On The Record

We ask Brian Frosh to reflect on 36 years in elective office, the last eight as state attorney general. His efforts to limit access to guns, to clean up the environment, to protect consumers’ rights--what does he have to show for it? What should the state do next?  Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Mauree...

Half of all Black Americans in the biggest metropolitan areas live in the suburbs. In Liberty Road , sociologist  Gregory Smithsimon lays out how African-Americans broke the color barrier in Baltimore County, how their white neighbors reacted, and the role of suburbs in building a Black middle class. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at:...

Atman Smith ,  Ali Smith , and  Andrés González  are co-founders of the  Holistic Life Foundation . Their new book, “ Let Your Light Shine: How Mindfulness Can Empower Children and Rebuild Communities ,” is partly about the systems in Baltimore that make life so challenging for Black and Brown children, partly about the authors’ personal transformations through yoga. The volume tells the stories o...

Beth Frederick shares a Stoop story about her newfound appreciation for her parent’s sacrifices. Want more Stoop? Find events and the Stoop podcast here .  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 mgerr@wypr.org...

Imagine iconic characters like Batman or Daredevil. How would their personalities sound, if presented in the big band style? Stephen Philip Harvey’s   latest album, the debut of his jazz orchestra, is "SMASH!" He drew inspiration from superheroes he watched in Saturday morning cartoons, and translated brooding heroes and scheming villains into jazz melodies and harmonies. Check out his upcoming pe...

Raised in Baltimore, an alumna of Morgan State,  April Ryan  has covered urban issues from the White House press room for 25 years. Her new book,  Black Women Will Save the World, describes pressures on African-American women--including many Ryan has faced--and her ideas for tackling them.  This interview originally aired on October 18, 2022.  Do you have a question or comment about a show or a st...

We speak with two newly minted OSI Baltimore Community Fellows . Eric Sorrell is the founder of ‘Fernway Outdoors,’ an outdoor education program that will offer field trips and teach wilderness skills to kids in Southwest Baltimore. Artist Christopher KOLPEACE Johnson’s project, ‘Gentleman’s Graffiti,’ will bring young men in East Baltimore together to create art and engage in leadership developme...

Here's a Stoop story from Michelle  Becote-Jackson about the true meaning of Christmas and, for a special holiday treat today, a second Stoop Story from Rev . Grey Maggiano about an honored family tradition. You can hear their stories and others, and learn about Stoop live events, at Stoopstorytelling.com . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Rec...

Two exhibits at the Jewish Museum of Maryland highlight Russia and Ukraine … and they transport visitors using photos, paintings, storytelling and music!       ‘Power of Protest,’ on view through Feb. 5, commemorates a movement 35 years ago, when American Jews launched a remarkably successful human rights campaign demanding freedom for Soviet Jews.  And ‘My Odessa,’ on view until Feb. 19, depicts...

Hearing aids are now available to purchase without a doctor’s visit. Who is best suited for an over-the-counter hearing aid? Will a broader market lead to lower costs? We speak with  Dr. Frank Lin , professor of otolaryngology, who directs the  Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. Plus, can magic mushrooms to lift severe depression? We speak with  Dr. Sandeep Nayak, psychia...

Have you ever been faced with a frustrating situation that seems out of your control and thought -- If I could just take this into my own hands, I could fix it. Our guests today had the same thought, and their ingenuity will see abandoned houses come to life; and allow high school students to receive hands-on experience and training in elevator repair servicing that will prepare them for employmen...

Someone who is socially isolated or lonely is at greater risk for physical or mental health problems--like heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, even dementia-- according to the National Institute on Aging. Many seniors who are physically able to age in place do find themselves isolated -- and they may fall between the cracks of services available to them. Maybe they just need a hand with c...

'Tis the season for big gatherings and plentiful offerings of delectable food and drink. There is a lot of joy in these festivities -- but it can be stressful, too. For those who struggle with eating disorders -- which is millions of Americans -- holidays can be even more challenging as they, and their loved ones, navigate through the month of boisterous parties and an abundance of potlucks, banqu...

Life expectancy in the U.S. shortened by nearly three years from 2019 to 2021. COVID, drug overdoses, heart disease, and gun violence are driving the decline. We hear the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s ideas for turning the tide.  Read the report here .  Our guests: Dr. Joshua Sharfstein , Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School o...

While it's rare for Alzheimer’s disease to be diagnosed in people under age 65, it happens. It’s hard to track, but research suggests between 220,000 and 640,000 people in the U.S. are living with   early-onset Alzheimer’s. Yolanda Wright  is the program manager for the  Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association . She describes benefits of support groups for care partners and people...

The opening chapter of The Precious Jules is bedlam. There is  blood, bright red, gushing from a head wound, spattered on the family-room windows. There are children, crying. There is a very pregnant mom, scanning the room to see which of her four children needs her most urgently. One of the brothers is definitely going to need stitches.  These are “The Precious Jules.” In this tale, Jules does no...

Here are two interfaith Stoop Stories to ring in the holiday season. The first is from Ana Goldseker, who professes that all she wants for Hanukkah is … Christmas! And a second story from Erica Rimlinger  about a wedding her relatives will never forget! You hear more stories at Stoopstorytelling.com . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at...

How do you ring in the New Year? Dinner with friends? A movie? Fireworks? Creating a list of resolutions? For thirty years, hundreds of people in Baltimore have begun their evening festivities at St. Ignatius Catholic Church at ‘The New Year’s Eve Interfaith Prayer Celebration.’ Guests are welcomed at 8:00 pm with a prelude from the St. Ignatius Choir and instrumentalists, led by Paul Teie. Then t...

Words are powerful. And can be dangerous. No where is that more evident than on social media platforms where hateful speech is spewed -- and sometimes spreads at alarming speed. Can it be silenced? If so, how? We’re joined by Imran Ahmed ,  founder and CEO of the ‘Center for Countering Digital Hate. ’ The nonprofit, based in the U.K. and Washington, DC,  works to quell hate and disinformation by g...

Wrapped in shiny wrapping paper or careworn with notes scrawled in the margins-- books are gifts that give again and again. They offer a window into the heart of the author and can open our minds to a different view of the world.  Conni Strittmatter is the Youth & Family Engagement Manager for Baltimore County Public Library . Here are her book picks for kids: "Farmhouse," by Sophie Blackall "...

Violence between intimate partners may start with emotional or verbal abuse before becoming physical. Ojeda Hall of One Love Foundation talks about helping young people to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Then, Lisa Nitsch of the House of Ruth describes how the nonprofit serves families and reeducates partners who are abusive. Find the wishlist here.    This interview ori...

December is HIV/AIDS Awareness month. How far has treatment and prevention come? Why is there still no vaccine against HIV, when it was possible to develop a vaccine against COVID so quickly? What is it about the human immunodeficiency virus that has thwarted scientists for almost 40 years? For that, we turn to Dr. Robert Gallo , who the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland Sc...

When a person’s stress system is activated by trauma or crisis it can be life saving. It’s where fight or flight response comes from - and that allows us to get to safety. But even when safety has been achieved, trauma can take a lasting toll on our physical, mental and emotional health. Research points to how trauma can remain in a body even on a cellular level. Our guest today helps people who h...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Dovile Mark about spending her life chasing the ultimate adrenaline rush. You can hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com . 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 mgerr@wypr...

Today we meet two Open Society Institute-Baltimore 2022 community fellows and hear about their projects. There was a lot was going on in Alanna   Taylor’s life a few years ago. She was under so much stress, at one point she fainted in the grocery store. It turned out the episode got her connected to health care … and got Taylor thinking about what women over 40 need to be successful. That was the...