Julie Bykowicz

Missed “holy smokes” opportunity

How a Hopkins professor’s mushroom trip led to 1,000 paintings of cigarettes While participating in a Johns Hopkins Medicine study on mushroom-derived psilocybin, and the drug’s ability to curb addictive behaviors, the local writing professor discovered he loves to paint cigar...

By Wesley Case: All the smokes: How a Hopkins professor’s mushroom trip led to 1,000 paintings of cigarettes. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Maryland legislature could ban data center on Baltimore Peninsula The proposed transmission lines would follow a serpentine path through Baltimore’s Otterbein and Ridgely’s Delight neighborhoods in order to connect a substation near downtown with one on the peninsula.

Ferguson seeks to ban data center at Baltimore Peninsula, increase BGE scrutiny

My son and I did a cybertruck count on a very brief LA trip last year and I think we got to like 30.

How do you define downtown Baltimore? Draw it and show us. Depending on how you draw its boundaries, downtown Baltimore is either a depressing and increasingly empty collection of tall buildings, or it’s a dynamic and diverse community poised for success.

and while you're pondering Mount Vernon, is it "downtown?" Draw us your map!
www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

First Eddie’s, now The Brewer’s Art. Why Mount Vernon isn’t panicking — yet. Mount Vernon, once a Baltimore nightlife destination, has struggled in recent years, with losses seeming to accelerate in the past year: Eddie’s grocery store isn’t coming back anytime soon, and The B...

A robust read in @thebaltimorebanner.com about Mount Vernon, a gorgeous center city neighborhood that seems to be shedding some of its core businesses.
www.thebanner.com/economy/moun...

Radiohead is demanding that the Trump administration take down a pro-ICE promotional video featuring a version of its song “Let Down” without permission.

Full statement from the band:

The fruit man gets an app: Arabbers are rolling out cashless payments Baltimore arabbers are carving out a new space in the modern world for the sake of their existence. The app Row and Wagon will enable them to collect cashless payments.

The fruit man gets an app: Arabbers are rolling out cashless payments www.thebanner.com/economy/arab...

Here’s where all 47 Maryland senators stand on redistricting Enough senators oppose redistricting that supporters can not get the 29 votes they need to approve new congressional maps, according to a Banner survey of all 47 senators.

NEW in @thebaltimorebanner.com: Maryland redistricting = not happening. @brendawintrode.bsky.social & @maddioneill.bsky.social have the receipts.
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Last year, one of Baltimore’s stalwart financial firms left a Pratt Street office building in the central business district for a new headquarters in Harbor East. Was this bad for downtown? To some ci... TikTok video by The Baltimore Banner

What IS downtown Baltimore anyway?
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.tiktok.com/@baltimoreba...

How do you define downtown Baltimore? Draw it and show us. Depending on how you draw its boundaries, downtown Baltimore is either a depressing and increasingly empty collection of tall buildings, or it’s a dynamic and diverse community poised for success.

Baltimore, what is YOUR version of downtown? Draw us a map! (Also, hate to say it, but Philly had it right ...) This is so fun, and a great read.
via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

How do you define downtown Baltimore? Draw it and show us. Depending on how you draw its boundaries, downtown Baltimore is either a depressing and increasingly empty collection of tall buildings, or it’s a dynamic and diverse community poised for success.

No one seems to agree on what "downtown Baltimore" actually is.

Is it a narrow strip of land near the harbor? Does it include Mount Vernon? The @thebaltimorebanner.com office?

Help us figure this out!

Use our new tool to draw what you think of as downtown:

www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

Are you a BGE customer who has budgeted to be gobsmacked at your current bill? Asking for a @thebaltimorebanner.com columnist who is me.

Snow covers Ocean City beaches as winter storm wallops Eastern Shore In Ocean City, the snow — more of a flaky sludge, really — began Sunday evening, and it didn’t just fall. Rather, it whipped through the air propelled by gusts strong enough to knock over pedestrians.

This nor'easter largely spared Maryland ... except the Eastern Shore. @hayesgardner.bsky.social and @jphotoj.bsky.social with the report, via @thebaltimorebanner.com
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

List: Maryland schools announce Monday delays, cancellations amid winter storm A storm forecasters predict will dump 3-6 inches of snow across parts of Maryland is expected to disrupt schools, universities and other essential services.

Maryland parents: Here's how long you will be monitoring your children tomorrow. 🏫 ❄️
via @thebaltimorebanner.com @bannermoco.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Jack Hughes Sheds Blood And Teeth For His Country, U.S. Wins Olympic Gold | Defector In the third period of Sunday’s USA-Canada gold medal men’s hockey game, the American forward Jack Hughes spit blood after he took a high stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett. The ensuing four-minute…

Jack Hughes sheds blood and teeth for his country, U.S. wins Olympic gold: defector.com/jack-hughes-...

Maryland companies could see tariff refunds following SCOTUS decision When the Supreme Court struck down a bulk of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs Friday, it opened the door for companies to seek substantial refunds from the federal government for trade levies...

The Supreme Court striking down many of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs today could open the door for Maryland companies to seek substantial refunds.
www.thebanner.com/economy/mary...

YMCA employees wanted pay raises. They got a food pantry instead. The YMCA of Central Maryland opened a food pantry for workers asking for pay raises. Meanwhile, its CEO is one of the region’s highest-paid nonprofit leaders.

YMCA employees wanted pay raises. They got a food pantry instead.

I don’t know if I believe in love, but I do believe in stories. This is such a beautiful read by @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Deer are out of control in Baltimore. The city plans to shoot them. Deer in Baltimore are out of control. Starting this spring, the city plans to deploy sharpshooters in three parks to begin culling the population.

From @adampwillis.bsky.social: Baltimore’s overrun by deer. The city plans to kill them. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Incredible exhibit. Highly recommend if you can!

DC sports coverage -- it's happening
www.thebanner.com/banner-pr/ba...

Baltimore’s Nomi wants to ease loneliness with AI companions Baltimore’s Nomi lets real people create AI love interests, gaming partners, life coaches or just someone to listen while you complain about your boss.

There's an AI girlfriend factory in Baltimore, and Tim Prudente
wants to tell you all about it. Don't miss this @thebaltimorebanner.com read.
www.thebanner.com/economy/nomi...

Meet the only Democrat in Maryland’s House against redistricting Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes says she has some idea of what Maryland Republicans are feeling in terms of redistricting.

This Eastern Shore Democrat voted against redistricting. Here’s why.

Washington County declares its support for ICE detention facility outside Hagerstown Washington County commissioners declared support for the conversion of a sprawling warehouse outside Hagerstown into a proposed federal immigration detention facility on Tuesday.

Washington County declares support for proposed ICE detention facility near Hagerstown

"difficult decisions have been taken" is an all-time use of the passive voice

No one wants Kevin Spacey’s luxury Baltimore waterfront home After almost three years of litigation — settlement talks, blown deadlines, a buzzy auction on the courthouse steps, even a monthslong fight over the keys — the famous Hollywood actor, impossibly, sti...

No one wants Kevin Spacey’s luxury Baltimore waterfront home, Tim Prudente reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

How have Baltimore grocery prices changed in three years? Our receipts might surprise you. The Banner went shopping grocery shopping in the Baltimore region to see how the prices of 12 common food items, including bananas, ground beef, bread and eggs, compare to our shopping trips at the end...

How have Baltimore grocery prices changed in three years? Our receipts might surprise you.

A cruise ship swap is coming to Baltimore The world’s two largest cruise companies have played musical chairs with their ships and, at least for the next two years, the dust has settled. Carnival will have a larger foothold in Baltimore City ...

The world’s two largest cruise companies have played musical chairs with their ships and, at least for the next two years, the dust has settled.

Carnival will soon have a significantly larger foothold than Royal Caribbean at the Port of Baltimore. www.thebanner.com/economy/carn...