President Trump’s push to end “birthright citizenship” would rewrite what the Fourteenth amendment has meant since 1868. Scholar Martha S. Jones traces how free Blacks in Baltimore shaped and asserted the idea of birthright citizens before the Civil War. (Orig. broadcast, July, 2018)

This Sat. Feb. 1, the Walters Art Museum welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Snake, with food offerings from Ni Hao, performances, lunar-new-year themed art. We get a preview from Dany Chan, the Walters’ Associate Curator of Asian Art.

This Sat. Feb. 1, the Walters Art Museum welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Snake, with food offerings from Ni Hao, performances, lunar-new-year themed art. We get a preview from Dany Chan, the Walters’ Associate Curator of Asian Art.

In honor of the Year of the Snake, we bring you TWO stoop stories… both of them, about snakes! We start with Beth Bugnaski with a tale about fostering an appreciation of snakes, in all their glory, among kids. Then a second Stoop Story about a snake assist, as told by Tracey Field.

You can find more information, including live events and the Stoop podcast, at Stoopstorytelling.com

Maryland’s General Assembly continues to grind through its 2025 session with work ranging from public safety to education to tax reform, as well as transportation budgets. Next week, a group of Marylanders, called Better Transit Now, is planning to focus on that issue. We talk with Paul Sturm, manager of Better Transit Now and chair of the Downtown Residents Advocacy Network, and Lauren ‘Bemi’ Byrd, Transportation Community Organizer at No Boundaries Coalition to find out more.

Brain Balance, a drug-free approach to improving focus, behavior, anxiety and social skills, is coming to Maryland. We talk to co-owner Beth Snow, to alumna Mallory Chizek. Brain Balance Achievement Center will have a soft opening next week in Columbia--and will have a grand opening in April.

Nonprofits cover about a third of Baltimore real estate, and they don’t pay property tax. There’s a move to make the bigger ones pay their fair share. We talk with Loraine Arikat, senior policy analyst for 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East and member of With Us For Us leadership, and with Rachel Kutler, Baltimore director for Jews United for Justice to hear more about the PILOT program and what changes may be made to it.

Gov. Moore’s plan to close the state’s $3 billion-dollar budget hole is now up to the legislature. We talk to Guy Guzzone, chair of the Senate Budget and Tax Committee to hear some of the details of how it might be done.

Avian flu is on the rise in Maryland. What does that mean for poultry farmers and for the public? We hear from state veterinarian Jennifer Trout, and and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health professor, Meghan Davis.

Anyone who sees sick or dead birds in the wild should not handle or move the birds, but should report them to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by calling 1-877-463-6497.

Report any unusual bird deaths or sudden increases in very sick birds to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810 or after-hours to 410-841-5971. Also contact the USDA at 866-536-7593.

Here is a Stoop Story from Corinne Parks about making connections with our furry, scaled and feathered friends.

The next LIVE stoop event is "More Room in a Broken Heart: Stories About Loving, Losing, and Rebuilding" on February 13th at Checkerspot Brewing Co. with musical guest ‘Outcalls.’

We’re pretty glum here at OTR today: our talented, organized, creative, fearless senior supervising producer, Maureen Harvie is leaving WYPR to join another mission-driven nonprofit in Baltimore. Maureen will do a fabulous job getting their important stories out, and for that we rejoice. At the same time we’re already missing her skills, her clarity of vision, and her beautiful dimpled smile. Maureen, you are welcome back ANY time!