Maureen Harvie

Where can pregnant women struggling with addiction to opioids turn for help? How are infants affected by exposure to opioids?

Julia Lurie, a reporter for Mother Jones, set out answer these questions. She tells us about two women in Baltimore who sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins ‘Center for Addiction and Pregnancy’ - known as CAP. Check out her reporting, "Homeless. Addicted to Heroin. About to Give Birth." Julia Lurie has also written about how the opioid epidemic is impacting the foster care system. 

CAP brings together medical providers of several specialties to care for mothers and infants together. It’s a unique model that Dr. Lauren Jansson, director of pediatrics at CAP, says makes a big difference.

Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk describes the legislature’s actions to head off a spike in health insurance premiums. She co-chairs the ‘Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission.’

Check out the Baltimore Sun’s editorial about the the re-insurance deal here.

The debts attached to nearly five thousand homes in Baltimore are up for tax sale next month as the city moves to recoup unpaid fees, taxes and water charges. While overdue water bills can no longer be only item that sets a property up for a tax sale, they do count toward the overall debt.

Margaret Henn of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland says that’s a problem because of leaks and billing disputes with the Department of Public Works.

The Pro Bono Resource Center's last free legal clinic runs from 2 to 6 pm tomorrow, at the Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging on Reisterstown Road. You can register by phone at 443-703-3052. More info here.

Take a listen to this Stoop story from teacher and poet Azya Maxton about the power of poetry. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

How can writing and reading poetry be a lifeline in times of trouble?

Ahead of a visit this weekend to Baltimore, poet and professor Gregory Orr tells us how he came to poetry after the tragic death of his younger brother in a hunting accident. He shares how poetry rescued him from overwhelming guilt and grief, and helped him regain an awareness of life’s beauty.

Gregory Orr will be at the Joshua Ringel Memorial Reading on Sunday, April 22 at Hodson Hall on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus. The event is starts at 5 pm. More information here.

The nonprofit Choice Program has worked for three decades to mentor young people in Maryland. With the help of AmeriCorps fellows, Choice works to keep families together, prevent repeat crimes by young people in the justice system, and provide educational and vocational opportunities.

We hear from director LaMar Davis about their strategy. We also spoke with current AmeriCorps fellow Shanelle Grier and former participant - later fellow - Latoya Felder.

The Choice Program at UMBC is celebrating its 30th anniversary with events this weekend, including a happy hour and trivia night. Information here.

At the Strong City Baltimore Stoop Storytelling show two months ago, Sophia Garber shared her experience about coming to Baltimore, making friends, and sticking with it against all odds.

Check out the Stoop podcast and info about Stoop events here.

The nonprofit Strong City Baltimore is offering dozens of workshops tomorrow, where hundreds of activists can network and learn skills for a better community. Rev. Eric Lee is the primary organizer of the 11th annual Neighborhood Institute. He tells us about the opportunities for community organizers to build their skills.

Plus, some panels draw on the experience of young leaders. We hear from Mercedes Thompson and Claire Wayner, who co-founded the “Baltimore Beyond Plastics” movement.

Baltimore is pockmarked by thousands of abandoned homes and empty lots. What effect do vacant properties have on health? What can the city do to transform blight into inviting outdoor spaces?

Former state secretary of health, Joshua Sharfstein, points to research that measures how blight raises stress levels.

And Stephanie Smith, Assistant Director for Equity, Engagement, and Communications for the city Planning Department, describes a plan to turn vacant properties into parks, playgrounds, and trails.

The General Assembly has a little more 14 hours to solve some thorny legislative issues that have eluded compromise for months. For example, the crushing wave of homicides in Baltimore, or the new industry being created around medical marijuana. And, is the state legislature going to demand changes in safety features in public schools? We find out how this last day looks to two political analysts who have kept their eyes on the legislature for years. Barry Rascovar writes for the blog Political Maryland. Charles Robinson is a political reporter for State Circle on Maryland Public Television. 

Here’s a Stoop Story from Jen Matsumoto about going hiking after Maryland’s 2010 'snowmaggedon'.

You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

Dust off your bicycle, pull on your hiking boots! Tomorrow the nonprofit Rails to Trails Conservancy is hosting its annual ‘Opening Day for Trails,’ a chance for outdoor enthusiasts to explore the Jones Falls trail and celebrate nature.

**Due to weather, the walking and bike tours have been postponed. The gathering at Union Brewery at noon is still on.**

Jim Brown, manager of trail development, tells us about the festivities planned and describes how a coalition of community groups and city agencies are working to create a loop of easily accessible trails around Baltimore. The goal: to bridge the gaps between neighborhoods and to re-purpose abandoned land.

Learn about the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network here.

Fifty million dollars: that’s how much Baltimore will pay police officers this year in overtime. Mark Reutter, reporter for The Baltimore Brew, delved into the records and found that police overtime soared by two-thirds from 2012 to 2017. Examining individual salaries revealed thousands of dollars in overtime pay to officers who do little street patrol or work desk jobs in specialized units.

Read the series, "Overtime Abuse at the BPD" here.

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. You can hear more from Dr. Bohn at Bat Night! at Patapsco State Valley Park on April 21st. 

Johns Hopkins University's quest for authority to set up a police force of sworn, armed officers is getting the attention of civic leaders, students and neighbors. JHU president Ronald Daniels tells us why he considers it urgent and  Andrea Fraser, a Hopkins graduate student calls it premature. David Tedjeske, from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and director of public safety at Villanova University in Pennsylvana, weighs in on national campus security trends.

Jason Ramirez attended a new school almost every year of his childhood. Bouncing around from apartments to shelters to the homes of relatives because his parents - both addicted to heroin - could not give him and his sisters a stable home. But, once he set his sights on becoming a doctor, he was locked onto that dream.

Today Dr. Jason Ramirez is a family-medicine physician and faculty member at the University of Maryland medical school. In his memoir, “The Hard Way: A Doctor’s Fight Against Addiction, Poverty, and Depression". He explains how witnessing his parents’ drug use taught him to empathize with patients who struggle with addiction.

Between 10 and 20 percent of pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Yet, many families feel they have to grieve silently.

We hear from two women working to comfort families mourning a baby. Maria Mosca--who lost her daughter, Lucia May, last spring--tells us where she turned for support.

And nurse Terri Zeman, who started the perinatal bereavement program at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center decades ago, tells us how the hospital helps families grieve the baby they didn’t get to take home.

Baltimore City College, the third oldest public school in the country, is also home to a venerable debate team. Alumnus Gil Sandler, class of ‘41, describes how the art of debate has changed since his time on the team.

New cuts in federal income taxes would raise state taxes, unless the legislature takes action. We ask the vice chair of the Senate’s tax committee, Rich Madaleno, why the Senate voted to increase the standard deduction than every taxpayer can claim. 

Here’s a Stoop Story from Matt Hayat about finding his place in the deaf community.

You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

A crisis hotline, mobile teams that travel to residents in distress - just some of the services provided by the nonprofit Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc.

Executive director Edgar Wiggins describes how BCRI helps city residents living with mental illness or substance abuse. And how they train police to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and de-escalate stressful situations.

The 24-hour crisis hotline number is 410-433-5175.

As spring approaches and the weather warms, it’s time to go outside and reconnect with nature.

Robert Cook, master gardener for the Baltimore City branch of the University of Maryland Extension shares tips on planning and planting year-round vegetable gardens. Info for the March 21st event on edible gardens here. More on soil testing here.

And Peggy Perry, of the nonprofit Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, tells us about volunteer efforts in Baltimore County to keep streams clear of trash and riverbeds strong. Info on the March 17th adopt-a-stream training here.

Rhoda Smith shares a story about pursuing her dream to attend college. You can hear other stories and the Stoop podcast here.

Tonight at 8pm, catch a live stoop show at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The theme is Intercambio: Stories about Inspiration and Exchange Across the Border.

In the early 20th century, Morgan State University--then, Morgan College--planned a move from its congested campus in West Baltimore to the verdant neighborhood of Lauraville.

Protests and lawsuits followed, as angry white residents opposed the arrival of African-American students and faculty.

Historian Steven Ragsdale takes us back to Morgan’s fight against segregation and its mission to built homes and businesses around the campus.

His talk will take place next Thursday, March 15th, 7:30 pm at the Village Learning Place, 2521 St. Paul St. in Baltimore. The event is organized by the Baltimore City Historical Society.

Meager education, a criminal record, gaps in employment - all can stand in the way of getting a good job.

Today we hear about two job training efforts in Baltimore: One at The Samaritan Women, a residential program for survivors of human trafficking, which launched a program for safe food-handling. Susan Schneider tells us about their foray into baking and we hear from resident, Eddie, who is marketing the treats.

The second, at the nonprofit The Lazarus Rite. Founder Christopher Ervin thinks Baltimore is uniquely situated to support careers in commercial driving. And graduate Kendall Bellamy describes his job driving for the city’s Department of Public Works.

For Christians, Lent is a time of fasting and penance, a reminder of Jesus’ time in the wilderness. What do wizards and elves have to do with Lent? Not much by themselves, but Michael Fischer tells us how the fantasy series ‘The Lord of the Rings’ offers a new way to think about mercy and fellowship. Check out his blog and reading schedule here.

A new report by the nonprofit Job Opportunities Task Force dives deep into the ways the poor in Maryland are at greater risk of criminal charges or penalties. Caryn York, executive director of JOTF, says the poor face consequences that are blind to their ability to pay. We hear JOTF's recommendations for reform on issues ranging from bail to car insurance. 

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 joins us ahead of a talk she’ll give Thursday at the University of Maryland Baltimore County on her book, “The Sonic Color Line: Race and the Cultural Politics of Listening”.