On The Record

As America marks 20 years since the September 11th attacks, we hear from two Marine veterans, Rory Holderness and Dario DiBattista , about their experiences fighting wars that were set off by the terrorist strikes.  Dario says: “We need to more intellectually consider the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan, take lessons learned and figure out how we can all collectively heal.” The...

George Washington was not destined to be great. He was the middle son of a middling Virginia family; he had land but seldom much cash. As a young militia leader, he did not win often. What he had, writes David O. Stewart in an astute biography, was ambition and the will to study the political skills of listening and compromise. Late in life, Washington focused on the horrors of slavery--yet never...

Adopting an anti-racist approach requires more than reading books and marching for justice.  That’s why Govans Presbyterian church has welcomed singer and activist Lea Gilmore as its first  ‘Minister for Racial Justice and Multicultural Engagement.’ She and Pastor Tom Harris talk about ways the church’s white congregation is working to engage with the surrounding...

It’s not hard to imagine Edgar Allan Poe as obsessive. Consider his passionate poetry, his tales of horror barely tapping reality --not to mention his personal life: his ardent marriage to his cousin and his baffling death on the streets of Baltimore.  But--manic about SCIENCE?  In his biography, historian John Tresch shows us a Poe who led his class at West Point in engineering an...

Here’s a Stoop Story from pediatrician and parent Julie King about the year of “no." Check out more stories from the Stoop Storytelling Series , as well as including upcoming live events and the Stoop podcast . 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-...

“Women Behaving Badly” is the title of the new Baltimore Museum of Art exhibit that explores how art has been used for centuries to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Senior curator Andaleeb Banta takes us behind the scenes. The exhibit is only display through December 19th. Learn more about the exhibit: Behind the Scenes: Curating Women Behaving Badly Opening Pandora’s Box: Women Be...

African-Americans living free in Baltimore before the Civil War were constantly testing whether the law and courts saw them as citizens, with rights to be respected. In a prize-winning book, Johns Hopkins Professor Martha S. Jones argues the free Blacks of Baltimore shaped the idea of birthright citizenship that made it into the U.S. constitution … and that their struggle still carries mean...

After a devastating motorcycle accident, Hopkins bioethicist Travis Rieder was prescribed high doses of opioids to stave off pain. When he began to taper off the drugs, he was immediately thrown into withdrawal. The advice Reider got from his doctors was to go back on opioids. His medical team had no plan for weaning him from the drugs. Reider’s book, “In Pain,” explores the hist...

A small piece of cloth continues to spark big debate in the U.S. Some Americans believe mandates to wear a mask infringe on their personal freedoms. Turns out, this has happened before. Marian Moser Jones , formerly of the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, tells us about the ‘anti-mask league of 1918.’ Jones admits that today’s mask-wearing mandates can feel...

What sounds are deemed ‘Black’ or ‘White’? What values do we assign these judgments? How far back can these ideas be traced? We discuss the cultural politics of sound with English professor Jennifer Lynn Stoever of Binghamton University, author of “The Sonic Color Line.” She has sifted through slave narratives, music, and radio dramas to dissect the connection s...

Here is a stoop story from Alex and Erin about how, with a helping hand, you can conquer mountains. Plus, a stoop story from Elliot Wagenheim (Wagonhyme), about going the extra mile, even at a great altitude, for his son. You can hear more stoop stories at Stoopstorytelling dot com . And tomorrow you can mark Women’s Equality Day--we’re still in the centennial of women getting the...

The National Park Service turned 105 this week! What better way to celebrate than visiting one of the dozens of local natural areas around Maryland. National, state and local parks across the country have seen record numbers of visitors during the pandemic, but there is still room for Americans to roam. National Park Ranger Katie LYEming offers tips for those planning to spend time outside during...

Vaccine efficacy ... variants ... shifting mask mandates -- News about the coronavirus changes quickly. Today, an update. Dr. James Campbell , principal investigator for U-MD School of Medicine’s pediatric vaccine trials, explains why young kids need a separate vaccine, and when it might be ready. And Dr. William Moss, executive director of the ‘International Vaccine Access Center&lsqu...

The new school year is about to begin, and challenges lie ahead. Concerns about surging COVID infections are mixed with questions about how greatly the pandemic disrupted learning. Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association , the statewide union, says the first place to focus is pupils’ mental health. Check out WYPR's education coverage . And Baltimore City principals...

As Jessica Anya Blau’s latest novel starts, Mary Jane has just turned 14. She’s starting a summer job as a nanny of an endearing five-year-old, just a short walk from her own traditional home in Baltimore’s Roland Park. Mary Jane’s conservative parents think it’s great their daughter will be working for a doctor. They don’t yet know he’s a psychiatrist who...

Experiencing delusions, Brian Bechtold shot and killed his abusive parents in 1992. The court ruled him “not criminally responsible,” due to mental illness, and sent him for treatment to Maryland’s maximum-security psychiatric hospital. He claims he’s restored to mental health. His psychiatrists point to his attempted escapes and original diagnosis to say he’s not saf...

Ten grassroots community leaders in Baltimore will each receive a $7,000 grant from " Weave: The Social Fabric Project ".The project recognizes “weavers,” people who are building trust between neighbors at a time when disconnection is common. We ask Frederick Riley , who leads the initiative at the Aspen Institute, about this inaugural class of “weavers," and speak with Danielle...

Here a Stoop Story from Dr. Jason Ramirez about the difficulties of parental addiction and his path to becoming a physician  Check out the Stoop Storytelling Series--including upcoming live events-- here . Listen back to our 2018 interview with Dr. Ramirez about his memoir, “The Hard Way: A Doctor's Fight Against Addiction, Poverty, and Depression.”   Do you have a question o...

How did a 6 foot 7 inch Jewish basketball star from Brooklyn, New York come to spend decades in Brooklyn, South Baltimore, offering tough love and opportunities to young people at risk? Ivan Leshinsky explains why it happened and how it worked in his memoir Teaming Up. What’s the most important accomplishment of the Chesapeake Center for Youth Development, which Leshinsky headed for nearly f...

Pretrial home detention can cost hundreds of dollars per month - including a security deposit and fees for GPS monitoring and drug testing. We speak with Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., who eliminated fees for both the county’s pretrial community supervision and home detention programs. And we hear from Nicole Hanson-Mundell , who leads the Baltimore City advocacy nonprofit,...

Finding a job is a chore. With limited skills .. no business contacts ... or with a criminal record … the road to employment becomes an obstacle course. Maryland New Directions provides training, coaching and placement to clear away barriers. Sean Scott, a former client, recalls the moment he read an ad that changed his life: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a felon, it doesn'...

Black women’s risk of dying from infections, high blood pressure, blood clots and other treatable conditions during and after pregnancy is more than twice the risk of white women. Dr. Latey Bradford  of the University of Maryland’s Family Medicine Clinic says pregnant Black women also confront more health dangers that don’t kill them, but can leave lasting damage. Education...

The tiny island country of Haiti has suffered - and survived - many hardships: Earthquakes, hurricanes, political chaos.  But the tight-knit Haitian community in Baltimore reflects a resilient spirit, eager to share its culture. Komite Ayiti’s ‘Haitian Caribbean Community Day’ on Sunday will feature food, performance, and handmade products. Garry Bien-Aime,     Kom...

Here's a Stoop Story from Dr. Cholet Josué  about how not to celebrate Christmas, and the fierce love of family. You can hear his 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, Melis...

Maryland’s protections against evictions expire Sunday, but a new federal order will forestall evictions for some tenants in areas where COVID is spreading fast. WYPR’s health and housing reporter Sarah Y. Kim fills us in. And Aaron Greenfield , representing a trade group of landlords, says his members are working to engage tenants to fill out applications for federal eviction-preventi...