On The Record

A global movement is using boycotts to pressure Israel to soften its policies in the Palestinian territories. About half the states have passed laws against such boycotts; Maryland’s governor issued an executive order denying state contracts to businesses that boycott Israel. The governor’s order is being challenged in court by a software contractor who says it’s unconstitutional. We hear from Dav...

Beyond arrest and incarceration, how can we reduce violence between intimate partners? Law professor Leigh Goodmark in her latest book “Decriminalizing Domestic Violence,---- argues that relying on the criminal justice system to address violence often harms victims and does little to prevent abuse in the future. Then, the House of Ruth offers a path of 90-minutes sessions over 28 weeks designed to...

Maryland, its counties and Baltimore will need to spend billions more than they do now to make good on the recommendations of the high-level panel headed by retired University Chancellor Brit Kirwan. Liz Bowie, who covers education for the Baltimore Sun, catches us up on what part of the Kirwan challenge the legislature intends to take up this year … and why advocates for Baltimore’s schools say i...

Even if it’s out of fashion, too big or too small, many people are holding on to clothing they no longer wear. The Clothing Swap offers a second chance for these items, at a meet-up where people can donate and take home clothing -- for free! Organizer Anna Grothe says the swap is a way for those in the community to share an abundant resource. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a sto...

Here is a Stoop Story from Kelly Rudis about the privilege of being a midwife. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast. The next live Stoop Show is Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 7:00 pm at The Senator Theatre. The night will feature stories about our relationships with animals — from pets to predators. Do you have a question or comment about a...

Heading into World War II, cork was essential in planes, ships, subs--and countless other tools of war. When a year’s supply of cork went up in flames at Crown Cork and Seal’s factory in Highlandtown, it was a threat to national security. We speak to David Taylor, author of ----Cork Wars: Intrigue and Industry in World War II----.Then, David London of the Peale Center for Baltimore History and Arc...

A few months after the September 11th attacks, Anthony Moll did what a lot of teenagers did: raised his hand and took an oath to the U.S. army. For a working-class kid in a stagnant city, the army meant escape. For a bisexual man with pink hair, the army at that time also meant “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” His new memoir is titled, ----Out of Step----. Do you have a question or comment about a show or...

Will the Preakness Stakes remain at Baltimore’s aging Pimlico Race Course? Will Maryland legalize sports betting, and how will that change what it means to be a sports fan? Amanda Yeager of the Baltimore Business Journal takes us through the arguments for and against moving the second leg of racing's’ Triple Crown to Laurel Park. Read her reporting on the Maryland Stadium Authority's plan for a $4...

The sorrow, heartache and suffering connected with loss can leave a person paralyzed with grief. In “Before and after Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and Our Brain” Dr. Lisa Shulman channels her personal encounters with bereavement into exploration of what takes place in the brain when we’re grieving. Shulman discusses interpreting dreams … journaling … and introspection. She rai...

Scores of marching bands, dance squads, fraternities, sororities, and civic organizations are gearing up for Baltimore’s most-anticipated parade--honoring the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. We visit some participants as they prepare for the big day Monday … and ask, what does taking part in the MLK Day parade mean for them? We hear from the Dunbar High School Marching band and the Alpha Phi...

Here's a Stoop story by Doray Sitko about what it means to rise to the challenge of service. 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....

Sometimes tragedy gives birth to social change. Six years ago Ethan Saylor, a young man with Down Syndrome, died in an encounter with law-enforcement. Could adequate training have changed that outcome? Ethan’s mother Patti Saylor thinks so. She tells us about officer training designed to help contacts with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or I-D-Ds. And we meet Lisa Schoenb...

Even in winter, committed bicyclists can be found traversing Baltimore’s streets. How is the city making way for bikes, and improving safety for all? Liz Cornish, head of the advocacy group BikeMore, describes the city’s new Complete Streets ordinance, offers an update on the nearly finished Downtown Bike Network, and analyzes the success of dockless scooter and bicycle programs. Then, LaKeisha He...

One of the most powerful forms of healing is peer support -- receiving advice and encouragement from someone who truly understands what you’ve been through because they’ve been through it, too. Our guests today live by that philosophy. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Society, or LEGS, says it provides ----resources and emotional peer support for gentlemen who are diversely abled.----We hear...

Sea levels along the Eastern Shore are rising twice as rapidly as the global average. A new documentary highlights Smithville, a small community founded by freed slaves whose historic church and cemetery are threatened by the encroaching marsh. Watch ----Smithville---- here. Rona Kobell of Maryland Sea Grant, describes the causes and consequences of rising waters, and the struggle to take action....

Here’s a Stoop Story from Christine Sajecki about giving her all, for her art! 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 410-235-14...

Even before his first solo exhibit in Harlem in 1940, artist Romare Bearden's focus was social change. He was a social worker for decades, as he enhanced his skills as a political cartoonist, painter and creator of collages. Bearden's art is on exhibit now at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. His niece Deidra Harris-Kelley, co director of the RoMARE Bearden Foundation, will speak about him on Saturday...

Possessing small amounts of cannabis was decriminalized in Maryland four years ago. But more than 10 grams is still a misdemeanor -- and recent data show that in Baltimore, nearly all those arrested are black. Journalist Brandon Soderberg, who crunched the numbers, noted the data comes as Baltimore faces serious challenges in criminal justice. Then, former state police Major Neill Franklin, of the...

The 439th session of Maryland’s General Assembly begins today at noon. How will the large influx of new legislators change the dynamic? Will bills that were blocked before now become law? WYPR statehouse reporter Rachel Baye and Maryland Matters politics reporter Danielle Gaines tee up the issues, from education funding and sports betting … to police training and immigrant’s rights...Plus, lawmake...

Baltimore is still searching its next police chief, after the mayor’s nominee withdrew yesterday. The next commissioner confirmed will be Baltimore’s fourth in a year, as the city struggles with gun violence and implementing the reforms required by the federal consent decree. Journalist Brandon Soderberg describes the toll of uncertain leadership, and Ray Kelly, interim director of Baltimore Commu...

We meet author and illustrator Jonathan Scott Fuqua, who watched scores of students graduate with college degrees in art -- along with so much debt that paying it down crippled their ability to start art careers. Fuqua and his co-founders, Alex Fine and Greg Houston, set out to offer a much cheaper school alternative, = offering classes more like an apprenticeship, instead of degree-based. Thus, T...

How do you attract young people to care about pursuits like math and engineering? Brittany Young contends dirt bikes are the answer! Young is a 2018 Open Society Institute-Baltimore community fellow. Her project ‘B-360’ helps students learn skills they can apply in STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering and math -- through riding and maintaining bikes. She stresses meeting students where...

Mike Molina tells his Stoop Story about the power of forgiveness, humility and those small acts can do a lot for 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/h...

Late last year, a census of Maryland’s oyster population revealed an alarming decline: there are now about 300 million oysters, half the number of two decades ago. Tim Wheeler of The Bay Journal walks us through the causes for the decline - from disease and loss of habitat to harvest pressure. Then: how do you raise oyster larvae? Stephanie Alexander of the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery takes us from...

Two of the new Open Society Institute-Baltimore Community Fellows are dedicated to supporting and uplifting students in Baltimore City schools …Aarti Sidhu provides legal representation for students facing expulsion and suspension; the idea is to make sure they know their rights and what resources are available to them. Ciera Daniel (Sierra) helps African-American boys in elementary school build c...