Maryland and its Assembly is struggling to preserve its nationally-praised Blueprint for school excellence even as the federal Department of Education appears in danger of being dismembered by the DOGE fanatics and their enabler-president. 

Our and other states may find themselves having to struggle with services and coordinated planning that the DoE has, for better or worse, provided. And, with some justice, conservatives argue that student performance nationwide, especially since the Pandemic, could scarcely be worse, DoE or no. 

Some suggest this will open the door to more states providing taxpayer money for private schools. , a struggle that the Assembly waged with Larry Hogan for nearly every year of his two terms. Public money for private schools seems inevitably to morph into a subsidy for parents who would already be placing their young-uns in the nonpublic sector.

Nevertheless, keeping good teachers and good teaching – and good learning – in the public system  is a critical need for every state, and Kal Hettleman, one of those who fashioned Maryland’s groundbreaking Blueprint, argues in this commentary that more than just an improved teacher pipeline is among the necessaries for reversing the trend – across this and all the states. It recently appeared in Maryland Matters.

I’m a resident of Baltimore City’s Pigtown neighborhood and the Environmental Justice Organizer at Progressive Maryland. In my role, I have connected with over a thousand residents from environmental justice communities in South Baltimore, particularly in neighborhoods like Cherry Hill, Brooklyn, Westport, and Pigtown, all of which are near the WIN Waste incinerator.

The majority of the South Baltimore residents I spoke with while going door-to-door in these neighborhoods were oblivious to two things: (1) they were unaware that incineration has been erroneously recognized as a tier 1 renewable energy source in Maryland's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) since 2011 and (2) they did not know that their monthly electricity payments were financing the WIN Waste incinerator. What they did know was that they were suffering from a variety of health issues like asthma and cancer. This is because the incinerator releases dangerous toxins such as carbon dioxide, heavy metals, and methane that cause severe health implications, as well as a decrease in life expectancy.

In an interview with WBAL-TV, Mary Urban, Director of Communications, Community Engagement, and Marketing at WIN Waste Innovation, claimed that waste incineration is a form of renewable energy. However, this is an unsubstantiated claim given that  “waste-to-energy” incinerators release higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycles than do green practices such as source reduction, reusing and recycling of the same materials.

Hope you’re not missing that lost hour too much after Daylight Savings Time! While time moved forward this weekend, we’re laser-focused on the countdown to Crossover Day—now just one week away. This is a crucial deadline in the legislative session when bills must pass one chamber to stay in play. The pressure is on, and we’re working around the clock to get our priority bills over the finish line.

We’ve made big strides this session, but some legislators are stalling key bills or trying to weaken them with harmful amendments. We’re doing everything possible to push back but we need you in this fight, too. Check out our legislative updates for the latest bill statuses and ways you can take action.

In other news, we’re celebrating big wins in Prince George’s County! Congratulations are in order for these two powerhouse women leaders—Aisha Braveboy for County Executive and Shayla Adams-Stafford for County Council (District 5)! We could not be more proud of these victories, which mark a huge step forward for progressive leadership in the county. These women are ready to fight for policies that make a real difference in people’s lives, and we’re excited to see their wins made official in the general election in June!

Read on for updates on our issue campaigns, events from allies and news you can use!

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

We’re thrilled to share that our blog has been ranked among the Top 100 Liberal Political Blogs in the country by FeedSpot! This recognition places us alongside powerhouse platforms like Daily Kos, ACLU, HuffPost Politics, The New Yorker, and the Democratic National Committee—a huge honor for our work amplifying progressive issues in Maryland. Even more exciting, only three other statewide blogs made this list, highlighting the unique impact of our organizing and advocacy. Check out the full list here.

Struggle on two fronts goes on here in Maryland. We have one of the biggest populations of federal workers, per capita, as many states, so we get hit hardest by the Trump/Musk purge. At the same time, these struggles are worsening our already-imposing state budget deficit, giving the General Assembly desperate problems as the legislative session draws to a close (and as the GOP-led Congress aims to stick working families with the downside of a new spending and tax plan that would make the rich richer).

That's a lot on the peoples' plate. As we see, the Democratic state attorneys general are in the forefront of taking Trump, Musk and the rest of the MAGA gangsters to court, where they have to come up with better answers than "I just felt like it." Meanwhile the lower prices, lower inflation and other benefits promised by Trump before the election are turning out to be their opposites. We've seen Trump's movie before and are not surprised, alas.

So the struggle goes on. News You Can Use tries to keep you up on significant stuff happening here, in other states and at the national level. Usually, the news requires action on our part to keep the bad people from gaining. No excuses, lets get to work and keep on working.

As a longtime resident of Cherry Hill, a South Baltimore community shadowed by the towering smokestack of the BRESCO trash incinerator, I’ve spent years breathing in the toxic air that plagues our neighborhoods. My name is Martina Wilson, and I am not a scientist, lobbyist, or policymaker. I am a Maryland utility customer, a member of the Progressive Maryland Environmental Justice Task Force, and a woman fighting for her health and her community’s future. Today, I’m urging our lawmakers to pass the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2025 and finally remove the subsidies propping up this dangerous incinerator.

As we step into March, we also step into Women’s History Month—a time to honor the generations of women, femmes, and non-binary people whose contributions have shaped history, movements, and everyday life. Their leadership, resilience, and impact deserve recognition not just this month, but always. Check out our Women’s History Month section later in this memo, where we’ll be highlighting powerful stories and change-makers.

Meanwhile, we’re hitting a major stretch in the legislative session with several critical bill hearings happening this week. Check out our Legislative Updates section for important updates on all of our legislative priorities.

And in exciting news, Progressive Maryland has once again been ranked in the Top 100 Liberal Political Blogs across the country by FeedSpot! We’re joined by other popular blogs like Daily Kos, ACLU, HuffPost Politics, The New Yorker, and Democratic National Committee. Plus, there are only 3 other statewide blogs to make this list so we are thrilled and grateful for this cool recognition. Click here to see the full list.

Read on for updates on our issue campaigns and news you can use!

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team