Midday

Every week, theatre critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to review the latest productions on stage across the region. Today, Judy discusses 'Floating Down to Camelot,' a Baltimore Playwrights Festival production continuing at the Spotlighters Theatre through August 17.

Gov. Wes Moore joins Midday to share his perspective on the deployment of National Guard and additional officers to patrol the streets of Washington. In a White House press conference on Monday, President Trump announced a federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. police department and the deployment of the National Guard, intending to restore order and public safety. During his remarks, the Presid...

From the halls of the state capitol in Annapolis to the corner dive bar in Baltimore, it seems like everyone is talking about rising utility costs. It is more expensive to turn the lights on, run air conditioning or bake cookies in the oven. On June 1, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco all raised their rates, yet again. The prices for gas and electricity have risen at a rate excee...

Many young people report experiencing depression and anxiety and struggling with identity and purpose. Dr. Charissa Cheah is here to help. Cheah is a professor of psychology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She directs the Culture, Child and Adolescent Development Lab at UMBC and she serves as the President of the Society for Research on Adolescents, an international organization of sc...

Midday turns the spotlight to young people who have left childhood and are navigating the oftentimes confusing, treacherous path toward adulthood. For those who run afoul of the law, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services is tasked with their supervision and treatment. Betsy Fox Tolentino is the new acting secretary of DJS. Last June, Gov. Wes Moore appointed her to replace Vincent Schiraldi...

A new book chronicles the remarkable political comeback of President Donald Trump, and the unprecedented circumstances of his reelection. Isaac Arnsdorf, a Washington Post White House reporter, is the coauthor of 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America. Josh Dawsey, of the Wall Street Journal, and Tyler Pager, of the New York Times, coauthored with Arnsdorf.

Dr. Ashanti Woods, an award-winning pediatrician at Mercy Family Care Physicians in Baltimore, returns to Midday to discuss health and young people. A disturbing report that was recently released by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia warns that mental health challenges, obesity, and infant and child mortality are all on the rise in the United States. Woods will take your questions about your...

On the Midday newswrap, catching up on consequential news stories in Baltimore County County Executive Katherine Klausmeier backed off of efforts to find a new Inspector General, opening the door for Kelly Madigan to continue in the role. After months of speculation and debate, are we at the conclusion of this story? Meanwhile, the council considers a major redrawing of districts that would change...

Last year, 5.8 million animals filled the nation's animal shelters, according to the nonprofit Shelter Animals Count. On Midday, WYPR reporter John Lee talks about local animal shelters with Rene Varela, the Bureau Director of the Baltimore County Department of Animal Services. Are the county's shelters as crowded as others in the region? How does fostering animals help to get them adopted?

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday each week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage. Today, Rousuck reviews Hamlet by Baltimore Shakespeare Factory. Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s production continues through August 17 at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter in Cedarcroft.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joins Midday to talk about the latest issues in Baltimore. By many metrics, public safety in the city continues to improve. Five years ago, in July of 2020, 42 people died by homicide in our city in that one month. That was months before Scott took office. This July, five years later, that number was 18. What has been the root of this turnaround? Scott points to the G...

WTMD’s First Thursday Festival returns tomorrow. The summer festival is held at the Canton Waterfront Park and features a massive lineup of food trucks in addition to live music. Tyler Laporte, afternoon host and WTMD Interim Program Director, joins Midday to preview this month's performers.

On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Midday discusses the status of voting rights for U.S. citizens with two legal scholars. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965, about a year after the landmark Civil Rights Act became the law of the land. The Voting Rights Act provided greater protections for the right to vote and required several states to change th...

Kelly Madigan is Baltimore County’s first Inspector General, tasked with sniffing out waste and fraud in County government. Since taking office in 2020, she’s earned bipartisan praise from the County Council and in April, she was named “Fraud Fighter of the Year” by the Maryland chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. But County Executive Kathy Klausmeier did not reappoint Madigan...

Maryland's bountiful harvests, from farms and from the Bay, contribute $8 billion dollars annually to the state’s economy. But the margins for many farmers are slim, and drought, tariffs and market uncertainty are a concern in the agriculture industry. Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks joins Midday to discuss what the state is doing to assist Maryland farmers. Atticks has...

The Baltimore Peace Movement is a community-based non-profit group that works to end violence in Baltimore. On four weekends each year, they hold events to encourage those who would do harm to act peacefully, and to help those who are in danger or who are in mourning. The organization's co-organizer Darnyle Wharton joins Midday to discuss Peace Promise Weekend.

On Midday Healthwatch, Dr. Leana Wen discusses some of the latest research into the link between exercise and cancer survival. Plus, the latest on nicotine pouch addiction and the effects of "dual-use". Wen is a Washington Post columnist, professor at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, author of the book Lifeline: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Hea...

It's time again for Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage. This week, she discusses Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to Peter Pan. The play is produced by Cockpit in Court Summer Theater and runs through August 3 on the campus of the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) in Essex.

From the 1920s until the 1950s, some real estate transactions in Baltimore County included restrictive covenants that contained clauses prohibiting the sale of homes to a “negro” or someone of “negro extraction.” In Stoneleigh, a bucolic neighborhood in Towson near the border of Baltimore City, many deeds still include such covenants. For the last two years, volunteers in this community have worke...

A new collection of essays charts the maturation of Baltimore culture writer Lawrence Burney, and the albums, artists, films, books, neighborhood gatherings that intersected with important episodes of his life. Burney grew up in Baltimore, and is the founder of True Laurels, a magazine that covers the city’s music and culture scene. He is a former critic for our news partner, the Baltimore Banner,...

Brandi Collins-Dexter, a keen observer of politics, an insightful scholar on race and a brilliant author, recently passed away at the age of 44. Today, a look back at Collins-Dexter's Midday interview on her book, Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and our Political Future. The author joined Midday in November 2022, just days before the mid-term elections in 2022. Collins-Dexter, who lived i...

What can bridge the widening divisions in America today? How can society foster a greater sense of belonging among different communities? Dr. Anand Pandian seeks answers to those questions in his new book, Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life and How to Take Them Down, where he invites us to explore the areas of our lives that create greater separations and barriers. Pandian i...

What Ya Got Cookin is back with a summer edition! Today, we learn tips and great recipes for the summer from chefs John Shields and Damian Mosley. John Shields is the proprietor of Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen at The Baltimore Museum of Art. He also has a collection of recipes in the book Chesapeake Bay Cooking. Damian Mosley is the owner of Blacksauce Kitchen, a catering and mobile food business...

WYPR Reporter Scott Maucione joins the Midday News Wrap to discuss the big news of the week he's following. He speaks with WYPR News Director Matt Bush about new information on the Key Bridge collapse, following the release of transcripts from the Dali cargo ship. Additionally, the mass overdoses in the Penn North area are driving city officials and emergency responders to closely examine the stra...

On the Eastern Shore, the town of Crisfield is in a longtime battle with rising seawater. The town has more fish and crabs than people. And now, the loss of a multi-million dollar FEMA grant places the future of the community in jeopardy. Climate reporter Adam Willis wrote about Crisfield and its inhabitants for WYPR news partner The Baltimore Banner.