On The Record

We know all too well that plastics are clogging our landfills, swirling in our oceans and now, research shows, microplastics have been detected in the blood of humans. Dr. Lynn Grattan, a practicing neuropsychologist with the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, explains how plastics can enter the human body, and what can happen once...

Thousands of state jobs that had required a four-year degree to apply … won’t from now on, Governor Hogan announced last month.  The nonprofit “Opportunity@Work” will help the state recruit, tapping into workers with alternative experience - like military service, on-the-job learning, or an apprenticeship. The group’s Chief Customer Officer, Bridgette Gray , say...

Maryland’s new map of congressional district boundaries has Governor Hogan’s approval, "This is a huge win for democracy and for improvement in the process, and now we’re going to have fair maps and fair elections in this election cycle." Governor Hogan signed the new map into law yesterday afternoon. This is lawmakers’ second attempt; their first map was rejected by a circ...

Half a century after the 13th Amendment ended slavery, people who had been slaveholders continued to serve in Congress. Washington Post reporter  Julie Weil describes her research into the more than 1800 Congressmen who were enslavers at some point in their lives .Check out the WaPo Q&A  about this research. One of those members of Congress was Charles Carroll of Carrollton. We hear...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Jeremy Stern about playing the long game … and winning. You can hear his stories and others, and learn about  upcoming live events and the Stoop podcast - 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 4...

Ever daydream about how life might be easier to deal with if you could just access a superpower ? The play ‘Black Superhero Magic Mama’ connects us to a Black mother who retreats into the fantasy world of comic books, and finds strength and solace as she copes with the violent loss of her son. We talk to actor Nikki Scroggins , who plays the mother and her alter ego, Angel Maasai and w...

It’s another crowded primary in the race to be Maryland’s next governor. Sixteen candidates and counting, so far.  Rushern Baker is campaigning for a second time to take the head seat of the Free State, arguing that his experience as a two-term County Executive of Prince George’s county - the second largest in the state - sets him apart from his rivals:   “In this...

Hard to imagine the University of Maryland, Baltimore County without Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III at the helm, but after three decades as president, he will step down at the end of June.  Hrabowski came to the school as vice provost in 1987, and co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program a year later. It aims to increase the diversity of future leaders in science, technology, engineering and math...

John King -- former teacher, principal, New York schools commissioner and Secretary of Education in the Obama administration -- is running now for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor. Ahead of the July 19th primary election , we ask the Silver Spring resident how he would address the economic impacts of the pandemic, attract living-wage jobs, and revive Baltimore’s Red Line. King...

Baltimore’s  Laura Lippman has been publishing tales of suspense, and winning awards for them, for a quarter century. She doesn’t take for granted the devious characters and puckered plots that shape her stories: "I keep trying to make this harder on myself. I think the scariest thing for me would be to sit at my computer and think: ‘This is easy, I know how to do this.&rsqu...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Ta’Von Vinson  about turning his HIV diagnosis into a calling. A note - this story talks about thoughts of suicide. Find more Stoop Stories   here, and check out upcoming   live 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 mharv...

The COVID pandemic did not end the HIV-AIDS epidemic; it may have obscured it for a while, raising hurdles to getting tested for HIV. This virus pummels the Black community: Among people newly infected with HIV in 2019, African-Americans showed up at three times their share of U.S. population. We talk to Dr. Sarah Schmalzle , medical director of the THRIVE program at the  Institute of Human V...

In his book, “We Own This City,” Baltimore Banner investigative reporter Justin Fenton unwinds a twisted tale of dirty cops, oblivious leaders, and a community betrayed by those sworn to protect it. Fenton unearths the rotten roots of the Gun Trace Task Force, an elite plainclothes police unit that won praise for its arrest rate, all while skimming from drug busts and illegally searchi...

A year ago tomorrow, the U.S. House voted to impeach then-President Trump, alleging he had incited insurrection at the Capitol a week earlier, and Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin was immersed in organizing and leading the legal arguments for conviction. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done professionally, Raskin writes in his memoir Unthinkable --but gave him a way to pour his radical f...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Terry Sapp , about the healing power of heavy metal music. Hear more from the Stoop Storytelling Series , and find out about upcoming events , including its show next Wednesday, March 23rd, about Baltimore’s music scene . 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 Harv...

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has driven nearly 3 million people from their homes. In response, musician Joel Michael-Schwartz organized a concert to raise funds for the aid group, the International Rescue Committee . The concert will take place at the Creative Alliance in East Baltimore on March 26th. Then, Jessica Henkin , co-founder of the Stoop Storytelling Series , and Sam Sessa...

The Baltimore Ballet Boys are not your typical dancers. Yes, they practice long hours and are dedicated to their art. But real-life circumstances make for even more challenges.  We speak with Baltimore School for the Arts dance teacher Samantha Christiansen , and Baltimore Ballet Boys founder Venesa Day : “It takes so much courage to throw your ballet slippers into your bag and walk the...

It’s been two years since the COVID pandemic reached the U.S. How have practices like wearing masks and social distancing evolved? Hopkins researcher Dominick Shattuck tells us about a global survey of Facebook users that collects data about pandemic precautions and vaccine hesitancy. The aim is to improve the effectiveness of public-health messages. Check out the COVID Behaviors Dashboard h...

If climate-change news sounds overwhelming, keep listening--for a bit of hope and ways to take matters into your own hands. Greg Kats, head of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, talks about proven methods cities use to transform hot areas to cooler spots -- like installing porous pavements and reflective roofs. Baltimore is in line to put some of the changes into place. Plus, sci-fi author Jeff VanderM...

Stroke can be debilitating. Many survivors live with reduced mobility even after long, intensive therapy.  Dr. John Krakauer  is chief medical advisor at MindMaze, a digital neuro-therapeutics company that harnesses the brain’s natural ability to heal. He hopes to improve the odds for patients in rehabilitation: “What we’re trying to do is to create something compliment...

Amaree McKenstry-Hall  was in his senior year at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick. Football, Homecoming, and his future weighed on his mind. That’s why filmmaker  Matt Ogens   made Amaree the heart of his coming-of-age documentary, “Audible.” "Audible" was recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary - Short Subject. The Oscars air Marc...

Here is a Stoop Story from Molly O’Donnell about her competitive streak. The Stoop Storytelling Series has two shows later this month: On March 23th, storytellers share experiences with Baltimore’s music scene, and on March 25th young people describe how their lives were affected by the pandemic. Details here . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Co...

Physical traits, like brown skin or blue eyes, are inherited by the transmission of genes. Emotional and mental experiences are also carried from one generation to the next. Two exhibits explore that idea. The creators of ‘ Continuous Line ,’ and ‘ Creative Quest: Art from the Holocaust’s Second Generation ,’ draw on their respective ancestral histories. Artists Miria...

Millions of borrowers took advantage of the pandemic’s pause on federal student-loan repayment, put in place by the CARES Act two years ago and extended by President Biden until May 1st. What happens when that pause ends? Danielle Douglas-Gabriel covers the economics of higher education for The Washington Post . She warns that the return to repayment may be bumpy. And Sean McEvoy , Maryland&...

What do you want the end of your life to look like? Physician Dan Morhaim says planning for the inevitable ensures you receive the treatment you’d like to have. His latest book, written with his wife, Shelley Morhaim , offers a guide to the legal, medical, and personal choices surrounding death. Find free advance directive forms by state through the AARP. Then, a green burial site is planned...