Midday

On the Midday newswrap, catching up on consequential news stories in Baltimore County

County Executive Katherine Klausmeier backed off of efforts to find a new Inspector General, opening the door for Kelly Madigan to continue in the role. After months of speculation and debate, are we at the conclusion of this story?

Meanwhile, the council considers a major redrawing of districts that would change the political landscape of the county. Plus, could tax hikes be in the county's future?

Two councilmembers joins Midday to share their perspective on these important issues.

Councilman Mike Ertel is a Democrat and the Council Chair. He represents District 6, which includes Towson, where he lives, Middle River, Parkville and nearby neighborhoods.

Councilman David Marks is a Republican representing District 5 on the east side of the county, which includes Kingsville, Perry Hall, White Marsh and parts of Middle River.

Last year, 5.8 million animals filled the nation's animal shelters, according to the nonprofit Shelter Animals Count.

On Midday, WYPR reporter John Lee talks about local animal shelters with Rene Varela, the Bureau Director of the Baltimore County Department of Animal Services.

Are the county's shelters as crowded as others in the region? How does fostering animals help to get them adopted?

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday each week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage. Today, Rousuck reviews Hamlet by Baltimore Shakespeare Factory.

Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s production continues through August 17 at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter in Cedarcroft.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joins Midday to talk about the latest issues in Baltimore.

By many metrics, public safety in the city continues to improve.

Five years ago, in July of 2020, 42 people died by homicide in our city in that one month. That was months before Scott took office. This July, five years later, that number was 18.

What has been the root of this turnaround? Scott points to the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, which he recently announced will expand to new neighborhoods in the city.

Scott also answers questions about trash and graffiti cleanup, the city's beleaguered permit system and the ongoing efforts to tackle the devastating opioid epidemic.

WTMD’s First Thursday Festival returns tomorrow. The summer festival is held at the Canton Waterfront Park and features a massive lineup of food trucks in addition to live music.

Tyler Laporte, afternoon host and WTMD Interim Program Director, joins Midday to preview this month's performers.

On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Midday discusses the status of voting rights for U.S. citizens with two legal scholars.

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965, about a year after the landmark Civil Rights Act became the law of the land. The Voting Rights Act provided greater protections for the right to vote and required several states to change their restrictive election laws.

The Voting Rights Act saw updates and extensions in the preceding decades. In 2006, President Bush signed a 25-year extension of the law. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder weakened voter protections.

And just last week, the Supreme Court announced that in its next term, it would rule in a redistricting case in Louisiana that could result in further diminishment of voter protections.

Richard Dellheim is the former Deputy Chief of the Voting Section in the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. He retired earlier this year after 28 years as a lawyer with the DOJ.

F. Michael Higginbotham is the Laurence M. Katz Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore. He’s a former interim dean of the law school, and a former candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Congress in Maryland's 7th District.

Kelly Madigan is Baltimore County’s first Inspector General, tasked with sniffing out waste and fraud in County government. Since taking office in 2020, she’s earned bipartisan praise from the County Council and in April, she was named “Fraud Fighter of the Year” by the Maryland chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

But County Executive Kathy Klausmeier did not reappoint Madigan to another four-year term, a move that caught many by surprise, including Madigan herself.

Last night, the County Council voted to reject Klausmeier’s nominee, Khadija Walker, a former federal government auditor from Fredericksburg.

WYPR reporter John Lee followed every twist and turn in this story, and joins Midday to discuss the latest move.

Maryland's bountiful harvests, from farms and from the Bay, contribute $8 billion dollars annually to the state’s economy. But the margins for many farmers are slim, and drought, tariffs and market uncertainty are a concern in the agriculture industry.

Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks joins Midday to discuss what the state is doing to assist Maryland farmers.

Atticks has served as the Secretary of Agriculture since March 2023.

The Baltimore Peace Movement is a community-based non-profit group that works to end violence in Baltimore. On four weekends each year, they hold events to encourage those who would do harm to act peacefully, and to help those who are in danger or who are in mourning.

The organization's co-organizer Darnyle Wharton joins Midday to discuss Peace Promise Weekend.

On Midday Healthwatch, Dr. Leana Wen discusses some of the latest research into the link between exercise and cancer survival. Plus, the latest on nicotine pouch addiction and the effects of "dual-use".

Wen is a Washington Post columnist, professor at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, author of the book Lifeline: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health and former Baltimore City Health Commissioner.