The pandemic is distributing financial and other stresses, like its health damages--chaotically. They’re colliding on people who never before reached out for mental-health support but are now seeking help.Sherri Bloom is clinical director of the nonprofit Pro Bono Counseling Project, which is hearing from more callers and working to match them with ready-to-listen volunteers. Check out the calendar of events. The number for the warm line is 410-598-0234. Calls are answered weekdays 10-6 pm. The main number of the Pro Bono Counseling Project is 410-825-1001. This line is staffed weekdays 8-4 pm.Like Bloom, psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Shepherd, board president of the Black Mental Health Alliance, says the impact on mental health will stretch beyond the pandemic itself. Check out the calendar of events. Original air date: March 3, 2021.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Two decades ago, just a few months shy of high school graduation, Sherise Holden learned she was pregnant. Today, Holden leads the nonprofit SheRises, which connects teen moms to resources and mentors. We hear about love and perseverance from Sherise and her daughter, Autumn.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Here’s a Mother's Day Stoop Story from Debbie Page, who reminds us: there is no instruction book for parenting.Click here to listen to more Stoop Stories. The next live Stoop event is Saturday, June 5th at 6 pm. The theme is “Re-emergence: An evening of stories, music, and cicadas!”

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Childcare is an essential service, but the pandemic rocked the industry: capacity was restricted and cleaning costs soared.

We speak with Laura Weeldreyer of the nonprofit Maryland Family Network, and ask what President Biden’s ‘American Families Plan’ would mean for the industry. Read the report, "Caring During COVID: The Impact of the Pandemic on Maryland Child Care Providers."

Then, Christina Peusch, who leads the Maryland State Child Care Association, and Imani-Angela Rose, co-owner of a center in Northwest Baltimore, detail hurdles facing providers.

Maryland Family Network underwrites "The First Five Years," a weekly program on WYPR.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Only a small number of Marylanders who have received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot have skipped their second dose, less than 4 percent.But Dr. William Moss, who leads the International Vaccine Access Center at the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says it’s a risky move. He talks about the factors behind vaccine drop-off.Then, the math that signals the end of the pandemic. UMBC health economist Zoë McLaren gives us a lesson in exponential decay. Read her New York Times piece, "The Math That Explains the End of the Pandemic."

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

It’s been so long, you may not remember them. They’ve been living, silently and unseen, underground since 2004. Now they’re back! The Brood X Cicadas are expected in the millions this month -- We hear all about it from ‘the bug guy’ Mike Raupp, Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Extension Specialist at The University of Maryland:

“After they’re in the treetops it's gonna be all about romance, it’s gonna be a big party up in the sky. Remember these are teenagers, living a Covid-like existence for 17 years.”

Plus Patsy Helmetag and Kita Helmetag Murdock, the authors of ‘Cecily Cicada’ talk about how the children’s book has helped alleviate fear of the phenomenon for kids and adults alike.

Links: The Bug Guy, Cicada Crew, Cecily Cicada book, Cicada Safari phone app.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

With more availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But millions of people who were infected continue to battle lasting complications.

Hopkins epidemiologist Priya Duggal tells of a new survey collecting data about COVID symptoms and of genetic research into why some people are vulnerable to long COVID. Check out the Johns Hopkins Long COVID Study.

And we hear from Chimére Smith, who has spent more than a year navigating the painful reality of long haul COVID. Read more about Chimére's experience:
'The Cut' Podcast: Doctors Didn't Believe She Had COVID
Covid 'Long-Haulers' Need Medical Attention, Experts Urge

Original airdate: 3/2/21

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Artists and performers took a deep hit from the pandemic. This weekend the Baltimore Black Arts and Entertainment District will host the ‘Baltimore Black Artist Fair’ to shore up support especially for Black creatives in the community. We hear about it from the district’s executive director, spoken-word artist Lady Brion:
“We are going to be having workshops and panels from all types of industry experts from how to break into the media to how to get your work into museums or your work published.”

And Olu Woods, program director of DewMore Baltimore talks about the Youth Poetry Grand Slam that is part of the festival.

Links: Black Artist Fair, Pennsylvania Black Arts and Entertainment District, DewMore Youth Poetry Grand Slam.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Here is a Stoop Story from Sheri Booker about what not to do when your job is driving for a funeral home. Booker is the author of Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home.You can hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com and on the Stoop podcast.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Platforms like Zoom and asynchronous learning provided a quick fix for students during the pandemic. Jessica Campanile wonders if classroom modifications will stay in place even after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. Because for people like her, a post-baccalaureate student with disabilities, those are accommodations she had sought for years. She argues there was an aversion to virtual education because people wrote it off as ‘less than.’ But she says, that’s proven untrue: “I think continuing to value these modes of communication just as much as in person education will lead to more accessible and inclusive educational practices."

Plus, we talk with Leslie Margolis, Managing Attorney at Disability Rights Maryland. She describes the daunting task of recouping lost hours of special needs services during the pandemic, to help bring younger pupils up to speed.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472