The Maryland Curiosity Bureau

What exactly are community schools? How are they funded? How are they different? And how well do they work? Maryland is spending almost 4 billion dollars a year to convert public schools to the community school model, and Baltimore Banner reporters Hallie Miller and Kristen Griffith join Aaron to visit some community schools and see how it's going for students and their families. In this episode, you'll hear from: Cheryl Brooks, Principal at Berkshire Elementary School Malik Sollas, Community School Liaison at Berkshire Elementary School Heather Chapman, Vice President of Neighborhood Zones, United Way of Central Maryland Kelly Oglesbee, Community Schools Program Manager, United Way of Central Maryland Michelle Gross, Family Center Director at Benjamin Franklin High SchoolSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Theo Hill hosted a series of intimate and honest conversations with people battling addiction on his WYPR podcast, One Day at a Time. His producer, Aaron Henkin, takes some time this week to remember Theo, who died recently due to complications from a stroke. Mr. Hill was 22 years substance-free at the time of his death.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's down in a gully near Bunker Hill Road in Hereford. Peer through the trees and you'll see it, a vintage Baltimore streetcar, forgotten and rusting away in the forest. Hiker (and WYPR host) Ashley Sterner discovered the derelict streetcar a few years ago and has been obsessed with the mystery ever since: How did it end up there? And why? This episode, we pay a visit to The Baltimore Streetcar Museum and find answers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask MTA administrators and transit activists, and you'll get the same answer: No idea. It's just been that way forever. This episode, we find a fifty-year-old archival newspaper article that reveals some clues, and we hear from present-day student commuters about how well the system is working out for them today. This episode, we hear from: MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold Student bus commuters Isabelle, Imani, and Na'im Ruth Farfel and Kwane Wyatt of The Fund for Educational ExcellenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Charlie moved to Baltimore, her goal was to commute to work on a bus. It seemed like a reasonable plan. But it's turned into a logistical nightmare. For Charlie, the bus system has proven to be unreliable, convoluted, and bewildering. Other cities can run a dependable bus service, so why can't Baltimore? WYPR's Aaron Henkin and Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie Miller ride along with Charlie this episode and try to figure out what's gone wrong, and why. In this episode, we hear from: Bus rider Charlie Amiot Brian O'Malley and Danielle Sweeney of Central Maryland Transportation Alliance Jed Weeks of Bikemore Bakari Height, Transit Equity Organizer with The Labor Network for SustainabilitySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six months ago, Baltimore installed speed cameras on The Jones Falls Expressway, on a stretch of the highway where unsafe driving and traffic accidents have been a problem for years.  So, are the cameras having their intended effect? Aaron and Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie Miller get some answers from the Baltimore City DOT. In this episode, we hear from: Corren Johnson, Interim Director of the Baltimore City Department of TransportationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a civic duty. It's a triumph of democracy. And if you live in Baltimore, it can feel like a hassle. Locals say they get summons letters from the city courthouse almost every year. Is that normal? Is it like that everywhere, or just in Baltimore? Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie Miller teams up with Aaron to figure out how jury service works (and how it doesn't). Who you'll hear from this episode: Brian Bornstein, research psychologist at Duke University Law School and co-author of the book The Jury Under Fire: Myth, Controversy, and Reform Nancy Marder, professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and author of the book, The Power of the Jury: Transforming Citizens into Jurors Baltimore jurors Uhmar Alston, Diana Farmer, Tamar Sarnoff, Ramsey Mihavitz, and Babloo PilliSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The paint is worn thin, but the message is still there, a puzzling declaration from a foggy past. At some point in history, someone decided to emblazon the city's public benches with the hyperbolically proud slogan:  Baltimore – The Greatest City in America. Where'd this over-the-top motto come from? And how'd it end up on all those benches? Baltimore Banner reporter Clara Longo de Freitas teams up with Aaron Henkin to find the answers. In this episode, we hear from: Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007 Steve Kearney, Director of Policy and Communications during O'Malley's Mayoral Administration Kurt Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore from to 1987 to 1999 Sandy Hillman, Former Head of Mayor William Donald Schaefer's Office of Promotion and TourismSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the world of competitive lacrosse, Maryland is a powerhouse. It's home to NCAA championship teams, national tournaments, the USA Lacrosse headquarters, and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum. But why? How did the sport originate, and what made it such a phenomenon in Maryland? This episode, we meet: Emma, Maya, and Carla Stromberg, Coppermine Lacrosse Club players Matt Stromberg, Coppermine Lacrosse Club coach Joe Finn, Archivist at USA Lacrosse John and James Simermeyer, Native American Lacrosse Club coaches Carol Samuels, former US Women's Lacrosse Team player and retired coachSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The neighborhood post reads like the opening lines of a short story. “Although I love music, I don't play, and my Steinway is silent. If by chance anyone knows of a good pianist who would like to come over to practice or play, or even do a nice soiree with guests, please let me know. I am only interested in classical music. No jazz, no pop, no ragtime, God forbid.” Dr. Robert Fiscella owns an antique Steinway that belonged to a renowned European pianist, his late friend, Agi Jambor.  This episode, we find an answer to Dr. Fiscella's question, and we learn the story of Agi Jambor, with the help of Baltimore Banner reporter Tim Prudente. In this episode we hear from: Dr. Robert Fiscella Baltimore Banner reporter Tim Prudente Agi Jambor's nephew in Budapest, Robert Schiller Agi Jambor's great niece in London, Frances Pinter, who published Jambor's memoir, Escaping Extermination Concert pianist Sarah Cahill Concert pianist and composer Wendel PatrickSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They're a tiny team. But they're undaunted by the magnitude of the task at hand. Eric Ford and Tony Clark have been working together for more than twenty years on Baltimore's graffiti removal unit, remediating the city's graffiti problem, one service request at a time, free of charge. Aaron Henkin and Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie Miller spend a day on the job with the guys, and they ask: What's it like to do a job you know is going to get undone, over and over again? In this episode, we meet: Eric Ford, Tony Clark, and Yolanda Cason of Baltimore's Graffiti Removal Unit Mixed Media Artist Kristin Fuller Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie MillerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A ton of sugar a week. That's what it takes to fuel this longtime Baltimore family business. Rheb's Candies has been crafting homemade chocolates for four generations. During the holidays, there's a line of customers out the door and down the block. This episode, we get a golden ticket to visit the rowhouse-basement factory where the magic happens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode takes on a question from a far-from-home listener. Robert Cusworth is from Maryland, he's in the US Coast Guard, and he's currently stationed in Guam. He noticed that one of the ships in the fleet out there is named USCG Cutter Myrtle Hazard. (Cool name, right?) Well, he heard the ship's namesake was originally from Baltimore. So, who is Myrtle Hazard? And why is there a Coast Guard ship in Guam named after her? In this episode, we hear from: Robert Cusworth, USCG Petty Officer stationed in Guam US Coast Guard Historian William Thiesen Lieutenant Jalle Merritt, Commanding Officer of the USCG Cutter Myrtle HazardSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you seen that Rapunzel-looking brick tower next to the Hoes Heights neighborhood in North Baltimore? It just got restored, and everyone agrees it looks beautiful. That's pretty much where the good feelings end. Now there's a bitter argument over what's going to happen to the little plot of land around the tower. Some folks want a park. Others want access roads. Baltimore Banner reporter Jasmine Vaughn-Hall joins the podcast to unpack how a seemingly innocent planning project has reaggravated some long-standing racial wounds in a historically Black neighborhood. In this episode, we hear from: Baltimore Banner reporter Jasmine Vaughn-Hall Baltimore Brew reporter Fern Shen Claire Agre of Unknown Studio Hoes Heights Action Committee members Joanne Kent, Eleanor Matthews, Teri Logan, Hana Morford, and Kitsy Lee Friends of the Roland Water Tower member Michael Falk Baltimore City Council Members Odette Ramos and James TorrenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a not-so-secret weapon that gives The Ravens their home field advantage: Baltimore's Marching Ravens are a massive musical hype machine that brings hometown crowds to their feet with the Ravens Fight Song. They're more than a hundred members strong. Their halftime show is a spectacle of uniform precision. And their musicianship is awe-inspiring.  But who are these people? How did this band come to be? And is it true that they helped save football in Baltimore? This episode, we meet: Band President John Ziemann Music Director Dan Fake Band members Nathan Beans, Gigi Kwik Gronvall, Kim Smith, and Brooke ColemanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They're wandering through yards, snacking on gardens. They're hanging out in neighborhood parks. They're strolling down the middle of the streets. Deer are everywhere. Or at least it feels that way if you live up and down the Baltimore DC corridor. Is this normal? Banner reporters Hallie Miller and Liz Bowie have been reporting on the state's deer population, and they join us this episode to answer the question:  Why are the deer surrounding us, and what we should do about it? In this episode, you'll hear from: Baltimore Banner reporter Hallie Miller Baltimore Banner reporter Liz Bowie Carrie Engel, Greenhouse Manager at Valley View Farms George Timko, Deer Project Co-Leader at the Maryland Department of Natural ResourcesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It just appeared one day, inexplicably. An empty coffin, nestled in the woods on the bank of Stony Run Creek in Wyman Park. An engraved nameplate read, “Mathilda Lorenz, died July 26, 1882, aged 18 years, 2 months, and 1 day.” The neighbors were baffled. And then, a few weeks later, just as strangely, the coffin disappeared. Baltimore Banner reporter Julie Scharper became obsessed with this stubborn local mystery, she followed a winding trail of breadcrumbs, and she joins us this episode to reveal what she's discovered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's covered in graffiti, overgrown by the forest, and neglected by the city, but Fort Armistead was once a state-of-the-art coastal defense installation. Why was this place built? Whatever happened to it? What's going on there now? Is it true that you can find tunnels into it? And what'll you discover if you venture inside? By the way, check out Baltimore Heritage's Five Minute Histories video about Fort Armistead Park! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our quest takes us to a ring-jousting event hosted by the Maryland Jousting Tournament Association. Then we venture into a forest to find the ruins of a Gothic mansion where the state's first official joust was held. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's listener grew up in Maryland, and he always just assumed there were roadside pit beef stands across the whole country. Not so! Pit beef is a hyper-regional food tradition rooted in Baltimore's industrial past, and we head out to explore the origins and permutations of this local delicacy. In this episode, we hear from: Simone Phillips of the food blog, Charm City Table Allison Robicelli, who wrote the Washington Post article, Here are 11 of the best places to enjoy pit beef – Maryland's answer to barbecue See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Kate Jakuta asks, “Why isn't Baltimore City part of Baltimore County? And could the city and the county ever join in the future?” It's a mystery that hopscotches us through time to the founding of Baltimore Town in 1729, the rewriting of the State Constitution in 1851, and a sly ballot referendum in 1948, which adds up to an unfortunate result for the city. While other US cities continue to grow by annexing land from surrounding counties, Baltimore's city/county line has been frozen in place for more than 70 years. Is there a way to unbind the city? And is there a political will to make it happen? This episode we hear from: The Villena family, whose house is bisected by the city/county line Matthew Crensen, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, and author of Baltimore: A Political History Ron Cassie, Senior Editor and Political Reporter at Baltimore Magazine. Check out Ron's article, How To Fix Baltimore Don Hutchinson, former County Executive of Baltimore County See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a tiny park in Baltimore's Guilford neighborhood that's home to an improbable monument. It's a bronze bust of Simon Bolivar, who liberated Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish colonial rule. Questions abound: Who made this thing? Was it a gift? Who was it from? How and why is it here? And what message should we take from it? Get ready for a trip down a historical rabbit hole that spans centuries, from the Colonial Era to the Cold War. In this episode, we hear from: Public historian Aimee Pohl, who's written an article about the statue and produced a video feature on the subject for Baltimore Heritage. Christy Thornton, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Stacy Gilbert wandered into a shop called Protean Books & Records, and she found a weird little room in the back. A sign read, Dr. Gloom's Crypt of Curiosities. She pulled aside the curtain, and when she stepped inside, she was fascinated by the otherworldly oddities on display. This week, we introduce Stacy to the crypt's proprietor, we remember Baltimore's now-shuttered American Dime Museum, and we head up to Havre de Grace to check out a mysterious soon-to-open spot called, First Call Paranormal and Oddities Museum. In this episode, we hear from: Chris LaMartina of Dr. Gloom's Crypt of Curiosities Dick Horne of The American Dime Museum James Taylor of the forthcoming First Call Paranormal and Oddities Museum See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood has been the epicenter of the city's gay community for decades, but clubs and bars there have been closing while a new scene has emerged in the neighborhoods of Old Goucher and Station North. This episode, we talk with Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials about the past and present of gay life in Baltimore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Andrew Cosentino wanted to know more about Baltimore's chapter of Negro Leagues baseball history, so we caught up with Ray Banks of the Hubert V Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball, to learn about the Baltimore Elite Giants and The Baltimore Black Sox. And sportswriter Charlie Vascellaro helps us track down a historic ballfield in Druid Hill Park where some of the earliest games were played. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Joanna Reed wanted to know how the crab seasoning, Old Bay, got started and how it became such a Maryland icon. So, food writer Jen Wheeler joins us this episode to tell the story of how a German Jewish immigrant made his way to Baltimore and ended up creating the best thing to ever happen to shellfish. We pay a visit to the inventor's original spice grinder. And we try to get the McCormick spice company to reveal what's actually in the secret mix. In this episode, we hear from: Food writer Jen Wheeler Baltimore Museum of Industry Executive Director Anita Kassoff McCormick Chief Marketing Officer Jill Pratt See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Josh Dix's question about sister cities takes us down a historical rabbit hole to a moment in Cold War history when President Eisenhower announced a new ‘citizen diplomacy' initiative to build relationships with cities abroad. Sister Cities International has been operating ever since, and today, Baltimore has nine sister cities around the globe. Take your seats for a very cosmopolitan episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it graffiti? Sort of. Is it illegal? Pretty much. Does it make people smile? Almost always. If you're stopped at a traffic light in Baltimore, look up and you might see one of his wire sculptures hanging from the cable across the intersection, backlit by the sky. Street Artist Reed Bmore has been putting up these little artistic winks for a decade now, and this episode, we talk with him at his home studio about how & why he does what he does. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It turns out The Ravens aren't the only pro football team in town. For 15 years now, the Baltimore Nighthawks have been repping the city in a hard-hitting national league where the teams compete in high-level, full contact, tackle football: The Women's Football Alliance. This episode, we meet the Nighthawks players and coaches who are blazing a trail for women in America's last ‘men's only' sport. Who you'll hear from: Breona Brewer, Nighthawks Wide Receiver, Free Safety, Kick/Punt Returner Alisha Owensford, Nighthawks Linebacker & Running Back Amanda Eich, Nighthawks Wide Receiver, Defensive End, and Long Snapper Tanya Bryan, Nighthawks owner (and Strength & Conditioning / Special Teams Coach) Keith Kahan, Nighthawks Head Coach Lisa King, Commissioner of the Women's Football Alliance See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the rat become Baltimore's unofficial mascot? Who's behind this ubiquitous image? Why is it so popular? And what exactly is it supposed to mean as a symbol? This episode, we meet: Matt Fouse, rat hunter and founder of Ratczar Toya Sykes-Coates, Chief of Property Management and the Baltimore Department of Public Works and previous head of Baltimore's Rat Rubout Program Dawn Biehler, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at UMBC and author of Pests in the City: Flies, Bedbugs, Cockroaches, and Rats See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore's sister-city, Odesa, is experiencing the tumult of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and we got on the line today with Karina Mandell, chairwoman of the Baltimore Odesa Sister City Committee, to hear about her efforts to contact friends and family back home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you seen those mysterious "Odd Fellows" signs on buildings across Maryland?  Who meets there? What do they do? And where did that name come from? This episode, we get invited behind the curtain of a secretive, centuries-old fraternal organization with deep Baltimore roots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's ‘Bawlmer' or ‘Baldamor,' the city's accent is a phonological puzzle. This episode, we invite locals to share their versions of the Baltimore accent, and we bring in linguistics scholars and historians to help make sense of what we're hearing. We even answer the question, ‘Is there such a thing as a Spanish Baltimore accent?' This episode, we hear from: Baltimore natives EZE Jackson and Tommy Sinbazo Linguistics professors Christine Mallinson and Inte'a DeShields Baltimore writer D Watkins Aida Medina, Director of Cross Cultural Competency at Gallery Church Patterson Park   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore has had a longtime love affair with the breaded, deep-fried carryout dish known as Lake Trout, but what is it, exactly? Is it trout? What lake does it come from? How did it get so popular? And how did it get its name? We talk with a Baltimore food blogger, a Maryland fisheries expert, and a celebrity chef to try to get to the bottom of this culinary mystery. This episode, we hear from: Simone Phillips, food blogger at Charm City Table Erik Zlokovitz, Recreational Fisheries Coordinator at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources John Shields, Chef at Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen and head of Our Common Table See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markers show that the water level in Baltimore's harbor is a foot higher than it was a century ago. Projections indicate that it'll rise at least that much more in the next hundred years. What'll that mean for waterfront neighborhoods and businesses? How will it impact water pipes and roads? And what are we doing to cope with it? This episode, we hear from: Lisa McNeilly, Director of the Baltimore Office of Sustainability Benjamin Grumbles, Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment Brad Rogers, Executive Director at South Baltimore Gateway Partnership Meleny Thomas, Executive Director at South Baltimore Community Land Trust See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It sounds like a word-problem with a simple solution: “A city resident and a county resident get their water from the same source. They both use the same amount of water. How will their bills compare?” The answer, it turns out, is tangled up in a century-old municipal labyrinth with more twists and turns than the meandering Gunpowder River. In this episode, we hear from: Matthew Garbark, Deputy Director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works Rianna Eckel, affordable drinking water advocate with Food and Water Watch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After you set that recycling on your curb, it's got a long and winding road ahead. This episode, we follow the trail and learn some surprising facts along the way, like: What percent of Baltimoreans actually recycle? How much of what we throw in the bins is in fact recyclable? What do oil prices and geopolitics have to do with the price of recyclables? And can you recycle a bowling ball? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to the 51-foot-tall Male/Female sculpture outside of Baltimore's Penn Station, opinions abound. Questions, too: How did it end up there? What is it supposed to mean? And what might become of it in the future? This episode, we hear from someone who's kept his thoughts to himself, until now – the artist, Jonathan Borofsky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore's rowhouses are renowned for their white marble front steps, but where did all that marble come from? This episode, we track down the origins of the mystery marble, and it turns out the answer is closer than you might expect. In this episode, we hear from: Community artist Megan Hildbrandt Historian Phillip Lord Thomas Doyle, President of Hilgartner Natural Stone Company See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, a listener asks why Baltimore's traffic-light network seems so poorly organized, so we talk with the engineering masterminds behind the system. And Aaron does an experiment to calculate how much time we spend waiting at red lights. This episode, we hear from: William Haynes, Chief of the Traffic Division at Baltimore's Department of Transportation Frank Murphy, Senior Advisor with Baltimore's Department of Transportation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some are tempted by the idea. Some are repelled. Will it ever be safe to take a dip in Baltimore's Inner Harbor? How long will it take? And what needs to happen? Goals have been set. Deadlines have been missed. But recent studies show there is reason to hope. In this episode, we hear from: Adam Lindquist, Director of Baltimore Waterfront Partnership's Healthy Harbor Initiative Alice Volpitta, Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper at Blue Water Baltimore And here's where you can find Blue Water Baltimore's regularly updated data on region's water quality See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting in the early 1800s, waves of Jewish immigrants started to settle in downtown Baltimore. Since then, the population has slowly but steadily moved northwest to neighborhoods like Pikesville and Owings Mills. How & why did that happen? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.