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
The Maryland Senate gave final approval to a package of police reforms yesterday, including a bill to repeal and replace the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights -- which lays out due process procedures for police accused of misconduct.
Maryland Matters reporter Hannah Gaskill talks about years of previous attempts by lawmakers to tackle repeal. And Senator Will Smith, who chairs the Judicial Proceedings Committee, shares specifics of the Senate’s approach.
Read more:
Historic Police Reform Package Passes Out of Senate Chamber on Bipartisan Terms
Maryland Senate approves package of police reform measures
The Maryland Senate has passed 9 major policing bills. Here’s what to know about each one and what comes next.
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 pandemic is distributing its financial effects, like its health damages, chaotically. They’re colliding on people who never before reached out for mental-health support but are now seeking help. Sherri Bloom is clinical director of the nonprofit Pro Bono Counseling Project, which is hearing from more callers and getting referrals from the 211 United Way helpline.
Like Bloom, psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Shepherd, board president of the Black Mental Health Alliance, says the impact on mental health will stretch beyond the pandemic itself.
You can reach the Pro Bono Counseling Project at (410) 825-1001. The counseling project’s warmline - if you want to talk, but not necessarily start a counseling relationship - is (443) 608-9182.
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
With another COVID-19 vaccine deployed, the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But millions of people who were infected continue to battle lasting complications.
Hopkins epidemiologist Priya Duggal tells of a new survey collecting data about COVID symptoms and of genetic research into why some people are vulnerable to long COVID. Check out the Johns Hopkins Long COVID Study.
And we hear from Chimére Smith, who has spent a year navigating the painful reality of long haul COVID. Read more about Chimére's experience:
'The Cut' Podcast: Doctors Didn't Believe She Had COVID
Covid 'Long-Haulers' Need Medical Attention, Experts Urge
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
Each year Open Society Institute-Baltimore awards grants to highly motivated community leaders. We hear from two recipients about their work.
First, Ateira Griffin leads BOND - Building Our Nation’s Daughters - which brings single moms and daughters together for activities to build their confidence and their connection.
Then, Wayne Paige graduated from Howard University with a degree in finance. Now he’s passing down this knowledge and encouraging young people in the McElderry Park neighborhood in East Baltimore to become entrepreneurs.
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 state rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine has been slow, chaotic and frustrating. But even with the glitches … nearly 800-thousand Marylanders have managed to secure a slot and get vaccinated. What does immunity offer … and how maddening is it for those still waiting? We talk with Dr. Neda Frayha, Dr. Zackary Berger, Gregory Terry, Renee Wilson, Sara Torvik and Jackie Oldham. Oldham says the quest for an appointment feels like a life-or-death competition:
“I liken it to the hunger games where you’re forced to go out and fight for this really necessary incredibly vital vaccine.”
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 Dr. Cat Chamberlain about her experience as a medical director at the Baltimore Convention Center Covid-19 overflow field hospital last year. You can hear their 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@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Eighty days into his tenure as Baltimore City’s mayor, Brandon Scott wrestles with some of the city’s enduring challenges, and some newer ones.
We ask about the police consent decree, his multi-pronged struggle against gun violence, what help he expects from the Biden-Harris administration, and what is on the mind of so many citizens -- the city’s Covid-19 response. Scott contends the state is not sending enough vaccine to the local health department. That’s why he’s asking Johnson and Johnson to sell directly to the city - thousands of the doses it’s manufacturing in Baltimore.
“If we had a more equitable process at the state level, then maybe we wouldn’t have had to ask Johnson and Johnson for help.”
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
Retailers and consumers are navigating a challenge: looking ahead to buying and selling post-pandemic while keeping commerce alive now.
The Baltimore Downtown Partnership is focused on both, with BOOST, which stands for 'Black-Owned and Occupied Storefront Tenancy.' It pairs Black-owned businesses with vacant storefronts and wraparound services like tech and marketing support.
Delali Dzirasa, himself a successful entrepreneur with his tech company Fearless, talks of the responsibility to nurture new ventures. And Shelonda Stokes, president of Downtown Partnership, describes the kind of business they want to boost:
“We want organizations that are going to contribute to downtown, organizations that are going to thrive and employ other people in here. That’s a win. And that’s what we’re looking for.”"
Plus, Tanisha Taliaferro, a bold shop owner tells why she opened her boutique during the pandemic.
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
In his new book, “We Own This City,” Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin Fenton unwinds a twisted tale of dirty cops, oblivious leaders, and a community betrayed by those sworn to protect it.
Fenton unearths the rotten roots of the Gun Trace Task Force, an elite plainclothes police unit that won praise for its arrest rate, all while skimming from drug busts and illegally searching citizens.
Read an except here.
Check out more reporting by Fenton on the Gun Trace Task Force:
Cops and Robbers: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
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
n anthology of Black American history...verses about the life of 18th-century poet Phillis Wheatley...short stories about girlhood in the South. These are some of the new must-read picks Carla Du Pree of CityLit Project offers us. She also previews next month’s virtual festival.
And local history teacher Dante Brizill shares the unsung story of African-American war heroes who drove the Red Ball Express after D-Day.
Check out Carla's book picks:
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of Africa America 1619 - 2019 - Ibram X Kendi & Keisha N. Blain
The Age of Phillis and The Love Songs of W. E. Du Bois - Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Prophet - Robert Jones
Caul Baby - Morgan Jerkins
Milk, Blood, Heat - Dantiel W. Moniz
We Speak For Ourselves - D. Watkins
The Sum of Us - Heather McGhee
How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith
Children’s & Young Adult Literature: Angel of Greenwood, Randi Pink; The Life I’m In, Sharon G Flake
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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