Yeast and baking powder are flying off shelves, as many Americans try their hand at baking bread. Kneading dough can be a stress reliever... and the smell of fresh loaves, a comfort. Maya Muñoz and Russell Trimmer of Motzi Bread in Baltimore offer their view.

Check out interviews with local farmers and food producers on their Instagram page.

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

Covid-19 has infiltrated Maryland’s prisons and some of its county jails. The wife of one inmate told reporters, “They are all scared. They feel like they are sitting ducks,” waiting for the virus to spread through crowded cells. A coalition of public-health experts, lawyers and families has petitioned the state’s highest court to release inmates who are not a danger to society.

We hear from Caitlyn Raiford, a former inmate who works for the Maryland Prisoners Rights Coalition, and with Oluwadamilol Olaniyan, a shop steward for AFSCME Council 3, the union that represents correctional officers in Maryland. Plus, WYPR's Rachel Baye shares how COVID-19 is affecting Maryland's correctional system.

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

The public-health constraints Maryland has put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have stunted economic activity. Only essential businesses remain open … even the ones we can’t see. Reporter Brandon Soderberg digs into Baltimore’s underground economy to see how the pandemic is affecting the drug trade: Plus, we hear how the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition has stepped up its outreach to keep vulnerable people on the street cared for and informed.

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

Dr. Robert Gallo has been getting to know viruses, their targets and their weaknesses--for decades, even before he co-discovered the virus that causes AIDS in the 1980s. At the University of Maryland’s Institute for Human Virology, which he heads, Gallo is looking at the novel coronavirus; he joins us to share his thoughts.

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

A short virtual escape now from pandemic pains -- listening again to Laura Lippman discuss her latest mystery, set in Baltimore in the 1960s. The first character we meet speaks from beyond the grave … apparently the victim of murder. She talks directly and disdainfully to the main character, Maddie Schwartz, who is transforming herself from conventional housewife to aspiring reporter. Other characters tell us bits of their own stories--and Lippman notes they understand what the ambitious Maddie doesn’t.

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

Television, newspapers and radio are pushing out Coronavirus updates every minute, and it can be tempting to over indulge:

"You’re home, you’ve got your snack counter and your junk food cabinet, right there and it's available for you all day and the temptation is to have your hands in there all the time. Same thing with the news, and I’m not sure whether or not that’s healthy.”

Host Aaron Henkin talks about a new WYPR podcast called ‘The Daily Dose’ -- a roundup of the station’s reporting on Maryland’s COVID-19 response. The Daily Dose aims to share the essential state and local updates.

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 Stoop Story from Charlie Wiener about doing his best to create a Passover seder … a long distance from home, in Malaysia.

On Wednesday evening people will gather for their Passover seders from a safe distance -- even using technology -- all doing their best to feel the warmth and love of family and friends. To our listeners who celebrate, pesach sameach.

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

The battle against the coronavirus has inspired many Marylanders to pitch in and help. Dr. Julius Ho explains the ‘Baltimore Health Professionals Mutual Aid Cooperative’, which organizes supplies and services for medical staff.
And ‘Makers Unite’ is banding together to create hundreds of plastic face shields for healthcare workers nationwide. Organizers Todd Blatt of ‘Custom 3-D Stuff’ and Will Holman, of Open Works, say the quick flood of support and collaboration was gratifying. But Holman says, he’s left with a feeling of anger.
“We’re stitching together the healthcare system in the most powerful country in the world, with 3D printers, laser cutters and volunteers, instead of being in a country where our leader is adequately prepared for this.”

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

We’re stuck indoors for weeks, if not months--urgently trying to keep so far apart the coronavirus can’t spread. Even essential businesses are told to pare down to the really essential. But people need help, and their neighbors want to help. All over the country, including here in Baltimore, there’s an explosion of “mutual aid networks,” grassroots community groups connecting people in need with people who can help. We speak with organizers of three mutual-aid networks in Charm City: Bonnie Jin, Jessica Lewis and Onyinye Alheri volunteering with the network in West Baltimore. They asked neighbors what they need.

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

The people who run Maryland’s hospitals and work in them are acutely aware that the crush of patients they’re preparing for may turn out to be bigger than they’ve imagined … and the tools they can get their hands on may not be up to the challenge. We’ll ask Dr. David Marcozzi, leader of the Covid-19 response at the University of Maryland Medical System and Bob Atlas, CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association what the state’s hospitals are doing to prepare. What are their biggest worries?

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