Midday

Earlier this week, the Board of Directors of the Enoch Pratt Free Library announced the appointment of Chad Helton as the new President & Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore city's more than 20 public libraries. His lengthy resume includes time at library systems in major cities across the county.

Helton joins Midday to discuss how he became the librarian he is today, and his vision for Baltimore's library system in the future.

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The vice-presidential candidates debated last night in New York. Did they move the needle in what polls show is a very tight race for the White House?

Political Science Professor Dr. Dawn Teele of the Johns Hopkins SNF Agora Institute shares her reflections on the vice-presidential debate.

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Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to review the world premiere of Oh Happy Day at Baltimore Center Stage.

The production is a new play with music that reimagines the biblical story of Noah's Ark.

How well is this depiction of Noah's Ark portrayed on stage?

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Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. is campaigning to replace Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger and represent Maryland's second district. 

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

An underground fire in the 300 block of Charles Street in downtown Baltimore on Sunday damaged electrical and fiber optic lines, severely damaged a bookstore, disrupted traffic, and left thousands without power.

Joey Henderson, the director of the Baltimore Office of Emergency Management, joins Midday to give an update on the mysterious problem.

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

On Midday Healthwatch with Dr. Leana Wen, the new flu vaccine is here in time for the first months of the school year. Plus, there is a new COVID vaccine available. And, who should get an mpox vaccine?

We ask Wen about a possible winter COVID surge, and new medical innovations giving her cause for hope.

Wen is one of America’s most trusted and knowledgeable public health experts. She is a columnist on health matters for the Washington Post, and a former commissioner of Baltimore City Health Department. She also writes on medical topics for CNN, and she serves as a scholar at George Washington University and the Brookings Institution.

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

What happens when a predominately-white evangelical megachurch in the Midwest creates a program to address racial inequity?

Dr. Hahrie Han followed the journey of Crossroads Church in Ohio, where Pastor Chuck Mingo said he felt called by God to combat racial injustice, within the church and their wider Cincinnati community.

Han's book is called Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church. She takes a deep look into a congregation's wrestling with race, political divisiveness and fraught political times.

Han is a political scientist and the head of the SNF Agora Institute, a scholarly and public forum dedicated to advancing dialogue and civic engagement, at Johns Hopkins University.

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Baltimore Public Media's New/Next Film Festival returns to the Charles Theatre October 3 - 6. This year's event has expanded to showcase more than 100 films from filmmakers near and far.

Today on Midday we discuss the inspiration for this year's festival, review a few featured films and highlight contributions from the Maryland cinematic community.

Guests for today's show include:

• Sam Sessa, Director of Events and Community Management for Baltimore Public Media

• Eric Hatch, Co-Founder and Director of Festival Programming

• Alexi Wasser, Director of the opening night film 'Messy'

• Max Weiss, Editor in Chief of Baltimore Magazine and film and pop culture critic

• Jed Dietz, Founder and Former Director of the Maryland Film Festival

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

Midday Theater Critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews & Juliet, on stage at the Hippodrome through Saturday, September 28.

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, but & Juliet adapts the story with humor and pop music.

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

Baltimore is seeing a much lower rate of violent crime than before and during the pandemic. As of today, there have been 57 fewer homicides in the city of Baltimore than at this time last year. Surrounding areas however, such as Anne Arundel and Harford County, are grappling with a slight rise in gun violence.

Midday begins today with a conversation about efforts at the federal level to improve public safety, including a newly announced initiative from the White House.

Stefanie Feldman, the Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, joined Midday to discuss the new executive order targeted at reducing firearms and improving active shooter school drills.

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