Hurricane Sandy. Credit: David Madden)

Part 1: Disasters of Our Own Making

Approximately 10,000 Philadelphia residents are living in flood zones. And that number is only within the city limits.

2012/12/06

(A crew from Mississippi Power Co. prepares to replace a broken power pole and install a new transformer following Hurricane Sandy. Credit: Mark Abrams)

Part 2: Playing Catch-Up After Each Big Storm

When a storm hits, governments and utility companies often find their preparations insufficient.

2012/12/06

(The waters of the Schuylkill River rose during Hurricane Irene to flood Main Street in Manayunk wall to wall. Photo provided by Michael Dornblum)

Part 3: Direct Damage and Other Costs

A major storm could cause a business to close its doors for good. But even those able to recover may suffer.

2012/12/06

(Storm waters surround a home in Lumberton, Burlington County, NJ following Hurricane Irene. Credit: Karin Phillips)

Part 4: Finding A Better Way

Lessons learned from past storms have resulted in stricter building codes and other requirements on the federal, state, and local levels.

2012/12/06

(Construction is underway on a new building on the campus of the Agnes Irwin School, in Rosemont, Pa. Credit: Pat Loeb)

Part 3: Who Benefits From It?

“BLOCS provides scholarships from your business taxes to students who not only want to attend a Catholic school but are most in need,” says one advertisement.

2012/11/08

(Students and their belongings are screened at the entrance to Samuel Fels High School, in Northeast Philadelphia. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Part 1: Back From The Brink

Until this year, the Samuel Fels High School in Northeast Philadelphia was listed as a “persistently dangerous” school, as defined by the state. But the climate is changing there.

2012/10/04

(Kelley Hodge is the School District of Philadelphia's safety watchdog. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Part 2: Voice For The Victims

If kids don’t feel safe, they’re not going to learn. But now the victims of assaults in Philadelphia schools have someone going to bat for them.

2012/10/04

(A Philadelphia Police cruiser sits outside Gratz High School on September 20th following a shooting in the Broad Street subway that was initially believed to involve Gratz students. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Part 3: Getting Tough on Violence

There is a new atmosphere at one Philadelphia high school where, students say, violence used to be commonplace.

2012/10/04

(Philadelphia schools superintendent Dr. William Hite. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Part 4: More Than Toughness

In this report, KYW’s Mike DeNardo looks at how Philadelphia’s new schools superintendent plans to tackle school violence.

2012/10/04

(A student's belongings are piled up for move-in day at Temple University. Credit: Paul Kurtz)

Part 1: Back-to-School Scrimping

While the economy continues to sag, tuition costs continue to skyrocket, so an increasing number of students and parents are implementing cost-cutting strategies in order to keep up.

2012/09/06