"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land."

Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, rejecting a proposal from a West Virginia lawmaker inviting three rural Western Maryland counties to secede and join his state. The legislation, framed as a bid to “strengthen regional ties and promote shared Appalachian values,” drew swift pushback from Maryland Republicans, who said residents’ frustrations don’t translate into support for leaving the state. Hershey said all of Maryland’s counties are integral to the state’s identity and aren’t up for grabs. (The Baltimore Sun)

Jake Warner, a Helena High School math teacher and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, warning lawmakers that Montana is already in a full-blown teacher shortage crisis. Warner’s remarks came during testimony before the School Funding Interim Commission, where educators described classrooms without heat, low pay, rising student behavioral issues and long-standing funding gaps that are pushing teachers out of the profession. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

Sara Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democratic appointee on Georgia’s State Election Board, underscoring the breakdown between the board and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Ghazal said the relationship “basically no longer” functions after Raffensperger’s investigators stopped attending meetings to present cases to the board. Raffensperger’s office said they were tired of seeing their investigators being abused by board members aligned with President Donald Trump. Following the 2020 election, Raffensperger resisted Trump’s call to “find” enough votes to flip Georgia’s 2020 results. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Maryland Republican Del. Matt Morgan. Morgan delivered one of the sharpest rebukes during Gov. Wes Moore’s latest redistricting commission meeting, a Zoom session that drew nearly 100 speakers and underscored deep partisan divides over the state’s fast-moving map proposal. He argued the process would “politically disenfranchise an entire region” and “eliminate the Republicans’ voice throughout the state.” His comments came amid equally forceful testimony from supporters of the overhaul.  (Baltimore Sun)