Stay Connected***No longer adding new episodes*** On The Record was co-hosted by Sheilah Kast and Ashley Sterner. Sheilah and shared conversations with audacious artists, intrepid scientists, community leaders and more. And of course, tales from the beloved Stoop Storytelling Series.
On The Record was produced by Melissa Gerr. Jon Ehrens created the theme music. Louis Umerlik designed the logo.
Copyright: © 2024 WYPR Baltimore
Kids can be cruel. That was part of the school experience for Simone Ellin, a local writer who grew up in the toney New York suburb of Westchester County. The girls in her class at times bullied her, teased her, or just plain ignored her. Some of the words and the feelings stuck with her into adulthood, for decades. So she contacted her tormentors … and wrote about it.
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
Here's a Stoop Story by Dale Marie Prenatt, about life lessons learned growing up in the holler. You can hear her story and others 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 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
The Juvenile Restoration Act, passed by the General Assembly, offers young people facing life terms a path to resentencing, after they serve 20 years.
We speak with House bill sponsor Delegate Jazz Lewis.
Then: Calvin McNeill was sentenced to life in prison in 1981. He was recommended for parole three times. Each time, Maryland’s governor rejected the parole board’s counsel, but McNeill never gave up hope. He shares his thoughts on reform.
Listen to more of Calvin McNeill's story 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 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
COVID-19 ripped through Maryland’s prisons and jails during the past year, and the danger continues.
Ryan King of the Justice Policy Institute calls for proactive testing and ramped-up vaccination. And he highlights the issue of vaccine hesitancy among those behind bars.
Read the op-ed coauthored by King and Hopkins epidemiologist Dr. Chris Beyrer here.
Then, Baltimore City public defender Todd Oppenheim describes how the pandemic delayed trials and bail hearings, leaving his clients to languish in detention.
Oppenheim's recent opinion pieces:
I'm a public defender. My elderly client might die in prison from COVID-19
Amid a pandemic, defendants are languishing in jail for lack of home detention funding
What It’s Like to Be a Public Defender Right Now
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
Amid pandemic expenses, state and local officials braced for tough times. Some public employees were furloughed, agencies drew up shrunken budgets.
Then Congress passed the American Rescue Plan last month, flipping the budget picture and sending billions of dollars to Maryland and its counties, cities and schools. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin:
“I think this is as dramatic for many american families as the New Deal was during the 1930’s”
The General Assembly just okayed a state budget 12 percent bigger than last year’s. Senate President Bill Ferguson pushed a $300-million-dollar investment to wipe out the digital divide.
“We in the state of Maryland are going to be on the front edge of treating broadband like we do roads or electricity. Like it is a basic necessity of the modern economy.”
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
When it comes to adding new perspective to the struggle for racial equality, poet Kondwani Fidel is uniquely suited for the job. His latest book is “The Antiracist: How to Start the Conversation About Race and Take Action.”
Fidel reflects on his losing friends and family to gun violence in East Baltimore, and on uncovering how poverty and segregation are the intended consequences of embedded racism. He calls for thoughtful action, warning against the easy click of a button to share viral images of violence against African American men and women. Read his essay, "How a young boy has been decaying in Baltimore since age 10," here. Original air date: December 3, 2020.
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
Holding a hand, offering a hug or a tender touch … all give comfort to those suffering a loss. But for the past year, many mourners have grieved in isolation.
A new exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland called ’in the absence of a proper mourning’ creates a communal space for grieving … and healing -- in any religious context. Sol Davis, the Jewish Museum’s executive director, describes it. Artist Tal Beery tells what he hopes people take from it.
“I want to encourage people to ask their friends and neighbors about the losses that they’ve experienced and not to be shy. We need to be brave and ask, ‘How are you doing?’ ”
Links: Jewish Museum of Maryland
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
Here’s a Stoop Story from Ben Doyle about the Easter bunny, Santa and other childhood musings. You can hear his story and many others 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 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
The tide of gunshot, knife and assault victims to University of Maryland Shock-Trauma barely ebbs, not even during the pandemic. More than a third opt for the Violence Intervention Program. Social worker David Ross meets them at bedside and offers support, helping fix problems from a missing ID .. to finding a job or safe housing. Too often, Ross says, trauma survivors are invisible.
“When we hear the news we hear people talking about how many murders there were last year or this year or next year, but we don’t talk about the number of people who survived and need help.”
Program manager Erin Walton tells why patients may see a magic moment to find a new path. And DeCarlo Cornish, who survived two shootings, shares his word for those still in the street 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-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Just over a year ago, the need to ‘disinfect’ and ‘sanitize’ became a priority for every American. Mountains of Clorox wipes and gallons of hand sanitizer later … what long-term effects could increased use of anti-bacterials have on our health? Or for our water?
Dr. Amy Sapkota, professor of Applied Environmental Health at the University of Maryland studies links between real-world microbial exposures and infectious disease in humans.
Antibacterial agents are necessary, she says, but some are better and safer than others. And most of all:
“Handwashing is still one of the most important things you can do to prevent the spread of many different illnesses. So continued hand washing with just soap and water is really essential as we continue to combat this virus.”
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
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