On The Record

It can be difficult to know where to turn after suffering trauma. We meet a dancer who, after surviving a brutal sexual assault, created her own place of community and well-being … for herself, and others. Tyde-Courtney Edwards founded “Ballet After Dark,” where survivors of sexual and domestic assault and those dealing with trauma can participate in therapeutic, movement-based workshops. She says...

Calling all avid readers, accomplished writers, or those aspiring to be: we talk to the director of the City Lit festival director, Carla Du Pree, about festival highlights and hear about her goals for the daylong event. Plus, we meet podcaster Eliza Romero, to hear her thoughts on changes to required high school reading. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Con...

On the Record producer Melissa Gerr tells the story behind the iconic Domino Sugar sign that lights up Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. April 25, 2019 was the 68th anniversary of putting the sign in its lofty place. 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 Senio...

At the Baltimore Community ToolBank, nonprofits can access almost any tool--from a chainsaw to a wood chipper… and tables, chairs, microphones--and expertise! Executive director Noah Smock explains that renting tools is a small element of the story ... sustainability is built into the mission and collaboration is key. And we meet longtime ToolBank devotee Chenire Carter, senior manager of developm...

In June, Holocaust victim and diarist Anne Frank would have turned 90 years old. Her story lives on … but research shows that knowledge of the Holocaust is fading in the collective American memory. “Spring of Remembrance,” a host of events focused on lessons of the Holocaust, is meant to counter that effect. One of them is Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s “The Diary of Anne Frank” We meet actor an...

The books you read growing up stick with you for life. Hundreds of thousands of children’s books are distributed by the Maryland Book Bank each year. Executive Director Mike Feiring tells us about the book bank’s move to Clipper Mill, its mission to boost literacy, and how volunteers can help. Books for Kids Day is May 4th. More information here. Then, ahead of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s Afric...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Jen Antonelli, who participated in a cross-country relay race for charity and met a quick-footed dog. 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-...

Five years after he stopped hosting The Tonight Show, Jay Leno has energy for his passions, like his collection of more than 300 classic cars and motorcycles, and stand-up comedy--he’s on the road performing 200 nights a year. He’s coming to Baltimore for the Speakers Series presented by Stevenson University. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the R...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Aishah Alfadhalah about the beauty and power of a shared meal. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast. You can also get a taste of the Mera Kitchen Collective’s offerings at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings or at one of their events. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pit...

Sea levels along the Eastern Shore are rising twice as rapidly as the global average, and Smithville, a small community founded by freed slaves, is threatened by the encroaching marsh. Rona Kobell of Maryland Sea Grant tells us about a new documentary that traces how rising waters threaten a church and cemetery. Plus filmmakers Wyman Jones Jr. and Jalysa Mayo share their perspectives on environmen...

With rain and sunshine galore, it’s time to get your garden ready! Alexa Smarr, a horticulture educator and the master gardener coordinator for the University of Maryland-Extension - Baltimore County joins us to talk all things green. We hear why soil-testing is a must, what you can do to thwart common pests, and why Maryland’s birds and bugs rely on native plants. Questions about gardening, weeds...

Steel-making was the throbbing heart of Sparrows Point for more than a century. With the “Bethlehem Steel Legacy project,” The Baltimore Museum of Industry and Tradepoint Atlantic intend to document steel at the Point--from its rise to its demise--by engaging the community. Auni Gelles, the museum’s community programs manager and director of interpretation Beth Maloney share some of what people ha...

It was not the first school shooting in the U.S. , but it grabbed the public’s focus and reverberates still: Twenty years ago this week, two seniors at Columbine High School in Colorado killed 12 fellow students and a teacher, wounded others … and turned the guns on themselves. The tragedy changed school security protocols and attitudes toward mental health … but similar scenes have played out sin...

Taking inventory of the wild things that abound isn’t something you get to do everyday. The global ‘City Nature Challenge’ hopes you’ll grab the chance later this month. More than 150 cities worldwide are taking part in the friendly competition. Regional organizer Maura Duffy, Conservation Project Manager at the National Aquarium, says data collection for a project like this goes beyond what scien...

Here's a Stoop Story by Dana Gillet about the upside of bedbugs! 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-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472

Recipe sleuth Kara Mae Harris hopes to preserve the culinary heritage of the entire state of Maryland. We learn about the odd foods she’s discovered, the old techniques and why her database holds more than 30,000 recipes. Original air date 7.24.18 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/h...

What’s the best combination of letters and numbers to create a secure digital password? When there’s a data breach what does it really mean for the average consumer, and what should be done if one occurs? We talk with digital forensic analyst Blazer Catzen, who offers answers, insight and anecdotes about life on the internet. Catzen also discusses how he follows data trails that reveal the digital...

What lessons are learned after overcoming dependence on heroin? How do you rebuild your life after three decades of addiction? Theo Hill, host of the new WYPR podcast, “One Day at a Time: Recovery in Baltimore,” hopes that sharing his story and the stories of others can inspire someone else on that path. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record...

An extraordinary last day of the General Assembly session is getting underway, just hours after its longest-serving speaker, Michael Busch, succumbed yesterday to pneumonia and other health problems. As tributes to Busch pour in, the delegates and senators have work to do before midnight. WYPR’s former news analyst Fraser Smith remembers Speaker Busch, and statehouse reporters Rachel Baye and Dani...

“This is My Brave, Baltimore” -- is an evening of storytelling meant to erase the stigma surrounding conversations of mental illness ... one personal story at a time. We meet the show’s producers: Michele Wojciechowski shares her experience overcoming panic attacks through good meds and humor. And Phila Hoopes describes the show’s powerful effect for both performer and audience. Do you have a ques...

Here's a Stoop Story from Nikki Gamer, about facing down a dark depression and emerging in the light. You can hear more stories like hers on May 21 at the live Stoop storytelling event: ‘Out of Stigma’s Shadow: Stories about mental health, mental illness, and the mysteries inside our heads.” Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior S...

Propelled by stories of patients who can’t afford their medicines, and sometimes skip what the doctor ordered, advocates in the General Assembly are pushing to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board with the power to set a cap on how much Maryland and its counties would pay for some costly drugs. Opponents contend that would amount to price controls, not within the power of the state--and...

Baltimore’s mayor is on leave and under investigation: after Gov. Hogan called for an investigation of the half million dollars the University of Maryland Medical System paid its board member Catherine Pugh for children’s books. City Council President Bernard “Jack” Young asked for trust as he stepped into the role of acting mayor. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to...

FDR’s New Deal shaped Democratic politics for generations. But the roots of the coalition that made it happen stretch back further. We speak to historian Robert Chiles about his new book, ----The Revolution of ’28: Al Smith, American Progressivism, and the Coming of the New Deal----. This show originally aired on February 11, 2019. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to...

Twice since 2016, Ellicott City’s Main Street has been devastated by flooding. Though several businesses have re-opened, some buildings remain boarded-up and vacant. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball shares an update on redevelopment efforts. Then we meet two business owners: Sherry Fackler-Berkowitz of art-glass studio ‘Great Panes’ describes what it was like on the ground. And Julia Sanger of...