Wamu: Metro Connection

Join us for an audio tour of Silver Spring, as we explore the community's past, present and future.

We'll go ward by ward through the city as we take a pre-election look at where the District is now, and where it's headed.

We're tossing our usual theme aside and going wild, with stories about everything from unearthing streams to brewing beer to maneuvering the military out of Afghanistan.

From the Appalachian Trail to the Chesapeake Bay, we'll beat this winter's cabin fever by revisiting favorite Metro Connection stories from the great outdoors.

We'll meet people defying the improbable and breaking new ground across the D.C. region.

This week we'll present stories of recovery and recuperation, from local spinal cord patients hitting the ski slopes, to prison inmates rehabilitating with paintbrushes and canvases. Plus, we'll meet an actor who confronted blindness by road-tripping across America — with a film crew in tow. And we'll head back to Virginia's barrier islands, to hear how scientists are restoring the area's ecosystem.

We'll meet people leaping past roadblocks and overcoming obstacles — like the folks fighting for transgender rights in Maryland, and the people challenging the boundaries of race in local theater. Plus, we'll visit Virginia's barrier islands and talk with residents who were forced to flee those islands more than 70 years ago.

We'll tip our hat to Saint Valentine, as we bring you a show all about love.

We'll bring you tales of life in wintry Washington as we present our annual "Out in the Cold" show.

In this hour-long documentary, WAMU 88.5 explores the legacy the crack epidemic that swept D.C. in the 1980s and 90s and how the city continues to grapple with its effects on families, neighborhoods, politicians, policemen, and schools.

We'll meet folks blowing away the cobwebs, shaking things up, and seizing the day as we bring you a show all about "Fresh Starts."

From the folks who build horse-drawn carriages to old-time radio geeks, we'll press rewind and whiz back in time with a show we're calling "Throwbacks."

We'll look at the changing ways we make and think about money in the Washington region.

As we mark that time of year when we all vow to be the best we can be, we'll bring you a show about "Resolutions."

With 2014 around the corner, we'll pause to toast some of the great characters we met and places we visited in 2013.

We'll bring you the second act of some of our most memorable stories, from the struggling monks of Holy Cross Abbey to the rapidly disappearing Dyke Marsh.

With the holiday season upon us, it's time for "Traditions," our annual look at rituals and customs of life in Washington.

We'll dream a little dream this week, as we revisit some favorite stories about Washingtonians' wishes and aspirations.

We'll talk with Washingtonians young and old about lessons learned and knowledge gleaned from life's daily challenges.

We'll look at the places that shelter us and the symbolism behind our humble abodes as we bring you a show about "House and Home."