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Maryland
Maryland shuts down an ex-Terp on way to huge win
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The group greeted Taylor Mikesell with a smattering of boos throughout pregame introductions and loud cheers when she missed her first shot try of the sport. The previous Terrapin’s return to XFINITY Heart started unceremoniously, and issues solely acquired worse for her from there.
In a much-anticipated battle of top-10 groups, No. 8 Maryland (19-5, 10-3 Massive Ten) stifled Mikesell – as soon as a standout guard for the Terps who transferred after two seasons in School Park – and ran away with a 90-54 victory Sunday over No. 10 Ohio State (20-4, 9-4 Massive Ten).
The win got here simply three days after the Terps seemed overmatched towards one other elite convention foe in a 96-82 loss at No. 6 Iowa. On Sunday, Maryland responded emphatically: The 36-point victory was this system’s largest ever towards a top-10 opponent.
“I used to be extraordinarily annoyed after the Iowa recreation simply because I felt like we didn’t carry out the best way we would have liked to carry out for that recreation, and we knew we had been able to competing and beating groups like Iowa,” Terps senior guard Diamond Miller mentioned. “So popping out [Sunday] was extraordinarily essential for us simply to point out that we are able to play 40 minutes and we’re one of many high contenders within the Massive Ten.”
After permitting Iowa star Caitlin Clark to attain 42 factors final week, the Terps fared significantly better Sunday at slowing down Mikesell, limiting the Buckeyes’ main scorer to 12 factors on 5-of-19 capturing. One of the crucial prolific three-point shooters within the historical past of Division I girls’s school basketball – her 411 profession threes ranks tenth all-time – Mikesell didn’t join from past the arc till late within the second quarter.
It was a far cry from Mikesell’s earlier conferences towards her former workforce. In two prior matchups versus Maryland, the previous Massive Ten Freshman of the 12 months was practically unstoppable, averaging 31 factors per recreation and capturing 23-of-29 from the sector, together with 10-of-12 from three.
“Simply every little thing was higher about them right this moment, however particularly to the protection, they sort of threw some junk on the market and tried to take Taylor Mikesell away early on,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff mentioned. “I believed within the first quarter, we acquired sufficient good photographs, however we didn’t capitalize, and I feel after that, we acquired slightly bit anxious and took some fast dangerous photographs making an attempt to get again within the recreation.”
Maryland yielded 29 first-quarter factors in its loss to Iowa however adopted Sunday by holding Ohio State to seven factors within the opening quarter, constructing a 19-7 lead that was by no means meaningfully doubtful. The Terps led by as many as 39 and restricted one of many nation’s best offensive groups to 54 factors, nearly 29 beneath its season common.
“That for us is the distinction: our mentality,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese mentioned. “Once we’re a linked unit like we had been tonight, we might change up our defenses. We had been in box-and-one, full-court press, our halfcourt man – we are able to do a number of issues to throw the rhythm off of a workforce. We tried a number of issues towards Iowa, however sadly we weren’t as linked on the defensive finish.”
Considerably serendipitously, the sport was a matchup of two gamers, Miller and Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon, who’re prone to be chosen within the 2023 WNBA Draft. Sheldon, a 2022 first workforce All-Massive Ten choice, sat out the earlier 18 video games with a foot damage however returned to the Buckeyes lineup Sunday.
Miller, nonetheless, received the day. Relentlessly driving to the paint all afternoon, she led all scorers with 29 factors and grabbed 10 rebounds, together with the five hundredth of her profession. Senior guard Abby Meyers added 22 factors, whereas sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers contributed 19.
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“I used to be undoubtedly pissed off, you understand?” Miller mentioned. “They had been very aggressive in the direction of me, and I suppose I simply confirmed them what actual aggression is.”
Amongst these in attendance to scout Miller and Sheldon had been Washington Mystics common supervisor Mike Thibault and head coach Eric Thibault. The Mystics personal the fourth total decide within the draft, which is scheduled for April 10.
Maryland will proceed its Massive Ten schedule on Feb. 9 with a visit to Northwestern (8-14, 1-10 Massive Ten), which at present sits on the backside of the convention.
Right here’s what else to learn about Maryland’s signature win:
1. Followers come out
A full of life crowd of 11,176 was on-hand for Maryland’s victory Sunday, trailing solely the 12,566 who attended the Terps’ Dec. 11 win over Connecticut as the biggest of the season. It marked the primary time in 5 years that Maryland has drawn at the least 10,000 followers to XFINITY Heart in a number of video games in the identical season.
The Terps fed off the gang all recreation. Within the third quarter, Sellers and Miller celebrated and-one alternatives by high-fiving followers in courtside seats.
“Crowds matter,” Frese mentioned. “What we had been capable of do right this moment and our college students popping out and the gang and the teams that had been right here – it has a big effect, and Iowa did the identical factor to us. It has a big effect in your visiting workforce.”
2. Standings verify
Maryland took an enormous step Sunday in the direction of securing a coveted top-four seed within the Massive Ten Event, which begins March 1 in Minneapolis. With 5 video games remaining, all towards convention opponents, the Terps are in sole possession of third place. They personal the head-to-head tiebreaker over Michigan (19-5, 9-4 Massive Ten), which is tied with Ohio State in fourth place. The highest 4 finishers within the common season standings will earn byes into the quarterfinals of the convention match.
The Terps will face a troublesome highway to closing out a top-four seed. In response to the Massey rankings, Maryland has the hardest schedule within the nation when factoring in remaining video games. These embody a matchup on Feb. 12 towards Illinois, which acquired votes in the latest high 25, in addition to rematches on Feb. 21 vs. Iowa and Feb. 24 at Ohio State.
3. Pinzan honored
Previous to the sport, the Terps held a ceremony honoring level guard Elisa Pinzan for scoring her 1,000th profession level. The native of Murano, Italy, who transferred to Maryland this season after recording 916 factors at South Florida, achieved the milestone in the course of the Terps’ loss at No. 6 Iowa on Feb. 2.
The Terps now have 5 1,000-point scorers on their roster. Meyers, Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs every notched their 1,000th profession factors earlier this season. Miller reached the mark final yr and ranks seventeenth on this system’s all-time scoring checklist with 1,482.
Sapna Bansil is a pediatric occupational therapist turned journalist who’s enrolled within the graduate program on the Philip Merrill School of Journalism on the College of Maryland.
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Maryland
Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some
![Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some](https://thebaltimorebanner.com/resizer/v2/VNZHS3ZRPZFIPLMIQSBCIVIK4M.jpg?auth=ff77372d15f6509b1a1f9c396b1babd2c44c98f67411941eae674ed3f248e4b4&width=657&smart=true&quality=85)
More than 700,000 Marylanders should be able to file their state and federal income tax returns online for free next year, saving residents hours of work and hundreds of dollars on tax software and prep services.
Maryland joined dozens of states Wednesday in a voluntary federal program called Direct File after a test run received positive reviews and showed possible cost savings. Filing paper returns by mail will still be an option.
“It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said at a news conference in Annapolis.
The first-term Democrat called the program a game changer for Maryland taxpayers that will modernize her agency. It targets low-to-moderate earners with relatively simple tax returns, and is expected to expand over time.
Lierman’s office will partner with the nonprofit Code for America to integrate the Maryland tax filing system into Direct File. Eligibility requirements will be announced in January, the comptroller’s office said.
Gov. Wes Moore, State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and nonprofit partners joined Lierman for the announcement.
Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 helped build and test the system. The IRS and Treasury Department then invited states to participate.
The IRS has been considering a free e-filing option for low-income American taxpayers for decades, according to the Congressional Research Service. When tax prep companies pushed back, the federal government agreed not to compete with them if they provided free help and e-filing to low-earning taxpayers.
However, many qualified taxpayers were pushed toward paid services, according to an investigation by nonprofit news outlet ProPublica.
The IRS piloted Direct File in 12 states this year. Filers used a laptop, tablet, cellphone or other device to submit income returns and request certain tax credits offered to low-earning individuals and families.
In a survey, nine out of 10 Direct File users ranked their experience as “Excellent” or “Above Average.”
U.S. Rep Steny Hoyer, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 5th District, called paying taxes the “price of our democracy.”
“We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities,” he said. “And this system of Direct File does that.”
Robin McKinney, CEO and co-founder of CASH Campaign of Maryland, said easy, free online filing makes the government work more efficiently for citizens and should deliver refunds and credits to taxpayers faster.
McKinney’s nonprofit promotes economic advancement for low- to moderate-income Marylanders and provides free tax help, among other services.
Economic Security Project, a nonprofit that advocates for guaranteed income and economic equity for working families, found that adopting Direct File could mean $355 million in costs and time saved for Maryland’s low- to moderate-earners.
Maryland recently has expanded tax credits for working families, but about $152 million goes unclaimed each year, according to the Security Project’s analysis.
They also estimated that about $148 million could be saved in filing fees and $56 million could be saved in time spent filing taxes.
That money could have gone into Marylanders’ pockets, CASH Campaign’s McKinney said, and it could have gone back into the state’s economy.
Maryland
Maryland joins IRS Direct File program, offering free tax filing for up to 700,000 taxpayers – Maryland Matters
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Some Maryland taxpayers will be able to use a free electronic filing tool for their federal taxes rather than having to pay a tax preparer or buy tax-filing software next year, when Maryland will offer the IRS’s new Direct File service.
The service was tested in 12 states this year, where 140,803 people filed with Direct File, saving an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) estimated Wednesday that as many as 700,000 Maryland taxpayers could be eligible for the program when it debuts in the state next year.
“While we value our relationship with tax preparers and CPAs (certified public accountants), it’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Lierman said at a news conference announcing the program.
The IRS and the U.S. Treasury still have to finalize eligibility rules for the program this fall, but Lierman said it will be a “game changer” for those families who do qualify, which could be as much as 20% of individual taxpayers in the state.
“Taxes are a part of the glue that keeps our state and our nation together, functioning, producing, protecting and thriving,” Lierman said. “Yet in America, we make it uniquely challenging to pay those taxes and file a return — until now.”
According to the Treasury, taxpayers spend “approximately 13 hours and $270 preparing their taxes each year.” Many Americans use tax filing services or software, such as TurboTax and H&R Block, to ensure that their taxes are filed correctly, despite most of the information being readily available state and federal tax collection agencies.
It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns.
– Comptroller Brooke Lierman
Direct File launched this year in 12 states for people to file their 2023 federal returns — Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the program is aimed at helping middle-income tax filers with “relatively simple” filings.
“What I can tell you is our goal for us is to build a system that’s going to work for working class and middle class Americans. So you get a W-2, and you’re somebody who’s a teacher, you’re a fireman, you’re a doctor who’s earning most of your money from a W-2, we want to make sure we’re building a system that potentially works for you,” said Adeyemo, who was in Annapolis for the announcement.
“The thing we’re not going to do is build a system that works for big corporations or wealthy individuals. Next year we’re going to expand the system so that more Americans are able to participate in it,” Adeyemo said.
The Biden administration invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join the program next year, when people will be filing their 2024 taxes. The Treasury said that Maryland joins Oregon, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Connecticut, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Maine in taking up Direct File.
“I know to some, this announcement may seem inconsequential — and I know how exciting tax announcements are,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) joked at the announcement. “But the details matter. They matter to the families who are impacted by this work. They’re going to matter to the families, who … dread tax season because it feels complicated. Who dread tax season because it seems expensive, or oftentimes have to deal with the consequences of getting something wrong.”
The Direct File program came out of the Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022, which also secured additional funding to help the IRS modernize and provide better services to Americans.
But Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who chairs a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, said Direct File program and other services under the Inflation Reduction Act could be “under threat.” While his subcommittee wants to fully fund the IRS and keep Direct File going, House leaders want to cut funding for both.
He also said that the industry is lobbying against the free tax filing system.
“There are people who didn’t want us to do this, including a lot of the middlemen” who currently profit from tax preparation, Van Hollen said. “They’re lobbying against this kind of thing.”
In addition to Van Hollen, Moore, Lierman and Adeyemo, Wednesday’s event drew a number of Maryland Democratic heavyweights: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer John Sarbanes and State Treasurer Dereck Davis.
Hoyer put it simply: “Nobody likes taxes.”
“We don’t really get excited about paying our taxes. But we know that it is the price of our democracy,” Hoyer said. “We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities.”
Maryland
Maryland Weather: Nice stretch with rain chance Friday into Saturday
![Maryland Weather: Nice stretch with rain chance Friday into Saturday Maryland Weather: Nice stretch with rain chance Friday into Saturday](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/04/24a84ea6-a5cd-4bed-9808-a9fb32e33d7e/thumbnail/1200x630/84a699c7d390f8d73a7d438723501c23/7-day-wednesday-pm.png?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
BALTIMORE -Nice weather continues through Thursday. Sprinkles & drizzle may develop Friday with steadier rain likely Saturday.
We are right in the middle of an outstanding weather pattern that will continue into Thursday. Temperatures reached the middle to upper 70s Wednesday afternoon with comfortable humidity levels. High clouds are mainly south of Baltimore, so we’ve enjoyed a mostly sunny sky.
We have a fantastic evening of weather on the way. If you’re headed to the Os game this evening expect mostly sunny weather for the 1st pitch at 6:35 PM against the White Sox. Temperatures will start in the upper 70s, but then ease into the lower 70s by the end of the game.
Early fall-like temperatures return tonight with lows in the 50s for most neighborhoods. The coolest overnight lows in the low 50s will be located in neighborhoods north and west of the Baltimore Beltway. Temperatures in the metro will dip down into the upper 50s. Any patchy high thin clouds will sink south overnight.
Humidity levels gradually climb Thursday, but we still score ourselves a very nice day. Highs will climb toward 80°. Other than a few patchy clouds, expect a mostly sunny sky.
You will feel even more humidity in the air on Friday. With an easterly to southeasterly wind off the Ocean, areas of low clouds will be possible. As the atmosphere continues to moisten through the day Friday, patchy sprinkles and drizzle will become possible. The greatest chance for this happening would be late Friday into Friday evening. While the rain will be light and patchy in nature, you may want a poncho or light rain jacket if you’re headed to any high school Friday night football games.
Scattered showers and patchy drizzle is likely Friday night with lows in the middle 60s.
Saturday will be our last real humid day for awhile. Expect patchy areas of light rain and showers during the morning and midday hours. There may be a lull or two in the wet weather Saturday, but a steadier round of showers, possibly a thunderstorm will cross the area Saturday evening into early Saturday night. Highs on Saturday will top out in the upper 70s. The cold front that’s responsible for Saturday’s wet weather will flush out the clouds, showers, and humidity overnight Saturday. Temperatures late Saturday night will fall into the lower to middle 50s!
Sunday has another beautiful fall-like feel. Early morning temperatures in the lower to middle 50s with highs in the middle 70s. We get to enjoy abundant sunshine and pleasant breeze out of the northwest at 10 mph.
A winning stretch of weather continues for most of next week along with a gradual warming trend. Highs on Monday reach the upper 70s. By Tuesday and Wednesday, high temperatures climb into the lower 80s with plenty of sunshine and low humidity. We get to enjoy yet another spectacular stretch of September weather for most of next week with little to no rain!
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