On The Record

Here's a Stoop Story from Jonathan Jenssen about accidentally-almost-missing his future wife! You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as 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 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa...

While about one-quarter of Maryland’s eligible active voters already have returned their ballots by mail, tens of thousands are showing up each day to make this decision in person. WYPR reporter John Lee relays what he is hearing from voters about this choice. Find an early voting center or ballot drop box near you. Check out more WYPR election coverage here. Then, University of Maryland political...

Even before the pandemic, Zion Church of the City of Baltimore had to learn to adapt. Founded in 1755 by German immigrants, they’ve offered worship in German and English and hosted cultural events. But like many religious institutions, Zion is figuring out how to remain relevant as it honors the past. We hear from several congregants, as well as clergy about Zion’s future. Plus, we take you behind...

The migrant women who pick crabmeat on the Eastern Shore are essential workers. They are not immune to discrimination or hazardous work conditions. A new report, titled “Breaking The Shell,” shines light on the conditions these workers face. Sulma Guzman, policy director and legislative counsel for the nonprofit Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, describes what they are hearing from workers. Rea...

Rising statistics about coronavirus infections and the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 point to a sobering conclusion: We will be living with this for months to come. A vaccine is the ultimate weapon -- but is there something effective for use now? Two Johns Hopkins doctors think there is. Doctors David Sullivan and Shmuel Shoham explain how antibodies work, how they can be transferred saf...

Adam Schwartz has observed hundreds of kids in 22 years teaching in Baltimore public schools. He’s watched them fall in love, make crazy decisions, grapple with moral dilemmas, worry about where they fit in life. Schwartz distilled some of what he’s seen into eight short stories for his new book "The Rest of the World." We also discuss whether Schwartz, a white man, is the right one to tell the st...

Here's a Stoop Story from Shawna Potter about the empowerment that comes with being done with being fed up. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as 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 410-235-1903 Senior Prod...

A small piece of cloth has sparked a 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, associate professor in the University of Maryland School of Public Health, tells us about the Anti-mask League of 1918. Jones admits that today’s social distancing and mask-wearing mandates can fe...

Many of us regard bugs and insects simply as pests -- to be rid of. Our guests today know that, and hope to change the hearts and minds of the insect-averse. Sarah Stellwagen waxes poetic about the mysteries and science of spider webs. And entomologist Mike Raupp, also known as ‘The Bug Guy,’ is on a mission to help people understand our connection to the creepy crawly critters, starting with the...

One thousand Baltimore City students will be able to return to the classroom next month. The district will offer this option to pupils it says are struggling with virtual learning - like students with disabilities. Alison Perkins-Cohen, chief of staff to the city schools’ CEO, lays out the preparation needed. Returning to classrooms would be voluntary for pupils, but might not be for some teachers...

Sixty years ago so many members of the Lumbee Indian Tribe migrated from North Carolina to East Baltimore, that the area was known as “the reservation.” Today folklorist Ashley Minner is working to preserve this history and the memories of Lumbee elders. She guides us through the walking tour she’s created, which includes the Baltimore American Indian Center and Heritage Museum and Rose's Bakery....

Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings died a year ago tomorrow. He invested time in his final months, amid painful health challenges and tough confrontations between Congress and President Trump … to write a memoir called, “We’re Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of our Democracy” It weaves his personal story with accounts of some public battles. His widow and partner, Maya Rockeymore Cum...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Marshai Allen being a pioneer and the power of poetry. You can hear his story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com or on 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 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@...

For 14 years after she was raped by her best friend Jeannie Vanasco lived with it, lived with recurring nightmares and with an aching sense of confusion about whether she was making too much or too little of it. Eventually, she reached out to ask him to speak with her, and recorded a series of phone conversations that are the core of her new memoir, "Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl."...

The Lloyd Street Synagogue, an anchor for the Jewish Museum of Maryland, turned one hundred seventy five this year. To celebrate, JMM shot for the moon! Executive director Marvin Pinkert tells us about their exhibit "Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit." Plus, psychologist Harriette Wimms and Tracie Guy-Decker, JMM deputy director, discuss the series: “Jews of Color, Jewish Institutions a...

The new Goucher Poll asks Marylanders whether the state is on the right track, what they see as its most pressing issue, whether they’ll take a Covid vaccine … and what financial and emotional tolls the pandemic is taking. It also looks at the reform ideas growing out of Black Lives Matter protests of police brutality: how do Marylanders assess proposals .. for independently investigating complain...

Imagine an election jammed with tension … voter intimidation … threats of violence … and then after the vote, months of bitter dispute over the electoral votes of four divided states. The election of 1876 almost plunged the country back into civil war. Part of the stakes, says University of Maryland historian Michael Ross, was the course of Reconstruction, the Republican regime that posted federal...

Think your car gets good mileage? Blackpoll warblers, birds that weigh about one ounce, achieve the equivalent of 720 thousand miles per gallon each year when they migrate to warmer weather. We learn these facts and more with Chris Eberly, director of the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. Later this month he’ll be presenting, through the Natural History Society of Maryland: ‘Unlocking the My...

Here's a Stoop Story from Terri Diener about what our pets want us to know. ...Whether we like it or not! You can hear her story and others at stoopstorytelling dot com or on the stoop podcast. The next virtually live Stoop show is Invisible Labor: Stories About Hidden Work, Unseen Efforts and Toiling Far From the Limelight. It happens on Thursday Oct. 15 at 7pm via zoom. Do you have a question or...

Many Americans are finding the pandemic has reshaped their sleep schedule, for better or worse. Dr. Stephanie Wappel is a physician at GBMC Health Partners –Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine. She details the side effects of both too little or too much sleep. One habit to avoid-- screen time before bed. And then, artist Landis Expandis is making music videos on everything from an out-of-whack sleep schedu...

The COVID-19 pandemic may not be a hurricane, a terrorist attack or a war, but it is a disaster. As a disaster psychologist Dr. George Everly has spent four decades responding to the mental-health needs of victims of calamities around the world. One of his conclusions is that the psychological casualties of a disaster--people so badly hurt mentally or emotionally that they can’t do what they need...

In the midst of the off-the-charts unpredictability of this year, we turn to Amy Webb, founder of the Future Today Institute. She doesn't predict the future. But she’s spent decades analyzing trends and intuiting signals that help governments and global companies plan for the long range. How is the pandemic opening a market for clothing that doesn’t physically exist? Which huge corporations will e...

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been a petite woman, but she was a judicial giant. Karen Rothenberg, former dean of the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, shares her memories of the late justice and her legacy. Rothenberg is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Marjorie Cook Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of...

Doors Open Baltimore is a chance to explore the city and appreciate its architecture and unique neighborhoods. Organizer Margaret De Arcangelis describes the positive aspects of planning socially distanced tours: a month of events instead of one weekend, and the addition of sites not typically open to the public. … Such as--the Eastern Avenue Pumping Station, which opened in 1912 and processes mil...

Here's a Stoop Story from Sean McDonald about his possible paranormal visitor and his wise aunties. We have more information about the Stoop Storytelling Series - including upcoming live events and the Stoop podcast - at the OTR page at wypr.org. 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/he...