Midday

In March of 2021, a year into the COVID pandemic, Baltimore City received a chunk of $65.1 billion dollars in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) grants. Baltimore’s take was $641 million dollars, which Mayor Brandon Scott disbursed to city agencies, quasi-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations who are charged with improving housing, infrastructure, violence prevention and a host of other areas.

By June of this year, 45% of ARPA funds have been spent. However, $68 million of the $641 million allocated to various groups was rescinded because certain grantees were not able to meet the deadlines for implementing their programs.

Shamiah Kerney is the city's Chief Recovery Officer in the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs and she joined Midday to discuss the latest updates with the ARPA fund distribution. 

(Photo by Bryan J.A. Kelly, Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs)

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While temperatures in the Baltimore metropolitan area have been a little lower this week, farmers across the state have been contending with a drought that has extended over the last three years.

We begin today with Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks, to discuss Maryland farmers and food systems that bring fruits, vegetables and other crops to your table.

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

The Baltimore metro region lost nearly 23,000 jobs in the first quarter of this year, but 54 new businesses began in Baltimore city during the second quarter, and the city attracted more than $56 million dollars in venture capital investment.

My guest today is Colin Tarbert. He is the President and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the agency that oversees economic development for the city of Baltimore.

We discuss growing the local economy, and if capital investment can be made to benefit all residents of Baltimore.

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

The state's largest union of educators, the Maryland State Education Association, sees new leadership heading into the 2024-2025 school year. Paul Lemle and Nikki Woodward bring decades of experience as educators and paraprofessionals to their new role.

Reinvigorating the pipeline of teachers is one of the issues top of mind for the new leaders of MSEA, which represents nearly 75,000 teachers and school staff across Maryland, outside of Baltimore city.

The US Department of Education reports that during the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, the economy shed more than 750,000 jobs in the public education sector. How does MSEA think this pressing issue should be addressed? We discuss teacher shortages, literacy policy and more with the newly-elected leaders.

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

Rising seniors from several local high schools join Midday to discuss the issues they think are important as they prepare to cross into adulthood. The panel of students discusses bullying, mental illness, academic support, school safety and where these young people see themselves in our chaotic world.

Shawn Ware is a 17-year-old at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. She lives in the McElderry Park Neighborhood and is an honor student

Laila Gheis attends The Bryn Mawr School in Roland Park. The 17-year-old is set to be the leader of a student group advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion at her school.

Lamont Clark is a senior at Dulaney High school in Timonium. Clark, 16, says he is intent on studying mechanical engineering as an undergraduate before continuing his studies in the field of cybersecurity.

After the panel, WYPR reporter Bri Hatch joined the program to discuss the student's thoughts, and the latest education news.

Both county and city public schools launched new weapon detection systems in the past year. Baltimore City Public Schools began to transition to a new AI-based weapons detection system in May.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University is also employing new security policy. This Fall, students on the universities campuses will see a handful of armed police officers of the new university force.

(Photo by Bri Hatch, WYPR News)

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

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to share another weekly review of a theatrical production in the greater Baltimore region. This week, reviews of two musicals at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Nine is based on the groundbreaking 1963 movie, “8 1/2,” by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, while Back to the Future: The Musical is adapted from the 1985 film for the stage.

(Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.)

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

Tia Hamilton is the owner of Urban Reads, and the publisher of State vs. Us Magazine, a publication for incarcerated people around the country. Tomorrow she is centering students at a youth summit at the Urban Reads Bookstore on Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood.

Tia speaks with Tom about the youth summit and the importance of bridging current leadership with future leadership.

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

ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis recently wrote about Paul Dans, the former director of Project 2025

which was created to help build the next Republican administration. Dans has Baltimore roots as the son of a Johns Hopkins professor.

According to MacGillis, by the time Dans stepped down from his role with Project 2025, much of the work was in place to develop a large database of Trump loyal appointees to put in federal jobs.

MacGillis joins Midday to discuss more about Paul Dans and the details of Project 2025.

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

The Phoenix Recovery Academy in Frederick is the only high school in Maryland dedicated to supporting and educating teenagers who are battling substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.

The academy is a part of a network of about 45 Recovery Schools across the country, which strive to maintain high quality educational environments while encouraging student recovery.

The school opened in 2020 and this year, the school celebrated a graduating class of six students.

Tom speaks with an education reporter, school leadership and a recent graduate about this innovative institution in Frederick.

Guest for this program include:

• Jillian Atelsek, a former education reporter for the Frederick News-Post who profiled the school.

• Heather Whitcomb, Executive Director of the Phoenix Recovery Academy

• Stephanie Purdy, Principal of the Phoenix Recovery Academy

• Xavier LeMay, a 2024 graduate

The Frederick News-Post article referenced for this interview is, Rising Up: Eight months inside Frederick's Phoenix Recovery Academy.

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

On Midday Healthwatch, our monthly conversations about public health with Dr. Leana Wen, we ask about the uptick in COVID-19 cases in Maryland and across the country. Should we be avoiding gatherings of people inside? Is it time to return to the precautious behavior from earlier in the pandemic?

Plus, how to manage hypertension, the ‘silent killer’ disease, which can be exacerbated by exposure to extreme heat.

Wen is one of America’s most trusted and knowledgeable public health experts, and she has been a regular guest on our show since her time as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, from 2015-2018. Today, the emergency physician serves as a research professor of healthy policy and management at the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Wen is also a columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health.

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