Maureen Harvie

Research on autism can take years to trickle down to people affected. An annual conference later this week aims to bring new findings directly to an audience of families, health care providers, and educators.

Rebecca Landa, founder of the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Center for Autism and Related Disorders, gives a preview of her talk on early intervention. She says coaxing pre-verbal communication in toddlers, like gesturing at objects, is an important place to start. Registration information for the conference is here. 

And Rebecca Rienzi, executive director, and Thomas Whalen, who’s on the autism spectrum, describes the work of the nonprofit Pathfinders for Autism. Thomas will be speaking at the Annual Autism Conference on Friday.

The Supreme Court is now in session. The high court began its new term this week with just eight justices on the bench. How does the empty seat influence which cases the court decides to hear, and how the justices rule?

University of Baltimore law professor Michael Meyerson steps us through some of the arguments over criminal law the high court will hear this term--including a case that could upend the long-standing interpretation of the Fifth Amendment.

And we discuss the contentious nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and its potential impact on how the public perceives the court.

Get to know Baltimore and its history this weekend. Doors Open Baltimore is offering open-house events at 60 sites across the city, from Lord Baltimore Hotel to 18th century homes in Fells Point. We speak to organizers Victoria Kraushar-Plantholt and David Ditman about exploring the city. The events are free and organized by the American Institute of Architects Baltimore Chapter and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation.

Click here to plan your visit and check out participating sites. Register here for guided tours.

Warm, cozy--and able to tell a story. Artist and Baltimore native Joan Gaither uses quilts to preserve and document American history. Her quilts are covered with beads, buttons, photos, and fabrics of all colors. Gaither describes putting her heart, soul, and identity into her quilts. Listen to our full conversation from December.

Then: the comedy stage has not always welcomed women and gender minorities. But for stand-up comic Violet Gray the stage is a second home. She says comedy gives her the chance to humanize her experience as a trans woman and break down stereotypes. Listen to our full conversation from May. 

As WYPR asks for listener support during Pledge Week, On the Record is listening back to interesting conversations with local artists, so you can see your pledge dollars at work.

Artists who face challenges find a welcoming space at Make Studio in Hampden - we meet art therapist Cathy Goucher, who co-founded Make Studio, and artist, Erika Clark.

Listen to our full conversation from February 2018.

Here’s a Stoop Story from Elliot Wagenheim about finding the motivation to get up off the recliner. You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

The shuttering of saloons, the death of distilleries. For 13 years, Prohibition was the law of the land--banning the manufacture, sale, and distribution of “intoxicating liquors.” But Maryland’s approach to enforcement was “hands off.”

Historian Michael T. Walsh details local resistance in his book, “Baltimore Prohibition: Wet and Dry in the Free State.”

He will be speaking tomorrow at B.C. Brewery from 1-3 PM, at 10950 Gilroy Road in Hunt Valley.

Later this month, authors, poets, and readers will gather at the Inner Harbor for the 23rd annual Baltimore Book Festival. Director of the City Lit Project Carla DuPree tells us about the talented writers from near and far who will attend. And Marion Winik, host of WYPR’s Weekly Reader podcast, previews her new book, “The Baltimore Book of the Dead” Plus, author and screenwriter Evan Balkan takes us inside his new young adult novel, “Spitfire,” set in 1950s Highlandtown.

The link to Gil Sandler's story, referred to in Balkan's interview can be found here.

African-Americans living free in Baltimore before the Civil War were constantly testing whether the law and courts saw them as citizens, with rights to be respected.

In a new book, "Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America," Johns Hopkins Professor Martha Jones argues the free blacks of Baltimore shaped the idea of birthright citizenship that made it into the U.S. constitution, and that their struggle still carries meaning for today’s immigrants. This interview originally aired on July 26, 2018.

Martha Jones will be speaking about her book at a panel discussion, next Wednesday, September 26th at the Maryland Historical Society. 

Here’s a Stoop Story from John Couzee about a snowboarding trip that turned into a medical emergency. You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

Ticket information for this season of Stoop shows is here.

More than a century after Fort McHenry repulsed the British bombardment of 1814, it took on a new life as the largest army receiving hospital of the first World War. Thousands of wounded American soldiers and sailors were treated and medical advances were made, especially in facial surgery.

National Park Service Curator Gregory Weidman says the fort hospital aimed to heal the whole person. It offered physical therapy and training in job skills and set up a baseball team and a weekly newspaper.

Gregory Weidman will speak about General Hospital 2 at noon and again at 3 pm tomorrow and Sunday. The park is also hosting many daytime family and children’s events to celebrate the 204th anniversary of the defense of Baltimore. Kids can ‘enlist’ as a soldier in the War of 1812, practice military drills, try on 1814-style uniforms and visit army barracks. 

Psychics, ouiji boards, nightmares - The Noir and Bizarre, a WYPR original podcast, isn’t afraid to get spooky. Producer Katie Marquette delves into questions about human existence and explores the strange stories we tell ourselves about death.

From Meryl the Mummy--on display at the Walters Art Museum--to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave, Marquette explores Baltimore history with the mysterious in mind.

As politicians fret these days about how to win female voters, and record numbers of women put themselves forth as candidates, it’s worth remembering that a century ago the big dispute was whether women should even have the right to vote. Suffragists persuaded some states to open the ballot to women, but by 1918 had turned their effort into amending the FEDERAL constitution, to cover the whole country.

Elaine Weiss has written "The Woman’s Hour," a fast-moving chronicle of the struggle among women’s advocates, corporate lobbyists and white supremacists.

We often think of racism as operating solely on a visual level - judgments based on skin color or facial features. But what about sounds? What judgments of intelligence, education, and personality lie behind ideas about sounding ‘white’ or ‘black’? Jennifer Lynn Stoever is Associate Professor of English at Binghamton University in New York, and Editor-in-Chief of the blog, “Sounding Out!”. She's talks with us about her book, “The Sonic Color Line: Race and the Cultural Politics of Listening." Original air date 2/26/18.

Here is a Stoop Story from Jacquelyn Miller Byrne about her thirst for stories. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast. The Stoop is celebrating their 13th season. Event information here.

Stories are powerful. They transport you to another land or time. They raise questions about human nature. They can also be a tool to teach lessons that have been passed down for generations.

As the National Folk Festival kicks off in Salisbury, we speak to the co-founder of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Mama Linda Goss, and Dr. David Fakunle, her apprentice. They share favorite stories, and describe why the oral tradition is important.

They will be performing on Sunday at 2 pm at the Avery Hall Maryland Traditions Stage. Event details here. Learn more about Dr. David Fakunle's organization 'Discover Me, Recover Me' here.

Ferguson, Charleston, Baton Rouge--DeRay Mckesson has been on the ground: protesting police violence, marching against racism, organizing the next generation of activists. His just-published memoir is: “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope.”

Mckesson weaves together reflections on growing up in Baltimore and Catonsville, with lessons learned as an activist at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement. He tells us about his complicated relationship with his mother, who left when he was three, and shares his data-driven thoughts on police reform.

DeRay Mckesson will be in Baltimore to speak about his book on October 4th, at the Baltimore Soundstage. 

Bats get a bad rap, but they play a pivotal role in nature---they devour insects and their furry bodies can spread pollen. Bats make up one fourth of all mammal species. Maryland Department of Natural Resources ecologist Daniel Feller tells us about the devastation caused by the fungal disease White Nose Syndrome, which has killed millions of bats in North America. How is this disease spread?

Read more about White Nose Syndrome here:

DNR Bats and Diseases page

Maryland's Bat Caves

And Dr. Kirsten Bohn, researcher at Johns Hopkins’ “Bat Communication Lab,” decodes the sounds bats make. Original air date: 4/3/18

Here’s a Stoop Story from Stephanie Murdock about building skateparks and building relationships with young people. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

While students may be planning what to wear the first day of school, teachers are busy arranging desks and prepping lesson plans. We speak to two third-grade teachers from Lakeland Elementary Middle School in south Baltimore. Mentor teacher Melissa Simmons shares her goals for the new year, and first year teacher Reina Quintanilla, an immigrant from El Salvador, describes feeling called to serve.

"She's Such a Bright Girl, An American Story," is the recounting of how Petula Caesar's African-American father praised her good grades and her light skin. He raised her to be deferential to white people and to see blacks as dangerous. 

Then, Sujata Massey’s novel “The Widows of Malabar Hill," is set almost a century ago in what is now Mumbai, India. Her heroine is a pioneering lawyer who comes upon murder, kidnapping and a secret passageway as she investigates a suspicious will. Original air date: 6/21/18

In this gourmet era, canned food doesn’t get much respect. But that humble tin of chicken soup in the pantry has a fascinating backstory. Canning was invented to feed soldiers during the French Revolutionary Wars. And the commercial canning industry that followed was, at first, a dicey business. Historian Anna Zeide talks about her new book, “Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry.” Original air date: 6/19/18

Founded more than five decade ago, St. Francis Neighborhood Center has deep roots in Baltimore’s Reservoir Hill community. Free summer and after-school programs for kids, job-seeking assistance for adults, help with groceries, counseling--executive director Christi Green says the center’s mission is to end generational poverty through education.

Longtime participant Emmanuel Leach says the center helped him gain self-confidence and get accepted into the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Check out more information on St. Francis' capital campaign here. Learn how to volunteer here.

The cost of childcare for an infant can exceed college tuition. To help low-income families cope, Maryland offers vouchers.

Steve Rohde, of the Maryland Family Network, describes recent changes to the state’s Child Care Subsidy program; with the changes, the vouchers are worth more, and more families are eligible for them. And Lindsay Midkiff, a single mom of three, describes how childcare vouchers have helped secure her family’s future and allowed her to work full-time.

For details about the Mayland Child Care Subsidy program, click here. For help locating child care, check out the Maryland Family Network's resources or call 877.261.0060. To check out the Heckman Equation, click here. 

The first day of the school is around the corner--and for some kids, the thought of meeting new teachers and classmates can be overwhelming. What can parents do to calm kids’ nerves? Amani Coker-Warren of Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School gives advice on preparing for the new school year.

Then, teachers often reach into their own wallets to provide pencils, notebooks, and folders, and bigger items. Melissa Badeker tells us how the Teacher Supply Swap, which collects and distributes free supplies, has grown. Information on donating supplies here.

Maryland’s beloved terrapin faces a serious threat from climate change. Biologist Christopher Rowe of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science describes how rising sea levels and warming temperatures jeopardize the terrapins’ survival. Read more about the threats to the terrapin here.

Then, fueled by solar and water power, Mr. Trash Wheel and his companions tirelessly pull litter from the harbor. Adam Lindquist of the Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative gives us an update on their progress.

Former U.S. Senator Joe Tydings died at age 90, on Monday, October 8, 2018.  Here is the On the Record interview from August, 2018.

At 90, former U.S. Senator Joseph Tydings has fascinating stories to spin of growing up in a family both wealthy and politically connected. As a young delegate in Annapolis Tydings was already irritating those in power in 1960 when he threw himself into campaigning for a presidential hopeful named Jack Kennedy.

With John Frece, former U.S. Sen. Joseph Tydings has written a memoir titled "My Life in Progressive Politics: Against the Grain". Frece will be speaking about what went into writing it Sunday at 5 pm at the Ivy Bookshop on Falls Road.

Many of the hurdles that keep young black men from getting into college can trip them up even once they’re there. Young black athletes face the same stumbling blocks. But a community of mentors can make all the difference. Founder Matt Hanna explains how the ‘Next One Up Foundation’ connects with young men through sports, providing support from middle school through college, graduation and on into the workforce. And two students describe the family they've found with ‘Next One Up’.

A dozen Russian intelligence officers have been indicted for tampering in the 2016 election. Plus, Maryland officials recently learned a Russian oligarch bought a software firm that holds a state contract for voter registration. How is Maryland ensuring the security of its elections in November?

We speak to Linda Lamone, administrator of the State Board of Elections, and deputy administrator Nikki Charlson. And Hopkins computer science professor and security expert Avi Rubin tells what he learned from serving as an elections judge.