Maya Lora

Hello prospective and renewing Birdland members. I want to talk to you about this!

Looking for how ticket-buyers are feeling -- good, bad or indifferent (I have not seen a lot of "indifferent" though). DMs are open, or email me at kyle.goon AT thebaltimorebanner dot com.

Under Trump, an increasingly isolated life for kids in immigrant families As deportation efforts and anti-immigrant rhetoric ramp up, kids are feeling more isolated, losing benefits and risking long-term detriments.

Head Start, the child tax credit, extra English help: These are all things undocumented and kids in mixed-status families stand to lose under the 2nd Trump admin. Anti-immigrant rhetoric & increased deportations are eating away at kids' mental health www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/ea...

How a MAGA school board takeover roiled an Eastern Shore county After a MAGA-aligned majority took control of Somerset County's school board, they tried to get rid of librarians and fire the superintendent. The community pushed back.

People assume the Eastern Shore is MAGA because they look at the voting records. The truth is, the Shore contains multitudes, and the multitudes are standing against the MAGA when the MAGA tries to fire the librarians.

www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-...

Baltimore’s heat island marathon has no winners — only survivors The unsanctioned footrace loops along a particularly scorched stretch of North Baltimore.

A new Baltimore marathon subjects runners to the worst the city has to offer: traffic, direct sun & the heat of a July afternoon

"Experience the suffering of the world we’ve created," said its director, who presided over the carnage while sipping cold beer
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/cl...

Maryland is struggling to land clean energy batteries Ultility-size clean energy storage batteries could save Maryland ratepayers big money, but projects have stalled partly because the region’s grid operator has been overwhelmed with project requests.

Clean energy batteries could save Marylanders big money — but projects are stalling

How cuts to Medicaid and food stamps could end up hurting kids Spending cuts may be aimed at adults on paper, but kids could still end up without sufficient food and health care under the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Massive cuts under President Trump’s signature spending bill could be an “unmitigated disaster” for kids, even though they aren’t the direct targets of the largest slash to Medicaid and food stamps in the nation's history. Essential, @mayaklora.bsky.social:
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/ea...

How cuts to Medicaid and food stamps could end up hurting kids Spending cuts may be aimed at adults on paper, but kids could still end up without sufficient food and health care under the One Big Beautiful Bill.

The largest cuts to SNAP & Medicaid in U.S. history don't explicitly target kids - but they're likely to feel the pain when the adults who care for them lose benefits. Here's what social services experts are most worried about www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/ea...

Johns Hopkins Press will license its books to train AI models Authors at the Johns Hopkins University Press will be able to opt out of the AI licensing agreement until the end of August; if they do not, their work will be used to train AI models.

Johns Hopkins University Press will license its author's books to train proprietary large language models, an advanced form of artificial intelligence that generates human-like language, the nonprofit announced this week in an email to authors. Read:
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/hi...

Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools President Donald Trump’s administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities.

Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools

Maryland just lost its most federal workers in a month in nearly 30 years Maryland’s federal workforce just saw its largest single-month job loss since 1996, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

NEW: The Trump administrations attempts to dismantle large parts of the federal workforce are starting to show up in the data.

In June, Maryland lost more federal jobs than any state in the country — the most in nearly three decades.‬⁩

www.thebaltimorebanner.com/economy/ripp...

We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering. Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them. We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there. Joint statement on Gaza from AFP, AP, BBC News and Reuters

BREAKING: JOINT STATEMENT FROM REUTERS, BBC NEWS, ASSOCIATED PRESS & AFP.

Warning that their staff face death by starvation in Gaza.

Horrifying and unprecedented.

Why is underground Baltimore burning? City Council hearing yields no answer. City leaders hope third-party investigator can figure out why Baltimore’s manholes keep exploding.

A Councilman asked stakeholders to stop finger-pointing and put on their “thinking caps” yesterday at City Hall, but there were no clear solutions to Baltimore’s conduit issues.

An independent analysis, officials hope, will offer some clarity this fall. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-pow...

Bilingual Baltimore County charter school won’t open this fall Bilingual Global Citizens Public Charter School was approved by the board, but does not yet have a charter agreement to open in Baltimore County.

The application of Bilingual Global Citizens Public Charter School was approved by the county school board last year, but a May report from Baltimore County government revealed that a charter agreement was never executed.
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-...

^ this should say an $11 million hole for just Baltimore City! The cuts to Maryland total over $110 million

Baltimore County's teacher salary impasse was years in the making To better understand how Baltimore County schools arrived at this impasse, The Banner reviewed the public records for each year leading to this point, including a comparison of how raises have been ha...

Baltimore County schools never had a plan to pay for years of promised teacher raises
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-...

Why doesn’t Baltimore County have any public pools? Blame segregation. There are no public pools in Baltimore County. Nearly 70 years after the Supreme Court's Brown decision overturning the "separate but equal" principle, some attribute this to the legacy of segregation...

The county that gave the world Michael Phelps does not have a single public pool. Why? Because decades ago, many suburban counties - including mine - decided they'd rather close the pool than integrate it. If I did it right, this story will infuriate you.

www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/lo...

Federal education funding freeze leaves $11 million hole for Baltimore The U.S. Department of Education froze over $110 million for Maryland, including $11 million for Baltimore. Maryland’s Attorney General is suing to get it back.

Maryland is one of 25 states suing the feds for over $6 billion withheld in Congressionally appropriated funds earlier this month. In MD, the $11 million hole could stall a decade worth of achievement, especially for multilingual learners www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-...

Baltimore County's teacher salary impasse was years in the making To better understand how Baltimore County schools arrived at this impasse, The Banner reviewed the public records for each year leading to this point, including a comparison of how raises have been…

To better understand how Baltimore County schools arrived at this impasse, The Banner reviewed the public records for each year leading to this point, including a comparison of how raises have been handled.

Federal education funding freeze leaves $11 million hole for Baltimore The U.S. Department of Education froze over $110 million for Maryland, including $11 million for Baltimore. Maryland’s Attorney General is suing to get it back.

Baltimore City Schools may need to plug an $11 million hole left by the feds

the other thing is, like, if you told me i only got into college because of affirmative action, i’d say, so what? i got there, excelled and distinguished myself in my career. seems like they made a good choice!

What Kevin Plank’s 2013 trip to Dubai has to do with your surging BGE bill Baltimore Gas and Electric still believes that the Baltimore Peninsula will one day become a pulsating metropolis.

What Kevin Plank’s 2013 trip to Dubai has to do with your surging BGE bill

With at least 9 heat deaths, summer is off to a deadly start in Maryland At least nine people, including two children, have died from heat-related illness so far in 2025 — more than twice as many as this time last year, according to Maryland data.

At least 9 people have died from heat-related illness this year in Maryland so far — more than the entirety of some recent past summers.

27 died of heat in Maryland in 2024 — but only 4 by this point in the summer.

Meet the Salvadoran family whose pupusas shaped Baltimore County The family behind Reisterstown's El Paraiso eatery became the go-to spot for more than just the usual Salvadoran fare.

Meet the Salvadoran family whose pupusas shaped Baltimore County

Amid declining enrollment, Frostburg State doubles down on China Despite rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, Frostburg State is working to expand a program where it educates Chinese students thousands of miles away.

NEW: Amid declining enrollment and a multi-million dollar deficit, Frostburg State University is doubling down on its commitment to China. Frostburg lets students at a Chinese university graduate with an FSU degree, often without stepping foot in MD. Read:
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/hi...

Trump tax bill could mean a lot more money for Maryland private school vouchers Maryland could see an explosion of school voucher funding for students to attend schools now that President Donald Trump’s tax and policy bill passed.

Maryland could see an explosion of school voucher funding for students — even wealthy ones — to attend private and religious schools now that President Trump’s tax and spending bill has passed Congress.

By @lizbowie.bsky.social & me
tinyurl.com/yxruwtj4

Ending pre-K at 2 Howard County schools wouldn't solve overcrowding Shuffling preschool classrooms doesn't fit in with Howard County's plan to expand pre-K access for high-need kids

And another new story: A group of Howard County parents whose kids may get redistricted say the district should just move pre-K out of overcrowded schools. @jessmnocera.bsky.social & I break down why that proposal isn't as simple as it seems www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/ea...

Maryland programs scramble after Trump administration withholds millions for schools It’s unclear when, and even if, that money will get distributed to organizations that support low-income families in after-school and summer programs they otherwise couldn’t afford.

W/ basically no explanation, Trump's education department froze ~$7 billion in ed funds, mostly for low-income kids. In Maryland, that's meant summer & after school programs scrambling to stay open. w/ @elliew0lfe.bsky.social, @brendawintrode.bsky.social www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-...

Baltimore sheriff probes courthouse employee for allegedly inviting ICE to detain someone ICE agents detained a man at the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse last week, sparking an investigation of a corrections department employee.

BREAKING: The Baltimore Sheriff's Office is probing a courthouse corrections dept. employee for allegedly inviting ICE agents in for a meeting, which led to someone being detained. Investigation is looking at potential crimes including misuse of state data. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/cr...

To give kids their best shot, Howard County is backing family-first foster care The state wants to prioritize keeping foster kids with family. This Howard County program could help.

In Howard County, only about 25% of kids removed from their homes are placed with family members. The county is investing $122,000 to double that.
If you're in MD and have experienced foster or kinship care, I'd love to talk to you. Email or DM me.
www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/fa...

After a century, the University of Baltimore is struggling Over the last 10 years, the University of Baltimore’s enrollment has dropped, its faculty has halved, leaving its deficit swollen amid state cuts.

EXCLUSIVE: The University of Baltimore turned 100 years old this year. It is also facing a structural deficit, 50% less enrollment in 10 years, and is cutting positions.

“Our ability to generate revenue is under duress," the CFO told me. Read:

www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/un...