On The Record

Baltimore City settled a lawsuit two weeks ago with a price tag of $44 million, earmarked for pedestrian improvements--repairs aimed at directly affecting how people with disabilities get around the city. We hear details from  Madeleine Reichman, a senior staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates , and from Janice Jackson , one of three plaintiffs of the lawsuit.  Links: Women Embracing Abilit...

Nurses are problem-solvers and collaborators. They assess settings on the fly. Does that make them a fit for public office? “Healing Politics” says yes. We ask co-founder Lisa Summers how they get the job done. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Sen...

It’s hard enough to get access to the medicine you need… even under the best of circumstances. You gotta ask your doctor to fill the prescription, gotta get to the pharmacy, wait in line, and have a ride home.  Now imagine how much harder the whole errand is when the only way to get to the pharmacy… is by boat. That’s the challenge facing folks who live on Smith Island, which sits 10 miles off the...

With Thanksgiving just days away, you might be cleaning out your fridge now to make space you’ll soon need for leftovers. But do all the things you’re throwing out actually need to be thrown out? And what can you do to reduce the number of things you need to throw out in the first place? For answers, we’re joined by Roni Neff , an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and E...

Here’s a Stoop story from Wayne Larrivey , who was very worried about getting in trouble at work - with good reason! Check out the Stoop podcast and upcoming events .  Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mge...

Everybody’s got a story … and sharing stories breaks down barriers between people. Especially important at this moment in America. Paul Mecurio created and hosts “Permission to Speak,” where people come on stage to share stories that evoke a lot of laughter.  “Permission to Speak” starts at 8 p.m. tomorrow evening at Maryland Hall in Annapolis . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a...

Eastern shore residents often lack the access to the healthcare they need. The University of Maryland School of Medicine is tackling that problem with the ‘ Rural Health Equity and Access Longitudinal Elective’ (or R-HEALE) program. Students are mentored and trained with a focus on rural health needs. We talk with the director, Dr. Leah Millstein and first year student Sarah MacDonald. Photo: Sash...

Haunted houses abound in the new horror comedy film “For Sale By Exorcist.” The film centers around Susan Price, a licensed realtor and certified exorcist, who travels through twelve states, separating ghosts and demons from the buildings they’re haunting … and gets buyers into specter-free homes. The film is the directorial debut of Baltimore filmmaker Melissa LaMartina -- we get a preview! Ticke...

Economic concerns pushed Donald Trump over the finish line in the race for president. But what did voters mean when they said the economy was their top issue?  And how is political polarization shaping how voters view financial recovery from the pandemic? Prof. Ian Anson,  associate director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, explains. Do you have a question or comment abo...

The General Assembly passed the “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” back in 2021, a law mandating more funding for schools, higher salaries for teachers, and a series of reforms aimed at better serving our state’s students. The first pillar of the Blueprint is Early Childhood Education and the law requires a major expansion of pre-kindergarten programs. How is it going? We ask Maya Lora , an early c...

Racist text messages were sent to Black people across the country In the wake of the presidential election. The messages referenced slavery, and appear to be part of a coordinated harassment campaign. We hear from a local mother of a child who received one of these texts and ask Jonathon Smith , Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the State Attorney General’s office what people can do to protect...

Here’s a stoop story from Aseloka Smith about discovering the magic of … shopping carts! The next LIVE stoop event is Holiday Hootenanny!  An evening of holiday stories and music from The Honey Dewdrops on December 3rd at 7pm. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org...

Donald Trump didn’t carry the Free State, but he improved his margins here as in the rest of the country. We ask political commentator and Maryland's Republican National Committee representative Nicolee Ambrose , and Jesse Pippy , House Republican whip representing Frederick county, what they’d like Marylanders who didn’t vote for him to know. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a st...

Annette Gordon-Reed has had enormous impact on how historians formulate their questions and search for answers. She will talk about her books and her work at the Baltimore Speakers Series presented by Stevenson University on Thurs. Nov. 14. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mha...

More than six million US military veterans are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. A program by the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System allows vets to age in place while receiving the care they need. We drop by a home in Baltimore County to pay a visit with Joanne West , who takes care of military veterans Robert Kundzman and Ralph Stepney , in her home, called the Hawkins House.  For more informa...

Priscilla Morales shares a heartwarming story about her beloved dog, Kiki. The next Stoop show is Thursday, November 14th at the American Visionary Art Museum. The theme is “ Creating Art, Creating Change: Art as a Tool for Healing Communities .” Tickets are free. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen...

We live in bubbles. Many of us have few friends whose political beliefs differ from ours-- and that’s true also for social media. The circles you run in, the content you interact with online, probably echo your views.  According to the Pew Research Center, while most Americans prefer news apps and websites, an increasing number turn to social media for news.  What does all this mean for how we exp...

As most of the nation shifted to the right, Maryland stayed predictably blue, and chose Democrats for its job openings in Washington: In addition to Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobooks prevailing over Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan to represent the Free State in the U.S. Senate. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski won a seat in Congress, as did State Senator Sarah Elfreth...

The Maryland Port Authority will receive $145 million dollars from the Biden administration's Clean Ports Program, with $32 million dollars to benefit sustainability upgrades at Seagirt and Dundalk Terminal. Mark Schmidt , president of Ports America Chesapeake , tells us more. Ports America Chesapeake operates Seagirt and Dundalk Marine Terminals at the Port of Baltimore under a public-private agr...

The Baltimore Sun has cut its features coverage , which means the death of human interest stories and reporting on things like visual arts, music, theater, and dining.  The slashing of this type of coverage in the city’s paper of record is a huge loss to Baltimore’s arts and culture community -- or is it? We ask  Teri Henderson , Arts and Culture Editor at Baltimore Beat , and Cara Ober , Executiv...

Here's a Stoop Story from  Barbara Skidmore about standing up for what you believe in, even when it’s against the expectations of others. Next up for live Stoop Storytelling: Creating Art, Creating Change: Art as a Tool for Healing Communities. It happens at AVAM on Thursday, November 14, at 7 pm. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Se...

Sportsmanship means playing by rules, civilized behavior and respect for opponents. American Visionary Art Museum’s, “ Good Sports: The Wisdom and Fun of Fair Play,” features 150 artists who explore those themes - at a time when we need to hear them! We get a preview from  associate curator and grants manager Gage Branda . Links: American Visionary Art Museum , Creating Art, Creating Change: Art a...

Sociologist Benjamin Snyder spent six years following an emerging form of policing technology: ultra-high-resolution aerial surveillance. Technology that Ross McNutt, founder of Persistent Surveillance Systems, promised would “ solve otherwise unsolvable crimes .” In his new book, “ Spy Plane: Inside Baltimore’s Surveillance Experiment ,” Snyder exposes the promise and peril of high-tech policing....

Maryland’s rabbit season is almost here! It starts in November. And it is just one of the many hunting seasons our state will observe over the next couple months.  Hunting plays a key role in Maryland’s efforts to manage its wildlife populations, and for a closer look at that, we’re joined by Brian Eyler , associate director of the state Department of Natural Resources ’ Wildlife and Heritage Serv...

Think what life was like in the Deep South, a few years after the Civil War, for those who had been enslaved. Poverty was the norm —maybe there was  no work, maybe backbreaking work not much different than before the war, now at a desperately low wage. But what were the opportunities for the newly freed? What were the hopes? Full Circle Dance Company helps us imagine that moment in history and its...