The Dawn Stensland Show kicks off with Dawn battling fall allergies and standing firm on the local issues hitting our wallets and neighborhoods. We examine the pushback across Delaware County against a massive $120 million green space ballot referendum. Michael Straub—GOP Michael—stops by to expose how Delco officials expanded local bureaucracy by 25 percent, slapped residents with a 55 percent tax hike over three years, and now seek millions more through what he labels an omnibus project tied up in litigation over the Don Guanella parcel. Dawn questions why public dollars must fund projects better served by private philanthropy, while also taking aim at biased polling that persistently underestimates conservative turnout across Pennsylvania.
We welcome Frank Scales and Ian McGinnis of Surge Philly into the studio to address the collapse of American fertility numbers and the economic road blocks confronting young workers. Dawn, the crew, and the Surge guys break down why inflated home prices, stagnant wages, and competition from illegal immigration prevent twenty-somethings from buying houses and starting families. The conversation turns to real-world political organizing on the pavement, recapping Surge’s street interviews with New York congressional candidate Caroline Schinkel in Manhattan, their open-mic rallies on the north apron of Philadelphia City Hall, and public frustration with District Attorney Larry Krasner over delayed justice for victims like Sean Toomey.
Dawn shares gratitude for our listeners who turned out for the American Cancer Society fundraiser at Piazza and highlights the generous community outpouring for station colleague Kirk Corliss following the tragic loss of his wife. The team takes a lighter look at local football excitement ahead of Jeffrey Lurie’s Eagles Hall of Fame induction, the bizarre debate surrounding safe-sex kits handed out during trick-or-treating, and the weekend wedding of Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhart. From municipal tax fights to ground-level street activism, we bring you unfiltered local talk on WPHT.
