AS NUMBER OF HOMELESS STUDENTS RISES, FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID IS CUT: The number of homeless students in Maryland has risen by 24% over six years thanks to soaring rents and improved identification of students facing housing instability, according to Maryland education data and education officials. At the same time, federal funding for homeless services will decrease by 11% following federal cuts at the U.S. Department of Education. Stella Canino-Quinones/The Baltimore Sun
MARYLAND MANDATES DETENTION FOR TEENS WHO OFFEND WHILE MONITORED: The acting secretary of Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services announced a mandatory detention policy for teens arrested for serious crimes while wearing ankle monitors, satisfying a request from law enforcement. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
BAY JURISDICTIONS REASSESS CLEANUP PLAN: For Maryland and states across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the start of 2025 came with familiar disappointment. The group of seven jurisdictions working to clean up the Chesapeake Bay fell short of a much-anticipated deadline to curb pollution and rebuild ecosystems in the nation’s largest estuary. Now, watershed states and federal officials are back to soul searching. By the end of the year, they aim to revamp goals and develop a new Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, the fifth agreement between bay states since restoration work began in 1983. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.…