Maryland

Maryland educators shocked after federal government rescinds reimbursement of $360 million

Published

2 months ago

March 31, 2025

Maryland educators shocked after federal government rescinds reimbursement of 0 million

Maryland schools are facing what they call “catastrophic” financial cuts after the federal government rescinded approval of millions of dollars it had committed to giving to state schools.

State education leaders say the loss of funding could impact programs students rely on, as well as tutoring, construction projects, summer learning, and more.

Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Carey Wright, says districts such as Baltimore City and Baltimore and Prince George’s counties are among the places to be hit the worst.

“Shock does not begin to describe our reaction,” Wright said.

Wright said state educators are gathering data on what specific programs and systems will be hurt the most, and they are in touch with state lawmakers and exploring legal action.

Notification of rescinded funding

Wright confirmed that the Maryland State Department of Education was notified on Friday, March 28, that the U.S. Department of Education said it will not reimburse federal pandemic recovery fund reimbursements to states and local school systems.

State leaders say this announcement puts more than $400 million in school funding at risk.

“It may be a tutoring program that’s going on right now in schools that was intended to go through this school year, or it might be an improvement to a health room in a school,” said Dr. Joshua Michael, the Maryland State Board of Education President. “And Dr Wright is having to tell them to stop spending on those until we have further clarification, so that tutor will probably not be there next week.”

$360 million committed to Maryland schools

Educators are upset because the U.S. Department of Education committed to $360 million, which is funding they say is already being spent in all 24 of the state’s school systems.

“These funds have been used on several initiatives, including such Maryland lead grant programs, as high-dosage tutoring, social emotional wellness programs, and summer learning,” Wright said.

“Federal government made the commitment to pay for these things, told us to do it, and now they’re coming back,” Michael added.

State education leaders say this abrupt change will slow, or possibly end, programs already in place.

“We are telling the LEAs (Local Education Agency) to hold off on any further spending at this point until we know exactly how to proceed,” Wright said.

“Creates significant uncertainty as we seek to understand how to fully pay for the funding, the expenses that were on this, these lesser grants,” Michael said.

Baltimore City schools respond

Baltimore City Public Schools told WJZ it is “deeply concerned” about the U.S. Department of Education rescinding previously approved reimbursements for pandemic recovery funds.

“This decision places an immense financial strain on City Schools and directly threatens critical programs and services that support our students, families, and educators,” Baltimore City schools said in a statement.

Like school districts across the state and country, we planned and committed these funds in good faith to provide essential academic recovery programs, including high-dosage tutoring, and extended learning opportunities. These initiatives have played a crucial role in helping our students with the needs they still face from the significant disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Janay Reece

Janay Reece came back home to Baltimore to join WJZ in August 2023. Before coming back to the Charm City, Janay was a morning anchor and reporter for WDBJ7 in Roanoke, VA. She joined the WDBJ7 morning team after spending a year as a multimedia journalist in the New River Valley for the station.

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Maryland

York County man killed in three-vehicle crash in Maryland

Published

13 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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