Health disparities, food deserts, the achievement gap. In ‘Just Action,'' Leah and Richard Rothstein argue the profound issues plaguing society are tied to our segregated neighborhoods. They draw a roadmap to desegregation that allies can undertake at the local level. 

Original air date: February 5, 2024

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

Pompeian Olive Oil has employed locals for more than a century. Since the Key Bridge collapse, how have they supported workers and kept their product flowing? Mouna Aissaoui, executive vice president and chief operating officer, fills us in.

Then, Dundalk is home to a diverse community of people affected by the tragedy. We hear how they’re faring from Tasha Gresham-James, executive director of Dundalk Renaissance. And Giuliana Valencia-Banks, Baltimore County chief of immigrant affairs, talks about her work with the families of the workers who died in the accident.

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

Hours after the Maryland General Assembly adjourns, we speak with two journalists who covered it: WYPR's News Director Matt Bush and Pamela Wood of The Baltimore Banner.

Lawmakers reached a budget compromise. What new taxes and fees can consumers expect? Juvenile justice was revisited; will longer probation reduce crime? What's the future of Pimlico Race Course? Plus, financial help for Port workers.

Links:
Here’s what your Maryland lawmakers did this year
Maryland lawmakers wrap work after budget dispute, fatal bridge collapse
Maryland PORT Act would give financial relief to businesses, workers impacted by Key Bridge collapse
Key Bridge aid and Pimlico takeover headline final bills passed by Maryland General Assembly

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

Black teachers in Maryland leave the profession at higher rates than their white teacher counterparts. Why? We talk with Baltimore Banner education reporter Kristen Griffith about what she learned. Plus, Wallace Lane, Michelle Early and Danielle Ferrentino share their very different experiences in the Maryland education system.

Baltimore Banner article: "Black teachers are leaving. How can Maryland schools get them to stay?"

Original air date: January 11, 2024

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 learn about the Native communities who lived, and still live along Maryland's Eastern Shore. Drew Shuptar-Rayvis a citizen and ambassador of the Pocomoke Indian Nation, paints a picture of their traditions and ways of life, drawing on collected oral histories. 

Links: Mayaisuwàk (They Speak in One Voice): The Oral History and History of Place of Maryland's Eastern Shore Tribal Communities and Remnant Descendants virtual lunch and learn, Maryland Archives Mayis Indigenous Records Guide.

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 Sophia Garber about contemplating mortality, the privilege of prioritizing joy, and a very, very long hike. Hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com

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

Six months after Richard Worley was sworn in as Baltimore police commissioner, we ask him about his focus on community policing, how he’s recruiting to fill hundreds of vacant slots, squelching the flow of ghost guns, youth who carry in self-defense, and what he’s doing to stave off burnout.  

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

Shannon Sneed is a former Baltimore City Councilwoman running in the Democratic primary for City Council president. What did she learn from representing East Baltimore? What are her priorities if elected? What would she do to limit the economic impact of shutting the port?

Find more WYPR coverage of the 2024 Primary Election. 

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

While the wreckage of the Key Bridge blocks commercial travel, the crews of the Dali and other ships in the Port of Baltimore remain aboard their vessels. 

Two local organizations have been checking on the mariners. We speak with Andrew Middleton, who directs the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Apostleship of the Sea, and Rev. Joshua Messick, an Episcopal priest and executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center. Find more updates at the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Facebook 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

The disruption at the port will likely boost inflation, but Tom Perez, senior adviser to President Biden and former candidate in the 2022 Democratic primary for Maryland governor, said the focus now is finding the bodies of those who died.

Find more WYPR coverage of the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse.

Photo caption: White House advisor Tom Perez speaks at a press conference on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 27, 2024. Credit: Governor Wes Moore's YouTube 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