Midday

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to run for President under the 14th Amendment to the constitution because he engaged in insurrection. If the ruling stands, his name will not appear on the Republican primary ballot in Colorado.

Joining me now is Kim Wehle, an author and constitutional law scholar on the faculty of the University of Baltimore.

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Tom speaks with representatives from the mayor's office and police department who are working to reduce violence and address the root causes of crime in Baltimore.

Mayor Brandon Scott announced his strategy to address violence in the summer of 2021, setting a goal of reducing murders by 15% per year. We did not achieve that goal in 2021 or 2022, but we are on track to exceed it this year.

With 12 days left before the end of the year, it is likely there will be fewer than 300 murders in the city for the first time since 2014. As of today, 255 people have been identified as victims of homicide compared to last year, 65 fewer people were killed as of today than on this same day in 2022.

Guests for this program include:

• Stefanie Mavronis, the Interim Director of MONSE, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.

• Aisha Burgess, a member of the Community Violence Intervention Advisory Board.

• Jeremy Biddle, Special Advisor for the Group Violence Reduction Strategy to the Mayor and the Baltimore Police Commissioner

• Colonel Monique Brown, Deputy Commissioner of Patrol & the Community Policing Bureau for the Baltimore City Police Department

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Theater artist Stevie Walker Webb joins Midday. In October, he began his tenure as the new Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage. Walker Webb is an Obie Award winner and a Tony Award nominee. He is a director, playwright and educator, for whom social activism is a core tenet of his work.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

In September, Caryn York returned to her hometown of Baltimore to become the President and CEO of Baltimore Corps.

Baltimore Corps was founded 10 years ago by Wes Moore and describes itself as a social justice and innovation hub focused on jobs and career building. York talks with Tom about removing barriers to employment for youth in the Baltimore region.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Live from the performance studio of our sibling station, WTMD in Towson, it’s the annual Midday Holiday Concert with Helicon and Friends.

On Saturday, Helicon and a host of other traditional artists will present their 38th Annual Winter Solstice Concert at Goucher College.

The musicians performing on Midday include Robin Bullock, Chris Norman, Ken Kolodner, Brad Kolodner, Alex Lacquement, Sean McComiskey and Elke Baker.

Special thanks to Audio Engineer Charlie Hughes and the WTMD staff for hosting Midday at their performance studio in Towson.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Nathan Thrall is a Jewish-American journalist and author who served for 10 years as the director of the Arab-Israeli Project at the International Crisis Group. His latest book tells a heart-breaking story of a young Palestinian boy from the West Bank who dies in a bus accident while on a school trip. By tracing the actions of the young boy’s father in the aftermath of the crash, Thrall offers a compassionate perspective on the difficulties Palestinians face in Israel and the complexity of the tragic history of the Jewish-Palestinian conflict.

The book is called "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy."

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday ballet. While there are a number of organizations and dance companies presenting this great masterpiece, only one in our area features dancers and a live symphony orchestra.

The Magical Christmas Ballet is part of a national tour, with two performances next Monday and Tuesday at the Hippodrome Theater here in Baltimore. Those performances will be conducted by a young maestro who trained here in Baltimore, Michael Repper. He recently won a Grammy Award and he is an increasingly ubiquitous presence on the national classical music scene.

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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 and Virginia regional stage.

We discuss ArtsCentric’s production of “Cinderella,” which continues at Baltimore Center Stage through December 23.

This show is not your typical “Cinderella.” So what’s different?

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The new chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department joins Midday. Chief James Wallace was nominated to the position by Mayor Brandon Scott in July and confirmed by the City Council in October.

He began his career with the department 33 years ago, and rose through the ranks as a paramedic, a firefighter, Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief. Since 2020, he served in the Scott administration as the head of the Office of Emergency Management.

Baltimore sees many fires, with one of the highest per capita fire rates in the country.

Chief Wallace is in charge of fighting those fires facing shortages of both equipment and personnel, budget over runs, and the challenge of high 911 call volumes that is causing delays in response times

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today we discuss the future possibilities for two prime pieces of real estate in Baltimore City: Harborplace and Camden Yards. The two locations are at the physical and emotional heart of our city. Can revitalizing these developments happen in a coordinated way that make downtown a more appealing place for local residents and visitors to enjoy?

Tonight, Mayor Brandon Scott will host a Public Forum on Harborplace with David Bramble of MCB Real Estate. The forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center on Reedbird Avenue.

Guests for this program include Baltimore City Chief Administrative Officer Faith Leach, Former Maryland Stadium Authority Chair Thomas Kelso and urban planner Pete Saunders.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.