Midday

It's time for another visit with Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins Tom each week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage. Today, she's here with her take on Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's updated production of Much Ado About Nothing, the ever-popular Bard comedy that's now on stage at the open-air PFI Historical Park.

Directed by Seamus Miller, the 16-member cast includes Anna DiGiovanni and Dylan Arredondo (pictured above), who joined us here on Midday last week to talk about the production, as well as Molly Moores, Kate Forton, Jose Guzman, Ryan Tumulty and Abigail Funk, among others.

Much Ado About Nothing continues at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's "In-the-Ruins" venue at PFI Historical Park in Ellicott City, Maryland until July 24. Follow the theater link for program and ticketing information.

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

Last Friday, in a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court overturned fifty years of federally guaranteed abortion rights. The controversial ruling has been denounced by President Biden and abortion rights activists. But opponents of abortion, including many religious groups, celebrated the decision as a victory in their decades-long campaign to end legalized abortion in America.

Joining Tom now is Archbishop William Lori. In addition to leading the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he serves as the chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops…

He joins us on Zoom from Baltimore.

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

We begin today with our Newsmaker guest, Dr. Sonja Santelises, the CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Earlier this month, the Office of Inspector General for Education did an audit of city high schools after complaints that grades had been changed inappropriately. Over a period of four years, between 2016-2019, the audit found more than 12,000 grades had been changed, and it said its investigation revealed, quote, “misunderstandings, misapplications and non-compliance of grade-changing procedures.”

Gov. Larry Hogan has referred the matter to prosecutors and called for Dr. Santelises to resign. Of course, grades are changed for a variety of reasons.

Dr. Sonja Santelises joins us on Zoom to discuss this and other issues affecting the city's public school system.

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

Today, another installment in Midday's election-year series, Conversations with the Candidates: 2022.

We had hoped to have our guests join Tom in Studio A, but we learned this morning that isn’t possible. So, the three candidates in the Democratic primary for Baltimore State’s Attorney join us today on Zoom.

The incumbent, Marilyn Mosby, is seeking the nomination to run for a third term…

Ivan Bates is a Baltimore defense attorney who has previous experience as a city prosecutor…

And Thiru Vignarajah is a former city, state and federal prosecutor. He is currently the CEO of Capital Plus Financial…

Each candidate begins with brief opening remarks, summarizing why they are running, and why they deserve the voters' support.

The candidates are with us for the hour. We won’t take any calls today, but we will try to work-in some listener emails and Tweets.

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

Joining Tom now is the author, screenwriter, and columnist D Watkins. He is a New York Times best-selling author of four books, and an editor at large and columnist at Salon, and the winner of several awards. He was also one of the writers on the HBO mini-series, We Own This City, based on a book by the Baltimore Banner’s Justin Fenton and produced by David Simon, the creator of The Wire, among other critically acclaimed shows.

D Watkins’ latest book is a searing, vivid portrait of his life before and since he’s achieved success as a writer. Growing up in East Baltimore, he was involved, for a while, in the kind of things that often get kids in that part of our city killed or thrown in jail. Watkins chronicles a childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in which uncertainty and fear were constant companions. He explores his often-troubled relationship with his father, and he takes a hard look at the culture of manliness and stoic toughness that leads to a particular brand of toxic masculinity.

The book tracks his journey from scared kid to streetwise hustler to loving father, and it provides trenchant insight into the experience of growing up where, in Watkins’ words, “violence was his own personal painkiller.”

It's called Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments. (2022, Legacy Lit /Grand central Publishing)D Watkins joins us on Zoom from Baltimore.

D Watkins joins us on Zoom from Baltimore.

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

Midday begins today with a look at the first part of a new Goucher Poll, conducted in collaboration with The Baltimore Banner and WYPR, that takes the pulse of the Maryland electorate, with just 10 days to go before early voting begins in the 2022 statewide primary elections.

The Goucher College Poll was conducted by telephone from June 15 to 19, 2022. It surveyed 502 registered Democrats and 507 registered Republicans living in Maryland and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percent. 

Joining Tom to help unpack some of the key findings in the new poll are two astute observers of Maryland politics:Mileah Kromer is director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, which runs the Goucher Poll. She is also an Assistant Professor in the the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Goucher.

Pamela Wood is the Maryland politics and government reporter at The Baltimore Banner.

They join us on Zoom.

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

Today on Midday, we continue WYPR's Special Coverage of the historic Supreme Court ruling overturning 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights.

Writing for the High Court majority that overturned Roe v Wade in a 6-3 decision announced Friday, Justice Samuel Alito said that the decision “returns the authority to regulate abortion to the people” meaning states can decide whether or not abortions will be allowed. A poll released this morning by PBS shows 56% of Americans oppose the ruling.

In his noon-hour remarks from the White House on Friday, President Biden said the only way to restore abortion rights is to codify the provisions of Roe into law. The current Congress will not make that happen. Here in Maryland, women will have access to abortion, but Governor Larry Hogan is refusing to release money approved by the legislature to expand the number of people who can perform abortions.

Initially, the General Assembly wrote the law so that training would begin in July of 2023. A new urgency has arisen to begin training these providers because of the SCOTUS decision, and legislators want to start next month instead of next year, but the Governor isn’t budging.

Among Tom's guests today are Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, who represents the 10th District in South Baltimore; Professor Mary Fissell, a medical historian at Johns Hopkins University; and Miriam Burg, a Rabbi and Jewish educator who works with pregnant women.

We were told that Catholic Archbishop William Lori would be able to join us today as well, but this morning, his spokesperson said he would not be available. We hope to have him on at another time.

But we begin with Karen J. Nelson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, a major provider of reproductive health services across the state. Like our other guests, Ms. Nelson joins us on Zoom…

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

Today, during the first half of the noon Midday hour, we continue WYPR's Special Live Coverage of the historic ruling ending abortion rights handed down Friday morning in a 6-3 decision by the conservative majority of the US Supreme Court.

Ahead of President Joe Biden's scheduled remarks on the ruling at 12:33pm, Midday host Tom Hall speaks with Prof. Margaret Johnson, co-director of the Center on Applied Feminism at the University of Baltimore School of Law, and director of the law school’s Bronfein Family Law Clinic.

Later in the half hour, Tom speaks with Maryland State Delegate Emily Shetty (Democrat, Dist.18) about the ruling's human and political impacts.

Then, WYPR News reporter Rachel Baye joins us with excerpts from her interview Thursday with Karen Nelson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, who notes that while abortion will remain legal in Maryland, she is expecting the large influx of residents from states that have banned abortions to put a significant strain on Maryland's reproductive health resources.

______________________________________

Our continuing live, local coverage of Friday's historic Supreme Court ruling resumes during the 3pm hour. Midday host Tom Hall returns for a full hour of live conversation and listener interaction.

Tom's guests this hour include Stacey Lee, associate professor of the Practice at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School;

Dr. Lisa Cooper, founding director of the Center for Health Equity, part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and

WYPR reporter John Lee, who joins us to share some of his interviews with Heather Mizeur, a former Maryland State Delegate and currently a Democratic primary candidate for Maryland's 1st District US Congressional seat, and Dave Harden, a rival Democratic primary candidate for that 1st District seat. The incumbent 1st District congressman, Republican Andy Harris, declined John's request for an interview, but his office released a statement supporting the Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Stay tuned to WYPR this weekend for more of NPR's special coverage of the Supreme Court ruling striking down abortion rights. Midday's live coverage will continue during our regular noon-1pm broadcast on Monday, June 27.

For a list of pro-choice events and demonstrations happening this weekend, go to the wewontgoback.com Website.

For information on the anti-abortion movement, visit the March for Life site.

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

Time now for another visit with Midday's award-winning theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins Tom every week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage.

Today, she spotlights Once on This Island, a coming-of-age musical that opened on Broadway in 1990, with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. The show's 2017 return to Broadway won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.

The musical is getting a lively new production at Cockpit in Court, the Summer Theatre venue at Community College of Baltimore County's Essex campus. The show is directed by Tom Wyatt.

Once on This Island continues at Cockpit in Court through Sunday, June 26. For show and ticketing info, follow the theater link.

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

We turn now to the theater, and to the new production of Shakespeare's ever-popular comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, being staged by Baltimore's Chesapeake Shakespeare Company-In-the-Ruins at the PFI Historic Park in Ellicott City, and directed by Seamus Miller.

Joining Tom to talk about the play are two members of the cast: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company member Anna DiGiovanni, who plays "Beatrice", and Dylan Arredondo, who plays the role of "Benedick." They connect with us on Zoom.

Much Ado About Nothing continues at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through July 24. Follow the theater link for show and ticketing information.

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