Kristin Hunt

Kristin Hunt is a senior staff writer for PhillyVoice. A history and pop culture junkie, she spends her spare time stalking the Free Library shelves and binge watching TCM. She has previously contributed to Vulture, GQ, Mental Floss, JSTOR Daily, and The Washington Post.

kristin@phillyvoice.com

January 17, 2023

Streaming

How to use Kanopy, the streaming service that comes with your Free Library card

by Kristin Hunt

Kanopy, a streaming service, is now available with a Free Library of Philadelphia card. Documentaries, classic and international films and children's shows like Sesame Street are available on the platform. The app previously was offered as a perk to cardholders between 2017 and 2021 but was cut due to budget concerns.

January 17, 2023

Books

Over 175 years ago, an enslaved couple escaped to Philadelphia through a daring disguise

by Kristin Hunt

Ilyon Woo's new book, "Master Slave Husband Wife," tells the story of William and Ellen Craft, an enslaved couple that fled Macon, Georgia and traveled all the way to freedom in Philadelphia. The Crafts made their journey on public trains, with Ellen disguised as a rich, white man afflicted with rheumatism.

January 13, 2023

Meet adoptable pups at a Dogs Night Out party at Craft Hall

by Kristin Hunt

Craft Hall is welcoming dog owners to bring their furry friends to a Dogs Night Out party to benefit Saved Me Rescue. Partygoers can also meet adoptable pups from the nonprofit shelter. The event takes place Jan. 27 from 7-10 p.m. People interested in attending are asked to RSVP.

January 13, 2023

Wildlife

'Unusual' whale deaths have been occurring at shore since 2016 – years before work began on N.J.'s wind farms

by Kristin Hunt

A dead humpback whale was found in Brigantine on Jan. 12, the fifth to wash ashore in New Jersey since last month. This prompted activists and politicians to blame New Jersey's offshore wind project, but NOAA has been investigating unusual whale deaths since 2016, years before any work on the wind farms began.

January 12, 2023

Neighborhoods

With 76ers new stadium, is Philly's Chinatown destined for same fate as Washington, D.C. neighborhood?

by Kristin Hunt

Philadelphia's Chinatown community is rallying against the proposed Sixers stadium on 10th and Market streets. Activists fear a repeat of history, pointing toward the impact of Capital One Arena on Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood.

January 11, 2023

Social Justice

Philly medical society apologizes for 'silence' over Holmesburg Prison experiments

by Kristin Hunt

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is apologizing for its silence over the Holmesburg Prison experiments, which subjected mostly Black prison inmates to radioactive isotopes and known carcinogens. The tests were led by Dr. Albert Kligman, a Penn professor of dermatology and fellow in the College. He received an award from the medical society in 2003.

January 10, 2023

Wildlife

Protestors claim N.J. wind farm project is killing whales, but a marine scientist says that's 'unlikely'

by Kristin Hunt

A dead humpback whale washed ashore on the beaches of Atlantic City on Saturday, the third since December spotted along the Jersey Shore. Protest group Protect Our Coast NJ claims the Ocean Wind 1 power project is to blame, but Ed Hale, a marine scientist from the University of Delaware, says that's "unlikely." Though research on the effects of offshore wind turbines on marine wildlife is lacking, he said their deaths were likely caused by other factors.

January 10, 2023

Health News

Most Bucks, Montco residents involved in CDC study have moderate to high levels of 'forever chemicals'

by Kristin Hunt

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among seven states participating in a national CDC study examining the relationship between PFAS and negative health outcomes. The so-called forever chemicals have been linked to higher cholesterol levels and increased risk of some cancers. Early results from Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania indicate moderate to high PFAS levels among residents.

January 5, 2023

Food & Drink

Apple pie pizza among the many adventurous foods available at the Pennsylvania Farm Show

by Kristin Hunt

The Pennsylvania FFA Foundation is offering an apple pie pizza at the 2023 Pennsylvania Farm Show this weekend in Harrisburg. Made with ingredients from local growers, the pie will cost $2 a slice. Other adventurous food items include hemp tea, fried berry Oreos, pumpkin or blueberry funnel cake and a goat sloppy Joe. Of course, there's also milkshakes, grilled cheese, ice cream and burgers.

January 5, 2023

Government

Sen. Bob Casey has prostate cancer, says prognosis is 'excellent'

by Kristin Hunt

Sen. Bob Casey announced has prostate cancer on Thursday. The three-term Democratic senator received the diagnosis last month, and expects to make a full recovery after surgery. Prostate cancer is the second-most common form of cancer among American men.