WYPR: Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast Podcast

International Women's Day is Friday. We discuss the challenges of moving to the U-S with two women who have done it, and are helping others make the transition: Aida Pinto-Baquero, born in Colombia, and Sawsan Al-Sayyab from Iraq. There are lots of ways to read the news these days. But what if staying informed means having the news read to you? We visit the Radio Reading Network. J. Wynn Rousuck reviews "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Chesapeake Theater Company in Columbia. Tom Hall takes a tour of the art of Eastern Shore native Bryan Collier, now at the Lewis Museum.

In two days, 85 billion dollars is scheduled to be cut from federal spending, cuts known as ‘the sequester.’ In Maryland, that means lots of changes, from air traffic control towers shutting down,to thousands of defense employees being furloughed. We talk about what to expect. Some Maryland lawmakers want to expand the hours and number of sites for early voting in Maryland. Critics say Democratic-leaning areas get the most help. We’ll hear from both sides. Ludwig van Beethoven wasn’t just deaf. He also had irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and cirrhosis. Tom Hall talks with University of Maryland doctor Philip Mackowiak about Beethoven's health.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is rolling out a ten-year plan to keep Baltimore financially solvent over the next ten years. The plan includes a trash pick-up fee, city pension reform, and a reduction in the property tax.Today, Sheilah talked to Mayor Rawlings-Blake about the plan, the $585,000 consultant report it's based on, and an incident during a police academy training that ended with a University of Maryland campus police trainee shot in the head.Mayor Rawlings-Blake told Sheilah Kast that the consultants’ work more than paid for itself. Then-Colum McCann is the author of five novels and numerous short stories. He won the 2009 National Book Award and many other international honors for his novel Let the Great World Spin. It tells the stories of several seemingly unconnected New Yorkers in 1974, against the backdrop of a tightrope walker who is suspended between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Columbia’s downtown redevelopment is finally happening after eight years in the making. We ask Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and planner Mark Thompson … what needs to happen in housing, retail space and transit to change suburban to urban. Last February, Loyola professor Kaye Whitehead called for an end to Black History Month, saying we needed to remember black Americans 365 days of the year. She's changed her mind. We ask her why. J. Wynn Rousuck reviews "Naomi's Flight" at the Baltimore Theatre Project. A new documentary about Baltimore civil rights activist Walter P. Carter airs tonight on Maryland Public Television. We talk with the executive producer and Carter's daughter, Delegate Jill P. Carter.

In 2011, Maryland women made, on average, 88 cents for every dollar made by men, according to data from the U. S. Census Bureau. The gap in Maryland is smaller than the national average, which is 77 cents for every dollar. There are efforts on both the federal and state level to lessen that gap, and prohibit gender discrimination in the workplace. The Paycheck Fairness Act, sponsored by Senator Mikulski would prohibit employer retaliation for sharing salary information with coworkers. Sheilah talks about this with Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the American Association of University Women. While women now comprise a larger percentage of the workforce than previous generations, studies show that women are still doing the majority of work in the home-while also balancing their paid work hours.

Conditions in Maryland's juvenile facilities are improving, says a new report from the state Attorney General's office - better care for girls, shorter waits for treatment, and fewer violent incidents. Are the improvements sustainable? We ask Nick Moroney, director of the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit. In the 1950s and early ‘60s, people didn’t worry about terrorism; they worried about a nuclear bomb and the effort against it wasn’t called homeland security, but civil defense. Why was Baltimore the first East Coast city to stop civil defense? Sascha Wolhandler schools Tom Hall on the art of the casserole.

In his State of the Union speech, President Obama called for expanding high-quality pre-school. How would his proposal affect Maryland? We ask Rolf Grafwallner from the state's Department of Education and Margaret Williams, of the Maryland Family Network. Then-Genealogist Char Bah has traced her family history through more than four states and three continents. What she found along the way were some harsh realties involving enslaved ancestors, some wild stories involving bootleggers, and even a cousin in Germany. She often travels, giving lectures on African-American genealogy, as uncovering the names and details about African-American ancestors can often be difficult. Plus-The theories of a 17th century Jesuit priest are now being rediscovered--historians are looking at his work in medicine, magneticism, and music--which included the creation of what he called a "cat piano." We talk with Maryland native John Glassie, who has written a book about him called "A Man of Misconceptions."

When a bar serves alcohol to a customer can it be held responsible for the drunken patron’s actions? The Court of Appeals will hear arguments next month. Today, we looked at how other states have handled this question. What makes a cab company a cab company? Andrew Zaleski, lead reporter for "Technically Baltimore", tells Nathan about the on-demand car service Uber. It’s still winter here, but "Spring Awakening" is showing up elsewhere—namely, the Olney Theatre Center. J. Wynn Rousuck brings us her review of the musical. It's President's Day! Loyola professor Kaye Wise Whitehead tells you what you might not know about Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Maryland Morning senior producer Lawrence Lanahan looks at income inequality numbers for Maryland--and explains why our series "The Lines Between Us" has taken four months to start examining income inequality. We look at why affluent families are fleeing middle class neighborhoods and what can entice them to stay. We examine income segregation with researcher Sean Reardon and Patterson Park resident Jennifer Arndt Robinson. We also ask two residents: city Bureau of Solid Waste worker Demetric Farmer, and Glenham-Belhar Community Association president Sheila Ebelein. Tom Hall talks with Maryland Historical Society's curator of photographs Joe Tropea about how they solved the mystery behind a very, very strange photograph from their archives. Tom Hall and J. Wynn Rousuck review "Flashdance-The Musical," now up at the Hippodrome for a short run until Feb. 17.

Curious about Curiosity? We hear what the Mars rover has found, and how scientists discovered a former underground lake on the red planet. Erskine Bowles,half the Simpson-Bowles deficit-cutting duo,says so far we’ve made the “easy, stupid” cuts.He explains what needs to be done. We speaks with Poet Jehanne Dubrow, whose new book, "Red Army Red,” is based on her experience as a child of diplomats in Communist Eastern Europe.

Pope Benedict announced he'll step down later this month--making him the first pope to do so in 600 years. We talk with Baltimore Archbishop William Lori about what this means for Catholics in Maryland. Then-Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake delivered the annual State of the City address yesterday, outlining a series of reforms aimed at restoring the city's financial health. We talk about the reforms with a city council member, a community activist, and the president of a policy institute. Plus-Acclaimed Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená will appear with Israeli pianist Yefim Bronfman on Sunday as part of the Shriver Hall Concert Series. Tom Hall talks to Steve Jacobsohn, executive director of the series, about the importance of hosting performances of rare chamber works.

The debate over tightening restrictions on who can own a gun in Maryland reaches into mental health-issues.State Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein talks about how the governor’s proposal tries to protect the gun rights of those with mental problems. How has wine evolved over thousands of years? We talk with "Inventing Wine" Author Paul Lukacs. How do you apply the principles of feng shui to a cemetery? We visits the new Garden of Tranquility at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Baltimore County.

The way we speak-our accent and the type of language we use-doesn't always leap to the front of some people's minds when thinking of first impressions, but it does shape people's perceptions, for the benefit or to the detriment of the speaker. "One of the prejudices we have especially as Americans, is if we don't hear English-the King's English-we naturally tend to write people off as not being intelligent and that's the biggest mistake we can make," says Charles Ramos. Then, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post joins Jed Dietz of the Maryland Film Festival to discuss their Oscar picks, including Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty and Ben Affleck's Argo. You can make your own picks on an Oscar ballot, if you like.

The decision by Baltimore State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein not to press charges against police in Anthony Anderson’s death is still eliciting protests. We talk to the Anderson family’s attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon. A new Johns Hopkins study links hearing loss among older adults with a decline in their brain functions like remembering and concentrating.Hearing expert and epidemiologist Frank Lin talks about recent study. UMBC math professor Manil Suri on third novel "The City of Devi".

The Baltimore County Council votes tonight on County Executive Kevin Kamenetz’s proposal for $3.7 million in security improvement to county public schools. We explore how schools might change. Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck brings us her review of "The Mountaintop" at CENTERSTAGE. Tom talks with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Ian Gallanar and Maryland Public Television's Faith Wachter about a new PBS series on the magic of Shakespeare.