Under the Sidewalk
The Philadelphia City Paper literally digs beneath the surface of the news with "The Ugly Underneath" by Amanda Gefter. Her story explores how the vast infrastructure of sewer, gas, electric and water lines below the city is highly vulnerable to accidents. Gefter gives great examples such as trucks falling into sink holes, exploding gas lines that fuel four-alarm fires and water-main breaks gushing gallons of water onto city streets. "If you knew the condition of what's under the city, you probably wouldn't walk on the sidewalk," one engineer tells her. As more cable and other lines go into the ground, the chance of accidents is only increasing, she writes. This is a good idea for an explanatory story that could probably be done in any city.
For another great Philadelphia story, check out "Extorting Sex with a Badge" by Nancy Phillips and Craig R. McCoy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.