Julie Bykowicz
@bykowicz.bsky.social
Business and Enterprise Editor
The Baltimore Banner
Local news lover
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/
The Baltimore Banner
Local news lover
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/
A delightful slice of Baltimore life from @dylansegelbaum.bsky.social, via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/big-...
www.thebanner.com/economy/big-...
Big Crunch Amplifier Service & Design repairs the ‘sound of rock ’n’ roll’
Big Crunch Amplifier Service & Design started in 2008 and is located on East Biddle Street in Johnson Square.
www.thebanner.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
A delightful slice of Baltimore life from @dylansegelbaum.bsky.social, via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/big-...
www.thebanner.com/economy/big-...
Did people honestly not understand it was going to be dark?
The “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu knows that the film’s sequel is a major shift in tone. But the plan was always for audiences to “absorb the fairy tale so it could shatter in front of us."
His conversation with @shirklesxp.bsky.social:
His conversation with @shirklesxp.bsky.social:
Why the Sequel to Last Year’s Brightest Film Took a Dark Turn
The director of “Wicked” knows he took a big swing with its sequel.
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Did people honestly not understand it was going to be dark?
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Scoop: Park Service staff at 24 parks and offices are petitioning to unionize. Federal employees at a dozen including Grand Canyon filed for an election today, following staff at a dozen others including Joshua Tree who recently did same www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Parks Service Union Movement Spreads to Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree
Employees in dozens of park units are organizing to fight attempts by the Trump administration to downsize the agency.
www.bloomberg.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Scoop: Park Service staff at 24 parks and offices are petitioning to unionize. Federal employees at a dozen including Grand Canyon filed for an election today, following staff at a dozen others including Joshua Tree who recently did same www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
This is me
Please state your name for the record, the court clerk said.
"Justice"
What is your age?
“Timeless.”
What year were you born?
“I have been born many times.”
Alleged leader of violent "Zizian" group makes appearance in Maryland federal court
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
"Justice"
What is your age?
“Timeless.”
What year were you born?
“I have been born many times.”
Alleged leader of violent "Zizian" group makes appearance in Maryland federal court
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group pleads not guilty to federal gun charge
Ziz LaSota gave meandering answers at her initial appearance and arraignment in U.S. District Court related to a Western Maryland gun arrest, which ended what had been a cross-country search.
www.thebanner.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
This is me
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
I am going to tell you a very important secret. You can just not celebrate holidays if you don’t want to. You can skip them for any reason that feels right to you or no reason at all. You won’t go to jail; the world won’t end. It’s fine.
November 24, 2025 at 12:49 AM
I am going to tell you a very important secret. You can just not celebrate holidays if you don’t want to. You can skip them for any reason that feels right to you or no reason at all. You won’t go to jail; the world won’t end. It’s fine.
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
They seem big and scary, but Baltimore’s in love with these vintage stoves
Baltimore’s love affair with the Chambers stove
The Baltimore area remains a hot spot for the Chambers stove, an old appliance that has a modern cult following.
buff.ly
November 23, 2025 at 12:29 PM
They seem big and scary, but Baltimore’s in love with these vintage stoves
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
My latest: In 2015, a Cumberland police officer told his boss he'd had "filthy" conversations with a high schooler.
In 2020, Cumberland city leaders made that officer chief of police.
In 2020, Cumberland city leaders made that officer chief of police.
He admitted ‘filthy’ chats with a teen. Cumberland kept it quiet and made him police chief.
He admitted to ‘filthy’ chats with a teen. Cumberland still made him police chief.
New records show a Cumberland, Maryland officer admitted “filthy” messages with a teen before becoming police chief — a case the city kept quiet.
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
My latest: In 2015, a Cumberland police officer told his boss he'd had "filthy" conversations with a high schooler.
In 2020, Cumberland city leaders made that officer chief of police.
In 2020, Cumberland city leaders made that officer chief of police.
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Constellation CEO to Maryland: Don’t let Exelon build your power plant
Constellation CEO to Maryland: Don’t let Exelon build your power plant
Joe Dominguez took shots at the investor-owned utility company Exelon as competition to build more power plants in Maryland reaches a pivotal moment.
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Constellation CEO to Maryland: Don’t let Exelon build your power plant
New details from a text shared with @thebaltimorebanner.com: “The trip back home was extremely tiring,” Tran told Nash in a text message shared with The Banner. “We were in shackles the entire trip. ... I felt like we were less than animals.”
Hagerstown nail salon owner Melissa Tran arrives in Vietnam after deportation
Hagerstown nail salon owner Melissa Tran arrives in Vietnam after deportation
Melissa Tran, a 44-year-old immigrant who built a family and a small business in Western Maryland, has been deported to Vietnam, a country she left as a child.
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 10:46 PM
New details from a text shared with @thebaltimorebanner.com: “The trip back home was extremely tiring,” Tran told Nash in a text message shared with The Banner. “We were in shackles the entire trip. ... I felt like we were less than animals.”
ICYMI
Hagerstown nail salon owner Melissa Tran arrives in Vietnam after deportation
Hagerstown nail salon owner Melissa Tran arrives in Vietnam after deportation
Melissa Tran, a 44-year-old immigrant who built a family and a small business in Western Maryland, has been deported to Vietnam, a country she left as a child.
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 2:21 PM
ICYMI
Read to the end.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Hagerstown nail salon owner Melissa Tran arrives in Vietnam after deportation
Melissa Tran, a 44-year-old immigrant who built a family and a small business in Western Maryland, has been deported to Vietnam, a country she left as a child.
www.thebanner.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Read to the end.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Other takeaways:
• Blackouts the day before the collapse were not relevant
• A dozen other spans across the country could be at risk
• Last-gasp efforts (like deploying the anchor) couldn’t have helped
• Maryland bay pilots’ followed outdated protocol — which was effective
• Blackouts the day before the collapse were not relevant
• A dozen other spans across the country could be at risk
• Last-gasp efforts (like deploying the anchor) couldn’t have helped
• Maryland bay pilots’ followed outdated protocol — which was effective
November 19, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Other takeaways:
• Blackouts the day before the collapse were not relevant
• A dozen other spans across the country could be at risk
• Last-gasp efforts (like deploying the anchor) couldn’t have helped
• Maryland bay pilots’ followed outdated protocol — which was effective
• Blackouts the day before the collapse were not relevant
• A dozen other spans across the country could be at risk
• Last-gasp efforts (like deploying the anchor) couldn’t have helped
• Maryland bay pilots’ followed outdated protocol — which was effective
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
A single disconnection among miles of wiring prompted the Dali to lose power and, eventually, knock down the Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Chair Jennifer Homendy said of locating that wire.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Chair Jennifer Homendy said of locating that wire.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
5 takeaways from NTSB’s Key Bridge hearing
The National Transportation Safety Board met Tuesday to discuss the causes of the Key Bridge disaster. Here are five takeaways from the hearing.
www.thebanner.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:37 PM
A single disconnection among miles of wiring prompted the Dali to lose power and, eventually, knock down the Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Chair Jennifer Homendy said of locating that wire.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Chair Jennifer Homendy said of locating that wire.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
MDTA police quickly shut down traffic but failed to notify construction workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge that a massive container ship without power was careening toward a bridge support.
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/ntsb...
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/ntsb...
Key Bridge workers got no warning before collapse, NTSB says
Nearly 20 months after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, federal officials are poised to make a final ruling about how it happened.
www.thebanner.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:19 PM
MDTA police quickly shut down traffic but failed to notify construction workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge that a massive container ship without power was careening toward a bridge support.
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/ntsb...
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/ntsb...
Big breaking news 🚨: Baltimore will investigate New York investor group for housing discrimination
Follows @thebaltimorebanner.com special report on investors Ben Eidlisz and Eluzer Gold.
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Follows @thebaltimorebanner.com special report on investors Ben Eidlisz and Eluzer Gold.
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Baltimore will investigate New York investor group for housing discrimination
City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said the city would use every legal resource at its disposal.
www.thebanner.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Big breaking news 🚨: Baltimore will investigate New York investor group for housing discrimination
Follows @thebaltimorebanner.com special report on investors Ben Eidlisz and Eluzer Gold.
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Follows @thebaltimorebanner.com special report on investors Ben Eidlisz and Eluzer Gold.
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Dali crew members are STILL in Baltimore. Here's why:
NEW | An apparent deal between the Dali’s owner and the U.S. government has kept the ship’s crew “marooned” in Baltimore since the Key Bridge collapse 19 months ago.
As part of the agreement, though, the ship has sailed free, earning millions in revenue.
www.thebanner.com/economy/dali...
As part of the agreement, though, the ship has sailed free, earning millions in revenue.
www.thebanner.com/economy/dali...
Deal between Dali and U.S. has left crew ‘marooned’ for 19 months
The NTSB will discuss probable cause of the Key Bridge collapse during a meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, nine crew members of the Dali ship that struck the bridge are stuck in Baltimore...
www.thebanner.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Dali crew members are STILL in Baltimore. Here's why:
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Is Bill Ferguson playing with fire when it comes to redistricting Maryland?
Is Bill Ferguson playing with fire when it comes to redistricting?
Maryland's Democratic Senate leader has taken a redistricting position that’s at odds with his party.
buff.ly
November 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Is Bill Ferguson playing with fire when it comes to redistricting Maryland?
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Scoop: Reps for Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank have been lobbying Gov. Wes Moore’s office in an effort to persuade Maryland to buy Plank’s horse farm, email show.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Kevin Plank wants Maryland to buy his horse farm
Emails detail a pitch to turn Sagamore Farm into a state-owned horse training facility.
www.thebanner.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Scoop: Reps for Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank have been lobbying Gov. Wes Moore’s office in an effort to persuade Maryland to buy Plank’s horse farm, email show.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Update: The commander of the Eastern District is among the officers suspended amid a criminal investigation in San Francisco www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
November 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Update: The commander of the Eastern District is among the officers suspended amid a criminal investigation in San Francisco www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
NEW: A Hagerstown mother and nail salon owner was set to be deported to Vietnam as soon as Monday, story via Sapna Bansil at @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Hagerstown mother and nail salon owner set for deportation to Vietnam
Melissa Tran’s six-month legal battle has highlighted the impacts of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign on longtime residents and their families.
www.thebanner.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
NEW: A Hagerstown mother and nail salon owner was set to be deported to Vietnam as soon as Monday, story via Sapna Bansil at @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Pez dispensers. Holt Howard jelly jars. So many model trains. As the $90 trillion Great Wealth Transfer begins, millennials and Gen X aren’t just inheriting money — they’re inheriting their parents’ stuff.
Boomers Are Passing Down Fortunes — And Way, Way Too Much Stuff
As the $90 trillion Great Wealth Transfer begins, millennials and Gen X aren’t just inheriting money. They’re being buried under an avalanche of baseball cards, fine china and collections of all sorts.
bloom.bg
November 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Pez dispensers. Holt Howard jelly jars. So many model trains. As the $90 trillion Great Wealth Transfer begins, millennials and Gen X aren’t just inheriting money — they’re inheriting their parents’ stuff.
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Why is this influential member of the Baltimore Jewish community on prosecutors’ stay-away list for at least one of the defendants in the Dalya Attar extortion case? W/ @leeosanderlin.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
What does the founder of Tov Pizza have to do with Dalya Attar’s case?
A member of the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee for the 41st District, Ronald Rosenbluth, 62, is a fixture in political and Jewish civic circles.
www.thebanner.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Why is this influential member of the Baltimore Jewish community on prosecutors’ stay-away list for at least one of the defendants in the Dalya Attar extortion case? W/ @leeosanderlin.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Read @hayesgardner.bsky.social on the economic impact of the country’s longest government shutdown. Via @thebaltimorebanner.com
Federal government shutdown leaves economic scars in Maryland
Much of the shutdown's economic harm will be "undone," but it still did some permanent damage to Maryland, a state especially reliant on federal dollars.
www.thebanner.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Read @hayesgardner.bsky.social on the economic impact of the country’s longest government shutdown. Via @thebaltimorebanner.com
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
After epic Hampden fire, Baltimore designer had moments to save irreplaceable gowns
Designer Jill Andrews had moments to save irreplaceable gowns after Hampden fire
A three-alarm fire engulfed the top of a historic former police station known as “The Castle” in Hampden and wrecked the treasured bridal studio of Jill Andrews.
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 AM
After epic Hampden fire, Baltimore designer had moments to save irreplaceable gowns
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
North Baltimore residents won their fight against a locked treatment facility for youths, @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
North Baltimore residents won their fight against a youth detention center
Residents of the Woodbourne-McCabe neighborhood in North Baltimore objected to plans to redevelop the Maryland Youth Residence Center into a secure treatment facility.
www.thebanner.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM
North Baltimore residents won their fight against a locked treatment facility for youths, @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)