Midday WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore

Gov. Wes Moore pardoned 175,000 cannabis-related misdemeanor convictions on Monday.

Among the pardoned convictions, WYPR's Rachel Bay reported, more than 150,000 were for cannabis possession, and more than 18,000 for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. The governor’s office estimated that at least 100,000 people are affected by the pardons.

Baye joins Midday to discuss the sweeping move, and what it means for thousands of Marylanders with low-level convictions on their record.
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Comedian and author Paula Poundstone has starred in hit movies, authored best-selling books and hosted legendary comedy specials. She also hosts a podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, and does standup shows across the country.

Poundstone is set to appear at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis Saturday night. She joins Midday to talk about her long and illustrious career and the state of comedy today.

(Photo by Shannon Greer)
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Invasive plants, like English Ivy, do more than just crowd out native plant species. They disrupt local ecosystems, eliminating food sources for pollinators and insect species.

A contest in Townson seeks to promote the use of native plant species in residential yards. Hosted by Green Towson Alliance, homeowners compete in several categories and are judged on how well they integrate native plants into their gardens and green spaces.

Patty Mochel is a member of the Green Towson Alliance and one of the hosts of the Native Garden Contest.

Amanda Wray is a co-coordinator of the contest and head of WildOnes Greater Baltimore.
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today, a conversation about community schools with Alexandria Warrick Adams, the Executive Director of Elev8 Baltimore. The non-profit works with public school students and their families throughout Baltimore.

Jada Jackson also joins the show. She is a former student at an Elev8 Freedom School, who now serves as the Extended Learning Coordinator within the organization.

On July 1, Elev8 is set to open three Freedom Schools, modeled on the schools that the civil rights icons Bob Moses, Charlie Cobb, Stokely Carmichael and others started in 1964.

The 6-week program immerses K-12 students in culturally diverse literature, helping them master reading and life skills. 
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to share another weekly review of a local theatrical production.

Rousuck reviews Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Iron Crow Theatre, on stage through June 30, 2024.

The play, which first debuted in abroad in 2017, tells the tale of a young man who does not quite fit in with his peers. Iron Crow Theatre’s production is one of the first in the United States.

(Photo by Wilson Freeman)
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

A new book aims to rekindle the conversation about Black resistance to white supremacy in the history of the United States.

We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, is an impassioned love letter to Black resilience in our past and present.

The author, Kellie Carter Jackson, is an Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Wellesley College and a cohost of This Day in Esoteric Political History. Her 2019 book Force and Freedom was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize and the Museum of African American History Stone Book Award.
Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.