Two hotels in downtown Baltimore will be converted into emergency shelters for the homeless. The city’s Board of Estimates approved the deal ten days ago, authorizing $15 million to acquire side-by-side hotels and $3 million to manage the shelters from the end of March through December. We speak to Baltimore City’s Chief Administrative Officer, Faith Leach.

Links:
City of Baltimore Reaches Deal to Acquire Two Hotels in Response to Housing Crisis
Baltimore finalizes $18M deal to acquire hotels for long-term homeless housing
Feb 2023 presentation by the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services 

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

For every dollar invested in preventing evictions, Maryland could save nearly $2.50 in what evictions cost. That’s according to a study by Stout Risius & Ross with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy and members of the Maryland Eviction Prevention Funds Alliance.

Lisa Sarro is legal counsel for Arundel Community Development Services. We ask Sarro about the need in Anne Arundel County and who is most at risk of eviction. 

Links:
Public Justice Center press release
MEPFA policy analysis
SB0370 - Community Schools - Rental Assistance for Community School Families Program and Fund - Establishment
HB0428 - Community Schools - Rental Assistance for Community School Families Program and Fund - Establishment
The Americans Most Threatened by Eviction: Young Children

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

Tami Jacobs shares a Stoop Story about the father figures of her childhood.

The next Stoop event is next Wednesday, March 6th, in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. The theme is “Failing Up - Rising Stronger from Professional Failures.” And the following week - on Friday, March 15 - the Stoop and the Maryland School for the Blind will present, “See Beyond: Dismantling the Disability Narrative.”

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 day before her wedding, writer Mako Yoshikawa received news that upended her world: Her abusive, estranged father was dead. In her new memoir, "Secrets of the Sun," Yoshikawa reckons with grief and guilt. 

Mako Yoshikawa will be in conversation with author Kyoko Mori at Bird in Hand Cafe & Bookstore on Friday, March 8th at 6 pm. Details here.

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

Access is key, and athletes often encounter obstacles to competing in the sport they love.

Lacrosse has grown in popularity in recent years, but some fans say the sport has a problem. A Baltimore lacrosse organization is trying to change the sport. We speak with Coach Lloyd Carter, one of the founders of Blax Lax.

Blax Lax is set to host its 10th annual Devin Day Celebration with a lacrosse tournament in August, co- sponsored and hosted by Catonsville Community College.

And the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s adaptive sports program, the Bennett Blazers, brings together young people with disabilities interested in a range of sports. We speak with Landon Brown, a longtime member of the team, and Coach Gerry Herman, who has managed the Bennett Blazers program since it started in 1990.

The Blazers’ wheelchair basketball team advanced to the NWBA Varsity Wheelchair Basketball National Championship on Sunday. That tournament is scheduled to take place in Richmond, Virginia from April 5 to 7.

Photo by Szkandera Ondrej, via Wikimedia Commons.

(Original airdate: Nov. 20, 2023)

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 ask Mayor Brandon Scott, who is running for re-election: why many Baltimore residents do not feel safer, even though crime is down; why it has taken so long to buy hotels to shelter the homeless; and whether he is satisfied with how city schools are run.

Links: Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Board of Elections info, Environmental Mayoral Forum Wed. Feb. 28 5:30pm.

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

Juvenile justice, what to do about young people caught up in crime, is a huge issue in this year’s session of the Maryland General Assembly.

After weeks of public hearings and committee discussion, the full House and Senate are close to debating changes to policy.

To understand what's at issue and what may come out of the General Assembly’s debate over juvenile justice, we turn to Brenda Wintrode, who covers state politics for our news partner, The Baltimore Banner.

 (Photo by Kirk McKoy, for The Baltimore Banner)

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

In Maryland we know Harriet Tubman best for fearlessly guiding people out of bondage. She was also a priceless scout and spy for the Union. Historian Edda Fields-Black, in her book "Combee," recounts Tubman’s vital role when the army liberated hundreds of enslaved rice-plantation workers.

Fields-Black will be at the Enoch Pratt's Central Library tonight at 7 pm. Register to attend in-person or view live online. Information here.

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 Aisha Alfadhalah about making her way … and finding community. You can find more information about Stoop Storytelling, including the Stoop podcast, 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

Baltimore is full of immigrant stories. Susan Muaddi Darraj adds to the tapestry with her debut novel: Behind You is the Sea. It draws on her Palestinian roots and her family’s immigration experience, tracing the intertwined daily lives of three families.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, 2023, at 3pm, Muaddj Darraj is scheduled to appear at the Johns Hopkins Barnes and Noble in Charles Village.

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