Midday

On this week's edition of the Midday News Wrap, Tom begins with a conversation on the most competitive City Council races with Baltimore Banner Reporter Hallie Miller.

We also get the latest on the City Council President candidates with WYPR Reporter Wambui Kamau and explore the pro-Palestinian protests on John Hopkins' campus with WYPR Reporter Bri Hatch.

Photo Credit: Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR

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

The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore issued its State of Downtown report last month.

Baltimore's urban core is one of the few places in the city that experienced a population increase in recent years. With museums, sports venues, libraries, and restaurants, downtown remains a popular destination for many locals and visitors.

As a hybrid model of work persists, office space is in less demand. How will changes in work, tourism and nightlife change the landscape of downtown Baltimore?

Shelonda Stokes, President of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, joins Midday to discuss her organization's latest findings and downtown's change.

(Photo by Elijah David Jr.)

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

Today we speak to one of America’s most acclaimed classical composers. Nico Muhly has worked big-time organizations like the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Tomorrow night, some his music, juxtaposed with music that has been formative to Nico, will be performed at a local church that has one of the area’s finest music programs.

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

When former Gov. Larry Hogan made a last-minute entry into the Republican primary for Maryland's open U.S. Senate seat, the 2024 Democratic primary gained new national significance. With a thin majority in the Senate, the eventual Democratic nominee will likely face a capable challenger in Hogan.

The two leading candidates in the Democratic primary are Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and 6th District Congressman David Trone.

Midday hoped to have a conversation with both candidates to talk about the issues and why they each think they are best suited to beat Hogan.

County Executive Alsobrooks accepted our invitation, and Trone did not. So, we will spend most of the hour today speaking with Alsobrooks.

She has led Prince George’s, Maryland's second largest county, since 2018. She is the first Black woman to lead any county in the state's history, and if she is elected to the U.S. Senate, she will be the first woman to serve in the Maryland congressional delegation since Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Donna Edwards left office in 2017. She would also become one of only three Black women Senators in U.S. history.

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As the primary in Maryland enters into its final days, the race for the Democratic nomination for Maryland's U.S. Senate seat grows contentious.

Washington Post reporter Erin Cox has been following the U.S. Senate race and joins us to discuss the latest.

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

Judith Krummeck's The Deceived Ones reinterprets the classic Twelfth Night in a contemporary Baltimore setting. Her new novel chronicles the journey of twins, Vira and Sevastyan, a brother and sister from Ukraine who escape their war-torn homeland and come to Charm City.

Vira is a talented musician, who becomes begins working on a new opera at the Peabody Institute in the Mount Vernon neighborhood. Inspired by Shakespeare, Krummeck weaves a fun and poignant tale, replete with mistaken identities, heartfelt ardor, and a bit of mischief.

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

Slow Time is Antje Rauwerda's debut novel. The Goucher College professor set her story in Govans, the northeast Baltimore neighborhood she calls come. The setting comes alive in Rauwerda's story, and is as vibrantly described as the characters who call Govans home.

At the outset of the story, the book’s protagonists, Danny and Em, know each other only in passing. As their connection deepens, we learn about their pasts, what they have lost, and how they have coped with those losses.

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

Dr. Leana Wen joins Tom for Midday Healthwatch for their monthly discussion about the public health of Charm City residents.

Today, Wen will answer your questions about the recent outbreak of bird flu among animal populations, including dairy cows. While documented cases are clustered in just a handful of states, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is taking steps to protect the state’s food supply and residents.

In March there was one documented case of bird flu spreading to a human host, in a person with close contact with cows.

Wen wrote about the spread of the virus for The Washington Post How concerned are public health experts about bird flu?

Wen is a former health commissioner of Baltimore. She’s a columnist on health matters for the Washington Post, a medical expert at CNN, and 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.

Leading Baltimore mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the race for the city's top leadership position and endorsed his opponent, Sheila Dixon, ahead of this month’s Democratic primary.

The endorsement came during a surprise announcement Wednesday in Fells Point. Dixon and Vignarajah would not confirm whether a role in Dixon’s administration would be down the road.

Emily Sullivan, City Hall reporter for WYPR's news partner The Baltimore Banner, joins us to discuss the mayoral race and Maryland's 3rd Congressional District race to replace retiring Rep. John Sarbanes.

Plus, early voting in primary elections across Maryland began this week. Residents can register to vote and cast their ballot at an early voting center in the county where they live. Residents can also register on Election Day at their assigned polling place.

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 our regular movie aficionado, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival Jed Dietz.

The Maryland Film Festival is this weekend, and promises a slate of films and videos reflecting Charm City's unique culture. Local, national and international screenings covering a broad range of genres are on the festival's lineup.

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