On The Record

Partner abuse takes many forms. One that’s on the rise is cyber stalking. It can be deployed using common methods: like nonstop texting, hacking or trolling. The nonprofit Chana supports people experiencing domestic harassment. Regarding technology, executive director Lauren Shaivitz warns that almost anything with an internet connection can be used as a weapon. And Faye, a client of Chana, says i...

Produce bins at the grocery stores are filled with fruits and vegetables from around the world. What about the bounty grown close to home? Renee Brooks Catacalos has written “The Chesapeake Table: Your Guide to Eating Local”. She says beyond boosting Maryland’s economy by choosing locally grown and produced foods - foods that spend less time in transit just taste better. Do you have a question or...

For nearly fifty years, John Clark Mayden has viewed life through a distinctive lens. His black-and-white photographs capture ordinary moments--passengers riding the bus, weary workers pausing for a break-and spark our curiosity. When was this photo taken? Where are these people now? We talk with Mayden about how he got his start, and how his style has changed over time. You can see his photos at...

Singing is a lifelong joy, and joining a choir can stave off isolation and build friendships--big reasons why Jeanne Kelly founded Encore Creativity for Older Adults. It’s a national network of choirs where singers over 55 learn and perform rigorous choral music. Soprano Esther Layton tells us what's kept her coming back for over a decade. Encore's free holiday concert series begins December 1st....

Every month close to 200 people in Maryland die from a drug overdose--mostly the opioid fentanyl. The toll is especially stubborn in Baltimore. The Abell Foundation commissioned Natanya Robinowitz, executive director of Charm City Care Connection, to probe what Baltimore can learn from how Barcelona, Spain, combats addiction--a comprehensive network of care, including spaces where people can use i...

The chair of the Legislative Black Caucus identifies its top priorities in the 2020 General Assembly session as education and economic justice. Delegate Darryl Barnes says the caucus will also fight to raise Maryland’s commitment to historically black colleges and universities -- HBCUs -- far above the $200 million dollars Gov. Hogan has proposed to settle a lawsuit. Then, Maryland Matters reporte...

Rob Scheer grew up bouncing from shelters to foster care to the street, carrying his belongings in trash bags. Decades later, when he and his husband became foster parents, Scheer spotted something heartbreaking--the kids arrived with everything they owned in trash bags. Scheer tells about his nonprofit Comfort Cases, that distributes duffel bags filled with books, pajamas and hygiene products to...

Black women are not more likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but they are more likely to die from it. We ask Dr. Otis Brawley, a Johns Hopkins expert in cancer screening and prevention--why? He’ll be discussing breast cancer this Saturday, Nov. 23, at the annual all-day health conference called “A Woman’s Journey---- at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. Details here. Do yo...

Does the commandment ‘Love Your Neighbor’ ask that we show the same level of kindness and consideration to a stranger ... as we do to a friend? Does it implore action … or intention? … does that matter? We ask philosopher and theologian Rabbi Shai Held his thoughts about the weighty mandate … Then, we ask some of our Baltimore neighbors what they think it means to love your neighbor. Do you have a...

Almost 300 murders in Baltimore this year, nearly all by bullet. In the face of years of devastating loss, curtailing the city’s homicide rate feels like an unsolvable puzzle. Harvard senior fellow Thomas Abt sees a way forward. His new book, “Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence - and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets,” offers evidence-backed tactics to reduce homic...

From migraines to lower backaches or knee troubles, chronic pain affects one in five Americans. This persistent misery takes a physical, emotional, and financial toll. Susan Dorsey, co-director of the University of Maryland Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research, walks us through how the body’s pain response can go rogue. And Dr. Beth Hogans talks about moving away from opioids as a long term str...

How could five boys, walking free in Philadelphia in the summer of 1825, be kidnapped, forced into the hold of a boat, chained and beaten, brought to the Eastern Shore, and then transported south? Historian Richard Bell, chronicled how the boys were enslaved, and how that happened to thousands of other free African Americans--what he calls the Reverse Underground Railroad. Most who were snatched n...

Monday is Veterans Day, so this morning we’re sharing a Stoop Story from Marine Corps veteran Rich Blake, about a moment that could have been his last. You can listen to more stories, and learn about Stoop shows and The Stoop podcast--all 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...

Baltimore native Phil Kane enlisted in the Army in 1941. During WWII, he sent hundreds of letters home to his new bride, Jack. We hear their love story from their daughter, Jacqueline Kane, who collected their letters in the book, ----A Real Whole Lot----.She will be speaking at the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library on November 12th at 6:30 pm. RSVP here. Do you have a question or com...

A parent’s role today may still hold the same job description -- taking care of the kids and instilling values. But new obstacles -- like screen time and solo parenting -- have thrown many moms and dads into uncharted territory. Certified parent coach Cindy Shuster talks about helping attain happiness in the home. Plus, author Jane Isay talks about her book Unconditional Love: A Guide to Navigatin...

In Maryland, about 100,000 students-almost one in eight-are in special education classes. Do they all belong there? Longtime public-education advocate Kalman “Buzzy” Hettleman’s latest book is, “Mislabeled as Disabled: The Educational Abuse of Struggling Learners and How We Can Fight It”. Hettleman says one reason failing students are placed into special education is that they don't receive reseac...

Virginia Hall, daughter of an upscale Baltimore family, turned herself into one of the most daring spies of World War II. Biographer Sonia Purnell recounts Hall repeatedly eluding capture and death while helping the French resist Nazi occupation. Purnell will speak at Hall's alma mater, Roland Park County School, tomorrow evening. Details here. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a s...

People with neurological differences, like autism or dyslexia, often face barriers getting a job. But some employers are taking steps to recruit and hire neurodiverse workers. Jamelle Mitchell, of Ernst and Young, describes simple adaptations, like noise-cancelling headphones, to make an office more inclusive. Stacey Herman, of Kennedy Krieger Institute, breaks down misconceptions about the work t...

Artist Theresa Clower lost her son Devin to an opioid overdose. To cope with the loss, she created in graphite a portrait of him, that felt like connecting with him. Then she reached out to 40 other families bereaved by addiction, and made portraits of the loved ones they had lost. She tells us about her exhibit ‘Into Light: Through Art, Honoring Those Who Have Died From Drug Addiction.’ She talks...

Here's a Stoop Story from Erin Fostel about going above and beyond for a loved one. 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 Producer, Melissa Gerr she/h...

Bruce Goldfarb, of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, tells us about the tiny clues staged by Frances Glessner Lee, considered the mother of forensic science. During World War II, Lee designed scale models of unexplained deaths as a tool to teach detectives unbiased observation. Seventy years later, her models are still in use. Plus, Dan Hensley of the Maryland Department of Health State Anatomy...

Suicide by gun kills twice as many Americans as murder by gun. How can people with access to firearms be aware of the risk factors for suicide? Retired Marine Greg Reuss, of the Maryland chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, tells how he connects with local gun owners and retailers. Find out about upcoming events here. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicid...

We ask the editor-in-chief of The Economist magazine, Zanny Minton Beddoes, whether the world is heading for a recession .. why she says she’s “optimistically paranoid” about the journalism business … and what she expects after Britain eventually figures out how and when to exit the European Union. Plus:--federal help with paying the rent in Baltimore County: WYPR reporter John Lee gives an update...

Mike Miller, who has presided over the state Senate for a third of a century--longer than anyone anywhere in the country--is giving up his gavel. Senate Democrats united behind Bill Ferguson of Baltimore City to be the new Senate president -- education is his top priority. We look at an oncoming generational and geographic shift. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pi...

Here's a Stoop Story from Day Al-Mohamed about her fencing triumph. 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 Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wy...