Maya Lora
@mayaklora.bsky.social
early childhood education reporter at The Baltimore Banner & weird fiction enthusiast | she/her/hers
Pinned
Maya Lora
@mayaklora.bsky.social
· Jan 2
Happy new year! I'm back in the Banner's office and am so excited to dig into the stories I'll get to tell throughout 2025. Have something in early childhood education you want to make sure I don't miss this year? Tip me: maya.lora@thebaltimorebanner.com
Reposted by Maya Lora
Howard Community College faculty escalate clash with president
Howard Community College faculty escalate clash with president
The faculty forum of Howard Community College voted no confidence in college President Daria Willis’ leadership.
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Howard Community College faculty escalate clash with president
Baltimore City is offering up to $5,000 over two months to help essential federal workers and families on SNAP with child care costs. But there are already hundreds of families in line. Here's how you can join them: www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
How Baltimore parents can get two months of child care help
Baltimore federal essential workers and families on SNAP can get up to $2,500 a month. Here’s how.
www.thebanner.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Baltimore City is offering up to $5,000 over two months to help essential federal workers and families on SNAP with child care costs. But there are already hundreds of families in line. Here's how you can join them: www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Hundreds already in line for Baltimore’s child care shutdown aid
How Baltimore parents can get two months of child care help
Baltimore federal essential workers and families on SNAP can get up to $2,500 a month. Here’s how.
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Hundreds already in line for Baltimore’s child care shutdown aid
Reposted by Maya Lora
By @briaovers.bsky.social and @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social: ‘We keep waiting.’ The long struggle of the Superblock’s dwindling business district. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
‘We keep waiting.’ The long struggle of the Superblock’s dwindling business district
Businesses have come and gone, but those that stayed said they feel disillusioned by the politicians — seven mayors and counting — and developers who have made promise after promise about what the are...
www.thebanner.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:47 PM
By @briaovers.bsky.social and @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social: ‘We keep waiting.’ The long struggle of the Superblock’s dwindling business district. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Controversial opinion from a woman without children: We need more, not less, kid-friendly spaces. And I'm obsessed with Christina Tkacik's latest profile. "Punk is family. Punk is community. Punk is children and upbringing and showing them the world and everything." www.thebanner.com/culture/food...
The Dish: A new punk rock sandwich bar is Baltimore’s most kid-friendly restaurant
Animal Boy, a new punk rock sandwich bar on Harford Road, has something for everyone — even my excavator-obsessed toddler.
www.thebanner.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Controversial opinion from a woman without children: We need more, not less, kid-friendly spaces. And I'm obsessed with Christina Tkacik's latest profile. "Punk is family. Punk is community. Punk is children and upbringing and showing them the world and everything." www.thebanner.com/culture/food...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Blexit, a group that aims to convince Black Americans to leave the Democratic Party and become conservatives, is on its HBCU tour.
It stopped by Bowie State University last week.
It stopped by Bowie State University last week.
Happy homecoming, Bowie State. Blexit is here.
The Turning Point USA-affiliated group stopped at the Maryland campus on its HBCU tour.
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Blexit, a group that aims to convince Black Americans to leave the Democratic Party and become conservatives, is on its HBCU tour.
It stopped by Bowie State University last week.
It stopped by Bowie State University last week.
Happy Halloween! Since I can trace my horror fascination back as far as I remember, I wanted to find the Maryland kids who love all things scary, strange and creepy. They really didn't disappoint. www.thebanner.com/community/fa...
Meet the kids obsessed with everything that terrifies you
Here are the Maryland children obsessed with all things scary and creepy.
www.thebanner.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Happy Halloween! Since I can trace my horror fascination back as far as I remember, I wanted to find the Maryland kids who love all things scary, strange and creepy. They really didn't disappoint. www.thebanner.com/community/fa...
The child care scholarship program has been frozen since May. One Maryland lawmaker said she's prioritizing doling out new scholarships next legislative session - which doesn't start until January. The program is the #1 way MD families get help with child care www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Maryland lawmaker wants to reopen state child care scholarships in 2026
The waitlist has grown to more than 2,700 Maryland kids since May.
www.thebanner.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:42 PM
The child care scholarship program has been frozen since May. One Maryland lawmaker said she's prioritizing doling out new scholarships next legislative session - which doesn't start until January. The program is the #1 way MD families get help with child care www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Morgan State University President David Wilson got a mysterious phone call at the start of October: a confidential high profile donor was interested in giving to the HBCU.
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Inside Morgan State and MacKenzie Scott’s $100 million partnership
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's second gift, $63 million, to Morgan State University came as a surprise.
www.thebanner.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Morgan State University President David Wilson got a mysterious phone call at the start of October: a confidential high profile donor was interested in giving to the HBCU.
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Do you ever get so overwhelmed at work you need to take a walk to clear your head? It happens to kids, too, which is why they should go outside, play and learn naturally from the world around them. Click for the cute pictures, keep reading for the brain science www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Preschool without a building could be in Maryland’s future
Maryland is one of just a handful of states piloting licenses for outdoor, nature-based child care programs.
www.thebanner.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Do you ever get so overwhelmed at work you need to take a walk to clear your head? It happens to kids, too, which is why they should go outside, play and learn naturally from the world around them. Click for the cute pictures, keep reading for the brain science www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Montgomery County’s only charter school is having trouble. It has had to move temporarily from Germantown to Bethesda, a burden for its parents in Upcounty. Then, its transportation vendors have had compliance issues. And so parents have been pulling out.
The only charter school in Montgomery County is hitting speed bumps
The charter school’s enrollment has dropped by more than 25% since the school opened in August.
www.thebanner.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Montgomery County’s only charter school is having trouble. It has had to move temporarily from Germantown to Bethesda, a burden for its parents in Upcounty. Then, its transportation vendors have had compliance issues. And so parents have been pulling out.
Reposted by Maya Lora
How ‘The Blair Witch Project’ birthed a terrifying film subgenre in Maryland, Patrick McCaslin reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
How ‘The Blair Witch Project’ birthed a terrifying film subgenre in Maryland
Found-footage horror films exploded in popularity after the release of Maryland-made “The Blair Witch Project,” according to a Banner analysis of over 4,000 horror movies.
www.thebanner.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
How ‘The Blair Witch Project’ birthed a terrifying film subgenre in Maryland, Patrick McCaslin reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Reposted by Maya Lora
Preschool without a building could be in Maryland’s future
Preschool without a building could be in Maryland’s future
Maryland is one of just a handful of states piloting licenses for outdoor, nature-based child care programs.
buff.ly
October 20, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Preschool without a building could be in Maryland’s future
Reposted by Maya Lora
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
Reposted by Maya Lora
I worked with the great @brendawintrode.bsky.social on my latest: Towson University students moved their “No Kings” rally off campus after a school official told them speakers’ names would be run through federal government databases and vetted for security reasons.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Towson U. ‘No Kings’ rally relocates over speaker background checks
Towson University students moved their “No Kings” rally off campus after school officials told them speakers’ names would be run through federal government databases and vetted for security reasons.
www.thebanner.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I worked with the great @brendawintrode.bsky.social on my latest: Towson University students moved their “No Kings” rally off campus after a school official told them speakers’ names would be run through federal government databases and vetted for security reasons.
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Did you know SNAP & WIC don’t cover diapers? Parents not having enough diapers for their babies can mean UTIs, diaper rashes and having to stay home from child care. In Baltimore, it would take an extra 10 million diapers a year to keep babies dry and healthy. www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Baltimore families are 10 million diapers short
Changing a child less frequently can lead to painful medical complications, like urinary tract infections and diaper rashes.
www.thebanner.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Did you know SNAP & WIC don’t cover diapers? Parents not having enough diapers for their babies can mean UTIs, diaper rashes and having to stay home from child care. In Baltimore, it would take an extra 10 million diapers a year to keep babies dry and healthy. www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Maya Lora
I had such an incredible time (🥁) visiting the Renaissance Festival and talking with vendors there for this story.
The Maryland Renn Fest is a true institution, and one of the most popular festivals like it in the country. It's also, as I found out, one of the most desirable for vendors.
The Maryland Renn Fest is a true institution, and one of the most popular festivals like it in the country. It's also, as I found out, one of the most desirable for vendors.
About time: Maryland native realizes dream with Renaissance Festival shop
The fifth time was the charm for Sharon Lane, a Maryland native who landed a hard-to-get spot at the Maryland Renaissance Festival this year. The sold-out festival in Anne Arundel County concludes thi...
www.thebanner.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I had such an incredible time (🥁) visiting the Renaissance Festival and talking with vendors there for this story.
The Maryland Renn Fest is a true institution, and one of the most popular festivals like it in the country. It's also, as I found out, one of the most desirable for vendors.
The Maryland Renn Fest is a true institution, and one of the most popular festivals like it in the country. It's also, as I found out, one of the most desirable for vendors.
Reposted by Maya Lora
wow, a stunning and consequential finding, reported by @mayaklora.bsky.social in @thebaltimorebanner.com — most kids in Maryland are locked out of after school programs.
3 in 4 Maryland kids are shut out of after-school programs
Too many Maryland families are ‘scrambling to figure out what they’re doing at 3 p.m.' since most kids are shut out from after school programs.
www.thebanner.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:26 PM
wow, a stunning and consequential finding, reported by @mayaklora.bsky.social in @thebaltimorebanner.com — most kids in Maryland are locked out of after school programs.
Reposted by Maya Lora
Faculty at Baltimore City Community College were "blindsided" by Kurt Schmoke's plan to merge their employer with the University of Baltimore, the faculty union rep said at BCCC's Board of Trustees meeting. Here's the latest in the merger saga:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
BCCC faculty were ‘blindsided’ by Schmoke’s merger plan, union chair says
Baltimore City Community College faculty were “blindsided” by a plan to consolidate their employer with the University of Baltimore, according to Laura Pope, the faculty union chair.
www.thebanner.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Faculty at Baltimore City Community College were "blindsided" by Kurt Schmoke's plan to merge their employer with the University of Baltimore, the faculty union rep said at BCCC's Board of Trustees meeting. Here's the latest in the merger saga:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
3/4 of Maryland kids can't get into after school programs. That keeps parents from being able to work while shutting kids out of much-needed extra learning and social time outside of the classroom. The situation was dire even before uncertainty under the Trump admin www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
3 in 4 Maryland kids are shut out of after-school programs
Too many Maryland families are ‘scrambling to figure out what they’re doing at 3 p.m.' since most kids are shut out from after school programs.
www.thebanner.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:17 PM
3/4 of Maryland kids can't get into after school programs. That keeps parents from being able to work while shutting kids out of much-needed extra learning and social time outside of the classroom. The situation was dire even before uncertainty under the Trump admin www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Maya Lora
Take a peek inside UMBC's Garrett collection, one of the world’s largest archives devoted to the study of hauntings, poltergeists, out-of-body experiences and seances. Happy spooooooky season, Maryland:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
School spirit(s): Inside the ghost archives at UMBC
UMBC has one of the world’s largest parapsychology collections, including ghostly items such as seance photos and notes supposedly scrawled by spirits.
www.thebanner.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Take a peek inside UMBC's Garrett collection, one of the world’s largest archives devoted to the study of hauntings, poltergeists, out-of-body experiences and seances. Happy spooooooky season, Maryland:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Maya Lora
NEW: A few weeks ago, @muckrock.com
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Baltimore County’s police chief is on a list of cops with credibility concerns
Robert McCullough, the Baltimore County Police Department chief, appears on a list of law enforcement officers whose potential credibility concerns require disclosure to defense attorneys if they’re c...
www.thebanner.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:54 AM
NEW: A few weeks ago, @muckrock.com
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Reposted by Maya Lora
The players at the center of the crisis are out-of-towners — a group of investors from a small community in New York.
@halliemiller.bsky.social , Sahana Jayaraman and Giacomo Bologna on how Baltimore's problem could be the start of something larger.
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
@halliemiller.bsky.social , Sahana Jayaraman and Giacomo Bologna on how Baltimore's problem could be the start of something larger.
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
The housing hustle igniting a foreclosure crisis in Baltimore
The foreclosures could send neighborhoods spiraling and make Baltimore America’s next great housing crisis.
www.thebanner.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The players at the center of the crisis are out-of-towners — a group of investors from a small community in New York.
@halliemiller.bsky.social , Sahana Jayaraman and Giacomo Bologna on how Baltimore's problem could be the start of something larger.
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
@halliemiller.bsky.social , Sahana Jayaraman and Giacomo Bologna on how Baltimore's problem could be the start of something larger.
www.thebanner.com/community/ho...
Reposted by Maya Lora
NEW INVESTIGATION:
Investors have spent years falling in love with the 'debt service coverage ratio' loan.
The loans have allowed access to vast sums with few conditions, and now make up 40% of mortgage dollars in Baltimore.
Now they're going bad.
(Story below ⬇️)
Investors have spent years falling in love with the 'debt service coverage ratio' loan.
The loans have allowed access to vast sums with few conditions, and now make up 40% of mortgage dollars in Baltimore.
Now they're going bad.
(Story below ⬇️)
October 2, 2025 at 2:52 PM
NEW INVESTIGATION:
Investors have spent years falling in love with the 'debt service coverage ratio' loan.
The loans have allowed access to vast sums with few conditions, and now make up 40% of mortgage dollars in Baltimore.
Now they're going bad.
(Story below ⬇️)
Investors have spent years falling in love with the 'debt service coverage ratio' loan.
The loans have allowed access to vast sums with few conditions, and now make up 40% of mortgage dollars in Baltimore.
Now they're going bad.
(Story below ⬇️)
The child care scholarship is the main way Maryland families get help with child care. Since many can't afford it otherwise, day cares and preschools rely on vouchers to fill spots. So what happens when the program gets frozen - and doesn't come back when predicted? www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
State extends the child care scholarship freeze indefinitely
The state projected getting back down to 40,000 child care scholarships by September. But the program is still thousands of vouchers over budget.
www.thebanner.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:40 PM
The child care scholarship is the main way Maryland families get help with child care. Since many can't afford it otherwise, day cares and preschools rely on vouchers to fill spots. So what happens when the program gets frozen - and doesn't come back when predicted? www.thebanner.com/education/ea...