6-1-12: The Future of Steelmaking in Baltimore County

RG Steel, the company that runs the steel mill at Sparrows Point, is filing for bankruptcy. The plant is idle, and layoffs may be on the way. We’ll talk to a reporter and a union local president about the prospects for a new owner, and talk to people from the community about the toll of years of instability at Sparrows Point.

5-30-12: Better Background Checks

Exploring the new guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on background checks.

5-11-12: Vital Signs 10

A decade-long portrait of Baltimore in data: from crime to grime to graduation to transportation.

5-9-12: Not Your Grandfather’s Manufacturing

How is what we make in Maryland changing–and how can manufacturers adapt? A new report out today from the Brookings Institution examines how the industry is shifting around the country–and we talk about how it’s affecting our state.

5-2-12: An End to Direct Payments for Farmers?

It’s time for Congress to reauthorize the five-year farm bill, and a version that just came out of the Senate Agriculture Committee would replace the direct payments that farmers receive from the government with an insurance plan for their crops. We’ll find out what the bill could mean for Maryland farmers, and for the environment.

4-30-12: What’s Next for Baltimore’s Economy?

A new report from the Brookings Institute examines how Baltimore could encourage growth in certain sectors to help low-earning residents find better-paying jobs.

4-20-12: The Future of Senior Living

When the Green House Residences opened their doors on Baltimore’s 33rd Street yesterday, it marked the arrival of a new model of senior living to Maryland. We discuss the future of senior living with Bill Thomas, the geriatrician behind the Green House approach, and Brown University’s Zhanlian Feng, who studies disparities in access to nursing homes.

4-17-12: Doomsday Details

If Governor O’Malley declines to call the legislature into a special session, hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts will go into effect. Sheilah talks to Warren Descheneux, the state’s top fiscal analyst, about how the state would handle those cuts.

4-10-12: Goodbye, Sine Die

We take a look at the what the General Assembly did and what they didn’t do.

4-10-12: Money Well Spent?

ProPublica reporter Michael Grabell on his new book, “Money Well Spent?: The Truth Behind the Trillion-Dollar Stimulus, the Biggest Economic Recovery Plan in History.”