On The Record

Here’s a Stoop Story from Joey Havoc. A few years ago, Havoc took a 4-thousand-mile bicycle trip from Baltimore to San Francisco to raise money for cancer treatment, as part of a large group of cyclists. Along the way, they picked up an unexpected tag-along… 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 Harvi...

As the weather warms, the siren song of winding roads calls out to motorcyclists. We hear about a DIY garage--the Baltimore Motorcycle Collective--and how it’s empowering rookie and veteran riders. Founder Ethan Pritchard tells us about his approach to teaching motorcycle maintenance and about the upcoming custom bike comeptition, the B(alt) Bike Buildoff on Sunday, April 7th from 10-4 pm. Do you...

What is like to have a brother or sister with a disability? How can the stress of helping them navigate challenges affect their neurotypical siblings? Carolyn Chen, of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, tells us about a conference this Saturday that offers a place for siblings to share their experiences. And we hear from her and her sister, Jennifer, about how their relationship has...

With 137 acres of green space in Southeast Baltimore - Patterson Park is a jewel of the city. Jennifer Robinson, executive director of the Friends of Patterson Park, tells us about the coming renovation of the historic Superintendent's House and plans to add more space for community groups. And this weekend the park will host the Big Baltimore Kite Fest, where kids will be able to make their own k...

Carpentry, biomedical sciences, accounting--some of the fields students in Baltimore’s Career and Technical Education program can study. But a new report by the Fund for Educational Excellence finds that one of out five students don’t finish the program and more than half haven’t found employment in their field. Roger Schulman, head of the Fund, describes the challenges in the program--from lack o...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Mimi Dietrich about her run-in with rock and roll. 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...

Mimi Dietrich finds it “magical” to make a quilt. She’s in the Quilters Hall of Fame, and the Maryland Historical Society is about to exhibit dozens of her works. We hear how she started quilting and where she draws inspiration. The opening reception for ----Hometown Girl---- is tomorrow from 2-5 pm at the Maryland Historical Society. This is a yearlong exhibition on view during regular museum hou...

When you hear the name of the nonprofit “Doctors Without Borders,” you’re usually hearing about a catastrophe--the devastating cyclone that hit Mozambique last week, for example … the ebola epidemic in Congo, or streams of refugees. In more than sixty countries across the globe, Doctors Without Borders works to care for the displaced--medical treatment, food, safety. What’s involved in doing this...

An ambassador travels to the capital of a foreign empire, only to discover that her predecessor has died in baffling circumstances. That’s the start of the new novel, “A Memory Called Empire.”The space opera weaves together the intrigue of a political thriller with the rich intricacies of an alien world. Author Arkady Martine tells guest host Nathan Sterner why she loves the sci-fi genre. Arkady M...

Johns Hopkins amassed millions by trying almost anything that promised to make money--investing in liquor, real estate, coal-mining, fertilizer, and more. He never married, and it was only after he’d retired from most of those businesses that the public saw what he intended to do with his fortune: create a university--including a medical school--and a hospital. Author Antero Pietila guides us thro...

The non-profit Civil Justice believes every citizen deserves his or her day in court. That’s why they line up legal counsel to represent people with low or moderate incomes in non-criminal cases. Executive director Eden Forsythe, sees a direct connection between fair representation in court and restoring faith in democracy and civic engagement:Plus, we meet Civil Justice lawyer Chelsea Ortega and...

Say “Fort McHenry,” and we think of the men who braved “the bombs bursting in air” in 1814 … and the man inspired by the flag that waved … to write the poem that became our national anthem. But women have also shaped the Star Fort’s history. Who made that flag? We talk to Park Ranger Shannon McLucas about her new walking tour “Proprietress, Patriot, Nurse, and Spy: The Unconventional Women of Fort...

Here's a Stoop Story from from World War II Women's Army Auxiliary Corps member Catharine Deitch, about her whirlwind world tour in the military. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as 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...

$424 million dollars - that’s the estimated price to completely overhaul Pimlico Race Course. What does this ambitious project include? Who would foot the bill? We discuss the debate over moving the Preakness Stakes from Baltimore’s Pimlico to Laurel Park with Jeff Barker of The Baltimore Sun. How did the owner of both tracks favor Laurel in its spending? And who was watching that happen? Then, Wi...

The Hoen Lithograph plant, stretched across an entire city block in east Baltimore, has been empty for decades. Now it’s on the verge of becoming a hub for neighborhood innovation--with GED classes, workforce training and more. Karen Stokes, CEO of Strong City Baltimore--the anchor tenant --describes plans for the building … and the broader goal of transforming that part of Baltimore. We also meet...

A car can be a second chance: that’s the framework of Vehicles for Change, a nonprofit that repairs donated cars and awards them to low-income families at a fraction of their market value. Repairs are completed by participants in Full Circle, a job-training program for people returning from prison. We hear from founder Marty Schwartz … and Perry Spain, who finished the program and is on his way to...

Just eight percent of people with pancreatic cancer live for five years after their diagnosis. Why is this cancer so deadly and where are advances in treatment headed? We speak to Meryle Bemnet, an oncology nurse who lost her sister-in-law to pancreatic cancer less than six months after she was diagnosed. And Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee, deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at...

That was Stoop Story from Ian Blumenfeld about adapting to automation. 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 Gerr she/her/hers mgerr...

Speeds! Tumbles! The chance to play offense and defense simultaneously! And it's all executed on roller skates. Roller derby is a perfect sport for adventurous athletes. We go behind the scenes with the Charm City Roller Girls, a skater-owned and operated roller derby league headquartered in Dundalk. The league’s next match-up is between the Hampden Hons and the Dundalk Deviants next weekend--Satu...

The surge of migrant families crossing the southwest border is twice last year’s level, the U.S. government said this week. Many of them are from Guatemala, pushed by poverty and failing crops. The non-profit Catholic Relief Services works with families in Guatemala … and thinks Lent -- the 40 days leading up to Easter, a time of fasting and penance -- is a good time for Americans to think how to...

Pulsing back to life after it was abruptly shuttered a year ago as a print publication, Baltimore Beat returns as an online news source. Managing editor Brandon Soderberg talks about why the Beat’s resurrection is important to local news coverage, and editor in chief Lisa Snowden-McCray shares her vision of what the future Beat could provide for Baltimore and for the face of journalism: Do you hav...

Liquor laws are notoriously complicated, but one attorney is untangling them in the name of transparency. Becky Lundberg Witt of the Community Law Center, is the blogger behind Booze News. She’s attended dozens of Baltimore City Liquor Board hearings, worked with community associations to take on problem bars, and written up the details in easy-to-digest blog posts. Do you have a question or comme...

Each year, the Eurasia Group details the biggest threats to peace and prosperity. Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer--in town tomorrow for the Baltimore Speakers Series--points out that countries are less and less able to detect, let alone prevent, a cyber attack. The weaponized hostility between President Trump’s supporters and opponents will persist no matter what happens in next year’s elections...

That was a Stoop Story from W. Courtland Robinson, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, about the power of perseverance and a respect for social customs … under extreme circumstances. 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...

The sitar of India. The bouzouki from Greece. The West African sherkere … Traditional instruments of all shapes, sounds and sizes help define music from cultures across the globe. But the percussive rhythms of the drum are universal … there is something about the primal beat that echoes the heart and beckons the soul. The Korean Shamanic percussion group, Noreum Machi plays upon that instinct. Usi...