August. Temperatures in the 90’s — with the humidity it feels hotter. And then Aug. 11 in the afternoon, about 4,000 BGE customers, mostly in Howard County, lost power for a half hour.

The blackout was short and not widespread, but the headlines reminded customers who think their electric bills are too high that supply can also be an issue. We talk with BGE director of regulatory strategy and revenue policy, John Frain, to learn why.

Among the seismic budget cuts propelled by President Trump, you may have missed his executive order March 14 essentially dismantling a small agency you hadn’t heard of, “The Institute of Museum of Library Services.” Why are librarians in Maryland upset, and what does any of it mean for you?

It turns out that the IMLS has been sending Maryland libraries about $3 million a year, which they use for digital access, lifelong learning, staff training, youth services and other projects.

Maryland’s State Librarian, Morgan Lehr Miller, explains what’s at stake and what’s being done to save the funding

Behind the headlines we remember from the Civil Rights Movement was an organized effort to teach African-Americans the literacy and civic skills they needed to register to vote--how to sign their names, how to read parts of the state constitution and how to hold their heads up as citizens. We ask author Elaine Weiss about her new book, 'Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools that Built the Civil Rights Movement.'

Here's a Stoop Story from Tom Hall about a performance made particularly memorable thanks to the intervention of a cat. Find more information about Stoop Stories, including live events and the Stoop podcast, at Stoopstorytelling.com

Today is International Cat Day! And Walters Art Museum is celebrating cats today and every day through late February with a new exhibit, called “Paws on Parchment.” It’s an exploration of the role cats played in folks lives during medieval times, as evidenced in manuscripts from the 1200s through the 1600s.

We’re joined by Lynley Anne Herbert, the Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Walters, to get a preview.

Last year about one in three Americans carried medical debt, and nearly one third of them took out loans -- totaling 74 billion dollars. We hear about ‘Dollar For’ - a non profit that teaches people how to eliminate medical debt by accessing financial assistance hospitals are legally required to provide. We talk with founder Jared Walker, and Sally Kervin and Nayano Taylor-Neumann, two Marylanders who had their medical debt erased.

Lots of things to worry about in this world. Too much wealth and power in the hands of too few people, too many of them self-absorbed and thoughtless. Bad decisions that threaten the delicate balance of land and water. Not to mention tensions that keep people from appreciating the ones closest to them.

If you can weave all that into an absorbing on-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery set near the ocean -- that’s a win, right? That’s just what Annapolis author Kate Myers has done in her second novel, 'Salty' and we talk with her about it!

When Dr. Meena Seshamani, an ear-nose-&-throat surgeon and former head of the federal Medicare program, was sworn in as Maryland’s health secretary four months ago, she stepped into a swirl of challenges: budget and policy pressures from the Trump administration, the Free State’s high levels of opioid addiction and overdoses, departures of top staff. She joins us to talk about her priorities and concerns in the job.

Wendy Sittner explores the impermanence of life. Here is her Stoop Story. For more information about Stoop Storytelling, including live events and the Stoop podcast, visit Stoopstorytelling.com

This month Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum opens a new solo exhibition, called “The Strength To Be Joyful: Messages from Mary Proctor” exploring the life and work of the Southern visionary artist.

We talk with Ellen Owens, AVAM’s new Executive Director and Curator and Grants Manager Gage Branda to get a preview!