Midday

Now, we turn to the future of Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes -- the race that is the second jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown. Pimlico opened its doors in 1870, making it the second oldest racetrack in the nation. And it is now, by all accounts, badly deteriorated.The Preakness has been run in Baltimore City since 1873. The question now is: will next year’s Preakness be its last in Baltimore? The Stronach Group, which owns Pimlico, wants to move the Preakness to its more modern facility in Laurel.Yitzy Schleifer represents the 5th District on the Baltimore City Council. Sen. Bill Ferguson represents Maryland’s 46th District in Baltimore City. Doug Donovan is an investigative reporter at the Baltimore Sun.We livestreamed this conversation on the WYPR Facebook page. Click here to watch the video.

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

Last Saturday night, a large group of teenagers gathered together in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. After a few tense hours, a handful of kids were arrested for charges ranging from assault to disturbing the peace. The incident was at least the fourth such episode in the Baltimore area since last summer, including disturbances at the White Marsh Mall and Eastpoint Mall in Baltimore County. Reaction to these incidents often divides along racial, generational and geographical lines. Today on Midday: What standards should youth, parents, the police, and our political leaders be held to? What do we owe our kids when it comes to safe spaces for hanging out?With artist and author Chris Wilson, Salon columnist D Watkins and Dr. Kimberly Moffit of UMBC join

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

The Inner Harbor, Accountability and the Baltimore's Youth

On today's Midday Healthwatch, Tom's guest is Baltimore City’s new Health Commissioner, Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. She was named to the position by then-Mayor Catherine Pugh. She began serving in March and was officially sworn in on April 16. She succeeds Dr. Leana Wen, who resigned last fall to become the president of Planned Parenthood. Dr. Dzirasa (pron. jih-RAH-zuh) is the first African American woman to be appointed as Baltimore’s Top Doc. Baltimore has the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department, a high-profile city agency with an annual budget of 150 million dollars and more than 800 employees. Dr. Dzirasa is a pediatrician who trained at the John Hopkins Medical School. She has worked in the private sector as the Health Innovation officer at Fearless Solutions, the Baltimore-based digital services company she co-founded with her husband Dilali. From 2013-2016, she was the director of school-based health services at Baltimore Medical System, a non-profit community health services organization.Dr. Dzirasa is 37 years old. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, their 2 year-old son and her 17 year-old stepson.This conversation was live-streamed on WYPR’s Facebook page; you can see the video here.

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

It's Thursday, and time once again for theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins us each week with her reviews of the regional stage. Today, she spotlights the new production of the hit 1960 musical, Oliver! by the Annapolis Shakespeare Company.A beloved turn on Charles Dickens' classic novel, Oliver Twist, this Tony Award-winning musical (1963, for Best Original Score in the 1962 Broadway production) follows the adventures of a homeless orphan (Oliver) in Victorian London, who falls in with a gang of street-urchin pickpockets, led by Artful Dodger and the criminal Fagin. With Book, Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! is directed for Annapolis Shakespeare Company by Sally Boyett and Donald Hicken. Ms. Boyett, the company's founding artistic director, also choreographed the production. Marc Irwin is Music Director.Oliver! continues at Annapolis Shakespeare Company's Main Stage Theatre at 1804 West Street in Annapolis through Sunday, June 9. For more information about performances and tickets, click here.

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

Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews Oliver! at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews Oliver at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

New York Times national security reporter Scott Shane and cyber-security expert Avi Rubin join me with the latest developments on the ever growing cyber-threat and the lucrative business of hacking.

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

The future of abortion rights, the fight over investigations into the Trump administration, the Democratic argument around health care, and the latest from President Trump about North Korea. We discuss it all with Maryland’s senior Senator, Ben Cardin.

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

(This program was originally broadcast on April 17, 2019)Last month alone, Americans were bothered by more than 5 billion robocalls -- those unwelcome, computer-automated telemarketing or scam calls that are jangling our phones -- and our nerves -- with growing frequency. Is there any way to win the war on robocalls? And what can Congress do to rein in the scammers? Joining us to explore these questions are Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler, University of Maryland computer science professor Raymond Tu and Consumer Reports policy analyst Maureen Mahoney.

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