WAMU: Metro Connection

We'll hear the tumultuous and almost otherworldly tale of the effort to create a memorial to Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. And we'll meet the man who's now calling the shots at the Smithsonian Institution. Plus, we'll imagine what Washington will look, smell and feel like 200 years from now.

This Thanksgiving week, we're digging into the Metro Connection archives, and presenting some of our favorite stories about food, family, and traditions. Enjoy!

We'll meet a lifelong Montgomery County resident who grew up in segregated and unequal county schools, and went on to become a top-notch athlete and beloved coach to generations of students. We'll dive in to the debate over the ethics of an elite private school displacing low-income seniors. Plus, we'll hear about the building, once at the center of the Walter Reed scandal in 2007, and now slated for demolition.

We'll find out why a tiny sliver of land honoring a pop star-turned politico is getting a new lease on life. We'll go inside FreshPAC's decision to shut down the controversial political action committee supporting D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. And we'll hear why a proposed bike lane is sparking heated debates about race, economics, and displacement.

We'll visit a Capitol Hill rowhouse that once was home to an influential lesbian separatist collective, The Furies. And we'll meet the woman behind the effort to grant 16-year-olds the right to vote in the nation's capital. Plus, we'll stop in at the Sunday afternoon drum circle that's been a tradition in Washington since the 1960s to hear why some say the beat just isn't what it used to be.

We'll hear from Willard Scott, who co-hosted the wildly popular show, "The Joy Boys," with the late Ed Walker. We'll visit an unusual senior community where retired Foreign Service officers keep up with current events by inviting their ambassador friends to speak. Plus, we'll meet gun enthusiasts in Virginia who buck the stereotype that gun owners are all conservative white men.

This week we're bringing you a compilation of some of our best stories from 2015, plus a story about The Big Broadcast host Ed Walker, who recently announced his retirement.

We'll hear why the former head of DDOT thinks Metro should be run like a bike-sharing system, and we'll ask whether anti-Metro angst on social media can translate to real change. Plus, we'll visit a nail salon in Prince George's County to meet one of the D.C. region's most recognizable Internet celebrities.

We go poking around Metro stations with a botanist, and find out why the Kennedy Center is teaming up with the U.S. Botanic Garden. We also visit a D.C. neighborhood where some residents say the city isn't doing enough to get rid of vacant and blighted properties.

We'll find out why D.C. is selling off some of its public housing -- in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. We'll hear from commuters who are so fed up with service disruptions and delays, they say they're quitting Metro. Plus, we'll talk with people who say they've been victims of predatory car-title lending in Virginia.

As D.C. recovers from pope-mania, we'll hear how Washingtonians welcomed the pontiff this week, from taking selfies with cardboard cutouts to quaffing religious-themed beers. And we'll catch up with '80s pop star Thomas Dolby, and hear how he's helping transform a Baltimore neighborhood.

With the oldest of the baby boomers turning 70 next year, we'll hear from Washingtonians launching new careers in their 50s and 60s... with their 20- and 30-something sons or daughters. Plus, with Pope Francis' Washington visit less than two weeks away, we'll hear how the "Francis effect" is playing out on D.C.'s Catholic campuses. And we'll travel to Russia, and find out why LGBT activists are fleeing homophobia and landing in D.C.

With Labor Day weekend here, we'll hear about a new program dedicated to helping returning citizens get jobs: by teaching them to launch their own startups after coming home from prison. We'll explore what it takes to make it as a tour guide in the nation's capital. And we'll talk with residents across the city about the recent spike in violent crime.

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, we'll hear from a couple who packed up and left D.C. in 2006 to start a new life in New Orleans, helping flood victims rebuild their homes. Plus, we'll ask whether replacing Pepco with a publicly-owned utility might better serve D.C. ratepayers. And we'll hear how one woman became so frustrated by Washington's dating scene, she found a way to crowdsource love.

We're paying homage to the earth with a show about reducing, reusing, and recycling in the D.C. region.

We'll meet Washingtonians with a singular devotion to work, and a passionate dedication to play, as we bring you tales of duty and dedication.

We'll examine the past, present and future or one of D.C.'s most scenic spots, Hains Point, as well as other stories from around the region.

How should we remember Maryland's Confederate history? What would you pay to get from D.C. to Baltimore in 15 minutes? What secrets lie beneath an empty Georgetown lot? We'll seek answers to these questions and many more.

We'll dive in to a new summer series on the history and changing demographics of D.C.'s free public pools. Plus, we'll find out how a local food bank is using technology to find hidden pockets of food insecurity. And we'll hear from a Virginia couple giving away their 35-acre farm for 1,000 words.

Three months before the Baltimore police trial in the death of Freddie Gray, we'll take a walking tour of the city and see how it's faring after the riots. Plus, we'll check in on efforts to curb a critter eating away at our region's ash trees, and visit Virginia's newest charter school.

We'll follow efforts to save one of Virginia's most endangered places, and visit a D.C. school with an ambitious goal: to create a model for educating city kids and erasing the achievement gap.

We'll explore some of our region's trickiest problems — and meet people working to find solutions to those problems — on this week's show.

We'll bring you stories of the moments that define and change our lives, with a show we're calling "Milestones."

We'll explore the nation's capital as an international crossroads of cultures and people.

We'll tour the D.C. region's music scene this week in a special collaboration with WAMU's music site, Bandwidth.fm.

We'll take an audio tour of Virginia's most heavily-populated county, and meet some of the 1.1 million people who call it home.

From astronomers to female barbers to a dominatrix in D.C., we'll step aside from our usual thematic approach to bring you one of our Wild Cards show.

Now that you can use small amounts of marijuana in the nation's capital, we'll explore how it's affecting the city, the region, and the national debate over the legalization of pot.

We'll get ready for Earth Day with a show about reducing, reusing, and recycling in the D.C. region.

As residents in D.C.'s Ward 8 head to the polls this month, we'll look at life in the neighborhoods once represented by mayor-for-life and D.C. Council member Marion Barry.

We'll meet Washingtonians with a singular devotion to work, and a passionate dedication to play, as we bring you tales of duty and dedication.

From the D.C. Jail to the tiniest town in Maryland, we'll trek across our region in pursuit of "Perseverence."

We'll celebrate the official arrival of spring with stories of the young'ns among us.

It's a show chock-full of favorite stories from the past few months -- from the tale of a nearly-forgotten figure in local history, to a jam session featuring a 15th-century musical instrument.

Route 1 is one of the D.C. region's oldest highways, cutting through Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. This week we meet the folks living and working along the route, and talking about how they're making it better.

This week we're turning warehouses in to museums, agriculture in to art, and ex-offenders in to registered voters, as we explore all kinds of changes in the D.C. region.

With homelessness on the rise in D.C., we'll hear how city officials are tackling the issue, and how homeless residents are coping with the struggle.

We'll tip our hats to Valentine's Day with tales of both romantic love and the fervor Washingtonians feel for their jobs and hobbies.

We'll look at everyday life in the place where people work and play just steps from the center of American political power.

Block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood, D.C. is in the midst of major redevelopment. What are we gaining and what are we losing in the process?

We'll bring you stories about "Second Chances" this week — from choosing a new path after you lose a job to recovering from a serious injury, to rebuilding your life after war.

We'll go theme-free this week, as we bring you stories that run the gamut — from a look inside one of the District's last large-scale public housing projects, to the tale of a local guitar maker who made it big.

Metro Connection marks the 40th anniversary of home rule in D.C. What's next in the push for voting rights and statehood?

From how deaf people learn language to how skiing helps injured individuals heal, here are some favorites from 2014.

Wonder what's become of some of the people and places we've featured in shows past? This week we'll bring you the latest update.

As we celebrate this Most Wonderful Time of the Year, it's our annual look at customs and rituals across the D.C. region, from Jewish ritual baths to Senatorial soup.

From condos to communes, we'll explore the meaning of home, sweet home in the Washington region.

We'll celebrate Thanksgiving by revisiting our annual show about food, glorious food.

We'll delve into our region's sharp increase in heroin abuse, as we talk with dealers, doctors, parents and recovering addicts.

Washington may be known as a government town — but plenty of people say it's becoming a major hub for technology, as well.