Maya Lora
@mayaklora.bsky.social
early childhood education reporter at The Baltimore Banner & weird fiction enthusiast | she/her/hers
With rumors and anxieties swirling over a potential uptick of ICE activity near Baltimore, you may be wondering what happens if ICE shows up to your school or college. We rounded up the answers for Central Maryland. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
How schools will respond to rumored ICE ramp-ups
Rumors of an influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents coming to Maryland have put communities on edge.
www.thebanner.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:13 PM
With rumors and anxieties swirling over a potential uptick of ICE activity near Baltimore, you may be wondering what happens if ICE shows up to your school or college. We rounded up the answers for Central Maryland. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
How Maryland schools will respond to rumored ICE ramp-ups
How schools will respond to rumored ICE ramp-ups
Rumors of an influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents coming to Maryland have put communities on edge.
buff.ly
February 13, 2026 at 11:30 AM
How Maryland schools will respond to rumored ICE ramp-ups
Reposted by Maya Lora
The Dish: This North Charles Street cafe wants to talk about sex
The Dish: This North Charles Street cafe wants to talk about sex
A cafe focused on free expression and intimacy has come to North Charles Street in Baltimore City.
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM
The Dish: This North Charles Street cafe wants to talk about sex
Reposted by Maya Lora
ICYMI: Harford County's school board voted to fire its superintendent on Monday. His ousting had been years in the making.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
How a trip to New Orleans unseated one of Maryland’s longest-running school leaders
The calls for Sean Bulson’s ouster started long before questions about that night in New Orleans.
www.thebanner.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:24 PM
ICYMI: Harford County's school board voted to fire its superintendent on Monday. His ousting had been years in the making.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
My latest story: "Aspiring teachers thought they were getting a full ride. Then the bills came."
Students are accusing the state's higher education commission of bungling scholarships for the second time in six months. This time, for teacher education.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Students are accusing the state's higher education commission of bungling scholarships for the second time in six months. This time, for teacher education.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Aspiring teachers thought they were getting a full ride. Then the bills came.
The Teaching Fellows for Maryland Scholarship is advertised as covering all tuition and fees, but it didn’t work out that way for some students.
www.thebanner.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:48 PM
My latest story: "Aspiring teachers thought they were getting a full ride. Then the bills came."
Students are accusing the state's higher education commission of bungling scholarships for the second time in six months. This time, for teacher education.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Students are accusing the state's higher education commission of bungling scholarships for the second time in six months. This time, for teacher education.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Maya Lora
New: In ads to run ahead of Super Bowl kick-off & during post-game, BGE will push its legislative agenda to build and own Maryland power plants, a reversal on decades of state regulatory policy. $150K ad buy includes spots in Super Bowl-night & Olympics coverage
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...
Super Bowl-night ads will push BGE’s agenda to build and run power plants in Maryland
Baltimore Gas and Electric has called on Maryland leaders to pass legislation allowing the utility to build and own power plants — an ask it’s underscoring with ads during NBC’s Olympics and Super Bow...
www.thebanner.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:11 PM
New: In ads to run ahead of Super Bowl kick-off & during post-game, BGE will push its legislative agenda to build and own Maryland power plants, a reversal on decades of state regulatory policy. $150K ad buy includes spots in Super Bowl-night & Olympics coverage
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...
Reposted by Maya Lora
New: Maryland grants in-state tuition to undocumented students if they submit three years of tax returns. But now the IRS is working with ICE, and students fear they'll be deported. It means that some of Maryland's best students aren't going to college.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Some of Maryland’s brightest immigrant students can’t go to college
Some undocumented immigrants can’t get in-state tuition in Maryland, making college unaffordable.
www.thebanner.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:44 PM
New: Maryland grants in-state tuition to undocumented students if they submit three years of tax returns. But now the IRS is working with ICE, and students fear they'll be deported. It means that some of Maryland's best students aren't going to college.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Hundreds pack hearing on Howard County proposal to ban immigrant detention facilities
Hundreds pack hearing on Howard County measure to ban immigrant detention facilities
Howard County Council is considering two measures aimed at blocking a private immigrant detention center in Elkridge.
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Hundreds pack hearing on Howard County proposal to ban immigrant detention facilities
Reposted by Maya Lora
If you'd like to support my friends and colleagues who lost their jobs at The Washington Post today -- www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t...
Donate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel Siegel
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund
www.gofundme.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:14 PM
If you'd like to support my friends and colleagues who lost their jobs at The Washington Post today -- www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Make no mistake, the layoffs at the Post hurt readers the most. I grieve for my sports colleagues that helped describe the societal fabric sports reveal. But on a basic level of holding institutions and power accountable, and uplifting the stories and problems of everyday people, this is a travesty.
February 4, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Make no mistake, the layoffs at the Post hurt readers the most. I grieve for my sports colleagues that helped describe the societal fabric sports reveal. But on a basic level of holding institutions and power accountable, and uplifting the stories and problems of everyday people, this is a travesty.
Reposted by Maya Lora
We are so incredibly thrilled to receive this honor.
Working on this project was one of the highlights of my career and I could not be more grateful to @ire.org and my entire team.
Thank you to all my colleagues at @thebaltimorebanner.com and all of our readers and supporters.
Working on this project was one of the highlights of my career and I could not be more grateful to @ire.org and my entire team.
Thank you to all my colleagues at @thebaltimorebanner.com and all of our readers and supporters.
Congratulations to @thebaltimorebanner.com for earning first place. Their investigation chronicled students’ experiences on public transit and the impact that transit had on their academic futures. Read: bit.ly/4rrGyw2
By: @lizbowie.bsky.social @invisibae.bsky.social @ryanlittle.bsky.social
By: @lizbowie.bsky.social @invisibae.bsky.social @ryanlittle.bsky.social
February 3, 2026 at 6:34 PM
We are so incredibly thrilled to receive this honor.
Working on this project was one of the highlights of my career and I could not be more grateful to @ire.org and my entire team.
Thank you to all my colleagues at @thebaltimorebanner.com and all of our readers and supporters.
Working on this project was one of the highlights of my career and I could not be more grateful to @ire.org and my entire team.
Thank you to all my colleagues at @thebaltimorebanner.com and all of our readers and supporters.
Thought it was hard for your school to reopen after the storm? The state's only school serving blind students had to de-ice thousands of feet of sidewalk while stuck beholden to surrounding districts' closure decisions. Plus, they're not allowed to go virtual. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Iced sidewalks, no buses: How Maryland School for the Blind finally reopened
Reopening was complex for the Maryland School for the Blind in Northeast Baltimore, where over 200 students with visual disabilities, some of whom use wheelchairs or canes to get around, go to school.
www.thebanner.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Thought it was hard for your school to reopen after the storm? The state's only school serving blind students had to de-ice thousands of feet of sidewalk while stuck beholden to surrounding districts' closure decisions. Plus, they're not allowed to go virtual. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
ICYMI this weekend: A huge part of the child care crisis in Maryland is the hundreds of family day cares the state has lost since the pandemic. But there's a program that's trying to fix it by helping women open in-home day cares. And it's working. www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
This Maryland program opened nearly 300 day cares in 3 years
Maryland’s Growing Opportunities for Family Child Care program is expanding in-home day care, adding thousands of affordable child care slots statewide.
www.thebanner.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:30 PM
ICYMI this weekend: A huge part of the child care crisis in Maryland is the hundreds of family day cares the state has lost since the pandemic. But there's a program that's trying to fix it by helping women open in-home day cares. And it's working. www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Maryland wants to get all kids reading by 3rd grade, and a big part of that mission is getting educators ready to teach the science of reading. Two of Maryland's biggest school districts are at odds: One has trained 98% of teachers. The other: Just 24%. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Most Baltimore County teachers are ready to teach science of reading. What about yours?
The phonics-forward method backed by brain science is what education leaders hope will bring Maryland back to its heyday.
www.thebanner.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Maryland wants to get all kids reading by 3rd grade, and a big part of that mission is getting educators ready to teach the science of reading. Two of Maryland's biggest school districts are at odds: One has trained 98% of teachers. The other: Just 24%. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Most Baltimore County teachers are ready to teach science of reading. What about your district?
Most Baltimore County teachers are ready to teach science of reading. What about yours?
The phonics-forward method backed by brain science is what education leaders hope will bring Maryland back to its heyday.
buff.ly
February 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Most Baltimore County teachers are ready to teach science of reading. What about your district?
Reposted by Maya Lora
NEW w/ @halliemiller.bsky.social:
There is a growing divide between Maryland's recent homebuyers and more tenured owners.
The most recent group of buyers face median mortgage payment 47% higher than those who bought pre-pandemic.
How did this happen?
Read ⬇️
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
There is a growing divide between Maryland's recent homebuyers and more tenured owners.
The most recent group of buyers face median mortgage payment 47% higher than those who bought pre-pandemic.
How did this happen?
Read ⬇️
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
February 2, 2026 at 2:03 PM
NEW w/ @halliemiller.bsky.social:
There is a growing divide between Maryland's recent homebuyers and more tenured owners.
The most recent group of buyers face median mortgage payment 47% higher than those who bought pre-pandemic.
How did this happen?
Read ⬇️
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
There is a growing divide between Maryland's recent homebuyers and more tenured owners.
The most recent group of buyers face median mortgage payment 47% higher than those who bought pre-pandemic.
How did this happen?
Read ⬇️
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
Reposted by Maya Lora
This Maryland program opened nearly 300 day cares in 3 years
This Maryland program opened nearly 300 day cares in 3 years
Maryland’s Growing Opportunities for Family Child Care program is expanding in-home day care, adding thousands of affordable child care slots statewide.
buff.ly
February 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM
This Maryland program opened nearly 300 day cares in 3 years
Reposted by Maya Lora
Three Maryland school systems do not regularly screen their job applicants, despite a state law requiring them to do so.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
School background checks are law but educators slip through the cracks
Three Maryland school districts admitted they don’t regularly screen applicants.
www.thebanner.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Three Maryland school systems do not regularly screen their job applicants, despite a state law requiring them to do so.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Household items are making their way outdoors in Baltimore. Do you save your parking spot after a snowstorm?
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
Random junk marks the spot in Baltimore’s snow parking wars
To chair, or not to chair? Baltimore residents turn to children's kitchenettes, tiki torches and good, old lawn chairs to preserve hard-won parking spots as the dig-out from Storm Fern continues.
www.thebanner.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Household items are making their way outdoors in Baltimore. Do you save your parking spot after a snowstorm?
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
Ginny wrote such a beautiful story here that you should read! Getting out to a few Girls Who Walk Baltimore meet-ups (not the same group featured here) was one of the highlights of my 2025, and Ginny captured the community that forms around "hot girl walks" so wonderfully.
“I really feel like I kind of tapped into this need for community. Especially in your 20s, it’s pretty difficult to make friends, no matter where you live.”
www.thebanner.com/culture/life...
www.thebanner.com/culture/life...
She was lonely, so she posted a TikTok. More than 40 people showed up to walk with her.
How a local social media influencer formed a community to beat the loneliness epidemic.
www.thebanner.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Ginny wrote such a beautiful story here that you should read! Getting out to a few Girls Who Walk Baltimore meet-ups (not the same group featured here) was one of the highlights of my 2025, and Ginny captured the community that forms around "hot girl walks" so wonderfully.
Reposted by Maya Lora
📝Morgan State University, Maryland's largest HBCU, is being accused by multiple national advocacy orgs of censoring its student newspaper. I spoke with experts, current and former student journalists and faculty about the policy. Here's what you need to know:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Is this Morgan State policy a threat to free press?
For years, current and former editors said, reporters at The Spokesman, the HBCU’s student newspaper, have hit a wall getting the information they need to cover the news.
www.thebanner.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:14 PM
📝Morgan State University, Maryland's largest HBCU, is being accused by multiple national advocacy orgs of censoring its student newspaper. I spoke with experts, current and former student journalists and faculty about the policy. Here's what you need to know:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Maya Lora
NEW: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's redistricting commission plans to meet at 4 p.m. today to vote on recommending a new map of Congressional district boundaries.
The meeting is not open to the public.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
The meeting is not open to the public.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Redistricting commission to vote on new congressional districts
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting advisory commission plans to vote Tuesday afternoon on new boundaries for the state’s congressional districts.
www.thebanner.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:15 PM
NEW: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's redistricting commission plans to meet at 4 p.m. today to vote on recommending a new map of Congressional district boundaries.
The meeting is not open to the public.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
The meeting is not open to the public.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
After a contentious renewal process, Baltimore is shutting down its only all-boys charter school. Two small traditional schools were also up for closure, but the board chose to kick the can down the road - to when they'll have a new CEO in charge of recommendations. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
After years of struggles, Baltimore’s only all-boys public school to close
The Baltimore City school board voted Wednesday to close its only all-boys public school, Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, while putting off decisions on two other proposed school closures.
www.thebanner.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:16 PM
After a contentious renewal process, Baltimore is shutting down its only all-boys charter school. Two small traditional schools were also up for closure, but the board chose to kick the can down the road - to when they'll have a new CEO in charge of recommendations. www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
After years of struggles, Baltimore’s only all-boys public school meets its end
Baltimore City school board votes to close only all-boys charter school
The Baltimore City school board voted Wednesday to close its only all-boys public school, Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, while putting off decisions on two other proposed school closures.
buff.ly
January 15, 2026 at 12:29 PM
After years of struggles, Baltimore’s only all-boys public school meets its end
Private schools don't have to serve kids with special needs - and many of them struggle financially to hire the staff to do so. A new Baltimore County Christian school aims to change that, while purposefully educating neurodivergent kids alongside neurotypical peers
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
This Christian school wants to catch neurodivergent students falling through the cracks
SOLL Academy aims to educate all kids in one place, regardless of their learning differences. It’ll be a financial headache.
www.thebanner.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Private schools don't have to serve kids with special needs - and many of them struggle financially to hire the staff to do so. A new Baltimore County Christian school aims to change that, while purposefully educating neurodivergent kids alongside neurotypical peers
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...