Maryland

Demonstrators protest Maryland Cracker Barrel after special needs students denied service

Published

6 months ago

December 15, 2024

Demonstrators protest Maryland Cracker Barrel after special needs students denied service

A crowd of community members gathered under gray skies Sunday afternoon outside the Maryland Cracker Barrel where a group of special needs and autistic children were denied dine-in service earlier this month.

The demonstrators held signs reading “treat us equally” and “inclusion is a right not a privilege.” A couple wore shirts and sweatshirts with rainbow puzzle pieces, a symbol of autism awareness.

“God loves and accepts everyone! Why can’t Cracker Barrel?” another sign read.

Earlier this month, a group of 11 students and seven staff members from the Charles County Public Schools District were denied dine-in service at the Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland, Superintendent Maria Navarro said in a statement. The field trip was a part of community-based instruction for students in special education programs, allowing them to perform practical skills and socialize with the public.

The students attend Dr. James Craik Elementary School and belong to the district’s ACHIEVE program, for students with “significant cognitive disabilities” and SOAR program, for students with autism.

‘Can we eat now?’

A chant rang out among the protesters – one man with a bullhorn called out “can we eat,” while others responded, “now.”

The group broke into other chant soon after: “Treat us equally,” and “our kids matter.”

Less than a half hour after the protest began, dozens more people had joined, some with their children, covering the block next to the restaurant’s entrance.

‘Treated as human beings’

When Johnna Penrod found out about Cracker Barrel’s treatment of her daughter, who is nonverbal, and 10 of her classmates, it confirmed her already-existing fears that her daughter would struggle to be accepted out in the world.

“We should be treated as human beings, not as less than because we’re different than the average person,” said Penrod, 29, at the protest outside the restaurant on Sunday. Penrod wore a sweatshirt reading, “#CanWeEatNow,” which she said she had made for the protest.

Penrod’s husband, Dustin Reed, organized the protest when she was left dissatisfied after a meeting with Cracker Barrel executives about the incident. “They didn’t support anything that we said,” she said. “They even called our teachers liars during the meeting.”

Penrod, of nearby White Plains, said the demonstrators were a mix of friends, family, strangers and community members. “I’m very happy that it’s gotten the light that it has,” she said. “For the most part, things like this don’t come to light. It just gets ignored.”

“We are here to let the world know that everyone should be created equally, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.”

Protesters block traffic

Dozens of demonstrators marched across the road outside the Cracker Barrel, blocking traffic as they chanted, “Treat us equally” and “our kids matter.”

Several cars honked in unison and support.

“There’s only two sides—equality and the other side,” one woman shouted.

What happened at the Cracker Barrel?

According to Navarro, ahead of the school group’s visit, Charles County Public Schools staff notified the Waldorf Cracker Barrel of the group’s size and purpose of its visit. But they were assured reservations were unnecessary.

Upon arrival, the Cracker Barrel general manager told teaching staff the restaurant couldn’t accommodate the group and asked for the location to be removed from an approved list of restaurants for community-based instruction field trips, Charles County Public Schools special education teacher Katie Schneider said in an email to parents.

Though the group did not dine in, the restaurant permitted the students and staff to place a to-go order. Schneider said as the group waiting inside the restaurant for the food, “servers were blatantly rude to our staff and ignored all of our students.”

After about an hour of waiting, Schneider said the students moved to wait inside the school bus outside. Ultimately, the group ate its lunch back at the elementary school.

Cracker Barrel dismisses 3 employees, opens investigation

In a statement, Cracker Barrel pushed back on Navarro’s claim that the group was refused service, adding that a staffing shortage led to the closure of the restaurant’s second dining room.

In response to the events with the school group, the restaurant’s general manager and two employees were let go, Cracker Barrel told USA TODAY. The franchise also opened an internal investigation, interviewing guests and other employees.

On Dec. 9, Cracker Barrel executives met with Charles County Public Schools staff and parents to discuss how the group was treated at the restaurant, with some parents expressing disappointment about the emotional meeting.

“We strive to create a welcoming environment and great experience for guests of all abilities, and we have a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement on Tuesday. “We apologize for not meeting our standards and failing to provide these students and teachers with the hospitality for which Cracker Barrel is known.”

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Maryland

York County man killed in three-vehicle crash in Maryland

Published

7 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

A Spring Grove man was killed in a three-vehicle crash Friday morning in Maryland.

According to a Maryland State Police statement, Nicholas Standiford, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 7:48 a.m. on the Hampstead Bypass, or Maryland Route 30, in Carroll County, Maryland.

Standiford was the driver of a Chevrolet pickup truck that was involved in the crash.

Maryland State Police said a preliminary investigation showed that a Ford pickup truck was traveling south on Maryland Route 30 when, for unknown reasons, it traveled into the northbound lanes, striking a Chevrolet dump truck. That collision caused the dump truck to strike the Chevrolet pickup truck.

A passenger in the Chevrolet dump truck, whose identification is being withheld pending next of kin notification, was pronounced dead after being transported by ambulance to Carroll Hospital Center.

The driver and another passenger in the dump truck and the driver of the Ford pickup truck were flown by Maryland State Police Aviation Command to a hospital for treatment of their injuries. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Lanes on Maryland Route 30 were closed for approximately five hours while the investigation into the crash was being conducted, police said.

Maryland State Police stated that the investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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Maryland

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador, is back in the U.S. to face smuggling charges

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador, is back in the U.S. to face smuggling charges

Jennifer Vasquez Sura speaks during an April 4 news conference at CASA’s Multicultural Center in Hyattsville, Md., after her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man at the center of a bitter, months-long political and legal fight after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, has been returned to the United States to face criminal charges, according to an indictment announced Friday.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his return and the indictment at a press conference at the Department of Justice.

“This is what American justice looks like,” Bondi said.

She thanked Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for agreeing to send Abrego Garcia back

In recorded calls, reports of overcrowding and lack of food at ICE detention centers

Bondi told reporters that a federal grand jury indicted Abrego Garcia on May 21 in Tennessee over allegations he conspired to transport thousands of migrants without legal status from Texas across the U.S. between 2016-2025. The two-count indictment accuses Abrego Garcia “of conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain” and “unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.”

Bondi says Abrego Garcia will face trial in the U.S. on these charges and, if found guilty, will serve time in a U.S. prison before being deported back to El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia’s attorney said they’re going to keep fighting to get him a fair trial. “Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they’re bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along,” Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told NPR. “Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you’re punished, not after. This is an abuse of power, not justice.”

A Salvadoran native who had been living with his wife and children in Maryland, Abrego Garcia was deported in March to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution. The Trump administration admitted that it had deported Abrego Garcia due to an “administrative error,” but later defended the move, claiming he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13. His wife and attorneys deny that.

The 10-page criminal indictment unsealed today alleges that Abrego Garcia is “a member and associate of the transnational criminal organization, La Mara Salvatrucha, otherwise known… as MS-13.” The indictment also details that he participated in more than 100 trips smuggling individuals from Texas to Maryland, including unaccompanied minors and alleged members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

Abrego Garcia’s deportation case has become a bedrock for both the Trump administration and immigration advocates as the push to streamline deportations undercuts key elements of due process.

After the announcement of Abrego Garcia’s return, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the indictment “proves the unhinged Democrat Party was wrong, and their stenographers in the Fake News Media were once again played like fools,” adding that the administration would “continue to hold criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

It’s been nearly three months since the father of three children was pulled over in his car by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and ended up imprisoned in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia was arrested on March 12 on his way home from work in Baltimore. He was deported a few days later, along with more than 230 other immigrants, and housed at CECOT. By April 20, according to court documents, Abrego Garcia had been moved to a lower security Salvadoran prison.

Abrego Garcia, who had arrived unlawfully in the U.S., when he was a teenager, had received protection from removal to El Salvador in 2019 by an immigration judge. That protection, known as withholding of removal, had never been challenged by government officials.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, speaks with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in a hotel restaurant in San Salvador on April 17.

Press Office Senator Van Hollen/via AP

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Press Office Senator Van Hollen/via AP

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland has overseen the months-long legal case over the deportation of Abrego Garcia. Xinis, an Obama-appointed judge, last month ordered the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. The Justice Department repeatedly invoked the state secrets privilege in federal court to withhold information related to three deportation flights to El Salvador, one of which Abrego Garcia was on.

In a 9-0 ruling issued on April 10, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the government “must facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia. But the administration refused to bring him back and Salvadoran President Bukele also said he would not release him. . Notably, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to El Salvador in late April to seek Abrego Garcia’s release. Several other Democrats made their own trips, arguing that the Trump administration was violating due process.

Federal prosecutors have requested that Abrego Garcia be held in “pre-trial custody because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight.”

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Maryland

Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for June 5, 2025

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for June 5, 2025

The Maryland Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 5, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 0-4-1

Evening: 9-7-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 1-7-8-5

Evening: 0-7-7-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 1-4-6-7-4

Evening: 4-9-1-2-2

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from June 5 drawing

06-08-22-34-59, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 5 drawing

9 a.m.: 12

1 p.m.: 14

6 p.m.: 04

11 p.m.: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Bonus Match 5 numbers from June 5 drawing

07-10-31-33-38, Bonus: 26

Check Bonus Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MultiMatch numbers from June 5 drawing

04-28-30-32-33-37

Check MultiMatch payouts and previous drawings here.

Keno

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Maryland Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes above $600, winners can claim by mail or in person from the Maryland Lottery office, an Expanded Cashing Authority Program location or cashiers’ windows at Maryland casinos. Prizes over $5,000 must be claimed in person.

Claiming by Mail

Sign your winning ticket and complete a claim form. Include a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID and a copy of a document that shows proof of your Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number. Mail these to:

Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center

1800 Washington Boulevard

Suite 330

Baltimore, MD 21230

For prizes over $600, bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID, and proof of your Social Security or Federal Tax ID number to Maryland Lottery headquarters, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. Claims are by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This location handles all prize amounts, including prizes over $5,000.

Winning Tickets Worth $25,000 or Less

Maryland Lottery headquarters and select Maryland casinos can redeem winning tickets valued up to $25,000. Note that casinos cannot cash prizes over $600 for non-resident and resident aliens (tax ID beginning with “9”). You must be at least 21 years of age to enter a Maryland casino. Locations include:

Horseshoe Casino: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD
MGM National Harbor: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD
Live! Casino: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD
Ocean Downs Casino: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin, MD
Hollywood Casino: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville, MD
Rocky Gap Casino: 16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Maryland Lottery.

When are the Maryland Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 Midday: 12:27 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 12:28 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.
Pick 3, 4 and 5 Evening: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
Bonus Match 5: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
MultiMatch: 7:56 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Maryland editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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