On The Record

Baltimore’s next mayor will face inherited challenges--like persistent gun violence and public transit failures--and new obstacles born of the pandemic. Mary Miller, a former T. Rowe Price executive and top U.S. Treasury official under President Obama, is running for the Democratic nomination to be mayor of Baltimore. She warns the city may lose as many as a quarter of its small businesses because...

On the frontlines of the pandemic--the essential workers who pick and process food on farms or in meat-packing plans. Within that workforce are thousands of foreign workers, who come to the US on temporary visas. How are these workers shouldering the burden of the pandemic? Are employers doing enough to prevent the spread of infection? Rachel Micah-Jones, founder of Centro de los Derechos del Migr...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Monica Guerrero Vazquez about the sacrifices her parents made to give her family a better life. 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 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-D...

The COVID-19 crisis is affecting all aspects of life here in Baltimore, and it’s hitting transgender people especially hard. This during a time when the local community is mourning Johanna Metzger, a trans woman murdered earlier this month in Baltimore. We discuss how the coronavirus is affecting local trans people, including youth, elders, sex workers, and people experiencing food and housing ins...

With the Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants filling only take-out orders could cut back on buying food; retailers whose doors are closed could stop buying inventory. What about farmers? Crops must be planted in the spring and chickens don’t hatch overnight. How is agriculture planning for uncertain markets? We find out how they’re coping by asking Lindsay Thompson, executive director of the Maryland G...

Maryland public schools are closed, and teachers and students are connecting from a distance. What does this mean for students with learning or developmental disabilities? What are the limits and the possibilities of virtual learning? Rene Averitt-Sanzone, head of The Parents’ Place of Maryland, recommends that parents get familiar with their child’s individualized education plan and document any...

The fallout of the coronavirus - thousands are out of work, many small businesses hang by a thread. How will Baltimore’s next mayor lead the city’s economic recovery? Former mayor Sheila Dixon is seeking the Democratic nomination in the primary election in June. She points to her experience governing during Great Recession as an asset. Plus, improving schools, working with the state to get repeat...

Fewer cars on the road, less electricity generated, many factories on hiatus: the coronavirus lockdown’s side effect of cleaner air-- at least temporarily--has been something to celebrate amid the 50th anniversary commemoration of Earth Day this week. We ask Adam Lindquist, director of the Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor initiative: what’s the connection to the quality of the water in Balt...

Here's a Stoop Story from the voice of Mr. Trash Wheel, Robin Stegman, about the possibilities that can come with seeing a future without trash. You can hear her story and others at stoopstorytelling.com and 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.o...

Five years after the protests and rioting that detonated when Freddie Gray died in police custody, we trace the impact of the Baltimore Uprising on young activists and organizers. Young people were at the center of the Uprising, demanding that those in power address injustice, police misconduct and more. Michaela Duchess Brown, who grew up a few blocks from Gray, had already been organizing for ei...

What will it take for businesses to regain the confidence of consumers, post-pandemic … that an establishment is free of contagion and safe to enter? After three decades in occupational safety and health, Robert Albrecht now owns a company, Infection Prevention Systems, that disinfects medical and business spaces. He thinks public demand will push regulatory change to set clear standards. Plus, Un...

Artists and arts organizations have taken a hard financial hit since public gatherings were banned more than a month ago. Josh Kohn, Creative Alliance performance director, talks about inventive ways the non-profit is continuing to pay artists and connecting them with audiences at a safe distance during a time when he views the arts as crucial. Plus, community artist and writer Christy Zuccarini t...

This morning we kick off a series of conversations with candidates running to fill Baltimore’s top elective office. Up first, former federal and city prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah. We ask him to lay out his plan to reduce homicides dramatically--his goal is fewer than 200 murders by the end of his first term--and to describe how he would approach economic recovery from the coronavirus. Do you have a...

Hang up the phone. That’s Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh’s advice on how to steer clear of scammers hawking at-home COVID-19 tests or cures for the virus. If it’s an email, don’t open any attachments. If it’s a phone call, end it. Frosh also tells how to report suspected price gouging, where to get help if you’re threatened with foreclosure or eviction, and why he’s worried about the corona...

Here is a Stoop Story from Ryan Patterson about the lessons he's learned from his sons. Learn more about the Stoop Storytelling Series and listen to 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/her...

During the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are staying home in order to stay safe. But what if home is the opposite of safe … because you’re trapped inside with your abuser? Fushena Cruickshank from the ‘The Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence,’ tells us how they’re training healthcare providers to help patients in these dangerous circumstances. And Lauren Shaivitz...

What’s the best way to combat the staggering number of murders in Baltimore? One approach supported by Police Commissioner Harrison is a test of aerial surveillance. What could it accomplish? What are its limitations? What privacy concerns does it raise? We speak with Baltimore Beat news editor Brandon Soderberg, who has reported on the technology. And also with David Rocah, Senior Staff Attorney...

Maryland hospitals caring for a surge of patients with Covid-19 are not just scrounging for enough equipment, like ventilators--they’re also hunting for the essential drugs they need to attach patients to those breathing machines. Sedatives, painkillers, asthma drugs and many other medicines--all scarce. Dr. Yoram Unguru, a doctor who treats kids with cancer at Sinai Hospital, often struggles to f...

Three years ago, Baltimore and the US Justice Department entered into the consent decree, committing the city to enact sweeping reforms to end unconstitutional policing and restore community trust. We ask Kenneth Thompson, head of team monitoring the consent decree, for a progress report. Where does the timeline of reforms stand? How has changing leadership impacted the process? Read the newly rel...

Enjoy this Stoop story from host of WYPR's "The Weekly Reader," Marion Winick. Listen to more Stoop stories 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 410-235-1157 Produce...

Yeast and baking powder are flying off shelves, as many Americans try their hand at baking bread. Kneading dough can be a stress reliever... and the smell of fresh loaves, a comfort. Maya Muñoz and Russell Trimmer of Motzi Bread in Baltimore offer their view. Check out interviews with local farmers and food producers on their Instagram page. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a stor...

Covid-19 has infiltrated Maryland’s prisons and some of its county jails. The wife of one inmate told reporters, “They are all scared. They feel like they are sitting ducks,” waiting for the virus to spread through crowded cells. A coalition of public-health experts, lawyers and families has petitioned the state’s highest court to release inmates who are not a danger to society. We hear from Caitl...

The public-health constraints Maryland has put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have stunted economic activity. Only essential businesses remain open … even the ones we can’t see. Reporter Brandon Soderberg digs into Baltimore’s underground economy to see how the pandemic is affecting the drug trade: Plus, we hear how the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition has stepped up its outreach...

Dr. Robert Gallo has been getting to know viruses, their targets and their weaknesses--for decades, even before he co-discovered the virus that causes AIDS in the 1980s. At the University of Maryland’s Institute for Human Virology, which he heads, Gallo is looking at the novel coronavirus; he joins us to share his thoughts. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? C...

A short virtual escape now from pandemic pains -- listening again to Laura Lippman discuss her latest mystery, set in Baltimore in the 1960s. The first character we meet speaks from beyond the grave … apparently the victim of murder. She talks directly and disdainfully to the main character, Maddie Schwartz, who is transforming herself from conventional housewife to aspiring reporter. Other charac...