POLICY & JUSTICE — A 20-year-old Haitian college student died Monday after being struck by a semi-truck on I-70, with his family saying he had been distraught after being fitted with an ankle monitor by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bel's family said his Temporary Protected Status had expired in the weeks before his death and he was later fitted with an ankle monitor by ICE. His family said he could not participate in activities because of the ankle monitor and fell into a deep depression. The Trump administration has been calling Haitian immigrants into ICE offices in order to be equipped with ankle monitors and sent two deportation flights to Haiti since temporary protected status was canceled for people from the troubled Caribbean nation.
EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION — More than 10,000 Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) students started their first week of the 2026-2027 school year without clear bus routes. With a bus tracking app cited as having system failures across the county, the mishap caused a lot of confusion and forced many parents to drive their children to school themselves. PGCPS Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph characterized this as a "leadership failure." The system has now reported that the original backlog of unassigned students—comprising all families who registered before July 31—has been completely resolved. Keba Baldwin, former PGCPS director of transportation, resigned from the post after the first week of classes.
HEALTH EQUITY — Sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States; more than 90% are non-Hispanic Black or African American, and an estimated 3%-9% are Hispanic or Latino. Compared to Whites, Blacks were more likely to have significantly higher odds of sickle cell crisis (odds ratio: 3.32) and blood transfusion (odds ratio: 1.66). Historically, many patients with sickle cell disease who are Black and African American have had their pain and suffering diminished by care providers. Provider biases – whether conscious or unconscious – have influenced treatment decisions.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT — Houston City Council approved $11 million to invest in 25 neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Let's Play Houston initiative identified over 180 neighborhood parks and found that the 25 in the program had the greatest need. Once improvements are complete, Let's Play Houston will represent the largest investment in neighborhood parks in the City of Houston's history, combining approximately $60 million in public and private funding for park upgrades. As of late March, 11 parks are currently in the design phase, with the other 14 conducting initial community engagement to help develop the scopes of work for the park renovations.
LeRon Wilson assumes a new leadership position at Hiram Clarke-Ft. Bend Redevelopment Authority.
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Rare Beauty Brands awards quarterly grants to Black and African women creators in the beauty industry. Applicants must provide portfolio links and answer questions about business use of funds. Program targets early-stage beauty product businesses at prototype stage or beyond.
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