DAN RODRICKS Midday WYPR

In one moment, everything can change. For Ami Garrison, that moment came on January 26, 2008 when her car careened off of a road in Edgemere, Baltimore County, and crashed into a house. Ami ended up in the hospital, in a coma, with a broken neck and back and a bleak prognosis.  This hour we meet Ami and her mother, Cathy Garrison, to hear a remarkable story about Ami's traumatic brain injury, and against all odds, her recovery.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-7th Maryland, joins us to talk about Congress and the atmosphere in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in the wake of the negotiations to avoid budget stalemate and a federal government shutdown.

Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman, of the award-winning Charleston and three other Baltimore restaurants, join Dan for the debut of Midday with Foreman & Wolf, giving WYPR listeners a taste of food, wine and travel from the perspective of two accomplished chefs and restaurateurs. This week: Farmer's markets and other rites of spring; Cindy celebrates the arrival of asparagus; Tony answers WWWWF (Why White Wine With Fish?).

The Midday Weekly News Review of some of the region's most interesting stories with the reporters who covered them.

After 9/11, journalist Kim Barker spent seven years doing “the Taliban Shuffle”, jumping between cities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to chase the latest story. An unlikely war correspondent, Barker chronicles the time she spent covering “the forgotten war” and the realities of being an American woman in a war zone. She joins Midday this hour to talk about her surreal experiences: from being romantically pursued by Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister, to watching Afghan police recruits fumble with loaded weapons.

In 10 days, the Maryland Historical Society’s Museum will open the largest exhibit in its 167-year history, devoting some 5,000 square feet to mark the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War and to use the moment to teach a new generation about the impact of the deadliest epoch in U.S. history. “Divided Voices" opens on April 16 and tells the complex and fascinating story of Maryland, a slave state that never declared secession. We’re joined by Burt Kummerow, Civil War historian and president of the Maryland Historical Society.

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) has refused to pay millions of dollars owed to families who lived in lead-contaminated public housing. Children suffered harm, in some cases brain damage, and courts have ordered that they be compensated, but the mayor and housing commissioner say the city cannot afford to pay a bill that in total could reach $800 million.

According to the recent census, Asian and Hispanic populations grew by more than 50 percent in Howard County, with minorities making up approximately 40 percent of the entire population. In the third richest county in the United States, where the average price of homes is approximately $400,000, what is the impact of such a large demographic shift on housing and real estate? How much moderate-priced housing is available? Demographic shifts and real estate, with our guests Stacey Spann, the director of Howard County Housing; June Torbati, reporter for The Baltimore Sun; Joseph T.

House Bill 363, which would create a new crime of negligent homicide by vehicle, is up for a vote in the Maryland Senate tomorrow. Bike advocates say the bill is designed to stop motorists involved in fatal bicycle crashes from getting off with a minor traffic court violation. The family of a comatose Johns Hopkins University student, critically injured while riding his bicycle last month in north Baltimore, has brought a $10 million lawsuit against the driver whose car struck him.

The latest diet fad, the Dukan diet, comes from France and is being promoted as the real reason the French stay thin. What does the diet entail and is it just a glorified version of the Atkins diet? Joining us to talk about the health benefits and risks are Angela Ginn-Meadow, registered dietitian and nutritionist for the American Dietetic Association; and Dr.