Midday

Midday Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom in the studio every week to review one of our region's current theater productions. Today she reviews Lempira: Oro Y Sangre, a rock opera performed in English and Spanish which tells the story of warring factions in Honduras and El Salvador.

On today's Midday on Pets, Dr. Lisa Gerity is back to answer to your questions about your beloved critters of all shapes and sizes. Gerity is the medical director at the Greater Annapolis Veterinary Hospital. As we move into the summer months, are you preparing for a car trip or a flight? Let’s talk about traveling with your pets. And as the weather warms, are you aware of issues like hyperthermia...

Theologian and author Derrick Weston joins the show to share his work at the intersection of faith, food and climate. Weston is the Director of Theological Education and Formation for Creation Justice Ministries and Co-Author of "The Just Kitchen: Invitations to Sustainability, Cooking, Connection and Celebration."

Nutritionist Monica Reinagel joins Midday for another edition of Smart Nutrition. Reinagel is a licensed nutritionist and the author of six books who blogs at nutritionovereasy.com. She is also the creator of the weekly Nutrition Diva podcast, which has become one of iTunes' most highly ranked health and fitness podcasts since it debuted in 2008. Ted Kyle joins the beginning of our show to talk ab...

Violent crime is down in Baltimore. In April, homicides reached lows not seen since the early 1970s. Though shoplifting has risen, according to police data, other types of crime has fallen. Baltimore City Police Commissioner Richard Worley joins Midday to discuss his department's part in anti-violence efforts. Plus, has the department turned a corner on longstanding recruitment issues? And, a shoc...

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin was a formidable force in Maryland and national politics for 58 years before retiring from elected office last January. Cardin joins Midday to discuss the latest from U.S. Congress. The former senior senator was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1966 at the age of 23, while he was still in law school. He rose to become the youngest Speaker of the House of Del...

This weekend, the 150th Preakness Stakes is set to be held at Pimlico Racecourse. This will be the last time the second leg of the Triple Crown will be run in Park Heights before a multi-million dollar renovation begins this summer. Joining Midday with a Preakness preview is Frank Vespe, the founder and publisher of The Racing Biz, which covers the thoroughbred racing industry.

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen joins Midday for a monthly update on the latest from the council. We ask him about a bombshell audit released this week revealing 36 deaths in Maryland over the past 20 years should have been ruled as homicides by police. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General launched the audit after former Maryland Chief Medical Examiner David Fowler testified in...

Midday Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom in the studio every Thursday to review one of our region's current theater productions. This week, a review of Baby with the Bathwater at Spotlighters Theatre. The production continues through May 18.

May means its time for Back to the Garden on Midday. Farmer Chippy, Founder of Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm and Carrie Engel, Greenhouse Manager at Valley View Farms, share their best tips on how to cultivate a vibrant and healthy garden this year. They answer your questions about tree sap, natural deer repellants and more!

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-8th) represents the majority of Montgomery County and a little of Prince George’s County. He is currently the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee. Raskin joins Midday to discuss how Democrats should approach campaigning and the next generation of Democratic leadership.

A pair of local authors join Midday to discuss self-doubt, resiliency and creativity. Amy Bernstein is an author and playwright, with a new book called Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration.  Sharon J. Burton is a visual artist, a poet and the founder of Spark Your Creative Coaching, where she works with people at mid-life who need help unblocking their creative potentia...

Internationally-acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie joins Midday to discuss her latest novel, Dream Count. The book is her first work of fiction since Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award 12 years ago. Dream Count is a rumination on friendship and feminism, a study of what makes relationships work and why they fail. The story is about people making assumptions, and ho...

The Baltimore Peace Movement is a community-based non-profit group that works to end violence in Baltimore. The organization's co-organizer Darnyle Wharton joins Midday to discuss May's Peace Promise Weekend.

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to review "Some Like It Hot" which runs at The Hippodrome Theatre through May 11.

Kimi Yoshino, the Banner's editor-in-chief, joins Midday to discuss the work behind their award-winning coverage.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says anti-violence initiatives like Safe Street helped Baltimore reach historic lows in the number of homicides committed in our city over the last 3 years. Midday hears from Alex Long, Site Supervisor for Safe Streets in McElderry Park and Sean Wees, Site Director for Safe Streets in Brooklyn.

Maryland's economy is deeply connected to the federal agencies sprinkled across Maryland from Baltimore to Washington D.C. Mass layoffs of federal workers by the Trump Administration are leaving thousands of Marylanders without work. Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller is leading the state’s efforts to help those now hoping to find new employment.

Sarah Ruhl is the author of 15 plays, an opera libretto, two collections of poetry, a collection of essays and a memoir. Ruhl teaches playwrighting at the Yale School of Drama, and her latest book is a terrific compendium of 60 brief essays about what she has learned and the people who have taught her. In Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present, Ruhl details an education in and out...

On today's Midday on Education, we’re hearing from students in our area today. College seniors are considering their futures, in employment or graduate school. Maryam Abdiruhman will graduate soon from Goucher College in Towson, where she’s majoring in Professional Creative Writing, with a focus on poetry. We asked her about the use of AI in college-level education and facing the job market in the...

Over the course of the next month and a half, high schools in the Baltimore area will send off another class of graduating seniors into the world. Last September, we spoke to a group of rising seniors in Baltimore. We asked them about cyberbullying, social media and phone use in schools, their concerns about the future of our country and their hopes for their final year in school. 9 months later,...

Artificial intelligence, social media, smart phones and cyberbullying. Today’s young people live with access to digital technology unlike anything older Americans had when they were young. Schools across the country are still playing catch-up with policies regarding technology use by students. WYPR education reporter Bri Hatch joins Midday to talk about what local schools are doing when it comes t...

Dr. Leana Wen joins Tom for Midday Healthwatch, where they discuss issues affecting the health and well-being of Charm City residents. Wen discusses the ongoing outbreak of measles, and a new movement of parents organizing around wariness to vaccines and processed foods. Plus, could the CDC change its guidance on vaccines? Dr. Wen is a former health commissioner of Baltimore. She’s a columnist on...

Scott Shellenberger, the State’s Attorney of Baltimore County, was first elected to the position nearly 20 years ago. Recently, state lawmakers have made changes to criminal justice policy. Last week, Governor Wes Moore signed several criminal justice bills into law that Speaker Adrienne Jones suggested would address the state’s “inequitable criminal justice system.” How do those reforms change th...

Midday at the Movies is our monthly focus on new films and film-industry trends, with our regular movie aficionados, Jed Dietz, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival, and Ann Hornaday, film critic for the Washington Post.   We discuss recent horror films including Sinners and The Shrouds in addition to the compelling documentary Ain't No Back to a Merry-Go-Round.