For more than a century, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center -- called BARC -- has generated scientific discoveries that improved farmers’ productivity, food safety and human nutrition. That would end under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to close BARC and to downsize USDA’s Washington-area staff, sending more than half its 46-hundred employees from the DC region to four other states -- or laying some of them off. BARC sits on 65-hundred acres in the same area of northern Princes Georges County as NASA and the Patuxent Research Refuge. Joanne Wilson, who lives in Laurel, worked as a support scientist at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center for 33 years, until twelve years ago. We ask her about it.

Betsy Fox Tolentino calls her new gig -- heading Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services -- her dream job. She was named acting secretary in early June after Gov. Moore decided her predecessor, Vincent Schiraldi, wasn’t making progress fast enough. Fox Tolentino already had worked 11 years in leadership roles at DJS, before leaving three years ago to manage juvenile-justice initiatives at the Roca Impact Institute. What is she changing at DJS? What are her priorities?

Description to come.

The Panamanian Golden Frog holds major cultural significance in their native Panama. "They are one of the symbols of Panama, similar to the Bald Eagle in the US," says Ellen Bronson, Senior Director of Animal Health, Conservation, and Research at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The frogs haven't been seen in the wild since 2009, but the Zoo is working to keep them alive; it was the first institution to successfully breed the frogs in captivity. We talk with Bronson about that, and about hopes to repatriate to their Central American home. And we get a tour of the Zoo's "Panamanian Golden Frog Conservation Center" from Kat Mantzouris, Conservation Programs Manager at the Maryland Zoo. If you go to the zoo, you'll find some of them on display at the Chimpanzee Forest.

With other states, Maryland is suing the Trump administration over transportation, healthcare and other cuts. Republicans warn those lawsuits put federal funds for the Key Bridge at risk. We ask Attorney Gen. Anthony Brown.

If you’ve heard of Cory McCray, you’ve most likely picked up that he’s a state senator, from East Baltimore. And maybe you’ve also been told-- and thought: “Huh, that’s kinda surprising ..” -- that McCray is an electrician. What you may not have heard is that a week before his 18th birthday he was charged as an adult with possession of multiple firearms and distribution of narcotics. And that was far from his first arrest.

How all this ties together is the gripping plot of the book McCray is publishing at the end of the month: 'The Apprenticeship that Saved My Life: Guidebook to Navigating the Earn-While-You-Learn Opportunity of a Lifetime.' We talk with Sen. McCray about his book.

Sen. McCray will be featured at the Baltimore Book festival 6pm Saturday, presented by Urban Reads, and 1pm on Sunday, presented by the Ivy Bookshop. More info here.

A photograph captures a moment in time, and when you string many of those moments together, it paints a detailed picture of what once was.

That is the case of the decades-long work and keen eye of photographer I. Henry Phillips Sr. From the mid to the late twentieth century, he chronicled everyday life in Baltimore’s Black communities for the Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper and as a freelancer. His work is featured in 'The Daily Hustle,' a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Industry that opens Saturday, Sept. 13. There are dozens of images, with a focus on the vibrant spirit and the important contributions of Black workers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders in Baltimore’s rich industry history.

We talk with Webster Phillips, the grandson of I. Henry curated 'The Daily Hustle.' He also founded and directs the I. Henry Photo Project, and with Beth Maloney, BMI director of curatorial affairs to get a preview. If you are interested in networking or resources, stay in touch with @ihenryphotoproject and @bmiatwork.

It’s the biggest verdict ever against a gun dealer in the U.S., Baltimore says: $62 million dollars. In late August a jury sided with the city in its lawsuit alleging an Anne Arundel gun dealer had flooded Baltimore with ghost guns, evading gun laws and wreaking violent destruction.

Baltimore plans to use the $62 million in three violence-reduction programs. We talk with JHU Bloomberg professor of American Health Daniel Webster to discuss the implications of the jury’s verdict.

The National Education Association, the nation’s largest teacher’s union, published a handbook with new guidance that omitted the mention of Jews when teaching Holocaust history. They said they’ve updated the handbook … but it’s still not available on their site. We ask Jeffrey Herf, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the University of Maryland College Park Dept of History, what are the ramifications. Plus, John Carroll Catholic High School teacher Darrion Siler talks about why teaching Holocaust history can promote moral courage.

Labor Day is Monday… and for a bit of an early celebration, we bring you a couple stoop stories about jobs. The first: a tale from Naomi Cross, about her first foray into the working world… the second, from author Laura Lippman, featuring reflections on her final days at the Baltimore Sun. Laura Lippman recently spoke with Sheilah Kast about her latest novel; you can listen to that conversation here. The Stoop Storytelling Series’ next live show is on September 12th; it’s called “From Scratch: Stories about the messes, memories, and magic of making food.” Information about the event, more stories, and the Stoop podcast is at StoopStorytelling.com.