On The Record

For our final More Than Words story, Xavier started out interested in how activists in Baltimore see their work in the city as connected to and inspired by Civil Rights struggles of the past. As he researched and conducted interviews for this piece, he found writing to be an overlooked form of activism and decided to sit down with one of his favorite authors, D. Watkins.

It’s a rare accomplishment to publish a book before completing high school. Autumn Burton, a new graduate of the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, has done just that, and people are noticing. We speak with her about her book, “Mirrors,” which is a combination of short stories and nonfiction that center on issues of social justice -- topics about which Burton is passionate, and which she believes need more exposure.

The tiniest creature with the deadliest of bites … Professor Chris Potter's lab at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is working to understand why mosquitoes are attracted to humans, in order to quell diseases such as malaria and Zika, both transmitted by mosquito bite. By studying its sense of smell, Potter hopes to alter the way mosquitoes perceive human scent and flavor--in an effort to make us less appealing as a meal. Want to see what happens when a mosquito stops for a bite? Watch this. To see all that Potter's lab is up to visit his site.

Under President Trump the U.S. Justice Department announced it will pursue tougher criminal charges and tighter adherence to mandatory minimum sentences than during the Obama years. We talk to retired federal Judge Alexander Williams Jr. about the life sentence he was required to impose in a drug case in Prince George’s County -- and to the man he sentenced, Evans Ray Jr., now free on clemency from President Obama.

Now, a Stoop Story from Faye Houston, about how a chance encounter while on the hunt for shark teeth took on a new meaning decades later.

You can find more stories, as well as the Stoop podcast and event information at stoopstorytelling.com.

Opioid overdoses are claiming more lives in Maryland, up by 70 percent last year over the year before, to an average of five a day. Gov. Hogan declared an emergency in March.

Two years ago Baltimore City homicides soared to nearly one a day -- the city’s deadliest per capita on record. The statistic grabbed national attention and the focus of Amy Berbert, a student at UMBC. To her, the number represented the tragic anonymity of lives lost. In response Berbert conceived her final senior project, “Stains on the Sidewalk,” for which she’s documenting the 318 homicides of 2016. She returns on the one-year anniversary, at the exact time and location where the violence occurred, to make a photograph, and then shares it on social media.

Last week you heard from Deneira, a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore. She shared a little bit about her life with her mom and grandmother. Now she’ll give us some insight into her senior year. Deneira says she’s “not the normal teenager.” Who knows if such a thing exists, but those familiar with Deneira will tell you that she is an intelligent, resilient and unique young adult. In her last piece for More than Words, you’ll hear some phone conversations Deneira had with her sister about how they cope with anxiety and depression. More Than Words is supported by a generous grant from the Philip and Beryl Sachs Family Foundation.

A wedding ceremony may be the union of two souls, but the day represents so much more--encompassing families, cultures and communities. Tracie Guy-Decker, Jewish Museum of Maryland associate director talks about what we can read into dresses, documents, chuppas and cake-toppers -- some of what's featured in the new JMM exhibit, "Just Married! Wedding Stories from Jewish Maryland."

Whether it’s repairing defects, growing tissue, or customizing cell patterns, new technology is boosting the potential of regenerative medicine. We speak to Professor John P. Fisher, chair of the University of Maryland Fischell Department of Bioengineering, about the school’s new Center for Engineering Complex Tissue. And postdoctoral fellow Laurie Bracaglia describes her work using pericardial tissue, the thin tissue that surrounds the heart, as a graft material, as well as making printable “bio-ink” from this tissue.