On The Record

Business travel is dead. Consumer Privacy? no more. But we’ve learned to be more adaptive … and more willing to plan for uncertainty in the future.  These are a few of the takeaways Amy Webb , founder of the Future Today Institute, sees resulting from more than a year of living with the Covid-19 pandemic.  Webb also describes some tech trends she anticipates for 2021 and bey...

In Elissa Brent Weissman’ s novel Renegade Reporters, Ash and her best friend Maya get sacked from the daily newscast at their middle school in Federal Hill, so they start their own news team, and soon discover that the software company with the contract for all the public schools in Baltimore is collecting a lot more data about pupils than anyone knew. Join Weissman virtually this Thursday...

Who is at risk for hunger in Maryland? Where? What help is there? The Maryland Food Bank has done a deep data drive to create a new statewide “Hunger Map” that pinpoints areas of need and exposes gaps in assistance. Meg Kimmel , the non-profit’s Executive Vice President, lays out key insights: “ Our estimates at the Maryland Food Bank are that as many as two million Marylan...

Sharks are the fierce top dogs of the ocean … yet they’re also one link in a delicate environmental system. When it’s tossed out of balance ... the result can be disaster. The Natural History Society of Maryland hopes to change how the public looks at sharks and to underscore their critical role in the world’s waters. That’s what Shark Fest is about— featuring...

In honor of the ‘dog days’ of summer, Here’s a Stoop Story from Lynn McDonald about love that comes from furry paws and a cold nose. You can hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com. This weekend, starting today, is the Baltimore Ceasefire Peace Challenge . There are lots of ways to honor it; one is to visit the photo exhibit ‘Peace in Motion: Baltimore Ballet Boy...

Using federal pandemic rescue funds, Coppin State University will wipe out $1 million in student loan balances and offer a $1200 credit for the fall semester. We speak with the HBCU’s President, Dr. Anthony Jenkins. He says the pandemic pushed some students to pause their education or drop to part time, "We saw one constant factor and that was finances. And so we wanted to use these dollars...

As the Delta variant drives up the number of residents with COVID, Baltimore’s public health web is hard at work, running vaccination clinics and deploying community ambassadors. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa talks about what it takes to dispel vaccine myths, "It’s different for different communities, but what has been relatively universal is having a trusted m...

When persistent pain invaded Gary Stern’s gut, doctors at two local  hospitals focused on the digestive-tract disease he’d had a decade earlier. They didn’t listen to him insist this felt different, and they didn’t order a standard test to check for an ulcer. The misdiagnosis triggered a cascade of surgeries and suffering that took his life. David Black wrote the book...

In Western Maryland, a decrepit log cabin in an historic African-American neighborhood is being transformed into affordable housing: Nicholas Redding of Preservation Maryland and Reggie Turner of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture tell us about the tiny home, which likely belonged to Jonathan Hager, founder of Hagerstown. Learn more about the Jonathan Street cabin .The...

Victor Barstow, downsized from a great human-resources job at a Baltimore business, is eking out a living selling shoes in a mall … wondering how he’ll send his daughter to college … when he gets a long-shot chance to compete for the top job at an elite hiking-boot company up north. So Victor dives into meeting a farcical series of demands from the quirky owners of the boot com...

Here's a Stoop story from Mike Ricigliano about a special friend he took to a special game ... and life as a die-hard Colts fan. 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, Melissa...

“ 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 on display through December 19, 2021. Learn more about the exhibit: Behind the Scenes: Curating Women Behaving Badly Opening Pandora’s Box: Wome...

The answer to “Who controls transportation funding in Maryland” reflects decades of decisions straining to keep up with a system in flux. Does the dollar disbursement need an overhaul?  If so, how? We ask Baltimore Metropolitan Council senior transportation planner Don Halligan and executive director Mike Kelly. They  give an overview of a new report that offers alternatives...

More than three decades after the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed there is more access than ever before for people navigating life with a disability. But a lot of work remains to be done. Michael Bullis , executive director of the IMAGE Center of Maryland, talks about those challenges on the horizon. Plus, Janice Jackson has had enough. The sidewalks in her Baltimore neighborhood endang...

Six decades ago, a Black mother and housewife on the Eastern Shore captured national notice for the fearless way she organized African-Americans to demonstrate for jobs, housing, and health care in the sharply segregated city of Cambridge. That leader, Gloria Richardson, died last week. We ask her biographer, Joseph R. Fitzgerald , why she boycotted the referendum on equal access to public spaces...

Here is Stoop Story from Azya Maxton about a student with an important message. Check out the Stoop Storytelling Series - including upcoming live 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...

With the highly contagious Delta variant now the most common strain of COVID-19, coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations are rising in the U.S. Epidemiologist Dr. David Dowdy,  of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says we will likely deal with COVID infections for years, but vaccination is still the best protection as the virus mutates. And  Debbie Somerville ,...

As the coronavirus pandemic begins to recede … millions of disposable masks and gloves that kept people safe are beginning to surface as trash ... and are proving unsafe for wildlife. Two Dutch researchers -- biologists  Liselotte Rambonnet  and  Auke-Florian Hiemstra  -- tell us how wildlife and domestic animals are getting entangled in, and ingesting the refuse -- and...

Massive upheaval in the Caribbean is making waves ... First we check in with Catholic Relief Services. The Baltimore-based nonprofit is doing its best to administer relief to the people of Haiti amid political turmoil, gang violence and hurricane aftereffects.  Akim Kikonda, CRS country representative in Haiti, describes what they’re up against: “Having so many crises at the same...

As summer stretches before us, heat and humidity seem tenacious. Extreme temperatures pose a public health risk, especially for people in cities, in low-income neighborhoods, who lack access to green space or air conditioning. Professor Sacoby Wilson, director of the Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health laboratory at the University of Maryland explains how concrete and asphalt ho...

Here is a Stoop Story from Deborah Keene about what ended up to be a fond memory of a steamy Baltimore summer day with friends. 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...

Embarking on a career in art is a craft and a trade, as well as a calling. You can study for it, but it also takes guidance from experienced art makers and supporters to set an emerging artist on a path to success. Enter Towson University Galleries, dedicated to mentoring its students and alumni. We hear from Community Art Center Director Stacy Arnold about a collaboration with the Hot Sauce Artis...

Growing up in Baltimore’s Little Italy, Nancy D'Alessandro never pictured herself running for office. She watched her father campaign for Congress and for mayor; she helped her mother with the nitty-gritty of organizing and keeping track of political favors.  Biographer Susan Page says that only after Nancy Pelosi had moved across the country, raised five children, chaired the Californi...

Many businesses and nonprofits are working hard and fast to improve their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. But how does a company go beyond just making a statement to actively measuring their efforts and showing improvement? Angel St. Jean, CEO of the Black Brain Trust has developed ‘The Equity in Action Score.’  “Just like a credit score, you can get a score,...

Lost jobs, lost wages, and mounting medical bills. The pandemic spotlighted overlapping financial and health dilemmas. Senator Chris Van Hollen describes his proposal to prevent healthcare providers from taking drastic steps to collect debt during the pandemic. Then, local United Church of Christ congregations recently wiped out $9 million in outstanding debt , buying bills from collection agencie...