Maryland Morning

Last year, Meg Daley Olmert, an Eastern Shore author who has written about the therapeutic effect of dogs on humans, established an organization called Warrior Canine Connection to help in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

On this holiday, we take a moment to remember some great American writers.  H. L. Mencken was “the sage of Baltimore” and while there’s much of his written word to exult in, recordings of his actual voice are much harder to find.  One that exists is the interview journalist Donald Kirkley recorded an interview with him at the Library of Congress on June 30, 1948.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld most of the federal health overhaul, what’s ahead for people who live in Maryland? We’ll sort it out with Lt.

Baltimore is organized with what’s called a "strong-mayor" form of government, in which the powers of the mayor far outweigh the powers of the City Council.  Sheilah talks about this form of government and how it compares to other systems with Eric Zeemering, Assitant Professour of Public Policy at UMBC. She also talks with Julie Scharper, who reports on City Hall for the Baltimore Sun, about the current power tussle that's taking place.

City dwellers, are you ready to get your hands dirty?  Get your spades and potting soil ready: we talk with garden guru Anne Raver about how to garden when all you've got at your disposal is a windowsill or a fire escape.  She talks about how to deal with brutal sunlight that windowsills can receive, as well as how much water to give those plants if you're fleeing the city on weekends.

The first incarnation of the International Tracing Service was established in 1943 with the goal of tracing people who’d been displaced during World War II.  Now, close to six decades later, the organization still receives hundreds of requests for information from people who were either victims of Nazi persecution, or from their family members.

Of course it's important for medical and nursing students to learn how to talk with patients about HIV and AIDS. We’ll find out why the University of Maryland is now teaching students in other professions, too.

Then, an Emmittsburg woman who finally found time to write her debut novel- at age 89.

Beverly Swaim-Staley has one week left as Maryland's Transportation Secretary.  We ask her about traffic, trucks, trains, tolls, taxes and mass transit.