On average five times an hour, an American dies by suicide--and many, many more--more than a million adults each year--try to take their own lives, and fail. It seems epidemic. But an economist at the National Institute of Mental Health, Michael Schoenbaum, says some straightforward steps would make a difference. If emergency rooms just asked every patient whether they’re thinking of suicide, he says--we’d find twice as many people as we do now. And we would not plant the idea.

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

Linda Morris’s book is ----Cherry Hill: Raising Successful Black Children in Jim Crow Baltimore----. She describes the isolated community as a haven for African-American families, and tells how her family withstood the indignity of segregation when they traveled out of their neighborhood.Fellow contributor Sidney Ellis reminisces about the joys of mother-daughter banquets and Linda’s brother attorney John Morris describes parents instilling a self-confidence that stays with him still.Hear more about the history of Cherry Hill at an event at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum on September 7th. More information here. And check out the book's Facebook page to see photos.

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 Rick Wilson of the Maryland Zoo about the special bond between people and animals. You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as 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

What lessons can a graphic designer apply to painting? How can abstract and descriptive styles compliment each other? Artist Andrew Gray tells how he uses his grasp of design to create works that celebrate diversity and African-American history.Check out Gray's work at Hotel Indigo's library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats through September 7th. Hotel Indigo is located at 24 West Franklin Steet in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore city.

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

At the Baltimore Community ToolBank, nonprofits can access almost any tool--from a chainsaw to a wood chipper--and expertise! Executive director Noah Smock explains that renting tools is a small element of the story: sustainability is built into the mission and collaboration is key.And we meet longtime ToolBank devotee Chenire Carter, senior manager of development and communications for Higher Achievement, a nonprofit working to close the opportunity gap for middle-school kids. She calls the ToolBank her 'secret weapon.'For more information about the ToolBank, visit this link. For more information about Higher Achievement, visit this link.

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

University of Maryland neuroscientist Tracy Bale does advanced research in epigenetics--changes in gene activity that don’t actually alter DNA but can be passed along to offspring. Bale focuses on health disparities, like how stress affects the way a child’s brain develops … and how reading can be good medicine for a stressed brain. She describes one of the goals of the project she started at Callaway Elementary called “Reading on the Brain.” And artist Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen tells of working with the pupils to open other ways of expressing the science of their brains.

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

Decades before Victorine Q. Adams was elected the first African-American woman on the Baltimore City Council--in 1967-- she was a teacher. Then she poured her energies into political education, setting up the “Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee” and other grassroots organizing. Morgan State archivist Ida E. Jones’ book, ----Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams: The Power of the Ballot,---- tells how Victorine and her husband, numbers runner “Little Willie” Adams, shared political goals. But Victorine insisted her own hard work convinced voters to give her power, like her push for job training.

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

Today is United Nations World Humanitarian Day. In that spirit, we’ll meet two people whose life’s work is serving others. Cindy Williams founded Loving Arms, a non-profit that provides shelter and resources for young people experiencing homelessness in Baltimore. And we hear from Lucy Steinitz, a ‘senior technical advisor for protection’ at Catholic Relief Services. She attends to populations that have experienced trauma … helping them find ways to heal and thrive.

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 Stephanie Ybarra, artistic director at Center Stage theater in Baltimore, about learning to imagine a bigger future for herself. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as 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

Poplar Island is a haven for diamondback terrapins. Some of the island’s residents arrive there from the Terrapin Education and Research on Poplar - TERP - program, which gives hatchlings a head start in classrooms across the state.Laura Baker, of the Maryland Environmental Service, explains that time in the classroom helps turtles grow and gives them a better chance of surviva. And Paul Taylor, who teaches fourth grade at Church Hill Elementary in Queen Anne’s County, says his pupils learn the scientific method by tracking the growth of terrapins.

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