Midday

In September, a new pilot program is set to help 50 Baltimore City residents, chosen by lottery, receive vouchers ranging from $750 to $2,000 to subsidize the cost of an electric bike.

Nearly a quarter of Baltimore households do not have access to a car, but many people just don’t feel safe riding bikes in a city that is way behind in its effort to create a network of bike lanes that are protected from vehicular traffic.

Will the introduction of 50 new electric bikes begin to shift the paradigm for cyclists? Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey, who championed the pilot program with the city’s transportation department, thinks it will. In a recent post on X, Dorsey said, “E Bikes are a game changer.” He continued, “I expect this pilot to be wildly successful, and hope it’s just the beginning.”

Councilman Dorsey was not available to join us this afternoon, but we have a panel who can offer great insight into this program and the overall transportation landscape.

Jed Weeks is the Interim Director of Bikemore, a nonprofit advocacy organization on behalf of bike riders.

Daniel Zawodny covers transportation for our news partner, the Baltimore Banner.

Brian O’Malley is the President and CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance.

In addition to the panel, Baltimore Bicycle Works worker-owner Bernardo Vigil spoke to WYPR's Sam Bermas-Dawes for this episode of Midday.

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

Tom explores the Presidential Transition Project known as “Project 2025.” His guest is Anne Kim a lawyer, policy expert, journalist and author of the new book, Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor. 

Additionally, Kim is a contributing editor to Washington Monthly where she recently published Project 2025 is Even Worse Than You Think where she examines the impact the proposed plans will have on lower economic and poor families.

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

Tom talks about a controversial practice being employed to harvest organs for transplant from people who have died called Normothermic Regional Perfusion, or NRP.

According to reporting by NPR's Rob Stein, this technique is considered an innovation which produces high quality and less damaged organs for those in need. This innovation is not, however, without ethical concerns.

Dr. Jeffrey Kahn is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. The Institute produces a podcast, playing god? and he joins Midday to help us understand NRPs.

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

Today on Midday, a conversation about two workforce development programs in Baltimore. One surveys the landscape of programs for young entrepreneurs, while the other targets under-employed residents who face barriers to employment. Those obstacles can include a criminal record, a substance abuse disorder or no housing.

Dr. Ronald Williams is an associate professor of management at Coppin State University and the founding director of Coppin’s Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship. The program works with young entrepreneurs like Dion Bowen, founder of Epic Art Universe, who joins the program, as well.

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

Today on Midday, a conversation about two workforce development programs in Baltimore. One surveys the landscape of programs for young entrepreneurs, while the other targets under-employed residents who face barriers to employment. Those obstacles can include a criminal record, a substance abuse disorder or no housing.

Walter Billips, Executive Director of Vocational Training Center at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives joins Midday. His nonprofit is dedicated to assisting people with limited means build fulfilling lives or hold steady employment. These programs are free to participants and are funded through grants, community foundations, corporate partners and philanthropic outreach.

We are also joined by James Trocki, a current CDL instructor who enrolled in NCIA training in 2018, and Zachary Stout, a previous CDL graduate who works as a driver with Coach USA and the Towson Loop.

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

Many Democrats chose to boycott Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoked to Midday earlier this week about his decision to skip the address.

Opposition was strong on the street outside the U.S. Capitol building. Large protests at Union Station in Washington on Wednesday included the burning of Israeli and American flags.

Yesterday, Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden, who invited families of American hostages being held by Hamas to meet with Netanyahu as well. Netanyahu also met with Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee. Today, Netanyahu goes to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Joining me now with perspective on the dynamics of Israeli-US relations is Aaron David Miller, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace.

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

Baltimore plant aficionado Hilton Carter is the host of Planterior on Discovery Plus and Max, a new pilot of a program about making the most of plant life and interior design.

Carter joins Midday to discuss the new program, and his thoughts on Summer planting.

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

A long list of Democratic lawmakers skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a join session of U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

Maryland's congressional delegation was split on attendance. Sen. Ben Cardin served as “senator pro tempore” during the speech. On the other hand, Maryland's Sen. Chris Van Hollen boycotted the event.

Van Hollen joined Midday to explain why, and to discuss the strained diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Israel, an update on hostage negotiations and what he thinks about President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential ticket.

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

A recent series of reports from Baltimore City's Office of Inspector General revealed shockingly poor working conditions at the Department of Public Works, where adequate water and air conditioning were in short supply during Code Red days of record breaking heat.

Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming joins Midday to explain what she found, and how mismanagement led to a workplace unfit for city workers.

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 local theatrical production.

Rousuck takes a look at Cats, presented by Cockpit in Court at Community College of Baltimore County Essex.

The classic music of Andrew Lloyd Webber tells the story of the cats and the Jellicle Ball.

(Photo by Trent Haines-Hopper)

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