Midday

Jamie Costello reported stories in Baltimore, about Baltimore and its communities, for nearly 40 years. And on Friday, at the end of the 6:00pm newscast, Costello will sign off from the anchor desk at WMAR for the final time.

Costello is from Baltimore, and his authenticity and experience as a story-teller have always been a hallmark of his style. He reported on thousands of stories; delivering good news with contagious enthusiasm and bad news with empathy and compassion.

Costello joins Midday to discuss the story of his long career, and what comes next in retirement.

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

Baltimore City's public school system is led by one of the longest-serving school superintendents in the nation. Dr. Sonja Santelises joins Midday on Education to look back on the school year, which ends on Thursday, June 13.

Last month, the board of the Baltimore City Public Schools approved a $1.8 billion budget, which includes a new $4.5 million math curriculum and $6 million for pre-kindergarten materials. The city's math scores have long been among the lowest in the state, while eighth grade English scores began a post-pandemic rebound last year.

We ask Santelises about the future of the school system, test scores and about ongoing negotiations regarding her contract.

*Update: On Wednesday night, the school board voted to give Santelises a one-year contract with a salary of $349,989.

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

Disinformation, spread far and wide online, threatens the health of a democracy. But a new book offers prescriptions for how to counter disinformation.

The Death of Truth: How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil Salesmen and Demagogues the Weapons They Needed to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World-And What We Can Do About It is a new book chronicling how wild conspiracy came to be so widely embraced.

Author Steven Brill joins us to discuss the book. Brill is an attorney, an entrepreneur and a journalist. He is also the founder of Court TV, American Lawyer Magazine and several other businesses, including NewsGuard, which he co-founded in 2018, an organization that attempts to monitor the vast amounts of misinformation coursing through the internet.

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

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been called one of Maryland’s most important cultural institutions. Today we hear from two of the talented people involved in their work.

Jonathon Heyward is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He is finishing his inaugural season, including a final show in the Symphony in the City series. The free concert at Fort McHenry will be dedicated to those affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

James Lee, III, an internationally acclaimed composer, also joins Midday. He teaches at Morgan State University and was appointed the composer-in-residence of the BSO for their upcoming season.

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

Today is Midday at the Movies, our monthly focus on new films and film-industry trends with movie aficionados Jed Dietz, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival, and Max Weiss, film critic and Editor-in-Chief of Baltimore Magazine.

We discuss some current releases, including Furiosa, and look at recent poor box office numbers across the United States.

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

On today's Midday News Wrap, a look at the aftermath of severe weather in Montgomery County where residents are taking stock following reports of tornados, downed power lines and property damage.

Midday host Tom Hall speaks with Jim Brown, president of the Poolesville town commissioners, about last night's storms.

Then, there are new laws on the books. The Maryland General Assembly passed 1,053 pieces of legislation during the 90-day 2024 session. Several laws created from those bills went into effect on June 1, including harsher penalties for street racing and changes to Baltimore city's charter. Other changes include a new tax rate for abandoned homes in Baltimore, which lawmakers hope may help cut down on the number of vacant, unused properties.

WYPR News Director Matt Bush covered the session and joins Midday to talk about the laws and other changes approved by state lawmakers.

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

Jason Gay, a sports and humor columnist for the Wall Street Journal, talks basketball, baseball and more. After a long layover, the games begin again tonight with the start of the NBA finals. Plus, we discuss the moment the WNBA is experiencing this season.

And in baseball news, Major League Baseball issued bans and suspensions to professional players alleged to have participated in sports betting.

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.

Rousck joins Midday to review Love/Sick, onstage at Spotlighters Theatre through June 9.

(Photo by Spotlighters Theatre/Jonathan Hemphill)

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

On Midday today, a look at the life and legacy of Sen. Charles Mathias. He was a liberal Republican popular in Maryland for more than two decades and was known by his colleagues as the “conscience of the Senate.”

A new collection of essays about Sen. Mathias by staffers who worked with him and elected officials who served with him paints a portrait of a principled man who put country above party and who served with integrity and passion. The book is called Mathias of Maryland: Remembering a Lincoln Republican in the Senate.

Frederic Hill, a co-editor and contributor to the collection, and Norman Ornstein, a former Congressional Staffer who wrote the foreword to this important new book, join Midday to discuss.

Join Hill tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer in Charles Village for a discussion of Mathias of Maryland: Remembering a Lincoln Republican in the Senate.

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

A controversial piece of legislation passed by the Baltimore County Council Monday night attempts to restrict development near overcrowded schools.

The effort seeks to address rampant overcrowding in county schools, but critics of the bill say it will do little to relieve crowded classrooms and will only worsen the county’s affordable housing crisis.

WYPR Reporter John Lee covers Baltimore County and joined Midday to discuss the latest.

(Photo by John Lee)

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