Midday

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland-DC regional stage. Today, she talks with Tom about two classic shows currently in town: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet and Everyman Theatre's production of Harvey. Hamlet is widely considered to be William Shakespeare's greatest tragedic play, while Harvey is a 1944 comedy about a man whose best friend is a giant, invisible rabbit. Do these two plays have anything in common? In this new production of Hamlet, Baltimore native and nationally recognized Shakespeare director, Eleanor Holdridge, reveals this iconic piece of Shakespearian literature as a contemporary world full of tension. “We're creating a world of magic and wonder in which Hamlet can grapple with the questions of our existence,” Holdridge said of the production in a press release. “Even when he tries to make sense of and avenge his father's untimely death, he discovers the ineffable strength of his own humanity.” Harvey tells the story of Elwood P. Dowd (played by Resident Company Member, Bruce Randolph Nelson), a lovable eccentric who claims his best friend is a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. When Elwood's sister, Veta, tries to have him committed in hopes of protecting the family's social standing, chaos ensues. The original Pulitzer Prize-winning play was written by Mary Chase.  It's directed at Everyman by Jackson Gay. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet and Everyman Theatre's production of Harvey both continue through May 21.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Midday at the Movies, our monthly look at films and filmmaking. Today, a look at what's new in movie theaters. Among the film's we'll discuss: CHEVALIER, SHOWING UP and ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET, the new adaptation of Judy Blume's 1970 young-adult novel of the same name. Plus, we'll look at the writers' strike shutting down production in Hollywood. Screenwriters are going against the major studios, including Amazon, Apple, and Disney. Ann Hornaday, film critic for the Washington Post and author of the best-selling moviegoers' guide, Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies, joins us on our digital line. And joining Tom in Studio A today is Jed Dietz, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival, and another regular on Midday at the Movies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Tom welcomes back to Midday the comedian and writer Lane Moore. In addition to being a published author, she is also a songwriter and the frontperson for the band, It Was Romance. Moore is in Baltimore featuring tonight at Baltimore Soundstage, where she will perform her stand-up show, Tinder Live. During the show, she displays her dating app on a screen and checks out various profiles in front of the audience, who vote as to whether she should swipe left or right. She will also be signing copies of her new book, You Will Find Your People: How to Make Meaningful Friendships as an Adult. The book is a how-to guide, a touching memoir, and a funny take on the complexities of platonic relationships. It follows her first book, a New York Times bestseller published in 2018 called How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't. Lane Moore joins Tom in Studio A. Photo: Lane Moore with her dog Lights, in the WYPR studio. (credit: Rob Sivak/WYPR)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Midday on Ethics, a discussion about advancements in technology that change the way humans reproduce. Tom's guest is Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, the director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. He is also Professor in the Dept. of Health Policy and Management of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In a 2016 book, a researcher named Henry Greely predicted that in a few decades, most people will make babies by methods other than sex. And a recent article in The New Yorker from writer Emily Witt looks into the booming,multi-billion-dollar industry that's driving advances in reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, or IVF. And now, IVF may eventually give way to a procedure known as IVG, or in vitro gametogenesis. That's just one of several new methods by which babies can be made, and the reproductive clock for women can be extended. Dr. Jeffrey Kahn joins Tom in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The case of Adnan Syed took another dramatic turn yesterday. You may recall that in 2000, Mr. Syed was convicted of the murder of Hae Min Lee, his girlfriend and classmate at Woodlawn High School. He served more than 20 years in prison, until September of last year, when his conviction was vacated and he was released. Then, in March of this year, the Appellate Court of Maryland reinstated that conviction and sentence. Yesterday, in a 2-1 decision, the court denied Syed's motion to reconsider its decision. Syed's attorney, Erica Suter, has indicated she will appeal that decision to the MD Supreme Court. Steven Klepper is an experienced appellate lawyer with the law firm Kramon and Graham here in Baltimore. Today, he helps us understand what led to the Appeals Court's decision yesterday, the impact it might have on the Syed case, and the legal precedents it could establish.… Steven Klepper joins Tom in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy led a bipartisan US congressional delegation to Israel, a delegation that included Maryland's Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer. McCarthy addressed the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, and indicated that he might soon invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress. This is in stark contrast to President Joe Biden, who has so far refused to extend an invitation to Netanyahu to visit the White House since the Prime Minister put together a far-right coalition government that returned him to power last year. Israel is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding, and reeling from a level of internal discord that the young country has never before encountered. Netanyahu is pushing radical reorganization of the judicial system which would greatly diminish the authority of Israeli courts. Mass protests over the past many weeks have forced the proponents of the judicial overhaul to pause their efforts for the moment, but the crisis is far from being resolved. For an update on the situation in Israel, and perspective on Vladimir Putin's posture against the Jews in Ukraine, we turn to Sam Sokol, a reporter for Haaretz, and the author of Putin's Hybrid War and the Jews:  Antisemitism, Propaganda, and the Displacement of Ukrainian Jewry.  Sam Sokol joins us on Zoom from New York. Sam Sokol will be speaking about his book and the current situation in Israel on Wednesday night (May 3) at 7:00 at Beth Am Synagogue in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. For more information and to register for this event, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom's next guests are Dr. Mileah Kromer, the director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College, and Pamela Wood, who covers state politics for The Baltimore Banner, a WYPR news partner. The Banner and the Hughes Center have released a poll surveying Maryland residents about a wide range of issues, including their feelings about Gov. Wes Moore's performance in his first 100 days in office. Tom's guests discuss some of the key findings. They also discuss the retirement of one of the longest-serving members of the U.S. Congress from Maryland. Yesterday, Sen. Ben Cardin announced he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2024. The speculation about who may seek to succeed him has begun.Dr. Mileah Kromer joins Tom in Studio A. Pamela Wood joins us on Zoom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, a look inside rapid turnovers in the administration of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. Tom speaks with reporter Emily Sullivan, who covers local politics for the Baltimore Banner, a WYPR news partner. Yesterday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott fired his Chief of Staff and his director of Communications, neither of whom had been at their respective jobs for long. The changes are the latest in a series of staffing shake-ups in the Scott Administration. Emily Sullivan joins us on our digital line.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's another edition of the Midday Healthwatch, our monthly conversations about public health with Dr. Leana Wen. Today, Tom will be talking with Dr. Wen about the latest health news from Maryland. The state's COVID-19 Dashboard was moved to the Maryland Department of Health's main website. The state COVID Alert system is set to end Tuesday, May 9, while the federal state of emergency comes to an end on May 11. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is keeping its eye on a new variant of COVID. Who should get a second bivalent booster, and will it be effective against this latest iteration? We'll also talk to Dr. Wen about the deepening fentanyl crisis, and what we need to know about recreational marijuana. Plus, Baltimore is looking for a new health commissioner. The current head of the health department, Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, is leaving her post to become the interim Deputy Mayor for Equity Health and human services. Dr. Wen was the city's health commissioner from 2014 to 2018. We'll talk about the skills an effective leader in that job needs. Dr. Leana Wen joins host Tom Hall on Zoom. Dr. Wen is one of America's most trusted and knowledgeable public health experts, and she has been a regular guest on our show since her time as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, from 2015-2018. Today, the emergency physician is a research professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. She's a columnist for the Washington Post, a medical analyst for CNN, and a non-resident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. And she's the author of Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(This conversation was first broadcast on April 14, 2023.) Welcome to an encore presentation of Midday. Tom's guest is Bonnie Garmus. Her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, is a huge, breakout hit. It has been on the New York Times best seller list for almost a year, and it's been parked in the number one spot on that list for 14 weeks. It has sold more than 2 million copies, it has become a favorite book club selection across the country, and it's been named by The New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek as a best book of the year. It's an international hit, too, with translations published in 40 languages. The actor and director Brie Larsen will bring it to the screen in a series on Apple +. Lessons in Chemistry is a feminist manifesto, a wickedly funny social critique, a poignant story of love and loss, and a charming peroration on the meaning and might of families. The protagonist in this compelling novel is Elizabeth Zott, a gifted chemist who navigates the patriarchal universe of the 1950s and 60s with courage, compassion and unwavering aplomb. She is one of several extraordinary characters — including her beloved canine, Six-Thirty — in a comic, touching and moving story told with delicious mastery. Author Bonnie Garmus joined Tom on Zoom from her home in London… Bonnie Garmus will be speaking about "Lessons in Chemistry" and signing the book on May 10, at 7pm, at “Sixth and I” in Washington, DC. You can attend in person or on-line. Click the link to register for the ticketed event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland-DC regional stage. Today, Judy joins guest host Emily Sullivan to tell us about Nevermore, a 2006 musical inspired by the works of the master of the macabre, 19th century writer-poet Edgar Allan Poe. The production, which is getting its regional premiere at Baltimore's Stillpointe Theatre, features music by Matt Conner, book by Grace Barnes, and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunik, with source material from Mr. Poe. The story of love, personal demons and self-discovery is propelled by its musical numbers and explores the mind of Edgar Allan Poe as a "ghostly dreamscape" of disturbing yet compelling themes of madness and melancholy. The musical is directed by Ryan Haase, with choreography by Amanda J. Rife, and musical direction by Ben Shaver. Nevermore continues at The Stillpoint Theatre through May 6. Click the theater link for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Midday, guest host Emily Sullivan, a city government reporter for The Baltimore Banner, takes a deep dive into the Baltimore City budget – which is taking shape a little differently this year. For more than a century, the Baltimore City Council has had very limited power over the budget. The mayor would write it…and pass along a draft version to the council to officially vote through.The council members could make cuts to the budget, but could not reallocate the money. For example, when then-City Council President Brandon Scott led the council in cutting 22-million dollars from the Baltimore Police budget in summer 2020, he and his peers didn't have a say in where the money actually went. This budget season, that changes. Thanks to a charter amendment that voters overwhelmingly passed in November 2020, the council now has the power to move money around in Mayor Brandon Scott's $4.4 billion draft budget. Emily's first guest today is Adam Willis – a reporter at The Baltimore Banner who covers the intersection of money and politics at City Hall. Last night, he attended Taxpayer's Night…the annuual forum where Baltimoreans are invited to City Hall to express their feelings about the budget proposal directly to the city's spending board. Adam Willis joins Emily in Studio A. Later in the program, we get another perspective on last night's public forum, on the city's 2023-24 budget priorities and how they could shape the coming political season, from Sophia Silbergeld, a veteran political and business analyst and a managing partner at Adeo Advocacy, the communications and political consulting firm. Sophia Silbergeld joins Emily in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, Midday guest host Jayne Miller takes a look at the current state of redevelopment in downtown Baltimore. There's a new Lexington Market and concerts at the CFG Bank Arena. But foot traffic is dwindling, some restaurants are closing and big businesses are moving out.  And Harbor Place, long slated for a major redevelopment, continues to languish. When and how can downtown bounce back? Jayne talks with Sophie Kasakove and Hallie Miller, both reporters at WYPR's news partner, The Baltimore Banner, which recently published their extensive report on the troubled state of downtown Baltimore. Sophie Kasakove and Hallie Miller join us in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Midday. Sitting in for Tom Hall once again is guest host Jayne Miller, the former WBAL-TV reporter and now an independent investigative journalist. Today, Jayne will be looking at the future of Baltimore from two angles: later in the program, the focus will be on the progress of downtown development efforts. She'll be joined by two Baltimore Banner reporters who recently wrote a sobering assessment of the current state of the heart of the city. But before we discuss commercial development, we consider what's happening with residential properties in the city. Last week in his State of the City speech, Mayor Brandon Scott spotlighted the latest initiatives of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and other agencies to increase Black homeownership in Baltimore. He calls this effort the Middle Neighborhoods Strategy. Here is some of what the mayor said: “Through (the Department of) Housing, Live Baltimore, and the Department of Planning, we're investing $9.7 million toward grant programs to finance home repairs for legacy homeowners and create pathways to homeownership for families with school-aged children...This includes providing 270 grants through our Buy Back the Block initiative to help renters move towards homeownership by offering them $10,000 to buy—or $20,000 to buy and renovate—a home where they currently rent.”                                                       — Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott. Can programs like these increase Black homeownership and narrow the gap? Jayne also examines more broadly why the rate of homeownership in Maryland among Black residents is still lagging behind White residents. According to a recent report on race and home buying, Black homeownership for Marylanders in 2021 was 52% while White homeownership in the state was 78%. What factors are contributing to the gap and how are real estate professionals addressing the issue? Joining Jayne to discuss these questions is Ashley Thomas, a Los Angeles-based realtor and vice president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, an organization of African-American real estate professionals focused on democracy in housing. Ashley Thomas joins us from Los Angeles on Zoom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Midday. Today, guest host Jayne Miller talks about challenges in Maryland health care services. We begin with a look at the problems of first-responder burnout as a result of the pandemic and long waits in the emergency room. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finds that Maryland's wait times in hospital emergency rooms are among the worst in the nation, at nearly four hours per visit. In the most recent legislative session in Annapolis, lawmakers in both the House and Senate voted to create a taskforce to investigate Maryland's emergency room wait times. Jayne's first guest is Senator Karen Lewis Young, a Democrat who represents District 3 (Frederick County). She was the sponsor of this legislation in the Senate. Senator Young joins us via Zoom. Later in the program, we turn to challenges facing nursing home facilities, long-term care and elder care. A recent report finds that staffing levels in nursing homes are at their lowest level since 1994.Long-term care advocates have been sounding the alarm for years about the need for Maryland to invest in the future infrastructure and workforce of nursing homes. Joe DeMattos is one of those advocates. He is president of the Health Facilities Association of Maryland. The organization represents and supports long-term care facilities across the state. Joe DeMattos join us in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Midday, Jayne Miller, the former WBAL reporter and now an independent investigative journalist, begins a three-day stint here guest hosting for Tom Hall. The latest US Census data show Baltimore City continues to lose population. The total number of city residents is 569,930, according to the latest count — a staggering 40% decline since the 1950's. But inside those numbers are trends, stories and indicators that can help us better understand the profound changes happening in the city, and the region. Jayne's guest today is Dr. Amanda Phillips de Lucas, the new director of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance — Jacob France Institute. Each year, BNIA-JFI issues Baltimore's Vital Signs report, which tracks more than 150 indicators to take the pulse of neighborhood health and vitality. The non-profit organization is housed at the University of Baltimore and for many years was led by Seema Iyer, who spearheaded BNIA's efforts to bring data science to bear on improving neighborhood governance in Baltimore. Last month, Dr. de Lucas was selected to take charge of the alliance's crucial mission of gathering and analyzing data to better understand the needs of the city's diverse communities. Amanda Phillips de Lucas joins Jayne in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom's Midday Newsmaker guest today is Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. He's been on the job a little more than four years, overseeing the implementation of a federal consent decree, trying to change the culture of the department, and fix the fraught relationship between the police and the majority African American community in our city. There might be a perception that crime in the city has not diminished this year, or in recent years. In 2022, the number of homicides did, indeed top 300 for the 8th straight year. Three hundred and thirty-two people lost their lives violently then. But the overall trend in the rate of homicides and nonfatal shootings is headed in the right direction. Mayor Brandon Scott delivered his third State of the City address earlier this week, and in his speech, he discussed efforts to turn the tide of violence in our city. Part of that tide, the mayor said, is caused by the sheer number of weapons that are available. And he pointed to signs that the city's Group Violence Reduction Strategy, which involves violence interruption organizations as well as police and other agencies, is working. But like cities across the country, Baltimore has experienced a heartbreaking uptick in violence against children and teenagers.The CDC reports that gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States. In 2021, firearms were responsible for 19% of childhood deaths nationwide.Here in Baltimore, in the first four months of this year, 39 young people between the ages of 13 and 18 have been shot. Eleven have died. Mayor Scott has promised to re-instate nighttime curfews for children and youth under the age of 17, starting this Memorial Day (May 29). If police are tasked with enforcing curfews, how will that affect their efforts to reduce violent crime? Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison joins Tom in Studio A…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland-DC regional stage. Today, she spotlights The Awakening, a new production by the Endangered Species Theatre Project, on stage until Friday at New Spire Arts in Frederick, Maryland. The Awakening was adapted from the Kate Chopin novel by playwright Rebecca Chase, with music by Myra Platt. Chopin's novel, first published in 1899 as "A Solitary Soul," depicts a young mother's struggle to achieve sexual and personal emancipation in the oppressive environment of the postbellum American South. This American literary classic was widely censored and condemned as immoral when it was first released. It was rediscovered in the 1950s and has since gained a following as an early and important feminist work.This latest stage adaptation is set to a score of blues, ragtime, soul, and opera and imbued with the lush decadence of the French Quarter. Endangered Species Theatre Project's production of The Awakening is directed by Christine Mosere. It continues at New Spire Arts in Frederick through tomorrow (Friday, April 21).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've just joined us today, it's Midday on the Environment. More than 6% of waste in the US comes from household textiles.The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association, or SMART, a network of companies involved in fabric recycling, says that 95% of textiles can be reused or recycled. Old curtains, towels, sheets, shoes, stuffed animals and more can all be turned into new stuff. And when it comes to clothes, what better way to recycle them than to have someone else wear them? Forbes Magazine reports that in 2021, the global market value of secondhand clothes was $96 billion. Joining Tom now are two volunteers with the Women's Board of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, which runs stores downtown and in Cockeysville that sell secondhand clothes to raise money for a range of patient-care services at the hospital. Susan Flax Posner is a volunteer at RENEWAL Upscale Resale at the Hunt Valley Town Centre in Cockeysville. Joan Quinn volunteers at the Carry On Shop on East Monument Street, on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus in Baltimore… Susan Posner and Joan Quinn join Tom in Studio A. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturday is Earth Day, a day that's been observed annually since 1970 to draw attention to the problems facing the global environment. Today on Midday, two environmental movements that are rapidly gaining interest and adherents: the green burial movement and sustainable fashion. A little later we'll talk about how the Johns Hopkins Women's Board is giving new life to old clothes, and cutting down on the environmental impact of discarding textiles. But we begin today with a conversation about green burials, which perhaps can be best described by listing what's not involved rather than what is. No embalming, no concrete grave liners, no non-biodegradable caskets. Instead, bodies are returned to the earth naturally, with no deleterious effect on the environment. Jennifer Downs is the founder and chair of the Green Burial Association of Maryland, or GBAM. She joins Tom in Studio A… Lee Webster joins us as well. She's a past president of the Green Burial Council. She's served in leadership of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and she helped found the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and Conservation Burial Alliance. She's also written several books about green burials. Lee Webster joins us on Zoom from Holderness, New Hampshire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juanita Jackson Mitchell (January 2, 1913 – July 7, 1992) is one of Maryland's most revered civil rights icons. An activist whose imprint on the struggle for civil rights is immutable, she was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, and the first African American woman to practice law in Maryland. Her legacy will be honored when the building in Baltimore's Marble Hill neighborhood she used as a law office during her storied career is to be renovated and preserved as a community legal center. The Beloved Community Services Corporation, a non-profit community development group directed by Alvin Hathaway, purchased the property and is overseeing the renovation. The group recently received a $1.75 million US congressional grant to support the project. Joining Tom now is one of Juanita Jackson Mitchell's sons, former Maryland State Senator Michael Mitchell. He joins us on Zoom…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent surveys have shown that people looking for employment in this country are putting greater emphasis than previous generations on what's being called the "the work-life balance" — favoring jobs that more closely reflect their values and lifestyles, even if they offer lower salaries. This morning, LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned business and employment-focused social media platform, released new data on what job seekers want from companies they are considering working for. Joining Tom now to discuss the new findings is Andrew McCaskill. He is a career expert and global communications specialist at LinkedIn. Andrew McCaskill joins us on Zoom from Atlanta, Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent revelations by investigative journalists from Pro Publica about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' relationship with the Republican megadonor Harlan Crow have rekindled the debate about the lack of a code of ethics for members of the nation's highest court. We begin today with our Newsmaker guest, Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Last November, he was overwhelmingly elected to a second term in the US Senate, after serving 7 terms in the House. He serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee, and he chairs the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. That's the subcommittee that determines funding for, among others, the US Supreme Court… Sen. Van Hollen discusses the Senate's response to the scandal in the High Court, the imbroglio over Sen. Diane Feinstein's role on the Judiciary Committee, and the looming deadline for a vote on raising the US debt limit. Sen. Chris Van Hollen joins us on Zoom from his office on Capitol Hill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, it's Midday at the Museum.  Two museums, to be exact. The Baltimore Museum of Art and the Maryland Center for History and Culture have each named new directors within the last several months. Asma Naeem took the reins of the BMA in February. Katie Caljean assumed the top job at the Maryland Center last fall.They join us today on Midday to talk about their plans for their respective institutions, and to share their reflections on the changing roles of museums in Baltimore and beyond. Asma Naeem was born in Pakistan. She moved to Baltimore as a two-year-old. She is the first person of color to lead the BMA in its 109-year history. Her career as an art historian and curator was preceded by a career as a lawyer, including a tenure as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York. Asma Naeem joins us on Zoom from her office at the museum. We are also joined by Asma's BMA colleague, Gamynne Guillotte, the museum's Chief of Education and co-curator of a new exhibition at the BMA that celebrates Hip Hop, during this 50th anniversary of the influential genre. Along with two colleagues from the St. Louis Art Museum, they are co-curating The Culture:  Hip Hop & Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. This exhibition is a ticketed show, but there are a few days when admission to the exhibition is free. The next one is Sunday, May 21st. The exhibition closes July 16th. In the final segment of the program today, Tom's guest is Katie Caljean, the president and CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. She was appointed to the top job last fall, after serving at the Center for about 10 years, most recently as its senior vice president of education and strategic engagement. Katie Caljean joins Tom in Studio A. The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited opens at the Maryland Center for History and Culture on Memorial Day weekend, on Friday, May 26. It will be at the Center until December. [Posted image: Artist Joyce J. Scott. "Hip Hop Saint, Tupac" (2014.The Baltimore Museum of Art: Women's Committee Acquisitions Endowment for Contemporary Prints and Photographs, BMA 2020.61. © Joyce J. Scott and Goya Contemporary Gallery)]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Easter Sunday night, a large crowd of young people gathered near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. A fight broke out, and according to police, while officers were breaking up that fight, less than 40 feet away, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were shot. One is listed in “critical but stable” condition and the other in stable condition, according to Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. Over the weekend, several more young people were shot. Saturday night, a 12 year old boy was killed in the Westport Homes in South Baltimore. Last night, there was a triple shooting in the Jonestown neighborhood in which three teens were wounded, including a 17-year-old who was shot in the head. So far this year, one in three shooting victims in Baltimore have been under the age of 18. Last week, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced that, quote, we are “going back to the old days” of enforcing curfews, beginning on Memorial Day Weekend. Today on Midday: Are curfews an effective way to keep kids and the rest of us, safe? Can they be effectively enforced? Do curfews criminalize kids, especially children of color? Tom's three guests today provide some unique perspectives on these questions. We begin with Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway, who chairs the Public Safety Committee He joins Tom in Studio A... Later in the program, Tom is joined by law professor Kristin Henning. She is the director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law, and the author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Lakeidra Chavis joins us as well. She is a staff writer for the Marshall Project, a non-profit news organization reporting on criminal justice issues and advocating for systemic reforms.  Both women join us on Zoom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom's guest today is Bonnie Garmus. Her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, is a huge, breakout hit. It has been on the New York Times best seller list for almost a year, and it's been parked in the number one spot on that list for 14 weeks. It has sold more than 2 million copies, it has become a favorite book club selection across the country, and it's been named by The New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek as a best book of the year. It's an international hit, too, with translations published in 40 languages. The actor and director Brie Larsen will bring it to the screen in a series on Apple +. Lessons in Chemistry is a feminist manifesto, a wickedly funny social critique, a poignant story of love and loss, and a charming peroration on the meaning and might of families. The protagonist in this compelling novel is Elizabeth Zott, a gifted chemist who navigates the patriarchal universe of the 1950s and 60s with courage, compassion and unwavering aplomb. She is one of several extraordinary characters — including her beloved canine, Six-Thirty — in a comic, touching and moving story told with delicious mastery. We're delighted to welcome author Bonnie Garmus to our show. She joins us on Zoom from her home in London. Bonnie Garmus will be speaking about "Lessons in Chemistry" and signing copies of her book on May 10, at 7pm, at “Sixth and I” in Washington, DC. You can attend in person or on-line. Click the link to register for the ticketed event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland-DC regional stage. Today, she spotlights Hadestown, the 2019 musical that won 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and that's now in a touring company production at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre. Written by Anaïs Mitchell (book, music and lyrics) and co-developed with director Rachel Chavkin, the musical weaves two Greek myths — one, of young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, and another, of King Hades and his wife Persephone — into a haunting and moving musical drama. Hadestown continues at the Hippodrome Theatre through April 16.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Tom now is the author of a wonderful book, one that makes an important contribution to the literature of walking. From prophets to historians, the tradition of walkers writing about what they encountered on their journeys goes back centuries. Neil King, Jr. didn't set out to write a book, necessarily, but in the spring of 2021, he left his home in Washington, DC, and headed for New York, with 17 lbs. of stuff in his backpack, and in the words of the poet John O'Donohue, “an open heart and a watchful reverence.” King is a former national reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal.  His new book is called American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal. Neil King, Jr. joins us on Zoom from Washington, DC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring is in the air. Most folks in our listening area are enjoying plenty of sunshine today, and perhaps thinking ahead to what they'll plant in their gardens. We thought today would be a good day to talk about issues in agriculture, as farmers begin planting their fields and urban gardeners start populating their pots. Tom's guest is Joe Bartenfelder, who has managed his family produce business — Bartenfelder Farms — in Preston, Maryland, for 45 years. (Here in Baltimore, you can find fresh produce from Bartenfelder Farms at the Waverly and downtown farmer's markets every weekend.) Bartenfelder has also had a long career in politics. He served on the Baltimore County Council. He was a member of the House of Delegates, and from 2015-2023, during the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan, he served as Maryland's Secretary of Agriculture. Joe Bartenfelder joins us on Zoom from his farm in Preston, in Caroline County…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, Tom is joined by Shamiah T. Kerney, the Chief Recovery Officer in the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs, an office set-up by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott to oversee the distribution of the $641 million dollars of funds allocated for the city from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). President Biden signed the ARPA measure into law in March of 2021, with the aim of assisting communities across the nation in their ongoing recovery from the dislocations caused by the COVID pandemic. The city's Office of Recovery Programs was established in July of that year. The first announcements about which agencies and organizations would be receiving the funds were made in the fall. The city has until the end of next year to finish designating who gets the ARPA money, and until 2026 to have spent it.Shemiah Kerney joinsTom in Studio A to discuss the Office of Recovery Programs' important work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom's first guest today is Del. Elizabeth Embry. Before she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates last November, she served as Assistant MD Attorney General. She has spent the past four years investigating allegations of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. A redacted version of her report was released last week. Click here to read it. Its findings are stunning. 156 priests and other Archdiocese employees are identified as abusers, including 31 who had not been previously named publicly. The report chronicles 80 years of assaults on children and young people. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said this last Wednesday: "Today, certainly in Maryland, is a day of reckoning and a day of accounting…" “The incontrovertible history uncovered by this investigation is one of pervasive, pernicious and persistent abuse by priests and other Archdiocese personnel. It's also a history of repeated cover-up of that abuse by the Catholic Church hierarchy…” "What was consistent throughout the stories was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and the church leadership held over survivors, their families and their communities. The report seeks to document this long and sordid history," "While it may be too late for the survivors to see criminal justice served, we hope that exposing the archdiocese's transgressions to the fullest extent possible will bring some measure of accountability and perhaps encourage others to come forward."                                                             — MD Attorney-General Anthony Brown If you are a victim of abuse, and you would like to report past abuse by members of the clergy or anyone else, you can call the Attorney General's Office at 410-576-6312 or e-mail report@oag.state.md.us.  Del. Elizabeth Embry joins Tom in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 445th session of the Maryland General Assembly came to a somewhat chaotic close at midnight Monday night. With minutes left until the stroke of midnight, former minority leader Del. Nic Kipke, a Republican from Anne Arundel County, engaged in a heated conversation with Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones. All 10 of the bills put forward by the state's newly elected Governor Wes Moore, passed, although with some changes. The signing ceremony for one of Gov. Moore's signature initiatives, the Fair Wage Act, is taking place at this hour. That's the measure that will accelerate the timetable for the minimum wage to reach $15 an hour.Over the past 90 days, lawmakers considered more than 2,000 bills, passing more than 600 into law. Tom's guests today are two seasoned veterans of the State House press corps: We begin with Josh Kurtz, the founding editor of Maryland Matters, the independent online news journal that covers Maryland politics and government. Josh Kurtz joins us on Zoom.  Later in the hour, Tom talks with WYPR News Director Matt Bush. Matt Bush is at the State House in Annapolis and joins us on our digital line.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(This conversation was originally broadcast on March 15, 2023) Tom's guest on this archive edition of Midday is the award-winning author, Julie Otsuka. She has published three critically acclaimed novels. Her first, When the Emperor Was Divine was published in 2002, and over the past 20 years, it has been chosen by more than 60 colleges and universities as a “campus reads” book, in which everyone at those institutions reads and discusses it. In 2022, that same book was banned by the Muskego-Norway school district in Wisconsin, which deemed it inappropriate for high-school sophomores. When Tom spoke with Julie Otsuka in March, she was preparing to come to Baltimore to deliver the keynote address at the 2023 Loyola University MD Humanities Symposium. Her March 16 talk was entitled, An American Story: War, Memory and Erasure, in which she talked about her family's experience in internment camps during the second world war, and the importance of keeping those memories and those important stories alive. The launching point for her talk was her first novel, When the Emperor Was Divine.  Julie Otsuka's second novel is about Japanese “picture brides,” who came to America in the early 20th century to wed men they had never met in person. It's called The Buddha in the Attic, and it won the 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and it was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her latest novel, published last year, is called The Swimmers.  The story concerns a group of people who swim at a community pool regularly, and what happens when that pool develops a crack that no one can seem to explain. It's also about dementia, and the complicated relationship between a mother and her daughter. And it's about multitudes more. The American Library Association awarded it the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Julie Otsuka is an artist who writes with power, elegance, and compassion, and The Swimmers is a book that many readers have found to be gripping and wondrous in every way. Julie Otsuka joined Tom on Zoom from New York…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland-DC regional stage. Today, she spotlights The Jungle, writers Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson's immersive theater piece about the refugee experience, now engaging audiences at Shakespeare Theatre Company's Harman Hall in Washington, DC. The uniquely-staged play — conventional seating has been replaced with a dirt floor and wooden benches —is co-produced by the STC and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and is co-directed by Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry (An Inspector Calls, The Crown) and Justin Martin. The Jungle continues at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC through April 16.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's another episode of Midday at the Movies, our monthly conversation about films and filmmaking.Joining Tom in Studio A are our two movie-maven regulars: Ann Hornaday, film critic for the Washington Post and author of the best-selling moviegoers' guide, Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies. Ann joins us on Zoom from Iowa... And Jed Dietz, the founder and former director (retired) of the Maryland Film Festival and Parkway Theater.  Today, Ann and Jed size up the current crop of new films and streaming releases, including THE LOST KING, A THOUSAND AND ONE, AIR, LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING, and PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS. And as always, we invite you to share your favorite flicks or streaming series! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our focus on Midday today is the Attorney General's Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.A warning to our listeners: for the rest of the hour, we're going to talk about child sexual abuse.Yesterday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown released the long-awaited Catholic clergy sexual abuse report. It chronicles more than 80 years of abuse by more than 150 Catholic clergy members, seminarians, deacons and Archdiocese employees, and their victimization of more than 600 children and young people. The Catholic Church is by no means the only religious faith institution which has had clergy break trust and act criminally with their congregants, nor are religious institutions the only professions in which abusers prey on children. But the Catholic Church is the sole focus of this particular report. Here's part of what AG Brown had to say yesterday when he announced the report's release: “Today, certainly in Maryland, is a day of reckoning and a day of accounting…“The incontrovertible history uncovered by this investigation is one of pervasive, pernicious and persistent abuse by priests and other Archdiocese personnel. It's also a history of repeated cover-up of that abuse by the Catholic Church hierarchy…” "What was consistent throughout the stories was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and the church leadership held over survivors, their families and their communities. The report seeks to document this long and sordid history..." "While it may be too late for the survivors to see criminal justice served, we hope that exposing the archdiocese's transgressions to the fullest extent possible will bring some measure of accountability and perhaps encourage others to come forward." — Md Attorney General Anthony Brown, speaking Wednesday in Annapolis. The report was written by Elizabeth Embry, who worked on it for four years. Ms. Embry is now a member of the House of Delegates. She will be joining Tom to talk about the report and its findings here on Midday next week, after the General Assembly Session has concluded. The abuse described in the report goes back to the 1940s. Archbishop William Lori, in a letter to Catholics published yesterday offered an apology, acknowledged the, quote, “reprehensible time in the history of this Archdiocese,” and asserted that since the 1990s, the church has been more transparent and cooperative with law enforcement to remove abusers from its ranks. We invited Archbishop Lori to join our conversation. He declined our invitation. Today is a holy day in the church calendar, Maundy Thursday, and the Archbishop's spokesperson cited a schedule conflict.Today, we'll hear from some of the survivors of the abuse that is described in the report, from reporters who have been covering this story, and from a Doctor who treats child sexual abusers. Joining Tom in Studio A to discuss the AG's report are Scott Maucione, WYPR's health reporter, and Emily Hofstaedter, a WYPR general assignment reporter. We also hear a recorded comment from Dylan Segelbaum, a reporter with WYPR's news partner, The Baltimore Banner. Later in the program, Tom is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau. She's the director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. If you are a victim of abuse, and you are ready to come forward you can report past abuse by members of the clergy or anyone else by calling the Attorney General's Office at 410-576-6312 or emailing report@oag.state.md.us. In addition, there are a variety of local and national resources available for survivors of sexual violence: Baltimore Child Abuse Center at Center for Hope: 410-601-HOPE; https://lbhstaging22.lifebridgehealth.org/CenterforHope/BaltimoreChildAbuseCenterServices.aspx Center for Family and Traumatic Stress at Kennedy Krieger Institute: 443-923-5980; https://www.kennedykrieger.org/patient-care/centers-and-programs/traumatic-stress-center Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault: https://mcasa.org/ Male Survivors: https://malesurvivor.org/ Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network: https://www.rainn.org/ Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP): https://www.snapnetwork.org/ CORRECTION: During today's live broadcast, we heard a clip of a woman named Maria Smith. Ms. Smith was incorrectly identified; she is a Catholic parishioner, not a survivor of sexual abuse. We apologize for the error.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has broken yet another norm, becoming the first US president in American history to be indicted on criminal charges. He surrendered to authorities Tuesday afternoon in lower Manhattan, and when he appeared before Judge Juan Manuel Marchan, he pleaded “not guilty” to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, in connection with a hush-money scheme ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Trump returned to his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago later on Tuesday. He gave a defiant speech, riddled with false claims, last night. Politically, Trump's indictment has been a boon for him. His poll numbers have spiked, and he says he has raised more than $7 million dollars since news of his indictment broke last month. Today, two perspectives on these unprecedented legal and political developments. We begin with Luke Broadwater, a congressional correspondent with the New York Times Washington Bureau. Luke Broadwater joins us on Zoom… Then, Tom's guest is the highly respected legal scholar and great friend of our show, Kim Wehle. She's on the faculty of the University of Baltimore School of Law. She's teaching this year at the American University Washington College of Law. She's a former Assistant US Attorney, and the host of the YouTube show, Simple Politics with Kim Wehle. And she's the author of three books, the latest of which is How to Think Like a Lawyer--And Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas. Kim Wehle join us on Zoom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, with the excitement of March Madness behind us, with opening day for the Orioles at Camden Yards just two days away, and with Lamar Jackson's future with the Ravens very much up in the air, it's a good time to talk sports: Alejandro Danois covers sports for WYPR's news partner, The Baltimore Banner… Jerry Coleman is the co-host of the Adam Jones Podcast, produced by the Baltimore Banner… We encourage you to check out the Baltimore Banner's new sports newsletter. It's called The Point. Every Monday and Friday morning, they'll deliver the latest news and analysis from Ravens reporter Jonas Shaffer, Orioles beat writer Andy Kostka and one of our guests today, enterprise writer Alejandro Danois. You'll also find the work of Jon Meoli, one of the most-trusted sources on baseball in Baltimore. You can find them in The Banner and in “The Point" newsletter, at thebaltimorebanner.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we begin with a conversation about the violence interruption program Safe Streets. It's a central fixture of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy that Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has implemented to reduce violence in our city. Safe Streets has operated in some areas for 15 years, providing credible counselors, known to their communities, who help diffuse tense situations and help people resolve conflicts peacefully. Last week, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Gun Violence Solutions released a report assessing the effectiveness of Safe Streets. It concludes “that there is evidence that Safe Streets has yielded important reductions in homicides and nonfatal shootings.” Dr. Daniel Webster, a distinguished research scholar at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. is the lead author of the report, called Estimating the Effects of Safe Streets Baltimore on Gun Violence.  Professor Daniel Webster join us on Zoom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's another edition of the Midday Healthwatch, our monthly conversations about public health with Dr. Leana Wen. We'll be talking today about how, after the US Department of Energy gave oxygen to the lab-leak theory about the origins of COVID, new evidence has emerged suggesting the pandemic began because of animal-to-human transmission in a Chinese live-animal market. And what are the guidelines, and what should be the guidelines, about second bivalent boosters for people who are immunocompromised? Plus, Dr. Wen has been writing about several other important public health topics. These include: the FDA's decision to make Narcan available over the counter; the high numbers of people experiencing loneliness, even in this post-COVID period; and what's best for kids when it comes to social media and screen time. Dr. Leana Wen joins Tom on Zoom. Leana Wen is one of America's most trusted and knowledgeable public health experts, and she has been a regular guest on our show since her time as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, from 2015-2018. Today, the emergency physician is a research professor of healthy policy and management at the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. She's a columnist for the Washington Post, a medical analyst for CNN, and a non-resident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. And she's the author of Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public HealthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time again for a visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins Tom each week with her reviews of Maryland-DC's regional stage. Today she spotlights playwright Adam Rapp's emotionally suspenseful 2018 drama, The Sound Inside, in a new production at Baltimore's Everyman Theatre. Directed by Everyman's Founding Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi, Rapp's Tony-nominated play explores how two writers confront life-and-death issues, in their work and in their real lives. Beth Hylton stars as college writing professor Bella Lee Baird, and Zach Powell plays her student protégé, Christopher Dunn. The Sound Inside continues at Everyman Theatre until April 2. Click the show link for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, Tom welcomes Angela Hewitt to the program. The British-Canadian artist is an extraordinary classical pianist who has been praised particularly for her interpretations of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Here's Ms. Hewitt performing music from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier. Angela Hewitt joined us Thursday on Zoom from Ottowa. Because our conversation is recorded, we can't take any questions or comments today. Angela Hewitt will be appearing in a concert on the Candlelight Concert Series tomorrow night in the Smith Theatre at Howard Community College. Her program begins at 7:30. It will include music of Scarlatti, Bach and Brahms. For more information and ticketing, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.