Midday

Today, Live in Studio A, it's Helicon, the iconic Celtic-inspired trio of Robin Bullock (guitar, citern), Chris Norman (wooden flutes, penny whistle) and Ken Kolodner (hammered dulcimer, fiddle, hammered mbira). Tomorrow, the group reunites for their 33rd Annual Winter Solstice Reunion Concert at Goucher College, playing Scottish, Irish, Appalachian and other folk music. But today, in keeping with...

Today on Midday, a conversation with the leaders of four different youth sports programs that are propelling kids in Baltimore toward academic success. Through these programs, young people are playing hockey, soccer and squash, and even riding dirt bikes. They're also gaining access to college and career planning resources, mentoring services and academic help. Tom will explore how youth sports pr...

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom for anlother of her weekly reviews of theatrical productions in the region. Today she spotlights A Wonder in My Soul, a tale of friendship and family set in the heart of Baltimore which runs at Baltimore Center Stage through next weekend. Written by acclaimed playwright Marcus Gardley and directed by Daniel Bryant, A Wonder in My Soul is the story of Swann...

Are you still searching for the perfect books to give your loved ones this holiday season? Or are you looking for a book of your own to relax with during the cold days of December? On today's show, Tom considers some of the year's best books, invites listener picks, and solicits the expert recommendations of two very well-placed local book lovers who join us in the studio:Heidi Daniel is the Presi...

Why it is that black babies in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to die than white babies? And why are black women dying from complications related to childbirth four times more frequently than white women? Linda Villarosa is a journalist, an educator and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. She covers the intersection of health and medicine and social justice. Andrea N. Will...

Dr. Maria Thompson, president of Coppin State University, joins us for the first in our series of conversations with local college presidents: Midday on Higher Education. She will discuss how institutions of higher education are meeting the needs of older, non-traditional students as the number of degree seeking students over 25 continues to rise. Dr. Thompson is Coppin State's seventh president s...

Join us for another Midday News Wrap. U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III was the man of the week after new developments in his investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election. In a heavily redacted court filing, Mueller announced that he would not pursue prison time for President Trump’s former national security advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, beca...

SONiA disappear fear is a Baltimore-based singer and songwriter, whose songs explore the human spirit and address global humanitarian issues. She spends a lot of her time performing in cities around the world. SONiA has performed with many popular music icons such as Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, as well as superstars including Bruce Springsteen, Emmy Lou Harris, and Sheryl Crowe. SONiA recently rele...

It’s Midday at the Movies! Following this morning’s Golden Globe nominations, author and Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday and founding director of the Maryland Film Festival Jed Dietz join Tom in the studio to discuss the nominees. And they look at the recent surge in films telling stories of African-Americans and strong women, including:The Favourite, a comedy-drama starring Olivia Colman...

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom to share another weekly review of a local theatrical production. This week, she spotlights Anastasia, a musical based on the 1997 classic animated film, running at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore. Anastasia -- with book by Terrence McNally, score by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens -- is a historical drama set amidst the fall of the Russian Em...

On today's Midday Culture Connections, a conversation about the links between racism and anti-Semitism. Tom is joined by Dr. Sheri Parks, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at MICA, and Dr. Beverly Mitchell, a professor of Historical Theology at the Wesley Theological Seminary. They discuss the connections between slavery and the Holocaust, and how interfaith engagements can help to counter m...

Today on Midday, Tom talks with the co-authors of the new book, The Black and The Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement. Former cop Matthew Horace gives readers an inside view of police tactics and police culture. Horace worked in federal, state and local law enforcement for 28 years, including more than two decades with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,...

George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died in his Houston home on Friday, Nov. 30. He was 94. Today, Karen Hosler, from the WYPR news team, joins us to talk about the president, his life and his legacy. Karen covered George H.W. Bush as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. She also was the president of the White House Correspondent's Association during his presidency an...

Since July, a team of workers clad in purple shirts have been on the streets of Baltimore in pursuit of 180 young men at-risk because of their involvement in the drug trade and gangs. These outreach workers are with Roca, a new program which aims to help these men, some of whom are among the most violent criminals in the city, turn their lives around. For three decades, Roca has worked in 21 commu...

Ronn McFarlane is one of the most acclaimed masters of a very old instrument – the lute. He’s a Grammy-nominated musician and was a founding member of the Baltimore Consort. He’s also a founder of folk trio Ayreheart and has worked with many other great early music groups in the United States and around the world. Alongside fellow lutenist Paul O'Dette, McFarlane will perform tomorrow night in a p...

Today on Midday, a conversation about the status and future of Maryland's Democratic Party, with two stalwarts now vying for the party's top leadership position. Maryland Democrats strengthened their majority in the General Assembly in this year’s midterm election. They also kept the Baltimore County Executive seat and picked up seats in Howard and Anne Arundel Counties. But Republican Governor La...

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom with her weekly review of a regional theatrical production. Today she spotlights Elf the Musical -- an adaptation of the beloved 2003 Will Ferrell comedy, Elf -- now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Md. David Schlumpf stars as Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves in the North Pole who travels to New York City to meet his real father, Walter...

Wes Moore, the bestselling author and social entrepreneur, and his mother, Joy Thomas Moore, are live with Tom Hall. Wes Moore is the CEO of the New York-based anti-poverty organization Robin Hood. He is the author of several books, including two New York Times bestsellers: The Other Wes Moore and The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters. He also is the host of Future City, which airs here on W...

Today on Midday on Health Care, Tom sorts through the many changes that have taken place in the health care options available to Marylanders, as they shop for plans during the current Open Season, which began on November 1 and ends on December 15.Tom talks with Michele Eberle, the executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, the state’s marketplace for private health insurance plans...

During all their campaigning for the November mid-term election, current office holders and wanna-be office holders often cited government ----waste, fraud and abuse---- as the trifecta they would address if elected -- a promise that was often followed by a pledge to fund new or existing programs with the massive savings citizens would enjoy when the waste was ferreted out. Tom's guest for the hou...

It’s the What Ya Got Cookin'? -Thanksgiving Edition, a beloved tradition here on Midday, going all the way back to...2016! Tom's guests today are two of Baltimore's pre-eminent culinary masters:John Shields is the chef and proprietor, along with John Gilligan, of Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the author most recently, of The New Chesapeake Kitchen;David Thomas is the ch...

This program originally aired on October 16, 2018. Author Jabari Asim joins Tom in Studio A today. Asim is a former editor and columnist for The Washington Post and the Editor-in-Chief of The Crisis, the journal of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His 2007 book, The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why was acclaimed for its important and trenchant observati...

Tom speaks with David Lorenz, SNAP director for the state of Maryland. SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests - is the oldest active support group for women and men harmed by religious and institutional authorities. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori is live with Tom Hall. Archbishop Lori leads the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which is the oldest diocese in the United States. At the recent National Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Baltimore, Archbishop Lori was among those who reportedly pressed his colleagues for some action in repsonse to the allegations of clergy child abuse in the Catholic Church....

As families travel and gather together for Thanksgiving here in the United States, today, a conversation with two people whose interactions with genetic data bases led to revelations about their family that no one in the family had known before. The story of Lisa Welchman and Daryle Lowden is poignant and heart-warming. Daryle is in his forties. Lisa in in her fifties, and just last spring, they d...