Midday

It's time for another visit with  Midday  theater critic  J. Wynn Rousuck , who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland, DC and Virginia regional stage. We discuss “Ragtime,”  which continues at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, through Jan. 7, 2023 . Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today is  Midday at the Movies,  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 will discuss some of the latest movies in theatres, including American Fiction, Poor Things and Ferrari. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @Mi...

Today on Midday , we begin our series of Conversations with the Candidates. Over the next few months, we plan to speak with the major candidates in the Democratic primaries for Baltimore Mayor and City Council President, congressional candidates in the 3rd and 6th Districts, and candidates running for the U.S. Senate. Former Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon joins us to discuss her campaign to return t...

The huge humanitarian crisis at the southern border continues. More than 300,000 migrants were processed by US immigration officials just last month. And the repercussions of the crisis are far-reaching. Republicans in Congress are holding up aid to Ukraine and Israel until some kind of deal is reached about tightening border security in the US. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah , President and CEO of Luthe...

It’s another edition of the  Midday Healthwatch ,  our monthly conversations about public health with  Dr. Leana Wen. As we lean into our new year’s resolutions, Dr. Wen has written about some lifestyle changes we should consider, and how to get the most out of our exercise regimens. Dr. Wen is a former health commissioner of Baltimore, a columnist on health matters for the Washington Post, a medi...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on October 30, 2023.) Our guest Jill Lepore is a writer with an amazing gift for drawing connections between the historical and the contemporary. She connects dots like no other observer, and in this terrific and wide-ranging compendium, she weaves a beautiful tapestry of the personal and public, the quirky and the quotidian. She’s a professor of history...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on November 27, 2023.) Tom's guest is Dr. Joy Buolamwini, her ground-breaking work in the field of artificial (AI) intelligence led her to form an organization called the Algorithmic Justice League, with which she leads the crusade against the harms of AI. Dr. Buolamwini recently published a book that tells her remarkable story and how she came to unders...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on September 29, 2023.) Today on this encore edition of Midday, we’re going to talk about suicide with mental health professionals and advocates who are educating the public to help save lives. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 48,000 people died by suicide. T...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on November 14, 2023.) Today on this encore edition of Midday on Music , Tom is delighted to welcome the  Ndlovu Youth Choir to the Performance Studio at our sibling station WTMD, in Towson. This talented singing group from South Africa — the troupe with us today is comprised of seven young men and six young women — has become one of the world's most pop...

It's time for another visit with Midday  theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck , who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland, DC and Virginia regional stage. We take a look at Dial M for Murder, at the Everyman Theatre through January 7, 2023. The classic murder mystery was inspired by Hitchcock’s iconic film and follows Tony Wendice, a former writer who concocts a plan to murder his wealthy...

Today on Midday, a year-end edition of Newswrap. The WYPR news team joins me to talk about some of the big stories they’ve covered in 2023. We talk to the reporters who covered changes in voting laws, the election of Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore's inclusionary housing law and the devastating mass shooting in Brooklyn Homes, south Baltimore. Photo Credit: @iamwesmoore via X. Email us at midday@wypr.or...

A recent survey commissioned by Live Baltimore explores the reasons people choose to call Charm City home. What does the data tell us are the important factors as people decide where to live? Annie Milli is the executive director of Live Baltimore. We ask her about the survey and what it reveals about who is leaving and who is staying in our city, and why they are making the decisions they are mak...

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to run for President under the 14th Amendment to the constitution because he engaged in insurrection. If the ruling stands, his name will not appear on the Republican primary ballot in Colorado. Joining me now is  Kim Wehle , an author and constitutional law scholar  on the faculty of the University of Baltimore . Email us at mid...

Tom speaks with representatives from the mayor's office and police department who are working to reduce violence and address the root causes of crime in Baltimore. Mayor Brandon Scott announced his strategy to address violence in the summer of 2021, setting a goal of reducing murders by 15% per year. We did not achieve that goal in 2021 or 2022, but we are on track to exceed it this year. With 12...

Theater artist  Stevie Walker Webb  joins Midday. In October, he began his tenure as the new Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage. Walker Webb is an Obie Award winner and a Tony Award nominee. He is a director, playwright and educator, for whom social activism is a core tenet of his work. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

In September,  Caryn York  returned to her hometown of Baltimore to become the President and CEO of Baltimore Corps. Baltimore Corps was founded 10 years ago by Wes Moore and describes itself as a social justice and innovation hub focused on jobs and career building. York talks with Tom about removing barriers to employment for youth in the Baltimore region. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us:...

Live from the performance studio of our sibling station, WTMD in Towson, it’s the annual  Midday Holiday Concert  with  Helicon and Friends . On Saturday,  Helicon  and a host of other traditional artists will present their  38th Annual Winter Solstice Concert at Goucher College. The musicians performing on Midday include Robin Bullock, Chris Norman, Ken Kolodner, Brad Kolodner, Alex Lacquement, S...

Nathan Thrall is a Jewish-American journalist and author who served for 10 years as the director of the Arab-Israeli Project at the International Crisis Group. His latest book tells a heart-breaking story of a young Palestinian boy from the West Bank who dies in a bus accident while on a school trip. By tracing the actions of the young boy’s father in the aftermath of the crash, Thrall offers a co...

The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday ballet. While there are a number of organizations and dance companies presenting this great masterpiece, only one in our area features dancers and a live symphony orchestra. The Magical Christmas Ballet is part of a national tour, with  two performances next Monday and Tuesday at the Hippodrome Theater  here in Baltimore. Those performances will be conducted by...

It's time for another visit with  Midday  theater critic  J. Wynn Rousuck , who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland, DC and Virginia regional stage. We discuss  ArtsCentric’s production of “Cinderella ,” which continues at Baltimore Center Stage through December 23. This show is not your typical “Cinderella.” So what’s different? Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR,...

The new chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department joins Midday.  Chief James Wallace  was nominated to the position by Mayor Brandon Scott in July and confirmed by the City Council in October. He began his career with the department 33 years ago, and rose through the ranks as a paramedic, a firefighter, Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief. Since 2020, he served in the Scott administration as the he...

Today   we discuss the future possibilities for two prime pieces of real estate in Baltimore City: Harborplace and Camden Yards. The two locations are at the physical and emotional heart of our city. Can revitalizing these developments happen in a coordinated way that make downtown a more appealing place for local residents and visitors to enjoy? Tonight, Mayor Brandon Scott will host a  Public Fo...

Johns Hopkins University is moving forward with its plan to form a private police force, which will be deployed at its Homewood Campus, the hospitals and medical school in East Baltimore and at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood. The MD General Assembly established laws governing the formation of the agency in 2019. In 2020, the university paused its plans for two year...

Dial M for Murder  opens tonight at Everyman Theatre. Vincent Lancisi, the artistic director and founder of Everyman Theater, joins Midday along with three company members: Megan Anderson, Danny Gavigan and Beth Hylton. They join the show to share a preview of the play which offers a new twist on the classic story. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

MTA Administrator Holly Arnold joins Midday to discuss the sudden announcement of service suspension on the light rail's north-south line. Area residents are concerned with the suspension's impact on school transportation and traveling to Baltimore Ravens' games. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.